Battle Through the Heavens: I can solidify the talents of all things

Chapter 71, Goodbye Xun'er! Qinglin: Sister Xun'er

Seeing Xiao Zhan looking at her, Qing Lin subconsciously shrank behind Xiao Qing, her small hands tightly gripping the hem of Xiao Qing's robe.

Xiao Qing turned to the side, gently brought Qing Lin in front of him, and introduced her with a gentle smile: "Uncle, her name is Qing Lin. She is the younger sister I took in when I was training outside."

"Azure Scales? What a nice name!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhan glanced at Qing Lin a few times. Seeing that although she was timid, her eyes were clear, he smiled and nodded, his tone becoming even gentler.

"Since she is Qing'er's adopted sister, she is now a member of our Xiao family. Treat this place as your own home and don't feel awkward."

Sensing Xiao Zhan's goodwill, Qing Lin's tense mood relaxed somewhat.

Qinglin raised her head, glanced timidly at Xiao Zhan, unsure of how to address him, and finally whispered, "Thank you—thank you, Uncle Xiao."

"Haha, good boy."

Xiao Zhan laughed heartily, then told Xiao Qing a few more words about taking a rest before leaving in a hurry.

As the head of the clan, he had a mountain of matters to handle personally before his coming-of-age ceremony.

After seeing Xiao Zhan off, Xiao Qing led Qing Lin toward her small villa.

The closer Xiao Qing got to the villa, the slower her pace became, as her soul perception spread out quietly like invisible ripples.

Soon, the situation inside the villa became clearly imprinted in Xiao Qing's mind.

In the courtyard, a familiar little figure was gently swaying on a swing.

In a shadowy corner of the villa, a mysterious yet powerful aura lurked – that of Ling Ying, a guard from the ancient clan.

Xiao Qing's gaze seemingly casually swept over the direction where Ling Ying was hiding, and the corners of her mouth slightly turned up, revealing a knowing smile.

That girl's got some information. She's been waiting here so early—looks like I'll have to use some sweet talk to coax her later.

He could almost picture Gu Xun'er's feigned composure, but actually furious, expression after learning that he had brought back a little girl.

However, he believed that with Xun'er's kind heart, once she understood Qinglin's background, she would definitely accept this pitiful yet adorable little sister.

Ling Ying, hidden in the shadows, appeared the instant Xiao Qing's soul perception swept over him.

His muscles tensed suddenly, and a strong sense of crisis surged into his heart, almost causing him to lose control of his breathing.

"This soul power—it's Young Master Xiao Qing!"

Ling Ying was horrified. He clearly felt Xiao Qing's meaningful glance and the immense and refined power contained in that soul, far surpassing anything he had ever seen before.

"Such a powerful soul aura—a prodigy, truly a prodigy! No wonder even the clan leader praised this young man!"

Ling Ying's face, hidden in the shadows, was filled with shock and disbelief.

He was ordered to protect the young lady and was quite familiar with Xiao Qing.

But in less than a year since he left, Xiao Qing's strength, especially his soul realm, has improved to such a terrifying level!

Such talent would be extremely rare, even among the most talented ancient clans!

Xiao Qing, holding Qing Lin's hand, pushed open the courtyard gate of the villa and went inside.

The yard was still clean and tidy, and the swing made of thick vines and sturdy wooden planks hung quietly under the old tree.

At that moment, a beautiful little girl was sitting on the swing.

She didn't swing very high, but each rise and fall carried a natural elegance, her skirt swaying gently in the wind, like a vivid painting.

This swing was made by Xiao Qing a few years ago to relieve his boredom, but unexpectedly it later became Gu Xun'er's favorite place to stay.

Qinglin finally saw the "Sister Xun'er" that Xiao Qing had mentioned.

Looking at Gu Xun'er on the swing, whose ethereal temperament and exquisite features made her seem unlike any ordinary girl.

Qinglin felt as if the other person was a fairy shrouded in a halo, and a sense of inferiority rose involuntarily in her heart. The tension and inferiority that had just subsided resurfaced.

"Brother Xiao Qing!"

Gu Xun'er caught a glimpse of the figure entering out of the corner of her eye and immediately jumped lightly off the swing.

Then, it pounced over quickly, its clear voice filled with barely suppressed joy.

"Xun'er, I'm back." Xiao Qing smiled and opened her arms, catching the little girl who rushed towards her. She then picked her up and spun her around, examining her carefully.

"Yes, our Xun'er has grown a lot taller and is even more beautiful!"

"Of course!" Hearing Xiao Qing's praise, Gu Xun'er immediately beamed with pride, but then she remembered something, pouted, and pretended to be dissatisfied and complained.

"You idiot, Brother Xiao Qing! You've been away training for almost a year now, of course Xun'er will have grown taller! You broke your promise, you said you'd be back in six months at most!"

Seeing Gu Xun'er's charmingly naive appearance—clearly happy but pretending to be angry—Xiao Qing's face showed a hint of embarrassment and apology.

"Yes, yes, it was Brother Xiao Qing's fault. I apologize to you." Xiao Qing's tone was sincere, but then he changed the subject and said with a hint of mystery.

"But I brought you a gift, okay? Consider it an apology."

