Chapter 55: Senior, You Must Have Mistaken for Soone Else
The world's affections are fickle, human feelings are vile; rain sees off dusk, flowers fall easily.
As these words were spoken, Nian Zhaoxi's already agonizing heart suddenly felt a pain so intense it was as if a thousand needles were tearing it apart!
Gu Xiu... how could he say such a thing?
One must know that the Gu Xiu of the past was spirited and high-spirited. Though he had countless formidable enemies, he also made friends far and wide across the lands! Moreover, he never looked at their cultivation level; he only cared if they were compatible in temperant. Whether you were a peddler or a porter, a prince or a minister, as long as Gu Xiu acknowledged you, he would treat you with genuine sincerity!
Back then, Nian Zhaoxi had once asked Gu Xiu why he enjoyed making friends from all walks of life. At that ti, Gu Xiu's reply was also a line of poetry: A bosom friend afar brings a distant land near!
These words had once filled Nian Zhaoxi with admiration for his heroic spirit. She had felt a pang of envy, thinking that her little junior brother truly deserved the na of a peerless exiled immortal.
But... it was this very sa heroic prodigy who advocated for bosom friends across the seas... who one day would utter the words: rain sees off dusk, flowers fall easily...
What did this an? Or rather... what had caused him to change his thinking, to beco like this?
In truth, Nian Zhaoxi knew why. And so her heart grew even more distressed, to the point where even breathing felt imnsely difficult. Her eyes were filled with sorrow and heartache.
Little Junior Brother... Senior Sister is sorry! Senior Sister is truly, truly sorry for you!
At this mont, Nian Zhaoxi's heart was filled with boundless guilt, and two clear streams of tears began to fall uncontrollably, drip-dropping onto the ground.
Seeing her like this, Ye Hongling couldn't help but feel sowhat surprised. Although she didn't know why this powerful and terrifying senior was in such a state, she guessed in her heart: Could there be so relationship between her and him?
"Senior," Ye Hongling asked, "is that fellow Daoist I t your... friend?"
"Not a friend," Nian Zhaoxi shook her head and answered firmly. "He is my younger brother!"
"A younger brother closer than a blood brother!"
What???
Ye Hongling was stunned for a mont before finding it sowhat unbelievable. "Senior must be joking?"
"Although that fellow Daoist is astonishing, he couldn't possibly be your younger brother?"
"Could it be that you've mistaken him for soone else? A misunderstanding?"
Nian Zhaoxi looked puzzled, not understanding why Ye Hongling would say such a thing. But then she heard Ye Hongling continue.
"That fellow Daoist indeed has extraordinary aspects. However, he likely does not co from any major sect or have any exceptionally lofty background."
"What makes you say that?" Nian Zhaoxi asked curiously.
Ye Hongling replied without hesitation, "It's simple. That fellow Daoist didn't even have a decent weapon."
These words struck Nian Zhaoxi like a thunderbolt. She froze on the spot.
"From the first mont I saw that fellow Daoist until the end, his weapon was always just a broken wooden stick picked up from the roadside."
"If he had a sect background—even the most ordinary third-rate sect—they would at least issue so common weaponry if not magical or spiritual artifacts."
"Senior possesses many treasures. If that fellow Daoist were truly your younger brother, his weapon certainly wouldn't be so poor as to use a broken wooden stick."
"So, Junior estimates that the person Senior has in mind is likely not the sa person I'm talking about," Ye Hongling stated with certainty.
She felt there must have been so misunderstanding. The Gu Xiu who had saved her that day was indeed astonishing and worthy of admiration, but he couldn't possibly be the younger brother of such a powerful figure.
How could an elder sister have so many treasures while her younger brother was so poor he didn't even have a proper weapon?
It was precisely this certainty of hers that made Nian Zhaoxi's expression turn sowhat unnatural. She stamred an explanation.
"His... his weapon t with an accident and broke... there wasn't ti to repair or replace it."
