Don't Provoke Him Again!

In the Great Elder's courtyard, Xiao Ning woke from the pain.

"Hiss!"

Xiao Ning bolted upright from his sickbed, looking around in confusion.

His memories were somewhat fragmented.

The last thing he remembered was being pinned beneath someone and beaten viciously.

What came afterward was too unbearable to recall, so unreal that it felt like a dream.

Creak!

The Great Elder entered carrying a box of medicinal ointment. Xiao Ning did not know if it was just his imagination.

But he felt that his grandfather's face was excessively pale today!

"Grandfather... Hiss!"

The moment Xiao Ning spoke, he tugged at the wound on his head and could not help sucking in a sharp breath. The pain nearly brought tears to his eyes.

"Don't speak yet. You might aggravate the wounds on your head."

The Great Elder applied the ointment to Xiao Ning's head, and only then did he feel considerably better.

Although Xiao Ze had used Dou Qi to cover Xiao Ning's head in bumps, he had never intended to deal him a killing blow or seriously injure him.

But a little intimidation and punishment had been necessary!

Xiao Ze had deliberately used Dou Qi to create those bumps. They were difficult to remove and particularly painful.

Even with medicine, Xiao Ning would still have to endure the pain over the next few days, living with his head covered in bumps like a pig's head.

"Grandfather, what exactly happened? That guy who beat me... was Xiao Ze punished?"

The moment the Great Elder finished applying the ointment, Xiao Ning impatiently asked.

A strange look appeared in the Great Elder's eyes.

"You don't remember what happened at the Dou Skill Pavilion?"

Xiao Ning froze for a moment, then began searching through the memories in his mind.

"I remember him pinning me down and beating me up. Maybe it hurt so much that I started hallucinating—I even saw you fighting the Patriarch..."

"It wasn't a hallucination!"

The Great Elder interrupted him. Astonishment surfaced in Xiao Ning's eyes as he looked worriedly at the Great Elder.

"Grandfather, you weren't hurt, were you? The Patriarch is a Five Star Da Dou Shi!"

"It's nothing serious." The Great Elder shook his head.

"Then... Grandfather, you still haven't told me. Did Xiao Ze receive any punishment?"

Xiao Ning could not let go of Xiao Ze. Though his grandfather had applied ointment, he could still feel the pain in his head.

Without even looking in a mirror, Xiao Ning already knew what his head must look like. It had definitely turned into a giant pig's head.

It was impossible for Xiao Ning not to resent Xiao Ze!

Hearing this, the Great Elder sat up straight and looked at Xiao Ning solemnly. "He received no punishment at all. And from now on, don't provoke him again!"

"What? Why? Grandfather, you're the Great Elder—you have to avenge me!"

Xiao Ning found it hard to believe. The Great Elder had always doted on him.

Why was he saying such things now, even telling him not to provoke Xiao Ze?

"I have temporarily stepped down from my position as Great Elder... Sigh, Xiao Ning, it's time for you to grow up."

The Great Elder sighed and spoke earnestly to Xiao Ning.

During the time Xiao Ning had been unconscious, the Great Elder had prepared the ointment and watched him lying in bed, his heart aching for his grandson.

But he had also come to understand something.

Now that Xiao Zhan had a prodigious son like Xiao Ze, his influence within the family was immense. There was no point in trying to compete with him for power and profit anymore.

Since he had now been stripped of his position as Great Elder, he should take the opportunity to keep his head down and stop causing trouble.

After some time, if he earned one or two merits for the Xiao Family, he could still regain his position as Great Elder.

But if he continued opposing Xiao Zhan, having his cultivation crippled and being expelled from the Xiao Family would probably be the lightest punishment.

Xiao Ning did not know about the Great Elder's change of heart.

When he heard that his grandfather was no longer the Great Elder, it was as though thunder had struck him. He sat there in a daze.

"How is that possible? The Patriarch couldn't just strip the Great Elder of his position so easily, could he?"

Xiao Ning said in shock. The Great Elder patted his shoulder, urging him to calm down.

Then, he slowly recounted everything that had happened at the Dou Skill Pavilion after Xiao Ning fell unconscious.

"Xiao Ze is a Nine Star Dou Practitioner!!!"

Xiao Ning cried out and could not help touching his head.

He had actually survived the fists of a Nine Star Dou Practitioner?

Coming back to his senses, Xiao Ning understood.

It was not that Xiao Ze could not have done it, but that Xiao Ze had merely wanted to teach him a lesson and had not intended to take his life.

Xiao Ning felt incomparably fortunate that Xiao Ze had still considered their kinship!

