Xiao Yan nodded.
His voice was calm, yet every word rang like thunder.
"The Xiao Clan was indeed the most powerful of the Eight Ancient Clans."
"The Xiao Family's ancestor was a true Dou Emperor."
"The Xiao Family's Dou Di Bloodline once stood above all the other Eight Clans."
Xiao Xun'er was completely stunned.
She had never imagined that the small Xiao Family tucked away in a corner of Wutan City had such an astonishing history.
"Then... what happened after that?"
She asked instinctively.
Xiao Yan's gaze turned distant, as if he were looking back on events from a thousand years ago.
"After that..."
"The Xiao Clan produced an unparalleled genius named Xiao Xuan."
"He was the most talented clan leader in the Xiao Clan's history, and the person among the Eight Clans who came closest to becoming a Dou Emperor."
"To break through to Dou Emperor, and lead the Xiao Clan to even greater heights, he did something earth-shattering—"
"He burned the bloodline of his entire clan to break through to Dou Emperor!"
Xiao Xun'er sucked in a sharp breath.
Burn the bloodline of his entire clan?
What kind of mad decision was that?
"Did he... succeed?"
Xiao Yan shook his head.
"He failed."
"Xiao Xuan failed to break through to Dou Emperor, and the Xiao Clan's Dou Di Bloodline was exhausted as a result."
"Overnight, the once most powerful Ancient Emperor Clan saw its overall foundation fall to rock bottom."
His voice was calm, as if he were recounting someone else's story.
"However—"
"Before attempting to break through to Dou Emperor, Xiao Xuan made a pact to live and die together with his close friend, Gu Yuan. If Xiao Xuan succeeded in becoming a Dou Emperor, he would immediately eliminate the Hun Clan and help Gu Yuan become a Dou Emperor as well, without any conditions!"
"If he failed to break through, Gu Yuan was to shelter the surviving bloodline of the Xiao Clan. The agreement also included sharing places in the Heavenly Tomb and working together against the Hun Clan, among other additional terms. After Xiao Xuan's death, Gu Yuan never fully honored these agreements!"
"What?!"
Xiao Xun'er's delicate body trembled.
Gu Yuan...
That was her father!
The leader of the Ancient Clan!
"Afterward, Hun Tiandi invaded the Xiao Family. Xiao Xuan, who had failed to break through to Dou Emperor, self-detonated and heavily wounded him, leaving Xiao Xuan unable to fight again."
"During that period, the Hun Clan's overall strength should have been inferior to the Ancient Clan's..."
"Xiao Xuan's agreement with Gu Yuan was meant to ensure that the Ancient Clan would look after the Xiao Family's descendants and protect the continuation of its bloodline."
"If the Ancient Clan had truly honored its agreement, the Xiao Family might still have declined, but how could it have fallen this far?"
Xiao Yan's gaze settled on Xiao Xun'er's face, his meaning clear.
Xiao Xun'er fell silent.
She had been in the Xiao Family for so many years, always thinking that her father had only sent her to find the Tou She Ancient God Jade.
She had never expected there to be such a history behind it.
"Brother Xiao Yan..."
She bit her lip, her voice lowering.
"Did the Ancient Clan really never honor any part of the agreement?"
Xiao Yan didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked her:
"Xun'er, in all your years with the Xiao Family, have you ever seen anyone from the Ancient Clan come to help them?"
Xiao Xun'er froze.
She hadn't.
Apart from Elder Ling secretly protecting her, the Ancient Clan had never sent anyone to the Xiao Family.
"Then... perhaps the Ancient Clan was protecting them in secret, and I didn't know?"
She tried to defend the Ancient Clan.
Xiao Yan gave a soft laugh, a hint of mockery in his voice.
"Xun'er, with the Ancient Clan's resources, even if they didn't honor their promise to look after the Xiao Family—"
He paused, his gaze sweeping over their surroundings.
"Given the Xiao Clan's inherited foundation, even after a thousand years of change, how could it have declined to this point?"
"The highest cultivation level in the clan is only Da Dou Shi?"
"The highest-ranked Dou Technique in the clan is only Profound Tier?"
Xiao Xun'er's face gradually turned pale.
She wasn't a fool.
Although Xiao Yan hadn't said it outright, she understood his meaning perfectly well.
The Ancient Clan—
Had probably never honored its promise in the first place!
And perhaps...
"Brother Xiao Yan..."
Xiao Xun'er's voice trembled.
