Conflict

Xia Mo walked over to Xiao Yan and watched him search stall after stall for Wood-type Monster Cores. If Xiao Yan knew Xia Mo had plenty of Monster Cores yet had still made this "poor man" search himself half to death, his mindset would probably collapse. If he could beat Xia Mo, a fierce battle might have been unavoidable.

While Xia Mo and Xiao Yan searched for Monster Cores, trouble arose not far away.

Xiao Yi Xian and Xiao Xun'er were browsing jewelry at a stall when they ran into Jia Lie Ao, the young master of the Jia Lie Family, who was strolling around with a pack of lackeys.

Jia Lie Ao was in his twenties, dressed like a respectable man in luxurious clothes. Unfortunately, his pale complexion made it obvious that he was nothing but a beast in human clothing.

"Miss Xun'er, and this beautiful lady beside you, what a coincidence. We truly are fated—Wutan City is so large, yet we met here!" Jia Lie Ao stared heatedly at the girls before him.

Seeing Jia Lie Ao acting this way, Xiao Yi Xian and Xiao Xun'er had no intention of paying him any attention and turned to leave. However, Jia Lie Ao hurried ahead and blocked their path.

Seeing that Jia Lie Ao actually dared to stop them in broad daylight, Xiao Yi Xian glared at him angrily. Xiao Xun'er merely narrowed her eyes slightly and looked at him with an indifferent gaze, saying nothing.

When Jia Lie Ao saw both girls looking at him, his face flushed red, his breathing quickened, and his heart nearly leaped out of his chest. It seemed he might drop dead if he failed to catch his breath.

"Young Master Jia Lie Ao, please move aside. We still have things to do," Xiao Xun'er said blandly, looking at his flushed face.

"Then, Miss Xun'er, let me accompany you. Just tell me whatever you want to buy, and I'll pay for it," Jia Lie Ao declared grandly.

"I said we have things to do. Please move aside." Xiao Xun'er emphasized her words.

Jia Lie Ao's lips twitched at the rejection, but he still grinned at Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian. Then he took out two bracelets, one pale green and one pale blue. He had clearly been watching them for quite some time and had prepared thoroughly. Still, simps were destined for a bad ending.

"Miss Xun'er, and this beautiful lady, it was Jia Lie Ao's fault for delaying you from handling your affairs. I just bought these two bracelets from the Marketplace—one wood-type and one water-type. They offer some benefits to Dou Qi cultivation. Please accept them as my apology. Do not refuse, or Jia Lie Ao will lose face before his subordinates," Jia Lie Ao said rather humorously.

Xiao Xun'er had originally intended to simply take Xiao Yi Xian and leave, but she noticed the Wood-type Monster Core on the pale green bracelet and decided to take it for Brother Xiao Yan.

Seeing that Xiao Xun'er was interested, Jia Lie Ao immediately pressed his advantage. "Only the beautiful Miss Xun'er is worthy of this lovely bracelet. Besides, the Jia Lie Family and the Xiao Clan are both great families of Wutan City. Exchanging small gifts is perfectly normal."

I'll take the Monster Core, then throw away the bracelet, Xiao Xun'er thought as she reached out to accept it.

Suddenly, Xiao Xun'er's hand was grabbed. She was about to retaliate, but stopped when she realized it was Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan then lectured Xun'er before launching into a round of mockery at Jia Lie Ao, openly flaunting their affection and stuffing Jia Lie Ao full of dog food.

Seeing that there was no longer any way to speak with Xiao Xun'er, Jia Lie Ao turned his attention to Xiao Yi Xian. After all, he had never seen Xiao Yi Xian among the Xiao Clan's people before, so he assumed she was no important figure.

"This young lady, I am Jia Lie Ao, eldest son of the Jia Lie Family. My father is the Jia Lie Patriarch, a Da Dou Shi. May I know your name? Could we get acquainted?" Jia Lie Ao asked Xiao Yi Xian with a smile.

Xia Mo glanced indifferently at Jia Lie Ao without saying anything. He took Xiao Yi Xian's hand and prepared to leave. When Jia Lie Ao saw that Xia Mo and Xiao Yi Xian were ignoring him, his expression turned utterly ugly.

Jia Lie Ao's lackeys blocked the two of them and stared at them with malicious intent. A fierce glint flashed across Xia Mo's face as a dangerous aura began to thicken around him. Xiao Yan and Xun'er sensed it as well, while Old Yao in the ring sensed Xia Mo's aura and thought, So that's how it is.

