"Let me go!" The fierce lady shouted when Xiao Hua didn't release her fist.
"If anything happens to me, my family will, without a doubt, avenge me!"
After a moment of silence, Xiao Hua released her grasp on the lady, letting her free.
"Now tell me how you know about the Ancient Seal!" The lady repeated.
"That is something only the top ranks in the family should know about!"
"If you do not have the Ancient Seal, then Xiao Hua is no longer interested in speaking with you." Xiao Hua said to her before turning around and walking back to Yuan in a nonchalant manner.
"Y-You little brat!" The fierce girl gritted her teeth, yet she didn't dare to approach Xiao Hua.
"If you don't tell me how you know about the Ancient Seal, I will tell my family about you! You can either answer me or answer my family! And if you choose the latter, just know that they won't be as patient as I am now!"
Xiao Hua turned to look at her and said, "The Ancient Seal may be a secret in the Lower Heavens, but in the upper heavens, everybody knows about it."
"What?" The girl's eyes widened with shock, as this was new information for her.
"A-Are you trying to tell me that you're from the upper heavens? What are you doing here? And why do you need the Ancient Seal?" she asked Xiao Hua.
Xiao Hua didn't say anything and turned back around, ignoring her.
"I-If you tell me, I will tell you where the Ancient Seal is!" The girl suddenly said.
Xiao Hua immediately turned around upon hearing this, but when she saw the girl's face, Xiao Hua turned back around and said, "You're lying."
"W-What! I am not lying! I will really tell you!"
However, Xiao Hua ignored her.
"Fine! If you want to play this game, I will play with you!"
The lady then grabbed her techniques before storming outside the place.
"Is everything okay, Xiao Hua? Wouldn't it be problematic if the Four Ancient Families came after us?" Yuan asked her afterward.
Xiao Hua nodded and said, "She won't tell her family about this, and even if they do come after us, Xiao Hua can deal with them."
"You sound confident that she won't tell her family. Why is that?" Yuan asked.
"Because she cannot contact her family unless she completes her trial no matter the situation."
"I see… What about the Ancient Seal? What is that?"
"The Ancient Seal is a treasure that each of the Four Ancient Families owns, and if one gathers all four, they will get to enter the Primordial Realm."
"Primordial Realm? What kind of place is that?" Yuan asked, his interest piqued.
"..."
Xiao Hua looked at Yuan in silence for a good moment before mumbling in a low voice, "The Primordial Realm is Xiao Hua's home…"
"What?" Yuan's eyes widened with surprise.
"Home as in the place you were born?" Yuan asked her.
Xiao Hua nodded.
"The Primordial Realm is a special place that isn't part of the Nine Heavens, and Xiao Hua was born there. However, due to reasons, Xiao Hua had to leave the Primordial Realm."
After pondering for a moment, Yuan decided to ask her a question that he has been curious about for a long time now.
"Does it have anything to do with being an 'exile'?"
"Eh?"
Xiao Hua's eyes widened with shock upon hearing his question.
"W-When did Brother Yuan learn about exiles…?" Xiao Hua asked him in a shaky voice, clearly feeling nervous.
"I have known about it for over a month now, but to tell you the truth, I have no idea what an exile is, and I was hoping to get some clarification from you," Yuan said.
Xiao Hua turned silent upon hearing his words.
Seeing Xiao Hua's nervousness, Yuan continued in a gentle voice, "Xiao Hua, no matter who you are or what background you have, I will always be on your side. I am asking because I am worried that you might need help, but I won't be able to help you if I don't know anything."
After a moment of silence, Xiao Hua nodded and said, "An exile is someone who has been banished from the Nine Heavens by the Celestial Emperor, and the Primordial Realm is a place where exiles gather. Xiao Hua's family did something bad in the past, so everyone in the family was exiled. Of course, this included the future generations of the family."
"What? So someone in your family did something bad and everyone in the family got punished— including the innocent?" Yuan was speechless, finding the judgment to be cruel and unfair, especially towards the innocent children and those who will join the family in the future.
Xiao Hua nodded and continued, "Once exiled, they cannot enter the Nine Heavens again, or they will be hunted by everyone in the Nine Heavens. And once someone is branded as an exile, they cannot remove that title no matter how much time passes or what they do. However, there is one exception— the Supreme Heaven's Legacy."
"If an exile can fulfill the Legacy, that person and their family will be allowed to return to the Nine Heavens and will no longer be regarded as exiles."
"However, only one person per family can hold the Legacy, and Xiao Hua was chosen to fulfill this Legacy."
"Unbelievable… To think your family would give someone so young so much responsibility, forcing you to bear such a heavy burden…" Yuan sighed.
"It's okay. Xiao Hua wanted to do it as well."
"As for your legacy… We just need to reach the Supreme Heaven, right?" Yuan then asked.
Xiao Hua nodded, and she said, "Yes, but reaching the Supreme Heaven is just the beginning of the legacy. Xiao Hua doesn't know anything else beyond that."
"It's okay. We'll find out when we get there." Yuan said.
"Brother Yuan, there's still one more thing you should know about exiles…" she suddenly said.
Yuan looked at her with a smile and said, "It's okay. You can tell me."