Chapter 39 Just Friends
After making those culprits pay for the massacre of the Xiao family, Xiao Hanzhou spent a long time revitalizing the Xiao clan. Although he quickly got the hang of these mundane affairs, they still took up a lot of his energy. When he came back to his senses, he found that A-Yi seemed to have become much more distant from him without him realizing it.
It was at that time that Xiao Hanzhou handed over this warm jade, which represented the symbol of the family head, to Ren Yi.
He wanted to use this to tell the other party that they were still the same as before, unchanged, that this was his Xiao family, and also A-Yi's Xiao family. But for some reason, he didn't say it aloud when he gave the jade.
Xiao Hanzhou didn't take it to heart at the time; he just hoped that A Yi would eventually find out.
But unexpectedly, there was no "future" between them.
No, there are still some.
A-Yi gave him this jade as a return gift, the jade of shared hearts symbolizing their mutual affection.
Xiao Hanzhou couldn't help but wonder if A Yi knew the meaning of the warm jade that represented the head of the Xiao family, which was why he gave such a valuable gift in return, or if A Yi didn't know any of this and was just looking for an excuse to express his feelings.
But no matter which one it is, it doesn't seem to matter anymore.
He destroyed it all with his own hands.
When Xiao Hanzhou first learned of the misunderstanding about the Tongxin Jade, all he wanted to do was explain everything so that they could go back to the past and even have a closer relationship. At that time, he felt regret and pain, but undeniably, deep down he felt a vague sense of relief and joy. If the misunderstanding was cleared up, could he and Ayi reconcile and become lovers again?
But after learning the truth of everything and the pain he had inflicted on the other person, Xiao Hanzhou asked himself, what face did he have left to "reconcile" with A Yi?
He recalled what Yan Shuoyun and that senior had said about "soul contract" and "admitting mistakes"... Was everything A Yi did really just a case of mistaking him for someone else?
Even the so-called "mutual affection" may just be a false illusion.
Even when he expressed his feelings back then, was it the same?
Xiao Hanzhou wanted to ask the other party.
Ironically, he couldn't even produce the blood jade that A Yi had given him years ago—he hadn't brought it with him when he came to Xizhou this time.
This seems like a matter of course.
After all, A-Yi had given him so many things, so many that every item he owned, even his natal sword, bore the traces of A-Yi. So many that he wouldn't treat a piece of blood jade without any spiritual light with any special care.
He was more concerned about other things at the time, so he simply put the jade away and casually placed it in the storeroom, as if he never took it out again.
Just as A-Yi said earlier.
—[It's nothing serious...]
His spiritual energy suddenly became chaotic, surging wildly through his meridians. Logically, Xiao Hanzhou should have found a place to sit down and regulate his spiritual energy at this time. Otherwise, at best, his meridians would be damaged and he would be unable to use his spiritual power for a period of time. At worst, he would suffer from qi deviation and his cultivation would be destroyed.
However, Xiao Hanzhou stood still, unwilling to move, letting the rampant spiritual energy surge aimlessly through his meridians.
It hurts so much.
Did A-Yi experience this much pain back then?
No, having his meridians severed by sword energy, Ah Yi must have felt much more pain back then.
As if obeying its master's will, the already chaotic spiritual energy surged even more violently, its collision within the meridians bordering on the violent. Xiao Hanzhou finally couldn't help but let out a muffled groan.
In a daze caused by pain, Xiao Hanzhou's lips moved slightly.
He tried several times but failed to make a sound, but judging from the shape of his lips and the expression on his face, he seemed to be denying something.
He is indeed denying it.
—No. That's not something insignificant.
That piece of jade...
It is very, very important.
Even if he didn't know the meaning behind that jade, even if he thought it was just an ordinary blood jade without any spiritual power, it was still very important.
Because it was something Ah Yi gave me.
He neither looked down on it nor ignored it.
He had too much at that time, and took it all for granted, so he didn't learn to cherish it.
Ren Yi actually knew that Xiao Hanzhou was nearby.
