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Jia Nan Academy, Outer Courtyard.
Compared to the constant turmoil in the Inner Courtyard, this place seemed exceptionally peaceful. For the students of the Outer Courtyard, it seemed as if nothing had changed.
Those Elder Dou Kings were rarely seen by them anyway, so few noticed their reduced numbers.
Xiao Yu walked down the street with a troubled expression. Since receiving the news of the Xiao Family's destruction, a smile had barely graced her face.
Xiao Ning and Xiao Mei followed behind her, their expressions equally gloomy.
Some events in the Inner Courtyard had, after all, affected them. Xiao Ning noticed that the students who had once been so respectful to him had changed their attitude, becoming less polite.
This started after Xiao Meng left. Compared to Xiao Meng, who often mingled among the students, Xiao Yan and Xun Er were much more low-key, rarely interacting with other students and having little presence.
Without the "tiger" behind them, the "fox" that could no longer borrow its prestige naturally reverted to its original form, and life began to get difficult.
With their family gone and unable to move an inch in the academy, their future was uncertain, and the pressure of life came crashing down. Xiao Ning and Xiao Mei were physically and mentally exhausted.
"Xiao Ning, stop right there!" A young man dressed in white with blue patterns, accompanied by five others, approached from behind.
They quickly stepped forward, blocking the path of the three Xiao Family members.
"Ma Yan?" Xiao Ning's expression changed, "What do you want?"
"What do I want? Naturally, to settle all the old scores!" Ma Yan sneered, "I've found out that the demoness left the Inner Courtyard long ago. Your backer is gone."
Xiao Ning said, putting on a brave front but inwardly quaking, "Think carefully, my cousin is still in the Inner Courtyard."
"Your cousin? Xiao Yan?" A hint of hesitation flickered across Ma Yan's face. Xiao Yan had caused quite a stir as soon as he entered the Inner Courtyard, even teaming up with Xun Er to defeat Zhou Mingrui, the Inner Courtyard's acknowledged third strongest. However, he had since gone silent, and the students of the Inner Courtyard had almost forgotten him.
Ma Yan hesitated for only a moment before making up his mind. He was going to seize the opportunity while Xiao Ning was out of favor and had no one to help him, to teach him a harsh lesson and get back all the beatings he had received before!
"Heh heh, that'll have to wait until he comes out of seclusion. Your cousin is said to be nowhere to be seen day in and day out, not much different from the demoness who has already left." Ma Yan clenched his right fist, placing his left palm against it, making his knuckles crackle.
"What do you want to do?" Xiao Yu said with a grim face, stepping in front of Xiao Ning.
Ma Yan frowned slightly, "I'm not looking for you, get out of the way... Xiao Ning, if you're a man, don't hide behind a woman. Let's have a one-on-one fight."
"Alright!" Xiao Ning stepped forward. He also didn't want to hide behind his older sister.
The battle began, and the battle ended.
Xiao Ning was defeated decisively, knocked down in a single move.
"Thanks to you, I've been diligently cultivating and have already broken through to Dou Master, all for today!" Ma Yan stomped on Xiao Ning's back, forcing him back to the ground as he tried to get up.
Xiao Yu and Xiao Mei wanted to go help.
"Stop them!"
The few people Ma Yan brought with him firmly blocked them, preventing them from interfering in the slightest.
"I'll teach you to be arrogant, I'll teach you to be presumptuous." Ma Yan kicked Xiao Ning again and again. The kicks weren't very heavy, only causing pain without inflicting significant injury, but they were extremely humiliating.
He ruthlessly trampled Xiao Ning's self-esteem underfoot, crushing it to pieces.
Xiao Yu bit her lip, her eyes red, staring at Ma Yan, the anger in her eyes almost erupting.
Ma Yan ignored this, giving another kick that sent Xiao Ning rolling twice on the ground.
Xiao Ning's face was bruised and swollen, a trickle of blood escaping the corner of his mouth, and snot ran down to his lips. He looked utterly miserable, but still managed a cold sneer:
"Heh, a good-for-nothing like you, trying to pursue my cousin? Not a chance!"
"But you're currently being trampled underfoot by me, this good-for-nothing, you freeloading worm!" A flash of anger crossed Ma Yan's eyes, and he delivered another fierce kick to Xiao Ning's chest, making him cough up a large mouthful of blood.
Having done all this, Ma Yan seemed to feel satisfied. He clapped his hands and walked over to Xiao Mei, a lecherous smile on his face:
"Xiao Mei, you've seen it. Your useless cousin can't protect you in the academy at all. Do you want to find a man to rely on? How about me?"
"Get lost." Xiao Mei glared at him angrily.
Ma Yan was not angered, and said with a smile, "I've heard about your Xiao Family's situation. If you have nowhere to go in the future, you can come to me... You should think about it carefully."
"Of course, if you start following me from within the academy, the treatment you'll receive will be different from coming to me when you can't make it outside."
Ma Yan swaggered away. Xiao Yu and Xiao Mei quickly rushed forward to check on Xiao Ning's injuries.
The last kick Ma Yan delivered after being enraged by Xiao Ning had caused him some internal injuries. Xiao Yu unhesitatingly took out a jade bottle, poured out a healing pill, and tried to put it into Xiao Ning's mouth.
