“Because someone has already replaced me, because the me they found is not the me they imagined. How could an ugly and vulgar wild girl be worthy of being their daughter, their sister?” Ayao said.
"What nonsense are you talking about? If you're ugly and vulgar, then none of us can show our faces in public." Xu Fengzhi suddenly became agitated.
Ayao said, "You haven't seen what I looked like before. Even if you had seen what I looked like at the beginning, you wouldn't like me."
She recalled her past life. In her past life, she had only met Xu Fengzhi twice. The first time they met was on Zhaoyao Mountain. She was being chased by a monster and was in a terrible state, almost losing her life. He saved her, but they didn't exchange a single word. At that time, she was terrified. He was also in a hurry. After saving her, he left and had his men take her back.
The second time she saw him was a long time later. At the banquet in Tianshui Palace, he was surrounded by people, while she was in a corner with no one around. She went up to thank him, but by then, he had long forgotten her. It took him a long time to remember that he had saved her.
She thanked him, and he smiled and said it was nothing.
They barely exchanged ten words in total, yet she was severely punished for it. They thought she was seducing him by talking to him. Her elder brother, Lu Yunli, said some truly awful things, telling her not to be delusional and that she wasn't worthy of being the young mistress of the Divine Dream Sect.
She tried to defend herself, but was met with even more humiliation. They made her cry uncontrollably, and when she got back, she was put in solitary confinement.
She never saw Xu Fengzhi again after that. She didn't see him until she left the Lu family and the Canglan Realm. Later, she met her master, went to the Upper Realm, and slowly forgot everyone in the Lu family and all the people and events of the Canglan Realm.
She forgot about him too.
"Does Ayao really think I'm that shallow?" Xu Fengzhi said with a smile.
Ayao thought to herself: You always were! Otherwise, why didn't you fall in love with me in your past life?
Seeing that A Yao remained silent, Xu Fengzhi said, "I regret it very much."
"Regret what?"
"I regret not helping you find me myself back then; maybe I could have met you sooner that way."
"Are you a pervert?" Ayao said. She was only three years old when she was lost.
Xu Fengzhi chuckled, "You misunderstood me. I was thinking that maybe if there were more of me, I could find you, and you wouldn't have had to wander outside for ten years and suffer so much." As he spoke, the smile on his face disappeared, and his eyes were full of heartache as he looked at A Yao.
It's unimaginable what a three-year-old child would experience if he were to wander outside for ten years.
Ayao was slightly taken aback.
Those ten years were truly filled with hardship for her. She was trafficked, beaten, had to fight with stray dogs for food, and even wore the clothes of the dead…
If she weren't an ordinary child, and if she hadn't possessed unpredictable magic, she might have died long ago. After enduring so much suffering, she finally returned home, thinking she would be loved and cared for, only to discover that someone had already taken her place.
"This is probably my destined tribulation!" Ayao said.
It's strange, really. With so many members of the Lu family in Kunshan, and the help of all the major and minor sects in the Southern Region, they still couldn't find her. What other explanation could there be besides this being a calamity destined for her?
The wind blew, sending petals fluttering everywhere. Ayao caught a petal and whispered:
"I have survived a great calamity, and I am sure to be blessed with good fortune in the future."
The image of her master, Feng Wu, appeared in A Yao's mind. If she hadn't gone through all sorts of hardships, how could she have met her master?
Ayao leaped down from the tree, landing lightly on a huge, blue-green rock. The river rushed and roared, washing over the boulder, its surface dotted with fallen petals. Xu Fengzhi also climbed down from the tree. He stood before Ayao, gazing tenderly at her, and said:
"No matter what happens in the future, I will protect you, even if it costs me my life."
He grasped Ayao's hand, making a solemn vow.
Ayao looked into his eyes, and his gaze told her he meant it. Ayao's heart stirred slightly, yet she was also puzzled by his sudden deep affection. He clearly didn't understand her, he clearly hadn't loved her in their past life, was it all because of her current appearance?
Ayao broke free from his hand, turned her back, and looked at the mountains and the land: "I don't need anyone's protection. I will become stronger than everyone else, and I will protect everything I cherish."
Her clothes fluttered with the falling petals, and her voice was resolute. As it fell in the wind, it stirred even more the beating heart of the man behind her.
Just then, a streak of light descended from the sky, transforming into a maid in red as she approached. This maid was A Yao's mother's personal maid. She bowed respectfully to A Yao and said, "Seventh Miss, Madam is looking for you."
Upon hearing this, A Yao looked at Xu Fengzhi.
Xu Fengzhi smiled gently: "Go ahead, I know the way back, I won't get lost."
Ayao: "..."
Who's worried about you getting lost?
Ayao followed the maid, and the two transformed into two streaks of light, instantly disappearing into the mountains. After they left, Xu Fengzhi stood on the edge of the cliff, gazing at the beautiful mountains and rivers, when he suddenly sensed an approaching aura and turned to look in one direction.
A figure emerged from the dense forest; it was Lu Yun Shen.
Seeing Lu Yun Shen approach, Xu Feng Zhi asked, "Does Young Master Lu have something to discuss with me?"
Lu Yun Shen stood several feet away from him, staring at each other from a distance. Lu Yun Shen's face lacked its usual gentleness. He looked directly into Xu Feng Zhi's eyes, his gaze sharp: "Are you serious about Xiao Qi?"
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