I Have A Sword

Chapter 742: Tuoba Xiaoyao

Everyone in the An Clan looked as if their faces had turned to coal.

What the hell?!

Ye Guan looked at the newcomer and smiled.

The newcomer was a young girl, around fifteen or sixteen years old, in a light red dress and a long braid. With a whip wrapped around her right hand, she bounced excitedly toward An Qinghan.

Despite An Qinghan's warning, the girl named Tuoba Yaoyao didn't seem to care.

"What are you so afraid of? That Ye Guan isn't here... Besides, didn't you always badmouth him before..."

An Qinghan suddenly rushed up to Tuoba Yaoyao and covered her mouth. "Shut up."

The An Clan members' faces darkened even more.

Why is this Tuoba Clan member still so crazy?

At that moment, Tuoba Yaoyao finally realized that something was wrong. She looked around and finally focused on Ye Guan. Curious, she asked, "Hey, Handsome. What's your name?"

Ye Guan smiled. "Ye Guan."

"What?!" Tuoba Yaoyao jumped up as her eyes widened. "Y-you..."

"What's wrong?"

Tuoba Yaoyao rolled her eyes and fell backward, pretending to faint.

Ye Guan was speechless.

Is she seriously playing dead?

"Ask her if her ancestor was named Tuoba Xiaoyao," Little Pagoda suddenly said.

Although puzzled, Ye Guan followed the advice. "Little girl, do you have an ancestor named Tuoba Xiaoyao?"

Tuoba Yaoyao immediately sat up. Puzzled, she asked, "How do you know?"

"She was an old acquaintance of your father. This little girl is as unreliable as her ancestor..." Little Pagoda explained.

"What do you mean?"

Little Pagoda laughed. "When your father was in trouble back then, this girl's ancestor promised to get help but then disappeared."

Ye Guan didn't know what to say.

Little Pagoda continued, "Give her a gift! Her ancestor did help your father a lot back then, although she stood him up in the end."

Ye Guan smiled and opened his hand. A storage ring slowly floated toward Tuoba Yaoyao.

"What's this?" she asked, puzzled.

"Your ancestor was a good friend of my father. This is a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it."

Tuoba Yaoyao's expression suddenly turned somber.

"What's wrong?" Ye Guan asked.

The girl lowered her head. After a moment of silence, she softly said, "About the matter between my ancestor and the Sword Master... When my ancestor returned to the family, she asked our members for help, but they refused. Afraid that she would implicate them, they also imprisoned her..."

Ye Guan frowned.

"Our ancestor was deeply saddened by it... Even though the Sword Master turned out fine in the end, she couldn't bring herself to face him anymore. Eventually, she died of grief... Our clan had always been afraid of offending him, so we've since kept this a secret."

Ye Guan fell silent, not expecting this turn of events.

"Your father should have visited her back then," Little Pagoda quietly mentioned.

Although the Sword Master returned to Qingzhou several times, he never once visited the Tuoba Clan.

Ye Guan felt a mix of emotions.

Such a pity! Life certainly is unpredictable.

Pointing a finger at Tuoba Yaoyao, he sent a strand of Sword Intent into her forehead.

Confused, she asked, "What was that?"

"A strand of my Sword Intent. That will allow you to summon me if you're ever in danger."

The An Clan experts looked on enviously.

Being able to summon Ye Guan would make Tuoba Yaoyao invincible in the Guanxuan Universe.

Moreover, once the higher-ups at the Guanxuan Academy found out about this, they would surely take care of her. Her future would be so smooth sailing that it would seem as if she had a cheat code.

Tuoba Yaoyao blinked. "Can I summon you more than once?"

Ye Guan laughed. "How many times do you want to summon me?"

After some hesitation, she admitted, "I... I want to summon you twice..."

Te An Clan experts grew a bit disgruntled.

This girl's being greedy!

"Why?" Ye Guan asked.

Tuoba Yaoyao glanced at An Qinghan, who was beside her. "Qinghan is my best friend. We promised to share our blessings and hardships, so I want her to have one summon too."

The An Clan members immediately felt ashamed.

An Qinghan gently held Tuoba Yaoyao's hand and smiled. "I don't need it."

