Xia Yan had grown up in the Hidden Dragon Martial Sect. She was dubbed as a prodigy from a young age, and her background was formidable too.

  There were many important figures who bore great expectations of her and doted on her. Even in a place like the Hidden Dragon Martial Sect, she was treated like a lofty princess.

  Due to that, those around her tended to fawn on her, sometimes even fearing her.

  Xia Yan had always been frustrated about how she could never find a friend whom she could really give her heart out to as she couldn’t tell who was being sincere to her.

  However, when she was sixteen, she finally found a friend who treated her earnestly. That friend was of the same age as her too, and she was brought into the Hidden Dragon Martial Sect at a young age due to her unique Divine Power.

  Her name was Zhao Xiaobu.

  Due to her sincerity and their common interests, it didn’t take long for them to become good friends. Xie Yan cared a lot about this friend whom she had been wanting for a long time, but due to her being brought up in an extremely privileged environment, it was inevitable that she would have quite a haughty attitude.

  She would often vent her temper at Zhao Xiaobu, but the latter would never get angry or change her attitude toward her due to that.

  Xia Yan was well aware of how tolerant Zhao Xiaobu was of her flaws, and it made her treasure her even more.

  However, there was once they were out on a mission that Xia Yan made a grave error due to her greed and ended up in deep trouble. During a crucial moment, Zhao Xiaobu stepped forth to save Xia Yan. Xia Yan managed to survive the ordeal, but Zhao Xiaobu ended up suffering grievous injuries due to that encounter.

  In order to save Zhao Xiaobu, Xia Yan engaged the help of her grandfather and even the sectmaster herself too. However, her injuries were simply so severe that she still ended up losing her life in the end.

  Xia Yan was anguished by Zhao Xiaobu’s death, feeling guilt-ridden that she had caused it. She wanted to make it up to Zhao Xiaobu, but there was no way to bring back the dead. She could only find other means to do so.

  It just so happened that Zhao Xiaobu had once told Xia Yan that she had a younger brother, and this younger brother’s name was Zhao Xiaoran.

  Zhao Xiaobu and Zhao Xiaoran’s parents had died when they were still young, so the two of them huddled tightly together for survival. However, after Zhao Xiaobu was brought into the Hidden Dragon Martial Sect, Zhao Xiaoran was left all alone outside to fend for himself.

  Zhao Xiaobu had always been worried about her younger brother, and she had pleaded with the elders many times to bring her younger brother into the sect. It was just that Zhao Xiaoran’s talent didn’t meet the mark, so her wish couldn’t be realized.

  Before her death, she made her very first and last request to Xia Yan. She begged Xia Yan to use her connections to take care of her younger brother so that Zhao Xiaoran could at least live without worries.

  In order to make it up to Zhao Xiaobu, Xia Yan agreed to the request without any hesitation. So, after Zhao Xiaobu died, she pleaded with her grandfather to bring Zhao Xiaoran into the sect.

  Her grandfather rejected it without any hesitation due to Zhao Xiaoran’s lacking talent, but after days of seeing Xia Yan in a gloomy mood, lacking motivation even in her cultivation, he eventually made an exception and brought Zhao Xiaoran in.

  As soon as Zhao Xiaoran was brought into the sect, Xia Yan immediately acknowledged him as her sworn brother and was extremely tolerant of him.

  She wanted to repay what she owed to Zhao Xiaobu to Zhao Xiaoran.

  And this Zhao Xiaoran was no other than Xia Ran.

  After being acknowledged as Xia Yan’s sworn brother, Zhao Xiaoran changed his name to Xia Ran in order to create a deeper association between the two of them. To be frank, Xia Yan was extremely displeased with this action of his. After all, she wasn’t really fond of Zhao Xiaoran; she was just trying to make up for what she owed to Zhao Xiaobu through him.

  Every time Xia Yan thought about Zhao Xiaobu, she would find herself more and more condoning of Zhao Xiaoran’s vile deeds. No matter what kind of wrongs he committed, Xia Yan would stand on his side.

  In the end, others began viewing Xia Yan’s action as a sign that she was extremely doting of Xia Ran, and the fact that she allowed Xia Ran to take on her surname further drove in the belief as well.

  “So, it’s not that you’re oblivious to Xia Ran’s deeds. You just wanted to help Zhao Xiaobu take care of her younger brother,” Chu Feng asked.

  “You might find it hard to believe, but I actually loathe Xia Ran a lot,” Xia Yan said.

  “I can tell. What I saw on your face after striking him wasn’t remorse but liberation,” Chu Feng said.

  “I’ve long told myself that I can’t continue to condone his actions, and I even thought of sending him outside the Hidden Dragon Martial Sect too. It’s just that every time such a thought arose in my mind, I would hear Xiaobu’s voice, telling me to take good care of her younger brother,” Xia Yan said with a conflicted face.

  “If Zhao Xiaobu is still around, I believe that she wouldn’t blindly condone Xia Ran either, let alone allowing you to do so,” Chu Feng said.

  “Yes, I’ve made a grave mistake here. If I didn’t keep turning a blind eye to his misdeed, he wouldn’t have ended up the person he is,” Xia Yan said.

  “You do have a responsibility to take in this, but don’t fault yourself too much. You have given him the best conditions here at the Hidden Dragon Martial Sect to rise through the ranks, but he chose to trample all over it himself. So, what are you planning to do from now on? Are you really going to just let him be? If so, he’ll have a lot to suffer from now onward.”


  Chu Feng could tell that Xia Ran had offended many people. If Xia Yan really chose not to help Xia Ran anymore, the latter would have hell to pay for. There might be quite a few people out there who would try to take his life.

  Chu Feng couldn’t care less about Xia Ran’s life and death, but after learning about Xia Yan’s relationship with Xia Ran, he was worried that Xia Yan might regret her decision here. She would likely blame herself for life if Xia Ran were to meet his end here.

  “I’ll demote him to the outer hall and let him experience how difficult life is. Afterward, I’ll get my grandfather to help me send him out of the Hidden Dragon Martial Sect…… I think he’s more suited to be a mortal,” Xia Yan said.

  “No matter how much resources you have given him, he would still need to have quite some talent in order to reach his current level of accomplishment. He wouldn’t have been a bad cultivator, but it’s just a pity that he’s a horrible human being.

  “In any case, Xia Ran did manage to experience a life which most would never be able to enjoy. It was transient, but still, he was lucky. Since you have already made up your mind, you should just toss the matter aside and don’t think about it anymore,” Chu Feng consoled.

  “Yes, you’re right. I understand the logic behind it too…… Do you know why I suddenly made up my mind to stop condoning him and punish him instead?” Xia Yan suddenly asked.

  “What other reason could there be? Your tolerance simply hit its limit. The longer you tolerate a person, the greater the rebound will be,” Chu Feng said.

  “No, that’s wrong.” Xia Yan shook her head.

  “Oh? What’s the reason then? Surely it can’t be due to me, right?” Chu Feng asked with a smile.

  “You sure are a shameless person. Alright, I’ll be heading back now,.”


  Xia Yan suddenly started rising to her feet.

  “Hey, you haven’t told me the reason yet,” Chu Feng asked.

  “I decided that I shan’t tell you anymore. I’ll be heading back first. See you tomorrow,” Xia Yan said with a smile before rising into the sky and flying off.

  “Keeping me in suspense, huh?”


  Chu Feng shook his head before returning to his residence. Unexpectedly, there was still a crowd present at his doorstep. Even the chief elder and the others were here too.

  But this time around, the commotion was not caused by Xia Ran but by someone else—Nangong Yuliu.