Chapter 194 - The Tower Climbing Contest (Part 3)
Xiao Sanlang, the guard in white clothes, felt a bit embarrassed when he heard the words.
Xiao Huan asked, "Has Little Sui left?"
Xiao Sanlang whispered in response, "Not yet."
Xiao Huan smiled and said, "It's normal for young people to be impulsive. Go find him and tell him not to act recklessly. I don't want to have a hard time explaining this to the family head later."
Upon receiving the order, Xiao Sanlang immediately turned and left the guest house. Unexpectedly, as soon as he walked out the door, he bumped into someone.
Looking up, Xiao Sanlang was surprised to see Xiao Boyang, his taoist friend, standing in front of him.
After hesitating for two seconds, Xiao Boyang asked, "Is Xiao Huan inside?"
Before Xiao Sanlang could answer, a gentle and familiar voice came from inside, "Is it Liu Lang? Come in. I haven't seen you in a long time."
[Kunshan]
Mu Xiaoxiao clutched her fingers tightly, her face turning slightly red and her throat feeling a bit dry.
Qiao Wan, with no expression on her face, looked ahead.
She is not unaware of her hidden thoughts, but she... she has never shown them.
Just thinking about it made her feel like she was being roasted over a fire, leaving her with a dry mouth.
Is there anyone to help her...
Suddenly, a girl's voice from the Water Phoenix Sect echoed in her mind, "Leave." Mu Xiaoxiao seemed somewhat dazed.
Among the crowd, a disciple from Kunshan frowned and said, "Elder Martial Sister Mu, to be honest, Bai Ta is not suitable for you. If you want to cultivate, it's better to go back to Yuqing Peak."
Mu Xiaoxiao's face turned ashen. "I...I didn't mean that."
Tears filled her eyes in an instant.
Qiao Wan sighed inwardly and turned to leave after giving Mu Xiaoxiao a glance.
But just as she was about to leave, a sword light suddenly flashed from the side, followed by a hoarse and deep voice, "Leaving? You think you can leave?"
Qiao Wan looked up and suddenly a young man dressed in luxurious clothes appeared in front of her. He was handsome, but his face looked a bit gloomy.
This sudden change shocked the other disciples from Kunshan, causing them to instinctively take a few steps back.
Although the young man in front of her seemed unfamiliar, the embroidery of the Xiao family crest on his cuff immediately revealed his identity as a member of the Xiao family.
Qiao Wan tilted her head and managed to avoid the sword blade that was near her ear. She quickly searched her memories in her mind and found something.
Is this Xiao Huan?
No, she remembered that in the original story, Xiao Huan was described as "gentle and courteous in his interactions and never got angry with anyone." Since it was not possible for this person in front of her to be Xiao Huan, then who could it be?
Mu Xiaoxiao's eyes brightened and she immediately called out, "Little Sui!"
The young man holding the sword, who was Xiao Sui, glanced at the teary-eyed girl and sheathed his sword.
His gaze fell on Qiao Wan's face, his eyes shifting for a moment before stopping on her bald forehead. "Hehe," he chuckled, "your forehead sure shines."
Then, he looked towards Mu Xiaoxiao and said, "Miss Mu."
Before him stood Xiao Sui, the half-brother of Xiao Huan, with whom he shared the same father but a different mother. He was also a member of Mu Xiaoxiao's large harem.
As soon as the young man arrived, there was an air of unease about him.
Qiao Wan calmly averted her gaze, her face expressionless as she tugged at the corner of her lips. "It's fine, cool."
Xiao Sui was momentarily stunned, taken aback by the nonchalant attitude of this girl before him.
"Fine? Cool?" he thought. "With a bald head like that?!" He had met many female cultivators, all of whom cared about their appearance. He had never seen someone so calm with no hair.
Just then, he felt a gentle tug on his sleeve. The girl widened her eyes in surprise and said, "Oh...Little Sui, why are you here?"
"I came to see you," Xiao Sui's face changed slightly when he saw the injuries on the girl, "so that Mu Sister, you won't be bullied by someone again and foolishly count money for them."
Although there is an engagement with Xiao Huan, Mu Xiaoxiao has the closest relationship with Xiao Sui. Whenever she sees Xiao Sui, she can't help but think of Xiao Huan, her gentle and romantic fiancé. Even though Xiao Huan is gentle towards her, she feels scared for some reason.
Mu Xiaoxiao shook her head, revealing a bright smile. "Little Sui, I'm fine, you don't need to worry."