"Are you saying the Ancient Clan not only failed to look after the Xiao Family, but even..."
She couldn't finish, but her meaning was clear.
Xiao Yan neither denied nor confirmed it.
He only said calmly:
"Xun'er, with the Xiao Clan's foundation, even after its bloodline was exhausted, do you really think it couldn't have held on to a single cultivation method above Profound Tier?"
"Given the Xiao Clan's past glory, even in decline, do you really think it couldn't have raised a single Dou Huang or even a Dou Zong?"
"Given the Ancient Clan's strength, if it had truly wanted to protect the Xiao Family, how would the Hun Clan have dared to attack them?"
Every word was like a knife, stabbing into Xiao Xun'er's heart.
That was true...
If the Ancient Clan had really honored its promise, how could the Xiao Family have fallen into such a wretched state?
If the Ancient Clan had really lent them a hand, how could they not even have a decent cultivation method?
If the Ancient Clan had really considered the Xiao Family an ally, how could the Xiao Family have been left to cling to life in a backwater like Wutan City?
"But..."
Xiao Xun'er parted her lips, wanting to defend the Ancient Clan, but she couldn't find a single reason.
She remembered all the years she had spent in the Xiao Family: seeing its members fight tooth and nail over a few pills, seeing Xiao Zhan worry himself gray over the clan's future, and seeing the unwillingness and humiliation in Xiao Yan's eyes as people called him a "good-for-nothing" for three years.
If the Ancient Clan had truly been willing to help...
A few cultivation methods, a few pills, and the Xiao Family wouldn't have been in such a state!
And Brother Xiao Yan... would never have had to worry that revealing his talent too soon would expose him, pretend to be a good-for-nothing for three years, and endure countless humiliations and taunts.
"Why..."
Xiao Xun'er murmured, her eyes reddening.
"Why would Father do this?"
She didn't understand.
In her heart, Gu Yuan had always been a loving father and an upright clan leader.
But what Xiao Yan had said left her no choice but to face a cruel truth—
The Ancient Clan might not be as honorable as she had imagined.
Xiao Yan looked at her reddening eyes, and his heart stirred slightly.
In the end, this girl was still a member of the Ancient Clan. It was only natural that she still had feelings for it.
After all, it was her clan, her father.
"Xun'er."
He spoke softly, his tone gentler.
"I'm not blaming you."
"What the Ancient Clan did has nothing to do with you."
Xiao Xun'er lifted her head and looked at him through tear-blurred eyes.
"Brother Xiao Yan..."
"I'm telling you this not to put you in a difficult position."
Xiao Yan reached out and gently wiped the tears from the corner of her eye.
"I just want you to know that things between the Xiao Family and the Ancient Clan aren't as simple as you think."
"And I want you to understand—"
He paused, his gaze resolute.
"Why I remain wary of the Ancient Clan."
Xiao Xun'er was silent for a long time.
She leaned against Xiao Yan's chest, feeling its warmth as countless thoughts churned in her heart.
The Ancient Clan...
Father...
The Xiao Family...
Brother Xiao Yan...
She didn't know whom to believe, but she knew—
Brother Xiao Yan wouldn't lie to her.
"Brother Xiao Yan."
She spoke softly.
"Hmm?"
"If... I mean, if."
She raised her head, her eyes filled with earnestness.
"If the Ancient Clan really did something wrong to the Xiao Family, Xun'er will stand by your side."
Xiao Yan was slightly taken aback.
"You..."
"Xun'er belongs to the Ancient Clan, but more than that, Xun'er belongs to Brother Xiao Yan."
Her voice was gentle, yet filled with unshakable resolve.
"No matter what the Ancient Clan has done, Xun'er will face it together with you."
[Ding—] [The host successfully exposed the thousand-year-old feud between the Ancient Clan and the Xiao Clan, making the Daughter of Luck, Xiao Xun'er, question the Ancient Clan and grow more dependent on the host! Xiao Yan can no longer use Xiao Xun'er to obtain opportunities within the Ancient Clan!] [The protagonist of destiny's Luck Value -5000!] [The host's Luck Value +5000!] [Obtained Super Villain Points +10000!] [Heh heh heh... The host's methods are brilliant! The Daughter of Luck, Xiao Xun'er, has greatly lost faith in the Ancient Clan, and her loyalty to the host has reached its maximum!] [Please keep up the good work, host! Go wild destroying or seizing the opportunities of this world's protagonists of destiny! Let's go!]
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