Chapter 9 Just Friends 09
Xiao Hanzhou's cultivation had already reached the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage. Looking at the entire Xuanqing Sect, only a few elders could rival him. Naturally, the Xuanqing Sect disciples who were there to guide him could not stop him. Therefore, when the disciples turned around and found that he was gone, they were completely stunned.
Fortunately, Xiao Hanzhou did not deliberately conceal his aura; his spiritual energy was bright and easily identifiable. However, when the guiding disciples followed the trail of spiritual energy, they saw him and Ren Yi silently confronting each other.
The disciple who was receiving the invitation had no idea what was going on. He looked at Ren Yi in a panic, and only after receiving a reassuring smile from the latter did he manage to calm down. He didn't know what was going on either, and didn't even dare to introduce the guest. Cold sweat dripped down his back, but he still forced himself to remain calm and said, "Patriarch Xiao, the sect has arranged a courtyard for our distinguished guest at Yingsong Peak."
Hearing the commotion, Xiao Hanzhou finally came to his senses. He nodded slightly and said, "I'm sorry, I ran into an old friend and acted rashly. I've caused trouble for your sect."
Looking at the scene before him, the disciple felt that this was not the atmosphere of meeting an old friend.
He glanced at Elder Ren, who remained remarkably calm, unsure whether the visitor harbored ill intentions. This matter wasn't serious enough to alarm the sect leader. The disciple, sweating profusely, pondered for a long time before secretly making a hand seal and sending a message to his senior brother.
Although his hands were behind his back, the fluctuations of his spiritual energy were still undeniable. Ren Yi glanced over, but Xiao Hanzhou was too preoccupied to notice. He only managed to give a brief instruction to the disciple before turning his attention back to Ren Yi, asking repeatedly, "A-Yi, what are you doing here? Did you also hear about the secret realm and come all the way to Xizhou? When did you arrive? Do you have a place to stay? If..."
Xiao Hanzhou asked several questions in succession, showing no trace of his usual taciturn nature.
Before Ren Yi could answer, he felt a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back a step.
Xiao Hanzhou, who had been anxiously asking questions, paused for a moment, his gaze slowly falling on Ren Yi's shoulder.
He clenched his fist loosely, barely managing to suppress the subconscious urge to strike.
A-Yi doesn't like being touched by others. Since this person can make A-Yi so unguarded, the two must be very familiar with each other.
But the moment this thought arose, Xiao Hanzhou's displeasure intensified.
The one who came was Yan Shuoyun. He didn't come because he received a message from his junior brother; he just happened to be passing by.
Since Ren Yi had already said what he said that day about "whether or not there are enemies," Yan Shuoyun didn't press the matter further. However, since people from Dongzhou had come these past few days, he deliberately declined the mission from the sect and stayed within the sect just in case.
Take, for example, this "what if" situation right now.
Yan Shuoyun smiled and replied to the disciple who was guiding him, "Greetings, Senior Brother." Seeing the latter's "I'm saved" expression, he couldn't help but shake his head and laugh.
He didn't make things difficult for anyone further, but waved his hand and said, "The guests have come from afar and must be tired. You should take the others to settle in first." In other words, he didn't need to worry about things here and should take the others with him.
The disciple felt as if he had been granted a pardon, loudly replied "Yes," and ran away as if his pants were on fire.
Seeing their hasty retreat, Yan Shuoyun couldn't help but shake his head inwardly. He had to tell his Uncle Su that his sixteenth junior brother needed more experience to temper his mentality.
Those thoughts flashed by in an instant, and Yan Shuoyun quickly refocused his attention on the current situation, but this time his expression was not as relaxed as before.
His gaze swept over the family crest on Xiao Hanzhou's clothes, then subtly glanced at the jade pendant Ren Yi often wore. The clearly identical patterns made one wonder if they were from the same clan? Brothers? Or... something else?
Various guesses formed in his mind, but Yan Shuoyun dismissed them one by one. After all, the person was right next to him, so why should he guess?
Thinking this, Yan Shuoyun not only didn't pull his hand off Ren Yi's shoulder, but also pulled him closer to himself. Under the suddenly sharp gaze opposite him, he asked with a smile, "A-Yi, won't you introduce me?"