Xiao Sui looked at the heavily injured girl in front of him and then turned to Qiao Wan. "Go? Taoist Friend Qiao wants to leave now?"
The young man held a sword and stood in their way. Although his words were calm, it was evident that he would become violent and hurt someone if things didn't go his way.
Qiao Wan's gaze shifted, calmly looking back at Xiao Sui, immediately calculating something in her mind.
Even though she stabbed Xiao Zongyuan with a sword before, Xiao Sui is different. In the original story, Xiao Sui was the beloved of the old family leader, but later died in a secret realm. While Xiao Sui is still standing here, for Qiao Wan who has the script in her hands, this young man in front of her is undoubtedly a "dead person." It's not really wise to conflict with Xiao Sui at this moment.
"Dear taoist friend," after making up her mind, Qiao Wan immediately secretly communicated with Du Fannie, "Can you help me with something?"
Du Fannie was slightly surprised and couldn't help but look at this calm-looking girl.
To be honest, when Xiao Sui came over just now, she was a bit nervous, after all, this is the Xiao family. Unexpectedly, Qiao Wan dared to confront Xiao Sui without changing her expression.
"You said if it's something I can do, I will definitely help."
Qiao Wan said, "Please use the Souvenir Jade Ball to record what happens next."
Is it just a trivial matter?
Qiao Wan picked up the wig from her lap and put it on herself. After preparing herself, she silently clenched her fist.
She can do it too!
She wants to play dirty!
But before that, she had to put on the wig, because no pretty flower is bald.
She is, after all, the vicious supporting character who added a lot of trouble for the female lead in the original story. Although she didn't last long and was defeated by Pei Chunzheng, she was still a delicate white lotus swaying in the wind.
Xiao Sui smirked and said, "Why is Taoist Friend Qiao not speaking? Hm?"
Scared? She's scared now?
She used to think highly of herself, but it seems she's not that impressive.
Xiao Sui was well aware of her own status. She had already taken care of Xiao Zongyuan before, and the fact that the Xiao family didn't bother with her was already a great favor. She knew this person wouldn't dare to say much.
"To be honest, I never meant to harm Taoist Friend Mu."
"I was indeed able to come to this mountain because of the help of Taoist Friend Mu and the guidance of Yuqing Spiritual Master. I am grateful to Taoist Friend Mu for that."
"As for what happened afterwards..." Qiao Wan paused. "In Mudstone Secret Realm, it was the spirit beast that Taoist Friend Mu had made a blood pact with that wanted to kill me. In order to protect myself, I had no choice but to fight back and became possessed. It was a desperate measure in a critical situation."
Mu Xiaoxiao's spirit beast wanted to kill Qiao Wan? Suddenly, the disciples of Kunshan frowned.
Why hadn't they heard about this before?
After all, the Souvenir Image that Fairy Sumi retrieved has been kept in Kunshan Precept Hall. It was only shown to a few elders who were involved in the trial, and it has not been made public again.
When it comes to what happened in Mudstone Secret Realm, most of the disciples in Kunshan only heard rumors. They say that Qiao Wan became possessed and tried to kill her own elder martial sister. That's why Precept Hall sentenced her to thirty years of punishment.
It's hard to say if those rumors are true.
Mu Xiaoxiao was taken aback. "Little fox..."
After saying this, Qiao Wan quietly bowed. "I have no intention of being an enemy to Taoist Friend Mu. Elder martial sister Xiao, please stop pressuring me."
These words were truly from her heart.
Xiao Sui lifted his sword and smirked. "Do you think I'll just let you off the hook because you said that?"
"Sister-in-law Mu is the unwed wife of my elder brother, and she will also be my sister-in-law in the future. Offending sister-in-law Mu means offending our Xiao family. Do you think you can walk away unscathed with just a few words? Where would that leave our Xiao family's reputation?"
When saying this, Xiao Sui wasn't too concerned about the issues in the demon realm.
As for the demon realm, it is a place full of unpredictable beings. Especially Mei Kangping, he is very unpredictable and hard to understand.
Even though the Xiao family has been chasing Qiao Wan for a long time, we haven't seen anyone from the demon realm coming to support this so-called empress. We can't be sure if Qiao Wan is really the empress of the demon realm or not. And even if she is, with Mei Kangping's cruel nature, she would have probably been abandoned long ago.
Qiao Wan remained silent for a moment and said, "My skills may be lacking, but if Taoist friend Xiao continues to press me, I will do my best to fight back."
Xiao Sui became furious and exclaimed, "How dare you?!"
