A Slip-up! Intimidation!

"Elder Ling, you are being too modest."

Hearing this, Xiao Ling hurriedly cupped his hands toward the old man.

He held this elder in high regard; after all, with the strength of a peak Dou Emperor, the man could walk sideways through the entire Jia Ma Empire without fear.

Even Yun Shan would not dare to offend such a powerhouse to the point of no return... if the man managed to escape, it would be nothing but trouble.

After all, one can guard against a thief for a thousand days, but one cannot guard against a thief forever.

Therefore, powerhouses are respected wherever they go.

Xiao Ling looked at the curious gazes of the old man and the young girl, and could not help but smile.

"Elder Ling, I intend to hire you to kill someone for me, and this is the payment I have prepared for you."

"A Sixth-grade Breakthrough Pill."

"It will allow you to break through to the Dou Zun realm with a hundred percent success rate, without any side effects or costs. I wonder if this payment satisfies you, Elder Ling?"

"This..."

Upon hearing this, a look of shock appeared on Ling Ying's aged face.

Although he was a member of the Ancient Clan, to be honest, he was merely a peripheral figure of the Patriarch's lineage, and his aptitude was poor to the extreme.

Otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to have not yet broken through to the Dou Zun realm at over sixty years of age; those from his generation had long since broken through, and the monstrous talents among them had even reached the Dou Zun realm.

It was precisely because his strength was relatively low and his attributes were unique, making him less likely to attract the attention of the Ancient Clan's hostile forces, that he was appointed by the Patriarch and the Elder Council as the young lady's guardian.

His reward was that during his guardianship, he could mobilize 'some' resources, and upon completing his mission, he would be rewarded with a chance to inherit the clan's legacy.

As long as his luck wasn't too terrible, he should be able to break through to the Dou Zun realm, but that would be his limit...

The Dou Zun realm was a hope he had long since abandoned for this lifetime.

But now, a glimmer of hope appeared before his eyes in the form of the Breakthrough Pill, a medicinal pill he remembered vividly.

Because the youth before him had once brought out first and second-grade pills to reward the juniors of the Xiao Clan.

And now that the other party had brought out a Sixth-grade Breakthrough Pill to hire him, did that mean he possessed even more...

Thinking of this, a sharp glint flashed in Ling Ying's old eyes. He did not agree immediately, but instead bowed toward Xun'er.

"Young Lady, what do you think..."

Hearing this, Xun'er snapped back to reality. Her beautiful, large eyes stared in shock at her Xiao Ling brother before her. She took a deep breath, her small, flat chest rising and falling slightly, and then said.

"Elder Ling, regarding the matter of the Breakthrough Pill, you must warn the upper echelons of the Xiao Clan afterward that no one is allowed to spread this information, or they will bear the consequences themselves."

This was not her being overly cautious; it was because this Breakthrough Pill clearly belonged to the category of ancient pills.

Otherwise, its medicinal power would not be so tyrannical.

Moreover, who could guarantee that her Xiao Ling brother didn't have seventh, eighth, or ninth-grade Breakthrough Pills in his possession?

After all, people in this world like to rely on their own conjectures, and when everyone is convinced that you have something, it is best if you actually do.

"Rest assured, Young Lady, this old servant understands."

Ling Ying said with a solemn face.

He understood the young lady's concerns; after all, the value of this pill, or rather the value it represented, was too great. Few people could resist such temptation.

Watching the shock and the dialogue between the old man and the young girl, a warmth flowed through Xiao Ling's heart, and a rare, fleeting sense of distraction appeared in his dark eyes.

"By the way, Xiao Ling brother, you are giving Elder Ling such a huge price—could it be that you want to kill some Dou King?"

Xun'er blinked her beautiful, large eyes, looking at him with a flutter.

"You silly girl, what are you imagining?"

Coming back to his senses, Xiao Ling reached out to rub her little head and explained with a smile.

"I want to ask Elder Ling to make a trip to the Aoba Family and help me kill that Wu Ming."

"Ah?!"

Xun'er was stunned, her small mouth agape in shock. She then hurriedly leaned into Xiao Ling's ear and whispered.

"That... Xiao Ling brother, just to kill a single Wu Ming, you are paying too much; it really isn't necessary. How about... letting Elder Ling help you wipe out the entire Aoba Family as well?"

"Cough, cough..."

Although her voice was very soft, Ling Ying, standing to the side, was a peak Dou Emperor; how could he not hear her at such a close distance?

Even Xiao Ling was stunned. He looked at the girl within arm's reach, her features exquisite without a single flaw, her beautiful large eyes, her pert little nose, her rosy lips...

"Cough..."

Xiao Ling hurriedly suppressed his improper thoughts and cursed inwardly.

