Chapter 21 Just Friends
The chosen one can finally live in the same courtyard as his true love, which is practically equivalent to becoming a Daoist couple.
After offering his sincere blessings, Ren Yi quickly pulled Xiao Yan'er away—if he stayed any longer, he might get caught up in some embarrassing situation.
Let him go!
He's just an unlucky worker who got caught up in a time-space turbulence and was forced to return to the small world, only wanting to find his own system.
Having finally disappeared from the Chosen One's sight, Ren Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He looked down and met a pair of large, darting eyes—Yan Er, who was looking up at him.
Ren Yi still remembered how worried and anxious the girl was about his heartbreak. Seeing her expression now, he understood perfectly and couldn't help but laugh.
Yan'er was stunned by the stare and couldn't help but blush and lower her head.
I don't know if I was embarrassed by being laughed at, or embarrassed by my own doubts.
Brother Ren doesn't seem to be in a bad mood, which is great.
Thinking of this, Yan'er swept away her previous worries and carefree, putting the matter out of her mind. She then pulled Ren Yi back to the scenic spot she had discovered earlier.
Meanwhile, on Xiao Hanzhou's side...
The person who spoke first knew he had said the wrong thing when he saw Xiao Bai and the other person's expressions.
He muttered to himself, "Are these two having a fight right now?" He just lamented his bad luck, that he could stumble upon a couple arguing while making a joke.
The situation was truly awkward. He looked left and right, and finally gritted his teeth and hurriedly said, "I suddenly remembered that I have some matters to attend to in the clan, so I will take my leave first."
After saying that, he cupped his hands in greeting and hurriedly left.
Of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, running away is the best.
Most of the people around who were egging them on were not familiar with them. After saying a few words along with the crowd, they quickly dispersed, leaving only the two people involved who did not look well in a short while.
Bai Jinliu glanced at Xiao Hanzhou's expression and spoke first, "Brother Xiao..."
He seemed extremely embarrassed and at a loss, and even his words were somewhat incoherent, "I'm sorry, I didn't know... why would they think that? I've always regarded Brother Xiao as an elder brother..."
"Stop talking."
Xiao Hanzhou raised his hand to interrupt him, somewhat annoyed. Then, realizing that his tone had been too stiff, he softened his voice and said, "I understand, Jinliu, you don't need to take it to heart. I'll have someone investigate this matter."
After saying this, he walked inside without waiting for Bai Jinliu's reaction.
Behind him, Bai Jinliu stared at the figure, his panicked expression gradually fading into an unusually cold one.
Bai Jinliu was reflecting on his earlier words—
"Don't know"? How could that be?
He certainly "knew".
It's more accurate to say that he was the one who gradually guided the formation of this rumor.
Given his situation in the Bai family at the time, if he hadn't done this, he would still have been the marginalized illegitimate son with no cultivation resources, or he would have been sent to a marriage alliance, or even worse, he would have been sent to a high-level cultivator as a cultivation vessel.
Was he wrong?
No, not at all.
Even ants try to survive; he was merely trying to save himself.
In his earlier years, he had thought about taking things a step further, such as becoming the matriarch of the Xiao family. However, Xiao Hanzhou was not so easily fooled. Even though that person was gone, he still longed for her.
Furthermore, since the other party's body had not been found, Bai Jinliu dared not guide the conversation any further.
If things go wrong and Xiao Hanzhou discovers her feelings, he might not just send people to search for her in various secret realms, but would search every inch of the Eastern Continent.
Bai Jinliu did not believe that Xiao Hanzhou was as gentle as he appeared in front of him.
He had witnessed firsthand the ruthless methods this man used to massacre the Tianhuan clan in his quest for revenge. Bai Jinliu clearly understood that once his actions were exposed, his fate would be no better than that of the four families.
Bai Jinliu sometimes felt that maintaining the status quo was not bad.
He is now the head of the Bai family and is no longer bullied like before. Although he did not become the wife of the Xiao family head, he has a very close personal relationship with Xiao Hanzhou, which is enough to give him the confidence to hold power in the Bai family.
...if he hadn't arranged that.
Bai Jinliu looked up and stared intently in the direction Ren Yi had left.
Does that person know? Does Ren Yi know that he orchestrated the assassination attempt back then?
At first, Bai Jinliu thought Ren Yi didn't know, after all, no one would be so calm in front of someone who wanted to kill them. But when he met those calm, clear eyes that seemed to see everything clearly, Bai Jinliu suddenly became less certain.
He couldn't help but wonder: Did that person really not know? Or was it just that they "didn't care"?
Yes, "I don't care".
Even when faced with his own life or death, that person didn't care.
Xiao Hanzhou might feel that Ren Yi had changed a lot after their reunion in Xizhou, but Bai Jinliu felt that the person had never changed from beginning to end—that clear and indifferent gaze, seeing through everything yet not caring at all.
Xiao Hanzhou didn't realize it because that person treated him specially and differently.
Now, he has simply taken back that "special" status.
Bai Jinliu had once heard Xiao Hanzhou say that Ren Yi was just a rogue cultivator with no family background.
But Bai Jinliu didn't believe a word of it.
Unlike the young master Xiao, who was adored in his youth, Bai Jinliu, a concubine's son struggling to survive on the fringes of a prestigious family, was all too sensitive to the arrogance of a legitimate son. However, the other person was different from his legitimate brothers who made fun of their illegitimate brother. This person didn't need to use such low-level means to show off. The composure that emanated from his very bones made others feel ashamed just by the young man standing there.
When Bai Jinliu saw that person standing side by side with Xiao Hanzhou, he doubted more than once whether his plan could succeed. With such a person by his side, would Xiao Hanzhou still have room for anyone else?
