Chapter 04: Xun Er’s Affection *Edited
‘Why does everything come down to luck…?’ Xiao Hua sighed wryly. However, he had already resolved to save her no matter what. Even if it’s just a Regular-Rank Bloodline, he would do everything he could to save her.
'Damn System! You better not lying about the luck thing, else I'm going to need a huge refund on that points I waste!' Xiao Hua cursed inwardly.
SPIN IT!
He watched as the wheel started to spin. After a while, the wheel landed, revealing the bloodline he would receive. His body trembled with excitement, and a fierce, excited smile spread across his face.
“Hey, Old Man! Do me a favor and put up a barrier around this courtyard!” Xiao Hua shouted, his voice brimming with excitement.
He knew he was the one who had brought this trouble upon them, but he also understood that with her luck, this was the solution to their predicament. 'System! I've brought this up before, but you'd better be certain about her luck. If you're wrong, both I and my clan could face our doom!'
Ling Ying scowled at Xiao Hua’s tone, but he couldn’t ignore the urgency—especially since Xiao Hua claimed he could resolve the dire situation of his Young Lady. As soon as the barrier was in place, a thunderous roar erupted from Xiao Hua’s body, sending a cold shiver down Ling Ying’s spine.
While Xiao Hua couldn’t see the item as he focused on the sky, he could feel its tremendous power. The courtyard became awfully quiet, and no sound could be heard.
“Is this enou–!”
Just as Ling Ying was about to ask him, a surge of powerful Dou Qi emerged from Xiao Hua’s body, creating a huge gust of wind and sending him flying. As he raised himself, he heard a thunderous roar coming from Xiao Hua that could be felt through his soul.
‘This roar… what the hell is it?!’ Ying Ling became fearful after hearing the soul-shaking roar and put more effort into strengthening the barrier.
At first, the barrier he put up wasn’t that strong and was done casually, but after sensing the danger from Xiao Hua, he immediately focused on making the barrier protecting him and Gu Xun Er stronger and sturdier.
‘Just what the hell happened?! What did this brat do to cause such a huge scene?!’ Ling Ying shouted inwardly as he continuously poured his Dou Qi into the item, not stopping until the situation calmed down.
Afterward, he heard Xiao Hua screaming at the sky, as if he was roaring toward the heavens. As if heaven was provoked, the starry night sky suddenly became cloudy and released powerful thunderbolts that kept striking Xiao Hua.
‘What the hell?! He actually endured this kind of pain!? Damn, my respect for him just skyrocketed.’ Xiao Hua thought of 'that man' as he endured the Heavenly Lightning Tribulation.
Xiao Hua was about to faint until he saw Gu Xun Er enduring the pain from the clash between her flame and the fruit he bought from the system—a mistake caused by his immaturity.
'It's not that the system didn’t warn me; it should have been obvious! They are polar opposites and equal in strength. Both are products of Heaven and Earth. Naturally, they would clash, seeking dominance over each other, like two predators on two hills!'
'Yet, I...! Damn it!'
“The little lass is enduring the pain from my mistake. What kind of man am I if this much pain is enough to bring me down? Bring it on, you bastard!” Xiao Hua clenched his teeth and bellowed toward the heavens, expressing his defiance and disdain.
The lightning suddenly turned red, causing the sky to tremble violently, as if heaven was angered and displeased by his words and attitude, showing its desire to punish him for his arrogance.
‘Huh? This is… So that’s what you’re trying to do!’ Xiao Hua felt a different energy flowing through him. Amidst the pain, he realized what this mysterious bloodline was trying to accomplish, and he assisted it.
The fight between the Gold Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame and the Frozen Netherworld Fruit stopped, as both sides were terrified of the clash between Xiao Hua and the heavens.
After what seemed to be a long time, the dark clouds dissipated, revealing a tranquil, starry night sky. Seeing it finally over, Ling Ying let out a sigh of relief.
He looked around and saw that the courtyard was in disarray, yet the outside was quiet despite the huge spectacle and noise from the clash between Xiao Hua and the heavens.
No matter how much he racked his brain, he found no answers. He looked at the boy sleeping innocently. Countless questions filled his head, but he decided to wait until the boy was fully rested and ready to answer.
‘Looks like a monster has been born in the Xiao Family… I just hope he doesn’t become our Gu Clan’s enemy,’ Ling Ying thought, shaking his head wryly.
