Chapter 35: Xu Xinyao

Xu Yuan's words, Zhou Chen did not take up.

What should be said, and what should remain unsaid—he was very clear about it. Matters concerning the family of the Chancellor, his mouth should remain firmly closed.

For a moment, both fell into silence.

Xu Yuan's gaze lingered on the young women on stage, bare feet dancing gracefully in long sleeves, his mind turning over thoughts about his younger sister.

He certainly knew of this fourth daughter of the Chancellor's household.

One of the central figures in the story of Changyuan—Xu Xinyao, yes.

Yet until just now, Xu Yuan’s image of Xu Xinyao had remained largely rooted in his memories from the previous life, and he had not deliberately delved into the memories of his own body.

Yes.

Just now, when he cursed Xu Xinyao as a lowly woman, it was entirely out of impulse, without ulterior motive—pure emotion.

In his former life, from a godlike perspective, he had felt little connection to this central character.

But after Zhou Chen’s reminder, Xu Yuan began searching his memory for information about his fourth sister.

The memories were mostly fragmented and hazy, yet enough remained to reconstruct the general dynamic between them.

Now, their relationship was as strained as it could possibly be.

Xu Yuan didn’t find this at all surprising.

After all, in the original personality’s nature, a good relationship would have been utterly abnormal.

Notably, however, their bond as children had been relatively decent.

In fact, according to the memory, he had once secretly harbored feelings for his foster sister—those kind of feelings.

For Xu Xin Yao’s gentle and kind nature.

The brilliance of the two elder brothers had left Xu Changtian, ordinary and unremarkable, withdrawn from childhood into adulthood.

Yet in his childhood, with his two elder brothers by his side offering comfort, the aloofness of his original self remained somewhat concealed.

But once Xu Changge and Xu Chang'an both reached the age of binding their hair and began traveling afar, the aloofness grew increasingly evident.

Fortunately, there was Xu Xinyao, his younger sister, who not only wished to stay by his side but had remained faithful to him throughout—this child with the closed heart.

To put it in more poetic terms,

she was the gentlest light within his heart.

Yet even that soft glow, as he grew, gradually transformed into a searchlight—

blinding him, making it impossible for him to open his eyes.

And most painfully, this light, which had stayed for two years, eventually faded away.

When Xu Xinyao’s interest and talent in martial arts were discovered, her father asked her if she wished to study the art beyond her village.

He begged her not to leave, but she still departed.

It was still the original body of the little kid who saw this as betrayal.

And then came the events, just as Xu Yuan had recalled before.

The original body became a complete shut-in, a man sealed off from the world.

When Xu Xinyao returned from her studies, Xu Changtian had changed utterly.

Watching his once quiet, reserved third brother slowly descend into corruption, the naturally kind-hearted Xu Xinyao tried to stop him.

But who was Xu Changtian?

A god-like figure who wouldn’t even be swayed by a brother’s whip—how could a mere sister’s words possibly restrain him?

Every attempt to dissuade him ended with Xu Xinyao going to report it, only for Xu Changge to leave and return home, where the original body would be flogged.

The original body, now completely twisted in character, blamed everything on Xu Xinyao.

He began attacking her origins, cursing her as a bastard, and even started physically assaulting her.

At first, Xu Xin Yao's kindness had kept Xu Chang Tian from being completely abandoned—yet she could not withstand the increasingly twisted nature of his brother.

As his actions in the Imperial Capital grew more absurd and unrestrained, the bond between the siblings frayed until it shattered entirely.

Within less than a decade, their relationship deteriorated to the point where they barely spoke a word to each other...

Memory fades, and in Xu Yuan's eyes a trace of melancholy surfaces—only for it to quickly shift into something sly and knowing.

Xu Xin Yao—such a perfect heroine.

Yet, during his previous life playing "Cang Yuan," Xu Yuan had never truly found himself drawn to this fourth daughter of the Imperial Minister's household.

