Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

Creak!

Just when Xu Hongzhuang was feeling uncertain inside, the door of this manor was pulled open from the inside, revealing a youth dressed in coarse clothing.

This figure was naturally Yun Xiao. He had stayed in this manor for a day and felt somewhat stifled, intending to step out for some air when unexpectedly, just as he opened the door, he saw two graceful young girls standing outside, one of whom looked very familiar.

”Xiaolan?”

Yun Xiao looked at the girl in red with a surprised gaze. A puzzled voice also sounded but little did he know that this address made Yu Man’s eyes nearly pop out.

Xiaolan was Xu Hongzhuang’s childhood nickname, in the entire Lingyun Sect, only her mother would call her that, even the Sect Leader Xu Lingsong and the former Sect Master addressed her as ”Hongzhuang.”

Although Yu Man knew that the person in front of her was Miss’s fiancé, still, to address her by her childhood nickname upon their first meeting was too shocking, wasn’t it?

Amidst the shock, Yu Man completely overlooked the fact that Yun Xiao called out Miss’s name as soon as he came out of the door. The two obviously knew each other already, but at this moment, Xu Hongzhuang felt quite at a loss.

”How come you are here too? Could it be... you are a disciple of Lingyun Sect?”

Yun Xiao first asked with puzzlement then made a guess, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. Honestly, he had a good impression of this Xiaolan, who had helped him a few times.

But now, with the situation in Lingyun Sect unclear, if it turns out that Great Elder Yu Qian from Lingyun Sect was indeed the leader responsible for the massacre at the Shang Family, then it could be an irreconcilable situation between him and Lingyun Sect.

If Xiaolan indeed was a Lingyun Sect disciple, then not only would their friendship likely vanish in an instant, but they might even become sworn enemies—a scenario Yun Xiao was extremely reluctant to see.

”Lingyun Sect disciple?”

Upon suddenly hearing Yun Xiao’s guess, Yu Man finally snapped back to reality and chuckled: ”Master Yun Xiao, you are being too petty. Our Miss Hongzhuang, as the Sect Leader’s only beloved daughter, is far beyond comparison with those normal disciples!”

Since this man is Miss’s fiancé, Yu Man instinctively considered Yun Xiao as her future son-in-law, speaking quite intimately and even jokingly.

”Sect Leader’s daughter? Miss...Hongzhuang?”

Hearing Yu Man’s words, Yun Xiao felt as if struck by lightning, his body involuntarily trembled. How could he be unfamiliar with this name?

However, Yun Xiao never expected that Xiaolan, the girl he accidentally met in Xuri City, who had helped him several times, turned out to be Xu Hongzhuang—his betrothed from a pre-arranged marriage whom he had never met face to face!

In fact, Yun Xiao didn’t have special feelings for Xu Hongzhuang per se. If not for the rebirth of Long Xiao Battle God and the misfortune of the Shang Family, he might indeed have married this Miss of Lingyun Sect.

But now, with the unclear situation of Lingyun Sect, and Xu Hongzhuang, who masqueraded as Xiaolan, having various connections with him, a flood of complex thoughts overwhelmed him, leaving him at a loss for words.

”What? Did I scare you? Do you think Xiaolan is more appealing?”

Seeing Yun Xiao like this and assuming it was a young man’s first encounter with his imagined beloved woman, stunning him, Xu Hongzhuang was free from much embarrassment and spoke with a laugh.

If the earlier Xu Hongzhuang didn’t know much about Yun Xiao, ever since they journeyed together from Xuri City and subsequently fought side by side, she became extremely satisfied with her fiancé.

As a favored daughter of heaven, throughout Lingtian Empire, whether it was coveting Xu Hongzhuang’s beauty or aiming for the background of the Sect Leader’s daughter, many young talents desired to win her favor.

Yet inexplicably, even those prodigies whose talents and backgrounds were not inferior to Xu Hongzhuang couldn’t catch her eye.

It was Yun Xiao, whom she accidentally met in Xuri City, whose exceptional performance captivated her heart, and upon learning Yun Xiao’s true identity later, she felt it was fate ordained by heaven.

”You already knew my identity?”

Yun Xiao’s complexion was still somewhat unpleasant. Seeing him take a deep breath, he finally spoke up, his intelligence helping him understand some matters now.

”At the beginning, I wasn’t quite sure, but later when you introduced yourself with your full name, I naturally knew!”

Xu Hongzhuang didn’t hide anything, and that was a fact. If it weren’t for Yun Xiao mentioning his name, relying solely on half a jade pendant, she couldn’t be sure that he was indeed her fiancé.

After all, a jade pendant could be lost or possibly taken by others. Only when the jade matched the person’s name, one could be certain.

”What? Shall we just stand outside talking like this?”

Xu Hongzhuang smiled faintly, half-jokingly speaking; however, shortly after her words fell, she remembered something, her face showing a hint of melancholy, and added: ”Forget it, my mother is seriously ill, I still have more important things to do. I’m afraid you’ll have to stay here a few more days!”

It turned out that Xu Hongzhuang, having heard the news about Yun Xiao, had instinctively forgotten about her mother’s illness. Now that she had seen Yun Xiao, it was naturally time to prioritize.

