Chapter 219: Guilt and Love
What was Mu Xiaoxiao's illusion?
The girl's eyes seemed to be in a daze as she saw a woman sitting at a table, wearing a decent coarse dress with patched cuffs. She had a warm smile on her face as she watched a little boy still eating his meal.
"Come, Da Bao, eat more."
A bowl of glutinous rice was filled to the brim, topped with thick scraps of meat.
The man known as "father" was also smiling, saying, "When spring comes, we'll pull some strings and send him to Mr. Zhang to study. He won't need to take exams, just learn a few words, and then he can find a job in the town."
The little boy sitting between the two of them had a greasy face from eating and a smile that reached his eyes.
They looked like a happy family, enjoying each other's company.
Suddenly.s gaze caught sight of her standing aside, and her expression immediately changed. She impatiently scolded, "Why are you so stupidly standing here? Did you wash the clothes yet?!"
She... she also wanted to eat the meat scraps in her little brother's bowl.
Mu Xiaoxiao nervously swallowed and clenched her fists.
The woman seemed even more impatient, muttering and complaining.
"You lazy and useless brat," she muttered.
As he was talking.who was originally laughing suddenly got angry. He angrily slammed the chopsticks on the table and his face turned red. He rushed over and slapped her in the face.
What happened next?
She couldn't remember what happened next.
She only remembered being outside in the cold wind, washing clothes with icy well water. She overheard her parents discussing marrying her off to a widowed man in a nearby village who was over thirty years old, in order to get money for her brother to marry.
Her brother had always been favored by their parents and greedily protected his belongings.
Only one bowl of rice, only one egg, even just a sip of soup...
That was her most unwilling and shameful memory, before she arrived in Kunshan and became the center of attention.
When Fairy Sumi arrived and used her spiritual power, it meant that all her lies would be exposed to everyone.
"No!" Mu Xiaoxiao immediately panicked, clutching the blanket that covered her and almost falling off the bed.
"Lord... Lord Leader..."
Ma Huaizhen's cold eyes swept over, "What? Is your head hurting again?"
The man's icy and sinister face showed a surprisingly kind expression, smiling as he said, "Since your head is hurting again, just lie back and rest. Fairy Sumi will be here soon. When she extracts your consciousness, it won't take long for justice to be served."
Zhou Yan asked, "Xiaoxiao?"
Upon hearing Zhou Yan's voice, Mu Xiaoxiao's heart skipped a beat.
"Master... Master..."
She turned around and saw Zhou Yan with his furrowed eyebrows and exceptionally handsome face, making her even more uneasy.
Qiao Wan glanced at the lifeless-looking Mu Xiaoxiao, her heart sinking as she tightly pursed her lips.
Outside the tent, many disciples from Kunshan were secretly observing the situation inside.
"What's happening?" someone curiously asked.
The disciple closest to the tent stepped back, his expression complex as he whispered, "Hall Master Ma said Fairy Sumi will be here soon."
Qiao Wan and Mu Xiaoxiao were both sticking to their own stories, one of them must be lying.
"Well then, we can only wait for Fairy Sumi to arrive."
"Hold on," a disciple from Kunshan raised his hand and motioned for everyone to gather around the tent. "There seems to be some movement inside."
From the small tent, the voice of Xiao Sui could be heard.
"If we withdraw our consciousness from the sea of knowledge, the other person's consciousness will surely be weakened. Sister Mu's consciousness was hurt before, and now she has to withdraw it again. Isn't that adding insult to injury?"
"Don't worry, young Master Xiao," Ma Huaizhen spoke with a hoarse and magnetic voice. "Kunshan has the best medical disciples ready. I understand that you're concerned about your future sister-in-law, but don't underestimate the medical expertise of our Kunshan."
Xiao Sui's face looked grim, but inside he was as clear as a mirror.
"It's absolutely forbidden for Fairy Sumi to extract Sister Mu's consciousness. If that happens, everything he has done today will be in vain. However, this man Ma Huaizhen is unyielding and unresponsive, sitting calmly in his wheelchair, which makes it difficult for him to know where to start.
"It won't be long before Sister Mu is married into our Xiao family," said Xiao Sui, with a cold voice when he realized his kind words were ineffective. "Will the Hall Master take responsibility for any mistakes that may have occurred?"
To his surprise.s expression remained unchanged, a slight smile playing at the corners of his mouth, as he calmly replied, "Of course I will take responsibility for any mistakes that may have occurred."
Just then, Zhou Yan, who had been silently observing the jade slip in his hand, remained silent for a moment before suddenly speaking up.
"Today has been troublesome for the Hall Master, but let this farce come to an end."
As soon as these words were uttered, both inside and outside the tent fell into utter silence. It was completely quiet.
Ma Huaizhen glanced at him from the corner of his eye.
"This is my fault for not disciplining them properly," Zhou Yan, unaffected by Ma Huaizhen's gaze, showed a hint of tiredness in his eyes, "We've caused enough trouble in front of our fellow practitioners. Let's put an end to this matter today. Later on, I will take them back to Yuqing Peak and teach them a lesson. Hall Master Ma, I would appreciate it if you could settle this matter for my two disciples."
Mu Xiaoxiao was shocked, her eyes widened, and she softly called out, "Master."
Qiao Wan stiffened and looked expressionless at Zhou Yan, who was sitting nearby.
Although the words didn't have anything to criticize, their standpoint was obvious.
Relying solely on swordsmanship, someone with a narrow perspective would never be able to sit in the position of Yuqing Spiritual Master. Now that things had come to this point, Zhou Yan could see all the twists and turns clearly.