Even if Yan Shuoyun didn't mention it, Ren Yi, as the middleman who knew both of them, would still have to help with the introductions.
Ren Yi spoke up, "Xiao Hanzhou, the head of the Xiao family, is my friend in Dongzhou."
This statement made Xiao Hanzhou unconsciously frown, and the discomfort that had just dissipated rose again. Their relationship should not be so easily dismissed as a mere "friend".
Feeling as if something was blocking his chest, Xiao Hanzhou instinctively wanted to retort, but hesitated before he could speak.
What else is there besides "friends"? Is it "close friends"? But it's more than that.
Ren Yi didn't notice Xiao Hanzhou's thoughts. He first answered Yan Shuoyun's question, and then introduced, "This is Yan Shuoyun. Brother Yan is the senior disciple of Xuanqing Sect. When I first arrived in Xizhou, he saved my life. He is my savior."
Upon hearing that Ren Yi had once faced a life-threatening situation, Xiao Hanzhou's expression immediately changed. Forgetting his previous thoughts, he immediately wanted to ask more questions, but when he looked up, he met Yan Shuoyun's smiling gaze. The words he was about to say froze, and Xiao Hanzhou frowned.
However, he first looked Ren Yi up and down, and seeing that Ren Yi's complexion was good and that his spiritual energy flowed smoothly, he was relieved. He then turned to Yan Shuoyun and cupped his hands, saying, "Since you are Ren Yi's benefactor, you are also the benefactor of my Xiao family. In the future, Brother Yan, if you have any requests, the Xiao family will do our best to help."
Xiao Hanzhou spoke with utmost sincerity, but Yan Shuoyun raised an eyebrow and, in the instant Xiao Hanzhou moved, sidestepped the gesture.
Yan Shuoyun's voice carried a hint of amusement, but he interrupted Xiao Hanzhou rather rudely, "Patriarch Xiao, there's no need for that. Xiao Yi and I are kindred spirits. Between friends, there's no such thing as gratitude or favor. It's Patriarch Xiao who is Xiao Yi's friend; it's my fault for being so disrespectful."
Yan Shuoyun's words immediately placed himself and Ren Yi on the same side, as if the two of them were the hosts and Xiao Hanzhou was the guest.
These words were truly unsettling. Xiao Hanzhou instinctively wanted to say something in rebuttal, but then he remembered how the Xuanqing Sect disciple hadn't seemed surprised at all when he saw Ren Yi chasing after him.
...Did A-Yi join the Xuanqing Sect?
Xiao Hanzhou couldn't help but have this guess.
The two had not been in contact for three years. Xiao Hanzhou did not know what had happened to Ren Yi during these years. He wanted to ask in detail, but there was an outsider present, so he could not go into details.
He was about to signal Ren Yi that they could find another place to talk in detail later when he looked up and saw that Ren Yi's gaze was fixed on Yan Shuoyun, who was standing to the side.
Xiao Hanzhou's expression turned increasingly grim.
A long-awaited reunion should have been a joyous occasion, but for some reason, Xiao Hanzhou felt a gloomy atmosphere hanging over them from the moment they met. It was as if something heavy was pressing on his heart, casting a shadow over this happy occasion.
The scene before him only fueled his growing agitation.
For Xiao Hanzhou, such outward emotional fluctuations as today are extremely rare. Back then, he was able to calmly deal with the executioner who slaughtered his entire family, but he never expected to be in such a sorry state this time.
He took a deep breath, silently circulated his spiritual energy for one cycle, and after calming down, his expression returned to normal.
"Your clan's feng shui is a treasure trove, brimming with spiritual energy. How could you possibly treat me poorly? It's just that I'm new to Xizhou and there are many things I'm unfamiliar with..." He said, his gaze falling on Ren Yi. When Ren Yi looked over, his expression softened unconsciously. "Would A-Yi be willing to show me around?"
Actually, there was no particular reason why Ren Yi looked at Yan Shuoyun just now. It was just that the other party's way of addressing him suddenly changed from "A Yi" to "Xiao Yi". This was inexplicable, and Ren Yi found it a bit strange.
But upon closer inspection, the latter appeared completely unperturbed, as if he hadn't noticed anything amiss.