After seeing that clash, he truly did not desire to be Xiao Hua's enemy. Of course, he could kill him now, but he knew that the Hun Clan had been making suspicious moves. It wasn’t just them wanting to take the Tou She Ancient God's Jade, so he deemed that Xiao Hua’s strength would be needed if the Hun Clan caused problems in the future.
As Ling Ying was deep in contemplation, he heard a soft voice coming from the bed. He raised his head and saw his young lady slowly waking up. He went to her and gently helped her sit up.
“Young Miss, are you okay? Is there any problem with your body?” Ling Ying asked Gu Xun Er with a tone filled with worry and nervousness.
“I’m fine, Old Ling. What happened?” Gu Xun Er reassured Ling Ying while putting her hand on her head. However, after scanning the room and seeing Xiao Hua sleeping beside her, she asked for an explanation.
Ling Ying recounted the entire situation, starting from the clash between the Gold Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame and the Frozen Netherworld Fruit, to the Heavenly Lightning Tribulation and Heavenly Punishment Lightning striking Xiao Hua as he bore the pain to stop the fight between the two powerful forces.
Gu Xun Er was surprised by his resolve and determination to save her. She also realized her body had become much more powerful, and the Heavenly Flame within her was now completely under her control. This came as a huge surprise, as she never expected such an outcome.
Although Xiao Hua claimed the whole situation happened because of him, she knew that wasn’t entirely true. It was also due to her inability to control her Heavenly Flame, which ranked 4th on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. If she had better control, there would have been no reason for that mysterious fruit to appear.
"I'm sorry, Young Miss. This old thing has failed to fulfill his mission and allowed harm to come your way." Ling Ying bowed and apologized profusely, his tone filled with regret.
"You don't have to worry about it since it was an unpredictable situation after all. While I'm curious about how he and Xiao Yan managed to escape your detection, I'm more curious about his bloodline. Do you know anything, Old Ying?"
"Unfortunately, this old thing was unable to identify the bloodline. With my limited knowledge, it is unknown what it is truly capable of..."
Gu Xun Er nodded in agreement. After all, she had never heard of a bloodline capable of challenging Heaven itself. However, she realized something was amiss. If Ling Ying's explanation was true, then the whole town being quiet was unnatural given the violent and destructive clashes between Xiao Hua's bloodline and Heaven.
“Old Ling, please investigate the surrounding area. If your explanation is true, then the whole city being quiet is far too unnatural and worrying,” Gu Xun Er ordered Ling Ying.
"Understood." He swiftly disappeared from his spot, finding the town's silence suspicious but had stayed to protect the unconscious Xiao Hua and Gu Xun Er.
However, now that his Young Miss was awake, he could leave the protection of Xiao Hua to her. He knew Gu Xun Er well and trusted that she wouldn’t harm or abandon her savior.
She turned her attention to the sleeping boy who had caused this phenomenon. Her emotions fluctuated, and her heart beat rapidly, her face slowly turning red and heating up. Gu Xun Er knew she had fallen in love with Xiao Hua.
“For you to do this much just to save me, a girl you just met this afternoon... You can’t blame me for falling in love with you, Brother Xiao Hua,” she whispered, displaying the most beautiful smile she had ever produced. She knew that her indifference and cold personality had been thawed by Xiao Hua, and she was willing to give him everything to make him happy.
“I promise you, Brother Xiao Hua. I and everything that belongs to me are yours. Although, from what I’ve heard, you probably don’t care and might find it troublesome. However, please let Xun’er follow you and share the view you see.”
Gu Xun Er, the girl who was cold and indifferent to the Xiao Clan and Xiao Yan upon her arrival, now showed a beautiful smile as she felt her cold and icy heart fully melt. She kissed Xiao Hua on his forehead, making an oath to herself and to him that she would forever be his.
When Xiao Hua woke up later, the only thing he could do was apologize profusely to Xiao Yan in his head, as he had accidentally taken his main heroine, the one who would change his life forever. So, he decided he would at least give Xiao Yan a hand during his darkest days, if he remembered.
---
Although Ling Ying wasn’t around Gu Xun Er, he could still see what she was doing and hear what she was saying, causing him to sigh. He couldn’t believe that his Young Miss had actually fallen in love and understood just how big of a challenge a relationship between Xiao Hua and Gu Xun Er would be.
Yet, for some reason, he believed that Xiao Hua could easily triumph over the trials and gain the recognition of the Gu Clan without breaking a sweat. However, he knew how much trouble would come Xiao Hua’s way once her feelings for him came to light and prayed that none of the younger generation would cause him to hate them.
‘Nevertheless, there will definitely be a huge uproar once the clan learns about this,’ Ling Ying thought, imagining the chaos that would ensue when the clan heard the news.
Gu Xun Er possessed the highest purity of Dou Di blood in the Gu Clan within the past 1,000 years. After receiving such news, the Gu Clan decided to give her the Heavenly Flame in their possession and named her the ‘Number 1 Heir of the Gu Clan.’
Not only that, despite being a child, many were already smitten with her porcelain-like beauty. Blessed with talent and beauty, with a bright future ahead as the daughter of the Head of the Gu Clan, many deemed her a goddess, an unattainable flower.
Despite this, there were still those who hadn’t given up and continued to cultivate, hoping that one day they might win her heart and love. Yet, no one expected that she would give her heart and love to someone from the fallen Xiao Clan.
Surprisingly, Xiao Hua wasn’t even the son of the patriarch or the elders, just an orphaned child often overlooked. However, what he displayed was something none of the other children could, even within the Eight Ancient Clans.
An indomitable spirit, an unbreakable resolve, and the will to follow through without faltering. Xiao Hua had shown Ling Ying something none of the children, including those within the Eight Ancient Clans, possessed.
‘Not only that, but that bloodline of his… It was definitely not the Bloodline of the Xiao Clan,’ Ling Ying thought, recalling the lightning and the thunderous roar that came from Xiao Hua.
Having served the Gu Clan for so long, he knew that Xiao Hua’s bloodline surpassed that of the Eight Ancient Clans. In fact, his bloodline even dared to roar at the heavens, something none of the Eight Ancient Clans would dare to do.
‘However, although I saw it for a split second, I can confirm that he belongs to the Xiao Clan, since the Bloodline Tattoo appeared on his forehead. That means the Xiao Clan’s Bloodline was forcefully awakened because of that mysterious bloodline of his.’
This confused Ling Ying even more. With a powerful bloodline that surpassed the Eight Ancient Clans, he wondered why it would forcefully awaken the vastly inferior Xiao Clan’s Bloodline.
‘Wait, don’t tell me the mysterious bloodline forcefully woke the dormant and inferior bloodline, the Xiao Clan’s Bloodline, to make it stronger and fused with it? Xiao Hua realized this and kept provoking the heaven so it can provide them that extra energy to fused!’
Ling Ying couldn’t help but shudder at the theory that he thought of. After all, if that’s true, it goes beyond the line of indomitable spirit and unbreakable resolve. It’s the work of a madman!
Ling Ying shook his head, denying the theory that he just made, thinking that it was impossible. However, he felt that this theory of his is the truth.
He became even more curious about his bloodline but then remembered something amusing. Before leaving, he sensed Xiao Hua’s strength and realized that he had broken through to become the youngest Dou Practitioner. He wondered what kind of expression Xiao Hua would make when he woke up and couldn’t help but get excited.
‘Anyway, that brat Xiao Yan. I don’t know why, but for some reason I felt indifferent towards the plan that he made. Despite me knowing about it, for some reason I just leave him be without having a single desire to stop it. What kind of black technique did he use!?’
Thanks to Xiao Hua's shouts halting Xiao Yan's tracks, Ling Ying's mind snapped out of its reverie. With that, the incident with Xiao Yan’s perverse behavior was prevented, saving Gu Xun Er's innocence.
A dark smile appeared on Ling Ying's face. He had decided to give Xiao Yan a fate worse than death as punishment. Even his beloved family wouldn’t recognize him once he was done.
If Xiao Hua heard what Ling Ying was thinking and planning to do, he would have a weird expression. According to the novel, even when Xiao Yan sneaked past his detection and entered Gu Xun Er's courtyard, he didn’t do anything other than experiencing Dou Qi with her, and her purity remained intact.
Despite that, he would still offer a prayer to Xiao Yan and hope that he would not plan to do the same thing again. If he did, the punishment he would receive from Ling Ying would be far worse than anything the Xiao Clan's Law Enforcement could give him.