"Taken away by a mysterious person?" Xiao Se blinked, clearly surprised.
Queen Medusa nodded slightly. "After that, I searched for over ten years, yet never found a single trace of my sister again. Whether she lives or dies… no one knows." She wiped away the tears at her eyes, then looked back at Xiao Se, a strange emotion surfacing in her gaze.
Seeing that faint glimmer in her eyes, Xiao Se's mouth twitched. He asked weakly, "You… aren't suspecting that the person who took your sister was me, right?"
Medusa nodded—then shook her head. "Whether it was you or not doesn't matter. You're mysterious. You hide many secrets. I won't pry into them. I only hope that if one day you can return to the past… that you might save my sister, just like you saved Bibi Dong."
"I'm someone who has a little sister too. Fate is cruel, yes—but it isn't unchangeable. If, one day, I truly can return to the past, then even if it costs me my life, I'll bring your sister back." Xiao Se replied solemnly.
Queen Medusa's twin sister, Butterfly… truly a tragic figure. Because of outdated tribal rules, she sacrificed herself in order to protect her family. If Xiao Se ever had a chance to go back, he wouldn't let such a person die—not even without Medusa's request.
Meanwhile, at the Xiao Family in Wu Tan City—
In a quiet, dim room…
Xiao Yan sat cross-legged on his bed, eyes closed, forming a cultivation seal with both hands. His chest rose and fell gently. With each breath, faint white energy flowed through his nose and into his body, nourishing his bones and meridians.
Just as Xiao Yan successfully refined a thread of Dou Qi and prepared to absorb it—
The ancient black ring on his finger flickered lightly… then fell silent.
And the Dou Qi he had just refined—
Disappeared again.
"Damn it… why!? Why does the Dou Qi I struggle so hard to refine just vanish!? Did I come to this world just to be a useless piece of trash!?" Xiao Yan roared, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
After venting his frustration, he could only let out a self-mocking laugh. Exhausted in body and spirit, he climbed off the bed and stretched his legs and… the "fifth limb" numb from sitting too long.
(PS: A netizen once said that sitting too long might cause numbness in the "fifth limb." No idea if that's true.)
After loosening his limbs, a respectful, elderly voice sounded outside the door: "Young Master Xiao Yan, the patriarch invites you to the main hall. A distinguished guest has arrived."
"Oh." Xiao Yan responded casually. It was just the Xiao family's steward—someone from Xiao Zhan's father's direct line. Xiao Yan didn't think too much of it and followed him.
After a short while, they arrived at the Xiao family's meeting hall.
Unlike a normal clan gathering, today there were two additional seats placed on the right side of the hall. Sitting there was an old man in a moon-white robe. He had white hair yet a youthful face and a gentle smile. On his chest was a silver moon, adorned with seven shining stars.
This indicated his strength—
A Seven-Star Da Dou Shi.
Beside the elder sat a young girl. Fair-skinned, delicate, about Xiao Yan's age. Her beauty drew pig-like grins from many of the Xiao family's male disciples.
"Father, Elders." Xiao Yan bowed respectfully.
Seeing his son arrive, Xiao Zhan's face lit up. He waved with a smile. "Yan'er, sit."
"Yes." Xiao Yan nodded and looked around. But his usual seat at the clan meetings… was gone. His heart instantly darkened.
"So those old fossils plan to humiliate me in front of outsiders, huh…"
Scanning the hall again, he suddenly spotted an empty seat beside Xiao Xun'er.
She sat as she always did during clan meetings, holding an ancient book in her hands, reading quietly.
"Xun'er…?" Warmth flickered through Xiao Yan's chest. Ever since his loss of talent was exposed, he had barely spoken with this prestigious girl—yet she still left a seat open for him.
Under the shocked gazes of the entire hall, Xiao Yan smiled and walked toward the empty seat beside her.
"Second Elder, what is the meaning of this?" the Great Elder whispered angrily. Their plan today was to embarrass Xiao Yan, thereby weakening Xiao Zhan's influence in the Xiao family.
The Second Elder could only manage a bitter smile. "That's Xiao Se's seat. Considering he left the Xiao family to train and won't be back anytime soon, I didn't plan to prepare it… but Miss Xun'er refused to let anyone remove it."
Ever since Xiao Se defeated Xiao Ning in a single move one year ago, he'd gained considerable renown within the Xiao family. But after he left again, people gradually forgot about him.
They could ignore Xiao Se.
But Xun'er?
The Great Elder's attitude instantly softened. He glanced at Xiao Zhan and snorted quietly.
"Hmph… guess that brat got lucky."
Meanwhile, Xiao Yan had already taken his seat.
Noticing someone sitting in Xiao Se's seat, Xun'er's brows pitched slightly. She was just about to tell that person to move when—
A familiar voice she hadn't heard in far too long drifted beside her.
"Xun'er… thank you for helping me out."
Hearing it was Xiao Yan, Xun'er's eyes softened a bit. For this childhood companion—once a prodigy, now fallen from grace—she still held affection. Not romantic feelings, just… something better than ordinary friendship.
"It was only by coincidence… Cousin Xiao Yan."
She originally intended to call him "Brother Xiao Yan," but as they were no longer children, plus the persistent shadow of a certain familiar figure in her mind, she hesitated… and settled instead on "Cousin Xiao Yan."
"Cousin Xiao Yan? Looks like she's really upset that I ignored her these past two years…" Xiao Yan smiled bitterly inside. Looking at her calm, perfect profile, he forced a weak laugh. "Sorry, Xun'er. I haven't treated you very well these past two years."
"You exaggerate, Cousin Xiao Yan." Xun'er nodded gently. Her tone was calm, distant. Aside from love for the one she liked, and familial affection for her father, all other emotions faded over time in her heart. That was why she once tried to preserve her rare friendship with Xiao Yan when he first fell… but failed.
Now, without realizing it, Xiao Yan had become nothing more than a passerby in her heart.
"Heh…"
Xun'er's politely distant reply caught Xiao Yan off guard. He let out two awkward laughs and fell silent.
(End of Chapter)
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