Xiao Ning reached out and stopped her, forcing a weak smile:
"Sister, I'm fine. I'll be good after a few days of rest... From now on, we can only rely on ourselves. Save whatever we can. These valuable pills should be saved for crucial moments."
Xiao Yu's expression darkened. After a moment's hesitation, she put the pill away, her voice tinged with a sob, "I'm sorry, Big Sister is useless."
Xiao Mei said apologetically, "It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have clashed with Ma Yan."
Previously, Xiao Mei had complained that Ma Yan, her suitor, was too annoying, which was why Xiao Ning had taken people to beat him up and warn him not to have any ideas about Xiao Mei.
At that time, Xiao Meng's influence was at its peak, and a large group of followers had gathered around Xiao Ning, who never expected such a turn of events.
The tables had turned, and now Ma Yan was a big problem for them.
"It's not your fault. We're all family, and there are only a few of us left..." By the end of his sentence, Xiao Ning's voice was a little low.
His words brought about a silence.
In the oppressive atmosphere, Xiao Yu silently helped Xiao Ning up and led him towards a nearby medical clinic.
Although not as fast-acting or effective as pills, the clinic still served its purpose, mainly because it was cheap. For their current situation, it wasn't too much of a burden.
After receiving treatment at the clinic and taking a dose of powdered medicine, Xiao Ning's complexion improved slightly. As they walked out of the clinic, a person completely shrouded in a black robe, their face obscured, stopped in front of them.
An old and deep voice emerged from beneath the black robe: "Follow me."
"Who are you? What do you want with us?" Xiao Yu asked in a low voice.
The black-robed person did not answer, merely continued walking forward on their own.
The three exchanged glances and silently followed, wondering what this person was up to.
They walked for a few minutes, turning into a small alley.
Seeing that the surroundings were becoming increasingly secluded and there were fewer and fewer pedestrians, Xiao Yu and the others simultaneously stopped:
"Say whatever you have to say here. We won't follow you any further... And you'd best show your face first. We won't trust someone who hides their identity."
"Honestly, I'm a little disappointed in you..." The old, deep voice came again. He looked at Xiao Ning and slowly said, "I am your grandfather."
Hearing his insulting words, Xiao Ning's face darkened, and a hint of anger arose in his heart. If it were the old him, he would have probably rushed forward to fight without a second thought, but having gone through a lot and matured, he suppressed the anger in his heart and said in a calm tone:
"If you just want to provoke us, there's no need. Anger won't necessarily make us lose our judgment; it will only prevent our conversation from continuing."
The black-robed person looked at his face, which was slightly pale from his injuries but now held a hint of resolve, and suddenly laughed aloud:
"I take back what I just said. It seems you've made some progress... However, I really am your grandfather."
With that, the Elder lifted his hood, and the swirling mist that had obscured his face vanished, revealing his aged face with a hint of a smile.
"Ah?" Xiao Ning and Xiao Yu looked somewhat dazed. After more than two years of not seeing him, the Elder had aged slightly, but other than that, there weren't many changes.
Looking at the familiar face and hearing the familiar voice, Xiao Ning's eyes became a little moist as he called out, "Grandfather..."
Xiao Yu, even more so, directly threw herself into his embrace, sobbing as she cried out, "Grandfather... I, I thought... you, you had already..."
The Elder smiled, stroking her head, "Your Grandfather is doing very well!"
Xiao Ning calmed down from his excitement and asked, "Grandfather, what exactly is the situation with the family now? Why did Cousin Xiao Ding and Cousin Xiao Li say the family had been annihilated?"
"Annihilated?" The Elder frowned, "Although saying it's annihilated isn't wrong, where did they get that news?"
"It was from Yunlan Sect people. The one who came with them back then was Yun Yun, the Sect Master's junior brother." Xiao Ning replied.
"Yunlan Sect? Heh heh, what a Yunlan Sect indeed... Among those who attacked our Xiao Clan, there were people from Yunlan Sect!" The Elder said coldly.
"Ah?" Xiao Ning was a little confused.
"I'll tell you all these things when we get back... The Xiao Family has been annihilated, but the foundation of our Xiao Clan still remains! First, come back to the clan with me, and I will tell you all of this." The Elder said.
Xiao Yu suddenly asked, "Should we tell that brat Xiao Yan about these things?"
"What brat? You should call him Young Clan Leader!" The Elder gave Xiao Yu a rap on the head.
"Alright, alright, I know... Although he really is the Young Clan Leader, I never saw you care so much about that before, did I?" Xiao Yu grumbled softly.
The Elder shot her a sidelong glance: "Before was before, now is now! The great undertaking of our clan rests entirely on the Young Clan Leader's shoulders!"
"We don't need to worry about him, and don't take it upon yourselves to tell him anything. Others will make arrangements."
Xiao Ning and Xiao Yu exchanged glances, both seeing the confusion in each other's eyes... Grandfather's tone seemed much grander than before.
Xiao Mei stood to the side, watching the scene of this family reunion, and a glimmer of hope couldn't help but appear on her face. She opened her mouth and asked with trepidation in her heart, "Elder, how are my family members?"
"Haha, they are also doing very well. In short, everyone is still alive." The Elder said with a gentle smile on his face.
Xiao Mei's eyes immediately lit up.
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