Ancient Clan Cultivation Technique Fragment: Second Section

"Good that you're back."

Xiao Chen smiled and ushered her inside, personally pouring her a cup of tea.

"Was the journey smooth?"

"Very smooth."

Xun'er nodded, accepting the teacup without immediately drinking from it.

Her gaze fell on Xiao Chen. After a moment of silence, she spoke softly.

"Uncle Xiao, during this return to the clan, the elders heard of your deeds... They wish to meet you."

Her tone was calm, as though she were merely relaying an ordinary matter. Yet she also wanted to see how this Uncle Xiao would respond to an invitation from the Gu Clan.

Xiao Chen's heart suddenly sank.

The Gu Clan's attention had finally fallen upon him!

"Uncle?"

Seeing him fall silent, Xun'er called to him softly.

Xiao Chen came back to himself, slowly set down his teacup, and shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Xun'er, you've seen it yourself. I'm just a minor elder holed up in Wutan City, with mediocre cultivation and shallow knowledge. The Gu Clan elders are occupied with countless matters every day. Meeting an idle man like me would only make them a laughingstock."

"Besides..."

He paused and let out a soft sigh.

"My cultivation has been unstable lately, and I'm recuperating in seclusion. It truly isn't suitable for me to receive guests. I hope you can offer my apologies to the clan elders."

Xun'er froze for a moment. A trace of disappointment flashed through her eyes, but she did not try to persuade him further.

She looked at Xiao Chen for a long time before suddenly saying in a low voice, "Uncle, you're much smarter than they imagined."

"Hm?"

"The clan elders said that the Xiao Clan elder... perhaps that thing is with you. But Xun'er thinks..."

Xun'er raised her eyes and looked directly at Xiao Chen.

"What Uncle has hidden is probably not that thing."

Xiao Chen's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained unchanged. He merely smiled. "Xun'er, I don't understand what you mean."

"It's best if you don't."

Xun'er did not press the matter, only smiling faintly.

"Xun'er knows that if Uncle does not wish to meet them, you must have your reasons. It's just... I'm afraid I'll have to spend quite a bit of effort explaining things to the clan elders."

"Sorry for the trouble, Xun'er."

Smiling, Xiao Chen took a small brocade box from his robe and handed it to her.

"I prepared this little trinket for you. Consider it a welcome-back gift."

Xun'er accepted the brocade box. She did not open it on the spot, merely putting it away with great care.

She rose to take her leave. When she reached the door, she looked back at Xiao Chen once more. "Uncle, take care."

"Take care."

Watching her graceful figure recede into the distance, Xiao Chen slowly withdrew the smile from his face, a deep look passing through his eyes.

"The Gu Clan... has finally come."

Of course, he understood the meaning behind Xun'er's earlier words.

After all, hadn't Xun'er been lurking in the remote Xiao Clan since childhood for that very thing?

But what Xiao Chen had not expected was that the Gu Clan actually believed the thing was on him...

That night.

An uninvited guest came to Xiao Chen's courtyard.

A figure with a faint, elusive aura silently crossed the courtyard wall and landed atop the roof.

Xiao Chen had expected this long ago. Since the Gu Clan elders had taken an interest, how could they possibly be satisfied with merely having Xun'er deliver a message? Sending a spy to probe his background was the usual style of those old foxes.

"Since you're here, come down and have a cup of tea." Xiao Chen spoke calmly.

The figure on the roof stiffened slightly, then vanished soundlessly into the night, as though it had never appeared.

After politely declining the Gu Clan's invitation, Xiao Chen did not distance himself from Xun'er.

On the contrary, three days later, he had someone arrange a meeting with Xun'er at a secluded pavilion in the back mountains.

The weather was perfect that day.

Dressed in a pale green gown, Xun'er walked up the mountain path and saw Xiao Chen standing in the pavilion from afar. A warm jade bottle sat on the stone table before him.

"Did Uncle summon Xun'er for something?"

Xun'er arrived as promised, curiosity faintly visible between her brows.

Xiao Chen said nothing more. He simply took out the jade bottle from his robe and gently pushed it toward Xun'er.

"This is...?"

"A secret pill."

Xiao Chen spoke softly.

