The Clan Elder's Furious Rebuke

Gu Yuena's purple eyes gleamed. She gently raised a hand and lightly clenched it in the air. An immense spiritual power instantly swept outward, and the five Soul Masters pursuing Lin Xiuran collapsed to the ground at once.

After dealing with them, Gu Yuena tenderly looked at Lin Xiuran, who lay on the ground nearby. Her jade-like hand gently stroked his cheek as she murmured, "It's so good to see you again."

After studying him for a long while, she looked at Ouyang Zixin beside him and waved a stream of energy into her. Then, she transformed into that purple light once more and merged into Lin Xiuran's body.

At that moment, sunlight that had been blocked by the dense leaves happened to pierce through layer upon layer of foliage and shine upon Lin Xiuran.

Before long, another figure entered the forest. Dressed in white with blue hair, he carried an exceptionally cold and aloof air, his face frozen in its usual expression.

He looked at the people lying on the ground, his brows knitting slightly. Only when he saw Lin Xiuran, who had also fallen unconscious, did he find him somewhat familiar and quickly step forward.

"This is... Lin Xiuran!"

Xu Family,

Xu Junwen paced back and forth in the study, his expression extremely grave.

Xu Xiaoyu, still dressed in his birthday formalwear, stood respectfully nearby. However, his expression was no better, and he kept glancing at the clock on the wall.

Even now, there had been no word from the people assigned to kill Lin Xiuran. None of them had even answered the Soul Guidance Communications he had made.

Xu Junwen could not help but grow worried, afraid that something unexpected had happened.

"Father, still no news?" Xu Xiaoyu finally could not hold back any longer and asked.

Xu Junwen's expression darkened slightly as he reassured him in a low voice, "Don't worry. He only has a dozen or so levels of Soul Power. What could he possibly do?"

Though he said so, he lacked confidence as well. Too much time had passed. If they had succeeded, it should have been done long ago. Even if they had not, they should have sent word by now. Yet there was still nothing.

"Xu Junwen, get out here this instant!"

An angry shout rang out like thunder throughout the villa, startling both Xu Junwen and Xu Xiaoyu.

Xu Junwen's expression turned ugly, but he hurried out of the room nonetheless.

In the living room, Xu Mother was trying to console the Clan Elder, but it was completely useless. The Clan Elder's towering rage was still plain to see.

Xu Junwen had already realized what this was about, but he still stubbornly asked, "Clan Elder, who has made you so angry?"

"Who made me angry?" The Clan Elder snorted coldly. "Did you really think this old man knew nothing of what you did?"

A cold sweat broke out on Xu Junwen's back. He knew the Clan Elder would eventually learn of it, but he had not expected it to happen so quickly.

Although he was the head of the Xu Family, the Clan Elder was the one who truly held power over the entire Xu Family. It was only because the Clan Elder had rarely concerned himself with family affairs in recent years that Xu Junwen had dared to mobilize the Xu Family guards.

But if the old man wished to investigate, he could easily find out exactly what those guards had gone to do. The entire Xu Family's chain of command was still firmly in his grasp.

It was no exaggeration to say that as long as the Clan Elder lived, the Xu Family would never truly be under Xu Junwen's control.

"What did I tell you? Have you forgotten?" The Clan Elder gripped his cane tightly and roared in rebuke.

Xu Junwen took several deep breaths, then lifted his head. He had respected the Clan Elder for all these years, but on this matter, he did not believe he was wrong.

"Clan Elder, you need to distinguish who carries the true bloodline of the Xu Family. Why do you favor an outsider so greatly?"

A cold glint flashed through the Clan Elder's eyes. "You still dare mention bloodline to this old man. He indeed does not carry the Xu Family's bloodline, but this old man would rather the Xu Family bloodline flowed through him than through you."

Xu Junwen's face stiffened, looking utterly unpleasant. He clenched his fists, his expression twisting somewhat. "Clan Elder, it has been nearly ten years! That woman's forbidden curse has tormented me for all these years. How can I let her son live so peacefully?"

The Clan Elder's face turned livid as he shouted sternly, "He was only a child back then! His mother was the one who placed the forbidden curse on you. What did it have to do with him? Besides, he knows nothing about it at all."

Xu Junwen fell silent. He knew he was in the wrong. After all, he had once promised the Clan Elder that he would not touch Lin Xiuran. His earlier rage had merely been an outlet for the pain of being tormented by the forbidden curse all these years.

"Back then, if you had not tried to forcibly take her away for the sake of a promotion, you would not have repaid kindness with ingratitude!"

Xu Junwen fell silent, unable to refute him. The Clan Elder was right. Back then, he truly had been blinded by profit.

The Clan Elder let out a soft sigh. Things had already come to this, and his anger could no longer change anything. He merely looked at Xu Junwen and said, "Enough. In this generation of the Xu Family, you are the only one capable of shouldering its great responsibility. This old man can only teach you one last lesson. Do not act on impulse like this again. What the Xu Family needs is to keep its feet on the ground and move forward steadily."

Xu Junwen stood frozen in place, his eyes blank as though he had recalled the past.

The Clan Elder glanced at him, then headed toward the door, though his figure looked somewhat thin and lonely.

But after only a few steps, the Clan Elder's face darkened. He spat out a mouthful of blood and barely managed to brace himself against the sofa beside him.

"Clan Elder!"

Xu Junwen's expression changed in alarm, and he hurried forward.

He and the Clan Elder had disagreed over this matter, but the Clan Elder had watched him grow up. Their bond needed no explanation. More importantly, the Xu Family held its current position in Eastsea City because of the Clan Elder's existence.

Eastsea Central Hospital,

Sunlight streamed through the window, warm as it fell upon the young man's pale face.

After a long while, Lin Xiuran slowly opened his eyes. The sunlight was somewhat dazzling, and he could not adjust to it immediately.

"You're awake?"

The voice was cold, yet somewhat familiar.

Once Lin Xiuran's gaze focused, he finally saw the white robes, blue hair, and that classic, eternally indifferent face. It was unmistakably Wu Zhangkong.

"Teacher Wu, why are you here?" Lin Xiuran's voice was weak, having just suffered severe injuries.

Wu Zhangkong's expression did not change as he said flatly, "I happened to pass by and saved you while I was at it."

Lin Xiuran had truly believed he would die, but he had not expected to be saved. He could only say that his luck was good.

"Teacher Wu, did you take care of those people?"

Wu Zhangkong raised a brow slightly. "By the time I found them, they were already lying there. They had all become witless fools, clearly struck by an immense spiritual power."

Wu Zhangkong himself could hardly imagine just how powerful someone had to be to reduce people to mindless fools using spiritual power alone.

At the very least, his current cultivation as a level-sixty-nine Soul Emperor was absolutely incapable of such a feat.

Now it was Lin Xiuran's turn to be stunned. If Wu Zhangkong had not dealt with them, then who had? And after taking care of them, that person had simply left?

Ouyang Zixin was also Gu Yuena from her previous life, which was why Gu Yuena had saved her.

The purpose of writing this character was actually to mirror Gu Yuena from her previous life. Although I did not write the plot from that life, everyone can roughly guess it from her.