171 Blossoming Smile

"His name is Hei Gou. He has been traveling with me for a long time. He has saved my life more than once, and I consider him my brother," Xue Wei explained, introducing Hei Gou to her.

What he said came from the bottom of his heart, so he hoped that Wang Xiaoyun would not hate Hei Gou too much despite him being a Primordial Beast.

"Oh," Wang Xiaoyun's face softened. She smiled at Hei Gou at first, but then her face turned serious the instant after, and a frown appeared on her scarred face.

"Wei, step away from him." Wang Xiaoyun was suddenly hostile, and her voice was strained.

"I can sense a Primordial Beast," she said seriously. "Since the Ice Harpy attacked me, I have been able to sense what is human and what is Primordial Beast. That one is a beast!"

"I know," Xue Wei answered soberly. He had never intended to hide the fact that Hei Gou was a Primordial Beast. And now that the cat was out of the bag, he did not try to deny it.

"You know?!" Wang Xiaoyun's face displayed her shock and discomfort. "Is he your contracted beast? Has he been tamed by a diviner and then been given to you?"

"No," Xue Wei shook his head.

"Then what is it? Primordial Beasts are treacherous and evil. If you get close to him, then you will end up eaten, or betrayed!"

Hei Gou's eyes flashed dangerously when he heard this, but he kept his word and said nothing. He allowed Wang Xiaoyun to degrade him straight to his face. For Xue Wei, he could handle the disgrace.

"That's enough!" Xue Wei, on the other hand, was not pleased with her. "I saved his life, and he has saved mine. He is my brother, my best friend, and I wouldn't hesitate to put my life in his hands."

"I understand that you have a hard time accepting him due to your experiences, but just like not all humans are the same, not all Primordial Beasts are like the Ice Harpy."

"Hei Gou is currently being chased by the Primordial Beasts because he turned against them. The humans are chasing me because they likewise see me as a Primordial Beast. We are alone against the entire world, and I trust him unconditionally."

"I do not ask of you to become the best of friends with him, but please respect my wishes too," Xue Wei pleaded. Wang Xiaoyun's face turned contemplative.

She cast a few glances at Hei Gou, but said nothing. It was clear that she was wondering what to do.

Finally, she nodded her head. "He has saved you, so I will trust your judgment, but I cannot approve of him. I lost my entire family and clan because of a Primordial Beast. Even if they are not all the same, many of them are."

Looking at Wang Xiaoyun, Xue Wei's eyes turned soft, and a smile flitted across his lips. He reached out his hands and took hers into his before he pulled her into his embrace.

"It must have been difficult for you," he said as he placed an arm protectively around her shoulder, and used the other hand to gently stroke her hair.

"I am sorry that I was not by your side in your time of need, but now I won't let you face the world alone any longer," he promised. "I'll help you get revenge against the Ice Harpy. We will kill her for all the injustice she has done and all the pain and suffering she has put us through."

Wang Xiaoyun rested her head against Xue Wei's chest. Feeling the gentle hand caressing her hair and the soft voice praising her for having hung on up until now, even with the massive mental walls she had put up around herself, her shoulders started quivering.

A lone tear fell from the corner of her dim eye, and soon it was followed by a stream of tears pouring out from both eyes.

Wang Xiaoyun had felt hopeless for so long. She had been disfigured and lost her entire family. Chu Huiyin had tried to make her hate Xue Wei with her whole heart, and it was because she was aware of this that she could not hate him.

In fact, she found strength in every memory she shared with him. She would often dream about their time in Tiankong City, but at the same time, she also feared. She was so afraid that he would no longer look at her, that he would be disgusted with her appearance.

Although she had undergone her ritual to awaken her ancient bloodline descended from the War God, she had only managed to reach the fourth layer of the Heavenly Warrior rank so far.

It would take a few years for the bloodline to reach its full potential and bring all the benefits to her. To have moved alone from the Heping Kingdom to the Goat Mountain was in no way a simple task. She had braved many dangers and faced many perilous situations, but she had never given up. The thought that she was not alone despite her many losses was enough to make her keep moving.

She had not known where Xue Wei could have gone, so she had wandered in no specific direction, walking wherever her feet took her.

For her to actually cross paths with him here at Goat Mountain was indeed incredibly lucky. It was as if fate had brought them together.

A long time went by while Xue Wei hugged Wang Xiaoyun, who was weeping in his arms.

When she finally finished, she felt as if she had lost fifty kilos of weight from her shoulders, and the grey and dark world had regained some of its previously lost color and vibrance.

Even Hei Gou, who she did not enjoy the sight of, was less annoying than he had been before.

"I don't like him," she said with a voice that still trembled slightly from her crying, "but I will not say anything about it as long as he does not do something questionable that might betray us."

She did not apologize for the words she spoke before, but Hei Gou did not follow up on it either.

Xue Wei was incredibly grateful towards Hei Gou and his decision to endure the hatred.

An awkward silence suddenly emerged, and Xue Wei was unsure of what to say to make Wang Xiaoyun and Hei Gou both feel better.

"Why are you here?" Wang Xiaoyun could feel his discomfort and decided to change the subject to one that was more comfortable.

"We are here on behalf of Wan Qiang, a leader of a city called Black Iron Fortress in the Skyward Empire," Xue Wei told her the truth. He had seen what had been done to her by the Ice Harpy, but she still trusted in him and wanted to be with him. She did not even blame him for what had happened.

