Fragrant Bottom

The Lei Family, one of the most powerful forces in Willow Forest City, occupied a prime spot on Central Avenue in the north of the city.

Early the next morning, Lin Hai brought a group of Hunting Hall brothers to Central Avenue, which ran through Willow Forest City, and headed straight for Lei Mansion. Sanbao was among them.

Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop.

Two Golden Horned Beasts came galloping from afar. People on the street scattered to either side. Golden Horned Beasts, also known as Golden Horned Beasts, were the kings of mounts. Not only were they incredibly fast, they also had tremendous stamina. They were at least ten times more noble than ordinary Black Unicorns. Anyone who could ride one was no ordinary person.

"Get out of the way!"

Lin Hai didn't need to give the order. Like most people on the street, the Hunting Hall members had already hurried to the side, waiting for the nobles riding the Golden Horned Beasts to pass.

Crack!

"Get lost!"

A young man atop one of the Golden Horned Beasts shouted sharply.

His long whip lashed out like a venomous snake, knocking down an old man who was a little slow to move. The old man fell hard to the ground. Luckily, a kind bystander quickly pulled him aside; otherwise, the Golden Horned Beasts behind would surely have trampled him.

"What a wicked thing to do!" "A cur relying on its master's power!" "A fox borrowing a tiger's might!"

The crowd muttered under their breath. One person must have spoken a little too loudly, because the owner of the Golden Horned Beast, a young man, heard him.

"Whoa..." A whistle rang out, and the Golden Horned Beast came to a halt.

"Scoundrel, what did you just say?"

"N-nothing." The man pointed his whip at the crowd, and everyone immediately backed away, not daring to challenge him.

"Third Brother, what's going on?"

The other Golden Horned Beast behind them also stopped. A woman in red, dressed in fitted riding clothes, sat astride it.

Both riders were dressed in fine clothes and wore extravagant attire.

"Nothing, Second Sister. A few fools dared to insult us." The young man pointed toward the crowd.

The woman glared in the direction he indicated. The crowd parted again, but even so, the woman in red was still displeased. She pointed at someone.

"You! Come out. I can see contempt in your eyes." Lin Hai and the others were startled. The woman in red had pointed at Sanbao, who had been keeping an unusually low profile among the crowd.

Sanbao was just about to explain when the young man's whip had already come lashing toward him. Few people in Willow Forest City dared insult someone from the Lei Family.

Whoosh!

Sanbao dodged the whip with ease. Though angry, he kept his expression composed and said in a low voice, "Stop. Let me explain."

"What makes you think you can tell me to stop?" The young man had missed with his first strike, and rage surged through him. He leaped down from the Golden Horned Beast and charged at Sanbao, swinging his hand to attack.

No one dared get involved. Even Lin Hai and the others backed away more than thirty feet, making room for the two men, though they were all on edge.

The young man in white wasn't very old, and seemed to be a three- or four-star Spirit Scholar. He used no weapon, but his palms unleashed layer upon layer of powerful gusts. Sanbao couldn't tell what kind of Spirit Skill he was using.

Sanbao didn't want to make enemies. He kept dodging as he called to the woman on the Golden Horned Beast, "You've got it wrong. I didn't insult you."

Of the two siblings, the woman was clearly the one in charge. That was why Sanbao ignored the young man's shouting and explained himself to her instead.

Seeing Sanbao fighting while still trying to explain, the woman thought he was quite skilled, and felt a faint thrill rising in her.

"Hmph! You must have insulted us. Otherwise, why did you save that old man just now?"

So Sanbao had been the one to save the old man who had been knocked down by the whip. The woman in red had sharp eyes; she had spotted it from far away. Only then did Sanbao understand.

With a bang, the two finally exchanged a palm strike. The young man's technique was impressive, but his cultivation was still too low. Sanbao's palm sent him staggering back several steps.

Having lost in front of a crowd to a commoner—and one who looked about as young as he was—the young man flushed red. He was about to draw his weapon when the woman in red stopped him.

"Third Brother, let me handle this!"

The young man in white could only suppress his anger and step aside. He shouted furiously, "Fine! Second Sister, teach this brat a good lesson..."

"I'm not fighting you. I have things to do, so I'm leaving." Sanbao didn't want to get tangled up with a spoiled young noble like her and decided to walk away.

Whoosh!

The woman flipped off her mount and landed in front of Sanbao with a single leap.

"You don't get to decide that. Beat me today, and I'll let you go. Otherwise, I'll hang you up on Central Avenue for everyone to gawk at all day. Take your pick." The woman spoke with brazen arrogance, grinning as she did.

"Is that a promise?"

Sanbao was already furious. He had only been holding himself back because he had just arrived in Willow Forest City and didn't want to cause trouble. If this had happened in Lushan Town, he would have already slammed her into the ground.

