Chapter 163: A-Yuan's Elder Sister?

The roar sounded spine-chilling. It was unlike the cry of any ordinary beast, carrying a strange, delicate whimper within its depth.

"Brother..." Ever since she arrived in this place, A-yuan had grown uncharacteristically timid. Right now, she was clutching Xi Yan's sleeve in sheer terror.

Xi Yan patted A-yuan's hand to comfort her. "It's all right. Don't be afraid. I'm here."

"Roar!"

Just as Xi Yan's voice trailed off, the beast's roar echoed once more.

A-yuan was so frightened that she tightly embraced Xi Yan's arm.

"Who is it! Surely this instance isn't housing just some beast that has lost the ability to speak human words. Show yourself!" Xi Yan shouted into the empty air.

Abruptly, the roaring ceased. Then, illumination truly dawned upon Xi Yan's vision, allowing him to perceive his surroundings once again.

Yet, when he could finally see his surroundings clearly, the very first thing that met his eyes was, indeed, a monster.

This monster was not as terrifying as he had imagined; rather, it was nothing more than a skeleton of withered bones.

The skeleton walked up to Xi Yan and said, "You are truly courageous, and quite clever as well. None of the people who have come here before were ever like you."

Although the skeleton's words were a compliment, Xi Yan felt not a shred of happiness inside. After all, would anyone feel happy being addressed by a pile of bones?

Hearing the skeleton speak, Xi Yan suddenly grew curious about one thing: lacking any muscular tissue whatsoever, how did it manage to produce a voice? Through the striking of bones against each other?

"Are you the monster of this place?" Xi Yan asked.

Faced with a skeleton before him, Xi Yan felt remarkably unperturbed, primarily because he had already encountered far too many terrifying and disgusting monsters along the way.

"A monster? As expected, everyone interprets it that way. Perhaps that was the original intention of that person." A deep melancholy permeated the skeleton's words.

Hearing this tone from the skeleton, Xi Yan furrowed his brow slightly.

Judging by its words, it supposedly wasn't some vicious monster, but wasn't its current appearance the very definition of a monster?

"Look, do I still look like a monster now?" In the blink of an eye, the appearance of the skeleton suddenly shifted.

Though essentially a frame of empty bones, it transformed instantly into a stunning beauty attired in sumptuous garments.

The attire closely resembled the formal gowns worn by nobility, and the skeleton's countenance had morphed into that of a breathtaking, peerless beauty.

Could it be a white-bone spirit?

This was the first thought that flashed through Xi Yan's mind.

"How is it?" The skeleton pressed for an answer.

Xi Yan's gaze held not a hint of desecration. He looked at the beauty before him with utter calm and replied, "Very beautiful."

Seeing that Xi Yan's expression remained completely unmoved as he looked at her, the skeleton immediately asked in puzzlement, "You think I'm beautiful, yet it seems you don't like me at all."

"Does liking or disliking you matter? You only made me hear your voice and see you—why is that?" Xi Yan asked.

The skeleton laughed, though her laughter was shrill, causing Xi Yan to instinctively knit his brows.

When she had laughed her fill, the skeleton told Xi Yan, "My name is An Xue, and I am An Yuan's older sister."

This answer stunned Xi Yan all over again. A-yuan's older sister? Her sister was still alive? No, rather, her sister had actually remained trapped here all this time!

Yet why had An Xue been reduced to a skeleton?

Her current appearance must have been what An Xue looked like in the past. What sort of cause had reduced her to her present state?

"What? You don't believe it?" An Xue countered.

Xi Yan pressed his lips together and replied, "It's not that I don't believe it, I just don't understand how you could end up like this."

Xi Yan recalled the mention An Xue had made earlier about "that person's original intention." Could the person An Xue encountered and the person the old woman encountered be the same individual?

"There is no need for you to understand this matter. The reason I had you brought here is to tell you certain things. I know A-yuan is by your side; it was also my power that guided her here." An Xue replied.

Xi Yan frowned, quietly waiting for An Xue to continue.

"I will grant you power, but you must promise me: protect A-yuan well! Do not let any harm come to her!"

An Xue's expression was exceptionally earnest, prompting Xi Yan to turn equally solemn. He nodded and said, "Even if you didn't say it, I would have done so anyway. However, I have no need for your power."

Xi Yan's reply actually took An Xue by surprise. Could there truly be someone in this world who did not desire power?

"You truly do not want my power?" An Xue asked once more.

Yet Xi Yan refused her with absolute finality.

Witnessing Xi Yan respond in this manner, An Xue burst into laughter. This time, her laughter lacked any terrifying edge, sounding instead crisp and melodious.

"Very well, you are a worthy person. I can rest easy entrusting A-yuan to you." A trace of resolute determination laced An Xue's tone, giving Xi Yan the unsettling feeling that she was about to do something reckless.

"You—"

Before Xi Yan could finish the word, the old woman's voice rang out.

"So it really is you! Your Highness the First Princess!" The old woman's tone sounded utterly devoid of goodwill.

"Oh? Nuo Yi? Why are you here?" An Xue stared coldly at the old woman, a flicker of hatred even shadowing her gaze.

The attitudes of these two struck Xi Yan as deeply puzzling. One was A-yuan's older sister, and the other was her wet nurse; they ought not to harbor such a deeply hateful relationship.

Even if there had been some conflict, so much time had passed that they shouldn't react with such hostility upon their very first meeting.

"How can I not be here? If I weren't here, wouldn't Her Highness have been murdered by you? Was it you who used despicable means to lure Her Highness here?!"

Xi Yan felt as though the old woman was on the verge of hurling crude abuses.

Faced with the old woman's accusations, An Xue did not yield an inch. "Oh? I harmed A-yuan? The one who has always wanted to harm her is you! And yet here you are putting on a hypocritical act for show—who do you think you're fooling?!"

With each holding to her own version of the truth, Xi Yan found himself in a difficult position. Both sides claimed to be acting in A-yuan's best interest, yet Xi Yan had a feeling that neither of them genuinely had A-yuan's well-being at heart. Was it just an illusion...

"Me putting on an act? You are the one who has always been hypocritical! Today, I will kill you and put an end to your schemes against Her Highness!"

With those words, the old woman charged forward.

An Xue showed no weakness either, reverting to her skeletal form to engage the old woman in battle.

Elderly woman and skeleton though they were, their combat prowess in the ensuing clash was by no means low. Probably not a single person among the two teams that had just entered could stand a chance against either of them.

"Trying to harm Her Highness! Go to hell!"

"You're the one! Trying to harm my sister! Go to hell!"

The two fought tooth and nail, while Xi Yan simply stood to the side, quietly watching them.

At that moment, whether due to the turbulence of the fight or not, A-yuan also recovered her sight. Seeing the two figures locked in combat right in front of Xi Yan, she immediately asked him in bewilderment, "Brother... what is going on here..."