Chapter 13 Just Friends 13
"He" forced Xiao Hanzhou to swear an oath that he would not allow him to become a Daoist couple with Bai Jinliu.
Ren Yi was shocked by this possible guess and began to urgently search his memory in order to confirm that the mission back then did not happen like this.
On the other side, Yan'er, who had originally planned to leave, stopped in her tracks after taking only two steps.
Not far away, under a tree, a tall and elegant young man carrying a knife stood. It was none other than Yan Er's older brother, Yan Shuoyun.
Looking at Yan Shuoyun's expression, Yan Er couldn't tell how long he had been standing there or how much he had heard.
She stood frozen in place, frantically recalling her words just like Ren Yi. She wondered if she had said anything inappropriate, and finally realized with sorrow that it seemed like none of her words were quite right.
Sensing that she was about to be taught a lesson by her brother, Yan'er frantically sent out information. She subconsciously took a few steps back and hid behind Ren Yi, who was coming from the opposite direction, cautiously peeking forward.
Although Yan'er was mentally prepared, she was still startled by her brother's current expression. She tightened her grip on Ren Yi's sleeve and hid behind him.
To be fair, Yan Shuoyun's expression wasn't particularly bad; in fact, it was quite calm, much more approachable than when he deliberately put on a stern face to scare his sister. But Yan'er sensed a palpable tension beneath the calm, a sense of impending doom. She couldn't recall ever seeing her brother in such a bad mood.
Ren Yi also noticed that Yan Shuoyun was in a bad mood, but he didn't understand him as well as Yan Er did. He could only guess that it was because Yan Shuoyun had too many sect affairs to handle these past few days, which made him feel irritable.
On the contrary, Yan'er's reaction of seeing her brother like a rabbit seeing an eagle was quite amusing.
Ren Yi still remembered that Yan Er had made so many trips to Yingsong Peak for his sake, so he took a step forward, intending to put in a good word for the girl with Yan Shuoyun. But before Ren Yi could speak, Yan Er, who had been hiding behind him, took a few steps forward and came out from behind him. She readily admitted her mistake, "Brother, I was wrong."
Once Yan'er calmed down a bit, she realized that she couldn't just hide behind Brother Ren like this.
She believed that she should take responsibility for her actions and not let Brother Ren be blamed because of her.
Yan'er put on an air of heroic sacrifice and stepped forward with righteous indignation.
Unexpectedly, Yan Shuoyun merely glanced at him, paused slightly, and then asked in a calm tone, "What's wrong?"
Yan'er still had that expression of being about to "sacrifice herself for righteousness," but she suddenly froze.
She made many mistakes. For example, she didn't listen to her brother and told him to "stay in the yard." Instead, she kept running towards Yingsong Peak. She also kept looking around the Xiao family to gather information. She didn't finish her schoolwork properly these past few days. She also caused trouble for Brother Ren. But the problem is that Yan'er doesn't know what her brother is angry about.
If her brother didn't know something before, but she suddenly revealed it all, wouldn't that make her look stupid?
Besides, when exactly did her brother arrive? And how much of their conversation did she overhear?
Yan'er was in the mood to engage in such petty schemes because she keenly sensed that Yan Shuoyun's earlier question, "Where did you go wrong?" was merely a routine inquiry and he didn't intend to cause trouble. It's true they're siblings; Yan'er used almost all of her limited intelligence to outwit her brother.
Yan Er's feeling was right. Yan Shuoyun really didn't feel like scolding his sister at this moment. Seeing that Yan Er was stammering and couldn't answer, he didn't press her further. Instead, he said, "A ball stops in a small pond, and rumors stop with the wise. [1] The rules of the sect clearly state how to punish those who spread rumors without cause. I should have taught you not to talk nonsense based on hearsay."
Yan'er? ?!
Yan'er had just looked for a lot of problems within herself, but she never expected what her brother had said.
She couldn't help but loudly protest, "I didn't! It's not just hearsay, it was a disciple of the Xiao family who told me!!"
This was information she had finally managed to gather with great difficulty. After hearing her brother's words, Yan Dun immediately felt that not only had all her hard work over the past few days been in vain, but she had also been accused of violating the rules of the sect, and she felt extremely wronged.
Yan Shuoyun retorted, "So what if they are disciples of the Xiao family? Have you ever heard the head of the Xiao family say that himself?"
Yan'er suddenly fell silent.
She wasn't her own brother, and she couldn't just meet the head of the Xiao family whenever she wanted. It was already quite difficult for her to get any information from the Xiao family disciples through roundabout means.
...
In the end, Yan'er was given a bunch of punishments to copy scriptures and left dejectedly.
Ren Yi discovered the problem in Yan Shuoyun's focus.
Yan Er didn't know when Yan Shuoyun arrived, but Ren Yi did notice. Under normal circumstances, with his cultivation level, he would be able to sense Yan Shuoyun's aura. He had only been distracted for a short while when he heard Yan Er say, "Someone is using gratitude to force the Xiao family head to make an oath." Yan Shuoyun probably arrived around that time and heard those words.
Thinking back to the "hearsay" that Yan Shuoyun had specifically brought up to teach his sister a lesson, Ren Yi guessed that Yan Shuoyun might know even more... For example, the "someone" in the rumors could very well be him.
Ren Yi was deeply moved by the other party's unwavering trust and protection, and after Yan Er left, he couldn't help but say thank you.
