After leaving the main hall, Xiao Yan walked alone to the rear mountain, following a habit from his previous life. Zi Yan and Qing Lin had initially tried to tag along, but he casually waved them off. He didn't like being disturbed when he needed to think in peace.
Sitting on the grassy hill, he gazed toward the distant Magic Beast Mountain Range—the very place where he first met Xiao Yixian. Staring at that spot, he sighed helplessly. 'This feeling of being unable to control things… it's the worst. If I had known this would happen, I would never have left her in Wu Tan City…'
But regrets were useless now. Xiao Yan quickly calmed himself and began planning his next steps. Just then, he sensed a graceful presence approaching. A familiar figure clad in green was gliding toward him. He exhaled softly and turned his head with a smile. "It's been a few years, little girl. You've gotten prettier."
The girl who appeared was none other than Xun'er, who he hadn't seen in five years. Back when they first met, Xiao Yan had treated her coldly—perhaps because memories of his past life caused him to associate her with Hun Dai'er. Those associations had made him keep his distance.
However, after all his experiences and the people he'd met—especially Xiao Yixian and Qing Lin—his personality had softened. He also realized clearly by now that Xun'er and Hun Dai'er were two entirely different people. There was no point in projecting old grudges onto someone innocent.
Still… for reasons he couldn't explain, every time he saw Xun'er, a strange feeling stirred in him. It wasn't just deja vu—it felt deeper, like they had known each other long before. Yet in his past life, there had been no such person.
"Xiao Yan-gege is different from before too," Xun'er said softly as she sat naturally beside him. "Back then, you weren't this approachable."
"Oh? Really?" Xiao Yan blinked. He hadn't thought his behavior had changed much.
"Back then, although you were polite on the surface, there was a coldness in your bones. But now, you don't feel that way anymore," Xun'er said with a gentle smile. "Looks like the experiences you had outside changed you quite a bit…"
What she didn't say was that when Xiao Yan first left Wu Tan City, she had secretly assigned someone to watch over him. However, her spy quickly lost track of him. She never knew what he'd gone through—only heard bits and pieces from Xiao Yixian back when she was still in town. But even those were just the tip of the iceberg.
"Maybe," Xiao Yan shrugged, not pursuing the topic. He didn't think he had changed all that much—but if even someone as perceptive as Xun'er said he had, then maybe there was something to it.
Regardless, it wasn't a bad change.
"Xiao Yan-gege, are you worried about Xiao Yixian-jiejie?" Xun'er asked gently, sensing his mood.
"You know about her too?" Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, though it didn't surprise him. After all, Xiao Yixian had lived in Wu Tan City for a few years, running her clinic under the Xiao family's protection. It wasn't strange for them to have met. Considering Xun'er's background, she might've even reached out deliberately.
"She's your friend, so I took the initiative to get to know her." Xun'er tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said softly, "If not for her, I wouldn't have known Xiao Yan-gege had done so many good things while you were away."
"…Huh?" Xiao Yan looked puzzled. What good things? He honestly couldn't recall doing anything worthy of praise.
"Don't worry too much," Xun'er said, noticing the concern in his eyes. "Jiejie is a kind soul. She'll be fine. And I don't believe she'd ever forget you. You'll see her again, I'm sure of it."
"Fate?" Xiao Yan chuckled lightly, opening his hand as though trying to grasp something invisible. "That's one thing I never trust. Even if she's gone to the ends of the earth, I'll find her and bring her back. Otherwise… it'd be an injustice to what we shared."
Xun'er's heart ached bittersweetly hearing this, yet she also felt relief. She had always believed that her Xiao Yan-gege wasn't someone who would abandon those he cared for.
"Xun'er, I need to trouble you with something," Xiao Yan said, gently patting her shoulder. "I'll be heading out for a while. Could you inform Father and the others for me? Also, those two little girls I brought back—if you have time, help take care of them."
"I will," Xun'er nodded softly. Just as Xiao Yan turned to leave, she called out, "Xiao Yan-gege… can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"…Do you know someone who looks like me?" she asked hesitantly. "Sometimes… the way you look at me feels like you're seeing someone else. Is that person really so similar to me?"
"…She doesn't actually look like you." Xiao Yan fell silent for a moment. The image of Hun Dai'er surfaced in his mind. He shook his head slowly. "You two aren't alike at all. But for some reason, when I see you, I just… think of her."
"Was she important to you?" Xun'er bit her lower lip and asked in a whisper.
"…Important?" Xiao Yan was briefly stunned. Memories of Hun Dai'er came rushing in—those false affections, the betrayals, the pain burned into his bones. Even now, recalling it filled him with cold dread.
In every memory since his rebirth, thoughts of Hun Dai'er had always brought with them a boiling hatred. Yet strangely, this time… those feelings didn't surface. The memories came—but this time, he let them go.
"…Not anymore." He looked at the calm, graceful girl beside him, gently ruffling her hair with a smile. "She's just a scar from the past. Painful, yes—but scars heal eventually. You're different. You're my little sister. She can't compare to you."
"Just… a little sister, huh…" Xun'er repeated softly, then nodded faintly. In a voice only she could hear, she murmured in her heart, "But Xun'er… is far more greedy than that."
(End of Chapter)
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