Strong Background . . .
Cha Eun Xiao found himself in an awkward situation, unable to contain his embarrassment. He offered a sheepish smile and admitted, "I was being overly emotional, and I mistook you for someone else. Please forgive me, lady," he apologized, acknowledging his momentary lapse.
Despite his sometimes irritable demeanor, Cha Eun Xiao was generally a reasonable man, especially when it came to his friends and family. He realized that even though the woman in black wasn't Bing'er, she was certainly a friend. Therefore, he felt it was necessary to extend his apology.
Xuan Bing breathed a sigh of relief and then responded, "It's alright."
For Xuan Bing, this situation was perhaps the best possible outcome. Regardless of what Song Jue had said, regardless of the growing tension among Cha Eun Xiao, Han Bingxue, and the Song Clan members, regardless of her own anger, there was little she could do. She understood that she couldn't harm Cha Eun Xiao, not to mention that he had already apologized. So, she chose to accept his apology gracefully.
Cha Eun Xiao and Han Bingxue were utterly shocked by this turn of events. Cha Eun Xiao felt a sense of relief, thinking that Xuan Bing forgave him because of his ability to provide her with a Regeneration Ink Lotus. On the other hand, Han Bingxue was completely astounded. His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he thought, "What did Song Jue just say? He repeatedly called her Cha Eun Xiao's concubine. This should be a massive humiliation for Xuan Bing, considering her high standing in the martial world."
"Even if what he said were true, which it definitely wasn't, he shouldn't have said it," Han Bingxue thought. "Xuan Bing isn't known for her patience. Even if Song Jue had the protection of the gods, even if he had Wu Fa, the most powerful cultivator in the world, as his bodyguard, Xuan Bing should have turned him into a pile of flesh!"
Yet, to Han Bingxue's amazement, Xuan Bing simply responded with a nonchalant "that's alright." He was on the verge of fainting.
He wanted to shout out in disbelief, "What's going on, sister? He just humiliated you so openly, and you're fine with it? I don't even recognize you anymore!"
When he saw Cha Eun Xiao, Song Jue, and Xuan Bing engaging in a friendly conversation, he was dumbfounded. It seemed like the world had gone mad, and even ants could converse freely with dinosaurs.
Suddenly, a strange thought crossed his mind. A thought so unsettling that it made him break into a cold sweat.
"This doesn't make sense. I'm not a fool. I know about her temper," Han Bingxue pondered. "After being humiliated like that, she didn't lose her temper? She just accepted the apology like that? Something doesn't add up... Is there a hidden story behind all of this?"
He was utterly bewildered. The terrifying idea crossed his mind once again. "Could it be true... that Xuan Bing is actually Cha Eun Xiao's concubine?"
The thought almost made him pass out, but he quickly shook himself and slapped his own face, trying to clear his mind.
"What am I thinking? Elder Xuan Bing, a figure of such stature, becoming someone's concubine? That's preposterous. Besides, Cha Eun Xiao doesn't treat her like a concubine; it's only Song Jue's words," he reassured himself.
Cha Eun Xiao came to a profound realization: the truth was often concealed within the hands of a minority. He now understood that what Song Jue had spoken was indeed the truth, and it was a truth beyond description.
This realization left him in a state of awe. The sheer magnitude of the truth he had just comprehended was overwhelming.
Xuan Bing, noticing the sound of someone slapping themselves, turned around, fixing her cold gaze upon Han Bingxue. Her composure remained intact, especially in the presence of Song Jue, whom she had known as Bing'er for an extended period. Deep within her heart, she still regarded herself as the immensely powerful cultivator who had traversed the realms for countless days. With her wealth of experience, she accurately deduced Han Bingxue's state of mind when she witnessed him engaging in such a bizarre act of self-infliction, and it irked her.
Under the icy scrutiny of Xuan Bing, Han Bingxue hastily made his exit in an awkward and hurried manner.
Despite her anger, Xuan Bing had no outlet for her frustration. She made a mental vow, "After this, I'll make it a point to give him a good thrashing at least eight times a day. At least!"
Song Jue, with an awkward smile, turned his attention back to Xuan Bing, saying, "Ahem, please accept my apology, lady. I'm getting old, and my eyesight isn't what it used to be. I mistakenly took you for someone else. It's just that I haven't seen Xiao Xiao in such a long time. When I suddenly saw him, I was too surprised to find the right words to start a conversation... haha."
Xuan Bing replied politely, "It's alright."
Uncertain of how to engage in conversation with Uncle Song, she kept her words simple.
The members of the Song Clan finally spoke up, asking, "Little Jue, are they your friends?"
In comparison to Han Bingxue and Cha Eun Xiao, the Song Clan members didn't have a particularly strong reaction to the recent events. From their perspective, Cha Eun Xiao, though lacking in cultivation, was the leader of the group. They acknowledged that Song Jue might have made a social misstep, but he was an old friend of Cha Eun Xiao's. Even though he had said something that could be seen as humiliating Xuan Bing, it didn't seem like a significant issue. What they observed was that Xuan Bing appeared unfazed by the incident.
Song Jue was eager to disregard his own people and engage in conversation with Xuan Bing. However, Cha Eun Xiao gazed at him with a subtle hint. Consequently, Song Jue said, "Hmm. He is my sworn brother's son. We haven't met for a long time... Heh, heh."
Xuan Bing overheard this and couldn't help but feel irritated. [A dishonest nephew has a lying uncle. 'A long time'? It's barely been a year!]
The members of the Song Clan were left utterly flabbergasted.
"Son of your sworn brother?"
"Goodness gracious! Song Jue, your sworn brother must be incredibly powerful. Han Bingxue has been following his son, addressing him as 'boss' all this time!"
"What level is your sworn brother? He must be exceptionally high!"
"Why didn't you inform us about such a powerful brother? You've been leading us astray..."
"That young man could have simply told us the truth..."
The Song Clan members were sweating profusely due to their anxiety.
"Dear heavens, was Song Jue planning to eliminate us all? Otherwise, why did he endure and keep us in the dark?"
As they looked at Song Jue, their eyes betrayed their fear.