The Out-of-Place Clown

Not to mention how the current head of the Cloud Sea Family would react upon seeing the message sent by their ancestor, at this moment on the street—

Everyone silently watched as the high-born Jialu was unilaterally beaten by Si Yao, yet not a single person had any intention of stepping forward to help.

Oh, wait, there were two—Jialu's two pathetic bodyguards.

It was a pity that Jialu hadn't checked his horoscope before heading out today; he had no idea he would provoke someone like Si Yao. Otherwise, he certainly would have brought his Universe Level bodyguards along instead of these two useless sacks of meat who couldn't help at all and only served to embarrass him.

For instance, at this very moment, one of his bodyguards stood outside the domain, watching Jialu being pitifully beaten inside, and shouted loudly: "You brat, do you know who we are?"

"Our young master is from the Cloud Sea Family, and the Cloud Sea Family has a World Lord backing them—if you know what's good for you, release our young master immediately."

"Exactly." The other bodyguard nodded as well, adding a threat.

"Our young master is the only son of Lord Kemo You, and Lord Kemo You is a Universe Level powerhouse. Killing a tiny Planetary Level like you would be as easy as flipping his hand."

The two of them went back and forth, dragging out almost every potential and overt influence Jialu possessed, all in an attempt to make Si Yao hesitate.

But this blustering, cowardly display made it obvious they were completely out of options.

Would Si Yao care? Of course not; she actually hit him even harder.

Jialu: ——

He felt like rolling his eyes into the back of his head; those two idiots would have been better off staying silent.

Calling out all those names—were they afraid people wouldn't know he was getting beaten up?

He struggled to dodge Si Yao's attacks, but the omnipresent domain made his movement and speed sluggish. He couldn't truly use his full strength against Si Yao, though, well, in reality, using his full strength probably wouldn't have made a difference anyway.

This little girl looked small, but whether it was her footwork, defense, or proficiency in secret techniques, she completely crushed him—a little waste who had only reached Star Level by piling up energy.

Not to mention the suppression from her domain.

This was truly a terrible reality!

Three minutes later, the domain finally retracted, revealing the two people inside.

Si Yao's sleeves were slightly dirty from beating Jialu. As for Jialu, he had already been beaten black and blue, unable to tell up from down. The moment Si Yao let him go, he collapsed directly onto the ground, gasping for air.

Of the two bows tied in his hair, one had come undone, leaving only a single ribbon hanging precariously, while the other was long gone.

His purple robes were disheveled and spread out across the ground. The bruises on his face were becoming increasingly prominent, and combined with his face, which was flushed red from anger, and his chest heaving with heavy breaths—he looked like a pitiful creature who had been thoroughly abused.

He glared viciously at Si Yao, "You, you—you're unreasonable!"

He pointed at Si Yao, accidentally tugging at an arm injury, which made tears well up in his eyes again, his whole body trembling with rage.

"I already apologized to you, and I offered you compensation, so why did you still hit me?"

Unreasonable, she was just a vulgar person from some backwater place—completely unrefined.

He thought viciously.

Si Yao crossed her arms and turned her head away, refusing to even look at him.

The onlookers had long since been dispersed by the arriving members of the Cloud Sea Family, including the two little beggars who had accidentally bumped into Jialu.

Kemo You and the head of the Cloud Sea Family landed before World Lord Xunzhen and bowed respectfully: Ancestor.

The moment he saw his father, Jialu's tears and snot began to flow together. He took a deep breath, "Father!!!"

The sound was so loud that Kemo You, who was kneeling before World Lord Xunzhen, flinched, his brow twitching involuntarily.

This child!

"Ancestor, my young son is rude. I will certainly discipline him more strictly in the future. I beg for your forgiveness." Kemo You lowered his head, his face full of shame.

Before arriving, he had already seen the situation on the scene clearly through the Virtual Universe.

When he saw the ancestor remaining unmoved while the little girl beat his son, he knew that regardless of whether the ancestor disliked his son for bullying the weak or had some connection to the little girl, it was impossible for him to seek justice for his son.

As for the head of the Cloud Sea Family, his reasoning was even simpler. He had merely seen the Wind Domain on Si Yao and the pair of holy white feathered wings behind her. Combined with the fragments of conversation he had heard earlier, he had confirmed her identity.

There was only one person on Cloud Sea Planet who fit the description: the student brought by Gui's Domain Lord friend, Li Yilin. It was said she was only twenty years old, yet she was already a ninth-rank Planetary Level and had even comprehended a domain.

