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Many people in the inn couldn't help but look at the two brothers, as the contrast between them was too striking.

When Wen Qiao and the others approached, Zong Zhao looked puzzled and said to his younger brother, "Why did you follow me? I'm telling you, whatever you're planning, don't nitpick my friends. If you can't control your mouth, I'll dunk your head in the sea to wash it."

Zong Xu, displeased, replied, "You're my real brother. How can you talk to me like that? And since they're your friends, I came here out of concern for you."

"You really care about me? Didn't you say I'm all brawn and have no taste in friends, and that you couldn't be bothered with me?"

"I never said that," Zong Xu said, his face turning red. "You're my brother, of course I care about you."

Zong Zhao gave his brother a suspicious look, but soon he had no time to ponder what his foolish brother was up to.

Because he had already seen Wen Qiao.

After so many years, Wen Qiao hadn't changed much. If anything, she had become even more beautiful, and her cultivation had improved.

In the eyes of a straightforward body cultivator, no matter how beautiful someone looked, it was all ignored. What mattered more was her cultivation level and how to make himself stronger.

Zong Zhao laughed heartily and strode over to Wen Qiao, giving her a big hug. "Little sister, it's been a long time."

Wen Qiao was momentarily stunned by his enthusiastic bear hug but quickly recovered and smiled, "Senior Zong, it's been a long time."

Zong Xu watched nervously and hurriedly said, "Brother, don't hug her so tightly. Men and women should keep their distance... You might hurt her with your strength."

Zong Zhao put Wen Qiao down and slapped his brother on the back. "What are you talking about? She's like a sister to me!"

Chapter 366

Zong Xu didn't believe his brother's words and instead thought he was shameless.

How could such a beautiful girl have a brother like him, who’s as rough as a bear? Even if he wanted to call her his sister, this wasn't the way to do it.

To make matters worse, his brother not only forced himself to call her his sister but also pressed his head and said, "Come on, call her 'big sister'! From now on, she's my sister, Zong Zhao's sister. If anyone dares to bully her, I'll break their legs! That includes you!"

Zong Xu: "..."

Everyone in the inn could see Zong Xu's reluctance.

Zong Zhao ruffled his brother's hair happily and asked, "Little sister, when did you arrive in the Inner Sea? When Xiao Xu told me you were looking for me, I thought I was mistaken. I didn’t expect it to actually be you."

Wen Qiao's eyes curved slightly, clearly in a good mood. "I just arrived recently. I don't know many people in the Inner Sea, so I came to find you..." She trailed off, a bit embarrassed.

Zong Zhao was sincere with her, but she had come to him because she needed his help.

Although Zong Zhao appeared rough, he was surprisingly perceptive. After a quick glance, he could tell that Wen Qiao hadn't come just to visit a friend. He immediately said, "It's been a long time since we last met. Let’s find a spot to sit and talk."

Wen Qiao quickly agreed, "That sounds good."

At this moment, Ning Yuzhou stepped forward and said, "If you don’t mind, Senior Zong, let's go inside. We've rented a courtyard in this inn, and it's quite quiet there."

Zong Zhao's gaze fell on Ning Yuzhou, and he remembered what his brother had told him. He knew that Wen Qiao hadn't come to the Inner Sea alone this time but with some of her friends.

He smiled and said, "Then I’ll be imposing."

Ning Yuzhou smiled faintly, "You're A Chui's friend. We’re the ones intruding, not you."

With that, he led them into the inn to chat.

Apart from Qin Hongdao and Yi Xuan, who were still outside, everyone else was in the inn.

Seeing Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou bring Zong Zhao and his brother in, Ning Jichen, Shi Wuming, and Wen Tuti came over.

Wen Qiao introduced them, "This is my friend Shi Wuming, this is my younger sister Wen Tuti, this is my father Ning Jichen, and this is my husband Ning Yuzhou..."

"Husband?" Zong Xu, who was trying to maintain his composure, exclaimed in disbelief, "You actually have a spouse?"

Wen Qiao looked at him puzzled and said frankly, "Yes, is there something wrong?"

Zong Xu was completely stunned, staring blankly at her beautiful face, unable to speak for a moment.

At this point, Zong Zhao also noticed something and suddenly realized.

He realized his foolish brother’s eagerness to lead the way was due to his crush. Unfortunately, she already has a spouse, so his foolish brother is destined to be unlucky in love.

Zong Zhao laughed heartily and said, "It's nothing, kids are sensitive and tend to overthink things! Kids are fickle; they’ll bounce back soon."

Zong Xu said indignantly, "I'm not a child!"

Crushed by rejection, not only did his elder brother not comfort him, but he also made snide comments instead. Is this really his own brother?

Zong Zhao ignored him completely, shoved him aside, and continued his conversation with Wen Qiao.

"Sister, when the Thousand Island Secret Realm closed, I heard you were attacked by a madwoman and fell into a spatial rift. Are you okay?" Zong Zhao asked with concern.

At that time, he was far away, so he didn't know who had been knocked into the spatial rift by Flowing Cloud Immortal. Later, when he saw the three major sects of the Central Continent causing a commotion, and even witnessed Flowing Cloud Immortal being killed by the sect master of the Red Sky Sect in front of everyone, which nearly pitted the Red Sky Sect against the Azure Cloud Sect, he realized that it was Wen Qiao and her companions who had been knocked into the spatial rift, and they were the cherished disciples of the Red Sky Sect's sect master.

Like many cultivators, Zong Zhao believed that Wen Qiao and her companions were unlikely to survive, as the spatial rift was under attack, the space was distorted, and the spatial pressure generated was enough to crush the body of a cultivator at the Yuanchuang stage.

So when he learned that Wen Qiao had come to Zhongzhou Island, he was overjoyed and immediately ran over to see them.

Wen Qiao smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Brother Zong. We are fine, it took some time to return."

Hearing this, Zong Zhao didn't ask about their experiences, but was just happy for their safe return. He patted her on the shoulder and said heartily, "Surviving a disaster means good luck is coming your way! Sister, you are a blessed one. Let’s train together from now on. I recently found a great place for physical conditioning, let's go together."