Chapter 22 Just Friends 22
Xiao Hanzhou's words were extremely harsh, and Xiao Zhiyu knew immediately that the matter would not end well.
He wanted to say a few words to mediate, but the patriarch was in a fit of anger, and there was clearly no room for him to intervene. In the end, he could only accept the order and leave with Jiang Zhaoyu.
In fact, Xiao Hanzhou's words were somewhat biased.
If it were just a simple stay of a few days, even if Bai Jinliu was arranged to stay in the main courtyard as soon as he arrived, the disciple would never have had such thoughts. However, before that, there were already some rumors that the patriarch and Uncle Bai had a close and intimate relationship (Xiao Hanzhou had never hidden his special regard for Bai Jinliu). After Uncle Bai stayed there that time, he confirmed the matter, so the disciple could talk about it without any scruples.
Xiao Zhiyu wanted to explain, but his words would inevitably be seen as blaming the family head, so he simply remained silent and left.
As Xiao Zhiyu left the lobby, he subconsciously glanced at Jiang Zhaoyu beside him, and his face darkened.
If any other Xiao family disciple were standing next to him at this moment, Xiao Zhiyu could have said a few words about the family head's sudden outburst, and the two of them could have discussed it and come up with some guesses.
But Jiang Zhaoyu? He and this person didn't exchange a single word!
Xiao Zhiyu snorted coldly, and after judging the direction Jiang Zhaoyu wanted to go, he chose the other side and turned to leave.
Ginger-flavored fish?
Although the Xiao family's disciples who boarded the flying ship to the secret realm were among the top in the various aristocratic families, their numbers were still limited. With the family head personally giving the order and two senior brothers overseeing the implementation, the rumors within the Xiao family were quickly suppressed.
However, while the Xiao family could manage internal affairs, they were powerless to stop the rumors that had already spread.
A few days later, the situation actually seemed to be getting worse. At first, Xiao Hanzhou thought that he hadn’t paid attention to this matter before, but now that he was suddenly paying attention, he felt that it was everywhere.
But he quickly realized that something was wrong.
As the head of a powerful family, Xiao Hanzhou was known for his strength, but he still had this much-needed sense of awareness. He immediately realized that someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes.
Logically speaking, this guess is completely unreasonable. After all, there is no benefit to doing this, and who would want to go to such lengths for no reason?
However, after making this guess, the image of a certain person immediately popped into Xiao Hanzhou's mind.
Without any apparent reason, yet in that instant he was certain that someone was behind this whole thing.
The person Xiao Hanzhou thought of was naturally Yan Shuoyun.
However, without any evidence, he cannot accuse anyone based on this.
However, at their next meeting, Xiao Hanzhou couldn't help but coldly warn, "I hope Fellow Daoist Yan will restrain his disciples and prevent them from spreading unfounded rumors."
Yan Shuoyun immediately showed a surprised and unexpected expression, and asked, "How did this disciple offend Patriarch Xiao?"
If Yan Shuoyun wanted to, he could have done it flawlessly, but his current expression of surprise was superficial and seemed extremely fake.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Hanzhou's expression grew even colder.
Yan Shuoyun seemed completely unaware. After a brief moment of "surprise," he resumed his polite, smiling expression. "Is there something that displeases Patriarch Xiao? The people of Xizhou are used to being rough and unrefined, and most of the disciples in our sect are rather careless. If there is anything amiss, I hope Patriarch Xiao will enlighten me."
Xiao Hanzhou's face was almost frozen with ice. He said in a cold voice, "These are just rumors from the past few days. I am a fellow practitioner and share the same interests with Patriarch Bai. There is no other personal relationship between us. I hope that your disciples will be careful with their words and actions and refrain from making reckless statements!"
