Xiao Yan ran who knew how far without stopping. Only when his chest burned from his frantic panting did he finally stop, still shaken. He leaned against a secluded corner of a wall, gulping down air, his mind in utter turmoil.
Yao Chen's roar, brimming with rage and despair, still seemed to echo in his ears. Conflicting emotions churned in his heart: a little relief at breaking free of his shackles, fear of an unknown future, and a trace of guilt he could not put into words.
Xiao Yan quickly suppressed that trace of guilt. He recalled what the old ghost had concealed from him at the start, along with all those grand promises-pies painted on paper that he might never get to eat. With that in mind, Xiao Yan felt he had done nothing wrong. Heaven and earth would destroy a man who did not look out for himself. His own safety and future had to come first.
Once his fear had settled somewhat, Xiao Yan began calmly considering his circumstances. He had thrown away the ring, so Yao Chen was surely flying into a rage, but he should not be able to affect him again anytime soon.
His most pressing task was to find somewhere else to live. His old courtyard was too close to that troublemaker Xiao Yi, and after all the commotion over the "haunting" and the "exorcism," Xiao Yan had no desire to stay there any longer. More importantly, he now needed somewhere absolutely quiet, where no one would disturb him, to plan his cultivation path anew and consider how to deal with any trouble that might follow.
Having made up his mind, Xiao Yan went straight to a steward responsible for the clan's everyday affairs and requested a change of residence. As Xiao Zhan's own son and the Xiao Clan's rightful Third Young Master, he naturally met no resistance over such a minor matter. The steward did not even press him for a reason, politely bringing out an illustrated directory of several vacant courtyards for Xiao Yan to choose from.
Xiao Yan's initial thought was simple: get farther away from that troublemaking machine Xiao Yi, and preferably closer to his little sister Xun'er. Xun'er was the only person he could trust completely. He felt safe around her.
Before long, Xiao Yan picked out a secluded little courtyard in pleasant, quiet surroundings, not far from the elegant little building where Xun'er lived.
Just as he was about to announce his choice, however, an indifferent voice carrying an unquestionable weight of authority sounded behind him like a ghost:
"Young Master Xiao Yan, this courtyard is indeed pleasant, but it seems rather too close to Miss Gu's residence. Miss Gu has been devoting herself to cultivation lately and dislikes noise and disturbances. I hope you will reconsider, Young Master Xiao Yan."
Xiao Yan's heart tightened, and he whipped around. A middle-aged man dressed in gray stood quietly behind him, his presence steady and composed. His eyes were as deep as an ancient well, without so much as a ripple, yet they made Xiao Yan feel an immense pressure. He recognized the man: Ling Ying, whose unfathomable strength guarded Xun'er.
Faced with Ling Ying's seemingly mild words and the warning they actually carried, the flicker of irritation Xiao Yan had felt at being interrupted instantly vanished like smoke, replaced by a chill. He understood that Ling Ying's appearance was no coincidence, and those words were far more than a simple reminder.
Xiao Yan drew a deep breath, cupped his hands, and smiled. "Thank you for the reminder, Elder Ling. I understand. In that case, sorry for the trouble, Steward, but please find me another, more secluded courtyard."
The steward was a shrewd man. Seeing this, he hurriedly smoothed things over with a smile and recommended several other courtyards. This time, Xiao Yan considered nothing else, focusing entirely on remote locations where few people ever went. In the end, he chose a little courtyard in a corner of the Xiao Clan's estate, far away from Xiao Yi.
With the arrangements settled, Xiao Yan walked alone toward his new residence. The lingering light of the setting sun stretched his shadow long and thin, blending strangely with the desolation around him.
The courtyard gate creaked open, and a faint smell of dust greeted him. Weeds overran the courtyard, and the buildings looked rather old, but they would still be habitable after some cleaning. At least it was quiet enough and secluded enough. No one would notice him here.
By the time he finished cleaning, it was already deep into the night. Xiao Yan lay on the hard wooden bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep no matter what he tried. Moonlight passed through several small holes in the paper covering the window lattice, spilling mottled patches of light onto the floor and making the furnishings look all the more shabby and sparse. A faint musty odor and the dusty smell of a place long left unoccupied hung in the air. Compared with his previous courtyard, this was as different as heaven and earth.
When he had arrived during the day, Xiao Yan had only thought that the more secluded it was, the better. Only now, with everything quiet, did he feel how desolate the place was. The weeds in the courtyard grew taller than he was, and the doors and windows of the side rooms were all rotting away. Only this main room remained barely habitable. Still, Xiao Yan was not entirely displeased. At least it was quiet enough. That bastard Xiao Yi would no longer drop by every so often to "ask after his well-being," nor would other Xiao Clan youngsters come to make a racket.
Yet Ling Ying's face, as still as an ancient well, and that plainly "well-intentioned" reminder kept circling through his mind like a nightmare. The more Xiao Yan thought about it, the more something seemed wrong. He had long known that Ling Ying was Xun'er's guard, and that his strength was unfathomable. Normally, he stayed hidden in the shadows and rarely showed himself. But hadn't the old fellow been appearing a little too often lately? Just earlier, he had even "happened" to offer a "friendly reminder" while Xiao Yan was choosing his new residence.
That old bastard... Xiao Yan gritted his teeth and cursed inwardly. He usually hides like a burrowing rat. Why has he suddenly become so fond of strolling around lately? And all that talk about little sister Xun'er liking peace and quiet, about me disturbing her... Hmph, his words sound sweeter than a song!
Of course, Xiao Yan understood that Xun'er was of exalted birth, with a colossal power behind her. If he wanted to get close to her, he would inevitably face all manner of obstacles, both openly and in secret. He had long prepared himself for that.
But Xiao Yan keenly sensed that Ling Ying's "concern" this time probably had nothing to do with Xun'er's family background. Suddenly, he remembered something-something that nearly made him grind his back teeth to pieces! "It must be that damned bastard Xiao Yi, who deserves a thousand cuts!"
Xiao Yan abruptly sat up in bed, his fists clenched tight and his eyes practically spitting fire. Memories of the past resurfaced. A short while ago, that fellow Xiao Yi, who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, had leaped up and slapped him after learning about the "intimate" things he had once done to Xun'er!
"That Crazy Ghost! I... I wish I could stuff him back into his mother's womb and have him made all over again!" Xiao Yan trembled with rage. "I'm certain that old fellow Ling Ying is being so wary of me for the very same reason, afraid I have some improper designs on Xun'er."
As for the fact that Xun'er herself had accidentally let it slip, with a young girl's innocent coquettishness and a touch of showing off... Xiao Yan chose to forget that detail. As far as he was concerned, all the blame belonged to that hateful Xiao Yi, who took special delight in tormenting him!
"Motherfucker! Fuck! You goddamn animal! You bastard, die, die!!"
Xiao Yan cursed Xiao Yi from head to toe, inside and out, in every language he knew, a full seven times seven-forty-nine times-before his anger finally eased a little.
Meanwhile, beneath a roof far away on the other side of Wutan City, Xiao Yi, whom Xiao Yan was mentally slicing into a thousand pieces, slept soundly with his treasured box in his arms.
Before you continue