Ren Yi could only guess that he was being too sensitive.
After all, there's not much difference between the two names, so Yan Shuoyun probably just came up with the idea on a whim.
The name "Xiao Yi" reminded Ren Yi of his own system Xiao Yi, which was still under repair. He was momentarily distracted until Xiao Hanzhou spoke, which brought him back to his attention. Just as he was about to agree, Yan Shuoyun urged him with a smile, "Didn't you send a message to Yan Er before you came back? If you don't go over now, that girl will think that her brother Ren is out doing something."
He said this, then turned to Xiao Hanzhou, "Xiao Yi hasn't been in Xizhou for long and isn't familiar with this place. If Patriarch Xiao doesn't mind, how about I show you around?"
Although he asked "How is it?", his words left no room for refusal. He then pushed Ren Yi away, laughing as he said, "Little Yi, you're entrusting your 'friend' to me, don't you trust me?"
It seemed to be Ren Yi's imagination, but he always felt that Bei Yanshuoyun emphasized the word "friend" particularly.
But as Yan Shuoyun said, there was really nothing to worry about in entrusting people to him. Even setting aside his cultivation and status, Yan Shuoyun's open and generous personality alone made him a person worth befriending.
However, before leaving, Ren Yi couldn't help but look back, feeling that the atmosphere between the two was a bit subtle.
Will they start fighting?
Unable to resist, Ren Yi had this thought pop into his mind.
Ren Yi didn't know how Yan Shuoyun took Xiao Hanzhou around that day, because he hadn't returned yet when he received a message from the sect and hurriedly rushed to a certain forbidden area.
In the past few days, the entire Xuanqing Sect has been busy preparing to welcome guests from the Eastern Continent. Disciples who were patrolling outside have been recalled, leaving insufficient manpower to guard the forbidden areas. The sect has simply assigned elders to help look after these places, leaving only one disciple at each guard post. If anything goes wrong, the elders will be immediately notified for appropriate action.
Although the name "Forbidden Area" sounds impressive, guarding it is actually a very menial job. After all, the key to the Forbidden Area lies in the seal, and the guards' duties are simply to check for any damage to the seal and prevent disciples from accidentally entering. These tasks are usually done by an inner disciple leading several outer disciples, but now they have been directly assigned to the sect's elders, which shows just how stretched the manpower is within the Xuanqing Sect.
All I can say is that the sect leader at least maintained some semblance of dignity and didn't have the sect elders personally greet the guests.
Ren Yi had received several such messages in the past few days. Most of the time, they were just ordinary attacks by demonic beasts or damage to the outer sealing runes, nothing serious. With Ren Yi's current cultivation level, he could easily handle them, but the distance was a problem. Also, because there was a shortage of manpower, with one elder responsible for several seals, it could be said that Ren Yi had been running around outside all this time.
This time was no exception. After he finished dealing with the forbidden area and returned, he had other things to do. Before long, he had forgotten about Xiao Hanzhou.
When Ren Yi thought of him again, it was Yan Er who brought him up.
As the chosen one of destiny, Xiao Hanzhou received blessings from heaven in every aspect, including his good looks, which naturally attracted the attention of the pretty Yan Xiaomei.
The latter circled around Ren Yi, who had a rare moment of free time, several times before finally hesitantly asking the question, "Brother Ren is also from Dongzhou. Do you know the Xiao family head?"
Ren Yi was taken aback. Looking at Yan Xiaomei, whose face was flushed red, he silently sighed in his heart that the charm of the chosen one was indeed universal, regardless of gender or age.
There was no point in hiding it, Ren Yi nodded, giving an affirmative answer.
Upon receiving this answer, Yan'er's spirits visibly lifted. Her left cheek seemed to say, "I knew it," and her right cheek seemed to say, "As expected, good-looking people make friends with other good-looking people." Ren Yi couldn't help but laugh at this.
The little girl was about to say something more when she heard a soft cough behind her.
She quickly turned around and saw Yan Shuoyun leaning against the door frame, glancing at her with his eyes half-closed.
Seeing her brother's expression, Yan Die immediately had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, seeing her look over, Yan Shuoyun smiled lazily and asked slowly, "Have you finished your homework today?"
Yan Er "..."
Is he the devil?!
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