Chapter 222: A Calculated Scheme (1)
Even after shutting the Souvenir Jade Ball, Qiao Wan was still in a trance-like state.
Support...having someone to support her?
Even though she understood the meaning of this support, it meant that she could do it with peace of mind, and not do whatever she pleased. If she did whatever she pleased, the senior would definitely be the first to punish her. But Qiao Wan stared at the letter on the table for a long time, feeling a bit lost in thought.
In Buddhism, they believe in finding someone with understanding and affinity. Letting the senior Li Pan come and give her some guidance. It turns out she doesn't have the talent for it.
But maybe the senior didn't actually mean that at all. It's just that she and senior Li Pan imagined it too much. If it really didn't mean that, just thinking about it would be embarrassing to the point of suffocation.
With a complex expression, Qiao Wan put away the letter and looked up at the crystal blue sky outside the cave.
All in all, she wiped away the blood from her face and continued to work hard.
She stayed in the cave for three days, trying to search for the faint, gentle voice she heard before in her sea of consciousness, but she still gained nothing.
But during these three days, she heard a lot of news. For example, she heard that the gathering of fellow cultivators is about to start. Xiao Boyang told her that the head of the Xiao family is rushing here. Based on the distance, he might arrive in Kunshan in about ten days.
On the fourth day, Xiao Huan suddenly asked her to meet him. Qiao Wan guessed that it might be related to Xiao Sui, so she didn't refuse. She dressed up and, with her sword by her side, followed Xiao Sanlang's guidance to the guest room where Xiao Huan temporarily stayed.
As soon as she entered the room, she saw a young man sitting at the table, brewing tea. Upon hearing the noise at the door, he looked up and smiled with his starry eyes.
"Taoist Friend Qiao, you're here," he said.
Qiao Wan bowed with her sword. "Xiao taoist friend."
Xiao Huan smiled and said, "Please come in, young lady. Shall we have a chat?"
Xiao Huan invited her to talk about Xiao Sui and Mu Xiaoxiao's matter.
"It was Little Sui who did something wrong," Xiao Huan's face showed a deep sense of apology. "And as his elder brother, I didn't discipline him properly. I hope Taoist Friend Qiao can forgive Little Sui this time."
Xiaoxiao is my future wife, so her matters are also my matters, and her mistakes are my mistakes.
Qiao Wan calmly asked, "Did Taoist Friend Xiao call me here to take responsibility for Taoist Friend Mu and Taoist Friend Xiao Sui?"
Xiao Huan's guilt deepened on his face. He held the tea cup and sighed after a while, "I'm sorry, Taoist Friend Qiao. I spoiled Little Sui too much."
"Would Taoist Friend Qiao be willing to listen to a few words from me?"
"Please go ahead."
"Little Sui and I are not siblings from the same mother." Xiao Huan smiled a little. "After my mother passed away, my father brought Little Sui's mother into our home. When we were young, our relationship was not very harmonious. But as time went on, we gradually grew closer, even more intimate than brothers born from the same mother."
But because of what happened in the previous generation, Little Sui has always felt guilty towards me. He always tries to make it up to me and make me happy. Seeing that you have a bad relationship with Xiaoxiao, he wants to stand up for his future sister-in-law and protect her.
In the end, this whole thing happened because of me." Xiao Huan said, putting down his teacup.
A young man with black hair and a golden ring on his ear solemnly bowed to her.
"I hope Taoist Friend Qiao can see Little Sui's sincerity and forgive him for his impulsive actions this time." Qiao Wan lowered her eyes and said, "Xiao Huan, can I still refuse when you have reasoned with me so sincerely?"
A bitter smile appeared on Xiao Huan's face. "Young lady, you should know that I didn't mean it that way."
"I believe that since Xiao Huan could speak so sincerely and reasonably, he must also be a reasonable person." Qiao Wan looked up and said, "I would like to consider what Xiao Huan said. Do you mind, Xiao Huan?"
Xiao Huan's pained smile deepened on his face, "How could this be?"
"Then...," Qiao Wan paused for a moment, and gave a date, "After ten days, let's meet at the Bafang Restaurant on Dingjiu Street. I promise to give Xiao taoist friend a satisfactory answer by then."
After bidding farewell to Xiao Huan, Qiao Wan walked out of the guest room with Xiao Sanlang by her side.
At the entrance of the cave, Qiao Wan stopped and looked at the white-clothed guard in front of her, "Please taoist friend, escort us here."
Xiao Sanlang, without suspecting anything, exchanged a few pleasantries and was about to leave when suddenly he paused. He seemed a bit absent-minded, as if only the pure and bright face of a young girl and her clear, deep eyes were reflected in front of him.
This moment of absent-mindedness lasted only a moment, as when Xiao Sanlang looked again, Qiao Wan had already entered the cave.
Was he having hallucinations because he hadn't been sleeping well lately?
Rubbing his head, Xiao Sanlang was slightly confused.
Wait... What just happened?
He took Qiao Wan to the cave... And then... And then...
Even the brief moment of confusion disappeared from Xiao Sanlang's memory, and he stood perplexed at the entrance of the cave for a while, suddenly realizing.
Then he had to go back and report to his young master!
After bidding farewell to Qiao Wan, when Xiao Sanlang returned, he saw Xiao Huan sitting at the table with a bitter smile on his lips, and he was somewhat surprised.
"What's that expression, young master?"
"I am pondering." Xiao Huan glanced at Xiao Sanlang and smiled, "This little girl is really unyielding, she must have some other plan in mind."
