People fight and become emperors in advance

Chapter 245 Stealing a Half-Day of Leisure
The situation in Zhongzhou suddenly became turbulent, but so far it has not had a negative impact on Zixiao Pavilion. Instead, it has given Chen Xiao a pleasant surprise.

He strode towards the backyard, and the familiar scent grew stronger with each step.

Arriving at the courtyard that was very similar to the Xiao family's courtyard from back then, Chen Xiao quietly pushed open the door.

The furnishings in the courtyard were exactly as they had always been, as Chen Xiao remembered clearly; there had been no changes whatsoever.

The only change was that a beautiful figure appeared beside the stone table in the courtyard.

She was dressed in a light blue dress and sat at the stone table, like a graceful blue lotus. Because she was facing Chen Xiao from the side, he could only see half of her exquisite and flawless face.

She held an ancient book in her hands, studying it with great interest. This scene made Chen Xiao feel as if he had returned to the past.

He still remembered seeing Xun'er like this often when he was in the Xiao family. So many years have passed, and Xun'er has grown into a more beautiful and charming woman, and her strength has become more and more formidable. But some things have not changed at all.

The so-called restless person appears shallow even living in a grand hall, while the calm person shines with a clear light even in a humble room. At this moment, Chen Xiao felt that Xun'er was radiating such a moving light.

"Xun'er..." Chen Xiao called out softly.

Upon hearing this, the beautiful woman beside the stone table trembled almost imperceptibly and suddenly turned to look at him.

The moment their eyes met, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, followed by a gentle smile. That radiant smile instantly brightened the entire courtyard, as if the surrounding plants and trees became even more vibrant because of it.

"Brother Chen Xiao, you're back."

Her voice was as gentle as the evening breeze. Although it was a long-awaited reunion, there was no awkwardness at all. There was only the long-lost warmth of years of companionship from their youth, which instantly dispelled all the turmoil and dust in Chen Xiao's heart.

Chen Xiao nodded slightly, walked over and sat down next to Xun'er. He had so much to say, but it was stuck in his throat. He was overwhelmed with thoughts and didn't know where to begin.

Xun'er understood his thoughts better. Seeing his hesitant expression, she asked with a playful smile, "Brother Chen Xiao, would you like to guess why Xun'er came this time?"

Chen Xiao snapped out of his brief daze and, after a moment's thought, figured out the answer; the problem wasn't actually that hard to guess.

"Is it because of the Soul Palace?" he asked.

Xun'er had no intention of keeping them in suspense; she just wanted to use this opportunity to get them talking. Upon hearing this, she immediately nodded: "The Medicine Venerable of the Starfall Pavilion has discovered the secret of the Soul Palace. The reason they captured so many souls before was to extract their soul essence."

"This matter probably involves something deeper. If left unchecked, the balance between the various ancient races will surely be broken. The Soul Palace's ambitions have never been small."

"Therefore, including our ancient clan, after receiving the message from the Pill Tower, we all sent people to verify the situation and also to discuss a way to counter it."

As she said this, a sly glint flashed in her eyes: "It's all thanks to this that I had an excuse to come to Zhongzhou openly and legitimately."

The Soul Palace's collection of soul essence has been exposed, but Xun'er is unaware that Chen Xiao is the beginning of it all.

Her open and honest confession at this moment demonstrates her complete trust in Chen Xiao and the complete absence of any wariness.

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiao couldn't help but chuckle and said, "It's my fault for not considering things so thoroughly before. If I had known that the Soul Palace's collection of soul essences would cause such a commotion, I should have taken action against them much sooner."

Xun'er was taken aback by these words. She looked up at Chen Xiao, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes: "Brother Chen Xiao, do you mean... that the matter of the Soul Palace is related to you?"

Chen Xiao met her clear gaze, nodded frankly, and smiled faintly: "I happened to be there when Yao Chen was captured. I originally planned to use him to find the location of the Soul Palace, and then uproot it completely, so I could also gain some benefits from it. The soul essence in the destroyed branch palace was obtained by me. I have been absorbing and refining it these days. Xian'er has returned. Haven't you talked about this?"

Upon returning to Zixiao Pavilion, Chen Xiao noticed that apart from the surprise of Xun'er, everything else was normal, which is why he rushed over to see her immediately.

Chen Xiao spoke casually, as if he had only done a trivial matter, but his words gave Xun'er a slight jolt.

Looking at Chen Xiao's composed face, she suddenly realized that the savior Yao Chen had been unwilling to mention was actually him.