"It can suppress the fluctuations of your bloodline, conceal your aura, and make it difficult for others to pry into you. Xun'er, after you return to the clan, there will be many people and many watchful eyes. This pill may be of some help to you."

He paused, then added another sentence.

"I happened to obtain this ancient pill formula. It was not easy to refine, and I'm afraid there isn't a second pill like it anywhere on the continent."

Xun'er was stunned.

She looked at the jade bottle. Better than anyone, she understood that the bloodline power of the Gu Clan's holy maiden was both glory and shackles. Since childhood, she had lived beneath countless watchful eyes, every step like walking on thin ice.

And this pill before her had actually been refined specifically to suppress her bloodline fluctuations...

"Uncle..."

Xun'er raised her head, her eyes slightly reddened.

"Don't you seek anything from the Gu Clan?"

Xiao Chen smiled. "As long as you are safe, I've already gained what I wanted."

Xun'er's heart shook violently.

"Uncle..."

Xun'er carefully put away the jade bottle and gave him a deep curtsy, her voice carrying a trace of a sob.

"Xun'er will remember Uncle's kindness. From this day onward, Uncle will be the person closest to Xun'er in this world."

"Since Uncle regards Xun'er as family, Xun'er also has something to tell Uncle."

After hesitating for a moment, she suddenly lowered her voice. "Does Uncle know why the clan elders took an interest in you after Xun'er returned to the clan for three months?"

Xiao Chen raised an eyebrow. "I'd like to hear the details."

"Because..."

Xun'er pressed her lips together.

"Someone passed word to the clan, saying that there was a deeply hidden elder in the Xiao Clan, perhaps someone originally from the Xiao Clan. That was why the clan elders became interested and wanted to meet Uncle."

"Xun'er does not know who passed along the message. But Uncle, you must be careful in your future dealings."

Xiao Chen's heart tightened, but his expression did not change. He only smiled and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Xun'er. I'll remember it."

He quietly calculated in his heart.

Whoever had passed the message and stirred the Gu Clan elders into action could not have an ordinary background.

Who could it be?

Within Wutan City, the only one with such influence... was likely that person hidden in the shadows, who had never shown themselves.

"Uncle, then Xun'er will return to the clan."

Xun'er curtsied and said softly, "Uncle, be careful in Wutan City. If you encounter any trouble, just send someone to deliver a message to Xun'er."

"Alright."

Xiao Chen nodded with a smile. "Go on."

Xun'er nodded heavily and turned to leave.

Watching her graceful figure vanish into the morning mist, the smile on Xiao Chen's face slowly faded.

The reason he had chosen this moment to give her the pill had actually been carefully considered.

Xun'er had returned to the clan for three months, and her fortune had already transformed into purple-gold, showing that her status within the Gu Clan had risen another step. A tall tree catches the wind; the stronger her bloodline aura became, the more covetous eyes it would attract.

"A timely gift is always more moving than icing on the cake."

After seeing Xun'er off, a system notification suddenly rang out in Xiao Chen's mind.

"Investment target: Xun'er"

"Settlement result: Returned [Ancient Clan Cultivation Technique Fragment: Second Section] ×1!"

"Return description: This fragment contains a deeper layer of the Ancient Clan Cultivation Technique's essence. It complements the First Section. Once cultivated to mastery, its power will be unfathomable!"

Xiao Chen's pupils contracted slightly, then a satisfied curve rose at the corner of his mouth.

"Good heavens, another fragment!"

Put together, the two fragments had already revealed the outline of a complete cultivation technique!

The rank of that technique was far beyond Xiao Chen's imagination.

He even vaguely felt that if he could truly gather the complete version of this technique, it might be enough to rival those legendary cultivation techniques of the continent!

"At this rate, gathering the entire Ancient Clan Cultivation Technique may not be impossible..."

Xiao Chen took a deep breath, suppressing the heat in his heart as he carefully put away the two fragments.

He sat cross-legged and tried circulating his Dou Qi according to the method recorded in the Second Section. At first, it felt sluggish, but after several cycles, the Dou Qi within him began to surge faintly, even widening his meridians by several degrees!

"This Second Section can actually cleanse the meridians... It truly is a fine thing!"

"No wonder the Gu Clan can stand at the pinnacle of the continent. Such a foundation is truly terrifying!"