Chapter 167: Night Encounter

The members of the Qiao Family fell silent, looking at Ruo Xi, then glancing at Gu Fan beside her.

After a while, the white-haired old woman finally asked in a trembling voice:

“Ruo Xi? Are you the Ruo Xi from the second branch?”

The eldest of the Qiao Family also looked excited. Taking a step forward and gazing at the girl before him, he said:

“Child, is your mother named Lianyi? Are you a member of the Ruo Family of the Dragon People in Wanlin City?”

Hearing this, Ruo Xi had already confirmed that the people standing before her were indeed her mother’s family. Her eyes immediately reddened.

It was Gu Fan, standing beside her, who spoke on her behalf:

“I don’t know what her mother’s name is, but she is called Ruo Xi. Her mother passed away early. She is the daughter of the Ruo Family Head of the Dragon People in Wanlin City. This, I can confirm.”

Ruo Xi took out a necklace from her bosom, engraved with the character ‘Qiao’.

Upon seeing it, the Qiao Family instantly confirmed—this was indeed the daughter of their second branch!

The white-haired old woman immediately took the necklace, then pulled Ruo Xi into her arms, her voice filled with sorrow:

“My good granddaughter, the child of our second branch, we finally meet after all these years!”

The eldest and the others at the side also showed sorrowful expressions.

“My dear niece, I’m your uncle. Over the years, we’ve gone to the Ruo Family a few times, but because of the grudge over your mother’s death, we fell out with them. Despite going a few times, we never got to see you.”

“We did ask around in the city, and hearing that you were cherished by the Ruo Family, we were somewhat relieved. Who would’ve thought we’d still have a chance to meet you again!”

Having not felt such genuine affection from family in so long, Ruo Xi couldn’t hold back her tears, unable to speak for a long time.

In the end, she could only look at Gu Fan for help, as if saying, “I can’t speak now, please explain for me!”

Gu Fan was a bit speechless but still explained:

“Ruo Xi didn’t live as well in the Ruo Family as you imagined. At first, the Family Head treated her decently, but later on, a new matron came into power, and after years of whispers in the ears, that kindness faded.”

Upon hearing this, the eldest’s face turned furious.

“What a fine Ruo Family! If our Qiao Family makes it through this crisis safely, we’ll surely demand an explanation!”

At this moment, the fifth brother wiped the corner of his eye and smiled:

“Luckily, Ruo Xi is now married into the Lan Die Family. She at least has some means of protecting herself now. Even if she never returns to the Ruo Family, from now on, the Qiao Family is her maternal home!”

Hearing this, Ruo Xi became even more embarrassed and once again looked to Gu Fan.

Gu Fan sighed helplessly.

“The Lan Die Family didn’t marry her with good intentions either. They’re cultivating a kind of demonic technique. The young master of their family never keeps a wife alive for more than half a year. As for Ruo Xi, she’s probably his tenth or more by now.”

“What! Outrageous! The Lan Die Family actually set their sights on my niece! Just how did the Ruo Family arrange such a marriage!”

Upon hearing this, Gu Fan continued:

“The Ruo Family knew everything. They arranged the marriage purely to curry favor with the Lan Die Family and secure their own position in Wanlin City. Ruo Xi was nothing more than a sacrificial pawn in the deal.”

The atmosphere instantly grew heavier, and the air seemed to simmer with an unspeakable rage.

The old woman hugged Ruo Xi tightly in her arms, her eyes fierce as she said:

“What a fine Ruo Family, what a despicable Lan Die Family—actually scheming to take my granddaughter’s life! If the Qiao Family survives this ordeal, we’ll slaughter them all clean!”

The eldest and the others were also burning with fury:

“Unforgivable! Our second sister had only this precious daughter, and the Ruo Family actually wanted to use her as a tool for a marriage alliance! The Ruo Family deserves to perish!”

Everyone looked at Ruo Xi in the old woman’s arms with a mix of heartbreak and pity.

They had originally thought that Ruo Xi lived a good life in the Ruo Family, and that there was no need to let old grudges between families affect the child’s happiness.

Now, it was clear they had been terribly wrong!

It was unimaginable how much hardship and suffering such a young girl had endured since childhood!

Just then, Gu Fan poured another bucket of cold water on their heads.

“I say, everyone, don’t be too eager to stir up trouble with the Ruo Family. From what I see, the Qiao Family’s current situation doesn’t look too great either!”

