Just a Little Brat

"Are you a three-year-old child?"

Xiao Yan rubbed his ear, unable to make sense of Nalan Yanran's logic no matter how he thought about it. "Go to the Misty Cloud Sect and fight? If I win, the Misty Cloud Sect loses all face. If I lose, I embarrass myself completely. Aren't you trying to force me into opposing the Misty Cloud Sect?"

Go to the Misty Cloud Sect?

Impossible. Not in this lifetime!

The Hall of Souls Protector was holed up there. For Yao Lao's sake alone, he should not take that risk, not to mention that Old Geezer Yun Shan would also make a move. One against two? Fight what, exactly?

Those who knew when to protect themselves lived long lives; those who threw themselves into danger saw fortunes change with the morning sun and evening clouds.

"I just..."

"You just can't accept losing. You're just being stubborn like before, still thinking everyone else will keep going along with what you want, keep acting according to your ideas?"

Xiao Yan rolled up the contract, patted it, and tossed it to Ge Ye. "Although I never thought much of you from the start, now I only find you laughable—where exactly is your sense of responsibility?"

"You've eaten so many of the Misty Cloud Sect's resources, accepted so many benefits from them, and in the end you open your mouth and say it has nothing to do with the sect, that it was 'your doing alone' at every turn."

To put it bluntly, it was the same concept as a White-Eyed Wolf.

As the eldest young lady and Young Sect Master, did she not know what she carried on her shoulders?

To put it on a larger scale, the Misty Cloud Sect's face was stuck to your face, and the Misty Cloud Sect's reputation was draped over your body. You stuck your face out for others to slap. Had you lost your mind?

Heaven knew how Yun Yun had chosen her disciple.

Oh, right. She herself did not seem all that clear-headed either.

In the original work, Xiao Yan and the Misty Cloud Sect had already become irreconcilable enemies, yet she still rushed up and kept saying "calm down."

If responsibility outweighed everything, then she should have just cleaved down with her sword.

If feelings surpassed all else, then taking the person and running was the proper path.

Instead, she agonized endlessly and lost both sides.

In terms of emotional intelligence dropping to zero, master and disciple really were quite alike.

"Remember this..."

Xiao Yan gave Nalan Yanran her final lesson. "I agreed to your annulment of marriage because I am the Xiao Clan's Third Young Master. And you were able to come to my door to annul the marriage because you are the Misty Cloud Sect's Young Sect Master."

"..."

"You can't figure it out? Then think harder."

Xiao Yan put away the teacup and teapot. "This matter ends here~ You may all go back!"

"Cough..."

The First Elder tapped his cane at just the right moment.

Ge Ye at least had some tact and rose to take his leave, bringing the matter to an end.

"The engagement with Nalan Yanran was really dissolved?"

Xun Er twirled the flower in her hand, her thoughts drifting to who knew where.

"That is so. Even the contract was taken away by the Misty Cloud Sect." Ling Ying emerged from the corner of the wall. "After all this trouble, those fellows should be making things difficult for the Xiao Clan now."

Whether it was the Gale and Oba Families, or those families outside whose customers had been stolen, they had long been dissatisfied with the Xiao Clan.

They had simply lacked an opportunity to join forces and strike.

Today's annulment of marriage had caused an uproar and become known throughout the entire city. If they wanted to act, they would definitely make a move within three days.

Xun Er's movements paused. "Do you have an estimate? How many forces will make a move?"

How would I know that...

Ling Ying felt helpless for a moment, but since his mistress had asked, he could not refuse to answer. "I can only confirm that two families will. The rest are all suspected."

Xun Er: ...

Even thinking with her toes, she knew who those two families were.

"Even if the First Elder's cultivation has never been revealed, my Xiao Clan still has four Da Dou Shi-level experts. Where do they get the confidence to act?"

"There is news about that."

Ling Ying's expression grew more serious. "The Gale Family was connected to a certain alchemist from the very beginning. This time, they must have seen the potential of the Xiao Clan's business model and want to support one family into growing bigger and stronger... That alchemist should be a Dou Ling!"

A Dou Ling-level alchemist.

If he came alone, he would still be easy to deal with. The fear was that he would use his influence to rope in the surrounding powers and bring the strength of several cities to bear together.

Xun Er's gaze turned somewhat dangerous. "They're probably planning to wipe out the entire Xiao Clan."

It made sense. The Xiao Clan had its own supply of goods and did not rely on him, so destroying them would instead be best.

"Most likely."

Ling Ying nodded. "These past few days, quite a few types of medicinal products in the marketplace were bought up by the Gale Family. Several carts of medicinal ingredients were also secretly transported in from outside the city. They should have reached that alchemist's hands."

