Chapter 234: A Painful Experience
"So, Brother Zhou, what brings you to me this time?"
"I came to see Brother Xiao, and naturally, I would not visit without a purpose."
Zhou Xuanxiao stared at Xiao Chen and suddenly spoke: "Does Brother Xiao still recall the matter of the Xuantian Cauldron?"
Xiao Chen's gaze shifted slightly, a trace of a smile appearing on his lips: "I naturally remember."
Back then, when he learned the Xuantian Cauldron was with his junior sister, he had indeed considered it—first retrieve the Xuantian Cauldron from the Xiao family, then trade with Zhou Xuanxiao to gather all four cauldrons. But it happened to coincide with Master suddenly falling into a deep slumber, so the matter was put aside.
This delay turned out to be ten long years.
Now that Zhou Xuanxiao was bringing up the old matter again, Xiao Chen's interest was immediately piqued.
At his current level, ordinary heavenly materials and earthly treasures could hardly catch his eye, but an ancient Immortal Venerable's secret realm...
Perhaps, he could find an opportunity to help Master!
"Brother Zhou, have you found the last Miaotian Cauldron?" Xiao Chen asked directly.
Hearing this, Zhou Xuanxiao was stunned, then laughed aloud: "The last one? It seems Brother Xiao has already obtained the other three cauldrons. I truly did not misjudge you."
He flicked his sleeve and said frankly: "That's right, the Miaotian Cauldron is indeed in my hands."
Before his words had fully settled, his expression suddenly became solemn: "However, I have an unreasonable request. As long as Brother Xiao agrees, I will offer up the Miaotian Cauldron with both hands!"
The clouds and mist in the mountains suddenly thickened, enveloping the two of them.
Zhou Xuanxiao's white robes were faintly visible in the fog, but only his eyes were shockingly bright, as if burning with a certain obsession in his heart.
Xiao Chen frowned slightly: "I remember that the reward Brother Zhou asked for back then was two spots for the Tianyun Sect after the secret realm opened. What, has that changed now?"
Zhou Xuanxiao sighed deeply, a hint of desolation flashing in his eyes: "Yes, that is all in the past."
He looked up, staring directly at Xiao Chen: "What I seek now is but a trivial effort for Brother Xiao."
"What is it?" Xiao Chen's gaze was like a sword.
"I want to join the Immortal Spirit Holy Land."
These short eight words made Xiao Chen's pupils contract. Chen Xingcai, who had been listening quietly to the side, also couldn't help but let out an "Eh," her lively, large eyes full of curiosity: "Why?"
Zhou Xuanxiao's bitter smile deepened: "Because the Tianyun Sect of today no longer has a place for me."
Xiao Chen's expression darkened slightly: "Aren't you the Saint of the Tianyun Sect? The Tianyun Sect has nurtured you for so many years..."
He suddenly thought of something, and his tone turned abruptly cold: "Don't tell me you intend to betray your sect?"
"Betray my sect?" Zhou Xuanxiao shook his head, his voice filled with an indescribable fatigue. "The Tianyun Sect's kindness to me is as heavy as a mountain. If it weren't absolutely necessary, how could I possibly leave?"
Xiao Chen stared at him for a long time before finally saying slowly: "Then why is that?"
Zhou Xuanxiao took a deep breath, his gaze looking toward the distant sea of clouds: "The matter must be spoken of starting from three years ago..."
...
As if recalling something extremely painful, Zhou Xuanxiao's fingertips dug deep into his palm. Fresh blood seeped from between his fingers, yet he was completely unaware.
His once-clear eyes were now bloodshot, his voice hoarse as if it had been ground by sand and gravel: "Three years ago... Master brought back a raggedly dressed young man from the foot of the mountain."
Xiao Chen frowned slightly, and Chen Xingcai unconsciously tightened the corner of her sleeve.
"That kid looked pitiful, so I took care of him everywhere in my capacity as a senior brother." Zhou Xuanxiao suddenly let out a cold laugh, the sound carrying a bone-chilling chill. "Who knew that this beast..."
He suddenly bit his tongue, and the taste of blood spread through his mouth.
"He was always sowing discord between Master and Junior Sister!"