The old woman sighed upon seeing this.

It was clear that the conversation just now had been overheard by the young man in front of them. She was both shocked by this youth’s ability to conceal his aura—managing to remain unnoticed even under the divine senses of so many people—and concerned about his intentions.

“This young man is right. Our Qiao Family is indeed in a precarious position right now, but as long as the Old Ancestor doesn’t appear, the Three Major Families wouldn’t dare make a move!”

“After all, a Solar Radiance Realm cultivator who has no attachments is far more terrifying than one burdened with a whole family!”

This was indeed a fact. The reason the Three Major Families had encircled them without launching an attack was precisely because of this.

The survival of these Qiao Family members served as leverage—what truly worried and rushed the Qiao Family’s Old Ancestor and his group was this very hostage situation.

But if everyone were to be killed, then the Qiao Family’s Old Ancestor wouldn’t need to come out at all. He could just hide in the shadows for the rest of his life.

The members of the Three Major Families wouldn’t be able to leave the city again. Unless they were Solar Radiance Realm cultivators, whoever dared to step out would be slain.

No one would have a peaceful day thereafter.

“Senior speaks the truth. However, as long as the Qiao Family’s Old Ancestor doesn’t show up, this crisis won’t be resolved. But if he does appear, he will be besieged by the three families. I’m wondering how the Qiao Family plans to break this impasse.”

The white-haired old woman narrowed her eyes and looked at Gu Fan with a half-smile that didn’t reach her eyes, then said:

“It was indeed a lapse on my part just now. May I ask, who might these young heroes be? Willing to escort Ruo Xi across sixty thousand li to Xuanguang City—such sentiment is truly rare!”

Upon hearing this, Ruo Xi blushed. Though she hadn’t experienced much in this regard, she wasn’t a child anymore. Being spoken of like this in front of Gu Fan by an elder made her feel a bit shy.

Seeing the girl’s reaction, Gu Fan was somewhat helpless.

To be honest, he really hadn’t thought that far.

It wasn’t that Ruo Xi wasn’t beautiful—on the contrary, among all the women he had seen, aside from that one whose existence he still wasn’t sure was real or dream, only Fang Xue could rival her stunning beauty.

If it were under normal circumstances, he certainly wouldn’t mind accumulating a few more emotional debts. They were all men—why pretend otherwise?

But not here. This was the Void Sacred Realm. In theory, once he returned to the Destiny Continent, he wouldn’t come back, and there would be no more interactions with Ruo Xi.

Gu Fan didn’t consider himself a good person, but to ruin a woman’s life for a fleeting impulse or momentary pleasure—that was something he couldn’t do.

At this moment, Ruo Xi wriggled out of the old woman’s arms and said a bit shyly:

“This is my friend. His name is Gu Fan. He is a traveler of the continent, well-versed in many things. Due to some accidents, I took him in for a while. Later, to repay my kindness, he revealed to me the truth about the Ruo Family and the Lan Die Family.”

“To ensure my safety, he escorted me to Xuanguang City! It’s not what you think!”

The old woman glanced scrutinizingly at the two of them, then said with a trace of disappointment:

“So that’s how it is. Still, for a young man to be this strong at his age, and unaffiliated at that, it is indeed rare.”

Gu Fan merely smiled without responding, clearly aware that the old woman suspected he had an extraordinary background.

And in truth, Gu Fan’s background was indeed not ordinary. He knew his origins couldn’t stand up to scrutiny, and he still didn’t understand enough about this world.

Rather than speaking too much and risking mistakes, it was better to maintain mystery—this way, the Qiao Family wouldn’t dare to test him lightly.

“Mother, it’s getting late. Ruo Xi and this young man have traveled a long way. How about letting them rest for the night? Whatever needs to be discussed can wait till morning.”

At this point, the fifth member of the Qiao Family offered a suggestion. He could tell Gu Fan didn’t want to elaborate on his identity, so he decided to ease the situation.

Everyone looked at Gu Fan. Seeing that he had no objections, they prepared to order someone to ready a guest room.

Just then, a violent surge of Mysterious Power erupted from not far away.

Everyone’s expression changed slightly.

Gu Fan swept the area with his divine sense and sighed.

If he had known, he would’ve come tomorrow night instead. It seemed peace wouldn’t come tonight...

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