Bai Lan didn't explain.
He simply looked at Liu Minghui and asked:
"Is there anything else? If not, we're leaving."
Liu Minghui's smile faded.
He looked at Bai Lan, then at Yinye and the Ice Empress. A hint of malice flashed in his eyes.
"Leave?" he said. "No woman I've set my sights on has ever gotten away."
He raised a hand, and the four attendants behind him immediately stepped forward, surrounding the three of them.
The pedestrians nearby saw what was happening and hurriedly moved aside.
Someone whispered:
"There goes that Liu Family playboy again..."
"Those two girls are in for it..."
"What a shame. They're so beautiful..."
Bai Lan listened to the whispers, his expression unchanged.
He looked at Liu Minghui and asked:
"What do you want?"
Liu Minghui laughed.
"What do I want?" he said. "Kid, I'd advise you to know what's good for you. Leave the two girls here and go on your way. The Liu Family still has some influence in Shrek City."
He paused, his smile growing even more brazen.
"Of course, if you're willing, you can stay too and be my lackey. Following me is better than wandering around on your own."
Bai Lan was silent for a second.
Then he smiled.
It was a faint smile, so faint it was almost imperceptible.
But Yinye saw it.
The Ice Empress saw it too.
They knew what that smile meant.
"Yinye," Bai Lan said.
Yinye turned to him. "Master?"
Bai Lan said, "Teach them a lesson. Don't kill them."
Yinye nodded.
"Yes, Master."
The next second—
Yinye raised her hand.
She gave a gentle wave.
An invisible force surged from her!
It was spatial power.
But only the faintest trace of it.
So faint it was almost impossible to sense.
And yet, that tiny trace of power—
Liu Minghui and his four attendants suddenly felt their bodies grow light!
Then—
They flew away!
They weren't knocked back.
Space itself had moved them!
All five crashed to the ground ten meters away, landing in a tangled heap!
"Ow—!"
"My back—!"
Cries of pain rang out one after another.
Liu Minghui scrambled out of the pile, his face covered in dust and his brocade robe torn. He looked utterly wretched.
He looked up at Yinye.
His eyes were filled with shock and fear.
"You... you..."
Yinye looked at him, her gaze still calm.
"Master said to teach you a lesson," she said. "So all you got was a fall."
She paused, then added:
"Next time, you won't get off with just a fall."
Liu Minghui's face turned deathly pale.
He might have been a spoiled playboy, but he wasn't stupid.
He hadn't even seen the force that had just struck him.
This woman was at least a Soul Saint!
Possibly even stronger!
He struggled to his feet and stared at Bai Lan, his eyes full of disbelief.
Was this seven-year-old child really their master?
Was this some kind of joke!?
Good grief, what kind of existence could make a Soul Saint call him master?
This child's backing was probably so powerful that even the Liu Family couldn't afford to offend him!
"Get lost. If there's a next time, you'll die a horrible death," Bai Lan said indifferently.
He hadn't killed them because they were in Shrek City.
It was also a way of showing consideration for Mu En, Yan Shaozhe, and the others.
As for the Liu Family?
Heh. Even if they had a Titled Douluo, he wouldn't be afraid.
And if they didn't have a Titled Douluo?
With his current lineup, he had even less reason to be afraid.
He could wipe out the Liu Family with a wave of his hand!
Liu Minghui, as if granted a pardon, fled with his four attendants, scrambling over themselves in their haste.
Only after they'd run a long way did they dare look back.
The three figures had already disappeared into the crowd.
The crowd of onlookers lingered in the street for a long time.
Someone murmured:
"Whose child was that? He had someone that powerful with him..."
"Those two girls were like fairies..."
"That Liu Family playboy picked the wrong fight this time..."
Bai Lan ignored the murmurs.
He simply continued walking.
Yinye and the Ice Empress walked on either side of him as before.
After they'd gone a little farther, the Ice Empress suddenly spoke.
"Master, why didn't you kill that man just now?"
Bai Lan looked at her.
A hint of confusion showed in the Ice Empress's eyes.
In her seventy thousand years of experience, anyone who dared offend her deserved to die.
Bai Lan smiled.
"This is the human world," he said. "Not the Extreme North."
"Killing someone would bring a lot of trouble."
He looked at the Ice Empress, his gaze calm.
"Besides, that sort of person isn't worth my time."
The Ice Empress was silent for a second.
Then she nodded.
"I understand."
Beside them, Yinye said softly:
"You'll get used to it."
"The human world has a lot of rules."
The Ice Empress looked at her.
Yinye smiled.
"Some of them are pretty good, though."
The Ice Empress looked thoughtful.
The three of them continued walking.
Sunlight fell on them, stretching their shadows into three long silhouettes.
They hadn't walked much farther when Bai Lan suddenly stopped.
He raised a hand.
Yinye and the Ice Empress both looked at him.
"Master?"
Bai Lan didn't answer.
He simply looked at Yinye.
"Yinye, I need you to help me with something."
Yinye nodded. "What is it, Master?"
Bai Lan's thoughts stirred.
Three Soul Rings slowly appeared beneath his feet.
Black.
Golden-red.
Golden-red.
Their radiance was so dazzling that even beneath the sunlight, no one could look directly at them.
"Help me disguise them," he said. "Make them look like a normal Soul Ring Configuration."
Yinye regarded the three Soul Rings, thoughtful.
"You don't want to stand out too much?"
Bai Lan nodded.
"I'm not afraid of trouble, but being too conspicuous can attract it."
"And..."
He paused, thinking of Bei Bei and the others.
Thinking of Yan Shaozhe.
Thinking of Elder Mu.
"I don't want to put too much pressure on the people around me, either."
Yinye understood.
She raised her hand.
Silvery-purple light flowed from her fingertips, enveloping the three Soul Rings beneath Bai Lan's feet.
The light shimmered.
The black gradually faded to purple.
The golden-red gradually faded to black, then the black slowly faded as well.
In the end, it became purple.
The third Soul Ring remained purple.
The first and second both turned yellow.
Yellow, yellow, purple.
Now that was a normal Soul Ring Configuration for a Soul Master.
It would keep him from looking too conspicuous or unusual.
After all, the people of this world were complicated.
It was better if fewer people knew.
He wasn't afraid, but he didn't want to attract unnecessary trouble, either.
Yinye looked at her handiwork, quite pleased.
"Master, are you satisfied with this configuration?"
"That was a normal progression in the human world, too."
Bai Lan looked at the three Soul Rings.
Two yellow, one purple.
For a Level 37 Soul Elder, it was practically the perfect combination.
It looked much more pleasing to the eye now, too.
"Satisfied," he said.
He put away the Soul Rings and continued walking.
Yinye and the Ice Empress followed.
After a few steps, the Ice Empress suddenly asked:
"Master, why are you disguising yourself?"
Bai Lan didn't turn around.
"Because in this world, many people only see your Soul Rings. They don't see you."
"Letting them see what they want to see will save us a lot of trouble."
The Ice Empress fell silent.
Then she smiled.
"Master, you're smarter than I thought."
Bai Lan smiled but said nothing.
The three of them crossed the street.
They walked farther and farther in the direction of Shrek Academy.
Behind them, the sun shone brightly.
Before you continue