บท 32: Chapter 32-Calming Down
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT YOU WON'T CANCEL THE ENGAGEMENT!"
Yun Lan's shout reverberated throughout the family meeting room in the manor. As her anger flared, coldness emanated from her, causing the temperature to drop rapidly. Standing outside the hall, Xiao could feel the chill, but it didn't affect him much. With a shrug of his shoulders, he knocked and entered the room, where he found his fuming mother.
Inside, his mother faced his grandfather and father, who stood on one side, while she stood on the other. The cold released by his mother seemed to have no effect on his grandfather, and his father had to exert some effort to defend against it. As for Xiao, well, being a fire affinity cultivator using a God-knows-what level cultivation technique has its own perks and uses.
"Um, not bad, child," Xiao's grandfather, Yun Hao, spoke. He applied a slight pressure on Yun Lan, causing her knees to buckle, demonstrating her power but also her inability to match Yun Hao, who had cultivated for hundreds of years. Gritting her teeth, she withstood Yun Hao's pressure.
"You are truly talented, little lass. Reaching such a level of power at such a young age is astonishing. But in the end, unless you have absolute power, talent means nothing," Yun Hao's words reverberated through the hall. He released his pressure, allowing Yun Lan to stand straight once more. Her eyes were cold as she confronted Yun Hao.
"So you're saying that you won't cancel the engagement?"
"Yes."
"So you want my son to marry a cripple?!" Yun Lan exclaimed in anger towards Yun Hao. They claimed to be protecting the family's honor, but in reality, they were only making her son's life miserable. Yun Lan's anger boiled inside her, ready to burst forth at any moment. That was when Xiao spoke up.
"Mother, it's enough."
Hearing Xiao's words, Yun Lan was surprised and quickly turned her head toward him. While the others had sensed Xiao's presence, Yun Lan had been too focused on the two in front of her. Complex emotions filled Yun Lan's eyes as she opened her mouth to speak.
"Little Xi, don't worry. Mother won't let you marry a cripple just because the family said so."
Yun Lan addressed Xiao seriously, her gaze fixed on him. Xiao smiled and walked toward his mother, smiling at her. Then he turned to his grandfather, completely ignoring his father. Facing Yun Hao, Xiao bowed.
"Greeting, Family Head."
"Do you also want to cancel the engagement?"
Yun Hao went straight to the point without beating around the bush. Xiao raised his head, looking at his grandfather, and calmly replied.
"No. The engagement was arranged by the Yun family, and it is my responsibility to honor it. I will marry Li Lun and not let the Yun family down."
"Xiao!"
Yun Lan was surprised and angry, calling out his name instead of his nickname as she normally did. Xiao turned to his mother, nodding in acknowledgment. Seeing this, Yun Lan wanted to say more, but she held back.
"It's good that you're being responsible," Yun Hao nodded, and Xiao humbly replied, "Family Head, you think too highly of me."
Not once did he say "grandfather," nor did he acknowledge his father's existence. With those final words, he took his mother's hand and walked out of the room, leaving behind a calm Yun Hao and a fuming Yun Qing. Xiao silently led his mother to her room.
A few seconds later, they entered Yun Lan's room. As they did, Yun Lan immediately hugged her son, patting his back. Her eyes were extremely cold as she spoke.
"Don't worry, little Xi. Since they won't cancel it, we'll just have to ensure that the engagement doesn't take place."
"What does the mother have in mind?" Xiao asked, coming out of his mother's embrace. Though confused, he had an inkling of what she was planning. Hearing Xiao's question, a cruel smile formed on Yun Lan's face as she replied.
"What else? For an engagement to happen, there needs to be a girl, right? We just have to remove that Li Lun girl from the equation."
Yun Lan showed no hint of guilt as she spoke about ending the life of a ten-year-old girl. In the past, she had let the engagement proceed because Li Lun had not yet awakened, and no one knew her potential. But now, as a cripple, how could Yun Lan allow her son to marry someone useless?
From the beginning, Yun Lan was never a kind woman. As long as she could benefit her family, she didn't mind becoming a devil. Xiao could only shake his head. In fact, this had happened in his past life as well, but each time, Li Lun would miraculously survive.
Since she was chosen for a legacy, it wouldn't be easy for her to die. However, it didn't mean she emerged unscathed. Xiao looked at his mother, who was already planning to contact an assassin organization, and spoke.
"Mother, you don't have to do anything like that..."
"What do you mean?" Yun Lan asked, not getting angry. She knew her son wasn't an idiot and was quite smart when having to deal with things, he seemed to be blessed with everything from the world, talents, and brains, and while it kills her not to show off the element that Xiao wields, she still holds great pride on it, and she knows Xiao wouldn't speak without a plan. Xiao looked at his mother as he spoke.
"Mother, you don't have to worry. I will handle it."
"Why? Are you scared of me hurting her? Perhaps, do you like her?"
Yun Lan asked with narrowed eyes. Xiao calmly replied with his fabricated lies.
"No, it's just that I don't want any unnecessary bloodshed, and I genuinely want to deal with this on my own."
After explaining his made-up plans and lies, Xiao listened to Yun Lan for a while until she finally sighed and agreed.
"Sigh... Fine, but remember, son, don't fall in love with her. I've already received news from my hidden sources that Li Lun is a lost cause. In the future, you and she will belong to two different worlds."
Xiao smiled inwardly at his mother's words because, as she had said, they would indeed belong to two different worlds. The only difference was that Li Lun would surpass him in the future, or maybe she won't. In this life, anything is at play.
"Yes, Mother," Xiao nodded solemnly while keeping his thoughts to himself.
