Chapter 2063: Chapter 2061: Assertive Protection

Back then, Jiao Yunyun feared that Bai Guanghe wouldn’t pass Jiuli’s test, so she didn’t bring him back to the clan. Instead, she secretly married him, only in the end to become an abandoned woman and was taken back to the clan by the great elder.

For a time, both the Jiao family and their relatives were utterly disgraced. Jiao Yunyun’s parents had died early, and it was always her uncle and aunt who took care of her a lot, which meant the parents of the third elder. However, because of Jiao Yunyun’s situation, her aunt fell into distress and even suffered a severe illness, making Yunyun feel even more guilty towards them.

During her punishment and confinement, only Jiao Ling could visit her once every few days, while others were not allowed to see her. Fortunately, the great elder found a good master for Jiao Ling, who always excelled.

By the time she came out from her punishment, more than a decade had passed, and she hadn’t even attended her aunt’s funeral. At her aunt’s grave, she cried for a long time, and by then her cousin had become an elder. Fearing her own affairs would affect him, she tried to minimize her presence and gradually stopped contacting the clan, living alone near the Peach Forest.

Decades went by, and her cousin Xiu Rui slowly rose to the position of third elder, and many slowly forgot about their relationship.

Xiu Rui looked at Jiao Yunyun, who was crying until she was about to run out of breath, and sympathetically supported her, saying, “Xiaoyun, don’t cry. Your cousin will stand up for you!”

The onlookers collectively gasped. After all these years, the third elder, engrossed in cultivation, hadn’t cared about anyone, and people even forgot that Jiao Yunyun, the criminal, was the third elder’s cousin. But now, upon emerging, the third elder sided with Jiao Yunyun, suggesting their apparent discord might be deceiving.

The second elder squinted, “Third elder, what do you mean by this?”

The third elder shot back intensely, “I want to ask you what you mean!”

The onlookers gasped again. Truly befitting the powerful third elder, his words were so formidable.

“Are you intending to intervene in this criminal’s case?” the second elder asked angrily.

“Criminal? Xiaoyun completed her punishment decades ago and has paid for her mistakes. How does calling her a criminal for life make sense?” the third elder retorted without mercy.

“One crime leads to being a criminal for life; she can’t wash it off!” the second elder yelled, eyes wide open.

Bai Ruozhu gritted her teeth, listening. This damn second elder deserved a beating; marrying an outsider, how does that make one a lifelong criminal?

Previously disinterested in being involved with the Jiuli, even uninterested in trials, at this moment, she somewhat understood why her aunt insisted they visit Jiuli.

She decided at this moment not to brush things off anymore. She would strive to shine brilliantly because only with her and her second brother’s outstanding performance would the clan stop calling her grandma a criminal.

She looked at Jiao Yunyun, feeling a dull pain inside. It’s just a woman who loved someone she shouldn’t have—she didn’t do anything heinous—so why label her a criminal for life?

She also knew that while her grandma appeared indifferent, inside, she was lonely and in pain, waiting years for someone who never came, and being deemed a criminal by her kin.

At this moment, she made up her mind and resolved to convince her second brother; they must exonerate their grandma.

The third elder coldly snorted, “By your logic, a momentary mistake results in being a lifelong criminal? Then, is your son Fo Wen, who accidentally destroyed the clan’s Sacrificial Pillar last year while making a mechanical device, also a lifelong criminal?”

“You…” the second elder glared, “That’s different; Fo Wen’s was an accident.”

Fo Wen, who was standing nearby awkwardly, wished he could find a hole to hide in. He excelled in making mechanical devices in the city and attempted to build a large defensive mechanism for the clan last year, only for such an accident to happen, injuring two clan members. Fortunately, no one died.

“In the second elder’s mouth, other people’s mistakes make them lifelong criminals, while nothing is wrong with your own? Such partiality is unfit for your position!” the third elder announced loudly.

The onlookers gasped again. After so many years, no one dared speak to the second elder like this. The third elder, who usually ignored mundane affairs, now offended the second elder for Jiao Yunyun’s family like this.

“You’re finding fault?” the second elder raised a hand to strike, but was stopped by Fo Wen.

“Father, you’re injured; don’t get angry,” Fo Wen reminded him.

The second elder forcefully swallowed his anger, “Fine, fine, the third elder is using power to bully others, and today I’ve learned my lesson from you!”

Saying so, he flung his sleeves and turned to leave; in his current state, he couldn’t compete with the third elder, even with his trusted men. With so many other elders present, he stood no chance of gaining anything.

Bai Ruozhu, he remembered her and one day would make her cough up what she’d taken.

Su elder looked worriedly at the second elder’s retreating silhouette and whispered to Jiao Ling, “Be careful for the time being; if anything happens, send me a message immediately.”

“Thank you, Elder Su,” Jiao Ling said gratefully.

“But don’t worry, once these two kids go to the trials and get the Enlightenment Tablet, things will get better,” Elder Su said.

Jiao Ling felt happy again; it seemed Elder Su had great confidence in those two kids. It was a pity her Lanlan couldn’t exert herself, otherwise, Lanlan, with her intelligence, would surely also be outstanding.

The third elder cupped his hand in thanks to the other elders, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then dispersed.

Jiao Yunyun looked nervously at the third elder, “Brother, would you like to come inside?”

The third elder sighed, seeing her like this, “All these years, have you figured it out? You finally willing to call me brother?”

Jiao Yunyun was startled, “I felt too ashamed to speak to my brother.”

The third elder sighed, “Over the years, if you had no issues, fine, but if there were, I wouldn’t have ignored them. It’s just a pity about Xiaoling back then…”

Back then, he was secluded in cultivation, and the incident happened too suddenly. By the time he heard and hurried over, Gufeng had already escaped the clan, and Wei Yu’s birth mother had committed suicide in public in repentance. He couldn’t stop any of it, and Jiao Yunyun avoided him, making him think she resented him over the matter.

The family felt deeply moved, and Jiao Ling welcomed the two inside. Bai Ruozhu went to make tea and served it personally to thank them for their support.

“Girl, you are my granddaughter. Who else would I protect?” Jiao Yunyun smiled, “Besides, you’re so outstanding, having given the second elder’s family a good slap today; grandma couldn’t be more pleased.”

The third elder, still unaware of the details, asked Jiao Ling to explain. After hearing everything, he slapped his thigh, “Good, well done! Our family isn’t to be easily bullied; they deserved a harsh lesson!”

Bai Ruozhu felt touched facing these elders who so strongly supported her. She finally had grandparents who loved her.