The next morning, the sun was shining brightly.
Warm sunlight streamed through the ventilation hole of the stone chamber, falling on Xiao Se's pale face.
Xiao Se slowly opened his eyes, and couldn't help but smile.
Last night, Xiao Se had a dream, a very pleasant dream. He dreamt of his favorite waifus from his previous life: Yun Yun, Medusa, Bibi Dong...
Wait a minute... something wasn't right.
It seemed like something was pressing against him.
"What the...!" Xiao Se glanced down and nearly shouted out loud.
He saw that Long Kui was leaning against his chest, and Xiao Se's hands were wrapped around her slender waist.
It was Hong Kui, no doubt about it.
Recalling what had happened the previous day, Xiao Se remembered sparring with Hong Kui, taking his usual beating. But this time, he got a little carried away. With the strength of a four-star Dou Zhe, despite lacking sufficient Dou Qi, he unleashed the 'Crimson Flame Sword - Polar Break,' a technique comparable to a low-tier earth-rank Dou Skill.
Then, with his Dou Qi depleted and affected by the explosion of his own attack, he passed out.
Hong Kui must have brought him back to the stone chamber, but could it be that something else happened last night?
A cold sweat dripped from Xiao Se's forehead—he was afraid to think further.
He loosened his grip around Hong Kui's waist and gently placed his hands on her delicate shoulders, pushing softly as he whispered, "Hong Kui... Hong Kui…"
Hearing Xiao Se's call, Hong Kui rubbed her somewhat drowsy eyes, slowly waking up. As she saw herself lying in the bath with Xiao Se, the memories of yesterday flooded back. Her face turned bright red.
"Brother, I..." Hong Kui's face was flushed with embarrassment, and she avoided eye contact with Xiao Se.
Seeing Hong Kui blushing to the tips of her ears, Xiao Se forced a bitter smile and awkwardly asked, "Nothing happened last night, right?"
"N-no..." For the first time, the usually fiery and bold Hong Kui became shy and hesitant.
Hearing this, Xiao Se breathed a sigh of relief, secretly thankful, thinking, "That's good. Otherwise, I wouldn't know how to face Long Kui. Although their personalities differ, it's still the same body."
But Hong Kui's next words nearly made Xiao Se spit blood.
"Brother only took advantage when Long Kui was wiping his back and then…"
"...."
Xiao Se experienced a moment of "social death."
After getting dressed, Xiao Se consumed a drop of the Essence Nourishing Elixir and began cultivating the Flame Mantra and Return to Origin soul technique.
After an hour, thanks to over a month of hard work, he finally broke through to a five-star Dou Zhe.
Yet, Xiao Se couldn't find joy in this achievement.
Although he hadn't crossed the final threshold, from what he gathered from Hong Kui, it seemed like something more than just familial affection had transpired between them last night. Long Kui, fortunately, didn't know.
After getting dressed, Hong Kui returned to the magic sword tattoo in Xiao Se's hand.
The two tacitly agreed not to bring up what happened the night before, but the bond between them as "siblings" seemed to be subtly changing. (Note: Long Kui is the female lead, but she's not the main character's biological sister.)
Leaving the cave, Xiao Se headed straight for the Miteer Auction House.
Due to his obsession with cultivation, Xiao Se hadn't yet picked up the profits from the ten bottles of Foundation Nourishing Elixir he had consigned to the Mittel Auction House.
Passing by the Xiao family residence, Xiao Se kept a low profile as usual.
Strolling along the stone-paved path, he noticed that today the Xiao family compound seemed especially quiet. At this time, the training grounds would typically be filled with young family members practicing, but now, it was completely empty.
"Xiao Se, Xiao Se!" Suddenly, a familiar voice called out from behind, getting closer.
Xiao Se turned his head, and upon seeing who it was, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes. "Xiao Ning?"
Moments later, Xiao Ning finally caught up, resting his hand on Xiao Se's shoulder, panting. "Huff... I finally found you. If you didn't show up, I was going to go to the back mountain to find you."
"Did you need something from me?" Xiao Se asked, slightly puzzled.
Because of his relationship with Xiao Yu, Xiao Ning was one of the few people in the Xiao family that Xiao Se was somewhat familiar with.
And since Xiao Se never showed any romantic interest in Xiao Xun'er, and Xiao Ning knew Xiao Se was strong, they had a decent relationship.
"Hehe, you've been hiding away cultivating in the back mountain every day, so you might not know yet. Since the last Dou Qi test, a lot has happened over the past two months." Xiao Ning chuckled.
"Big things? Like what?" Xiao Se asked, pretending not to know, though he was well aware the "big event" was most likely the disappearance of Xiao Yan's Dou Qi.
"Hehe, you'll see soon enough. First, come with me. The clan leader and the three elders have convened a clan meeting today, and all the family disciples have to attend." With a mysterious smile, Xiao Ning put his arm around Xiao Se's shoulder and led him toward the Xiao family's council hall.
Following Xiao Ning through the stone-paved square, they finally stopped outside the grand council hall.
Xiao Ning naturally took on the task of knocking on the door. "Grandfather, Clan Leader, two Elders, I've brought Xiao Se."
"Come in, Ning'er," an old yet kind voice replied from inside.
"Let's go. My grandfather told us to enter," Xiao Ning said proudly, patting Xiao Se on the shoulder.
"Mm." Xiao Se nodded indifferently. He had long grown weary of these sudden, pointless clan meetings.
Pushing open the door, they entered the spacious hall, which was nearly filled by the time Xiao Se and Xiao Ning arrived.
At the top sat Clan Leader Xiao Zhan and the three elders.
To their left sat several senior family members who had reached the level of Dou Masters, alongside a few talented young family members, including Xiao Mei.
On the right side, another group of family seniors and promising juniors sat, though one seat at the head of the table remained conspicuously empty.
That seat was usually reserved for Xiao Yan, the Xiao family's former top talent.
Xiao Se's eyes discreetly scanned the room until they settled on a lonely figure huddled in the far corner.
It was Xiao Yan, completely unlike his former confident self. His posture was slumped, with his hands covering his face, elbows resting on his knees. His entire body exuded an aura of desolation and isolation.
Not far from Xiao Yan sat Xiao Xun'er, and beside her, an empty seat.
As Xiao Ning and Xiao Se entered, the First Elder was the first to speak, pointing to the empty seat next to him. Smiling, he said, "Ning'er, sit next to your grandfather."
Xiao Ning hesitated, glancing at the empty seat beside Xiao Xun'er, then at Xiao Se. After a moment of inner conflict, he reluctantly nodded and said, "Yes, grandfather."
Ever since Xiao Yan lost his Dou Qi, Xiao Ning knew his grandfather, the First Elder, intended to support him as Xiao Yan's replacement. However, sitting in that seat would mean forfeiting the chance to sit next to Xiao Xun'er.
Faced with the choice between "love" and "filial duty," Xiao Ning ultimately chose the latter.
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