He swung his sword and viciously stabbed towards Qiao Wan's heart.
But just then, someone behind Qiao Wan suddenly extended a folding fan and a shadow of a dragon appeared.
The person with the fan in hand had a smile on their face and a sparkle in their eyes, saying, "Wow, which young master has such a strong presence?"
Jun Caiwei smiled and said, "Remember to drink some chrysanthemum tea to calm your temper."
And the owner of the Dragon Shadow, Gan Nan, had a rare hint of anger and coldness in his glass-like eyes. "Taoist Friend Xiao, let's talk properly. Wan'er is my adopted sister. Since the empress of the demon realm's identity no longer matters, I wonder if my identity as a member of the Ao clan of dragons holds any significance."
Qiao Wan's eyes lit up. "Brother Gan!"
Gan Nan turned his head and looked at Qiao Wan. The coldness in his eyes instantly disappeared, and his gaze became gentle and bright. "Sister Wan'er, don't be afraid. I will protect you! Yesterday, Brother Jun, Taoist Friend Xiao, and I went to find you, but couldn't locate you. Today, we finally found the White Tower. I'm sorry for being late."
Xiao Sui was taken aback. "This young man in front of me is from the Dragon clan?"
His skin, so white and transparent, and the dragon scales at the corners of his eyes indeed seemed to be characteristics of a dragon demon cultivator.
Jun Caiwei smiled mischievously. "Taoist Friend Xiao, calm down. The person next to me is a descendant of the Ao clan of dragons. This is Taoist Friend Qiao, his adopted sister. Will you show some respect, Xiao?"
Xiao Sui's heart skipped a beat, and he was surprised. He discreetly glanced at Qiao Wan.
The bald girl in front of him turned out to be a sworn sister of the dragon race.
But it wasn't over yet. In the midst of this standoff, several disciples from the outer sect gradually stepped forward.
"Although the Xiao family is powerful, Taoist Friend Xie, don't forget that you are still on our Kunshan's territory," said the leader of the outer sect with a smile. "It might not be a good idea to fight here."
Mu Xiaoxiao was stunned.
Among these outer sect disciples, there was clearly the boy who had taken her handkerchief before.
The boy, Huo Baixing, took a step forward and walked all the way to Mu Xiaoxiao's front.
Huo Baixing bowed and hesitated slightly. "Here is Taoist Friend Xie's handkerchief, but it's not appropriate for men and women to exchange intimate items. Taoist Friend Mu, please be careful not to give handkerchiefs to others casually in the future, to avoid causing gossip."
He decisively stuffed the handkerchief into Mu Xiaoxiao's hand and walked away.
Xiao Sui's face turned serious: "Are you speaking up for Qiao Wan?"
"We are not speaking up for Qiao Wan. We speak up for ourselves as fellow brothers," replied the senior brother with a smile. "We, the outer disciples, have low status and poor aptitude. When we heard about Taoist Friend Qiao's bravery in the secret realm, we were moved and admired him. Taoist Friend Qiao is different to us, the hidden disciples. Naturally, we want to speak up for Qiao Wan and ask for forgiveness, Taoist Friend Xiao."
They had given face and consideration, now it depended on whether this young master from the Xiao family had the understanding and willingness to back off.
Xiao Sui's expression turned unpleasant, his eyes dark as he scanned the people in front of him.
Initially, he only wanted to teach this bald guy a lesson. He didn't expect to encounter resistance. After all, this is Kunshan's territory. If things got out of hand, it wouldn't sound good if word got back to the Big Boss.
Mu Xiaoxiao gently pulled on Xiao Sui's clothes, "Little Sui, younger martial sister didn't mean any harm. It was my mistake to come to the White Tower without thinking, which made you worry. Please don't be angry."
Just then, a guard from the Xiao family hurriedly approached.
"Young Master, the eldest young master is calling for you."
Xiao Sui pondered for a moment and said, "Big brother."
Although he didn't want to admit it and felt guilty, he didn't have a choice but to go and meet Xiao Huan at this time.
He protected Mu Xiaoxiao behind him and looked up with a cold smile, saying, "Let's forget about it today, but if there's a next time, I won't forgive easily."
Xiao Sui and Mu Xiaoxiao left, and the serious and stagnant atmosphere in the room suddenly disappeared.
Jun Caiwei turned his head and asked, "Climbing the tower?"
As Qiao Wan quickly re-tied the bandage on her wound, she nodded and said, "Thank you."
Jun Caiwei asked, "How many floors are there left?"
