The world’s affections are fickle, human feelings are vile; rain sees off dusk, flowers fall easily.

As these words were spoken, Nian Zhaoxi’s already agonizing heart suddenly felt a pain so intense it was as if a thousand needles were tearing it apart!

Gu Xiu… how could he say such a thing?

One must know that the Gu Xiu of the past was spirited and high-spirited. Though he had countless formidable enemies, he also made friends far and wide across the lands! Moreover, he never looked at their cultivation level; he only cared if they were compatible in temperament. Whether you were a peddler or a porter, a prince or a minister, as long as Gu Xiu acknowledged you, he would treat you with genuine sincerity!

Back then, Nian Zhaoxi had once asked Gu Xiu why he enjoyed making friends from all walks of life. At that time, Gu Xiu’s reply was also a line of poetry: A bosom friend afar brings a distant land near!

These words had once filled Nian Zhaoxi with admiration for his heroic spirit. She had felt a pang of envy, thinking that her little junior brother truly deserved the name of a peerless exiled immortal.

But… it was this very same heroic prodigy who advocated for bosom friends across the seas… who one day would utter the words: rain sees off dusk, flowers fall easily…

What did this mean? Or rather… what had caused him to change his thinking, to become like this?

In truth, Nian Zhaoxi knew why. And so her heart grew even more distressed, to the point where even breathing felt immensely difficult. Her eyes were filled with sorrow and heartache.

Little Junior Brother… Senior Sister is sorry! Senior Sister is truly, truly sorry for you!

At this moment, Nian Zhaoxi’s heart was filled with boundless guilt, and two clear streams of tears began to fall uncontrollably, drip-dropping onto the ground.

Seeing her like this, Ye Hongling couldn’t help but feel somewhat surprised. Although she didn’t know why this powerful and terrifying senior was in such a state, she guessed in her heart: Could there be some relationship between her and him?

“Senior,” Ye Hongling asked, “is that fellow Daoist I met your… friend?”

“Not a friend,” Nian Zhaoxi shook her head and answered firmly. “He is my younger brother!”

“A younger brother closer than a blood brother!”

What???

Ye Hongling was stunned for a moment before finding it somewhat unbelievable. “Senior must be joking?”

“Although that fellow Daoist is astonishing, he couldn’t possibly be your younger brother?”

“Could it be that you’ve mistaken him for someone else? A misunderstanding?”

Nian Zhaoxi looked puzzled, not understanding why Ye Hongling would say such a thing. But then she heard Ye Hongling continue.

“That fellow Daoist indeed has extraordinary aspects. However, he likely does not come from any major sect or have any exceptionally lofty background.”

“What makes you say that?” Nian Zhaoxi asked curiously.

Ye Hongling replied without hesitation, “It’s simple. That fellow Daoist didn’t even have a decent weapon.”

These words struck Nian Zhaoxi like a thunderbolt. She froze on the spot.

“From the first moment I saw that fellow Daoist until the end, his weapon was always just a broken wooden stick picked up from the roadside.”

“If he had a sect background—even the most ordinary third-rate sect—they would at least issue some common weaponry if not magical or spiritual artifacts.”

“Senior possesses many treasures. If that fellow Daoist were truly your younger brother, his weapon certainly wouldn’t be so poor as to use a broken wooden stick.”

“So, Junior estimates that the person Senior has in mind is likely not the same person I’m talking about,” Ye Hongling stated with certainty.

She felt there must have been some misunderstanding. The Gu Xiu who had saved her that day was indeed astonishing and worthy of admiration, but he couldn’t possibly be the younger brother of such a powerful figure.

How could an elder sister have so many treasures while her younger brother was so poor he didn’t even have a proper weapon?

It was precisely this certainty of hers that made Nian Zhaoxi’s expression turn somewhat unnatural. She stammered an explanation.

“His… his weapon met with an accident and broke… there wasn’t time to repair or replace it.”

