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--- Chapter 295 ---
Guilt.
Xiao Yu had never felt so guilty in her life. The hurtful words she directed at Xiao Yan filled her with self-disgust, but she feared that if she held them in, her conviction would waver.
She believed that a man, young or old, should stand tall and proud in the face of arduous trials and challenges. However, seeing Xiao Yan's current state made her realize that her perspective on the problem between the Xiao Clan and Soaring Wind Dojo was 'utterly' clouded.
In Xiao Yu's anger, she viewed her genius cousin as the wronged one and immediately labeled the others as evil. The truth, however, was that the Xiao Clan had been in the wrong, and Xiao Yan was simply a loser who couldn't accept reality.
"What a wonderful morning, right, Cousin Xiao Yu?" A pleasant voice suddenly pulled Xiao Yu from her thoughts.
She raised her head to see Gu Xun'er sitting on a rock, casually swinging her legs. "You are…"
"Xiao Xun'er?"
Even though Xiao Yu had left the Xiao Clan to study at Jia Nan Academy years ago, she still remembered the mysterious girl who had joined their clan and often played with Xiao Yan. Yet, one thing stuck with Xiao Yu as her grandfather told her not to offend this girl.
Strangely, Xiao Yu hadn't seen Gu Xun'er with Xiao Yan when he suddenly confronted her earlier, which was unusual considering their previous close relationship.
Testing the waters, Xiao Yu asked, "What do you want from me? Are you going to confront me about what I said to Xiao Yan earlier?"
Gu Xun'er tilted her head and giggled, shaking her head gently. "No, not really."
"If I were the person I used to be, I would certainly seek justice for Xiao Yan, whom you wronged. But I no longer feel that way."
"Just like you, he has greatly disappointed me." Gu Xun'er's smile turned bitter as she recalled years of being belittled by Xiao Yan. Despite her efforts to connect with him and one-sided support, it felt as if she had never reached his heart. So, she had given up.
Xiao Yu's eyes widened in surprise. She stared at the melancholic Gu Xun'er, sensing something was amiss. "How could you two end up like this?"
Gu Xun'er hesitated before inviting Xiao Yu, "Cousin, why don't we walk down the mountain while I explain my story to you?"
After a moment's hesitation, Xiao Yu nodded. "Alright."
As they walked side by side down the mountain, Gu Xun'er shared her life experiences from the past few years, including her "conflict" with Han Yuan, although she omitted several details.
Xiao Yu was left speechless. The similarities were striking. Gu Xun'er had tried to avenge Xiao Yan by sparring with Han Yuan. However, instead of securing a victory, she ended up feeling indebted to him because he had sacrificed himself to save her in a life-or-death moment.
While Xiao Yu hadn't gone as far as almost killing herself in her fight with Han Yuan, she could relate to the emotional turmoil that followed, as she too felt bitterly confused.
Was she right?
Was she wrong?
Gu Xun'er sighed wistfully. "Han Yuan burned himself to save me…"
"When you met him, you must have noticed the bandage-like belt covering his arm, right?"
"That was to hide the scar…"
Xiao Yu covered her mouth in shock. "That's because of you?"
Gu Xun'er offered a weak smile. "Yes, and I regret it so much. Since that day, I've been trying to repay him."
"Although he has healed himself, I still can't forgive myself."
"This situation led to my conflict with Xiao Yan because I advised him to avoid further confrontations with Han Yuan."
"However, Xiao Yan stubbornly refused my advice, believing he could get himself and win against Han Yuan. And not long ago, he suddenly lost his talent…"
"I did my best to help him: buying medicines, searching for remedies, but ultimately, it was all futile."
"After losing his mother, Xiao Yan's emotional state became volatile and unstable."
"He berated me, calling me useless and many other hurtful things for the smallest problems." Gu Xun'er stared into the distance calmly, then asked a blunt question, "Tell me, cousin. Does someone like that truly deserve our sympathy?"
Xiao Yu was dumbfounded. She hadn't realized the depth of the issues between Xiao Yan and Gu Xun'er.
It was no wonder Gu Xun'er had distanced herself from him.
If Xiao Yan treated her so poorly despite all her efforts, Xiao Yu would not hesitate to teach him a lesson.
Xiao Yu took Gu Xun'er's hand and said, "Xun'er, you have tried your best to help him. Just forget about that brat and live your life to the fullest."
"If he doesn't change, it's only a matter of time before he becomes truly useless, as people say."
"I'm sure he would regret in the future losing such a good girl like you."