Recalling the boy who had to endure years of hardship to avenge his father's death, Xun'er could no longer suppress her smile, which now seemed to radiate pride as she watched him now make the behemoth that was the Soul Palace suffer a great loss.

"Brother Chen Xiao did such a big thing without making a sound. I met Little Fairy Doctor when she came back, but she was on the verge of a breakthrough at the time, so she didn't say much."

Is Little Fairy Doctor in seclusion preparing for a breakthrough?

Chen Xiao was overjoyed; this was undoubtedly another piece of good news!

The cultivation speed of the Calamity Poison Body never disappoints.

Perhaps the old Dragon Emperor's guidance played a role in this, which gave Chen Xiao some ideas.

Anyway, the old Dragon Emperor has nothing to do all day, so if we have time in the future, we can bring more people over to chat with him!

Putting that thought aside for the moment, Chen Xiao picked up his teacup and gently clinked it against Xun'er's: "In any case, it's a happy accident that I was able to bring you here."

Xun'er blushed slightly and nodded gently in agreement.

Skipping over that topic, Xun'er looked out of the courtyard and chuckled, "Back in the ancient clan, I heard Elder Ling report that Brother Chen Xiao is quite famous in Zhongzhou now, having replaced the Fenglei Pavilion and become one of the new Four Directions Pavilions."

"I really wanted to come and see it back then, and this time I finally had the chance to fulfill my wish. I didn't know until I saw it that Brother Chen Xiao's Zixiao Pavilion is much more powerful than I imagined!"

Xun'er's strength has always been a mystery.

But when it comes to knowledge and experience, even Chen Xiao today is ashamed of himself.

With Xun'er's keen eyesight, she could naturally see that this seemingly inconspicuous Qifeng Mountain was actually as solid as a rock, and it would be impossible to break through without the strength of a Dou Sheng!
Furthermore, the Purple Cloud Pavilion is guarded by several Dou Zun experts, whose strength has already far surpassed that of the other three pavilions.

"The Zixiao Pavilion is what it is today, and it is not my achievement alone. It is not appropriate to call it 'my Zixiao Pavilion.' Ziyan and Cailin are the owners here, and in the future, it is natural that you, Xun'er, should also have a share."

These blunt words made Xun'er's pretty face flush slightly and her ear tips feel a little hot, but she ultimately did not utter a word in rebuttal.

Looking at her like this, Chen Xiao continued with a smile: "The stronger you are, the more you can appreciate the unfathomable nature of the ancient races. I promised Xun'er that I would meet you at the summit, and I will not break my promise."

"But I alone am ultimately too insignificant. Zixiao Pavilion may seem weak in the face of the ancient clans now, but it is a real force. This force will grow stronger and stronger until one day, the ancient clans will also take it seriously. When that happens, I will be able to come and receive you with dignity!"

As he spoke, his gaze was bright and resolute, reflecting the sunlight in the courtyard, as if he had clearly laid out that distant future before his eyes. Xun'er looked at the earnestness in his eyes, and her heart felt as if it had been gently struck by something. Her previous shyness gradually faded away, replaced by an indescribable warmth and determination.

Xun'er gently placed her jade hand on Chen Xiao's palm, her tone firm and gentle: "In just twenty years, Brother Chen Xiao has achieved such great things. It is already extremely remarkable. Even among the ancient clans, no one of your age can compare to you. Brother Chen Xiao, you don't need to put too much pressure on yourself. No matter when or where, Xun'er will always stand by your side."

Her palms were warm and soft, and her words carried an undeniable power, like a warm current slowly flowing into Chen Xiao's heart.

In fact, with Chen Xiao's current strength, even if he went to the ancient clan, he would not be afraid of facing the challenges of the younger generation.

But he still has a long way to go before gaining the approval of the elders in the clan who hold high seniority and influence.

Don't be fooled by Xiao Yan's seemingly easy situation in the original story; Chen Xiao's circumstances are completely different.

Xiao Yan possesses the advantage of being an alchemist, as well as the remaining connection to the Xiao clan.

Although many elders of the ancient clans no longer care about the Xiao clan, there are still some who will speak up for him.

But what about Chen Xiao?

Aside from relying on their own abilities, they have no other advantages to depend on.

Therefore, he still needs to work hard if he wants to bring Xun'er out of the clan openly and legitimately.

At the very least, one must possess the strength of a Battle Saint to persuade those old guys to agree!
With the strength of a six-star Dou Zun, there is indeed still a long way to go before reaching the Dou Sheng realm, but Chen Xiao is not too worried.

Xiao Yan has his own strengths and advantages, and Chen Xiao naturally has his own confidence and resources.