But the truth is, he did gain a place in Xiao Hanzhou's heart by relying on that meager "favor" from his youth (he didn't actually do anything back then; he just wanted to cause some trouble for the Bai family and the direct line).
Bai Jinliu gradually came to understand that Xiao Hanzhou's special treatment of him wasn't due to the kindness of helping him in his time of need—that only accounted for a very small part. More importantly, it was because of the past he represented—the past when "the Xiao family still existed, and Xiao Hanzhou was still the carefree young master of the Xiao family." He was the only one connected to that past, even though that connection was as fragile as a spider's thread that would break at the slightest touch.
Even so, things went too smoothly.
It went so smoothly that it was unbelievable, so smoothly that Bai Jinliu sometimes suspected that Ren Yi was deliberately cooperating with him.
Since we've already "cooperated," why not just continue cooperating to the end?
Why does it need to reappear?
Bai Jinliu wasn't sure if the man knew that "the assassination was his plan," but he was clear about one thing: anything done will inevitably leave a trace.
so--
Since we've already taken action, we have no choice but to go all the way.
...
Bai Jinliu took one last deep look in the direction Ren Yi had left. Why did he have to appear again?
Xiao Hanzhou wasn't stupid. Although the person at the door was joking, the fact that they dared to say it in front of him and Bai Jinliu showed that they really believed the source of the rumor.
Where do the most credible messages come from? Of course, from the Xiao family or the Bai family.
Xiao Hanzhou can't interfere with the Bai family's affairs for the time being, but he believes Bai Jinliu will investigate when he gets back.
As for the Xiao family, Xiao Hanzhou never imagined that such outrageous rumors would circulate within the Xiao clan, but the facts were undeniable. Judging from the tone of the other party just now, even if the rumors didn't originate from the Xiao family, the Xiao clan disciples were definitely aware of them.
Xiao Hanzhou led his clan disciples to the Western Continent for the Endless Sea Secret Realm, so naturally he wouldn't let his clan servants accompany him. After another round of selection through a grand competition, the disciples who followed the flying boat were all elites of his sect, and their numbers were not large.
However, Xiao Hanzhou did not call everyone over at once, but instead called Jiang Zhaoyu and Xiao Zhiyu first.
He coldly recounted the events, then asked in a deep voice, "Are you aware of these rumors?"
Jiang Zhaoyu's answer was very straightforward: "This disciple does not know."
He genuinely didn't know.
The disciples of the Xiao family were all aware of their senior brother's "unconcerned with worldly affairs" nature, and none of them gossiped about such things in front of him.
Xiao Zhiyu "..."
The latter's silence was clearly very inappropriate at this moment, and Xiao Hanzhou's gaze immediately fell on him.
The pressure on Xiao Zhiyu suddenly increased several times over. Cold sweat seeped out from his back. He barely managed to withstand the pressure and keep his back straight, but he still stumbled over his words, "This disciple... has heard of it."
Xiao Hanzhou pressed further in a deep voice, "When? Where?"
Xiao Zhiyu was speechless for a moment when asked the question.
The matter between the patriarch and Uncle Bai had long been an unspoken consensus among the disciples, so when Xiao Hanzhou suddenly asked about the time and place, no one could answer.
Xiao Hanzhou understood this principle, and realizing that the rumor had penetrated even deeper into people's hearts than he had anticipated, his expression immediately turned even more unpleasant.
After racking his brains, Xiao Zhiyu finally found a clue and quickly spoke up, "Three years ago, the patriarch invited Uncle Bai to stay for quite some time, and he stayed in the main courtyard. This caused many disciples to misunderstand, so... so..."
"Bang--"
A sudden sound interrupted Xiao Zhiyu's words; the teacup on the table suddenly shattered.
Xiao Zhiyu trembled and lowered his head abruptly, only to hear an angry rebuke: "Nonsense!"
In his rage, the pressure of a high-level cultivator filled the entire room. Even Jiang Zhaoyu, whose cultivation was higher, groaned and swallowed the taste of blood in his mouth. Not to mention Xiao Zhiyu, who had already exhausted a lot of his mental energy. If he hadn't managed to support himself with his arm, he would have almost collapsed to the ground.
It was only when Xiao Hanzhou finally realized his loss of composure and reined in his imposing manner that Xiao Zhiyu was able to catch his breath.
After calming down a bit, Xiao Hanzhou spoke again.
Upon hearing the voice, Xiao Zhiyu thought the family head was about to impose a punishment, and his relaxed body tensed up again. However, he heard the other party calmly explain, "At that time, your Uncle Bai was only injured and was recuperating at the Xiao family."
Xiao Zhiyu was stunned, never expecting that the patriarch would explain this matter to his disciple.
Xiao Hanzhou also frowned.
Bai Jinliu entered the secret realm with him that time, but was seriously injured and his spiritual root was destroyed.
Given Bai Jinliu's situation within the Bai family, if Xiao Hanzhou were to send him home, he would certainly not be able to properly recover from his injuries. Therefore, Xiao Hanzhou had no choice but to temporarily take him back to the Xiao family.
Given the urgency of the situation, he had no time to choose a courtyard; he simply took the familiar route and arrived at his residence. Later, as the other party recovered from his injuries, it became even more difficult for him to change residences at will, so he could only stay there temporarily. Xiao Hanzhou spent that period of time living in the side courtyard.
How could such an open and honest matter lead these disciples to such speculations?!
Xiao Zhiyu was still stunned by the patriarch's rare explanation when he heard Xiao Hanzhou's voice immediately turn somber: "Hearsay and unfounded rumors, I had no idea when the atmosphere of my Xiao clan had become like this! You two have been restraining your disciples these past few days, and I do not wish to hear any more of this nonsense! As for where the rumors came from and how to deal with this matter, we will discuss it when we return to Dongzhou!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
