Chapter 228: The True Intention
It didn't take long for Qiao Wan to receive Xiao Sui's invitation. He asked her to meet him tonight on Dingjiu Street to thank her and let her see the true face of Mu Xiaoxiao .
The gratitude is fake, using this as an opportunity to retaliate and falsely blame Mu Xiaoxiao is the truth.
Qiao Wan figured out immediately what Xiao Sui wanted to do; she hardly needed to think about it.
It's quite strange and miraculous that the Xiao family, who is currently the top cultivation family, could raise someone as foolish as Xiao Sui .
Without hurrying to reply to the message on the jade slip, Qiao Wan first went to the espionage department and calmly responded after returning.
Little Qiao wants to become stronger, so she needs to work hard. Thank you, taoist friend, for your kind offer, but I have too many things to do today. Can we change the time to tomorrow at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, on Míng Hè Lane in Dingjiu Street?
On the other hand, Xiao Sui raised his eyebrows and asked, "She wants to set a time and place?"
Although a bit silly, Xiao Sui isn't dumb. He immediately sensed that something was off. But it didn't matter, even if Qiao Wan dares to bring someone with her, Xiao Sui could easily handle the situation. He would just go with the flow and see what happens.
The most important thing now is for Xiao Sui to reclaim all the places he lost from Qiao Wan and Mu Xiaoxiao.
Big brother is the coolest: Okay, let's meet as planned.
As Qiao Wan looked at the words "big brother is the c
On that night, there was a bright moon in the sky. Dingjiu Street was quiet. Xiao Sui set up a table and placed two bottles of wine on it, waiting for Qiao Wan to arrive. Before long, a pink figure appeared at the end of the street.
Qiao Wan stepped forward from the darkness and greeted, "Taoist Friend Xiao."
Xiao Sui looked at Qiao Wan and smiled, thinking that he had never shown such a good temper before. "Taoist Friend Qiao, please have a seat."
He raised his hand and signaled the guards beside him to pour the wine.
"Last time, there was a misunderstanding. This time, I have invited Taoist Friend Qiao here to personally apologize."
"If you hadn't invited me to the pavilion a few days ago, I might still be in the dark about Mu Xiaoxiao's true nature."
After saying that, Xiao Sui poured two glasses of wine. He pushed one glass towards Qiao Wan and discreetly observed her reaction.
As long as there was even a slight hint of anything amiss in Qiao Wan's expression, he would be sure that she had deliberately caused the incident that night.
And the girl's face indeed showed a slight change in expression.
Indeed.
Xiao Sui's face darkened, but he quickly composed himself and calmly watched as the girl drank the cup of wine in front of her.
Just after drinking, the girl sensed that something was wrong.
"There's something in this wine." Qiao Wan looked up and stared at Xiao Sui.
Xiao Sui remained unfazed.
There was indeed something in there, a medicine he had bought at a high price. It was colorless and tasteless, capable of affecting even a cultivator at the Yuan Ying stage, let alone someone at her Golden Core stage.
Qiao Wan spoke solemnly, lowering her gaze, "Did Xiao, the taoist friend, really invite me here today just to express gratitude?"
"Naturally, it is for expressing gratitude," Xiao Sui chuckled. "If it wasn't for that, Taoist Friend Qiao, what you drank wouldn't be as simple as this Mysterious Frost Powder."
"Have you heard of the Mysterious Frost Powder? It was specifically made to deal with cultivators at the Yuan Ying stage. After drinking this medicine, your limbs will become weak, unable to use spiritual energy. After one or two hours, you won't even remember what happened during that time."
"It is a necessary item for killing and trading in the cultivation world."
"But, that's not the best part. The best part is..." Xiao Sui pointed to the two cups in front of them and lazily smiled, "In front of me are two cups of wine, one is 'Spring in the Jade Tower' and the other is 'Snow in the Cold River'. When mixed with the 'Mysterious Frost Powder', the poison's effectiveness is greatly reduced, resulting in a few days of sleepiness. However, if mixed with 'Spring in the Jade Tower', the toxicity of the 'Mysterious Frost Powder' doubles."