Qiao Wan had not wanted to harm Mu Xiaoxiao before, and of course, she would not have done anything to Mu Xiaoxiao's mind this time either. But Xiao Sui however, seemed to have a sense of superiority in his words and actions, and even showed a sense of aggression.
Xiaoxiao was telling a lie. He knew it in his heart.
The child couldn't lie; as soon as the words came out, she couldn't help but burst into tears, her face turning red.
But after all, she was his disciple whom he had raised. He caught a glimpse of her dark hair and the slender neck, like a startled rabbit, with eyes full of affection.
When Fairy Sumi arrived, she would make the matter public, and Xiaoxiao would not be able to bear the criticism from everyone.
He wasn't just doing it for Mu Xiaoxiao, but also for Xiao Sui, who represented the Xiao family.
Thinking of this, Zhou Yan looked at Qiao Wan.
She remained calm and motionless, calmly looking at him.
So, was she going to be sacrificed?
The tent was small, and the distance between the two of them wasn't very far. But even though it was just a few steps, it felt like there was a difficult obstacle between them.
The situation was unclear, and from others' perspective, it seemed like Zhou Yan was concerned about his reputation. That's why he wanted to put an end to it here.
But how about her?
Qiao Wan felt a bitter taste in her mouth and her nose felt salty. A sense of inexplicable grievance filled her heart.
All this time, she had worked hard just to stand upright in front of everyone else.
She... she seemed to miss the senior. Qiao Wan thought quietly to herself.
Xiao Sui also struggled within himself.
To say that it would end here, he couldn't accept it. But if Fairy Sumi were to come over, things would become even more complicated. After much thought, Xiao Sui stood next to Zhou Yan and positioned himself protectively, keeping Mu Xiaoxiao within his range of protection. In a way, he agreed with Zhou Yan's point of view.
"Let's do this, let Mu Sister go back and rest first." Xiao Sui looked at Ma Huaizhen , "After Mu Sister's divine consciousness is no longer in danger, we can ask Fairy Sumi to extract her divine consciousness as evidence. What do you think, Sect Leader?"
Ma Huaizhen didn't say anything for a moment.
Qiao Wan looked up at Zhou Yan .
The Yuqing Spiritual Master from Kunshan stood with his sleeves hanging down. As their eyes met, his expression remained calm and noble. His wide robes shielded Mu Xiaoxiao behind him. In that instant, there was a hint of visible apology.
The girl clung tightly to Zhou Yan's robe, like a fledgling bird leaving the nest.
The importance of the two disciples, who was more important and who was less important, was almost immediately apparent.
Although he felt guilty towards her and wanted to make amends, it was only a sense of guilt and there wasn't much master-disciple bond involved.
In comparison, Mu Xiaoxiao was the cherished, valued, loved, and protected little disciple under his tutelage. She was the younger martial sister who had gone through thick and thin with Elder Martial Brother.
In response to Zhou Yan's compassion and guilt in his eyes, Qiao Wan silently held onto her sword.
"We just informed Fairy Sumi to return to the sect," Zhou Yan looked away and said in a serious tone, "We also instructed Bihan to come and take Xiaoxiao back to the mountain for rest."
...
"How is it inside? What is happening in there?"
The disciple outside the tent frowned and urged the disciple in front, "What did Yuqing Spiritual Master say? He claimed responsibility for this matter and admitted his lack of supervision. He hopes we can stop investigating further."
Stop investigating further?
Both Kunshan disciples and Chongde disciples were taken aback.
Could it be that Qiao Wan really did something in our elder martial sister's mind, otherwise why would Yuqing Spiritual Master Zhou Yan intervene?
After a while, a flash of sword light suddenly fell from the sky, accompanied by a frail young man.
The man had a pale and sickly complexion, with a thin and emaciated body. It seemed like he could pass away at any moment. However, his eyes were like icy flames, radiating a strong sense of determination and perseverance, making it hard to look away.
Just now, Qiao Wan arrived on a flying sword and felt the cold air. Lu Pihan, who's a man, coughed twice and lifted the curtain with his large pale hand.
As soon as he stepped into the tent, he immediately noticed the different expressions on everyone's faces.
His cold gaze swept over Qiao Wan without lingering, as he looked down and walked forward, weakly greeting them.
The man's gaze felt like burning fire on Qiao Wan's skin.
"Master."
"I'll take Xiaoxiao back."
Lu Pihan's gaze landed on Mu Xiaoxiao, who was standing behind Zhou Yan.
Under his piercing cold gaze, Mu Xiaoxiao suddenly felt a bit flustered and took a hesitant step forward, stammering, "Senior... senior brother..."
Looking at the girl's flushed eyes and the suppressed voice in her ears, Lu Pihan's eyes became deep and mysterious.
Zhou Yan said, "Wan'er, that's your elder martial sister."
The meaning behind his words was obvious.
But what about her?
Before she went up the mountain and regained her memories, she had also experienced harassment and had been forced to be sold as a concubine under the guise of being for her own good. But that doesn't excuse her actions.
Although she doesn't remember what her parents looked like in her previous life, she still remembers something her mother told her.
When you become an adult, you are responsible for your words and actions.
"Wait."
Just as Lu Pihan was about to leave the tent with Mu Xiaoxiao.
"Wait."
Qiao Wan spoke firmly.
Lu Pihan stopped in his tracks.
"Besides Fairy Sumi, I have another way to provide evidence."
Facing Ma Huaizhen's gaze, Qiao Wan said in a serious tone, "The mirage dragon, that mirage dragon can testify."
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