"He deserves it!" Xiao Yu added sternly. In her mind, Xiao Yan's image is 'finally' shattered.
Gu Xun'er looked at Xiao Yu's comforting expression and smiled. "Thank you, cousin."
Xiao Yu released Gu Xun'er's hand, fidgeting with her fingers nervously. "Well then, since you've known Han Yuan for a long time, can you tell me more about him?"
Gu Xun'er chuckled softly. "Of course, I will tell you everything!"
Unbeknownst to Xiao Yu, she had already fallen into the trap set by the young lady of the Gu Clan.
As Gu Xun'er talked with the long-legged older cousin, her red lips curled up slightly. From now on, Gu Xun'er decided she wasn't going to play passively anymore.
Who said only you girls can bring 'Ally' to win Han Yuan's heart?
So what if I bring more women into the harem?
It doesn't matter as long as Han Yuan likes them, right?
Kukuku, everything is fair in love and war!
She gazed at Xiao Yu warmly, 'I'm sorry for dragging you into this, cousin, but from the look of it, you've already fallen for Han Yuan as well.'
'Ahh, what a bad girl I am to corrupt someone like this.'
If Xiao Yixian knew what Gu Xun'er was doing right now, she would have definitely regretted her decision to teach this princess of the Ancient Gu Clan how to be a bad girl.
Then, again, neither Xiao Yixian nor even Han Yuan expected Gu Xun'er to turn out like this.
---
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Soaring Wind Dojo.
"Teacher Ling, this is my sister Han Yixian and Han Qinglin." Han Yuan stood with two beautiful girls as he introduced them to Ruo Ling while smiling proudly.
"Hello, Teacher Ling." Xiao Yixian and Qing Lin greeted her calmly.
Ruo Ling was stunned, "Two? I thought you only had one sister, Han Yuan?"
"Also, this green-haired girl? Wasn't she the one who fought those dojo disciples on the second floor yesterday?"
"She's impressive," Ruo Ling gazed at Qing Lin with genuine praise in her eyes. "Girl, you have an excellent foundation and talents."
Qing Lin blushed as only Han Yuan and a few others ever praised her like this. "Thank you, Sister."
"Sister? Hehe, what a sweet-mouthed girl, but I don't dislike it." Ruo Ling covered her mouth and giggled, clearly pleased.
Then, Ruo Ling glanced at Xiao Yixian, who was more mature than Qing Lin despite only being two years older, and possessed a beauty that even made her feel somewhat inferior.
Xiao Yixian calmly greeted, "Nice to meet you, Teacher Ling. I hope my brother didn't give you too much trouble yesterday."
"He just likes to show off."
Ruo Ling blinked her eyes in surprise, as she had expected Xiao Yixian to be a typical cold and indifferent beauty, but the truth was that this girl loved her brother too much. She even apologized on his behalf.
Han Yuan's mouth twitched, "Hey, hey, how can you say that about your brother? You call it showing off, but the truth is that I was giving some demonstration to Teacher Ling."
"If I don't do that, she won't see my talent, you know?"
Xiao Yixian rolled her eyes and then snorted, "Sure, whatever you say."
Ruo Ling giggled even more as her eyes gleamed, 'What interesting siblings.'
"Well, you must have a reason to introduce your sisters to me, right, Han Yuan?"
Han Yuan nodded, giving Xiao Yixian and Qing Lin a signal to show their cultivation to Ruo Ling.
"What! This is!" Ruo Ling immediately stood up because from Xiao Yixian, she sensed a 7-Star Dou Master cultivation.
On the other hand, Qing Ling wasn't worse either, being a 9-Star Dou Disciple, just one step away from becoming a Dou Master.
"What's wrong with you three siblings?" Ruo Ling's jaws dropped. "How come you three are monstrously talented?"
What Ruo Ling didn't realize was that, beside Qing Lin, both Xiao Yixian and Han Yuan hadn't yet revealed their 'true' cultivation levels. After all, it would be hard to explain a twelve-year-old Dou King.
Han Yuan smiled at Ruo Ling and asked, "Teacher Ling, do you think my sisters can join Jia Nan Academy?"
Ruo Ling, jolted back to reality from her shock, replied eagerly, "Of course, they can join the academy! Only fools would turn away such monsters, cough, I mean, talented geniuses!"
"I'm sure the elders at the academy would be more than happy to accept you all," she added.
"Then please help them with the admission process too," Han Yuan said, nodding with satisfaction.
Ruo Ling gave Han Yuan a reassuring look and replied, "Leave it to me!"