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**
Days returned to tranquility once more.
Yang Xiyue had now completely integrated into the Xiao Clan, becoming a true member of the family.
However, what annoyed Xiao Lin was that the young couple, Xiao Zhan and Yang Xiyue, being in the honeymoon phase of their marriage, constantly enjoyed flaunting their affection in front of him.
This was very irritating!
Finally, having reached the limit of his patience, Xiao Lin kicked them both out and sent them to the Yun Lan Sect.
In any case, Xiao Zhan was currently Yun Shan's second disciple, so the Yun Lan Sect could be considered his second home. Rather than letting this young couple torment him at home every day, it was better to let them torment Yun Shan instead...
Moreover, Xiao Zhan's cultivation had been delayed for over half a year; it was time for him to continue working hard. The cultivation atmosphere of the Xiao Clan, after all, was not as proactive as that of the Yun Lan Sect.
Sending the young couple there would also force them to focus part of their mind back on their cultivation. Just like that, in the blink of an eye, half a year had passed since Xiao Zhan and Yang Xiyue were married.
One day, while the young couple was practicing at the Yun Lan Sect, they received a family letter from the Xiao Clan. When Yun Shan handed this letter to Xiao Zhan, Xiao Zhan was initially very confused as to what matter the Xiao Clan would suddenly contact him about.
However, after he finished reading the contents of the letter, he stood frozen on the spot, speechless for a long time.
"Ah Zhan, what happened?"
Seeing her husband's strange behavior, Yang Xiyue hurriedly asked.
But in the face of his wife's inquiry, Xiao Zhan still gave no reaction.
In her anxiety, Yang Xiyue directly snatched the letter from her husband's hand. After reading the contents, Yang Xiyue finally understood why her husband was acting this way.
Having been married into the Xiao Clan for over half a year, Yang Xiyue naturally knew how much the contents of this letter would impact her husband.
"Xiao Zhan, you have finished reading the letter. There is still some time left; you and Xiyue should return to the Xiao Clan as quickly as possible."
Looking at his disciple's dazed state, Yun Shan intentionally infused a bit of Dou Qi into his voice.
Only then did Xiao Zhan finally snap back to his senses.
"Yes, Teacher. I will return to the Xiao Clan with Xiyue immediately! Teacher, Senior Sister, please take care!"
Coming back to his senses, Xiao Zhan pulled his wife and hurriedly bowed to Yun Shan and Yun Yun. Without even packing any luggage, they immediately left the Yun Lan Sect.
Traveling through the night, it took them less than half a day to rush back to the Xiao Clan.
"Young Master, Young Mistress."
Along the way, Xiao Clan members greeted the two of them from time to time.
However, Xiao Zhan and Yang Xiyue could also see that the current atmosphere of the Xiao Clan was incredibly somber!
Everyone's face seemed to be suppressing something.
Of course, the same was true for the faces of Xiao Zhan and Yang Xiyue, who had rushed back in haste. Passing through the halls that were usually so familiar, Xiao Zhan's mood was heavy beyond words.
Thinking of the contents of that family letter, his heart felt a dull ache.
Soon, the couple arrived at a small courtyard.
At this moment, around the perimeter of this courtyard, eighty to ninety percent of the Xiao Clan's high-level members were already gathered. Similarly, the faces of these high-level members were also veiled with a layer of sorrow.
Rushing over, Xiao Zhan and Yang Xiyue nodded to the crowd of high-level members before gently pushing open the tightly closed door not far away.
What met their eyes was a tall figure.
"Zhan'er, Xiyue, you've returned?"
Turning around, who could this be but Xiao Lin?
"Father! x2"
The couple bowed to their father.
Xiao Lin waved his hand dismissively.
"Sigh... Stay and accompany the Old Clan Leader. In all likelihood, he won't make it past tonight..."
Xiao Lin's heavy voice reached Xiao Zhan's ears, causing his heart to tremble even more.
Subsequently, Xiao Lin stepped out of the room and gently closed the door behind him.