Now, with the memories of the original body, he finds himself seeing her in a different light.

As a heroine in "Cang Yuan," she is indeed competent.

After their initial, fortuitous encounter, she provided the protagonist under Xu Yuan's control with countless material supports.

At first, Xu Yuan actually quite liked her.

After all, who doesn't love a wealthy woman?

The romantic arc for the character Xu Xinyao in "Cang Yuan" offered quite a few viable paths to tread.

An acquaintance, an adventure, and finally falling in love.

An acquaintance, mutual love and mutual destruction, and finally falling in love.

An acquaintance, a hero saving a beauty, an adventure, and finally falling in love.

From the perspective of the story's protagonist, Xu Xinyao was truly flawless.

Beyond her immense wealth, she was gentle, kind, and deeply understanding, possessing a mastery over array formations that could genuinely aid the protagonist.

But the problem lay elsewhere.

At that time, Xu Yuan could not only project himself into the protagonist's shoes, but he also possessed a God's-eye view over all the characters within "Cang Yuan."

As her true identity was peeled back layer by layer, Xu Yuan's feelings toward the character gradually faded into indifference.

In the later stages of many worldlines in *Cangyuan*, the Xiangguo family line gradually unraveled and declined due to the disruptive interference of the central protagonist. Driven by self-interest or an insatiable desire to survive, countless individuals chose to betray their father. Among these divergent timelines, one such figure—Lady Xu Xinyao, the esteemed fourth daughter—was among those who turned against her father.

Even more significantly,

in certain worldlines, her betrayal proved pivotal.

Xu Yuan always believed that every person acted according to their own internal logic. Though human imperfection might lead to contradictions or double standards, every decision must originate from the position one occupied. Yet Lady Xinyao completely abandoned the position she was in.

Believing the protagonist to be righteous, and seeing her adoptive father’s actions as having caused widespread suffering among the people of the world, she chose to betray her own family in the name of justice.

It was noble, pure, and epitomized filial piety—fatherly love and daughterly loyalty.

"........"

At this point in thought, Xu Yuan found himself inexplicably wanting to laugh, but after attempting a few chuckles, he gently shook his head.

He had never visited other parts of the real world's Great Inflame Dynasty, so he had no clear understanding of how things truly stood there.

Yet within the world of "Cangyuan," the realm had long been simmering with unrest.

The northern barbarian tribes, the ancient abyss in the southwest, and the various sects within the Great Inflame Dynasty—these powerful forces had all grown restless and uncooperative.

Such knowledge was well within the grasp of Xu Xinyao, the fourth daughter of the Imperial Chancellor’s family.

She sought a method to reconcile all parties without resorting to force.

She had thought deeply, she had acted decisively.

Across countless worldlines, she had tirelessly pursued this path—yet in every one of them, her efforts ultimately ended in ridicule.

For in this grand game destined to spiral into chaos, her father had been the first to step onto the board.

Like the collapse of faith.

She began to struggle,

She began to hesitate,

She... chose betrayal.

Betrayal...

Xu Yuan exhaled a long, weary breath, a flicker of helplessness passing through his eyes.

Indeed, no matter how beautiful he remembered her to be in memory, he would never find himself drawn to this woman.

You don't have to abandon your beliefs to assist—least of all, at least remain neutral, not siding with either side?

Anyone can betray the Chancellor, but not you, Miss Xu Xin Yao.

It was he who gave you a home when you were at your most helpless.

It was he who pulled you from the depths of hunger and lifted you to the clouds, offering you the finest education, the finest material goods—everything he could give you, he gave you the very best.

The gratitude of nurture surpasses that of birth; no biological father is greater than a father who raises you, no biological mother greater than one who nurtures you; your eldest brother and second brother treated you as if you were their own children by blood.

Yet,

in the moment they least expected it, you struck at their most vulnerable place with a blade they had never seen coming.