Chapter 7: A Girl Named Jiang Yuan

Xiaobei stood there, took a deep breath, and firmly held the letter containing secrets given to him by his mother.

Xiaobei nimbly dodged the punch aimed at the back of his head and turned around.

"Xiaoyun, do you know that by harming a family member, you have committed the crime of injuring a fellow clan member?" Xiaobei not only did not show the anger that Xiaoyun expected, but instead said these words with a smile.

"Xiaobei, don't try to twist the facts. Just now, you and Xiaobing were engaging in a normal sparring session, but you despicably attacked Xiaobing, disregarding the bond of kinship, and severely injured him. Isn't this considered the crime of injuring a fellow clan member? I, Xiaoyun, am not bullying you with power; I am merely enforcing the clan rules to apprehend you!"

Xiaoyun, surprised by Xiaobei's easy dodge, paused for a moment, suppressed his astonishment, and spoke with a righteous tone.

"Ha ha, I didn't expect you, Xiaoyun, to be so eloquent in your distortion of the truth. Fine, if you want to argue, I'll argue with you. Didn't you commit the crime of injuring a fellow clan member when you struck me without regard for our kinship the other day? And just now, when you despicably attacked me from behind, didn't you commit the crime of injuring a fellow clan member? Hmm?"

Xiaobei pointed at Xiaobing and said, "He challenged me and was injured by me, which is a reasonable outcome. I don't think anyone would argue with that, right?"

As he said this, Xiaobei's sharp gaze swept over the onlookers among the Xiao family's young members. "But you, on the other hand, attacked me despicably!"

"You... you..."

Xiaoyun, who had never been contradicted like this before, turned red with anger at Xiaobei's well-reasoned words. "You're the one twisting the facts, asking for a beating!"

Xiaoyun clasped his hands together, raised them, circled them around his head, and then clapped them together.

The palm strike he delivered was imbued with the martial energy generated by his cultivation method.

Although it did not materialize as it would for a practitioner at the innate realm, it still caused the air to tremble. "Whether you are a third-rank or fourth-rank martial artist of the acquired realm, you cannot possibly be a match for me, a fifth-rank martial artist of the acquired realm!"

Xiaoyun sneered.

"Is that so?"

Suddenly, as Xiaoyun was basking in his pride, he seemed to hear Xiaobei's voice in his ear.

"Martial arts aren't played like that!"

"Slap!"

Xiaoyun felt stars in his eyes, and his head buzzed!

Then, he staggered a few steps and fell to the ground.

"Thinking that one strike would finish me off, did you really think I would stand there and take it without dodging? I dodged, and you just stood there waiting for me to hit you. Oh, how foolish you are; I feel sorry for you."

Xiaobei looked at Xiaoyun, who had been slapped to the ground, and thought to himself, are the martial arts in this world so rigid? Do they not emphasize techniques?

The ease with which he defeated Xiaoyun made Xiaobei feel that the martial arts of this unfamiliar continent were not very impressive.

In fact, Xiaobei was mistaken. Just now, Xiaoyun had harbored a rival's heart. Although he was wary of Xiaobei, he did not think that a fourth-rank martial artist of the acquired realm could evade his martial energy. He believed that under the pressure of his fifth-rank martial energy, Xiaobei would be forced to take the blow. Xiaoyun could not have anticipated that Xiaobei was actually a first-rank martial artist of the innate realm. His fifth-rank martial energy could not pressure Xiaobei at all. If Xiaobei had been a true fourth-rank martial artist of the acquired realm, he might have been forced to take the blow and would not have had the opportunity to slap Xiaoyun.

"You... you weren't affected by my martial energy?"

Xiaoyun, holding his cheek, stared at Xiaobei in disbelief.

Xiaobei frowned, and upon hearing Xiaoyun's words, he realized that the martial arts in this world had some interesting aspects.

Ignoring Xiaoyun, Xiaobei walked to the other side of the training ground, where he began using ancient fitness equipment to perform various exercises, disregarding the gazes of those around him.

The sky grew brighter, and more and more Xiao family members gathered at the training ground.

...

"Brother Xiaobei, congratulations."

A light, gentle, and warm voice sounded in Xiaobei's ear.

Dressed in a light blue vintage silk dress, with a tall and alluring figure, a slightly cold and beautiful aura, and exquisite features... this girl, who was only about fifteen or sixteen years old, would be a top beauty on Earth. She looked at Xiaobei with her pure, unblemished eyes.

Xiaobei sighed inwardly.

What must come, will come.

How should he handle his relationship with her?

Let it be, or try to win her over?

Xiaobei's mind flashed with the memories of the girl—her name was Jiang Yuan, and she had grown up with the original owner of this body, the former Xiaobei, as childhood sweethearts.

Xiaobei had always been a martial arts failure, mocked by the family, but in the Xiao family, apart from his mother Zhang Lan, the only one who had always stood by Xiaobei was Jiang Yuan. Her attitude toward Xiaobei had never changed, and she had always been dependent on him.

Moreover, to help Xiaobei, who had a constitution that could not cultivate, Jiang Yuan had sought medical advice and remedies for him.

Not only that, despite her lack of interest in cultivation, she had dedicated herself to training after seeing the young Xiaobei being bullied by Xiaoyun and others.

At a young age, she had already become a seventh-rank martial artist of the acquired realm.

No one knew better than Xiaobei how much effort Jiang Yuan, from a small family, had put into these endeavors. Her intelligence was one part, but her diligent efforts were the driving force behind her success!

And the words she had said to the former Xiaobei, which still resonated with the soul-fused Xiaobei, were, "Brother Xiaobei, don't be afraid. If you can't cultivate, I will do it for you. I will protect you!"

However, Xiaobei did not expect that Jiang Yuan, who had suddenly disappeared a month ago, would suddenly appear before him now.

Seeing him, Xiaobei did not know how to react.

The effect of the soul fusion made Xiaobei's heart tremble when he finally looked into Jiang Yuan's bright eyes, and a thread of emotion involuntarily spread.

"It seems it's not needed anymore. I thought it would be a surprise for you, but instead, you gave me a surprise, Brother Xiaobei."

Jiang Yuan said to Xiaobei, extending her hand, which held a wooden box.

"What is this?"

Xiaobei asked in confusion as he watched Jiang Yuan hand him the wooden box. He took it and opened it, and a fragrant aroma wafted out. Xiaobei inhaled deeply, feeling refreshed.

"This is Magnolia grass."

Jiang Yuan looked at Xiaobei, a smile like a crescent moon on her lips.