Qiao Wan replied solemnly, "There are over a hundred floors."
After answering, Qiao Wan walked up to Du Fannie and said, "Du taoist friend, can I borrow the Souvenir Jade Ball?"
Du Fannie replied readily, "Sure."
Seeing that the group of disciples from the White Tower was already chatting happily in the center of the storm, they were not as calm anymore.
Earlier, Qiao Wan mentioned the hidden disciples in the Mudstone Secret Realm, and later mentioned the spiritual beast, the demon fox.
A question hovered in the hearts of the disciples, causing them to furrow their brows and ponder.
What exactly happened in the Mudstone Secret Realm in the past?
*
Although Xiao Sui and Mu Xiaoxiao had left, they still needed to continue climbing the tower.
After a quick tidy up, Qiao Wan rushed to the next battle. As for Jun Caiwei, he sat down with Gan Nan and cheered her up.
After finishing a battle, Qiao Wan went down to rest, and Gan Nan felt a little worried. "Brother Jun, I have a strange premonition."
Jun Caiwei raised the scroll in his hand and smiled, "Congratulations, taoist friend, your premonition has come true."
A line of dark ink characters floated prominently on the jade scroll, firmly occupying the top spot.
"Just now at the White Pagoda, guess what Taoist friends saw?"
- Taoist Friend Mu and Qiao Wan bumped into each other at the White Pagoda again! And this time, Xiao Sui from the Xiao family was also there!
The gathering of fellow cultivators had not yet started, and they couldn't leave the mountain at the moment. The group of cultivators was currently in a state of idleness and boredom.
Since Qiao Wan caused such a big commotion when she left the mountain, and there was also her unprecedented tribulation crossing a few days ago, it was now attracting attention from all sides. As soon as the "post" was published, there were immediate "comments".
- White Pagoda? Where did Taoist Friend Mu go and what was he doing there?
- I suppose he wanted to go to the White Pagoda for training.
- Training at the White Pagoda? Why would Taoist Friend Mu go there for no reason?
- Taoist Friend Mu doesn't know about these things, but Qiao Wan seems to be too harsh on her fellow elder martial sister.
- Looking at it this way, the rift between Taoist Friend Qiao and her elder martial sister, Taoist Friend Mu, is indeed not small.
The discussion on the jade scroll was lively, but most of it was leaning towards Mu Xiaoxiao. When Gan Nan saw this, he was shocked.
After a moment of shock, he suddenly panicked. Tears welled up in his eyes like glass, and he cried uncontrollably: "Oh no, Brother Jun, how could this happen? What should we do now?"
"No! He must help his little sister!"
He immediately rolled up his sleeves and got to work.
-- I think Taoist Friend Mu's actions seem a bit suspicious.
This comment quickly caught the attention of the confused disciples from Kunshan.
-- Excuse me, taoist friend, what do you mean by suspicious actions?
-- Ah, my little sister once told me about this, but I don't really understand it either. It's probably when someone intentionally stops in front of a horse-drawn carriage, pretends to fall, and then extorts money from them. Honestly, Taoist Friend Qiao didn't do anything to Taoist Friend Mu before, but those... those... companions of Taoist Friend Mu seemed to be causing trouble.
- Taoist Friend Mu... isn't she engaged to Xiao Huan? What's the deal with this Pei taoist friend, a phoenix, and the handkerchief from the outer disciples?
- Speaking of which, Qiao Wan doesn't seem to have done anything to Martial Sister Mu, but all these people around Mu cling onto her.
After leaving the arena, Qiao Wan found a quiet and empty place and silently took out the Souvenir Jade Ball from her pocket.
Little Qiao needs to work hard to become stronger: [Souvenir Image][Souvenir Image]
This first-hand Souvenir Image quickly caught the attention of the disciples in Kunshan.
- Why isn't Taoist Friend Qiao saying anything? Hmm?
- In the past, in Mudstone Secret Realm, it was Taoist Friend Mu who made a blood contract with the spirit beast and wanted to kill me. I had no choice but to fight back and ended up losing control. It was a desperate measure at the time.
- Offending Martial Sister Mu means offending our Xiao family. Do you think you can walk away unscathed with just a few words?
In the scenedressed in luxurious clothes looks dark-eyed and confidently smirks.
Meanwhile, the girl remains calm and composed, with blood dripping from her arm.
For a brief moment, silence befalls the jade slip, as the Kunshan disciples, who have never witnessed the drama of arguments on social media from other worlds, explode with excitement.