"Is that Zhan'er and Xiyue..."
Not long after Xiao Lin left the room, the elderly man lying on the sickbed slowly opened his eyes and spoke. This elderly man on the sickbed was naturally the Old Clan Leader of the Xiao Clan, Xiao Dongcheng.
That's right: the family letter sent from the Xiao Clan to the Yun Lan Sect had described the critical illness of the Old Clan Leader, Xiao Dongcheng.
This explained Xiao Zhan's unusual reaction and the scene of the couple rushing back to the Xiao Clan in such haste. Similarly, it explained why everyone in the Xiao Clan, from top to bottom, reacted the way they did.
"Clan Leader Grandpa, it's Xiyue and me. We're back."
Hearing Xiao Dongcheng's weak voice, Xiao Zhan and Yang Xiyue took a step forward and walked to the bedside.
Looking at the returning couple, a gratified smile appeared on Xiao Dongcheng's weary face. The three of them chatted inside until sunset approached, and only then did Xiao Zhan and Yang Xiyue walk out.
However, when they emerged, Xiao Lin and the other high-level members who had been waiting in the courtyard could see that the eyes of the young couple were red; they had clearly been crying.
Seeing this, Xiao Lin didn't offer any words of comfort but simply patted his son's shoulder. In the face of parting through death, any amount of comfort is hollow. Furthermore, do not be fooled by Xiao Lin's calm exterior; in reality, the grief in his heart was no less than Xiao Zhan's.
However, as the Clan Leader of the Xiao Clan, he simply did not show it. The Old Clan Leader, Xiao Dongcheng, fell into a deep sleep for a while and did not wake again until evening. The first thing he wanted to do upon waking was to see Xiao Lin.
When Xiao Lin stepped into Xiao Dongcheng's room again, he found that the elderly man had actually sat up on his own!
A final radiance before the end!
This term suddenly surfaced in Xiao Lin's mind.
"Clan Leader!"
Xiao Lin's voice trembled as he called out.
"How many times have I told you? You are the Clan Leader of the Xiao Clan now. Sigh... why won't you listen no matter how many times I say it?"
Xiao Dongcheng's rambling voice sounded.
"Then you should keep nagging me for a while longer, Clan Leader. Perhaps then I'll remember it."
Xiao Lin did not let his inner emotions show.
"Hahaha, you... you really are something."
Xiao Dongcheng pointed at Xiao Lin, shaking his head and laughing helplessly.
Afterward, Xiao Lin and Xiao Dongcheng talked in the room for about the time it takes an incense stick to burn.
At this point, fatigue surfaced on Xiao Dongcheng's face once more. Seeing this, Xiao Lin opened his mouth to speak, but at this moment, even his eyes couldn't help but redden.
"There is no need to be sad for me. I managed to persevere to this age; you should be happy for me. To be able to witness the Xiao Clan's rise once again, to see Zhan-er's marriage, and to see you become so outstanding—what more could I be dissatisfied with?"
After saying this, Xiao Dongcheng's eyes were in a half-closed state.
Unable to bear the sight, Xiao Lin quietly turned his head away and wiped something from his face with his sleeve.
"The Xiao Clan's current momentum is too fierce; we need to be more low-key. Do not make a grand spectacle of my funeral. Xiao Lin, the Xiao Clan will depend on you from now on..."
The old man's final words gradually grew lower until they were inaudible.
His eyes finally closed completely.
This elderly man, who had dedicated his entire life to the Xiao Clan, was still thinking of the clan until his very last breath.
Gently laying the Old Clan Leader's body flat on the bed and tidying his clothes and hat, Xiao Lin finally walked out of the room.
"Respectfully sending the Ancestor to the Heavens! xN"
A unified voice rang out from the Xiao Clan.
This signified that the Old Clan Leader of the Xiao Clan, Xiao Dongcheng, had reached the end of his life.
That night, a shooting star streaked across the sky!
They say that every person represents a star in the night sky, and whenever someone dies, a star falls.
Perhaps, this is true?
**
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