There were quite a few people in the Marketplace. Seeing the conflict here—and since both Xiao Yan and Jia Lie Ao were well-known figures in Wutan City—they all watched curiously.

Xiao Yan had never seen Xia Mo with such an expression before. Every time he had seen Xia Mo, the boy had always been smiling. Thus, Xiao Yan whistled and stepped forward, saying to Jia Lie Ao, "This is the Xiao Clan Marketplace. Is Young Master Jia Lie Ao planning to make a move against members of my Xiao Clan in our Xiao Clan Marketplace?"

Before long, the guards of the Xiao Clan Marketplace, led by Pei En, surrounded Jia Lie Ao's group. Jia Lie Ao sneered, "Xiao Yan, you worthless trash who can only rely on your clan—come out and fight me one-on-one!"

"Jia Lie Ao, how old are you? Twenty. How old am I? Fifteen. If you have no shame, then challenge Xia Mo." Xiao Yan pointed at Xia Mo.

"He can't even take one punch from me," Xia Mo said expressionlessly. He was somewhat unhappy over what had just happened. If Xiao Yi Xian had not held him back, the Jia Lie Family members here might all have been left behind today.

The nearby crowd burst into laughter at those words. The laughter jolted Jia Lie Ao back to his senses, and as he saw the mocking looks around him, he wished he could disappear into the ground.

"Xiao Yan, you'll be driven out of Wutan City next year. How pitiful. Trash—no wonder Nalan Yanran broke off your engagement. Hahaha!"

"And you, young lady, you won't escape my grasp. Hahaha!" Jia Lie Ao laughed loudly as he prepared to leave.

Hearing Jia Lie Ao's words, Xia Mo released Xiao Yi Xian's hand. A vicious gleam flashed in his eyes as he snatched an iron rod from a nearby guard and took a step forward, looking particularly abrupt.

The crowd looked at the child, unsure what he intended to do, and watched curiously. Jia Lie Ao's group also halted mid-step.

"Xia Mo, don't!" Xiao Yi Xian was the only one present who understood Xia Mo's temperament. He never accepted even the slightest loss; whoever provoked him or her was courting death. But she did not want Xia Mo to reveal his strength. There were many people stronger than them, and if Xia Mo's identity were discovered, he would be in great danger.

Xia Mo bared his teeth in a smile at Xiao Yi Xian. "No one can threaten or hurt you in front of me unless I'm dead. Besides, the news won't spread that quickly, and even if it does, others may not believe it."

Xia Mo tightened his grip on the iron rod. His body moved, and his foot stomped fiercely against the ground as he charged at Jia Lie Ao with incredible speed.

"You little brat, what a foolish move." Jia Lie Ao stared at the charging Xia Mo as Dou Qi rapidly gathered in his hand, eventually forming a vortex.

"That's the Jia Lie Family's Xuan-tier Dou Technique, Azure Wind Vortex Fist!" Someone recognized the technique, and the crowd erupted in commotion. They had not expected Jia Lie Ao to use a Xuan-tier Dou Technique against a child.

"A piece of trash like you dares threaten us?" The iron rod smashed toward Jia Lie Ao with intense air pressure. There was no Dou Technique behind it, only boundless brute force.

The two attacks collided with a bang. The wind vortex was smashed apart instantly, while the iron rod continued onward without losing momentum and struck toward Jia Lie Ao.

"Don't hurt my son!" A powerful force struck the iron rod, knocking it off course and causing it to land on Jia Lie Ao's shoulder. Yet the tremendous force instantly shattered Jia Lie Ao's shoulder bone and smashed him to the ground.

Another burst of force struck Xia Mo, forcing him back several steps and leaving his hands slightly numb. Once I break through to Dou Shi, I should be able to confront a Da Dou Shi head-on. But if I want to kill one, I'll still need to keep working harder.

Xia Mo looked at Jia Lie Ao with some regret and thought, Damn it, does this bastard's father follow him around all the time?

Xiao Zhan had also arrived on the other side. The two sides faced off, but neither could do anything to the other, so they eventually returned to their respective homes. It was a world where only Jia Lie Ao was hurt.

The four of them then continued browsing. At one stall, Xiao Yan found a Wood-type Monster Core and an iron sheet, but he had no mood to keep shopping and returned to the Xiao Clan...

PS: There's no way to cater to everyone's tastes, so please forgive me ┗(ω)┛

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