The Whip
"."
As soon as he finished speaking, the passageway went completely dark.
Xu Xinyao stared blankly at her familiar yet unfamiliar Third Brother, her eyes filled with a hint of grievance and confusion, a bittersweet feeling spreading through her heart.
She recalled the image of him calling her a bastard child raised in the wild, his eyes filled with disgust, and her fists clenched slightly.
She was sad then, but not as suffocating as she feels now, like a razor piercing her heart.
She couldn't understand why he thought she would betray her taciturn but respected father.
Her pale lips moved slightly. Xu Xinyao instinctively wanted to deny it, but looking at Xu Yuan's calm gaze, she remained silent for a moment before saying in a trembling voice:
"If Xin Yao really did these things, Third Brother, please kill me directly."
Upon hearing this Xu Yuan narrowed his eyes and gently rubbed his thumb and forefinger.
After a long pause, he nodded and uttered:
"Good."
Xu Xinyao pursed her lips and smiled gently at him, glancing at the thumb-thick branch that Xu Yuan had placed on the ground beside him:
"Third Brother, are you going to smoke Xin Yao?"
"Yes, that was the initial thought."
Xu Yuan noticed her gaze, casually picked up a branch from the ground, and waved it around. The branch whistled in the air. He glanced at her sideways.
"But after talking to you, I feel it's unnecessary. Even if I beat you up, you won't listen to me. Everyone in my family is like this; they'll never change."
Upon hearing this, Xu Xinyao subconsciously recalled the image of her Third Brother being hung from the rafters and whipped by her eldest brother in the Imperial Capital. A glint of light flashed in her beautiful eyes, and she couldn't help but chuckle.
But the light in his eyes dimmed quickly the next moment.
Her Third Brother's distrust of her and the tragic scene in Shengshan County felt like sharp blades constantly churning in her heart.
Looking at her like this, Xu Yuan gently stroked the branch in his hand as if caressing a precious sword:
"The formations you've learned have a greater impact on the world than your cultivation level. It's a sword; if used well, it can save the country and its people; if used poorly, it can cause harm for millennia."
"This time you handed this sword directly to someone of questionable character. I hope you'll learn your lesson. Next time, it might not be as simple as just two hundred thousand people."
"."
After a moment of silence, Xu Xinyao looked up at Xu Yuan and said in a low voice:
"Third Brother, you should still fight."
Xu Yuan was speechless upon hearing this, looking at her as she spoke each word slowly and deliberately:
"Do you feel better now that I hit you?"
Xu Xinyao remained silent.
Xu Yuan paused for a moment, made a decision, and stood up, carrying the tree branch:
"Kneel down."
Xu Xinyao bit her lip lightly, stood up, and knelt down in the direction of Shengshan County.
In silence,
Xu Yuan stood to the side, looking at her straight, jade-like back, and suddenly swung his hand.
"Smack!"
The sound of branches slicing through the air was followed by a loud crack of a whip.
He didn't slap her back, but Xu Xinyao's delicate hand resting on her lap.
After the lash, a bright red wound instantly appeared on the back of her hand, with blood seeping out.
Xu Yuan used his Source Qi, and the tree branch was enveloped in a faint bloody light.
It's less about whipping and more about using his Source Qi to whip him.
The excruciating pain of the whipping assaulted her heart, Xu Xinyao's delicate body trembled slightly, but she gritted her teeth and remained silent, kneeling upright.
"Smack!"
Immediately following was a second sound, and a second bloodstain appeared below the first one, the two bloodstains standing out starkly against that snow-white skin.
Finished, that's all.
Xu Yuan looked down at his sworn sister and said in a deep voice:
"I believe you did some research before reaching an agreement with the Wanxiang Sect, investigating their Wanxiang Sect's attitude and whether they were trustworthy. But the result is that you misjudged them. This is a lesson, because your 'friends' might become the second ' Wanxiang Sect.' You can know a person's face but not their heart."
"Your travels are your father's wish, and I won't interfere. But I hope that in the future you will look at these two scars on the back of your hands more often before doing anything. If you don't want to look at them, you can use ointment to remove them."
Xu Xinyao looked at the wound on the back of her hand, raised her hand to gently stroke it, and murmured:
"Yes, Xin Yao has remembered."
"."
Xu Yuan took a deep breath, turned around, and glanced sideways:
"You have some time to yourself. Ran Qingmo and I will be waiting for you at the cave entrance."
Before leaving, Xu Yuan vaguely saw a glimmer of tears in her downcast eyes.
As the soft footsteps faded into the distance, the passageway fell silent. Kneeling in a daze for a long time, the girl finally sat down on the ground, hugged her knees, and began to sob softly.
As I walked along the passageway leading out, the voice of the Saint's Remnant Soul suddenly rang out:
"Young Xu, your adopted sister is crying."
Xu Yuan remained calm, his steps unwavering.
"I know, she's always been like this, she'll just hide away and cry by herself, that's why I left early to give her some time to cry."
The Saint's Remnant Soul remained silent for a moment upon hearing this, then gently shook his head:
"Judging from you and that kid named Xu Changge, I thought your whole family was the same kind of people. I never expected that there would be someone like this girl."
Xu Yuan thought for a moment and replied in a low voice:
"That's her personality, but it's mostly because she's been too well protected by her father and Xu Changge. She should change a bit after this."
The Saint's Remnant Soul chuckled softly twice:
"To be honest, judging from your performance at the Qionghua Sect, I always thought you were a possessed person. But now it seems I was wrong. If you were a possessed person, you wouldn't be so familiar with this girl."
At this point, the Saint's Remnant Soul changed the subject:
"But why do I get the feeling that you're so sure your sister will betray you?"
"Absolutely certain?"
Xu Yuan tossed the branch aside and casually replied, "I was quite certain before, but I'm not so sure now. But there are some things I should remind her of first."
The Saint's Remnant Soul was somewhat curious:
"Why are you so certain? Is it because of your personality?"
"More or less," Xu Yuan sighed, his answer ambiguous.
After a brief silence, Xu Yuan asked in a low voice to himself:
"Old Man Luo, do you think my sworn sister's method has any chance of success?"
The Saint's Remnant Soul pondered for a moment, then, instead of answering directly, chuckled softly:
"Heh, actually your adopted sister's actions have many merits, but only as a side move in your father's plan, not the whole plan."
Xu Yuan's eyes seemed thoughtful. "Tell me about it."
The Saint's Remnant Soul shook his head. "It's too late."
Xu Yuan said, "It's alright, just tell me about it."
The Saint's Remnant Soul pondered for a moment, then smiled and said:
"There is never a shortage of kind-hearted people in this world, nor is there a shortage of capable people. If your sworn sister were to spend more than ten years traveling all over the world, there would be no shortage of people who would flock to her side. Even if only one or two out of ten people remain useful, if they continue to develop in private, it would still be a huge force."
"Once they grow up in their respective sects, although they may not be able to wield absolute power, the internal strife they cause will be enough to cause trouble for their sects."
"Of course, it's just a small drink, and it's too late now. Your father will probably make his move within the next few years."
"."
Xu Yuan listened carefully, glanced back at the dark tunnel, and sighed.
"Yes, it's such a simple principle. Hopefully, she'll understand after hitting a few more walls."
Single update today.
After reading the comments, I need to sort out my thoughts (don't worry, I won't be affected).
Thank you to Sunset Glow, the patron of the alliance. I'm sorry, brother, I missed an update right after donating. I just finished being busy recently, but I'll make up for it later.
I currently owe six chapters. I'll be taking a break and updating three chapters in total. The three alliance leaders will each update three chapters (two chapters combined).