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Chapter 284: The Runaway Niece and Nephew
Chapter 284: The Runaway Niece and Nephew
"Who gave you the guts to run off without so much as a word?"
The person holding Ah Qing back was a tall woman with a beautiful but not overly flamboyant appearance. Her gentle and quiet demeanor was accentuated by a simple, long robe.
"I... I left a note," Ah Qing stammered, instinctively trying to escape, only to find that she couldn't break free from the woman's grip.
She put on a cute smile and pleaded in a pitiful tone, "Aunt, please let me go."
"Xu Qing'er!"
The woman scolded her, pinching her cheeks, "Are you trying to get yourself killed? The outside world is not a place for someone at your level of cultivation, yet you dare to take the Xu family's array manual with you! Are you trying to anger your father to death?"
"There are so many interesting things in the book that I've never seen before. I just wanted to take a look..."
Ah Qing continued to plead, her eyes darting towards the Eight Directions Food Pavilion.
When will Brother Shen realize she's missing?
"Heh, you're still hoping for someone to rescue you?"
The woman lifted her effortlessly, whispering, "I brought the complete Hundred Ghosts Calming Array with me this time. Do you want to give it a try?"
"Hmph."
Xu Qing'er gave up struggling, her limbs dangling helplessly.
Her aunt was the odd one in the Xu family. Unlike the others, she didn't focus on learning arrays; instead, she excelled in cultivation.
With a cultivation base at the Extremity Realm, she had even the elders of the clan tongue-tied.
Moreover, her father doted on her immensely and provided her with all sorts of ready-made magical arrays, making her combined strength unimaginable.
"I advise you to put me down, or else..."
"Or else what?"
A hint of arrogance flashed across the woman's face, contrasting with her gentle features.
"Or else you might have to stay here."
A calm voice sounded from behind the woman, causing her to stiffen. She instinctively wanted to turn around but immediately felt the hand pressed against her spine.
A scorching sensation emanated from the palm, as if it could melt a Nascent Soul.
The woman took a deep breath, her fingers relaxing as she dropped the girl she had been holding. "Who are you?"
Ah Qing's face lit up with delight, and she scurried behind Shen Yi, only poking her head out to say, "I don't want to go back!"
Hearing this, Shen Yi raised an eyebrow and shot Ah Qing a sideways glance.
He had just seen the woman holding her, threatening her quietly, and had assumed she had been caught by someone from the Mysterious Light Cave.
Now, however, it seemed more like a story of a rebellious youngster running away from home and being caught by her family.
Shen Yi casually retracted the fire and continued walking towards the Food Pavilion.
While Ah Qing was useful to him, he wasn't about to snatch her away right in front of her elder. Besides, the places he intended to go were quite dangerous.
To be honest, he was surprised that despite having reached the Nascent Soul Realm, she still didn't have the freedom to make her own choices.
"Hey!"
Ah Qing was about to explain and ask Brother Shen to let her aunt go when she suddenly realized her backup was gone. She found herself face-to-face with the woman's cold expression once more.
Ah Qing shuddered and quickly put on a smile, trying to evoke her aunt's maternal instincts. "Aunt, Qing'er knows she was wrong."
But instead of the expected response, her aunt rubbed her wrist and reached for her.
"Aunt!"
"Aunt, I'm Qing'er... Xu Wanyun, don't go too far!"
"I think you're the one going too far. What did you just call me?" Xu Wanyun grabbed her by the collar, intending to teach her a lesson. She lifted her hand, but seeing Ah Qing's pitiful face, she hesitated.
Sighing, she turned her gaze in the direction Shen Yi had left. "You even gave him the Stealth Array Plate. Don't you know that plate has the Xu family's mark on it? If he has any connection to the Mysterious Light Cave, you would be dead by now."
Xu Qing'er waved her hand, and after a moment of hesitation, Xu Wanyun leaned closer.
The next moment, her fair face contorted in pain.
Two slender fingers pinched her cheeks, as if wanting to tear her face apart.
'You've gotten bolder. You dared to provoke the Mysterious Light Cave as soon as you left, and even a true Nascent Soul cultivator,' a proud and boastful young man said.
He continued, taking credit for the success of the Nascent Soul cultivator's defeat. '...and it was my final strike that truly made the difference.'
"...'
Xu Qing'er rolled her eyes and pouted, 'I only told you about the grudge between the Xu family and the Mysterious Light Cave because I saw how capable you are. Don't go blabbing about it.'
'Your Xu family, your Xu family!'
Xu Wanyun vented her anger on Xu Qing'er's face before letting go, still shaken by what had just happened.
She waved her hand, dispelling the concealment array around them.
No longer wanting to discuss what had just transpired, she said, 'Let's go home,' in an unquestionable tone.
'But I want to see the age-old tree... It's a living one, and it might even have become a spirit root. Don't you want to take a look?' Xu Qing'er tried to entice her aunt, knowing her well. Her aunt was the odd one in the family, the only one besides herself who disliked arrays and preferred the freedom of cultivation.
'Don't play dumb. If you didn't want to leave, why did you come looking for me instead of asking your father to come?' Xu Wanyun saw through her niece's ploy.
'I...' Xu Qing'er was momentarily lost for words, then pouted and shot her a glare. 'Fine, just this once, but never again.'
Xu Wanyun was an Extremity Realm master of the Mixed Element Sect, and with her array of techniques, she was one of the top powerhouses in the area.
And yet, she didn't even have the freedom to breathe the air as she pleased.
Anyone would resent such a situation, but she had fooled the entire clan with her serene demeanor, except for her niece, who saw through her act.
'Tell me where the tree is, and I'll take you there,' Xu Wanyun said, adjusting her breath to soothe the slight burning sensation on her back, feeling a bit displeased.
'Using the Xu family's resources against them is just too much,' she added.
'I don't want you to take me there; your experience in the outside world is lacking, and you're as clumsy as they come,' Xu Qing'er said, happy to be free. She then walked straight towards the Food Pavilion to find Shen Yi.
Finding him in a corner, she patted her chest and handed him the small notebook. 'Brother Shen, these are the things I just traded for. I spent about 30% of the wealth in my storage bag, and another 40% to get that message.'
'Done?' Shen Yi asked, looking up.
Xu Qing'er turned to look at her expressionless aunt, who had just entered the Food Pavilion, and said, 'I guess so.'
Shen Yi flipped through the notebook but couldn't make sense of the items listed.
'I took a look at the cultivation techniques they offered, and they were all cheap stuff. The truly valuable techniques are rarely carried around, so I traded for other things instead,' Xu Qing'er explained.
Leaning closer to Shen Yi, she breathed, 'These are for repairing the Nine Swords Annihilation Array, and I know how to improve it too.'
Seeing their interaction, Xu Wanyun clenched her fists unconsciously.
'Stay away from him,' she said through gritted teeth.
Shen Yi gently pushed Xu Qing'er's head away, feeling a bit speechless.
After all, to outsiders, he still looked like a scholar, and with his delicate features, it was easy for people to get the wrong idea.
'Okay, okay!' Xu Qing'er nodded obediently.
Seeing this, Xu Wanyun's anger finally subsided, and she adjusted her expression before sitting down across from Shen Yi.
(End of Chapter)
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