Chapter 92

" THEY say it's the wife and son of the village chief in that village," the steward whispered.

Upon hearing this, Xu Haoguang’s expression turned grim. He glanced at Xu Haoran, who was looking at him questioningly, then sighed and recounted the events in detail.

After listening, Xu Haoran’s face turned frighteningly dark. He coldly snorted and said,

"Is there even a need to report such matters? Just kill them."

"Yes!" The outer hall steward hurriedly bowed, beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead.

"Wait!"

Xu Haoguang stopped the outer hall steward who was about to leave, sighed, and said, "Let them go. The crime should not extend to the wife and children."

Xu Haoran shook his head slightly, somewhat angrily saying to Xu Haoguang, "Eleventh Brother, you’re still so soft-hearted!"

After speaking, he turned to the outer hall steward and said, "Send them back to the village. Tell the new village chief to keep an eye on them. If they escape the village again, he will be held responsible."

"Yes!"

The outer hall steward lowered his head, bent his waist, and backed away. Only after turning the corner did he straighten up and wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

After dismissing the outer hall steward, everyone’s attention returned to the sign on Xu Ziyun’s door indicating she was in seclusion. Suppressing their anxiety, they quietly stood outside Xu Ziyun’s door. The new disciples of the outer hall who lived near Xu Ziyun were both shocked and proud to see the family patriarch and several hall masters standing neatly outside Xu Ziyun’s door, waiting for her to emerge from seclusion. They were shocked that such a scene was unfolding before their eyes and proud that Xu Ziyun was their leader. In the room next to Xu Ziyun’s, Xu Qingsnow sat on the bed, tightly clenching her fists, with only one thought in her mind:

"I want to be like that! I want to be the center of everyone’s attention!"

On a distant hill, Xu Hubu silently observed everything happening in front of Xu Ziyun’s door, wondering if she should wait for Xu Ziyun to emerge from seclusion and then ask her again to become the leader of the Plum Blossom Gang, or if she should lead the Plum Blossom Gang disciples to directly join Xu Ziyun, allowing Xu Ziyun to do as she pleased with the Plum Blossom Gang.

Xu Gan, Xu Wen, and Xu Tianshao also stood at a corner of the hill, their gazes complex as they looked at Xu Ziyun’s door. At this moment, they no longer had any thoughts of competing with Xu Ziyun, and they were even more polite to Xu Hubu, hoping to improve their past relationship with Xu Ziyun through her. After all, in their hearts, Xu Ziyun, who was only at the Later Heaven stage, had already received such attention from the family. If she reached the Innate stage, she would surely become a key figure in the family, far beyond what they could hope to match.

As the sky gradually darkened and the sun lingered in the west, Xu Haoliang frowned slightly and said to Xu Haoran,

"Brother, just waiting like this isn’t a solution. Why don’t we call Xu Ziyun out?"

"No!"

Xu Haoran quickly waved to stop Xu Haoliang, somewhat sternly saying, "Ninth Brother, don’t you know that cultivators in seclusion must not be disturbed? It could ruin Ziyun’s cultivation. At best, her realm will decline; at worst, she will suffer a mental breakdown. How could you say such a thing?"

Xu Haoguang and his wife, who were standing nearby, also glared angrily at Xu Haoliang. Xu Haoliang awkwardly smiled and said,

"I’m just worried. The family is in a crisis. If she remains in seclusion for several months, won’t it delay important family matters?"

Xu Haoguang coldly snorted, "But if my daughter suffers a mental breakdown because of you, even if you call her out, what can she do for the family?"

Xu Haoliang’s expression stiffened, a flash of anger in his eyes, but he dared not say anything more because Xu Haoran was present and the family needed Xu Ziyun’s help. He could only glare at Xu Haoguang and turn away.

Xu Haobo, standing nearby, had been deep in thought. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he said,

"Brother, I remember Xu Wenli mentioned that when Ziyun saved them that night, she used a second-grade talisman, and at the end, she even took out a fifth-grade talisman!"

"Yes!"

Xu Haoran’s face trembled with excitement. He looked at Xu Ziyun’s door with burning eyes and said,

"Doesn’t that mean Ziyun can create second-grade talismans? But what about the fifth-grade talisman?"

Everyone’s gaze turned to Xu Haoguang, who hurriedly waved his hands,

"Don’t ask me, I know nothing. I only know that a few months before Ziyun left the village, she met a female immortal outside the village. The immortal taught Ziyun cultivation techniques and talisman-making, but did not take her as a disciple, saying they would meet again if fate allowed."

"Oh!" Xu Haoran nodded, his face showing understanding, "That female immortal might be from a sect. The fifth-grade talisman could be a gift from the female immortal to Ziyun."

Everyone nodded in agreement, but the fact that Xu Ziyun could create second-grade talismans was enough to excite them. In the family’s time of crisis, such good news was truly uplifting! Even Xu Haoliang’s heart was stirred. On one hand, he was happy for the family’s new talent, but on the other, he felt a sense of loss because Xu Ziyun was not part of his faction.

Inside the room, Xu Ziyun had already reached a state of complete focus, continuously circulating the true essence in her meridians. The Water Ice Technique flashed through her mind, and with each full cycle, her realm stabilized a bit more, and her understanding of the Water Ice Technique deepened.

The true essence circulated repeatedly in her meridians, then slowly flowed into her dantian, stabilizing her realm bit by bit. A powerful aura slowly emanated from Xu Ziyun’s body, clinging to her skin. With her deep and long breaths, it pulsed and flickered.

Outside, Xu Haoguang and the others looked at the sky, then called over Xu Tieniu, who had been secretly watching from a distance, and said,

"Wait here for Xu Ziyun to come out. As soon as she does, tell her to go to the main hall and inform her that we are waiting for her there."

Xu Tieniu puffed out his chest and gruffly replied, "I will complete the task."

Xu Haoran nodded in satisfaction and led everyone away. After returning to the main hall, they all took their seats. Xu Haobo excitedly said,

"Brother, with Ziyun’s second-grade talismans, we have an added layer of security. Even if the Zhou family of Canglang City and the Yang family of Nanlin City form an alliance, we can still hold our ground."

"That’s not so simple..."

Xu Haoran’s gaze, filled with worry, looked through the main hall’s door at the night sky.

Under the night sky, on Snowy Peak.

The moonlight fell on Xu Lin, casting a silver glow over him. Xu Lin’s gaze was fixed on Xu Ziyun’s residence, his strong face radiating joy, with only one thought in his mind:

"Ziyun is alive, she’s still alive!"

I recommend a book from the "Exquisite" series, it’s very exciting. Here’s the link:

"Exquisite Second Miss" by Luo Xiaobing

Synopsis: In this era, playing a game like Immortal Sword can also lead to rebirth!

Rebirth is one thing, but to be reborn in a place where qi techniques can kill people!

And to be reborn as a second miss, of a minor branch, no less!

What? Finding relics and heavenly books can happen to me too?

So cliché...

[bookid=2035539,bookname="Exquisite Second Miss"]