Chapter 10, the eyes smiled

"Xiao Yuan, why are you so angry?" Yan Minyu frowned. Although Xiao Yuan was not known for having a good temper, she had never been this willful before. "Yuan Xun, did you provoke her again this morning?"

In a charred black ruin ... . ... there is nothing left.

He kept extending his hand, feeling somewhat awkward. Xiao Juyuan walked over and gently took the gourd, saying, "Sister Xiaoyuan, aren't you thirsty? The weather is getting hotter."

Li Yuan'er walked slowly behind everyone. Although she wore a disguise mask that concealed her expression, she instinctively wanted to avoid everyone's gaze

Tuoba Hanyun took her to the Bamboo Sea, the place of quiet cultivation of Master Zhu. She did not see the master, but she did see her parents' graves

She had long discovered that the secret manual and diagrams given by her grandmaster to her master did not contain the most profound martial arts of their school. Indeed, with these ordinary techniques, Tuoba Hanyun was already struggling to cope, so giving her anything better would be a waste.

She finally couldn't help but smile at him; although her smile was concealed behind the mask, her eyes still sparkled with joy

Yuan'er still turned her face away, not looking at them or speaking.

As a stranger and a disciple, she had already paid her respects to her father and mother. It was only then that Tuoba Hanyun, who had resolved to take her as a disciple, remembered to ask for her name. With her parents buried beneath several layers of earth, she coldly replied, "Li Yuan'er, my name is Li Yuan'er"

Oh... I see. " Yi Chunjun smiled and naturally sat down on the stone beside Yuan'er, " Don't be angry, Xiao Yuan, brother will teach you. What do you want to learn? "

Yichun Jun stared at her blankly and said slowly: "Your eyes are smiling..."

"It's fine," she replied coldly

"Xiao Yuan." He called her softly, his tone tinged with concern that she could not bear. The way he looked at her was also unbearable for her! She flicked her hand and walked to the shade of a tree by the roadside, sulking as she sat on a stone.

When Zhu Liancheng rushed over...! ... he could only manage to collect the remains of the Xiao couple

In fact, regardless of what kind of face lies beneath that rough exterior, she is always captivating

She remained indifferent and did not answer

Yuan suddenly stopped, looking at him with resentment, "My steps are heavy, not because I am tired, but because my martial arts are lacking! I cannot walk as lightly as you all do!"

Looking at his beautiful and gentle smile, all my anger dissipated, for I knew his "preferences". She did not feel resistant to the somewhat overstepping intimacy towards him; instead, it felt very natural.

"Let's take a break." Pei Junwu glanced at the petite figure under the tree; he realized he had been careless. Given their physical condition and endurance, this pace was certainly unsustainable, especially since... she was so frail.

She murmured to herself, her tears becoming more abundant

No, no! ... A miracle ... . ... It is called a miracle precisely because it is almost impossible to occur. She did not encounter it

The secret, regarded as a treasure by the martial arts community, was unexpectedly mixed in with a pile of ancient books by Tuoba Hanyun, haphazardly piled on the bookshelf... It is truly a stroke of luck that, during the long period before she took over the management, the techniques of this school did not suffer from theft.

She slowly raised her eyes ... . ... It was the handsome and tall figure of Pei Junwu.

Then she encountered Tuoba Hanyun

"Stop talking nonsense! When have I ever made Xiao Yuan angry? Xiao Yuan, I know you must be anxious and upset because the martial arts skills of our two senior brothers are too good, leaving us far behind. You have always loved learning martial arts, and now is the perfect opportunity for the two senior brothers to teach you, isn't it? You should be happy, so why are you angry with them?" Tuo Ba Yuan Xun said loudly.

She did not listen to her mother! Her mother said that from now on she should be called Li Yuan'er, and that under no circumstances should she leave the cave or put down the Tianque Sword. She did not take a single word to heart

"Have a drink of water." He walked over, took out his water bottle, and handed it to her.

I truly do not understand. With the storm approaching, Pei Junwu is not properly planning for defense but instead suggests that everyone go to the ruins of the Xiao family to pay their respects! She feels a bit resentful, yet also has an indescribable sense of relief. Is she alone enough to muster the courage to return there?