After all, if Ren Yi wanted, the entire Cold Cang Peak could be covered by the small account's divine sense. Since he had let the person in, he naturally had to keep an eye on them; the small account was still waiting for the person to come and see them up there.
Unexpectedly, the chosen one did not go directly to find the lower account, but instead stopped at the mid-section.
Ren Yi initially thought he was just passing by on his way up the mountain and didn't pay much attention, but he didn't expect the other person to just stand there and not move.
Ren Yi?
He belatedly realized that the "Chosen One" might have something to do with the "big name".
Ren Yi learned most of his interpersonal relationships through Yan Er. Regarding the relationship between his main identity and this chosen one, Yan Er simply described them as "friends he knew before" in the telepathic message she left behind. Judging from the girl's tone, Ren Yi deduced that this "friend" meant a casual acquaintance who would greet each other when they met. The two were probably "acquaintances but not close friends".
This amount of information was completely insufficient for Ren Yi to understand his role as a mere tool.
Unlike the older, obviously overpowered characters, the supporting characters integrated into the main storyline have diverse roles and are quite varied.
Some characters are crucial in the early stages but die shortly after appearing, such as the "entire family" (possibly any member) of the chosen one whose entire family dies tragically. Others, though unimportant, survive a long time throughout the story, such as the henchmen who run errands for the chosen one and act as a mood-maker when necessary. Still others have very short screen time and little importance, but are essential to the story, such as the troublemaker who instigates provocations and gets thoroughly humiliated by the chosen one...
There are just too many types, and Ren Yi couldn't figure them out in a short time.
Since he didn't have any missions at the moment, Ren Yi decided to adopt a conservative approach and distance himself from the Chosen One.
Normally, there's nothing wrong with this approach.
After all, the reason a character is a tool is because their importance is vastly different from the protagonist's. Ren Yi, having undertaken many tasks, often encountered this situation: from the tool's perspective, the chosen one is seen as the "number one rival," "best opponent," "a major threat," "an apocalypse," "an object of eternal following," and so on; but conversely, from the chosen one's perspective, the tool can usually be summed up in two words—"Who are you?"
At first glance, it sounds quite "smelling sad and seeing tears".
However, after a few missions to hone their skills, they basically adopted a more relaxed attitude. As a veteran employee with considerable experience in the bureau, Ren Yi was already extremely used to this situation.
This also has its advantages. For example, now, as long as he doesn't actively provoke the Chosen One, the other party is likely too lazy to come looking for him.
—After all, have you ever seen a protagonist go out of their way to cause trouble for cannon fodder? What about their dignity? At least the villain boss's colleagues get that kind of treatment.
Ren Yi originally thought so, but now it seems that the situation is a little wrong.
Xiao Hanzhou lingered here for far too long, so long that it was difficult for Ren Yi to pretend he couldn't see him. Even if Ren Yi was slow to realize, he realized that the relationship between the Chosen One and the Big Name was not the casual acquaintance he had thought they could ignore.
Ren Yi was almost ready to leave this world and really didn't want anything to go wrong, but unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.
As Ren Yi walked towards the direction of the Son of Heaven, he tried to guess the identity of the person in the large disguise.
However, there are too many possibilities, and he can't draw a conclusion for the time being. He only plans to adapt to the situation based on the attitude of the chosen one.
Ren Yi only hoped that this pseudonym wouldn't be some kind of cannon fodder who gets slapped in the face.
When Yan'er mentioned Xiao Hanzhou in the telepathic message, she didn't seem nervous. Their relationship should be alright, not hostile.
As these thoughts raced through his mind, Ren Yi and Xiao Hanzhou were getting closer and closer. He finally noticed something was wrong. Xiao Hanzhou's face was pale, his forehead was covered in sweat, and his eyes were bloodshot. He was extremely tense, and the spiritual energy around him was surging, but it showed a somewhat uncontrollable state.
—Damaged by internal energy?
Ren Yi quickly assessed the other party's situation.
Ren Yi: "..."
He recalled the random thoughts that had crossed his mind as he walked over.
It turns out he was just being delusional. The other person wasn't looking for a proper urination; they were just suffering from a qi deviation and couldn't leave for the time being.
