Xun'er's Decision

Although the decision to travel far had been sudden, Xiao Yan was not the brooding sort. What he felt more than anything was anticipation for the Central Plains, whose reputation he had long heard of.

Besides, since he would be setting out soon, he no longer needed to agonize over certain other matters...

At this moment, Instructor Ruo Lin was working in her office. It was recruitment season again, after all, so there was naturally no avoiding this bustle before departure.

Suddenly, a knock at the door drew Ruo Lin out of her complicated work. When she looked up, she heard someone call her name:

"Instructor Ruo Lin?"

Ruo Lin took a careful look and immediately recognized the visitor as Xiao Yan. Though they had not met in a year, merely recruiting Xiao Yan had earned her considerable resources from the academy, making her far stronger than she had been a year ago. How could she possibly forget him?

Ruo Lin greeted her colleague beside her before following Xiao Yan out with a smile. Then Instructor Ruo Lin reached out and tapped Xiao Yan on the forehead.

"You little troublemaker. I worked so hard to recruit you back then, yet a whole year passed without you coming to visit your instructor."

Though she said that, Instructor Ruo Lin's tone was full of delight. She was still very happy to see this little lucky star of hers.

"Instructor Ruo Lin, Canaan Academy's lessons are just too serious. I've been so busy that I had no time. See? Didn't I come to visit you now?"

Seeing Xiao Yan's slightly embarrassed expression, Ruo Lin found it rather amusing. She had only been teasing the boy, but he seemed to have taken it seriously.

"All right, as if I don't know you. You came to find your instructor because you want to go home with our recruitment team, right?"

In Instructor Ruo Lin's eyes, Xiao Yan probably just missed home. Going back with the recruitment team was hardly unusual.

"No, I came here to ask Instructor for another favor."

Ruo Lin was somewhat surprised. "Oh? What is it? Let me hear it."

Xiao Yan took a storage ring from his pocket and handed it to her. "When you go to Wutan City, please give this storage ring to my father."

Ruo Lin did not refuse and accepted it directly. After all, it was only a small favor.

Still, she was curious. Students usually asked their instructors to deliver letters. Why had Xiao Yan brought out an entire storage ring?

Ruo Lin had not intended to ask further, assuming it contained something inconvenient for her to see. But Xiao Yan did not hide anything and took the initiative to explain.

"Besides a letter home, there are some healing pills inside. They are almost all first-tier pills. Just tell my father that I refined them."

"A whole storage ring? Pills? You refined them?"

Xiao Yan's words nearly startled Instructor Ruo Lin. Since Xiao Yan had explained, Ruo Lin no longer needed to avoid looking. She immediately checked the contents of the storage ring, and her entire body went stiff.

It was truly packed full of jade bottles containing pills!

"Uh, Instructor, didn't you know I was an alchemist?"

The atmosphere instantly became rather awkward.

Xiao Yan had gotten this wrong. He had assumed that the academy knew he was studying in the Alchemy Department, but in truth, his instruction had always been directly overseen by the Grand Elder.

Instructor Ruo Lin, meanwhile, did not pay attention to gossip among students, so she had no idea that Xiao Yan had already become an alchemist.

Thus, the reunion between instructor and student slowly came to an end in such an atmosphere. Ruo Lin returned to her office feeling both shocked and embarrassed.

Only after quite a while did Instructor Ruo Lin recover her senses. She suddenly became very curious about where Xiao Yan had obtained so many pills. Refining so many first-tier pills required a considerable fortune even just for the medicinal ingredients...

Xiao Yan let out a soft breath. Though the process had not gone quite as he wished, he had at least gotten the items to the Xiao Clan. Those pills should be able to provide the clan with no small amount of help.

After all, they were the fruits of Xiao Yan's year of killing, looting, and painstaking alchemy!

That left only one matter...

Xiao Yan arrived at Xun'er's residence, but here, he hesitated unusually.