"Good," Yun Lan finally agreed. Afterward, Xiao chatted and played with his mother for a while before setting off to the Li family.
'Sigh... I guess it's time to meet Li Lun...'
บท 33: Chapter 33-The Nightmare
Far away from the Yun mansion, Xiao was heading to the Li mansion. In Li Lun's room, a young girl aged 10 sat on a chair. The past few months hadn't changed much about her. She still appeared cute, but her cheerfulness and bright smile were nowhere to be seen.
Li Lun sat blind and crippled, facing the harsh realities of a world where true power and talent ruled. In this world, lacking either of those meant being of no use, merely a burden to be discarded. Despite this, her father's love remained unchanged, which was truly a blessing.
However, it couldn't change what had already occurred. Li Lun couldn't believe how drastically her life had changed. She vividly remembered that day—it had started off joyfully, as she was finally going to begin her cultivation journey.
Li Lun wasn't initially interested in cultivation, but after meeting Xiao, her curiosity had been piqued. Not because she particularly enjoyed it, but because Xiao did. She wanted something in common with him. She had dreamt of awakening and going to see Xiao, discussing cultivation and seeking his guidance. That way, they could spend more time together. She had developed strong feelings for him.
Talking and playing with Xiao had always been enjoyable. She laughed at his attempts at jokes and was fascinated by his dedication to cultivation. There was something captivating about his unwavering focus and determination to achieve his goals.
Moreover, Xiao was truly good-looking, and Li Lun found herself increasingly attracted to him. Everything seemed perfect, so why did things have to turn out like this? Why did she have to experience such a fate? Why did the world hate her?
She could vividly recall the events of that day. It had started like any other, filled with happiness and anticipation as she headed to the awakening area, where the elders would awaken her martial core. But everything went wrong there. She experienced excruciating pain, as if her bones were being crushed. She could faintly remember a whisper in her ear.
'I chose you.'
The words were barely a whisper, but she knew it wasn't a hallucination. That was the last light she saw before darkness consumed her. When she woke up, she was in a bed, and there was no... light, everything had become dark for her, the brightness that was normal to her left her, becoming a cause she never appreciated.
Now Li Lun couldn't see.
To her everything became dark and pitch-black, causing fear to crawl through her body. She was confused, disoriented, and terrified. The familiar lights and colors never appeared. Darkness, an endless darkness, filled her sight.
She screamed and cried until her voice broke and tears ran dry. Then it happened—she realized she couldn't move her legs or walk. In just one day, she lost many precious things she never knew she had.
But that was only the beginning of her nightmare. While she lost something, she gained something else. Her senses sharpened like never before. She could "feel" the auras of others, and her hearing reached an unbelievable level. She could hear a person's heartbeat or a faint sound from a distance.
She could sense her surroundings as if there was a connection, but even that became a nightmare—a curse she wished she never had. Although she couldn't see it, she "felt" the disdain and contempt others held for her now. She heard their mocking comments and felt like a complete waste.
"Sigh... To think she would end up as a waste. What a pity."
"Her only worth was being engaged to young master Xiao. What do we do now?"
"It seems she will be a burden."
The sounds of the elders, who had once smiled at her, now filled her mind, while the servants who had been kind to her spoke ill of her, joining in the mockery.
"What a pity. I thought I could get close to her."
"Yeah, me too. Well, it seems she will be like this for the rest of her life."
Their hurtful words cut deep into her heart. But that was just the beginning. Renowned doctors from all over the empire were called to examine her, and they all said the same thing.
"Impossible."
She would be like this for the rest of her life. She could still cultivate, but she would never see or walk—a cripple for life. Li Lun, who thought she couldn't be hurt any further, now truly understood despair. In a single day, she had fallen from heaven to hell.
But amidst all this, her greatest fear was the engagement. She overheard others talking about it. Now that she was like this, why would the engagement proceed? Xiao was a talented genius, so why would he want to be engaged to a cripple?
These words and questions flooded her mind, but she tried to deny them.
'No, he's not like that.'
'No, he promised.'
'Yes, he's different.'
All these words jumbled in her mind, and she wanted to believe them, but an "if" always lingered, deep in her thoughts. Her body turned cold as an unfamiliar feeling gripped her mind. The day had pushed her to the brink of emotional breakdown. She now understood powerlessness and harbored a burning desire for power, at least she thought she did, while in her heart hope still boomed, hope that things might change, such thoughts could only be defeated with time.
"I see, now I understand a bit of what he was saying..."
Li Lun muttered with lifeless eyes, sitting on the chair. She had always wondered why Xiao tried so hard. He had always said it was to control his fate. She had been confused, but now she could grasp a glimmer of understanding. That was when she heard whispers from the maids standing outside her door.
"Pss... Did you hear?"
"What?"
"It seems young master Xiao is at the mansion. He seems to be heading to meet the young mistress."
"Really? Do you think he came to break the engagement?"
"Who knows? Maybe..."
Li Lun didn't catch the rest of their conversation as her mind buzzed with the mention of Xiao's presence. Countless possibilities flooded her mind, but in the end, she shook her head. Even if he came to break it off with her, she would accept it. After all, who would want a cripple?
So she sat there, waiting. It didn't take long before she sensed another presence outside her door. Though she felt it for the first time, she knew it belonged to Xiao. She waited, waited for him to enter. Then she heard his words.
"Li Lun, can I come inside?"
"Y-Yes."
Her response was shaky and barely recognizable. Her voice trembled, and despite her thoughts, her heart fought with apprehension. Soon, she heard the door open as Xiao walked in. Though she couldn't physically sense him, she could still hear his heartbeat, his footsteps, and his scent.
She liked them all.
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