Xiao and Yun Yurou continued to hug each other for some time. Within Xiao's embrace, Yun Yurou gradually calmed down, and all her worries seemed to vanish. At that moment, being in his embrace was all that mattered to her. After a few more minutes, Xiao finally broke the embrace and looked into Yun Yurou's eyes, wiping away the tears.
"Don't worry, Yurou. We're still family, so there's no need to be sad, okay?"
"Okay..."
Yun Yurou tried to smile, but Xiao noticed that it didn't reach her eyes. He chose not to say anything and hoped that with time, her feelings would fade. Xiao knew that he wouldn't stay in the lowest heaven for long. Once he resolved all the issues there and improved his mother's talent, he would leave this realm.
"Think about what I said, okay?"
"Yes..."
'Now she will finally give up...'
'Now I just have to become stronger than anyone else, so no one will question our relationship.'
Xiao and Yun Yurou had completely different thoughts. Xiao believed that he had helped diminish her feelings and draw a clear boundary, while Yun Yurou understood that Xiao felt the same way but was afraid of hurting her due to their family ties. She realized that she had to become stronger than anyone else.
Whatever Xiao had said, Yun Yurou twisted it to fit her interests. Things had completely gone off track. Finally, after chatting for a bit longer, Xiao bid farewell to Yun Yurou and headed to his mother's room. Upon reaching it, he found a very grumpy Yun Lan sitting at the table, demanding an answer.
With a sigh, Xiao entered his mother's room and started talking to her, trying to calm her down by providing some excuses with clarity. He knew that she might resort to drastic measures, such as assassinating Li Lun. Well, she had attempted it before but the heavenly fate protected her...
Finally, after an hour of talking, he left his mother's room, having barely calmed her down. Yun Lan was usually a calm and rational person, but when it came to her family, she became uncontrollable.
'Well, that's my mother...'
Xiao chuckled at the thought as he headed to his sister's room. His mother had informed him that his sister wanted to see him. Walking a bit farther, he reached the entrance to his sister's room. He could sense a heavy and dense atmosphere emanating from his sister through their connection.
'Sigh... Here we go again...'
Xiao lamented as he entered his sister's room. As soon as he did, a small figure rushed towards him, embracing him tightly. Smiling fondly, Xiao hugged her back and asked,
"What's wrong, Xuanyin? Why are you so moody?"
The silence was the only response he received. Xiao looked down at his sister, whose apathetic eyes were fixed on him. Despite her frozen gaze, Xiao affectionately ruffled her hair, eliciting a sense of happiness that he felt through their connection.
"So, tell me, are you angry with the family for shaming me?"
Still, there was no reply.
"I see... Well, I am angry too, but what can we do? In the martial world, power reigns supreme."
Silence persisted.
"Hahaha, I am indeed happy that you would fight for me, but your big brother will handle it easily."
No response.
"Yeah... yeah, my little sister is the best."
Xiao smiled and bowed down slightly, pinching both of Xuanyin's cute, chubby cheeks. He could feel her soft, smooth, and cold skin as he played with it. Xuanyin acted as if she didn't like it, swatting his hand away and moving to sit on her bed, facing away from him.
"Oh, playing hard to get?"
Xiao spoke with a mischievous smile as he approached and tickled Xuanyin, causing her to fall onto the bed, helpless against his tickling. Though she didn't laugh, her eyelashes trembled, and the corners of her lips twitched slightly.
From an outsider's perspective, it might seem strange to witness such a scene between siblings. However, Xiao found it adorable to see his sister desperately trying to hide her laughter. He spent the rest of the hour playing with her, improving her mood. An hour later, Xiao sat behind Xuanyin in front of a mirror, combing her hair.
To an observer, Xuanyin's expression didn't change much. However, upon closer inspection, a tiny, almost imperceptible part of her lips seemed to curve upwards, resembling a smile. At that moment, Xuanyin's eyes met Xiao's through the mirror, and it seemed as if they were communicating. After some time, Xiao asked,
"Oh? You want to know what I think of Li Lun?"
Xuanyin nodded.
"Well, I think she's a bit cute, and I don't mind her. Who knows, she might actually become your sister-in-law. If that happens, you should treat her well."
Meanwhile, Xuanyin didn't say anything. After Xiao spoke, she continued to gaze at him through the mirror, finding joy in observing his face. She could do it for an eternity.
'Sister-in-law?'
Xuanyin pondered, her eyes flickering and momentarily sharpening. However, Xiao, who was close to her, didn't perceive any negative emotions. He assumed she had simply grown quiet again, although he did sense some kind of emotion from her. It came and went quickly, making it difficult for him to grasp.
Shrugging his shoulders, Xiao didn't think much of it. However, he had forgotten one thing—Xuanyin had managed to conceal her emotions from Xiao to a certain extent. She had slowly gained better control over her feelings. The only issue was that she was just seven years old...