Ye Guan was a bit surprised. In this world, it was often easier to share hardships than blessings. This little girl thinking of her friend at such a moment was truly rare.

Ye Guan turned to An Qinghan, opened his hand, and sent a strand of Sword Intent into her forehead as well.

The scene made the An Clan feel overjoyed. Many even knelt in gratitude.

After all, that strand of Sword Intent represented Ye Guan's recognition. With it, others would view An Qinghan as Ye Guan's disciple!

From now on, no one would dare bully the An Clan.

Ye Guan might not have thought much about it, but to the An Clan, the small strand did not just give An Qinghan a lifeline but also protected the entire An Clan.

Smiling, Ye Guan said, "I hope to see you both at the main academy."

He then turned and left with Nalan Jia.

The experts from the An Clan hurriedly bowed again.

Tuoba Yaoyao watched as they left. "The Academy Master is different from what I imagined."

An Qinghan nodded slightly. "Indeed."

As she gazed into the distance, her eyes flashed with complex emotions.

In truth, when she learned that Ye Guan would be watching the martial contest, she became more nervous than anyone. After all, she knew that to change her and her clan’s fate, she had to win first place and get into the main academy. She was confident she could win, but she was also well aware that one word from that man could spell disaster for her and her clan.

However, Ye Guan turned out to be nothing like she had imagined. Not only did he let her win first place, but he also gave her so many benefits.

An Qinghan closed her eyes slowly. At that moment, she found a new goal.

She wanted to join Guanxuan Academy and protect the Guanxuan Universe!

...

The streets of Qing City, Qingzhou.

As Ye Guan and Nalan Jia walked leisurely, Ye Guan looked around. This was where his father had once lived.

Because of the Sword Master, Qingcheng hadn't changed at all over the years. It was still a bustling place, attracting countless visitors every year.

On either side of the road leading to the Ye Clan, Ye Guan and Nalan Jia saw many swordsmen meditating. They seemed to have decided to stay here because of the Sword Master's ties to this place. To them, this was a sacred spot that was perfect for cultivation.

Softly, Ye Guan said, "People only care about your past when you succeed."

He then chuckled and shook his head.

Afterward, he heard a voice come from nearby. "This spot is mine."

Ye Guan turned to see two swordsmen arguing over a spot near the gate of the Ye Clan.

They looked like they were about to draw their swords.

"Doesn't the Ye Family manage this?" Ye Guan asked.

"They probably can't," Nalan Jia answered.

"Well, that does seem likely."

As they reached the Ye Clan gate, the swordsman who was dressed in white eyed them warily. "What are you here for?"

Ye Guan smiled. "To visit the Ye Family."

The man in white sneered. "Is this your first time here?"

Ye Guan thought about it for a moment. "Second."

"Do you think the Ye Clan will let you in? Dream on," the man in white said coldly.

The other swordsman, dressed in a coarse robe, looked at Ye Guan. "Brother, we all want to get into the Ye Clan, but it's impossible. Even their own members can't freely enter the courtyard where the Sword Master once lived."

Ye Guan realized that the only reason he had gotten in before was because Ye Zhuxin had taken him in.

He couldn't help but smile at the thought. He had a good impression of the Ye Clan because they had supported him during his life-and-death battle with Lu Tian and had even gifted him a pair of flying swords. Back then, his identity hadn't been revealed yet.

Ye Guan smiled, walked to the door, and knocked gently.

Seeing this, the two swordsmen quickly stepped back.

Ye Guan was puzzled. "What are you doing?"

The man in white sternly replied, "Are you crazy? The Ye Clan said they wouldn't bother people cultivating outside, but if anyone dares to disturb them, they won't show any leniency."

Ye Guan thought for a moment and said, "Friends, cultivation relies on oneself. You can look up to someone, but don't go overboard. If you do—"

"Are you questioning our beliefs?" the man in white furiously asked. "You know nothing about Sword Dao! Since we started cultivating here, our skills have greatly improved. It's like the Sword Master is with us. Don't you understand that feeling?"

Ye Guan remained silent.

"A swordsman without belief is pitiful," the man in the coarse robe added. He then glanced at Ye Guan. "It's a wonder how you even got a wife. It's just not fair."