Upon hearing the word "gift," Gu Xun'er's beautiful eyes instantly lit up, as if filled with starlight.

Gu Xun'er's feigned dissatisfaction vanished instantly.

Gu Xun'er nodded vigorously, her voice regaining its previous cheerfulness: "Really? Then—then for the sake of the gift, Xun'er will forgive Brother Xiao Qing for now!"

"We really have to thank our magnanimous Miss Xun'er!" Xiao Qing couldn't help but chuckle, playing along with her act.

Xiao Qing took out a meticulously crafted object from his storage ring.

It was a crystal core about the size of a baby's fist, entirely crimson, radiating a faint warmth, which had been cleverly sculpted into a lifelike little figure.

Upon closer inspection, the little girl's facial features and expression bore a striking resemblance to Gu Xun'er from a year ago!

Even the slightly raised chin, conveying a hint of pride, is depicted with remarkable realism.

This was carved by Xiao Qing himself, using the magic core of the first fifth-tier magical beast he killed in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, the Demon Flame Wolf. He had spent a lot of effort carving it out.

"This is... me?"

Gu Xun'er took the "little fire man" and held it in her hands, examining it carefully with great affection, liking it more and more the more she looked at it.

This was not only the first gift she received that Xiao Qing had made by hand.

More importantly, this gift carries Xiao Qing's longing for Gu Xun'er during his training abroad, making it exceptionally meaningful.

A smile brighter than the sun bloomed on her little face as she carefully put the "little fireman" away.

Taking advantage of Gu Xun'er's good mood, Xiao Qing gave a more concise account of his experiences during the past year.

The text focuses on how Qinglin, a lonely and helpless girl, was encountered in Mocheng, a town on the edge of the Tagor Desert.

Then, Xiao Qing gently pulled over Qing Lin, who had been standing quietly to the side and seemed a little flustered, and formally introduced her to Gu Xun'er: "Xun'er, come and get acquainted! This is Qing Lin, my little sister."

Then, he looked at Qinglin and said encouragingly, "Qinglin, this is Sister Xun'er whom I mentioned to you before."

""

Qinglin took a deep breath, mustered her courage, raised her little face, and called out timidly and softly to Gu Xun'er, "Xun--Sister Xun'er."

That one word, "Sister," seemed to possess a strange magic, instantly striking a soft spot in Gu Xun'er's heart.

It's like she's the youngest in her family and has never experienced being called "older sister".

Hearing Qinglin's soft, timid call, and looking into her clear yet uneasy eyes...

Gu Xun'er felt a novel and warm feeling well up inside her.

Even the slight resentment that had arisen earlier because Xiao Qing had brought back a stranger vanished in an instant.

She, Gu Xun'er, is now an older sister!

"Yes!" Gu Xun'er responded loudly, her face beaming with an unprecedentedly radiant smile.

Gu Xun'er took the initiative to step forward and affectionately held Qing Lin's small hand.

Xiao Qing then revealed Qing Lin's tragic past—

She faced discrimination due to her mixed-race heritage, the early death of her mother, and the passing of her adoptive grandmother.

She recounted her ordeal in the desert city, enduring loneliness and scorn, in a tone she tried to remain as calm as possible.

Hearing about Qinglin's unfortunate experience, Gu Xun'er's bright eyes gradually became misty and slightly red.

Gu Xun'er was born into an ancient clan. Although she knew about the hardships of the world, she had never been so close to such a tragic fate.

A strong sense of sympathy and protectiveness rose in Gu Xun'er's heart.

Gu Xun'er held Qing Lin's hand tightly, her little face full of seriousness and determination. She said in an almost vow-like tone, "Qing Lin, don't be afraid! From now on, I'm your older sister! If anyone dares to bully you, just tell me, and I'll definitely teach them a lesson!"

"Sister Xun'er————"

Feeling the unreserved sincerity and warmth in Gu Xun'er's words, Qing Lin's nose tingled, her eyes instantly reddened, and glistening tears welled up in her eyes, almost falling.

Joy began to well up in her heart.

Brother Xiao Qing is so good to me, and now Sister Xun'er is so good to Qing Lin too — Qing Lin is so lucky —

"Come on, little Qinglin, let's go play on the swings! It'll be so much fun!"

Gu Xun'er excitedly grabbed Qing Lin's hand and ran towards the swing under the old tree.

She carefully helped Qinglin onto the swing, then stood behind her and gently pushed her.

At first, Qinglin was a little nervous, her little hands gripping the swing ropes tightly.

But as the swing slowly rose, a gentle breeze brushed against my cheek, and I could hear Gu Xun'er's silvery laughter beside me.

Qinglin's tense face gradually relaxed, and a subtle yet real smile slowly appeared at the corners of her mouth.

Xiao Qing stood not far away, watching the two little girls laughing crisply on the swing in the sunlight.

Seeing the pure and beautiful friendship that quickly formed between them, a gratified and warm smile couldn't help but appear on my lips.

Qinglin and Xun'er have become playmates. Their days in the Xiao family should be happier, and they won't feel lonely anymore.

Xiao Qing's return and Qing Lin's arrival seem to have injected new life and vitality into the peaceful Xiao family villa.