Xiao Yuan, wearing a disguise mask, appeared rather ordinary due to the roughness of the mask, almost bordering on unattractive among this group of outstanding celestial beings. However, there was a captivating aura about her that drew attention; even though her looks were not remarkable, and even if she remained silent, a glance in her direction would inevitably cause one's gaze to linger on her amidst this assembly of unparalleled beauty. This was reminiscent of the first time he encountered her.

"You must be tired, your steps are so heavy," Yi Chunjun said with a furrowed brow, feeling somewhat reluctant.

When she crawled back to the cave, exhausted, and only saw the pile of ashes, she knew she had been deceived

He gazed at her for a long time, truly astonishing... A girl with such an ordinary appearance could captivate his attention for such an extended period. The wind gently lifted her long hair, and he felt an impulse to remove her disguise, to see what kind of face lay beneath that clumsy mask

Home? Where is there still a home

A full six days of desperate waiting ... ... At such a young age, she has already experienced the anger and helplessness that comes from being deceived. She is still waiting for the final miracle, hoping that the Pei family will come, believing that the young lady merely took the sword thinking it was worth something.

As she followed Master Tuoba Hanyun away from the bamboo sea, she turned back to gaze at the tall mound of earth where her parents were buried, silently promising never to go against her mother's words again. At that time, she still did not realize how much she would lose that rightfully belonged to her. She had yet to truly understand the great price she would pay for her mistakes

Dead? All dead? He... also dead?

Uncertain whether it was due to the scorching sunlight or the lingering heat from that brutal fire, as she searched through the charred beams and broken bricks for her parents' bodies, her hands ached intensely, feeling as if they had been severely burned

Yi Chunjun was taken aback, seemingly not expecting that his unintentional remark would provoke such a strong reaction from her

Her appearance moved Tuoba Hanyun, and although she knew that this beautiful woman was her master's senior sister, she still could not reveal her identity to her, nor could she express it to anyone else.

Trust

She did not find ... ? ... A glimmer of hope arose in her heart, her mother was so clever, could it be that she and her father had avoided this calamity ... ? But ... ... If they were still alive, how could they not come to find her ?

Everyone stopped in their tracks and looked over. The faint smile that had lingered at Pei Junwu's lips vanished as he pressed his mouth into a tight line. He slowly walked over, and his eyes seemed to grow deeper and darker.

Yuan'er smiled sadly, heaven knows if in this life she will ever be able to trust anyone again

This beautiful lady gazed at the vast ruins of the Xiao family for a long time, and finally shed tears

People are so tired, and the heart is also weary

As Yuan grew up, she thought to herself that it must have been the genuine tears of her master that touched her little heart. A person who can be moved to tears for her own parents evokes an indescribable trust in her, perhaps this is what is called fate. This trust or fate allowed her to agree to follow someone she had never met before to venture far away into the frontier

Now she is somewhat aware of it

Walking back to Ya'an ... ... She is so tired

Pei Junwu's expression gradually turned cold; he no longer looked at her and walked to sit under another tree

Lotus dance, I want to learn lotus dance

Feeling very tired? Lost in her thoughts, she was so focused that she did not notice Yi Chunjun slowing his pace to approach her side

Pei Junwu and his companions enjoy walking wherever they go; often, their horses become a burden instead. Yan Minyu and Tuoba Yuanxun are chatting and laughing around Yi Chunjun, quickly becoming familiar with one another, seemingly unaware of fatigue. Xiao Juyuan walks alongside Pei Junwu at the front, occasionally tugging at his sleeve, prompting him to lean slightly and listen to her whispering softly in his ear

Tears were in her eyes, but she did not cry

Perhaps it is due to exceptional lightness of skill

The first time she unwittingly went against her mother's teachings, she faced severe punishment

After the fateful downpour that changed everything, several consecutive sunny days followed, with the sun shining brightly as if nothing had ever happened. In the warm and reassuring sunlight that brought a sense of happiness and safety, the little girl waited for a full six days, but no one came. It was only after finishing the last bite of her rations, unable to bear the hunger any longer, that she descended the mountain to return home

Amidst the fluttering fallen blossoms, beneath the bright morning sunlight, she stood silently by the water's edge, unsure whether it was the light reflected from the lake's surface or the pink rain of flowers that accentuated her presence, emanating an aura that stirred him deeply

Sometimes she felt that she truly was a member of the Xiao family. Looking at the ruins left after the fire disaster, with the ground strewn with both familiar and unfamiliar grotesque corpses, she surprisingly did not cry