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Gu Yuan suddenly discovered another very important piece of information: "Wait, you said Yao Chen? His surname is Yao? The Yao from Yao Clan?"
Gu Chen replied: "Yes, it is said that he is a renegade from the Yao Clan, and the matter caused quite a stir back then."
Speaking of this, Gu Yuan was almost certain that there was a mastermind behind the Yao Chen incident. Perhaps Soul Hall was just being used!
It might be that the hidden Xiao Clan force saw this opportunity and indirectly sent a talent to the Xiao Family, who were in the open, while also preparing for future contact with the Yao Clan.
Or it could be that there were already Xiao Clan members, who had broken into smaller groups, lurking within the Soul Hall, laying down secret pieces, and this entire matter was orchestrated by the Xiao Clan.
They were the perpetrators, they were the helpers, and they were also the final beneficiaries!
Hiss… Am I overthinking the Xiao Clan as too cunning? No, no, if there really is such a branch of the Xiao Clan bloodline that can maintain secret contact with the Xiao Family under my nose without me discovering it, then no matter how much I overestimate them, it wouldn't be too much.
Gu Chen and Ling Ying looked at Gu Yuan's serious and solemn expression, feeling uneasy in their hearts.
They thought it was because they hadn't discovered Miss Xun Er's emotional problems in time, and after discovering them, they maintained a permissive attitude, which led to the matter becoming troublesome even for the Clan Leader.
After a long silence, Gu Yuan softly said: "Continue doing what you were doing before, just pretend I don't exist."
As he spoke, his figure slowly disappeared before their eyes.
Gu Chen and Ling Ying's hearts sank… Did the Clan Leader mean he would stay here for a period of time?
That's right, after all, besides being the Clan Leader of the Gu Clan, he was also Miss Xun Er's father, so it was only natural for him to care about his daughter's lifelong matters.
They exchanged glances, seeing the bitterness in each other's eyes.
No one could have predicted before that Xun Er's feelings for Xiao Yan would be so firm, so deep, as if she would marry no one else.
Time quietly passed, and Xiao Yan diligently carried out his cultivation, his strength steadily improving, already reaching the peak of Dou Spirit, with the possibility of advancing to Dou King at any time.
Gu Yuan silently watched all of this. His diligence, his persistence, his resilience… Xiao Yan not only had good talent, but he also worked hard himself; even within the Gu Clan, he would be considered above average.
To achieve this level without the aid of bloodline power was already commendable… But with just this, it was not enough to marry his, Gu Yuan's, daughter!
Unconsciously, Gu Yuan began to look at Xiao Yan with the eyes of a prospective father-in-law.
He observed for three months, but the mysterious Xiao Clan remained nowhere to be seen, and Xiao Yan did not seem like someone with ulterior motives who would approach Xun Er through opportunistic means; he seemed more engrossed in cultivation, not even bothering to deepen his relationship with Xun Er!
On the contrary, his own daughter often actively ran to Xiao Yan, showing him concern, which made him feel a bit annoyed.
He really wanted to rush over, grab Xiao Yan by the collar, and ask him, "Boy, do you know my daughter's feelings for you? If you do, why aren't you more proactive? Don't you know to take some time to accompany Xun Er?"
Gu Yuan, this old father, had mixed feelings… If Xiao Yan was too close to Xun Er, he would think it was "ulterior motives," but when Xiao Yan neglected Xun Er due to his obsession with cultivation, he felt he was "unappreciative."
Besides Xiao Yan and Xun Er, Zhou Mingrui also entered Gu Yuan's sight.
He found this young man a bit incomprehensible.
Quite the opposite of Xiao Yan, Zhou Mingrui never cultivated; every day, he was either reading or quietly watching Xun Er from a corner, and his concealment ability was excellent. Xun Er seemed unaware that she was being monitored by a classmate for most of the time.
If he hadn't known that Gu Chen had set up such a test, Gu Yuan would definitely have thought that Zhou Mingrui harbored ill intentions towards Xun Er!
Even if Gu Chen gave you such a hidden protection test, there's no need to go to this extent, right? You're almost on par with Ling Ying!