Xiao Sanlang hesitated for a moment and asked, "Did the young master find what he was looking for?"
As Xiao Huan's personal guard, this time Xiao Huan went to Kunshan not only for the gathering of fellow cultivators and Mu Xiaoxiao, but also for something that everyone in the cultivation world desired.
A manual on sword techniques.
Hundreds of years ago, in a great battle, Zhou Yan, the Yuqing Spiritual Master, defeated four hundred and eighty demons in the demon realm with just one sword. He had a realization of the Evil Sword technique on the battlefield in the northern region, and then he wrote a book called the Evil Sword Book.
It is said that this technique can split mountains and control the vast sea.
Xiao Huan and Mu Xiaoxiao agreed to get married, partly because of this sword book.
However, what surprises people is that after Zhou Yan finished writing the Evil Sword Book, nobody has seen him use it again. The whereabouts of the book remains a mystery.
Just after bidding farewell to Xiao Huan, Qiao Wan entered her cave dwelling and suddenly froze.
There was a man sitting in her cave.
He had white hair flowing like a waterfall and a handsome face that illuminated her simple dwelling.
Qiao Wan stood still, not taking another step forward. She said, "Spiritual Master."
The man, or rather Zhou Yan, stood up silently. After a while, he finally uttered two words, "Wan'er."
Before sacrificing herself on Tingyun Mountain to protect Xiaoxiao, Qiao Wan, Zhou Yan felt guilty for not being able to repay his disciple. He owed Qiao Wan too much.
To his surprise, Qiao Wan just paused for a moment before calmly walking into the cave, going to the cabinet, and taking out a small jar of tea and tea set. "Why would the spiritual master come to my place?" she said.
Qiao Wan spoke calmly, "Please have a seat, spiritual master."
Zhou Yan looked at her deeply, his brow slightly furrowing.
As a master of swordsmanship at the peak, and someone who could be considered superior to most in Kunshan, Yuqing Spiritual Master felt a moment of hesitation.
When he looked at Qiao Wan again, she had already set up the tea set. The girl patiently brewed the tea, sitting upright with an air of Confucian calmness. Her every movement exuded a sense of elegance and grace, pleasing to the eye.
Confucianism emphasizes "rituals," and following the seniority of Li Pan in Buping College, Qiao Wan had also learned quite a bit about Confucian etiquette.
It seems that after his disciple came down the mountain, he encountered more things than he had imagined.
Zhou Yan knew that although Qiao Wan didn't say it, she had always respected and relied on him. But he didn't know when the atmosphere between them became awkward, even more so than strangers.
No, maybe even colder than strangers.
In this atmosphere, Zhou Yan closed his eyes slightly and tried to suppress his uneasiness.
"Wan'er," after a long silence, he stiffly uttered two words, "I'm sorry."
"Xiaoxiao is different from you," Zhou Yan opened his eyes and furrowed his brow, "I spoiled you as an elder martial sister. She has a spoiled temperament and can't handle the exposure of this matter..."
But what about her?
Qiao Wan thought calmly.
Can she handle it?
But all that is in the past, she thought expressionlessly.
The supporting character is just a supporting character. Even if she changed her own destiny, this world still revolves around the main character. Life is really frustrating. If she wants to live well, she has to wipe the blood off her face and continue to work hard.
After a few sentences, Zhou Yan finally asked the most important question.
"Wan'er, would you be willing to forgive your elder martial sister for her momentary confusion?"
Qiao Wan gently pushed the tea cup in front of Zhou Yan and lowered her eyes. "Okay."
"I know Taoist Friend Mu didn't mean any harm, and he has already been taught a lesson. I don't want to hold on to it anymore."
Zhou Yan suddenly froze, and in an instant, his expression seemed even more guilty.
After hesitating for a while, he finally reached out his hand and gently touched his disciple's head in front of him.
Looking at the confident and composed demeanor of this disciple, Zhou Yan suddenly realized that he had really let Qiao Wan down.
Seeing how she was now so forgiving, he felt a bit uneasy.
In the evening, the Souvenir Jade Ball made a sound again and two familiar figures appeared on its surface. Jun Caiwei and Gan Nan .
This was their usual time for a chat after she woke up.
Jun Caiwei raised his eyebrows when he saw the serious-looking girl on the Souvenir Jade Ball. "Brother Niu, I heard that Xiao the taoist friend and your master came looking for you today?"
Qiao Wan calmly replied, "Yes."
That expression...
Jun Caiwei keenly noticed the faint glow in the girl's dark eyes and accurately pointed out, "Brother Niu, with that expression on your face, I can't help but feel like you're plotting something."
Qiao Wan spoke earnestly, "I am a person of integrity. Do I seem like someone who would be plotting something?"
Gan Nan said seriously, "That's right! Little sister is such a kind person. She wouldn't plot against anyone!"
Jun Caiwei smiled and said, "I thought you would need some time to recover before you could bounce back."
Qiao Wan's expression seemed even more sincere. "That's because I have understood something and thought of a widely known saying."
Jun Caiwei : ?
Qiao Wan said earnestly, "Life is really tough. It's like being violently attacked, and if that's what it wants to do to me..."
Jun Caiwei : ?
Qiao Wan continued, "Then I'll have to resist and fight back."
Jun Caiwei paused for a moment, looking at the serious expression on his "niece's" face on the Souvenir Jade Ball, and burst out laughing.