Yan Shuoyun seemed oblivious to the almost clenched teeth expression on the other side, his smile even deepening. "Patriarch Xiao is joking. Both you and Patriarch Bai are men of noble character, self-disciplined and courteous. Since you act with integrity and uprightness, what is there to fear from rumors?... Or perhaps it's not merely 'rumors'..."
Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Hanzhou stopped him in a deep voice, saying, "Fellow Daoist Yan, you speak too harshly."
Yan Shuoyun didn't seem to mind, even raising his hand in an apologetic gesture. "I'm truly sorry, I was just speaking casually. Patriarch Xiao, please don't take it to heart, just treat it as a joke. You and Patriarch Bai have a close relationship, so I'm sure it won't cause any rift between you, after all..."
At this point, Yan Shuoyun paused slightly, his gaze rising and falling on the hilt of the longsword Xiao Hanzhou was carrying. "A sword is half of a sword cultivator's body. Since the two of you can even exchange sword tassels, the relationship between you must be something we cannot know. No wonder your disciples misunderstand."
Xiao Hanzhou didn't expect Yan Shuoyun to bring this up.
Although there was a reason for the sword tassel incident, he did feel guilty, and his expression stiffened for a moment.
After realizing his mistake during that meeting at the market, Xiao Hanzhou often wondered why, out of so many calming and tranquil objects, he had given away the sword tassel that A Yi had given him.
He tried to recall his thoughts at the time, but to no avail.
He probably wasn't thinking about anything at that time.
He and A-Yi have been inseparable for so many years, escaping death countless times. They have long been each other's other half, never distinguishing between "yours" and "mine".
Thinking of this, Xiao Hanzhou suddenly woke up.
He took it all for granted. No matter how much he considered them as one, they were still two separate people.
He shouldn't have given away the things A-Yi gave him to others so casually.
Jinliu was his benefactor, not Ayi's.
To repay the kindness he had shown him years ago, he begged A-Yi to give his spiritual root to Jin-Liu... which was extremely wrong of him.
At that time, he thought that even if A-Yi lost his spiritual root, he would still have the Dao bone in his body and could continue to cultivate. As for the damage to his cultivation after losing his spiritual root, he would protect A-Yi.
Rare and precious materials, elixirs and spiritual herbs...
He will find them for him one by one, and help him rebuild his cultivation and repair his foundation.
But the truth is, he didn't have time to do anything.
After changing his spiritual root, A-Yi left without a trace. When they met again, the other person was covered in old, deep-seated injuries and acted as if they were strangers.
He wanted to protect A-Yi.
But he didn't even know when or how the other person was injured.
He had briefly examined A-Yi's meridians that day, and all he knew was that A-Yi had been severely injured.
Thinking that the other party was now cultivating with a clearly acquired weak spiritual root, Xiao Hanzhou felt increasingly anxious. What exactly happened in the past three years?
Xiao Hanzhou had tried to see Ren Yi several times before, but was turned away because Ren Yi was in seclusion.
It is very common for cultivators to go into seclusion, but thinking back to the day he had examined the other person's physical condition, Xiao Hanzhou couldn't help but worry whether the other person's old injuries had recurred.
...
Yan Shuoyun had only guessed about the sword tassel, but seeing Xiao Hanzhou's reaction, he knew that his guess was correct; the sword tassel was indeed a gift from A Yi.
Will he give the things Ren Yi gave him to his "beloved"?
He really has the nerve!
Yan Shuoyun thought about all the things he already knew and suddenly felt that this matter was nothing.
He couldn't help but show an expression of not knowing what to say. After a long while, he shook his head and sighed that Ah Yi was really good in every way, except for his eyes... which were really a bit blind.
That day, Xiao Hanzhou and Yan Shuoyun parted on bad terms. Even when Xiao Hanzhou wanted to see Ren Yi, the latter politely declined, saying, "We are about to enter the secret realm. At such a crucial moment, Patriarch Xiao, you should not disturb us."