"Get lost..."

Xun'er, startled by Xiao Ling's cough, snapped out of it. Like a frightened little deer, she hurriedly pulled back, turned her head, and changed the subject.

"Elder Ling, it's getting late. You should get going; don't let that guy get away."

"Very well, Miss."

Hearing this, Ling Ying withdrew his gaze from the bottle of Sixth-grade Breakthrough Pill and replied respectfully.

Although his movements were subtle, they were still noticed by Xiao Ling.

"Elder Ling, please accept this Sixth-grade Breakthrough Pill as a reward for your efforts."

Xiao Ling smiled.

"This..."

Ling Ying glanced at his young mistress, and seeing that she did not object, he smiled and accepted it.

"Young Master Xiao Ling, please rest assured. This old servant guarantees he will bring Wu Ming's head to see you."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Elder Ling."

Xiao Ling said politely.

"No trouble at all... This old servant will be off then."

"Mm."

Watching Ling Ying's departing back, Xiao Ling glanced at the sunset on the horizon before turning to the little beauty beside him with a smile.

"Xun'er, are you hungry? Never mind, let's go to the cafeteria together and find something to eat."

With that, Xiao Ling took her small hand and walked toward the clan cafeteria.

Along the way, the two encountered many high-spirited young members of the Xiao Clan. Upon seeing the young man in white and the little girl in a purple dress, they stopped one after another to bow.

"Big Brother Xiao Ling..."

"Mm."

Xiao Ling remained the same, his face indifferent as he replied flatly.

As for this expression of his, the young members of the Xiao Clan were already accustomed to it. In their eyes, Big Brother Xiao Ling was just like that—cool and handsome—captivating countless female disciples of the Xiao Clan.

Night.

Inside the Aoba Family mansion on the west side of Wutan City, sounds of angry cursing and shattering porcelain echoed out.

The young members and servants of the Aoba Family passing by the council hall didn't even dare to breathe, fearing they might attract the patriarch's wrath.

After all, everyone knew that the two major families had joined forces to provoke the Xiao Clan today.

Yet, they had returned in a crushing defeat.

Word was that the losses were significant. At a time like this, anyone who dared to touch the tiger's whiskers was truly like an old man eating arsenic—tired of living.

At this moment, a blurry figure appeared silently in the sky above the Aoba Family.

However, it did not attract anyone's attention; the young members and servants of the Aoba Family acted as if they hadn't seen anything at all.

Ling Ying's expression was unsightly. He had been searching for two hours, practically turning Wutan City upside down.

What surprised him, however, was that he had no reaction at all based on the trace of aura Young Master Xiao Ling had given him. Clearly, that guy had already left Wutan City.

Thinking of this, Ling Ying looked at the council hall below, a sharp glint flashing in his old eyes, before his figure flickered slightly and vanished.

Inside the council hall, Aoba Pa had clearly finished venting. He wore a gloomy face, his eyes flickering with a sharp light; it was evident that this guy was brewing some kind of plan in his heart.

Suddenly, a blurry figure appeared silently before Aoba Pa, giving him a fright. He then looked at the blurry figure with wary eyes and said cautiously.

"I don't know who you are, Senior, or why you have come to my Aoba Family. My Aoba Family shouldn't be qualified to interact with a powerhouse of your level, right? And it's even less likely that we have offended you."

Cold sweat broke out on Aoba Pa's forehead. In that instant, he had truly felt the threat of death. In his view, the other party must be a powerhouse at the level of a Dou King or higher.

Such an existence already stood at the pinnacle of the Jia Ma Empire. He didn't know why they would come to his Aoba Family in the middle of the night, and he didn't think of the Xiao Clan at all.

Because in his view, the Xiao Clan couldn't possibly have contact with a powerhouse of this level.

Otherwise, Wutan City would have belonged to the Xiao Clan long ago; there would be no room for his Aoba Family or the Jialie Family.

Hearing this, Ling Ying looked at the Aoba Pa before him, not holding the man in any regard.

If it weren't for the fact that Young Master Xiao Ling didn't approve of wiping out the Aoba Family, he would have destroyed them regardless of anything just for this "Sixth-grade Breakthrough Pill."

Seeing the other party look over, Aoba Pa, relying on his many years of experience, sensed from that gaze that the other party was not here to destroy his Aoba Family—or perhaps, they had some kind of hesitation?

Regardless of what it was, the heavy stone in his heart was finally lifted.

"The Aoba Family has been jumping around a bit too much lately."

Ling Ying left behind these words, his figure flickering imperceptibly before vanishing.

Seeing the other party leave, Aoba Pa collapsed instantly, sitting on the ground with a thud, gasping for air while pondering the meaning of the words the other party had left behind.