“His weapon broke?” Ye Hongling shook her head with a smile. “That could only be considered a coincidence; it absolutely cannot be the person Senior speaks of.”

“This… why not?”

“Look at spirit stones,” Ye Hongling replied. “Although that fellow Daoist only had Qi Refining third-layer cultivation, his aura was steady and condensed—clearly someone with exceptional aptitude.”

“Such an individual would undoubtedly be given abundant resources for cultivation by any sect. Yet that fellow Daoist possessed no special skills or storage-type magical treasures… he didn’t even have many spirit stones.”

Saying ‘not many’ was being polite. Ye Hongling recalled how Gu Xiu had scraped every last bit like a wild goose plucking feathers—extorting spirit stones from her and immediately using them for cultivation himself. Clearly his pockets were utterly empty!

If he were truly a sect’s prodigy, why would he need to extort those few spirit stones from her? He wouldn’t even look at them!

But if she hadn’t said this it might have been better; upon hearing it, Nian Zhaoxi’s expression grew even more awkward.

What could she say? That Gu Xiu’s monthly allowance in the sect was even less than that of servant disciples? That despite being her younger brother, he didn’t even have one spirit stone or one storage-type magical treasure?

“He… he had some disagreements with… his family when he left… he didn’t have time to take much with him when he departed.”

Nian Zhaoxi could only stammer out another reply. She herself felt ashamed to speak of this matter with outsiders and was even more embarrassed to reveal that she came from the Qingxuan Sacred Land. She absolutely did not want such things spread abroad.

However… Ye Hongling shook her head again. “That’s also impossible; Senior must definitely have mistaken him for someone else.”

“And why is that?”

Nian Zhaoxi was starting to feel apprehensive. She had been to that cave; what Ye Hongling described matched exactly what she had investigated herself—not to mention Ye Hongling still carried traces of Gu Xiu’s aura. This clearly wasn’t a case of mistaken identity!

And yet…

“If we say lacking weapons or magical treasures is because they broke; lacking spirit stones or storage treasures is because he didn’t take them when leaving home…”

“But there is one thing that is absolutely impossible.” Ye Hongling stated with certainty now.

Nian Zhaoxi felt somewhat helpless yet also curious. “What is it?”

“Simple—cultivation techniques!”

Ye Hongling said, “When that fellow Daoist cultivated, spiritual energy from all directions gathered as if paying homage—the scene was quite astonishing.”

“But all of that was thanks to his cultivation aptitude. In truth, Junior observed carefully when that fellow Daoist cultivated; his cultivation technique was quite ordinary.”

“Of course, when Junior says ordinary it’s only relative to Senior’s level. That fellow Daoist’s cultivation technique likely does not exceed Mysterious-rank low-tier at most.”

“For an ordinary rogue cultivator, this technique would definitely be considered excellent—but for the younger brother of someone as powerful as Senior…”

“This is simply impossible!”

Ye Hongling spoke these words with great certainty; this was also why she believed Nian Zhaoxi had mistaken his identity.

After all… Mysterious-rank techniques aren’t bad; for most rogue cultivators and ordinary third-rate sects they represent top-tier techniques one can access. But it depends on who you compare them to!

This fairy-like senior before her possessed numerous magical treasures; even the silk dress she wore clearly held great value. The cultivation technique such a person practiced—if not Heaven-rank—would at least reach Earth-rank standards!

Being the younger brother of such a great senior—and possessing exceptional aptitude himself—yet instead of cultivating his elder sister’s superior technique, choosing to practice some low-tier technique?

Isn’t that putting the cart before the horse? Who does such things? Who would believe it?

If it really were so, how malicious must this elder sister be?

Therefore, at this moment, Ye Hongling was almost completely certain: The benefactor fellow Daoist who saved her and this benefactor senior before her absolutely could not possibly have any relationship!!!

However… just as Ye Hongling thought this, she noticed Nian Zhaoxi hadn’t responded for quite some time, prompting her curiosity.

“Senior, why aren’t you speaking?”