For such a young and gifted genius to appear on Cloud Sea Planet, he couldn't afford not to show some gesture; this was an excellent investment opportunity—which was also the reason why Si Yao had been able to play so happily on Cloud Sea Planet for the past month without anyone daring to provoke her.

"Dad?" Jialu climbed up in disbelief, ripped the annoying ribbon from his head, and looked at his father.

"I was beaten, you know. She's the one who's being unreasonable." He pointed a trembling finger at Si Yao, his lips quivering with rage, "That girl, she started hitting me without a word. If I hadn't been worried about her—cough, cough, cough—how did this become my fault?"

He was used to being rude, but no matter how you looked at it, he wasn't in the wrong this time.

Si Yao glared, just about to retort, when a streak of light flashed across the horizon, and Li Yilin appeared before her.

A familiar figure, with soft black hair cascading down his back, swaying slightly in the breeze. The vertical purple eye on his forehead was slightly closed, its divine light restrained.

"Teacher!" Si Yao's voice was filled with irrepressible joy.

Li Yilin tilted his head slightly, glanced at her, and then walked toward World Lord Xunzhen not far away.

"Junior Li Yilin, pays respects to World Lord Xunzhen."

World Lord Xunzhen stood with his hands behind his back, his round face, which resembled that of a legendary Buddha, smiling so broadly that his eyes were hidden. He swept a glance at Si Yao in the distance without leaving a trace, and when he looked back at Li Yilin, there was an extra hint of scrutiny in his eyes.

"You are Li Yilin. Truly, you have a dignified appearance, and your talent is even more extraordinary."

"You flatter me, World Lord." Li Yilin smiled at the corner of his mouth, as if he didn't see the probing look in the other's eyes, and beckoned to Si Yao behind him, "Come here."

Si Yao also knew this wasn't the time to act up, so she walked over obediently and bowed to the three of them, "Junior Si Yao, greetings to World Lord Xunzhen, and greetings to the two seniors." Her face was full of docility, and her tone carried an irrepressible, charming naivety. The snow-white wings behind her had already folded, hanging obediently behind her back, making her look even more petite, exquisite, and incredibly adorable.

Li Yilin's eyes were filled with pride; this was his student.

As soon as Si Yao spoke, World Lord Xunzhen couldn't help but look at her, his eyes filled with undisguised affection. Ignoring everyone else present, and not even looking at Li Yilin, he just smiled at her and asked, "Little girl, have you ever thought about becoming my disciple?"

Hiss!

Even though they already had a premonition, when World Lord Ba Zhen actually voiced this idea, everyone present couldn't help but gasp. The looks they cast at Si Yao now held not just probing and assessment, but also a touch of envy.

That was World Lord Ba Zhen, the founder of one of the sixteen families of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, and one of the few World Lords among the sixteen families with a high probability of breaking through to Immortal.

Such a big shot actually wanted to take a little one who was only at the Planetary Level as a disciple in public?

Take her as a disciple?

Does this rude girl deserve it?

When Jialu heard his ancestor say this, he instinctively wanted to speak out in mockery, so that the ancestor could see the true face of this little girl. Kemo You, who had anticipated his petty thoughts in advance, swept a cold glance at him, instantly freezing him in place.

He shivered, as if he had just woken up, and hurriedly lowered his head, burying all his petty thoughts deep in his heart, not daring to let them run wild again.

He must have been blinded by anger; that was the ancestor, the pillar of the family, a big shot with the strength of a World Lord.

His thoughts were not something a mere Planetary Level like him could comment on.

Exactly, if that little girl really became the ancestor's disciple, her status would instantly leap ahead of all of them. Given his previous actions toward the little girl, would he be beaten to death by his father when he got back?

At the thought of this possibility, a trace of fear flashed in Jialu's eyes.

Although he was his father's only child, his father had always been strict with himself and regarded the family as more important than his own life. He simply could not tolerate anyone tarnishing the family's reputation or bringing trouble upon it.

He was lazy in his cultivation, unreliable, and didn't do proper work, but as long as he didn't cause trouble for the family, his father would spoil him and let him be. If he went too far, as long as he threw a tantrum or went to his mother to plead for him, he could get away with it.

But if he really tarnished the family's reputation, let alone finding his mother, even finding his grandfather would be useless; his father would definitely not let him off.

Lost in his thoughts, he accidentally bit the wound at the corner of his mouth, grimacing in pain. His hand, which was lightly covering the corner of his mouth, trembled; he wanted to touch it but didn't dare, and he wanted to cry out in pain but didn't dare to make a sound—like a clown, completely out of place among the crowd with their various hidden agendas.