Forest of Silence

Xu Xiaoyan shook her head slightly and said, "It's nothing, I'm just curious. Since you hidden families are not open to outsiders, do you all marry within the clan? Won't that cause any problems? I've heard that intermarriage between close relatives is bad. Don't you care about that?"

She couldn't help asking this. Sun Qingyi was the first person from a hidden family she had ever met, and she had heard that the hidden families were isolated from the world.

She didn't think that the hidden families would accept people from outside. She had heard rumors that those big families would choose partners with the same martial spirit to preserve their pure bloodline, which was the so-called inheritance of the family martial spirit.

Sun Qingyi laughed out loud when she heard Xu Xiaoyan's question. She explained, "We hidden families are just a name. It doesn't mean that we don't want to interact with the outside world. We just don't want to get involved in the conflicts and troubles out there."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "Didn't you go to Shrek Academy? There are many descendants of hidden families there. Think about it, if they were really cut off from the world, why would they send their heirs to Shrek Academy?"

Xu Xiaoyan blushed slightly when she heard Sun Qingyi's explanation. Her understanding of the hidden families was based on hearsay. She had also heard that some of them went to Shrek Academy, but she didn't pay much attention to it.

She thought of Anping's assessment of the hidden families and asked, "I heard from Brother Anping that there are different types of hidden families. One type is to avoid disaster. They are the ones who were defeated and fled, and they hide to recover their strength."

"Another type is to be truly aloof from the world. They ignore everything outside unless someone provokes them. Another type is to wait for opportunities. They have great ambitions, and they hide to prepare for the chance to rule the world."

"The last type is the old and established families like the Clear Sky Sect and the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Family. They seem to be hidden, but they actually have countless businesses outside, and their every move affects the fate of Douluo Star."

Sun Qingyi was slightly surprised and nodded. She said, "The city lord's analysis is very accurate. The hidden families are probably like that. So is the city lord from a hidden family too?"

Xu Xiaoyan shook his head and said, "Brother Anping is not from a hidden family. You may not believe it, but Brother Anping was raised by the Myriad Demon King since he was a child. He has lived on his own since he was five years old."

She didn't mind telling her that Anping was close to the Soul Beast clan. It was not a secret. But she couldn't reveal Anping's true identity without his permission.

She knew that only a few people knew who Anping really was. They were either very close to him, or they had sworn allegiance to the City of Miracles. For people like Sun Qingyi, it was better not to know.

Xu Xiaoyan knew that if Anping's identity was ever exposed, it would cause a huge uproar among the Tang Sect and Shrek Academy. They might accuse him of being an alien invader, like the abyssal creatures that had once threatened the world. He didn't want to bring any trouble to his friend.

Sun Qingyi was shocked when she heard that Anping was raised by the Myriad Demon King, one of the most powerful and fearsome beasts in existence. She wondered if there was some hidden secret behind his origin, but she didn't pry any further. She was not a nosy person.

She still expressed her surprise and said, "This is the first time I've heard of something like this. Who would have thought that a top-notch beast like the Myriad Demon King would be so kind to a human?"

Xu Xiaoyan shook her head and said, "Let's not talk about this anymore. We've been on this train for so long, and we still haven't reached our destination. I don't know what's going on."

As soon as he finished speaking, an announcement came from the train: "Dear passengers, please note that the train is about to arrive at the Silent House. Passengers who are getting off, please be prepared."

The announcement repeated three times. Xu Xiaoyan looked astonished. Sun Qingyi laughed and said, "You have a powerful mouth. We just arrived at the station right after you spoke. How about that?"

Xu Xiaoyan didn't mind her teasing. She said, "Maybe it's not because of my mouth, but because of the way this world is set up."

She had a hunch that something was off. She had been observing the scenery outside the window, and he noticed that some things seemed to repeat themselves. She also had a feeling that Anping was playing some kind of prank on them.

Sun Qingyi didn't know Anping very well. She had only met him a few times, and she only knew that he was the lord of the City of Miracles. She asked, "Would the lord be so bored as to do this? If we hadn't asked any questions, would we be stuck on this train forever?"

Xu Xiaoyan said, "You don't know him well enough. He seems serious, but he can be quite mischievous sometimes. If you don't believe me, you can try it next time. Come on, let's get off and see what the Silent House is."

She got up from his seat and walked to the door. Sun Qingyi followed her, without asking any more questions.

They reached the door just as the train stopped. There was no conductor to guide them, but the door opened by itself.

They stepped out of the door, and before they could react, the door closed behind them and the train sped away. They were stunned, knowing that this was not how trains worked in reality.

They looked around and saw that the station was even more rundown than the one they had left. The seats on the platform were covered with vines, and there was no sign of life.

They followed the signs to the exits and left the platform. They saw that the station was deserted. There were wooden buildings labeled as ticket offices and waiting rooms, but they looked abandoned and neglected. They wondered how long it had been since anyone had used them.

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