Clown

The group joked and roughhoused as they made their way toward the tents, with Xia Mo dawdling along behind them.

"Yu'er, that guy Luo Bu is here too, and he's already broken through to become a four-star Dou Zhe," Xue Ni told Xiao Yu.

Then Xia Mo saw Xiao Yu start teasing Xiao Yan, only for Xiao Yan to ignore her completely and give her no face at all. Xiao Yu glared at Xiao Yan through gritted teeth. The two really were a pair of bickering lovers. Unfortunately, no one knew whether Xiao Yu would ultimately manage to keep pace with Xiao Yan.

But none of that had anything to do with Xia Mo. He had no grand ambitions, nor did he wish to save the suffering masses. He only wanted to take good care of himself and the people around him.

When the group reached the tents, they saw several small teams gathered in the shade, chatting among themselves. Xue Ni introduced them, saying, "They're all Jia Nan Academy students who came along to help out, just like her." Everyone nodded to show that they understood.

Under the blazing sun, more than twenty sweaty young men and women sat on the ground, looking around stiffly. They were probably freshmen like them. This must have been the old students' attempt to put the newcomers in their place.

No one meddled. Once they entered the tent, Xiao Yu led the group over to a cluster of girls. It seemed Xiao Yu got along quite well with the people at the academy.

For some reason, though, Xia Mo felt that the girls Xiao Yu knew always focused on rather different things, to the point that even Xiao Yan looked at Xiao Yu strangely.

Then Xiao Yu began introducing both groups. Looking at Xiao Yan, one girl giggled. "Hehe, he's so handsome. Yu'er, is this your cousin? Have you been keeping him all to yourself?" Then she looked at Xia Mo. "Yu'er, what a pretty child. Why did you bring a kid along?"

Xia Mo and Xiao Yan exchanged a glance, and the way they looked at Xiao Yu became even stranger. Could it be that everyone Xiao Yu knew was a female pervert?

Suddenly, Xiao Yu pulled Xiao Yan over and began putting on a show, displaying a scene of mutual affection between lovers. Of course, if Xia Mo had not been watching with such relish, he would not even have noticed those little movements.

All of a sudden, Xiao Yu hooked her arm around Xiao Yan's and pretended to brush dust off him with her other hand in an intimate gesture. The members of the Xiao Clan were dumbfounded.

What no one noticed was that Xia Mo had taken out a little stool and sat to the side watching, nodding repeatedly. "Not bad, not bad. Too bad I didn't bring any watermelon." He held a handful of sunflower seeds, which he kept cracking open one after another.

"Xiao... Yu, long time no see." A man's voice rang out.

"Hmm, the supporting character has arrived." Xia Mo looked at the man in grayish-white robes wearing a fake smile—Luo Bu.

Xiao Yu and Xiao Yan brazenly performed their loving act in front of Luo Bu. Luo Bu was burning with rage, yet he still had to maintain the appearance of a refined gentleman.

"Hehe, did Yu'er bring all of these people?" Luo Bu asked with a smile.

"Yes, I brought them all." Xiao Yu introduced everyone to Luo Bu.

"Alright, then I'll conduct the test. Otherwise, it'll take a long time to wait for Instructor Ruo Lin." Xia Mo watched Luo Bu take out a crystal ball, feeling quite curious. He had never used one before and had no idea how such "equipment" worked.

"As long as your Dou Qi has reached the eighth stage, you'll pass," Xiao Yu told the members of the Xiao Clan. As a student herself, she naturally knew the rules, which was why everyone she had brought could pass.

Before long, everyone had finished testing. Just as Xia Mo was about to step forward, Luo Bu put away the crystal ball. Xia Mo sat back down and continued watching Luo Bu perform.

"Your preliminary tests have passed. Go wait outside for half an hour, and you'll be considered qualified," Luo Bu said flatly.