Zhou Mingrui stood on a treetop, gazing into the distance. In his line of sight, a girl in a purple dress, elegant as a lotus, was walking on the street with a girl in a red dress, vibrant and flamboyant.
Xun Er and Hu Jia gradually walked away. Just as he was about to follow, he suddenly found a middle-aged man standing beside him at some unknown point.
This person was dressed in ordinary clothes, with a smile on his face that made people feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze.
"I've seen you staring at her for a long time. Is she that captivating to you?" Gu Yuan pretended not to know about the test.
Zhou Mingrui didn't recognize him, as no A-mon had ever seen Gu Yuan, and he replied with a smile:
"Yes, she's very captivating… A girl as dazzling as the sun, who wouldn't be moved?"
Gu Yuan raised an eyebrow. The other party's praise of Xun Er made him happy, but he wasn't sure if Zhou Mingrui was just going along with his words, using it as an excuse, or genuinely thinking that way.
Perhaps… both.
"Following her secretly like this is not the behavior of a gentleman."
Zhou Mingrui's lips curved into a smile: "I was never a gentleman to begin with."
Gu Yuan was silent for a moment, then said softly: "I am her father."
"Oh, is that so? I thought you were some senior from the academy… Hmm, actually, I can also be a proper gentleman." Zhou Mingrui immediately changed his tune.
Gu Yuan smiled noncommittally: "Don't you need to cultivate?"
Zhou Mingrui had a smile on his face: "People always need to make some choices. The old senior staying at the inn across from the Outer Courtyard's main gate said that if I can fulfill his request, he will give me a great opportunity.
"He asked me to protect a special girl in the academy, but he didn't tell me who it was; I needed to confirm it myself.
"From my observations, there are three relatively special girls. One is Zi Yan, whose true form is unknown after accidentally consuming a Transformation Grass; I haven't seen her in a long time…
"Another is the powerful 'Demoness'; if it were her, I wouldn't need to protect her at all, and she has also gone somewhere. The only one left in the academy now is Xun Er.
"I feel that the opportunity that old gentleman spoke of might be more important and more beneficial to my future development than six months of arduous cultivation… So I am willing to gamble on it."
Gu Yuan nodded: "Clear thinking, rational analysis, and the courage to take risks… What if you lose the gamble?"
Zhou Mingrui said with a smile: "If I lose, I lose, but it's not without gain. Long-term observation has let me know some of Xun Er's preferences. Maybe I can try, and perhaps I can truly win the beauty's heart?"
Gu Yuan's expression was a bit strange: "Is it appropriate for you to say this in front of me?"
"Perhaps appropriate, perhaps not. It depends on your attitude."
"What do you like about Xun Er?"
"Her beautiful appearance, gentle personality, outstanding cultivation talent, and profound background… This last one can save a person a hundred years of struggle." Zhou Mingrui spoke frankly.
Oh, so you're the one with ulterior motives! But you're too straightforward, so straightforward that I don't even know how to comment… Gu Yuan was speechless.
Zhou Mingrui said with a clear smile: "It seems I guessed correctly… Xun Er is the 'special girl' that old gentleman outside spoke of. So my test is half-completed… No, probably fully completed? Senior, are you here to take her back?"
Gu Yuan was slightly taken aback: "Were you deliberately saying all that just now to probe me?"
"Perhaps it was a probe, perhaps it was the truth… Or, it was a probe in another sense." Zhou Mingrui adjusted his monocle.
Gu Yuan's trip to the Black-Corner Region yielded no results; he really couldn't see anything unusual…
Does the mysterious hidden Xiao Clan truly exist?
Could it be that Soul Emperor guy deliberately wants me to be suspicious? No, probably not…
If the Xiao Clan truly only had the Xiao Family led by Xiao Zhan, that Dou Grandmaster, then Soul Emperor would never say such things, because such a Xiao Family would not even be worth sowing discord among.
Although he couldn't reach a conclusion, Gu Yuan still decided to return to the Ancient Realm. He had been out long enough… Moreover, the Soul Clan seemed to have recovered from the battle a thousand years ago and started to become active again, so he had to maintain sufficient vigilance!
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