"His weapon broke?" Ye Hongling shook her head with a smile. "That could only be considered a coincidence; it absolutely cannot be the person Senior speaks of."
"This... why not?"
"Look at spirit stones," Ye Hongling replied. "Although that fellow Daoist only had Qi Refining third-layer cultivation, his aura was steady and condensed—clearly soone with exceptional aptitude."
"Such an individual would undoubtedly be given abundant resources for cultivation by any sect. Yet that fellow Daoist possessed no special skills or storage-type magical treasures... he didn't even have many spirit stones."
Saying 'not many' was being polite. Ye Hongling recalled how Gu Xiu had scraped every last bit like a wild goose plucking feathers—extorting spirit stones from her and imdiately using them for cultivation himself. Clearly his pockets were utterly empty!
If he were truly a sect's prodigy, why would he need to extort those few spirit stones from her? He wouldn't even look at them!
But if she hadn't said this it might have been better; upon hearing it, Nian Zhaoxi's expression grew even more awkward.
What could she say? That Gu Xiu's monthly allowance in the sect was even less than that of servant disciples? That despite being her younger brother, he didn't even have one spirit stone or one storage-type magical treasure?
"He... he had so disagreents with... his family when he left... he didn't have ti to take much with him when he departed."
Nian Zhaoxi could only stamr out another reply. She herself felt ashad to speak of this matter with outsiders and was even more embarrassed to reveal that she ca from the Qingxuan Sacred Land. She absolutely did not want such things spread abroad.
However... Ye Hongling shook her head again. "That's also impossible; Senior must definitely have mistaken him for soone else."
"And why is that?"
Nian Zhaoxi was starting to feel apprehensive. She had been to that cave; what Ye Hongling described matched exactly what she had investigated herself—not to ntion Ye Hongling still carried traces of Gu Xiu's aura. This clearly wasn't a case of mistaken identity!
And yet...
"If we say lacking weapons or magical treasures is because they broke; lacking spirit stones or storage treasures is because he didn't take them when leaving ho..."
"But there is one thing that is absolutely impossible." Ye Hongling stated with certainty now.
Nian Zhaoxi felt sowhat helpless yet also curious. "What is it?"
"Simple—cultivation techniques!"
Ye Hongling said, "When that fellow Daoist cultivated, spiritual energy from all directions gathered as if paying homage—the scene was quite astonishing."
"But all of that was thanks to his cultivation aptitude. In truth, Junior observed carefully when that fellow Daoist cultivated; his cultivation technique was quite ordinary."
"Of course, when Junior says ordinary it's only relative to Senior's level. That fellow Daoist's cultivation technique likely does not exceed Mysterious-rank low-tier at most."
"For an ordinary rogue cultivator, this technique would definitely be considered excellent—but for the younger brother of soone as powerful as Senior..."
"This is simply impossible!"
Ye Hongling spoke these words with great certainty; this was also why she believed Nian Zhaoxi had mistaken his identity.
After all... Mysterious-rank techniques aren't bad; for most rogue cultivators and ordinary third-rate sects they represent top-tier techniques one can access. But it depends on who you compare them to!
This fairy-like senior before her possessed nurous magical treasures; even the silk dress she wore clearly held great value. The cultivation technique such a person practiced—if not Heaven-rank—would at least reach Earth-rank standards!
Being the younger brother of such a great senior—and possessing exceptional aptitude himself—yet instead of cultivating his elder sister's superior technique, choosing to practice so low-tier technique?
Isn't that putting the cart before the horse? Who does such things? Who would believe it?
If it really were so, how malicious must this elder sister be?
Therefore, at this mont, Ye Hongling was almost completely certain: The benefactor fellow Daoist who saved her and this benefactor senior before her absolutely could not possibly have any relationship!!!
However... just as Ye Hongling thought this, she noticed Nian Zhaoxi hadn't responded for quite so ti, prompting her curiosity.
"Senior, why aren't you speaking?"
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