”Mother seriously ill? Is she the patient you mentioned who needs the Jade Liquid Vine to sustain her life?”

At this moment, Yun Xiao finally came back to his senses, set aside those unusual thoughts, and asked. In fact, he didn’t bear much ill will towards Xu Hongzhuang, and he wouldn’t refuse to help if he could.

”Yes, my mother...”

Xu Hongzhuang nodded, her voice slightly choked, and then she remembered the youth before her wasn’t very powerful; these troubling matters were probably best kept from him.

”As far as I know, although the medicinal effect of the Jade Liquid Vine is astonishing, it can only sustain life for at most half a month. Haven’t you found a way to cure her?”

Yun Xiao, knowledgeable and profoundly familiar with the medicinal effects of the Jade Liquid Vine, spoke directly, surprising both Xu Hongzhuang and Yu Man.

Suddenly remembering the Ancestral Vein Fire that Yun Xiao had used that day, an idea sprung in Xu Hongzhuang’s mind. Soon after, she heard the young man in front of her say, ”Could you take me to see your mother?”

Putting himself in others’ shoes, recalling his own mother’s kindness towards him suddenly flooding his mind, Yun Xiao bluntly spoke out. Moreover, given the unclear situation in the Lingyun Sect, he couldn’t just stand by indifferently given his acquaintanceship with Xu Hongzhuang.

”Son-in-law, are you also a Meridian Refining Master?”

Seeing that the young lady and Yun Xiao had known each other from before and seemed to have a not-so-shallow relationship, Yu Man’s address for him directly shifted to ”son-in-law.” Neither Yun Xiao nor Xu Hongzhuang noticed the change at this moment.

Seeing Yun Xiao nod, Yu Man then said somewhat wistfully, ”But even Elder Guo, a Spiritual Rank Advanced Meridian Refining Master, was helpless; surely you can’t be more capable than Elder Guo?”

”Son-in-law?”

This time, Yun Xiao finally noticed and almost spat out blood. Glancing sideways and seeing Xu Hongzhuang’s flushed face, yet not knowing how to explain, he simply chose to pretend he hadn’t heard it.

Seeing his straightforward nature, Yun Xiao did not bother arguing and, with a laugh, said, ”In treating illnesses and saving lives, sometimes it’s not about the level of Meridian Refining. Xiaolan, how about showing me to her?”

Compared to calling her Xu Hongzhuang, for some reason, Yun Xiao felt calling her Xiaolan was more intimate, a nuance Xu Hongzhuang naturally did not pick up on or understand why she instinctively nodded in agreement.

Although Xu Hongzhuang, like Yu Man, did not believe Yun Xiao could cure her mother—a sickness even a Spirit-grade Advanced Pulse Refining Master could not heal—

thinking about Yun Xiao’s performance in the Treasure Pavilion and the full confidence evident on his face, Xu Hongzhuang had never thought about refusing. Indeed, compared to an elusive Earth-rank Pulse Refining Master from the Royal Family, Yun Xiao was perhaps a real tangible hope.

”Come with me!”

Under Yu Man’s astonished gaze, Xu Hongzhuang didn’t hesitate for a second and led the way, soon arriving at the manor her mother was in.

The many elders and young disciples who had been guarding the manor a few days ago were not around, presumably busy with their own matters. Yun Xiao followed behind Xu Hongzhuang and entered the manor, pushing open the door.

Inside the room were two elders, one of whom was Lingyun Sect’s chief Meridian Master, Elder Guo. As the most formidable Elder in the art of Meridian Refining, he was indispensable at this critical moment.

The other was the former Sect Leader of Lingyun Sect, Xu Lingsong’s father; he highly valued his seriously ill daughter-in-law and also hoped for a miracle.

”Grandfather, Elder Guo!”

Upon entering, Xu Hongzhuang, seeing the attention of the two elders, respectfully bowed and then brought Yun Xiao forward, causing some confusion among the elders.

”Who is this...”

The old Sect Leader knew his granddaughter had always been proud and ambitious, with many talented young men from the Lingtian Empire failing to catch her eye; bringing an unfamiliar young man into her mother’s room suggested their relationship was not superficial.

”Grandfather, this is Yun Xiao!”

Xu Hongzhuang didn’t play coy, and she knew that even a simple name was unlikely to be unfamiliar to her grandfather.

”Yun Xiao pays his respects to the old Sect Leader!”

Although it was his first time meeting this old Sect Leader of Lingyun Sect, Yun Xiao instantly recognized who he was—one of the key figures in the marriage arrangement made by his maternal grandfather in the past.

Li Feng bests evil; sword sheathed, smiles at Hongzhuang!

This phrase had become a celebrated story back then and even the names Yun Xiao and Xu Hongzhuang originated from it. Yun Xiao’s maternal grandfather had passed away early, but this old Sect Leader of Lingyun Sect was still very much alive.

However, not quite understanding the deep secrets of the Lingyun Sect, Yun Xiao still harbored some caution. If the Shang Family’s destruction had been orchestrated by this old Sect Leader, then his nature would be extremely ruthless.

”Are you Yun Xiao?”