"I do not know. He only said his younger sister went missing inside the Su family's secret realm."
"His sister?"
"Yes. Xiao He's sister is called Xiao Lei. After he became a fallen evil cultivator, she disappeared and seems to have cut ties with him.
I only found that Xiao He's sister did not take part in the clan extermination. After leaving Xiaohe City she became a loose cultivator, always on the move. But she never came to Qianling City, and there is no record of her entering a secret realm under Su family control."
Being able to find all this in a short time was no small feat.
Su Qifeng set down his teacup. "He is a fallen evil cultivator, the kind our five regions execute on sight. Yet he risked exposing himself just to investigate our vanished secret realm. That makes no sense. There is something we do not know. Keep digging, and make sure to 'invite' this Xiao He back."
"Yes, Patriarch."
With orders in hand, Su family disciples mobilized to track Xiao He. Once his trail was exposed, Xiao He clashed with them twice, suffered heavy injuries, and had to flee back to his hideout in the Central Region.
Central Region, secret hideout
Xiao He had only enough time to swallow a healing pill when a black-robed cultivator flashed into view.
"Tsk. Why so bedraggled?" The schadenfreude in his tone was obvious.
Gritting his teeth, Xiao He said, "You lied to me. My sister never entered the Su family's secret realm."
"Are you sure?"
"...The Su family's secret realm has already disappeared. Whether my sister is dead or alive is whatever you say it is. Why bother weaving such a lie?"
"See for yourself."
The man tossed him a Recording Jade.
Xiao He fed it spiritual power. Inside was the scene of his sister Xiao Lei being taken toward the Su family's secret realm, followed by righteous cultivators slaughtering evil cultivators and other captured cultivators. His sister had clearly been about to become collateral.
Though he now knew his sister was alive, his eyes still reddened. It had been that close. If not for Wei Zhēnjūn's intervention, she would certainly have died.
The black-robed man sneered. "Seen enough? Do not accuse me of slandering those righteous cultivators. They know you are working with us. They would not spare a thought for your sister's life. They could not even be bothered to ask a question, and cut her down along with our people.
Our people dying is one thing. We stand against the cultivation world. Dying for that is no injustice. But your sister would have died for nothing."
Xiao He's fingers whitened around the jade as he glared. "You are right that they were wrong. But if you had not taken my sister, she would never have suffered this disaster. The ones who should die are you."
He braced to fight to the death, intent on self-detonating his Golden Core.
The man's eyes flashed with disdain. He raised a hand, sealing Xiao He's spiritual power. "Do not be ungrateful, Xiao He. You were the one who contacted us first. To save your father, we made our deal.
Your father's failure was not our doing. It was the Wei clan's doing. And in the end it was we who helped you restore your cultivation and avenge your clan.
We owe you nothing. It was all a transaction. Was it not you who placed your sister in danger? We only sent her into the secret realm to better protect her and temper her.
Who could have expected the realm to be exposed, and those righteous cultivators to strike so ruthlessly, destroying an entire realm to kill us?
If you want revenge, the first person who should die is you, then the righteous cultivator who destroyed the realm, and only then us.
Spare me the act. If you truly wanted to die with me, you would not have used your entire Xiao clan as a raft to restore your cultivation. Stop gilding yourself. We are the same kind of people."
Xiao He stared at the man's obscured face, hatred boiling. They had his pulse perfectly. If he had not seen with his own eyes that his sister still lived, his mind clouded by hatred, he might have been swayed by that rhetoric.
Seeing Xiao He calm, the man tossed him to the floor. "Think on my words. Even if it is for your sister's revenge, heal first. After you have your revenge, whether you choose to live or die, I will not stop you."
He threw down a pill bottle and vanished.
Xiao He slowly pushed himself up. Clutching the bottle, he swallowed the blood rising to his lips and lowered his gaze to hide the hate in his eyes. He would maximize his value and trade it for a path of ascension for his sister.