Xiao Yu immediately flew into a rage and began arguing with Luo Bu. Luo Bu said, "Those are the rules." Xiao Yu replied, "Rules my ass. Don't use them on my people."

Seeing that the girls were also speaking up for Xiao Yu, Luo Bu said, "Fine. But one of you must go outside as a representative. And why did you bring a child here? Get him outside already."

"???" Xia Mo thought, What happened? The gossip somehow landed on my head?

"Xiao Yan, can you handle this? Is there really anyone in Wutan City who dares threaten Lord Xia Mo?" Xia Mo teased Xiao Yan.

Hearing Xia Mo's words, Xiao Yan's mouth twitched. He stepped forward. "Come out, then. Let me see what Jia Nan Academy students are capable of."

Luo Bu sent out one of his lackeys, who used the high-grade Yellow-tier Dou Skill, Wind Splitting Blade. Xiao Yan looked at the older student and said smugly, "Too slow, too weak. Are you really a student of Jia Nan Academy?" Then, in the blink of an eye, Xiao Yan sent him flying with a single move. The man coughed up blood, collapsed to the ground, and fainted. Whether he had truly passed out or merely pretended because he was too ashamed, no one cared anymore.

Everyone only knew that Xiao Yan had taken down a Dou Zhe in one move. The tent fell silent for a moment before noise erupted again. "What terrifying talent," Xue Ni said.

"Someone in your family must be a Dou Zhe, right?" asked one passerby.

"Nonsense. If he can defeat a Dou Zhe, then he must be another Dou Zhe," another senior sister said.

Then the topic gradually went off track. "Introduce your cousin to me." "Yu'er, have you been keeping him all to yourself?" It turned into a matchmaking convention for Xiao Yan...

Seeing this, Xiao Yan was undoubtedly the star of the show. Even the freshmen outside looked at him with admiration. "Not bad, not bad. There's still one more. Hurry up and deal with him so we can go back," an out-of-place voice suddenly said.

"We don't need to go outside now, do we?" Xiao Yan asked Luo Bu.

"Trash," Luo Bu cursed. He cast a gloomy glance at Xia Mo before turning back to Xiao Yan.

"Kid, don't get too arrogant. There are plenty of people more talented than you. Once you get to Jia Nan Academy, be careful not to suffer," Luo Bu said, patting Xiao Yan on the shoulder.

"Thanks for the warning," Xiao Yan said indifferently. He believed his talent was no worse than anyone else's, and there would be no one at the academy with greater talent than Xia Mo. As long as their talent was converted into strength, they had nothing to fear.

"Arrogant brat. Once you get to the academy, I'll make sure to take good care of you," Luo Bu said with a cold smile.

Xiao Yan looked at Luo Bu impassively and said softly, "I don't know about other places, but if you keep acting tough here, do you believe I can make sure you never leave Wutan City?"

As soon as Xiao Yan finished speaking, his faintly chilling, indifferent eyes saw Xia Mo standing behind Luo Bu with a sack in hand. With Xia Mo's strength, it was impossible for Luo Bu to notice him approaching.

Everyone watched Xia Mo pull the sack over Luo Bu's head and give him a thorough beating. After letting out a breath, Xia Mo threw him directly beneath the blazing sun outside and said to Xiao Yan, "You're the only one who'd still listen to him act tough and then argue back with a threat or two. Wouldn't it be simpler to just beat him up? If one beating isn't enough, give him two. If two aren't enough, give him three. You have to make sure your guests are well fed, or they'll think we're mistreating them."

Xia Mo looked at Xiao Yan with clear, calm eyes, a faint smile still lingering on his lips. Beneath his harmless appearance lay a decisiveness and ruthlessness beyond ordinary imagination.

"Mm, I've learned," Xiao Yan said, looking as though he intended to go outside and beat Luo Bu up again.

The tent fell silent. Everyone stared blankly at the bizarre pair of Xia Mo and Xiao Yan. This time, they truly had nothing to say...