"Wan Qiang is looking for a specific herb, but he cannot enter the area himself. He promised us handsome rewards if we brought it back to him."

"What rewards?" Wang Xiaoyun asked excitedly, but Xue Wei just shrugged his shoulders. He had never asked exactly what kind of rewards he would be given.

"You silly goose!" Wang Xiaoyun laughed, her laughter still as gentle and beautiful as ever before.

"You need to ask about what you will get! When he says plenty of rewards, it can be bountiful, but it can also be very shabby, ah!" she scolded him. "You can never know, and when you have already handed the flower over to him, then you will be used as free labor by him!"

Xue Wei was slightly embarrassed when he heard this, and he could not help but rub his nose.

"We already got a lot of rewards from the tournament, and Wan Qiang has assisted me before, so I felt like I owed it to him." Xue Wei wanted to explain, but Wang Xiaoyun would have none of it.

"You won the prizes from the tournament in an honest way; those have nothing to do with this task! He helped you, but did you really need his help?" She continued to argue, and Xue Wei was at an utter loss for words.

"Never work for free! Never be abused by others! Always take maximum benefits!" Wang Xiaoyun was very direct and ruthless as she spoke. Hei Gou, who was rather bemused by the spectacle on the side, started to smile. Although this woman hated Primordial Beasts, he could not hate her.

"What does it matter to you?" Xue Wei muttered indignantly because he felt that he was being berated like a little child. But he was not angry; in fact, a warmth rose in his heart.

"Of course it matters to me! What belongs to you belongs to me!" she exclaimed when she heard what Xue Wei muttered. "Are you telling me that you will hide your things from your wife?!"

It was clear that she cared deeply for Xue Wei, and she already considered herself his wife with the way she was talking about his matters.

However, when she said the words out loud, Wang Xiaoyun finally seemed to understand what she had said, and her face turned so red that blood could drip from it.

"I... I did not mean it like that," she stammered, but Xue Wei just laughed heartily. "Of course you did," he answered, grinning. "My dear wife, you are right. What belongs to me belongs to you as well. I will not waste my hard work, and ensure that I am paid handsomely when I return the Seven Star Nightflower."

But then Xue Wei turned serious. "Just remember that what belongs to us also belongs to Hei Gou. He is my brother and thus a part of the family."

Wang Xiaoyun's face froze for a moment, and she glanced at Hei Gou with annoyance in her eyes, but she still nodded her head obediently. She could sense that this was something Xue Wei would not compromise on.

"So where is this Seven Star Nightflower?" Wang Xiaoyun changed the subject again. She was not a quiet and innocent girl; she was very outgoing and outspoken. Xue Wei liked this part of her personality.

"It is in a formation left behind by a supreme expert," Xue Wei explained the whole situation to Wang Xiaoyun who listened with curiosity, and her working eye started shining with excitement.

Who would not love going treasure hunting, and especially in a place left behind by a supreme expert?

"Oh, that sword on your shoulder – how come I've never seen it before?" Wang Xiaoyun asked as they were heading towards the location of the formation. Xue Wei smiled wryly when he heard the question. Wang Xiaoyun did not relent in her chattering for even a second, asking about this and that, but Xue Wei knew that it was because she still had a hard time coming to terms with the fact that they had been reunited.

"It is a supreme expert who somehow transformed himself into a sword spirit," Xue Wei once again chose to say the truth. "His name is Bai Tianyi. He is currently absorbing some souls so we cannot interrupt him. I will introduce you when he finishes."

Wang Xiaoyun nodded her head. The trio continued moving deeper and deeper into the forest.

Wang Xiaoyun kept asking questions about their travels underway, and Xue Wei answered them all honestly. Every time he mentioned Hei Gou, he made sure to stress how much of a help his friend had been.

Although Wang Xiaoyun hated Primordial Beasts, her impression of Hei Gou was getting better and better, but at the same time she also feared that he had some sort of hidden agenda.

"That reminds me," Wang Xiaoyun said once more when the topic landed on Hei Gou. "We are in a danger zone right now. We have entered deep into their territory, but we have not encountered even a single Fierce Beast. It seems that traveling with a Primordial Beast makes a trip so much easier!"

Xue Wei and Hei Gou exchanged puzzled looks. "Actually, we don't know why it is like this," Hei Gou answered.

"When I was traveling alone, I came across multiple Fierce Beasts. Now, however, from what we've experienced so far, I'm certain it is that they all fear Xue Wei for some reason."

"That can't be." Wang Xiaoyun frowned as she looked at Xue Wei. "Why would they fear you?"

"I do not know," Xue Wei said honestly and shrugged his shoulders. "But it is indeed true that the beasts seem to stay out of my way."

Wang Xiaoyun looked at the ground, which inadvertently caused her face to be covered by the cascade of her hair. It was hard to tell what she was thinking about.

"Well, let us hurry to the formation." Wang Xiaoyun lifted her head with a sparkling smile on her face. Although her face was disfigured by the scars, she was still beautiful in her own way. Xue Wei was entranced by her smile.

Seeing the gaze with which he was looking at her, Wang Xiaoyun's mood rose drastically and her smile blossomed further with a hint of embarrassment.