Putting aside his distracting thoughts, Chen Xiao's smile returned.

"How long has Xun'er been at Zixiao Pavilion?"

Upon hearing this, Xun'er smiled and teased, "Brother Chen Xiao, are you worried that my meeting with Cai Lin and the others will cause an unpleasant incident?"

Chen Xiao chuckled awkwardly, his face showing even more unease after his secret was exposed.

Although he knew the girls' personalities and they were unlikely to do anything irrational, it would be too careless of him not to feel any tension in this situation.

Seeing his expression, Xun'er's smile deepened, and she continued, "The day Little Fairy Doctor returned, I happened to be at Zixiao Pavilion. In the past few days, I've seen Cao Ying, Cai Lin, and Yao Yao..."

She paused here, her gaze falling on Chen Xiao's slightly tense face. Seeing that he was indeed a little nervous, she smiled and said, "It was all quite pleasant. Yao Yao is a lively and adorable child, and I like her very much. But Cao Ying always seems to avoid me when she sees me."

The reason is actually quite simple.

The Cao family initially went to the Northwest because they received news of Xun'er and Qinglin, intending to trade for the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame. However, no one expected things to develop to this point.

Therefore, Cao Ying felt somewhat guilty in front of Xun'er, and had a strange feeling that she had taken Xun'er's things.

Of course, the main reason is that we are not familiar with each other.

Like Qinglin, Cao Ying gradually came to terms with it after spending a long time with her.

Seeing Chen Xiao's expression shift from tense to relaxed, Xun'er changed the subject and softened her tone: "Brother Chen Xiao, just relax. I said last time that as long as you don't do anything reckless, I won't put you in a difficult position."

Hearing Xun'er bring up the matter again, Chen Xiao finally felt relieved.

With the tension in his heart dissipating, Chen Xiao gradually became more talkative.

It has been almost three years since we parted ways, and even if we just talk about our experiences during this time in a plain and simple way, it is not something that can be finished in a short time.

In comparison, Xun'er's cultivation days in the ancient clan were rather monotonous, with not many interesting things to talk about.

On the contrary, Xun'er listened with great interest to Chen Xiao's various encounters.

Chen Xiao made no secret of this, starting from their parting at Luoshen Gorge, recounting how he found the Netherworld Poison Fire for Little Fairy Doctor in the Blackwater Abyss, and also talking about the False Heaven in the far north, even detailing his gains in those places.

He only briefly mentioned the whereabouts of the Bai people.

Not only because he had promised the White Dragon Venerable, but also because, apart from the branch that remained on the Northern Continent, he still did not know the whereabouts of the rest of the Bai people, nor had he ever deliberately tried to find them.

Sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves in the courtyard, casting dappled shadows on the two people's clasped hands. It was a tranquil and warm moment, as if even time itself had slowed down.

After Chen Xiao finished recounting his experiences over the past three years, the sky was already tinged with the colors of dusk. The sunset was exceptionally bright red, as if someone had splashed a large amount of rouge across the sky, making half of the sky dazzling and radiant.

"I felt earlier that the Thunder Tower seemed a bit out of place in the pavilion. It turns out it's an old relic left over from the Wind and Thunder North Pavilion. I've spent most of my time in the backyard these days and haven't had a proper look at the Purple Cloud Pavilion yet. Brother Chen Xiao, why don't you show me around?"

When Xun'er extended the invitation, Chen Xiao naturally did not refuse.

He stood up with a smile and casually picked up the empty cup on the stone table: "Just what I wanted, let them get to know Xun'er too."

Xun'er's pretty face flushed slightly, but she didn't refuse.

Chen Xiao got up, took Xun'er's hand, and walked out of the backyard together. Along the way, they made no attempt to hide their intimate relationship.

Before long, all the disciples and elders of Zixiao Pavilion knew that there was another Pavilion Master's wife!
In the backyard, after Chen Xiao and Xun'er left, the tightly closed gate of Cao Ying's courtyard was opened, and Cao Ying and Qing Lin came out together.

"Sister Ying, Sister Xun'er is a very nice person."

Seeing Cao Ying acting like a thief, Qing Lin couldn't help but chuckle.

Cao Ying nodded in agreement, "Of course I know after these few days of contact, but I just don't want to disturb them. It's fine if Little Fairy Doctor is in seclusion, but look at Cai Lin's side, she didn't get involved either. Xun'er rarely comes back, let them stay a little longer."

“Let’s go check out Cai Lin’s place. Cai Lin said that Xun’er’s gift to Yao Yao seemed too expensive, and she asked you to come over too so she can ask you about it.”

(End of this chapter)