"Last month, when he broke through to the Profound Connection Realm, two stalks of hundred-year spirit herbs were missing from his storage bag—"
Zhou Xuanxiao couldn't help but curse.
"I'm a fucking Longevity Realm cultivator! What fucking use is there in stealing spirit herbs from a Profound Connection Realm cultivator!"
"But Master..."
His voice suddenly dropped.
"actually sentenced me to three months of wall-facing contemplation."
Chen Xingcai gasped, unable to hide the sympathy in her eyes.
"The most ridiculous part is Qingxuan..."
Zhou Xuanxiao's voice grew even more bitter: "I don't mind if Brother Xiao laughs, but we met when we were five and privately pledged our lives to each other more than a decade ago."
"Now, she holds the jade hairpin I gave her and points at me, saying, 'Senior Brother, how did you become so unworthy?'"
This time, even Xiao Chen showed a look of sympathy.
"Seven days ago..."
Zhou Xuanxiao's voice suddenly calmed down.
"That bitch went out for training and encountered some unknown danger, and her spirit roots were shattered."
He slowly raised his blood-red eyes.
"But he actually framed me for it, and Master and Junior Sister demanded that I cut out my own spirit roots to give to him."
"What?!"
Chen Xingcai was shocked.
Zhou Xuanxiao suddenly burst into laughter, his laughter tinged with madness: "Although I, Zhou Xuanxiao, may not compare to Brother Xiao's heaven-defying talent, I am still a cultivator who made it onto the Human Rankings!"
"And..."
He suddenly showed a look of fear: "Guess what I did then?"
"I... I almost did it."
Zhou Xuanxiao's voice was as light as a wisp of a lost soul.
"There was a voice in my head constantly saying, 'Cut them out for him,' 'You owe him this'..."
His fingers twitched nervously.
"Until..."
A drop of cold sweat slid down Xiao Chen's temple.
"Until I suddenly remembered..."
Zhou Xuanxiao's pupils finally regained a sliver of clarity.
"remembering the battle I had with Brother Xiao back then."
"I was not reconciled! Why should I, after decades of bitter cultivation, destroy my foundation for a beast!"
Xiao Chen and Chen Xingcai sighed at the same time. If Zhou Xuanxiao hadn't said it himself, they would have hardly believed such an absurd thing could happen in the world.
"Now, does Brother Xiao understand?"
Zhou Xuanxiao staggered to his feet and drew a small bronze cauldron from his dantian.
"This Miaotian Cauldron..."
he pushed it toward Xiao Chen with a tragic smile.
"consider it my pledge of allegiance."
Xiao Chen stared at Zhou Xuanxiao, his gaze as sharp as a sword's edge: "There are many sects in the world. Why choose the Immortal Spirit Holy Land in particular?"
Zhou Xuanxiao was silent for a moment, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the ancient patterns on the Miaotian Cauldron as he said in a low voice: "It's not just because the Immortal Spirit Holy Land is the number one sect in Qingzhou..."
He raised his head, a strange glint flashing in his eyes: "It's just that I always feel... my smooth escape from the Tianyun Sect might have had something to do with Brother Xiao."
"Oh?"
Zhou Xuanxiao's voice gradually sank: "Along the way, I always felt a yin, cold energy following me like a shadow, as if something was watching me from the darkness."
His fingers tightened slightly.
"But since I stepped through the gates of the Immortal Spirit Holy Land, that chill... suddenly disappeared."
Hearing this, Chen Xingcai subconsciously looked around, as if to confirm something. The mountain wind blew past, and the bamboo shadows swayed, but there was no longer a trace of coldness.
Zhou Xuanxiao continued: "The more I think about it, the more bizarre it seems. When I was at the Tianyun Sect, that 'little junior brother' could always predict things, as if my every move was under his control."
"But when I decided to seek refuge with the Immortal Spirit Holy Land, it was surprisingly smooth... unnaturally smooth."
He said with a bitter smile: "So my intuition tells me that if I went anywhere else, I would probably still be in danger... but the Immortal Spirit Holy Land might be the only place that can shelter me."
Xiao Chen and Chen Xingcai exchanged a look. If they had only heard the first half, they would have thought it was just a somewhat tragic piece of gossip.
But now, after listening to Zhou Xuanxiao's story, a look of solemnity appeared in both of their eyes.
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