Deconstruct the formula in reverse, while also estimating the grade of the Xiao Clan's alchemist.

If they became completely certain, then the moment they made their move, it would probably be with thunderous force, leaving no future trouble behind.

"Hmph!"

Killing intent flashed through Xun Er's eyes. At this moment, she was truly angry. They wanted to touch her family? Their nerve was far too fat!

"Ling Ying. Deal with them silently... can you do it?"

"Heh..."

Ling Ying let out a hoarse, amused chuckle, and a rather rare pride appeared on his face. "Three seconds."

As a Dou Emperor, he had never had much chance to display his strength inside the Gu World. This counted as the first time in his life.

"It takes three seconds to deal with them?" Xun Er was startled.

"No, Miss."

Ling Ying bowed slightly. "I mean: give them three seconds, and perhaps they might be able to escape the range of one of my moves."

Dealing with a few goods who were, at most, Dou Ling was practically a joke to him.

If he truly wanted to, he could fly into the sky and throw out a full-powered big move, and with one strike he could flatten Wutan City into "———."

Amid a flat wasteland of rubble, if one dug seriously for a while, one might be able to find two or three intact corpses.

Xun Er immediately fell silent.

"Don't worry, Miss. I can control both the range and the power." Ling Ying did not know whether to laugh or cry, thinking Xun Er was afraid he would accidentally injure others.

"No. I was only wondering whether it's feasible to have you slaughter every last person in those mercenary cities, and whether it would implicate the Xiao Clan."

Ling Ying: ...

Ling Ying: ??

"Miss, wouldn't that commotion be a little too big? Besides, they haven't made a move either. Who knows if some people might be wrongly accused?"

Ling Ying wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling a pressure he had never experienced before.

Despite his age, he was a law-abiding citizen who had come from the Gu World. Up until now, the number of people he had killed in this life might not even be as many as Xiao Zhan.

To suddenly be handed such a heavyweight mission was a little too much for him to handle.

"No? Then forget it."

Although Xun Er felt somewhat regretful, she still spared those clans a path to survival.

What Ling Ying said was quite right. They had not made up their minds to act yet, nor had they obtained any concrete results. To suddenly wipe them out would not be appropriate.

"At the very least, we should wait until they make a move before wiping them out."

Xun Er nodded seriously, feeling that she was still fairly merciful.

Although Ling Ying wanted to say something, in the end he obediently shut his mouth, afraid that if he said even one more word, Xun Er would change her mind.

All of you... although we've never met, you really do owe me half your lives.

I hope there are more people with eyes in their heads, or when the time comes, there'll be a massacre.

Ling Ying was pessimistic about how the incident would end.

"Master, how is your inspection going?"

Galeo Bi bowed and scraped with a fawning smile, afraid that he might do something wrong and displease the other party.

This was an alchemist! And a rare Fourth Grade Alchemist at that. Even across the entire Jia Ma Empire, such an existence was uncommon.

"Hmph! That alchemist does have some ability."

The thin old man dressed in an alchemist's robe had an ugly expression.

(To be continued, the author's note is limited to 500 characters.) The protagonist was deliberately acting like trash?

That was simply Yao Lao making him cultivate.

Fine, now that things have turned out this way, just let nature take its course. Too lazy to explain, and there's no need to explain to others either. It just so happens to save the Xiao Clan from producing an peerless genius and attracting attention, so why not? If they think he's crippled, then let them think he's crippled. Is Xiao Yan going to lose a chunk of flesh over it?

The protagonist feels stifled?

As is already known, every instance of oppression, contempt, and attack against the protagonist that has appeared has been repaid without a single one left out, and even doubled. In fact, if it weren't for deliberately arranged plot restrictions, the protagonist would already be carrying his ruler, bringing Yao Lao along to the Nalan Family to find the Seven Illusory Green Spirit Saliva, then going up to the Misty Cloud Sect to tear the place down.

With the Emperor Tier Skill Ghost Possession on him, who in the entire Jia Ma Empire could bully him? Up to now, everything, everything, everything, everything that can restrict the protagonist's movements amounts to only five things.

The risks faced by the Xiao Clan.

The danger of Soul Emperor destroying the world, the Xiao Clan's own people.

Yao Lao.

The Xuan Heavy Ruler + two shackles.

He would only feel pent-up and annoyed, and the reason was still because he was conflicted inside and had not made up his mind. He was not some far-sighted wise man. When he should get angry, he would still get angry.

Whether it was Nalan, or the later Galeo Bi, he was already in a state of "fuck it, just cut them down and be done with it."

How much anger could Nalan's Annulment of Marriage really stir in him? If he truly cared, wouldn't it be enough to grab his ruler and chop down everyone who gossiped?