Ren Yi once again redefined his "tool" persona in his mind, telling himself not to overthink it.
Although the current situation seems extremely critical, this person who has gone mad is, after all, the chosen one of destiny, and it is impossible for him to really be in danger. Ren Yi is still relatively relaxed.
Ren Yi still called down his secondary account, since in terms of cultivation level alone, the secondary account was much stronger than the primary account, and the former's presence would help control the situation. After all, if anything were to happen, the chosen one would be fine, but his half-crippled primary account might truly become completely crippled.
After discovering Xiao Hanzhou's condition, Ren Yi stopped going forward.
He dared not gamble on how much rationality the person who had gone mad from practicing qi cultivation possessed, so he cautiously maintained a safe distance from the other party, while also ensuring that he had enough time to react if the Chosen One really made a move.
However, the sudden appearance of people nearby still caught the attention of the Chosen One, who slowly raised his head and fixed his gaze on Ren Yi.
Ren Yi: "..."
He lamented inwardly, wishing he hadn't come. The best solution would have been to directly control the alternate account, pack the person up, and throw them into the icy pond to calm their mind.
But no matter how much you regret it, what's done is done.
It wouldn't be a good choice to turn around and leave after attracting Xiao Hanzhou's attention, since in his current state, even the slightest unusual action could provoke him.
Ren Yi tried his best to relax his facial expressions and body muscles, attempting to convey that he had no hostility in a relatively friendly manner. He did not take any further steps to avoid arousing suspicion, but simply stood there and greeted, "Patriarch Xiao."
Ren Yi's judgment of his relationship with the Chosen One mainly came from Yan Er's telepathic message, and naturally, he also followed the latter's way of addressing her.
Xiao Hanzhou's eyes were still bloodshot, but because of this voice, his previously unfocused gaze began to refocus, as if he had regained some of his rationality. However, his gaze remained fixed on Ren Yi.
Ren Yi thought it might be his imagination, but he felt that the look in that eyes was both pathetic and pitiful, like a puppy abandoned by its owner.
These unconscious thoughts caused Ren Yi to fall into a brief silence. Embarrassed? Pitiful?! That was the chosen one!
He was just about to pack away these unreliable thoughts when he heard Xiao Hanzhou speak softly, "...A-Yi".
There was even a hint of pleading in that voice.
Ren Yi: "..."
What kind of nonsense is this?!
Ren Yi suppressed those inexplicable associations again. He also judged from Xiao Hanzhou's way of addressing him that his relationship with the other party might be closer than he had initially expected.
Ren Yi only thought for a moment before decisively apologizing, "I'm sorry, I had a bit of an accident and don't remember anything from before. I hope Patriarch Xiao will forgive me."
Xiao Hanzhou was stunned for a moment, as if he had suddenly calmed down because of this sentence.
His eyes still had a bloodshot tinge, but a glimmer of light seemed to appear in his otherwise ashen and lifeless eyes.
Xiao Hanzhou spoke very slowly, his tone somewhat strange: "I know, Miss Yan told me."
The words mentioned a third person present, but Xiao Hanzhou didn't glance at them once, as if he and Ren Yi were the only two people there. His gaze never left Ren Yi from beginning to end.
As Xiao Hanzhou gazed at that handsome figure, he couldn't help but wonder if A-Yi didn't remember anything... could they start over?
Xiao Hanzhou's thoughts were abruptly interrupted.
In mid-air, another figure appeared.
The moment that extremely powerful aura appeared, it irrationally captured everyone's attention, and even Xiao Hanzhou, who had been watching Ren Yi, had to look up.
Although he had never seen the person before, Xiao Hanzhou understood his identity the moment he appeared.
—Sword Master, that's the Sword Master.
When this person appeared before them, the image that had previously existed only in the storiesteller's mouth and the phantom that had lived only in legends suddenly came to life.
A spine forged from sword intent, a body solidified from frost and snow.
He simply stood there quietly, yet he forced people to believe that no one in the world, except him, was worthy of the title "Sword Master".
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