Oh my! This really looks like a setup!
Although not particularly fond of Qiao Wan, being fellow Kunshan disciples, the others start feeling a sense of unity and indignation when faced with this troublemaker in Kunshan.
"What's the meaning of this from the Xiao family? Do they think Kunshan is defenseless?!"
"Why doesn't Taoist Friend Mu say a few words? Why is she hiding and crying in the back? Her injury doesn't seem that serious, yet she's acting tough and resilient."
Of course, besides the spectators, there are other sects secretly stirring the pot for their own benefit.
"Xiao Sui is really going too far, taking advantage of others. Is this the grand demeanor of the influential Xiao family?"
- No wonder the Xiao family has been losing its popularity lately, with a trend of being surpassed by the Lu family.
And what does Qiao Wan mean by "Mudstone Secret Realm"? What is a blood pact spirit beast? And who are those undercover disciples?
The answer is hidden in that Souvenir Image from before.
The group of disciples from Kunshan were doubtful, but what did that preserved Souvenir Image in Precept Hall actually record?
*
- Is this the grandeur of the prestigious Xiao family?
"Nonsense."
Setting aside the jade slip in his hand, the young man with black hair and golden earrings lazily leaned back on the couch and suddenly uttered a curse slowly.
Xiao Sanlang felt a thump in his heart, "Young Master?"
Xiao Boyang also frowned, "Elder Brother."
"What is a prestigious family?" Xiao Huan didn't show much anger on his face, his smile remained, he calmly curled his lips and said, "Nonsense."
"What's wrong?" When he looked up and saw Xiao Boyang and Xiao Sanlang dumbfounded, Xiao Huan smiled, "Don't you believe that I can also use such foul language?"
"More than just not believing, isn't the way this beautiful woman casually swears completely wrong?"
"This so-called noble upbringing and demeanor, Xiao Huan asked Xiao Boyang, "You are also from the Xiao family, do you think there is any truth to this, or is it all fake?"
"It's just a means to differentiate between the nobles and the commoners, to make the nobles appear superior and noble compared to ordinary people. To subdue and control the commoners."
"But what is it that allows the nobles to thrive? Those so-called rules and manners? Behind closed doors, they engage in despicable acts that are far worse than ordinary people."
"These so-called noble offspring, they just know a little more, understand how to manipulate connections, how to benefit from others, how to step on others while lifting themselves up, like greedy wolves, hoarding the resources and dignity of the noble families, not giving anything to those below."
"There has never been such a thing as noble upbringing in this world. What do they mean by a noble demeanor? They are just animals who put on human clothes and are greedy and insatiable." Xiao Huan chuckled, supporting his head. "Unfortunately, my foolish little brother has directly exposed their true intentions."
"With the upcoming gathering of fellow cultivators, the Land Family, the Cen family, and who knows how many other sects hiding in the shadows, they want to seize the opportunity to bring down our Xiao family. Little Sui, on the other hand, thoughtlessly handed over evidence to them."
Xiao Huan sneered mysteriously. "So, Qiao Wan, huh? Seems like she's smarter than his inexperienced little wife."
[Buping College]
Qiao Wan looked serious. "This is a battle of public opinion."
Hmm, a battle of opinions on Weibo.
Targeted at Xiao Sui.
She can't deal with him directly right now, so she'll use the Xiao family's help and others' hands to give him a hidden blow. And also, during that Souvenir Image incident at Precept Hall, the people in Kunshan must be very curious at this time.
Li Pan remained silent.
He was somewhat curious about what Qiao Wan could bring him in terms of novelty.
That matter is not to be discussed now, as Li Pan looked at the girl in front of him, saying, "I thought you wouldn't say this."
Qiao Wan tightly pursed her lips.
She really didn't want to take advantage of the sacrifice made by those few brothers from the dark faction.
"What has changed your mind? Is it that female cultivator surnamed Du?"
Qiao Wan shook her head. "It's not just because of her."
Just as Li Pan said, Kunshan was her inner demon, perhaps not apparent now, but it would become a great trouble on her cultivation journey in the future.
What she has always wanted is affirmation from others.
Not only from Zhou Yan.
But also...
Elder Martial Brother.
Before putting on the disguise of Lu Cixian, she had made up her mind to return to the world of cultivation with the identity of "Qiao Wan" in a dignified manner. Leaving things as they were would not bring about any change, and not many people would help a stranger without reason. Therefore, she wanted to clarify, face, and fight openly and honestly for her own interests. This was her own battle.