Otherwise, he probably would not have been able to see his grandfather now!

His resentment toward Xiao Ze for beating him into a pig's head also quickly faded away.

"Can't afford to provoke him. Really can't afford to provoke him!"

Xiao Ning could not help muttering. The Great Elder's eyes filled with relief when he heard that.

What the Great Elder feared most was that his grandson would refuse to accept reality and insist on opposing Xiao Ze.

"That's right. Xiao Ze is someone you absolutely cannot afford to provoke. For now, Grandfather has only temporarily lost his position as Great Elder."

The Great Elder advised him earnestly.

"As long as I perform well in the future, I may still be able to return to my position as Great Elder."

"Once Xiao Ze grows up, our Xiao Family will definitely gain even greater development."

"Then, with the position of Great Elder, I will certainly be able to secure more cultivation resources for you."

"You must also do your best and cultivate diligently. Stop idling around all day."

Looking at the Great Elder's face, which seemed to have aged several years, Xiao Ning's eyes grew moist and his nose stung.

His grandfather had given so much for him, swallowing humiliation and bearing burdens, even needing to curry favor with Xiao Ze!

He could not keep acting willfully. He had to listen to his grandfather!

"I understand, Grandfather. I definitely won't provoke Xiao Ze again. When I get the chance, I'll apologize to Xiao Yan too!"

The Great Elder added, "If you can ask Xiao Yan to put in a good word for you and restore some of your image in Xiao Ze's eyes, that would be even better."

"Mm-hmm!" Xiao Ning nodded solemnly.

After his grandfather's guidance, he now understood that Xiao Ze was the hope for the Xiao Family's future rise.

Holding tightly to that thigh could not possibly be wrong!

"Alright, rest a little longer. Until the wounds on your head have healed, you're not allowed to go out again!"

The Great Elder helped Xiao Ning lie down. It seemed that Xiao Ning had also matured through this matter.

He obediently nodded and lay quietly in bed.

In the back mountains.

Xiao Ze flashed aside, dodging Xiao Xun'er's attack.

"Alright, let's stop here for today. Too much is as bad as too little."

Hearing Xiao Ze's words, Xiao Xun'er also let out a long breath. After the intense sparring, she was already drenched in fragrant sweat.

"Brother Xiao Ze, I feel like my mastery of Swallow Return Strike has improved greatly."

"Mm. Strive to bring Swallow Return Strike to Major Accomplishment as soon as possible. It is better to master one art than dabble in a hundred. As a Profound Tier High-Grade Dou Technique, Swallow Return Strike is enough to let you challenge those above your level, or even leap across an entire rank."

After speaking, Xiao Ze retrieved a box from a hidden corner. Opening it revealed some common seasonings for roasting meat.

"Are we having roast meat today?"

"Yes. Xun'er, go see whether that nest of rabbits nearby has had another litter. Catch one or two and bring them back."

"Your command!"

Xiao Xun'er said playfully. Her figure fluttered like a nimble butterfly as she leaped toward the other end of the forest.

Xiao Ze remained where he was and began preparing to roast rabbits.

Rabbits often became rampant in the Xiao Family's back mountains. Sometimes, Xiao Family disciples even had to be specially dispatched to clear them out.

After all, rabbits produced large litters and had short breeding cycles. Without natural predators, their numbers could easily explode.

Xiao Ze often brought Xiao Xun'er into the back mountains to catch and roast rabbits.

It could be considered lightening the burden on the Xiao Family disciples.

Before long, Xiao Xun'er returned with a rabbit held by each pair of ears.

One rabbit's feet thrashed wildly, while the other looked dazed.

Seeing this, Xiao Ze could not help smiling as he recalled a familiar verse.

The male rabbit's feet thrash wildly; the female rabbit's eyes are dazed.

Of course, whether female or male, rabbits could both thrash their feet and look dazed. One could not distinguish their sexes that way.

Xiao Ze took them and examined them briefly. Sure enough, both were female rabbits.

He handled rabbits with great proficiency.

Soon, the two skinned rabbits were roasting over the fire.

As the flames scorched them, a layer of golden fat seeped from the skin and dripped onto the fire, producing sizzling sounds.

As dusk approached, the light in the forest dimmed, leaving only the firelight illuminating their faces.

Xiao Ze focused on roasting the rabbits, while Xiao Xun'er sat quietly beside him, her eyes slightly narrowed as she simply watched Xiao Ze.

Apart from the chirping of insects and birds, the only sounds around them were the crackling pops of burning firewood.

It was somewhat noisy, yet it made them both feel especially warm.

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