"There is a hidden compartment under this wine pot, containing 'Snow in the Cold River' and 'Spring in the Jade Tower'."
Therefore, just now he purposely tested Qiao Wan. If Qiao Wan really didn't know, he would give her a cup of 'Snow in the Cold River' and everyone would go to sleep after drinking it.
But if Qiao Wan was truly using him, then he would give her a cup of 'Spring in the Jade Tower' and later frame Mu Xiaoxiao. Neither Qiao Wan nor Mu Xiaoxiao would have a good outcome.
Now it seems that his guess was correct.
But to Xiao Sui's surprise, despite being poisoned, Qiao Wan showed no signs of panic or fear on her face.
"Just as our taoist friend said," Qiao Wan calmly said, "this is all a misunderstanding."
"A misunderstanding?" These two words angered Xiao Sui, and he burst into a cold laugh. "How can this be a misunderstanding?
In front of him, Qiao Wan remained calm and composed, her eyes clear and steady. Then she said something that almost made Xiao Sui drop his cup.
She said, "Young master, please understand, I actually had a separate deal with Xiao Huan."
Xiao Sui's hand trembled, eyes widening in disbelief. The wine in his cup spilled over, and he immediately stood up in anger. "Alright, Qiao Wan! After all this, you still deceive me?!"
But Qiao Wan's expression remained calm and sincere.
For some reason, maybe because she had never shown any signs of panic from the beginning, Xiao Sui suddenly felt a bit uneasy.
"He felt both flustered and a little amused."
"What do you take me for? Can't you at least have a plan when you lie?"
It happened.
It was almost exactly as she had guessed.
Qiao Wan shook her head sincerely and said, "I know that you won't believe me when I tell you this, but please listen to my explanation, young master."
Xiao Sui looked at her deeply.
He didn't believe that Qiao Wan had any strength left to resist after being poisoned by the Xuan Frost Powder. He thought that she was just trying to buy time or waiting for someone to help her. But there was a voice inside him that said, "Listen to what Qiao Wan has to say."
"Go ahead."
"Initially, I was being hunted by the nobles because I killed Xiao Zongyuan. And the one leading that hunt was young master Xiao Huan. It was because of this grudge that I got to know young master Xiao Huan."
"Later on, young master Xiao Huan promised to spare my life on the condition that I do something for him."
Xiao Sui had a mocking expression on his face: "Xiao Zongyuan is doing things for his elder brother, if you kill him, how can my elder brother let you off easily?"
Qiao Wan remained calm and unperturbed: "Does the taoist friend really think I can escape from the pursuit of the Xiao family?"
Xiao Sui was taken aback by this response. If he says yes, it means admitting that the Xiao family is useless, unable to even catch a girl with no cultivation. If he says no, then it cannot explain why Qiao Wan is standing here unharmed which would mean admitting that there is some kind of deal between Xiao Huan and Qiao Wan.
Xiao Sui's face darkened slightly: "Continue."
"Leaving aside everything else, Xiao Huan actually knew early on that Miss Mu was involved with someone else, do you agree, taoist friend Xiao?"
Xiao Sui remained silent.
This was indeed something that he had suspected all along, but since Xiao Huan didn't mention it, he pretended it was a misunderstanding.
"This is the first point of suspicion."
"Did you not notice anything strange after you arrived in Kunshan, taoist friend?" Qiao Wan calmly pointed out, "The sudden and peculiar conflicts between you and me. Your targeting of me during this time, and these series of actions, are likely guided by young master Xiao Huan. But young master Xiao Huan is clever. If he truly intended to harm me, wouldn't he have taken action himself? That is the second point of suspicion."
Xiao Sui's face grew even paler. He had been arguing with Qiao Wan for so long and yet hadn't gotten any answers. He was a bit confused himself, but he still stubbornly held his ground.
