Chapter 4: Xun Er
The thought of that Xiao Family descendant being of the same generation as him in the future gave Gu Yuan a headache.
How many generational gaps had been messed up by this?
In the future, when he saw Xiao Xuan, would he still have to call him Old Ancestor? Am I my own ancestor now?
"Uncle Xiao Zhan..." Xun Er murmured softly, clearly disliking the title, instinctively resisting it.
She didn't like strangers.
"Let's go, you'll be living here from now on."
Gu Yuan tugged her hand, the weariness in his eyes deepening — he looked like he could collapse and sleep at any moment: "We need to arrange things quickly, no wasting time."
"Oh..."
Xun Er fell silent, only replying reluctantly after a long while.
"Don't worry, Ling Ying will be by your side," Gu Yuan said, rubbing her head gently. "Anything you want to say, anything you want to do, you can tell him."
Beneath the waterfall, Xiao Yan clenched his teeth, enduring the relentless scour of the water.
The most difficult part wasn't just withstanding the water's impact — it was keeping up with the constant changes in force and rhythm.
With only the control of a Dou Zhi Qi Stage Four, his Dou Qi circulation simply couldn't follow the chaotic flow for long. His only choice was to grit his teeth, hold on as long as possible, and then let himself recover for the next round.
"And it's not just muscle compression… cough, cough, even my lungs feel crushed!"
The force of the water penetrated straight through his body, pounding his heart and lungs like a drum. It was far more painful than the pressure on his skin.
Even if you wrapped your internal organs with Dou Qi, you couldn't completely block out the vibration.What, you want to wrap your heart and lungs in three inner and three outer layers? You trying to die?
Each breath was being ripped apart by the roaring current, his blood was in chaos, and his chest felt swollen and burning.
"No, I can't breathe… my head is spinning."
Xiao Yan gritted his teeth but was still forced down, his back nearly pressed against the slick bluestone. If it weren't for the thin layer of Dou Qi still clinging to him, he would look exactly like a drowned corpse.
He couldn't breathe at all now!
His Dou Qi was almost gone, his body on the edge of collapse. The moment his breath broke and the last Dou Qi layer fell apart, he would be crushed instantly.
'Breathe…'
He opened his mouth slightly, desperately trying to suck in air, but it was useless — no fresh air was reaching his lungs.
Black rings danced in his vision, his Dou Qi circulation faltering.
"Dou Qi, yes — Dou Qi!"
Xiao Yan's mind flashed with a new idea.
At the Dou Zhi Qi stage, there was no Cultivation Technique, control was poor, and the Meridians were fragile. Dou Qi movement was slow and clumsy, just circulating through the surface layers of the body bit by bit.
But there was already a fast channel inside the body — blood circulation!
Xiao Yan lowered his body, braced his hands against the bluestone, and deliberately withdrew his Dou Qi.
Hundreds of kilograms of pressure slammed onto his back at once, almost crushing him completely.
Heart!
He poured all of his remaining Dou Qi into his heart.
With a single beat, it was pumped out with the blood, surging through his entire body like a warm current, before slowly gathering back again.
"It works!"
Each heartbeat, strengthened by Dou Qi, was like a tiny explosion, faster and faster as his circulation deepened. His blood carried Dou Qi through every vessel, tempering his body, resisting the waterfall's pressure — some dissipating, some returning, and a small amount fusing into his flesh and blood.
Now he only had to solve the breathing problem.
With his circulation steady, Xiao Yan straightened his posture and sat cross-legged beneath the pounding water.
His internal organs, covered by blood vessels, became the easiest part to control — far more responsive than his limbs.
—Though this level of control was barely enough to keep him alive.
"Hoo~"
With a few small adjustments to his chest and lungs, his heavy, uneven breathing slowly turned soft and stable.
Buzz…
A strange sound rang in his mind, drowning out the waterfall's roar.
The outside world faded away as if he had sunk into deep, still water. His consciousness floated quietly, detached from all distractions.
Everything inside his body became crystal clear.
Even his Dou Qi seemed to have taken on a faint "shape."
His mind was clearer than ever, his heart beating steadily as if he could see it.
As the sensation faded, the outside world slowly came back into focus.
"What… was that?"
Xiao Yan sat motionless, feeling more focused and aware than ever.
The moment the water struck his body, he instantly understood its strength and flow. Adjusting Dou Qi became natural — as easy as breathing.
In the Xiao Family hall, Gu Yuan suddenly said, "Clan Chief Xiao, there is a golden scale hidden within the Xiao Family."
"Ah? You flatter me, you flatter me. We are just a small clan in a remote area — how could there be any golden scale here?"
Xiao Zhan, who had been silently wondering why this man came, swallowed his words and answered cautiously.
"Heh."
Gu Yuan chuckled lightly, rubbing the empty teacup.
The maid waiting to refill the tea stood frozen, unsure what to do.
"Sir?"
Xiao Zhan called softly.
"Oh… nothing, just thinking of an old friend," Gu Yuan said, putting down the teacup. He took Xun Er's hand and gently pulled her toward Xiao Zhan.
Golden scale, old friend… Xiao Zhan suddenly understood.
Perhaps Gu Yuan saw the shadow of someone else in a certain child.
"What do you mean by this?" Xiao Zhan asked, pointing at Xun Er.
"This child — I want to foster her in your Xiao Family."
Gu Yuan stroked Xun Er's hair, his words calm but heavy: "From now on, she will change her surname to Xiao and live as a junior of the Xiao Family."
"This cannot be!"
Xiao Zhan instantly stood up, refusing: "If Sir needs help from my Xiao Family, you can speak directly — why go to such lengths!"
So now it's not just a small clan in a remote area, huh?
Gu Yuan said nothing, just looked at him quietly.
He knew exactly what Xiao Zhan was worried about — that bringing this girl in might drag the Xiao Family into danger if Gu Yuan's enemies came looking.
After all, Gu Yuan looked like someone who had been chased to the ends of the earth just to entrust his child here.
Even if the Xiao Family had ties with him in the past, Xiao Lin had passed away, and the clan had moved far away — who would still recognize those old ties?
"My temple is small, I cannot house a great Buddha like you," Xiao Zhan thought bitterly.
"Clan Chief Xiao, do not worry. The ancestors of your Xiao Family were my closest brothers. I would never harm their descendants."
Gu Yuan stood up and shook his robe: "My daughter will stay here, but I will not owe a debt. This Qi Gathering Powder is my gift."
With that, a pill wreathed in faint mist floated before Xiao Zhan.
When he accepted it and looked up again, only he and Xun Er were left in the hall.
Xiao Zhan: … Damn it, who dares use this Qi Gathering Powder casually?
Just leave it for your daughter! My Xiao Family is raising her anyway — like taking in a little freeloader.