Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 327 - Two Hundred and Thirty-Six: Testing

Chapter 327: Chapter Two Hundred and Thirty-Six: Testing

In foreign lands we meet old acquaintances, fellow townsmen see each other, yet there are no tears of joy, only the intent to kill.

Although as a beginner, Xu Yuan currently couldn’t sense the presence of "intention", the look of wanting to stab someone was always unmistakable.

Their gazes intertwined amidst the wind and snow.

Xu Yuan chuckled, patting Zhou Chen’s shoulder, and said,

"Mr. Zhou, no need to be nervous, she’s an acquaintance of mine."

With that remark, Zhou Chen withdrew his hand from the sword hilt, but still watched the distant woman warily.

Hearing this familiar voice, Xu Mengxi’s tone carried a chill and a trace of faint disbelief:

"Xu... Changtian?"

Xu Yuan slowly walked up to Xu Mengxi, his long hair scattering in the night of wind and snow, his smile gentle:

"What, we couldn’t recognize each other after not seeing each other for two years before, and now, a few months apart, and you don’t recognize me?"

"......"

Xu Mengxi said nothing more, her gaze fixed on the saber hanging at Xu Yuan’s waist.

Although she had confirmed his identity, she couldn’t imagine how someone of his noble status could be in this dangerous city at this time.

Glancing at her hand on the hilt of her saber, Xu Yuan laughed:

"What are you pressing your sword for, got bloodthirsty? After killing the playboy of Spiritual Water Palace, do you want to kill me as well?"

Saying so, Xu Yuan cheerfully lifted his chin, exposing part of his neck:

"If that’s what you want, then come on. With the current peril and chaos in Northern Border City, with your cultivation, it should be a piece of cake to take me down, a Grade Fifth Soul Condensation."

Xu Mengxi gripped the handle of her saber tightly, her gaze slightly chilly, but she made no move.

Xu Yuan took pleasure in sizing her up from head to toe and snickered:

"I thought you would kill me just like you killed that top playboy of Spiritual Water Palace, but it seems you do know the difference."

Even among the elite playboys, there were disparities.

Xu Mengxi furrowed her brows, enunciating every word:

"Xu Changtian, you’re no different from that Yue Huanbin."

"There’s a big difference,"

Xu Yuan shook his head, leisurely continuing: "Killing that so-called Yue Huanbin counts as a meritorious deed. Afterwards, the Emperor and my father will both reward you, but if you kill me...

As he spoke, Xu Yuan lifted a finger, pointing to himself:

"You, your master, your master’s family, and all of your friends and family will have to be buried with me."

Xu Mengxi’s beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, and she clenched the saber in her hand even tighter:

"The actions of your Prime Minister’s Mansion in Northern Border City are enough for you to be sentenced to death a thousand times over, according to Dayan’s laws."

Xu Yuan let out a low chuckle upon hearing this:

"Look at what you saying. Dayan’s laws are made by my father and the others, as if our Prime Minister’s Mansion were some big villains."

As he spoke,

Xu Yuan’s lips curved into a smile:

"After all these years, Meng Xi, you’ve grown up quite a bit, you should very well understand that if we didn’t do those things, the Sects would do the same. It’s a zero-sum game—if we don’t stand up to the Sects, we’ll just be lambs to the slaughter."

Xu Mengxi took a deep breath, releasing Xu Yuan’s hand, and exhaled a cloud of white fog into the snowy wind:

"Fallacious and sophistical, birds of a feather."

Xu Yuan smiled, not contradicting her, and patted Xu Mengxi on the shoulder before walking past her toward the council hall:

"Say what you will. The ideal world exists only in ideals. I admire you and hope you can always stick to your principles."

After a few steps away, Xu Yuan paused and then laughed:

"Also, one more piece of advice for you: too rigid, and you’ll break."

Xu Mengxi flared up when she heard this, turned around, and looked at his figure disappearing into the storm, gripping the saber handle tightly:

"Xu Changtian, what do you mean by that?"

Xu Yuan looked back with a smile in his eyes:

"What I mean? If not for this natural disaster of a blizzard, by now you would have already committed suicide because of your actions in Northern Border City."

"...."

After he finished, Xu Mengxi fell silent, shaking with anger for a few moments, but finding herself at a loss for words.

Because what Xu Yuan, the spoiled noble, said was true.

She had left the city to seal off smuggled military arms and upon arriving at the site, she was ambushed by three unknown Great Grandmasters. If she hadn’t fled quickly, she would already be dead.

Xu Yuan watched her expression and said:

"You did very well, killing Yue Huanbin.

"Even though I look down on him, I can’t deny that his status was indeed very high. Being the sole son of the Great Elder of Spiritual Water Palace, if you hadn’t taken advantage of the situation with the Barbarian Tribes attacking the city, killing him would likely have resulted in your own death."

As he spoke,

Xu Yuan’s eyes softened, and he spoke gently:

"You’ve always wanted to settle scores with me, haven’t you? Before you’re qualified to do so, you’d better learn how to protect yourself first. Only by staying alive can you climb higher and do more."

"...."

The silence lingered.

Xu Yuan smiled and shook his head, no longer speaking, and turned away.

Xu Mengxi watched his back, his hair fluttering in the night, biting back her anger and shouting:

"Xu Changtian, what gives you the right to say such things here?"

She struggled to accept it.

She couldn’t accept that this unscrupulous noble could speak such words.

Xu Yuan didn’t respond, didn’t even turn his head, just waved his hand and vanished at the entrance of the council hall, leaving Xu Mengxi alone in the snowy night, lost in thought...

...

...

...

Upon entering the council hall, the scene inside was almost exactly as Xu Yuan had expected.

The grand hall was spacious, with Li Zhaoyuan sitting alone at the head, dealing with logistical military affairs, his wolf-hair brush moving swiftly as he wrote.

Seeing Xu Yuan enter, Li Zhaoyuan raised an eyebrow, instantly put down his pen, stood up to greet him, and laughed:

"Third Young Master actually didn’t stay out overnight?"

Xu Yuan observed the other’s demeanor: