Disdain

Just as Xiao Die stood at a loss, a rough voice rang out.

"Xiao Die, Grandpa's right here!" The Old Fisherman's eyes were red as his sturdy body forced its way through the crowded people.

From the surrounding whispers, the Old Fisherman roughly understood what Xiao Die had been going through.

The trembling Xiao Die heard that familiar voice.

She looked up and saw Grandpa!

Hope appeared in Xiao Die's eyes as she lifted her legs and ran toward the Old Fisherman.

Xiao Die ran up to the Old Fisherman and tightly grasped her grandpa's rough hand with both of hers.

Her fear could no longer be contained, and she broke down crying.

"Waa... Grandpa, I'm so scared. Sob..."

The Old Fisherman looked heartbroken as he watched Xiao Die weep bitterly, patting her on the back.

Then the anger on the fisherman's face could no longer be restrained. He shouted furiously at the three men, "Who the hell are you people?! You're not welcome here, so get lost!"

The Skinny Man looked at the Old Fisherman. "You old bastard, watch your mouth. Do you know who's standing in front of you?"

A neighbor beside them also tugged at the Old Fisherman, urging him to back down.

"Old man, keep your voice down! The one in the middle is a Soul Elder, and judging by the way the other two are dressed, they're probably Soul Masters too. If you piss them off, it'll be your old bones that suffer!"

"I don't care who you are. There's no reason for snatching people away in broad daylight." The Old Fisherman refused to yield even a step.

The fat man shook the flesh on his shoulders, his round eyes glaring at the Old Fisherman. "Old man, don't be so stubborn. Just because you're Sister-in-law's grandpa doesn't mean you can push your luck!"

Shorty picked up where the fat man left off. "Since you're Xiao Die's grandpa, I'll respectfully call you Brother. Brother, we'll be family from now on, so there's no need to be so distant. Don't worry, I'm a Soul Elder too. I can take good care of Xiao Die. And if I'm in a good mood, it's not like I can't support you in your old age!"

The Old Fisherman spat at the three men, the spittle landing at their feet.

The fat man and the Skinny Man both looked toward Shorty, their Boss in the middle, awaiting his decision.

Shorty viciously stomped on the Old Fisherman's spit.

"If I don't teach you a lesson today, then my surname isn't Wang!"

With that, Shorty raised his leg and charged at the fisherman.

The Skinny Man closely followed Shorty's lead, while the fat man vigilantly watched the surroundings to prevent anyone from interfering with his Boss.

Just as Shorty rushed to within a meter of the Old Fisherman, a figure appeared between them.

Shorty was badly startled by the sudden figure. This person was too fast!

Shorty desperately tried to brake with his feet.

Just as Shorty's head was about to slam into Ye Lan, Ye Lan grabbed his head tightly with one hand.

Shorty's head felt as though it had been caught in a pair of iron pincers. Just as he was about to struggle, a sudden pain struck his abdomen, and gastric acid surged up his throat.

Ye Lan kicked Shorty flying, sending him crashing into the Skinny Man behind him. The two slid across the ground one after the other.

After kicking Shorty away, Ye Lan felt the greasy sensation on his hand and said with a look of disgust, "Disgusting. Do Soul Elders not wash their hair?"

Ye Lan turned to the misty-eyed girl behind him and asked gently, "Are you alright?"

Xiao Die saw the Blond Youth standing in front of her. His golden hair carried an air of nobility.

Yet in contrast to that nobility was his gentle temperament.

"I-I'm fine." Xiao Die did not dare look at the Blond Youth's face.

Then Xiao Die looked at her grandpa with puzzled eyes.

The Old Fisherman gently patted Xiao Die's shoulder. "Xiao Die, he's Ye Lan! My employer. Your grandpa really struck it rich this time!"

Once Xiao Die learned that the Blond Youth was acquainted with the Old Fisherman, she relaxed.

Xiao Die noticed Ye Lan's right hand awkwardly hanging at his side, so she took out a stack of handkerchiefs from her clothes and handed them to him.

"Here... Thank you for helping Grandpa."

Ye Lan took the handkerchiefs and kept wiping his right hand.

"There's no need to thank me over my relationship with the Old Fisherman. I should be the one thanking you. These handkerchiefs are very nice."

Xiao Die looked at the two men lying on the ground, as well as the shocked fat man behind them.

She looked uneasily at her grandpa.

"Will there be..."

The Old Fisherman laughed loudly. "Don't worry, they're no trouble. If they knew what kind of monster Xiao Lan was, they'd probably be rolling away from here right now!"

The Skinny Man helped Shorty up from the ground.

Shorty's neck was bright red. He felt the pain in his abdomen and the burning in his throat.

Shorty knew that the Blond Youth before him was definitely no ordinary commoner.

So he shouted at the top of his lungs, "You're a Soul Master too?! Then this is easy. We'll settle this by the rules of Soul Masters—strength talks. There's nothing that can't be resolved through a Soul Fight!"

"Since you insist on getting involved, how about we fight fair and square? What kind of skill is a sneak attack?"

Ye Lan was momentarily speechless. Is being too fast my fault too?

"Let me correct you—this isn't something a spirit battle can solve."

"Xiao Die said no. No one can force her!"

"This isn't something that can be solved just because your Single-Threaded Cerebellum thinks a spirit battle with me will do it."

A faint blush spread across Xiao Die's face. Her fingertips unconsciously twisted the corner of her clothes as she murmured in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

"No one can force me... no one..."

Shorty flew into a rage from humiliation. Though he did not know what "single-threaded" meant, he could roughly tell it was an insult.

"I don't care about any of that! Even if the Heavenly King came today, he'd still have to help arrange this marriage for me!"

Ye Lan rubbed his forehead, speechless at this shameless rascal.

"Fine! I'll give you a chance. It won't waste much of my time anyway."

Shorty looked at the skinny man and the fat man beside him, signaling to them with his eyes.

The two immediately understood what their Boss meant.

"Wang Gao, Martial Soul Bronze Bull, Level 31 Assault System Battle Soul Master!"

The skinny man and fat man beside Wang Gao also stepped forward.

"Li Zhuang, Wooden Stick, Level 25 Assault System Tool Soul Master!"

"Zhao Li, War Tiger, Level 24 Assault System Battle Soul Master!"

Then, lights of different colors swirled around the three of them. Wang Gao was enveloped in a green glow as he activated Martial Soul Possession—Bronze Bull!

Shorty Wang Gao's already burly body swelled further. His skin turned bronze, and a pair of curved Bull Horns grew from his head. Their sharp tips gleamed like silver daggers.

Three yellow Soul Rings rose from beneath Wang Gao's feet, and a proud expression appeared on his face.

The skinny Li Zhuang summoned a Wooden Stick, gripping it tightly in both hands as he bent his knees slightly and assumed a staff stance.

The fat Zhao Li likewise activated Martial Soul Possession, growing a pair of sharp claws from his hands. The character "King" appeared on his forehead, tiger fur covered his skin, and his sinister eyes stared fixedly at the Blond Youth.

Li Zhuang and Zhao Li each had one white and one yellow Soul Ring.

Seeing the three assume their martial soul stances, the surrounding crowd immediately found them utterly shameless.

The Old Woman from earlier shouted, "Wasn't this supposed to be a one-on-one spirit battle? How can three people gang up on one?"

The fat man said unhappily, "Didn't you hear my Boss say we were going to have a fair fight? 'We' obviously includes Li Zhuang and me! Use your brain, you dead old hag!"

As soon as the fat man finished speaking, the crowd's faces filled with disdain.

They had not expected there to be such brazenly shameless people even among soul masters.