In truth, although the flying boat was large, the arrangements made by various sects and aristocratic families were all in accordance with established rules. If Xiao Hanzhou wanted to investigate, he could naturally find out Ren Yi's exact location. However, firstly, he couldn't bring himself to force his way in, and secondly, Yan Shuoyun's words were indeed reasonable. Even if he wanted to say something to Ren Yi, it wouldn't be appropriate to do so at such a crucial moment, just before entering the secret realm.
Xiao Hanzhou could only return with a sullen face in the end.
Unexpectedly, just as he returned to the courtyard, he overheard a conversation between two disciples.
"Senior Brother Wu, I heard you acquired a treasure at the market a few days ago? What was it? A thousand-year-old spiritual herb? A mineral? Or cold iron?"
Xiao Hanzhou frowned slightly upon hearing this, as he did not advocate that his disciples relied too much on external aids in their cultivation.
However, he could tell that the speaker was mostly joking, and it was probably just playful banter between fellow disciples. Therefore, he didn't intend to go over and teach them a lesson, and continued walking in the same direction without stopping.
The conversation continued, becoming clearer as they drew closer. The martial arts senior brother denied it a few times, seemingly unable to bear the pestering any longer, and finally, at his junior brother's request to "let me see it too," he took out the item. Xiao Hanzhou didn't deliberately look at it, but with his sharp eyesight, he immediately recognized it as a piece of blood jade devoid of any spiritual light.
Xiao Hanzhou frowned.
This jade may be of excellent quality and worth a fortune in the eyes of ordinary people, but it is of little value to cultivators, not to mention that it has no spiritual light at all.
Xiao Hanzhou didn't think his disciples' judgment was that bad.
He couldn't help but glance at the man who bought the jade; he also had some impression of this disciple. Wu Fang—this disciple, while not possessing top-tier comprehension, was willing to put in the effort, had a steady personality, and his cultivation level was considered above average among his fellow disciples. Logically speaking, he shouldn't have been deceived.
Just as Xiao Hanzhou was thinking this, he saw the disciple opposite him, after a brief moment of stunned silence, reveal an even more excited expression than before. He lowered his voice, but the excitement (gossip) in his tone was still evident, "Senior brother, you're planning to give it to Senior Sister Su, right?"
Xiao Hanzhou was slightly taken aback, then remembered that Wu Fang had a marriage arrangement with the Su family. The latter was a small family in Tianhuan City, far smaller than the Xiao and Bai families. This marriage arrangement was arranged by Wu Fang himself after he had expressed his intentions to him, the head of the family.
Then look at the blush that this usually composed disciple couldn't suppress on his face. How could anyone not guess what was going on?
It was all just petty romance. Xiao Hanzhou chuckled and shook his head. His gloomy mood of the past few days had finally eased a little. He didn't want to get involved in this matter and was just about to walk away when he heard another person say, "Is Senior Sister Su's mother from Yishui City?"
Yishui?
The familiar place name made Xiao Hanzhou pause slightly; it was the place where he and A Yi had met.
He was taken in by A-Yi there, and the two stayed in Yishui City for many years before he had enough strength to venture out on his own.
Compared to the years that followed, this period should have been extremely peaceful and tranquil, but Xiao Hanzhou can hardly recall any scenes of the two of them together. His memories of that time are all blurry, fragmented, and discontinuous.
He was no longer as confused and disoriented as he had been during his exile, but the memory of that blood-stained night resurfaced, and hatred overwhelmed everything. For a long time, his thoughts consisted solely of "revenge."
If he were to recall it now, what impressed him most about their time together was being interrupted from his cultivation and forcibly dragged away to rest, as well as the beautiful jawline he saw every time he woke up.
Xiao Hanzhou snapped out of his reverie, barely managing to pull himself out of it, only to hear the junior disciple continue in a smug, boastful tone, "It's a custom in Yishui City to give a love token to one's beloved. Senior brother, am I remembering correctly?"
Xiao Hanzhou was stunned.
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