Haoran Sect, Lingxue Peak
Upon returning to the sect, Yunxi sent Xiao Lei back to her previous courtyard. She tossed over a small vial and said coolly, "This is the repair elixir your brother begged from this Zhēnjūn. It will completely mend your meridians. Take one drop a day. After nine days, your meridians will be as before."
Joy flashed in Xiao Lei's eyes, then sank with worry. She whispered, "What price did my brother have to pay?"
Yunxi decided the girl had grown more perceptive, but she did not elaborate. "Do not disappoint your brother's intention."
She slipped away to her own quarters.
After three days of rest, Yunxi received a summons from the Sect Master. She descended on Haoran Peak and saw a stranger waiting, a late-stage Golden Core cultivator wreathed in sword intent, a pitch-black longsword on his back, sword brows and starry eyes, his presence imposing.
The man cupped his hands. "Are you Wei Yunxi Zhēnjūn of Lingxue Peak?"
Yunxi nodded. "I am. And you are?"
"Greetings, Wei Zhēnjūn. I am Zhou Lingchuan, the Sect Master's second disciple."
Yunxi paused, then smiled. "In more than twenty years since I entered the sect, this is the first time I have met one of the Sect Master's other disciples."
Zhou Lingchuan coughed lightly. "I was out training and became trapped in a perilous realm. I was there for fifty years. Only recently, with minor success in sword intent, did I escape and return."
"So it is. Gains, at least. From the sword intent around you, Martial Nephew Zhou, reaching Nascent Soul is only a matter of time."
"Thank you for your auspicious words, Martial Uncle."
After a few brief exchanges, they reached the main hall. Yunxi stepped inside first.
"Sect Master, what instructions do you have for me?"
She smiled and offered a salute.
"Yunxi, you are here. Sit. Look over these Dao names I selected for you. See if any suit you."
Yu Geng smiled and pushed a jade slip before her. "This should have been done by your master, but he is busy day after day, nowhere to be seen, so I am handling it.
Among your generation, you are the first to reach Nascent Soul. Your generation's Dao names take the character 'Ran'. These are the ones I think suit you. Choose three first, then consult your master for the final decision."
Yunxi cupped her hands. "Many thanks, Sect Master."
"As it should be. This Dao name will accompany you when you ascend to the Spirit Realm. Choose well."
Yunxi swept her divine sense through the jade slip and circled three names with spiritual power: Ran Ya, Ran Xi, and Ran Hong.
===
The choice of her dao name: 苒雅,苒曦,苒虹
苒 (rǎn): It comes from the word 荏苒 (rěnrǎn), which describes how time passes softly, imperceptibly, and relentlessly—like the gradual change of seasons. It evokes a poetic, gentle, and graceful feeling. It often implies a sense of peace, elegance, and natural beauty.
1. 苒雅 (Rǎn Yǎ)
雅 (Yǎ): This character means "elegant," "refined," "graceful," and "dignified." It is a classic and highly desirable trait in Chinese culture, associated with sophistication and good taste.
This name combines the gentle, natural flow of time (苒) with elegance and refinement (雅). It suggests a person who is graceful, peaceful, and possesses a quiet, innate sophistication.
Meaning: "Graceful as the Passing Seasons" or "Elegant and Refined"
2. 苒曦 (Rǎn Xī)
曦 (Xī): This character means "the light of the dawn sun." It evokes images of the first rays of sunlight, hope, brilliance, warmth, and a new beginning.
This is a very powerful and optimistic name. It contrasts and combines the soft, flowing quality of 苒 with the brilliant, radiant energy of 曦. It suggests the gentle passage of time leading to or containing a bright and hopeful dawn.
Meaning: "The Gentle Passage of the Morning Sun" or "Dawn's Gradual Light"
3. 苒虹 (Rǎn Hóng)
虹 (Hóng): This character means "rainbow." It symbolizes beauty, hope, promise, and the beautiful spectrum of colors that appears after a rainstorm.
This name paints a beautiful picture. It suggests the gentle, time-passing quality of 苒 leading to something as beautiful and colorful as a rainbow. It implies a person who brings color, joy, and beauty to the world.
Meaning: "Rainbow of the Passing Rain" or "Gentle and Colorful"