"World of martial arts? What does that mean? I don't quite understand." Shen Xingxue looked bewildered, glancing at Miao Yiniang, then at Chu Mo and Huang Hui.

Huang Hui shook her head: "I don't understand these things either, but when I was very weak, there were always powerful beings who wanted to kill me. I used to wonder, where did I offend them? I did not encroach upon their territory, nor did I compete with them for resources, yet they seemed to want to kill me for no reason at all."

With a twinkle of innocence in her eyes, Shen Xingxue asked, "And what happened then?"

"Later, after surviving many life-and-death crises, I finally understood one thing." Huang Hui said softly: "Those beings probably wanted to kill me for fear that I would grow strong and pose a threat to them."

"What kind of reason is that?" Shen Xingxue was stunned.

Huang Hui said seriously: "The law of the Primordial Beasts is much simpler than human laws - it's the survival of the fittest. Therefore, many things don't require any reason at all. The reason I just suggested is merely an excuse I came up with after my spiritual intelligence awakened."

Shen Xingxue twitched the corner of her mouth, then looked at Miao Yiniang: "Then what about us? Who did we at Piaomiao Palace offend?"

Miao Yiniang gave a bitter smile, not knowing how to explain to this naive girl that most people in this world cannot bear to see others doing well.

At this point, Chu Mo spoke up lightly: "In simple terms, it can be summed up as 'envy the fortunate and mock the unfortunate, hating that you're better than me'."

He then looked at Shen Xingxue, "You think no martial sects ever wanted to replace Feixian? Just like this time, many people might wonder why your orders from the Four Great Sects should be considered law? Why should we obey it? If we possessed the same power as the Four Great Sects, wouldn't we no longer need to care about your looks?"

Seemingly understanding at last, Shen Xingxue mumbled: "Because of your remarkable talents, Chu Mo. Because you have a legendary powerhouse of a master. Because your future... is boundless, and you are likely to surpass them, to stand above them. They... cannot bear this, they fear the threat you may pose in the future, is that right?"

Chu Mo nodded: "You're beginning to understand."

"Then... what about the Four Great Sects?"

Chu Mo said: "The Four Great Sects had no good intentions either. By doing this, they essentially set Piaomiao Palace against all the martial sects in the world. They also want to use my abilities to explore the Ancient Ruins."

"My aunt... she has already gone into seclusion. Could she really issue such an order?" Shen Xingxue asked incredulously.

Miao Yiniang sighed softly: "Your master made this order a long time ago."

Shen Xingxue lowered her head, whispering: "Can't everyone just live in peace? Why do they have to act like this?"

Miao Yiniang glanced at her, replying: "If everyone were like you, then true peace would exist in this world."

This conversation had a profound impact on the naive Shen Xingxue.

Because all this while, Shen Xingxue had been well-protected by her aunt, the leader of Feixian, Shen Aobing, keeping her away from all the filth and disarray of the world.

This protection had spared Shen Xingxue a lot of trouble, but it also contributed to her naivety to this day.

Shen Xingxue had no idea that there was so much darkness in the world. Discovering that the world was so different from what she had imagined, she felt lost for a while.

As a result, she seemed absent-minded for several days.

Even Chu Mo was worried that exposing her to some dark aspects of the world may have been a bit cruel.

Yet, Miao Yiniang told Chu Mo that it was the price of growth.

"She is actually very smart, and should be able to thoroughly figure everything out soon. Otherwise, in the future, she will have to face a lot more when she is with us, and who will have time to enlighten her then?" Miao Yiniang's words left Chu Mo speechless.

In fact, Chu Mo has only truly come into his own over these last two years.

In the Illusion God Realm, he has undergone all manner of trials and tribulations. There are also many complex and intriguing stories on the message board.

The events that transpired with the two girls, Qin Shi and Dong Yu, were enough to leave Shen Xingxue in shock for quite some time.

On the fourth day of their arrival, they finally received a visitor.

A young woman with a pretty face and lively eyes, yet dressed quite simply in a floral cloth dress, visited alone.

"My name is Hua Xiaoya. Are you Chu Mo?" The young woman's eyes were beautiful and spirited as she unabashedly inspected Chu Mo from head to toe.

"Uh... I am. May I ask, what can I do for you?" Chu Mo asked politely.

"Hmm, nothing really. Just came to have a look." Hua Xiaoya said as she stepped into the courtyard, casually commenting, "This courtyard is not bad, a bit small, but it's delightful and well-kept. I quite like it!"

"..." Chu Mo stared speechlessly at the gregarious girl, looking over at Miao Yi Niang and Shen Xingxue with a silent question in his eyes: Who is this girl?

Shen Xingxue and Miao Yi Niang also looked on in confusion. However, Miao Yi Niang quickly deduced, asking with a smile, "Hua Xiaoya... could it be, you are one of One Sword's people?"

"Eh? You know me?" Hua Xiaoya turned to look at Miao Yi Niang with surprise before realization dawned on her. "Ah, I see, you're Miao Yi Niang, a disciple of the Immortal?And you must be Princess Shen Xingxue?" She then shifted her gaze to Shen Xingxue.

Shen Xingxue barely nodded, "You can just call me Xingxue."

"My, you're so beautiful, I like you!" Hua Xiaoya declared with a wide grin, her eyes curved like two crescents. "I enjoy the company of gentle and frail young ladies like you."

"..." Shen Xingxue blushed considerably, rendered utterly shy by Hua Xiaoya's bluntness.

At this point, Hua Xiaoya looked at Miao Yi Niang and said, "I heard about you guys and wanted to check it out, to see what the disciple who could slap Qin Guyu flying looks like."

" …" Chu Mo was dumbstruck, thinking, is she really a disciple of One Sword? Why is she so casual…

Out of the blue, Hua Xiaoya looked at Chu Mo, and with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, she suggested, "Chu Mo, how about a friendly duel?"

Chu Mo was taken aback, looking at Hua Xiaoya warily, "What are you up to?"

"Oh my, such a fuss over nothing! I won't harm you!" Hua Xiaoya responded breezily.

Chu Mo felt helpless: "Miss Hua... it seems... we're not that familiar yet, are we?"

"We will get familiar over time!" Hua Xiaoya replied matter-of-factly, and then glanced at Shen Xingxue, her eyes twinkling as she said, "And I want to make friends with you all!"

Chu Mo twitched at the corners of his mouth, thinking, it's probably Shen Xingxue that you're interested in, isn't it? Of course, he couldn't voice this thought in front of Shen Xingxue, or who knew what the innocent girl would think of him.

Just then, a voice rang out from a distance: "Hua Xiaoya... you're causing trouble again!"

Whoosh!

Hua Xiaoya quickly darted behind the fake mountain in the courtyard and carefully peeked out.

Chu Mo and the others were left speechless. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote and support us on qidian.com. Your support is our greatest motivation. Mobile users can visit m.qidian.com to read.)

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