"Big brother is just trying to test me. You wouldn't understand."
Qiao Wan's expression remained emotionless. "Oh, testing, huh? How does testing relate to arguing with a woman?"
The young, handsome face instantly turned white.
Indeed, no one learns how to argue on jade scrolls as a form of testing. His reputation was already not good to begin with, now it has plummeted even further.
This has always been her biggest concern, Qiao Wan silently pondered.
The relationship between the Xiao brothers is definitely not as good as outsiders think.
"Little Sui and I are not from the same mother," Xiao Huan chuckled, "After my mother passed away, my father brought in Little Sui's mother. When I was young, I didn't get along well with Little Sui, but as time went on, our relationship gradually became closer. It's even more intimate than those who have the same mother."
According to what Xiao Huan said and the rumors, Xiao Huan didn't mind Xiao Sui's hostility, and over the years, he finally influenced Xiao Sui .
But she felt that it wasn't that simple.
"Master Xiao Huan, haven't you noticed? From beginning to end, your eldest brother has been hiding behind the scenes," Qiao Wan calmly said, "He's like a puppeteer, observing the fight between you and me, between you and Kunshan. If he truly cared about you, he wouldn't push you into someone else's crosshairs."
"Kunshan is a very important ally of Xiao Family, and you are also one of the successors to the position of the head of the Xiao Family. You will be competing with your older brother in the future." Qiao Wan looked up with bright eyes and said, "You had an argument with Kunshan. You said the Xiao Family will choose you, but Xiao Huan, the young master, might be selected."
As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Sui became furious and angrily kicked over the table in front of him. "You're talking nonsense!!"
"Do you think that with just a few words, you can break the bond between me and my older brother?"
"And what makes you think you should help my older brother?"
Qiao Wan remained unmoved and said, "Why do you think I came back to Kunshan? I'm helping your older brother. First, it will solve the threat against me, and second, if we succeed, it will be revenge against Zhou Yan and Mu Xiaoxiao. Isn't that enough reason for me to be convinced?"
After saying this, Xiao Sui sneered and said, "You said all of this, but where's the evidence? Where's the proof? Without evidence, I won't listen to your empty words—"
The next second, the word "yellow" was forcefully swallowed back into his throat.
Qiao Wan opened her palm and there lay a cold jade pendant with the word "Huan" written on it.
Xiao Sui widened his eyes and snatched the jade pendant from Qiao Wan's hand. He turned it over and over, realizing that it was indeed the token of his eldest brother.
Xiao Sui's heart immediately felt a bit anxious, but in the next second, he tightened his grip on the jade pendant and sneered, "What does this token mean? Who knows if you stole it from somewhere? Dare you let my eldest brother come out and confront me face to face?"
Xiao Sui was prepared for Qiao Wan's face to change, but he didn't expect her to remain calm and composed.
"I dare."
"Young master, believe it or not, if you try to kill me, Xiao Huan will definitely come to save me."
*
At the same time, in a restaurant on Dingjiu Streetsat half-slouched by the window. He had an elegant demeanor, a smile on his lips, and he casually observed the lights and night scene on the long street.
Xiao Sanlang hurriedly entered the establishment and caught a glimpse of Xiao Huan. His face slightly darkened.
"Young master."
Xiao Huan turned calmly and asked, "Has Qiao Wan arrived?"
Xiao Sanlang took a step forward and hesitated, "I heard that Little Sui intercepted her halfway, so she sent a note instead."
A note?
Xiao Huan raised an eyebrow, took the note and unfolded it, his expression changing suddenly.
There was only one sentence written on it.
"The Evil Sword Book is in my hands."
*
Inside Minghe Lane.
"Don't you understand?" Qiao Wan looked at Xiao Sui's pale face and said calmly, "Whether it's the tough upbringing that you and I went through, or your older brother constantly putting us at odds on purpose."
"Your brother deliberately kept you weak."
