Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 194 - One Hundred Fifty-Five: The Whip

Chapter 194: Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Five: The Whip

"......"

After the words were spoken, the passageway plunged into darkness.

Xu Xinyao stared blankly at her third brother, a familiar yet unfamiliar figure before her, her eyes filled with a hint of grievance and confusion, as a sour emotion quietly spread through her heart.

She remembered the scene where he looked at her with disgust and called her a lowly bastard, and her fists clenched ever so slightly.

Back then she was sad, but not as suffocatingly devastated as she felt now.

She didn’t understand why he thought she would betray their father, who was taciturn but commanding of respect.

Her pale lips moved delicately as Xu Xinyao subconsciously wanted to deny the accusations, but looking into Xu Yuan’s calm gaze, she fell silent for a moment and then said with a trembling voice,

"If Xinyao really did those things, Third Brother, please just kill me."

Xu Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly at her words, gently rubbing his thumb and forefinger together.

After a long pause, he nodded and said,

"Alright."

Xu Xinyao pursed her lips gently and smiled at him before glancing at the thumb-thick branch on the ground next to Xu Yuan.

"Third Brother, are you...going to flog Xinyao?"

"Yes, that’s what I initially thought," he replied.

Xu Yuan, noticing her gaze, casually picked up the branch from the ground and swung it, making a "whooshing" sound as it sliced through the air, and then looked sideways at her,

"However, after talking to you, I don’t think it’s necessary. Even if I punish you, you won’t listen to me. Our family is all like this, stubborn to death."

Hearing these words, the image of her third brother being whipped while hanging from the rafters in the Imperial Capital by their eldest brother inexplicably flashed before Xu Xinyao’s eyes, and a flicker of amusement crossed her beautiful eyes.

But in the next instant, the light in her eyes quickly dimmed.

The distrust from her third brother and the horrors within Shengshan County felt like blades continuously stirring in her heart.

Xu Yuan looked at her and, caressing the branch in his hand as if it were a treasured sword, said,

"The formations you’ve learned can influence this world even more than your cultivation. It is a sword; wielded well, it can save countries and people, wielded poorly, it can bring disaster for millennia.

"You’ve handed this sword to someone whose character is unknown. I hope you learn your lesson well. Next time, it might not be as simple as two hundred thousand lives."

"...."

After a quiet moment, Xu Xinyao raised her eyes to look at Xu Yuan and said softly,

"Third Brother, you might as well hit me."

Xu Yuan was speechless for a moment, looking at her as he enunciated each word,

"Do you feel that if I hit you, your heart will feel better?"

"...." Xu Xinyao did not speak.

Xu Yuan fell silent for a moment, made up his mind, and stood up with the branch in hand,

"Kneel down."

Xu Xinyao bit her lip gently and got up, kneeling in the direction of Shengshan County.

In silence,

Xu Yuan stood to the side, looking at her straight jade back, and suddenly swung.

"Smack!"

The sound of the branch cutting through the air was followed by the loud crack of the whip.

He didn’t strike her back; instead, he hit Xu Xinyao’s jade hand, which rested on her legs.

After the first strike, a crimson wound instantly appeared on the back of her hand, from which blood began to ooze.

Xu Yuan had used Origin Qi, and the branch was wrapped in a faint glow of bloodlight.

It was less of a flogging and more of a strike with his Origin Qi.

When the searing pain of the strike reached her heart, Xu Xinyao’s delicate body shuddered slightly, but she bit down on her teeth and did not make a sound, still kneeling upright.

"Smack!"

Immediately after, a second sound, and a second streak of blood appeared just below the first, both blemishes strikingly visible on her otherwise snow-white skin.

After the second strike, the punishment was over.

Looking down from a height, Xu Yuan gazed at his foster sister before him and said in a deep voice,

"I believe you must have conducted some investigation before making an agreement with the Myriad Manifestation Sect, scrutinizing their Sect attitudes, examining their trustworthiness, but the result was that you misjudged someone. This is a lesson, because those ’friends’ of yours could just as well turn into another ’Myriad Manifestation Sect’, knowing faces does not mean you know their hearts."

"Your travels were your father’s wish, and I will not interfere, but I hope that before you act in the future, you’ll take a good look at these two scars on the back of your hand. If you do not wish to see them, you can always use ointment to remove them."

Xu Xinyao looked at the wounds on the back of her hand, gently caressed them, and softly murmured,

"Mm, Xinyao will remember..."

"...."

Xu Yuan took a deep breath, turned around, and glanced sideways:

"Take some time for yourself, Ran Qingmo and I will wait for you at the entrance of the cave."

Before leaving, Xu Yuan faintly saw the glistening in her downcast eyes.

As the sound of gentle footsteps gradually faded away, the passage returned to silence. Kneeling in a daze for a long time, the young girl eventually sat on the ground, hugged her knees, and began to sob softly.....

...

...

...

Walking through the corridor outside, the voice of Saint’s Remnant Soul suddenly spoke up:

"Xu kid, your adopted sister is crying."

Xu Yuan’s face was calm, his steps unchanged:

"I know, she has always been like that, only hiding away and crying silently by herself. That’s why I left early to give her some time to cry."

The Saint’s Remnant Soul fell silent for a moment and then lightly shook its head:

"Just looking at you and that kid named Xu Changge, I thought all your family were cut from the same cloth. I didn’t expect, ah, that there would be such a girl like her."

Xu Yuan thought for a moment and replied softly,

"That’s just her personality, but more so because she’s been protected too well by our father and Xu Changge. She should change somewhat after this."

The Saint’s Remnant Soul chuckled softly:

"To be honest, looking at your performance in the Qionghua Sect, I always thought you were possessed, but now it seems I was wrong; if you were possessed, you couldn’t possibly be so familiar with this girl."

At this point, the Saint’s Remnant Soul changed the subject:

"But, why do I have the feeling that you’re very certain your sister will betray you?"

"Certain?"

Xu Yuan threw away the twig in his hand and replied offhandedly, "I was indeed quite certain before, but now I’m not so sure. However, some things always need a reminder first."

The Saint’s Remnant Soul was curious:

"Why were you so certain, because of her personality?"

"Something like that," Xu Yuan sighed ambivalently.

After a brief silence, Xu Yuan asked in a low voice inside himself:

"Old Man Luo, do you think there’s any chance of success with my adopted sister’s approach?"

The Saint’s Remnant Soul pondered for a moment without directly answering but instead chuckled lightly:

"Heh... actually, your adopted sister’s behavior has many merits, but only as a piece in the plans of your father, not the entirety of the plan."

Xu Yuan, with a thoughtful look in his eyes, said, "Go on."

The Saint’s Remnant Soul shook its head, "It’s too late."

Xu Yuan said, "It doesn’t matter, just go on."

The Saint’s Remnant Soul deliberated slightly and then laughed, saying:

"The world never lacks people with a kind heart or those with ability. If your adopted sister were to travel the world for a decade or so, the people who would gather around her, attracted by her reputation, would truly be numerous. Even if only one or two useful individuals remained out of every ten, their continued private developments would eventually form a formidable force.

"By the time they grow within their respective Sects, although they may not be able to hold great power individually, the internal strife they cause would be enough to trouble the Sects.

"Of course, it’s just trouble, and besides, it’s too late now, as your father is likely to act within these next few years."

"..."

After listening carefully, Xu Yuan glanced back at the dark corridor and sighed,

"Yes, such a simple truth. I hope after a few more setbacks, she will understand."