Chapter 106: An Ran’s Plea for Help
Twelve days had passed since the opening of the Supreme Dao Hall. Besides “Star Gap,” which all four had obtained, and “#,” which only Mingyan had obtained, they had found nothing else.
And since the tenth day, the Supreme Dao Hall seemed to be changing. Some regions had disappeared, and the small world within the hall seemed to be shrinking.
This change was happening daily. As time went on, the probability of encountering other cultivators would increase.
However, the four of them weren’t afraid. As long as they didn’t encounter someone like Gu Hanshuang, who could fight across realms and was far stronger than the others, they would be fine.
And whenever they encountered other cultivators, seeing the four of them together, no one wanted to cause trouble and would stay away.
Until they met An Canhui.
“Yaochi Holy Maiden, Moon Shadow Holy Maiden, Eldest Miss, and Fellow Daoist Mingyan, we meet again.” An Canhui wasn’t alone. He was with other members of the An family, including two familiar faces: An Ran and her maidservant, Yu Zhu.
Mingyan was surprised. It wasn’t unexpected to see An Canhui, but why were An Ran and Yu Zhu here?
Huang Feiyan was also surprised. She glanced at Mingyan and shook her head, indicating she didn’t know why they were here.
An Canhui’s smile was peaceful, and he seemed approachable. His appearance was ordinary, a stark contrast to An Ran’s beauty. They were siblings, yet so different.
Mingyan remembered An Canhui had deliberately “praised” him to incite the little Kun Peng king’s fighting spirit. Although Mingyan had won in the end, An Canhui’s actions had left a bad impression on him. He narrowed his eyes. He didn’t like this man.
Huang Feiyan nodded. “I didn’t expect to see you here, Young Master An. Have you had any gains?”
“I’m ashamed to say I haven’t found anything. How about you four?” An Canhui didn’t approach them. There were four people with him. Besides An Ran and Yu Zhu, there were two others, their cultivation levels higher than Mingyan’s. He guessed they were at the Yang Tomb Realm. Speaking of which, Yu Zhu was also at the Yang Tomb Realm. The matter of the veil had never been resolved. Although the Huang family was domineering, they weren’t so ruthless as to capture Yu Zhu and use a soul-searching technique on her. So, the matter had been put on hold…
“Hmm?” Mingyan noticed Yu Zhu was giving him a look, her expression anxious. Was she… asking for help?
He was stunned. She was asking for help?
He looked at An Ran, who had her head lowered, her expression unreadable… What was going on with this mistress and her maidservant?
Mingyan could now use mental communication. He sent a message to Huang Feiyan. “Yu Zhu seems to be asking for my help. Feiyan, do you know what’s going on?”
“I don’t know. Let’s test the waters.” Huang Feiyan replied, then asked aloud, “Miss An and Miss Yu Zhu are also here? I heard the An family doesn’t seem to be very fond of Miss An. It seems the rumors are just rumors.”
An Canhui smiled faintly. “The past is not important. I want to bring my sister back to the An family. It’s not good for her to always stay at the Huang family, is it?”
Huang Feiyan sent a mental message to Mingyan. “When I left the An family, An Ran was still at the Huang family. He must have brought her here after I left… You said Yu Zhu was asking for your help. I don’t understand why. If An Ran returns to the An family, it should be a good thing for her, right?”
An Ran had always been labeled as a “beautiful but useless vase” and had suffered a lot. But she was still a member of the An family. And from what An Canhui said, he seemed to be protecting her. So, this should be a good thing for her…
“This is the An family’s business. We shouldn’t interfere, should we?” Although Mingyan liked to help others, he was an outsider. How could he interfere in the An family’s affairs? He barely knew An Ran. He had once wanted to befriend her, but after suspecting the veil incident might have been staged, he had given up on that idea.
“Indeed…” Huang Feiyan pondered for a moment, then sent another mental message. “And it’s Yu Zhu who’s asking for help, not An Ran… But what’s the point of the An family bringing An Ran back? To marry her off? But she has a strange illness and can’t cultivate. As a woman, if she can’t cultivate, her lifespan is the same as an ordinary person. In twenty or thirty years, her beauty will fade… Even though she’s very beautiful now, few would be willing to marry her. Some might want to sleep with her, but to marry her…”
Although it was harsh to say, in the cultivation world, women without strong cultivation were rarely respected. Cultivation equaled status. Like his master Yue Wu Xia, like Ning Feixuan’s master Ning Mengru. Although An Ran had some cultivation, it wasn’t enough to extend her lifespan significantly. Such a woman was at the bottom of the cultivation world. It would be fine if she were in the mortal world, but she was a daughter of the An family, born into the cultivation world…
She was of little use to the An family. That was why Huang Feiyan had been so surprised to learn that the An family had people protecting her. She couldn’t understand why the An family, or An Canhui, would value An Ran so much.
“If there’s nothing else, we’ll take our leave.” An Canhui, seeing the four of them were silent, nodded and was about to leave. But An Ran, who had her head lowered, looked up, her eyes pleading as she looked at Mingyan and Huang Feiyan. She, like Yu Zhu, was asking for help.
Yue Qingying and Ning Feixuan also noticed something was wrong. Mingyan and Huang Feiyan exchanged glances. An Ran was also asking for help… Should they ignore it?
Neither of them was close to An Ran. During her stay at the Huang family, Huang Feiyan had tried to befriend her, but An Ran had been shy and unwilling. And Mingyan… although An Ran had apologized to him, they had no relationship…
It seemed best not to interfere. Getting involved would likely make them an enemy of An Canhui. It wasn’t that they were afraid of him, but it was unnecessary.
Huang Feiyan thought for a moment, then asked, “Has the An family found a way to treat Miss An’s illness? I remember she has a strange illness. We tried to find a cure for her, but to no avail.”
An Canhui turned around and shook his head gently. “No. But we won’t give up. If there’s nothing else, we’ll take our leave.”
Ning Feixuan spoke up. “Why not ask Miss An for her opinion? Ask her if she’s willing to go with you.”
“What do you mean, Yaochi Holy Maiden?” An Canhui’s eyes narrowed. “Of course she’s willing to go with us. An Ran is my family…”
An Ran looked hesitant, as if she was struggling with something. Yu Zhu looked anxious, likely sending her a mental message.
Yue Qingying’s expression was strange. She didn’t want to interfere, but if Mingyan wanted to do something, she would certainly help him.
An Ran seemed to have finally made up her mind. She looked up and said, “Yaochi Holy Maiden, Moon Shadow Holy Maiden, Eldest Miss, Mingyan, I want to go with you.”
An Canhui’s face was impassive. “You shouldn’t interfere in our An family’s affairs, should you? My sister’s matters should be decided by our family.”
Hearing An Ran’s words, Yu Zhu grabbed her and ran towards Mingyan and the others. The other An family members moved to stop them. Huang Feiyan hesitated for a moment, then decided to get involved. “Let’s do it.”
Mingyan nodded and rushed forward with her, blocking those who were trying to stop An Ran and Yu Zhu. An Canhui raised his hand, as if about to attack, but Yue Qingying and Ning Feixuan had already appeared before him.
He lowered his hand and didn’t attack, but his face darkened. “Are you determined to interfere in the An family’s affairs?”
