Chapter 718: Why Bother with the Past

Chen Siling looked away, pretending not to notice. She could understand Xu Yining's feelings at that moment and knew that Xu Yining's greatest fear right then was being noticed by others. The stark contrast would make her an object of ridicule and leave her utterly humiliated.

Thud—A soft sound suddenly came from somewhere. It was Xu Yining, stumbling backward, who accidentally stepped on someone's foot. Losing her balance, she fell to the ground.

This commotion naturally drew some attention."Isn't that Xu Yining from Qingyun Sect?""I seem to recall that Xu Yining was Jiang Fan's fiancée, as per their contract.""It's just that she disdained Jiang Fan and had her sister take her place."

Initially, only a few people had noticed her. But upon hearing this bizarre story, who wouldn't cast a curious glance her way? Everyone started to scrutinize her.

As a result, the people around her all moved apart, forming a semicircle. This put her directly in the spotlight, under everyone's gaze.

"She's quite beautiful, a great beauty, and very talented. With such excellent personal qualities, it's no wonder she was picky.""But her judgment isn't great; she gave such a good opportunity to her sister.""This is probably the biggest mistake she's ever made in her life, isn't it?""Remove 'probably', and it *is* the biggest mistake.""She was the one originally destined for the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, but now it's her sister.""The destinies of the two sisters have diverged starting today.""One will languish in the Nine Sects, while the other will soar like a phoenix in the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.""When they meet again someday, the younger sister might have to address her elder sister as 'senior'.""The course of destiny can truly change in an instant."

"Female disciples of my sect, remember Xu Yining's lesson well.""Never look down on anyone, lest you regret it for the rest of your life."

Xu Yining scrambled to her feet, flustered. Her most dreaded day had finally arrived. She had been completely overshadowed by Xu Youran and had become the object of ridicule for everyone.

What's more, the situation today was even more embarrassing than she had imagined. Right in front of all Nine Sects! She was not only mocked, but also turned into a negative example! She became a cautionary tale for elders of various sects to teach their female disciples.

This made Xu Yining wish she could vanish on the spot, to never, ever appear in the Nine Sects again. With tear-filled eyes, she glanced at Jiang Fan, then, amidst countless mocking laughs, she turned clumsily and walked toward the foot of the mountain.

Xu Youran tugged at Jiang Fan's arm, asking anxiously, "Husband, can you help her get into the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion too?" After all, they were sisters from the same father. How could she bear to see Xu Yining so downcast and distressed?

Jiang Fan replied helplessly: "How can I influence the decision of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion Master? Besides, the Pavilion Master's willingness to specially recruit the three of you is already a tremendous favor to me. Instead of being grateful, should I ask for more?" He knew without thinking how the Pavilion Master would view him if he actually asked for another spot. At the very least, he would gain a reputation for being greedy and ungrateful, wouldn't he?

Xu Youran knew she was asking too much. She stopped pleading. But as she watched Xu Yining's limping figure walk away, her eyes couldn't help but redden slightly: "I shouldn't have let her mess around back then. If I hadn't agreed to be the substitute bride, she wouldn't be like this now."

Seeing that Xu Youran's mood was also affected, Jiang Fan could only steel himself and chase after her.

"Yining."Only when Jiang Fan caught up did he realize Xu Yining was already in tears. She turned her head to look at Jiang Fan, smiling tragically, "You finally got your moment of triumph, didn't you? This is the scene you've been dreaming of, isn't it?"

Jiang Fan sighed softly: "You've misunderstood. I've said it many times. I've never blamed you for anything. I agreed when you first broke off the engagement. The Xu family had taken care of me for so many years; there was no need to fulfill the marriage contract. It was your mother who wanted to marry Xu Youran to me, a mute, and I couldn't bear to see her get hurt, so I finally agreed. Strictly speaking, it wasn't your sister replacing you. You don't need to dwell on it."

For some reason, her smile became even more tragic. Without looking back, she silently limped down the mountain and left. Jiang Fan sighed.

Comforting women had never been his strong suit. And an unpredictable woman like her was even harder to console. Li Qingfeng also looked distressed, stepping forward and saying, "Jiang Fan, leave it be. I'll go and talk to her."

He felt very sad. Because after this incident, Xu Yining was ruined. Given her personality, she would likely take her own life. Even if she were successfully consoled and survived, her Dao heart would be damaged, making it very difficult for her martial arts path to make significant progress in the future.

Jiang Fan nodded and returned to Xu Youran's side. Chen Siling, being more perceptive, sighed, "Husband truly doesn't understand women."

"What she wanted wasn't an explanation; it was your attitude. A hug from you would have been more powerful than a thousand words of advice."

Jiang Fan was speechless: "Me, hug her? She hates me so much; wouldn't she just stab me with a sword?"

Chen Siling shook her head, "You're truly a blockhead. I won't talk to you about it anymore. Even if I did, you wouldn't understand." Could Jiang Fan still not see it by now? That deep down, Xu Yining no longer hated Jiang Fan? She was suffering from unfulfilled desires.

However, it was too late for anything to be said. Jiang Fan scratched his head and said, "Never mind, with Elder Li there, she'll be fine."

Just then, from within the demon territory, eight figures swiftly approached. Their powerful aura triggered vigilance among those on and around Boundary Mountain.

Hadn't a ceasefire been agreed upon? As the figures drew closer, everyone but a few sect masters and grand elders expressed surprise.

"Isn't that the Grand Elder of my Joyful Union Sect?""Our Grand Elder from the Righteous Thunder Sect is there too."They were none other than the nine—now eight—Grand Elders who had gone on a secret mission to the Tiger Demon Emperor's inner palace.

They had departed silently, and their return was also low-key. After a brief secret conversation with Ye Cangyuan, they each rejoined their respective sect members. Though many were puzzled, they didn't pay much attention to it.

"Junior Brother Jiang!""Come, come, come, Senior Brother Ouyang, Senior Brother Xie, and I have prepared a welcome banquet for you."Liang Feiyan, Ouyang Jun, and Xie Liushu hurried over, all smiling.

In fact, this banquet was initiated by Ouyang Jun and Xie Liushu. Neither of them had been selected for the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion. They could only wish Jiang Fan and Liang Feiyan continued brilliance in the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.

Jiang Fan said, "Another day, perhaps. I need to go back and look after Elder Zhao now." With Li Qingfeng and Xu Yining gone, Zhao Wuji was alone.

Ouyang Jun said disappointedly, "That's a shame. I traded with other senior brothers for a lot of fine wine."Xie Liushu also pursed his lips, "Exactly. I even contacted many pretty junior sisters to keep you company."Liang Feiyan added, "Can't Junior Sister Xu and Junior Sister Chen take care of him? You've been in that desolate demon territory for so long. There's nothing good to eat, and not a single beauty. Your senior brothers were planning to help you recover properly."Thinking of how long Jiang Fan had been a captive, the few of them felt a pang of sadness. Life as a captive in the demon territory must have been worse than that of a beast of burden.

Not far away, Xu Qingyang, who was conversing with the returning Grand Elder of the Ten Thousand Swords Sect, accidentally overheard Liang Feiyan's words and his mouth twitched severely. He quickly walked over and twisted Liang Feiyan's ear: "You're still feeling sorry for Jiang Fan? Do you even know what kind of life he had in the demon territory?"