When Disaster Strikes from a Clear Sky

Xue Beng stared into Xuan Hao's Crimson Gold Vertical Pupils and felt as though every drop of blood in his body had frozen.

He wanted to stand up, wanted to retaliate with the backbone of a prince, but his body felt as though all its bones had been pulled out, limp as a puddle of mud.

The terror rising from the depths of his soul made him instinctively shrink back. He trembled so badly that he could not even utter a complete sentence.

"Y-you... don't come any closer..."

Xue Beng's voice carried a sobbing tremor. A large patch of his pants was soaked, and in that wretched state, there was not the slightest trace of a prince's dignity left.

The entire hall fell into Dead Silence.

Prince Xue Xing and Dugu Bo stood to the side, watching the scene with their old faces burning in humiliation.

They had come in force to demand justice, but what happened? Before the person they had come after even made a move, the one they had come to support had already dropped to his knees—and wet himself from fright!

Their faces had been ground into the dirt!

Just as the awkwardness reached its peak, a gentle, clear voice broke the deadlock.

"Everyone's here?"

The crowd turned around to see Xue Qinghe entering the hall at an unhurried pace, accompanied by Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo Chen Xin.

Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Xue Qinghe quietly sighed in relief. Fortunately, no one had started fighting yet.

According to the information Snake Lance had gathered, Yue Guan had already returned to Spirit City, but Ghostly Shadow was still in Heaven Dou City. He was most likely secretly protecting Xuan Hao.

If Dugu Bo had made a move, Ghostly Shadow would certainly have intervened. Then Xuan Hao's relationship with Spirit Hall would be exposed, greatly increasing the difficulty of recruiting him.

"Uncle, Mister Dugu." Xue Qinghe nodded slightly to the two men, his manners impeccable. Then, sweeping his gaze over Xue Beng on the ground and Xuan Hao, who stood facing them, he knowingly asked, "What happened here? Why such a grand display?"

When Prince Xue Xing saw Xue Qinghe, his facial expression changed slightly. Still, he forced himself to say, "It's nothing, just a small misunderstanding. Xue Beng suffered some grievances yesterday, so I brought him here... to seek justice."

"Seek justice?" Xuan Hao sneered. "Looks to me like you beat the little one, so the old one came along, ready to use his age to bully the young."

"They say the Star Luo Empire is full of barbarians who only know how to fight and kill, while the Heaven Dou Empire is a land of etiquette. Seeing it today has truly opened my eyes!"

"You—!" Prince Xue Xing's facial expression instantly darkened, but he could not find a single word to refute him.

Dugu Bo's facial expression turned even uglier, killing intent faintly surfacing in his dark green eyes.

"It's a misunderstanding. All of it is a misunderstanding."

Xue Qinghe hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over. He did not want to watch the situation spiral out of control. "Uncle is merely concerned for his nephew. Sect Master Ning, wouldn't you agree?"

Ning Fengzhi understood immediately and stepped forward with a smile. "Indeed. It's merely a squabble between children. Why make it so ugly? Mister Dugu is also a Titled Douluo who has been famous for many years. If word spread that you were arguing with two children... I fear it might damage your reputation."

"Humph!"

Dugu Bo snorted coldly and said irritably, "If Old Man truly wanted to argue, this brat would have been dead long ago! It was only because this brat was too arrogant and had no respect for his elders that Old Man wanted to teach him a lesson!"

"Teach me a lesson?"

Xuan Hao gave a scornful laugh and stared directly at Dugu Bo without the slightest fear. "I know you, old bastard. You've wanted to make a move for a long time, but you couldn't find an excuse and were afraid of losing face."

"So you were trying every possible way to provoke me just now, hoping I would disrespect you so that you could attack with a plausible excuse."

"Since that's the case, why keep hiding behind pretenses? Don't act righteous while doing the dirty work."

Xuan Hao took a step forward and stared directly into Dugu Bo's cold, sinister eyes.

"As long as you have the guts and have thought it through, just make your move."

"I'll stand right here. I definitely won't run."

"However..."

Xuan Hao's voice suddenly dropped, and a flash of Crimson Gold light flickered through his eyes.

"I may be generous, but I'm not so generous that I can ignore everything. If you make a move against me, then you'll have to bear the consequences."

"Dugu Bo, do you think... you can bear those consequences?"

The entire hall erupted in an uproar.

An eight- or nine-year-old child was actually threatening a Titled Douluo?!

A trace of confusion flashed through Ning Fengzhi's eyes.

Where did this brat get such confidence? Did he think that having the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect behind him meant he could act without restraint? No, he might not even know Uncle Sword's identity.

Xue Qinghe, on the other hand, understood. This was probably the confidence Ghost Douluo, hidden in the shadows, gave Xuan Hao. Not to mention, the boy was the Pope's disciple. Given That Woman's temperament, if Dugu Bo truly bullied him, she would certainly retaliate!

