the Xu family home,
Xu Junwen stood on the balcony of the villa, his eyes slightly narrowed, a cigar dangling from his lips, seemingly deep in thought amidst the swirling smoke.
Beside him, Xu Xiaoyu stood respectfully, awaiting her father's orders. To her, Xu Junwen's authority was absolute.
"Xiaoyu, Lin Xiuran's birthday is coming soon, isn't it?"
Xu Xiaoyu was slightly taken aback, a sense of crisis rising within her, but she still replied in a low voice, "Indeed, he shares the same birthday as me."
She was somewhat worried, after all, her birthday was the same as Lin Xiuran's. It was time to make preparations, but Xu Junwen hadn't mentioned it yet, but now he suddenly brought up Lin Xiuran's birthday.
This was strange; after all, they had never celebrated Lin Xiuran's birthday before, the only reason he remembered was because they shared the same birthday.
Xu Junwen took a deep drag of his cigarette, then exhaled heavily, saying calmly, "On his birthday, find a way to invite him to a manor in the suburbs. Just say he should relax and celebrate; the environment there is nice."
"Father!" Xu Xiaoyu's eyes widened in surprise, her face showing anxiety and panic, but she didn't know what to say.
Xu Xiaoyu was still too young; her thoughts were almost impossible to hide. How could a seasoned official like Xu Junwen, who had spent years navigating the bureaucracy, not see through his daughter's intentions?
"Xiaoyu, I've taught you to stay calm in everything."
Xu Junwen's stern words brought Xu Xiaoyu back to her senses, suppressing her chaotic thoughts. She whispered, "Yes, Father."
Seeing Xu Xiaoyu's reaction, Xu Junwen nodded, gently patting her shoulder, comforting her, "You don't need to worry. You are my own daughter, the future heir of the Xu family. Don't worry about outsiders."
These words carried immense weight for the Xu family. Xu Xiaoyu was stunned, momentarily speechless.
But then, she was overjoyed. Xu Junwen's words not only guaranteed her future heir status but also indirectly told her that Lin Xiuran was not of Xu family blood.
Although she had always suspected it, Xu Junwen had never admitted it directly, and the family elders had even protected her several times. This had always put a lot of pressure on Xu Xiaoyu.
But now, Xu Junwen's direct admission was undoubtedly a shot in the arm, finally putting her mind at ease.
Xu Xiaoyu suppressed her elation and cautiously asked, "Then Lin Xiuran..."
Xu Junwen's eyes narrowed slightly, and he said coldly, "He should go down there to apologize."
"Yes, Father, I'll arrange it right away." Xu Xiaoyu understood instantly and hurriedly left. This was undoubtedly great news for her.
After Xu Xiaoyu left, Xu Junwen no longer hid his overwhelming emotions. He angrily stubbed out his cigar on the balcony and gazed into the distance.
"It's time to pay back the debt. You'll be responsible for repaying the debts your mother incurred."
After returning from the Spirit Pagoda in the East Sea, Lin Xiuran moved into the student dormitory and began attending classes as usual.
However, in the first few days of class, Lin Xiuran was completely different from his usual enthusiastic self. His eyes were vacant, and he spent several classes in a daze.
His homeroom teacher, Ye Yingluo, even spoke to him several times because of this.
The reason wasn't anything else; it was all because of his journey to acquire Soul Spirits at the Spirit Pagoda. It had left him quite bewildered. Not only did he fail to condense his second Soul Ring, but his first Soul Ring also mysteriously disappeared. This was a truly shocking event in the entire Soul Master world. Absorbing a Soul Spirit not only failed to condense a Soul Ring, but his first Soul Ring also disappeared.
However, it couldn't be called a complete failure; Lin Xiuran could feel that his power had increased, both his Soul Power and Mental Power had improved.
But the loss of these two Soul Rings meant the loss of two Soul Skills. If the problem wasn't solved, he might still be without Soul Rings in the future, which would be fatal for a Soul Master.
This caused Lin Xiuran considerable worry, explaining his unusual state over the past two days.
The only consolation was that cultivating Soul Power still allowed him to improve, without any hindrance, but that was all.
Lin Xiuran had no solution, even after several days of research, he hadn't found a clue.
After class, he was going to find his homeroom teacher, Ye Yingluo, since he shouldn't seek help from a teacher if he couldn't solve the problem himself.
But before he could even go, just as he stepped out of the classroom, Lin Xiuran saw a familiar figure.
"Elder, you've come!"
Standing not far away was a hunchbacked old man, leaning on a simple wooden cane, dressed in very simple cloth clothes, his hair gray but very kind.
When Lin Xiuran approached, he carefully examined him, then stroked his beard and smiled, "I heard you're living at school, so I came to see you."
Lin Xiuran nodded, a hint of bitterness in his eyes. In the blink of an eye, the elder had truly aged; each time he met him, the elder's condition seemed to be declining.
This elder was arguably the kindest person the entire Xu family had ever treated him, and in reality, the true head of the Xu family, though now he was largely retired. Old and frail, he rarely appeared in public; even Lin Xiuran only saw him once or twice a year.
It was no exaggeration to say that Lin Xiuran's ability to live healthily in the Xu family until now was largely thanks to this elder's help; the elder's frequent interventions had made his life in the Xu family a little easier.
This was someone Lin Xiuran deeply respected, and therefore, seeing the elder's aging body filled him with genuine heartache.
The elder chatted with Lin Xiuran for a while, mostly offering advice and guidance on life and cultivation.
Lin Xiuran could have easily told the elder about his Soul Ring situation, but he didn't want to worry the old man, so he kept quiet.
After a while, it was visible that the elder's mental state had declined, a change Lin Xiuran naturally sensed with his spiritual power.
This made him uneasy; the elder's lack of energy had reached this point, clearly indicating his poor health.
The elder seemed to realize his own condition; he didn't want Lin Xiuran to worry, and he didn't want Lin Xiuran to worry either.
The elder smiled, "Alright, that's enough. I need to go back for afternoon tea. This time, I have a gift for you."
Lin Xiuran instinctively wanted to refuse, but the elder didn't give him a chance, quickly placing the gift in his hand before slowly leaving, leaning on his cane.
"Elder, please slow down on the road." Lin Xiuran didn't check his belongings immediately, but hurriedly reminded the elder to be careful.
The old man walked steadily without looking back, only casually waving his hand behind him.
(End of Chapter)