"Of course. I, Lei Yun, always mean what I say." As Lei Yun spoke, she started laughing at her own words. That made Sanbao feel uneasy.

How could he trust the word of a noble young lady like her?

Like her younger brother, Lei Yun used no weapon and fought barehanded. It seemed the Lei Family had great confidence in their hands.

Her slender jade hands formed a series of different seals. Then, with a delicate shout, she launched herself at Sanbao, who was waiting calmly.

"Fine palm technique," Sanbao thought.

Lei Yun's cultivation was slightly higher than Sanbao's, probably at the two-star Spirit General level. But her endless stream of palm seals, darting through the air like butterflies weaving among flowers, left him struggling to keep up.

As palm seals flashed and her body swayed, Lei Yun seemed to transform into a Fire Lotus, conjuring countless flower-shaped seals. Many Spirit Cultivators watching had forgotten what the fight was about and were caught up in cheering instead.

That was simply how things worked in a world that revered martial strength.

Fortunately, Sanbao was just as nimble, and the Nine-Fold Claw was incredibly powerful. Each claw strike sent flowers scattering. The two fought at close quarters, speed against speed, one clad in blue, the other in red. They separated and clashed again and again, until after the time it took an incense stick to burn, they had barely fought to a draw.

As the fight wore on, Lei Yun grew impatient. No matter how hard she struck, she couldn't subdue the young man in front of her. She landed a palm that knocked Sanbao back, then drew herself up and stood still.

Just as Sanbao thought she had realized she couldn't win and was about to call it off, Lei Yun gave a sly smile and pulled a pair of black silk gloves from her clothes.

"Fighting barehanded, we're even. Now it's time to choose weapons. Pick any blade, spear, sword, or halberd you like. I only need these gloves."

As soon as the gloves were on, Sanbao sensed something was wrong. As a Treasure Refiner, his perception was exceptionally sharp. At Lei Yun's prompting, the distinctive fluctuations of a Spirit Weapon began to radiate from the gloves.

"No need. I'll fight barehanded." Sanbao could only smile bitterly and shake his head.

"Fine, fine. You dare look down on me? I'll show you what happens when you do." Furious at Sanbao's slight, Lei Yun let out a shout and charged at him again without waiting for him to prepare.

Sanbao knew he was in a bind, but could only steel himself and meet her head-on.

Generally speaking, a Spirit Cultivator could boost their offense and defense by using a weapon. But the weapon had to suit their Spirit Skill. Otherwise, they could only rely on one or the other. Trying to force them together might even be less effective than using the Spirit Skill alone.

That was Sanbao's situation. When he used the Nine-Fold Claw, most of his spirit power flowed into his five fingers. If he tried to force it into a sword or blade, the power would actually weaken, making it a losing bargain.

Since he devoted himself entirely to the Nine-Fold Claw and the Nine-Turn Golden Body, Sanbao had barely practiced any other Spirit Skills and had never used a weapon.

With the Spirit Weapon in hand, Lei Yun's palm strikes grew noticeably sharper, and the number of palm seals increased. Palm winds filled the street.

Hiss! In a moment of carelessness, a large hole was torn in the clothes at Sanbao's waist. A streak of bright red showed through the ragged fabric.

A stinging pain flared. Sanbao grimaced and growled, then focused all his attention on the fight.

With a swish, Lei Yun's hairpin shattered when Sanbao struck it by accident. Her long black hair flew everywhere.

"You—"

With her vision obstructed, Lei Yun leaped back several yards, then gathered her hair and tied it up.

"You're evenly matched! Call it a draw and let it go," Lin Hai and the others shouted from the sidelines, deliberately trying to stir things up.

"Who said it's a draw? I'm going to beat you today!" Lei Yun ignored the heckling. Once her hair was tied back, she charged again.

Sanbao's anger began to rise. If I don't teach you a lesson, you'll really think you can do whatever you want.

With a leap, he soared into the air, both hands moving rapidly. A rain of golden light swept down toward Lei Yun. In her eyes, six or seven hand seals appeared in the sky at once—the Nine-Fold Claw unleashed to its utmost.

Seeing Sanbao suddenly unleash his full power, Lei Yun faltered. Her hands moved ceaselessly, forming a curtain of red light to shield her.

After a flurry of hissing sounds, both fighters shuddered. Sanbao had the edge after all. He spun in midair and landed behind Lei Yun. Before she could turn around, he kicked out.

His foot struck something impossibly soft. Sanbao's heart jumped. He knew he'd kicked somewhere he shouldn't have, but it was too late to take it back.

Sure enough, Lei Yun staggered and nearly fell to the ground. She turned around and let out a shriek of fury: "You brat! I'll kill you!"

Sanbao's kick had landed squarely on Lei Yun's fragrant bottom.