Because of Yan Er's interruption, Yan Shuoyun's mood had eased a bit, and he was no longer as tense and ready to storm as when he first arrived. Hearing Ren Yi's thanks, he even managed a slight, forced smile.
He asked slowly in his usual unhurried tone, "What are you thanking me for? Do you mean what they said might actually be true?"
Whether it was Ren Yi's imagination or not, he could detect a hint of gritted teeth in those words.
Judging from Yan Shuoyun's tone, Ren Yi guessed that this person probably knew most of the things that happened between him and Xiao Hanzhou.
This was neither a post-task analysis nor a bureau summary report; it was a rare occasion for Ren Yi to review his task outside of work, and he felt somewhat embarrassed.
He coughed and replied somewhat awkwardly, "No, there might be some misunderstanding."
Seeing that he was still so relaxed, Yan Shuoyun finally couldn't help but sneer, "Misunderstanding? It's really not right to exchange such a favor for nothing more than not becoming a Daoist partner. In my opinion, how about letting that Xiao family head cripple his cultivation and destroy his spiritual root?!"
Looking at Yan Shuoyun's expression, Ren Yi finally realized the source of the other party's anger.
"Abandoning one's cultivation" and "destroying one's spiritual root"—Yan Shuoyun clearly knew something to say such things.
From this perspective, the suppressed emotions the other party displayed when they came over were neither due to sect affairs nor to Yan'er, but rather directed at him—they must have discovered that Bai Jinliu's spiritual root and golden core belonged to him.
Ren Yi didn't try to change the subject like he did with Yan Er, after all, Yan Shuoyun wasn't as easy to fool as his sister, and he might accidentally make things worse.
Ren Yi smiled, a mixture of composure and helplessness, and readily admitted, "You knew?"
Seeing Ren Yi's behavior, Yan Shuoyun's expression grew even more unpleasant.
Most of the time, the young man had a lazy and carefree attitude, rarely showing such a sharp side. He spoke coldly and in a sarcastic tone, "Spiritual power from the same source is something that even twin brothers who cultivate the same technique may not have. I'm not blind."
Ren Yi felt that the description "not blind" was too modest. Although everyone's spiritual power is different, most people can only distinguish the spiritual power attributes of metal, wood, water, fire and earth. There are very few people as perceptive as Yan Shuoyun.
Seeing that Yan Shuoyun looked like she was about to explode, Ren Yi decided to learn from the little sister Yan and decisively admitted his mistake, "I'm sorry."
Yan Shuoyun almost laughed out of anger, "What have you done to deserve this?"
Ren Yi said, "It was my impulsive and thoughtless behavior that caused you worry, but it won't happen again."
Seeing his sincere apology, Yan Shuoyun felt a lump in his throat. He felt a surge of anger, like he was about to burst. He couldn't believe how Yan Er had ever angered him like this.
His voice was like frozen ice, "There's a 'future'? You don't mean you have a second spiritual root to give away?"
Ren Yi blurted out, "This spiritual root was given to me by Brother Yan, so I will not give it to anyone else."
Yan Shuoyun froze, feeling as if the air filling his chest had been ripped open, only to deflate completely in a moment. He couldn't help but raise his hand to his forehead, concealing the expression that had flashed across his face.
How could there be such a person?
They seem unapproachable, like immortals, but once you're within their circle, they'll grant you almost anything you ask for.
Yan Er has been anxiously waiting for the two of them to make no progress over the years, but Yan Shuoyun has his own concerns.
Perhaps because of the life-saving grace, the person before him had never refused any of his and Yan'er's requests. Yan Shuoyun couldn't help but wonder if, if he were to truly express his feelings, the other party would consider the debt of gratitude and agree immediately?
Yan Shuoyun has his own pride.
Just like what Ren Yi said to Yan Er when he was rebuilding his spiritual root that day, he disdained to use gratitude to coerce others into giving back. If that were the case, it would be better to just keep the boundaries of friendship.
Yan Shuoyun had never been able to figure out how far Ren Yi would concede, but after this incident, he finally witnessed the destruction of spiritual roots, the removal of Dao bones, the complete loss of cultivation, and the utter destruction of one's foundation...
What good is repaying kindness? Since he went to such lengths for that person, it would be better to let him take his place!
Yan Shuoyun's gaze fell directly on the other person, and he leaned forward little by little.
Ren Yi was stunned by Yan Shuoyun's sudden "slam" towards him. He instinctively grabbed the other's shoulder, feeling both anxious and confused, "Brother Yan?!"
Yan Shuoyun's gaze fell on that slender, fair neck.
The two were now extremely close, close enough that he could clearly see every inch of the texture on her skin, and close enough that the stray hairs on the side of her snow-white neck swayed with his breath.
Even for cultivators, this place is a vital point. Perhaps it was because the approaching aura of another person brought discomfort. Yan Shuoyun could clearly see the tension in the muscles on the side of the other person's neck, but he quickly relaxed them again, leaving the vital point exposed to him without any defense.
Yan Shuoyun stared intently for a while, then his tongue swept across the slightly sharp canine teeth on the left side, bringing a slight tingling pain.
But in response to the slightly uneasy question, "Brother Yan, are you tired?", Yan Shuoyun finally closed his eyes. He gritted his teeth and gave a vague, indistinct reply, then leaned his entire weight against the other person in despair.
Ren Yi?
So tired you fall asleep instantly?
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