Dugu Bo was also stunned by Xuan Hao's sudden toughness.

He might have been arrogant, but he was not stupid.

This boy not only showed no fear before a Titled Douluo, but even dared to threaten him. That confidence was definitely not an act.

And with Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin present...

"Humph! Utter nonsense!"

In the end, Dugu Bo backed down. He snorted coldly and flicked his sleeve. "Old Man will not lower himself to the level of a child!"

With that, he turned around and headed straight out of the inn without looking back.

"Mister Dugu..." Seeing his greatest support leave, Prince Xue Xing was instantly dumbfounded.

"We're leaving too!"

Xue Xing shot Xuan Hao a vicious glare, had someone carry the still-trembling Xue Beng, and prepared to leave in disgrace.

"Stop."

Xuan Hao's cool voice rang out again.

Xue Xing halted, turning around with an ugly facial expression. "What else do you want?!"

"You can leave."

Xuan Hao pointed at Xue Beng, who was hiding behind Xue Xing. "Have him apologize."

"What did you say?!" Prince Xue Xing could scarcely believe his ears.

Xuan Hao pulled Na'er, who had been hiding behind him, forward. "Your group looked so fierce and menacing just now that you frightened my Younger Sister."

"Apologize."

Prince Xue Xing trembled with fury, but seeing Xue Qinghe and Ning Fengzhi watching intently from the side, he could only grit his teeth and swallow his anger.

"Xue Beng! Apologize!"

Xue Beng had recovered somewhat by now. Though he hated it with all his heart, under his uncle's glare, he could only reluctantly cup his hands toward Na'er.

"S-sorry."

After saying that, he turned to leave.

"Wait."

Xuan Hao spoke again, his tone turning incomparably cold.

"You think you can just leave like that?"

"Who was it that said... someone should kneel and kowtow to admit their mistake?"

Xue Beng's body instantly stiffened.

He suddenly turned back, glaring at Xuan Hao. The venom in his eyes nearly spilled over.

Prince Xue Xing's facial expression changed completely. "Brat! Don't push your luck!"

An apology was one thing, but kneeling and kowtowing in public would be the same as grinding the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's dignity beneath his feet!

"Little brother."

Xue Qinghe also felt that this had gone a little too far. Though he was happy to see Xue Beng suffer, this concerned the Imperial Family's dignity. As Crown Prince, he could not simply stand by.

"One should show mercy whenever possible. Fourth Brother only acted in the heat of the moment..."

"Your Highness."

Xuan Hao interrupted him directly, wearing that harmless smile on his face.

"I'm the most generous person there is. As long as the Fourth Prince follows his own demand from earlier, kneels down, and kowtows to admit his mistake, this matter will be completely over."

"Of course."

Xuan Hao abruptly changed his tone and looked meaningfully at Xue Beng.

"If Fourth Prince is unwilling, that's fine too. A man's knees are worth their weight in gold. I understand."

"Only..."

Xuan Hao raised his head to look at the clear sky outside and sighed.

"Disaster can strike from a clear sky, and fortune and misfortune can come overnight."

"When walking, one might inevitably fall. When eating, one might choke."

"Who knows whether some accident might happen tomorrow?"

"Wouldn't you agree, Fourth Prince?"

The air in the hall seemed to freeze solid.

Everyone stared at Fourth Prince Xue Beng, whose body trembled as both knees touched the ground, their faces filled with disbelief.

Prince Xue Xing's eyes widened. He wanted to reach out and pull him up, only to find his hand frozen in midair.

It was not that he did not want to pull him up.

He did not dare.

Xuan Hao's words, "Disaster can strike from a clear sky," had sounded light and casual, but the killing intent behind them was very real.

Xue Beng was not stupid. On the contrary, he valued his life more than anyone.

He knew full well that the youth before him was a lunatic—a man who truly dared to kill.

Moreover, his current identity was that of a Trash playboy.

For Trash to show cowardice and have no dignity in the face of death threats was perfectly normal.

More importantly...

Xue Beng secretly glanced at Xue Qinghe, who stood nearby with an expression of helplessness, as well as Ning Fengzhi, who was watching the show.

The Crown Prince was here today. The Sect Master of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was also here. There was even the Titled Douluo Sword Douluo Chen Xin.

So many people were watching him, a prince, being forced to kneel by an unknown wild brat, yet no one truly stepped in to stop it. They even spouted nonsense about showing mercy whenever possible.

This kneel would disgrace the Imperial Family! It would slap Imperial Father across the face!

When Imperial Father held someone accountable, that slap would surely land hard on Xue Qinghe—the Crown Prince who had "protected an outsider and watched his brother be humiliated"!

This kneel was worth it!