Though Xun'er never said it, why had she traveled thousands of miles to Canaan Academy? Xiao Yan knew perfectly well. Yet now he was leaving again. Even if he had his reasons, he still felt as though he had wronged Xun'er.

After hesitating for a long while, Xiao Yan finally made up his mind and knocked on the door.

In an instant, Xun'er opened it. Xiao Yan knew she had discovered him long ago.

"Hehe, Brother Xiao Yan, why have you come to see Xun'er today too? (〜^∇^)〜"

Xun'er pulled Xiao Yan inside as she spoke. But when she saw his hesitant expression, she asked in confusion, "Brother Xiao Yan, did you run into some trouble?"

Xiao Yan took a deep breath, knowing there was no use dragging it out, and spilled everything at once.

"Actually, yesterday..."

After explaining everything, Xiao Yan felt somewhat guilty. He thought Xun'er would certainly be unhappy.

Yet to his surprise, Xun'er was neither angry nor dejected. Instead, she stood up in shock and asked:

"The Central Plains? Now?!"

Xiao Yan also noticed the surprise in Xun'er's tone and hurriedly asked, "What is it, Xun'er? Is something wrong?"

But Xun'er's startled reaction passed in an instant. When Xiao Yan questioned her, she sat back down, shook her head with a faint smile, and said:

"It's nothing. Xun'er merely remembered something else just now. Going to the Central Plains is not a bad thing. This day would come sooner or later. I simply did not expect it to happen so soon."

Though Xiao Yan still had doubts, Xun'er was unwilling to explain, and he could not press her. He could only follow her lead and continue.

"Yeah, I didn't expect to leave now either. As for you, Xun'er, I just hope you won't blame me for leaving you here."

Xun'er burst into laughter. "So that's why Brother Xiao Yan was acting so strangely. You were worried about that? Going to the Central Plains is a good thing. How could I be angry?"

"Besides, Brother Xiao Yan, you may not be able to leave me behind after all!"

Hearing Xun'er say this, Xiao Yan immediately understood what she meant. Both shocked and delighted, he asked, "Xun'er, can you accompany me to the Central Plains?"

On second thought, given the power of Xun'er's background, it would be perfectly normal for her to have come from the Central Plains.

"Mhm. I've been away from my clan for a long time, so this is a good chance to go back and have a look." Xun'er smiled faintly.

Xiao Yan also broke into a happy smile. Afterward, the two chatted as they normally did for a while, and Xiao Yan left, fully satisfied.

After Xiao Yan left, Xun'er closed the door, and the smile vanished from her face. At the same time, a mass of black smoke gathered on the floor into the shape of a person. The smoke finally dispersed, revealing the figure within.

If Xiao Yan had been here, he would surely have cried out in shock. This was the mysterious person who had saved them from the Dou Emperor Fan Lao when Xiao Yan first entered the Black-Corner Region. Only now, his face was revealed: he was a kind-looking old man.

"Miss!"

That Dou Emperor-level expert actually dropped to one knee before the little girl, who had not yet become a Dou Practitioner, and neither of them found anything strange about it.

"Ling Lao, trouble yourself to send word to the clan. Tell them that I will be returning to the Central Plains."

The old man called Ling Lao was instantly alarmed, as though he had heard something unimaginable.

"You are returning to the clan!?"

Xun'er's cool voice rang out again. "I am returning to the Central Plains, though I will also be going back to the clan. I need to loosen some of my restraints a little as well, or Brother Xiao Yan will truly leave me far behind."

Ling Lao lowered his head even further, as though he wished he could touch the ground. Although his relationship with his young mistress was fairly good, he knew what he should and should not ask. Clearly, Xun'er's decision was no longer something he could comment on.

"Yes!"

Seeing that Xun'er had nothing further to say, he transformed into black smoke once more and vanished as inexplicably as he had arrived.

Xiao Xun'er sighed. Whatever she thought of, a faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips once more.

"Just as expected of Brother Xiao Yan..."