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Xiao Yan returned to the Inner Courtyard and saw a grim-faced Zhou Mingrui at the entrance of his residence.
He scratched his head awkwardly. He had been too happy to see Ape Lord and was dragged off to fish, delaying for too long… He only remembered that student Zhou Mingrui was still fiercely battling the Snow Demon Sky Ape after he obtained the Earth Core Tempering Body Milk.
By the time he went back to look for Zhou Mingrui, both he and the Snow Demon Sky Ape had vanished.
He scratched his head sheepishly and smiled awkwardly, "Uh, Student Zhou…"
"I thought you died in that valley… That monkey and I fought for two whole hours!" Zhou Mingrui said in a cold voice.
Xiao Yan knew that any further explanation at this point would be futile, so he practically took out a jade bottle containing half of the Earth Core Tempering Body Milk.
"I did not fail my mission!" Xiao Yan said with a smile.
Zhou Mingrui's expression softened considerably. He nodded at him and walked towards his own residence without a word.
Xiao Yan was just about to go cultivate in the Heavenly Burning Training Qi Tower when he saw Hu Jia rushing over in a hurry:
"Xiao Yan, quickly go to the Outer Courtyard. Your Elder brother and second brother are here. It seems something happened to the Xiao Family… Xun Er and Xiao Meng have already gone over."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's face suddenly changed, and he immediately ran towards the place in the Inner Courtyard where griffins were kept.
Upon arrival, a griffin was already prepared and ready to depart at any moment.
On the griffin's back sat a thin old man, none other than Elder Qing, the Inner Courtyard Elder he had seen before the fire energy Hunting Competition.
He said to Xiao Yan with a chuckle, "Come on up, I'll give you a ride."
Xiao Yan thanked him and jumped onto the griffin's back.
The giant griffin flapped its wings, stirring up a strong wind, and soared into the sky.
Under normal circumstances, communication between the Inner Courtyard and Outer Courtyard was very limited. It was not easy for students to leave the Inner Courtyard; they needed to go through a set of approval procedures.
However, Elder Qing, considering the talents of Xiao Meng and Xiao Yan, did not make things difficult and provided convenience.
Xiao Yan was burning with anxiety. After the griffin flew for half a day, when he could see Jia Ma City in the distance, he impatiently unfurled his Purple Cloud Wings and rushed towards the academy.
Upon arriving at the academy entrance, Xiao Ning, who had been waiting for a long time, waved at him, "Cousin Xiao Yan, over here."
Led by Xiao Ning, he arrived in front of the elegant pavilion where Instructor Ruo Lin resided.
Xiao Ning directly opened the door and led Xiao Yan in with a flurry.
When they reached the main hall, Instructor Ruo Lin was sitting on a chair, looking worried.
"Instructor Ruo Lin." Xiao Yan greeted politely.
"Go in… Your Elder brother and second brother are here, and I don't know what they said, but Yu'er is crying her eyes out… Go see for yourself." Ruo Lin looked troubled.
Xiao Yan quickly passed through the hall and walked into a room at the back.
He knocked on the door.
The door creaked open, revealing a pale-faced, haggard Xiao Yu.
When she saw Xiao Yan, she burst into tears again with a "wah" sound, leaving Xiao Yan stunned.
He had never seen Xiao Yu appear so vulnerable in front of him.
"Don't cry, don't cry, let's talk properly about what happened… What exactly happened?" Xiao Yan said, somewhat flustered, trying to comfort her.
Xiao Ning silently stepped forward, patted Xiao Yan's shoulder, and gestured for him to go inside.
After entering the room, Xiao Ning closed the door. The atmosphere inside was so oppressive it was almost suffocating.
Xiao Yan immediately saw a bed and a man lying on it.
Looking at the man with tightly closed eyes and a pale face, Xiao Yan couldn't help but exclaim, "Second Brother!"
Beside the bed sat another man who exuded a scholarly aura, none other than Xiao Ding.
Xiao Meng, Xun Er, and Xiao Mei were all sitting on chairs nearby.
"Cough cough…" Xiao Li coughed and propped himself up with his hand.
"Second Brother, what happened? Who hurt you like this?" Xiao Yan quickly stepped forward.
"It's nothing serious. I had a conflict with someone while passing through the Black-Corner Region and got injured." Xiao Li replied.
After a soul scan, Xiao Yan determined that although Xiao Li was somewhat weak, it wasn't a major issue. Sometimes, injuries sustained during duels between students in the Inner Courtyard were even more severe than this.
However, his heart did not relax; instead, it tightened even more.
If it were just Xiao Li's injury, Xiao Yu would not have reacted like this, nor would the atmosphere in the room be so heavy.
He turned his gaze to Xiao Ding, who hesitated for a moment, then finally said in a slow, trembling voice, "The Xiao Family… is gone."
Xiao Yan was instantly stunned, his mind blank, as if unable to process the news. After a long while, he asked in an incredulous tone, "Wh-… What do you mean?"
"The Xiao Family has been wiped out… Only a few of us are left." Xiao Ding replied with a pained, hoarse voice.
Xiao Yan's face instantly turned ashen, and he stumbled back three steps.
Xiao Meng quickly stepped forward to support him, preventing him from falling.
After a good while, Xiao Yan asked with reddened eyes, "What happened? Where is Father?"
"Dead, all dead… First Elder, Second Elder… Father… No one from the Xiao Family in Wu Tan City survived."
"What happened? Who… did… it?" Xiao Yan asked with a distorted, ferocious expression, gritting his teeth.
Xiao Ding and Xiao Li looked towards Yun Meng.
Xiao Yan followed their gaze, looking at the young man in the Yunlan Sect's moon-white uniform with an expressionless face, and frowned.
Yun Meng replied in a calm, emotionless tone:
"I'll answer about this… According to the last intelligence I received, the Xiao Family was attacked by the Jia Lie Family and the Ao Ba Clan.
"They apparently teamed up to eliminate the Xiao Family because they were dissatisfied with its expansion in Wu Tan City.
"However, that's all I know… The Yunlan Sect, upon receiving the news, immediately relayed it and has not yet conducted a more in-depth investigation.
"But I think there are probably many hidden reasons behind this. Firstly, the sudden alliance of the Jia Lie Family and the Ao Ba Clan to attack the Xiao Family is strange in itself.
"Even if they have common interests, they wouldn't casually instigate such a large conflict… Because they are enemies of each other, if the Xiao Family were gone, they would be each other's biggest competitors."
"You are…" Xiao Yan looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"My name is Yun Meng, and I am Yun Yun's junior brother… I have come to deliver something to you by my senior sister's order." Yun Meng showed a gentle smile.
Yun Yun… A hint of longing and tenderness flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes, then quickly vanished. The Xiao Family's matter consumed all his thoughts; he temporarily had no time for such romantic feelings.
Yun Meng said to Xiao Yan, "Let's talk privately. It won't take up too much of your time."
Looking at his deep eyes, Xiao Yan glanced at Xiao Meng and Xun Er, hesitated for a moment, but still agreed.
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