Little Red was one of only two family members Liu Yun had. It was true that he'd gotten her by killing her mother, but ever since Little Red was born, he'd planned everything out for her.
The mass-produced Cell Evolution Fluid had helped her break through to the Lord stage, and she'd also get her share of the cosmic material. Later, he could gradually bring out a docile heroine and live a happy life.
But all of that had gone wrong. Liu Yun couldn't believe someone had dared to kill his battle pet so brazenly! The battle pet he considered family.
He'd always thought Little Red would be fine. After all, all that bird ever did was slack off!
But on his way here, he'd watched the surveillance footage. It turned out Little Red had only been sulking at him.
When he'd left, Little Red had hidden on the roof, pretending to go on strike so he'd see. But once he was far away, she'd immediately started patrolling. She'd been utterly loyal.
Green Tea Ancestor Glinda walked over to Liu Yun and gently comforted him. "Liu Yun, I'm sorry for your loss. Little Red is gone, and we're all very sad. Don't grieve too much. You have to keep living for yourself, too."
As she spoke, she took a check from her pocket and handed it to Liu Yun. "This is compensation. It can't make up for your loss, but I hope you'll accept it."
Now that he thought about it, Little Red had been sensible, too. But that very sense of duty had gotten her killed. Liu Yun thought that Little Red would've been better off slacking off somewhere. Then she might've stayed alive.
Liu Yun didn't take the check. His gaze remained fixed on Little Red, as if he wanted to carve her image into his heart forever. After a long while, he finally spoke. "Compensation? No. This isn't what I want. I want justice for Little Red. I want the people who hurt her to pay!"
Liu Yun looked away from Little Red's cold body and toward the battered villa courtyard around them. The carefully trimmed flowers and plants lay scattered, and the last embers of the fire still flickered weakly in several corners.
Yang Xiaolong, Ruby, Blacka, and Xueni stood at a distance. Faced with the anger and determination in Liu Yun's eyes, they instinctively took a few steps back, complex expressions on their faces.
"Liu Yun, calm down!" Yang Xiaolong spoke first, trying to ease the tension. "We... We didn't mean to kill Little Red. We just—"
"You just what?" Liu Yun's voice was cold and forceful as he cut her off. "Just because she was a battle pet, you thought you could kill her whenever you pleased? Do you have any idea what Little Red meant to me? She was one of only two family members I had. She was one of the most important parts of my life!"
At that, he could no longer control himself. With a furious roar, he lunged at them.
"I'll fight you! If I don't kill you, I'll cripple you!"
Seeing this, Glinda flashed between Liu Yun and the others. She gently waved both hands, and a soft yet powerful surge of energy neutralized Liu Yun's imminent attack. Liu Yun was still rational, and he didn't want to kill them, so he was holding back. Glinda could withstand his attack.
"Liu Yun, stop!" Glinda's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unquestionable authority. "Anger won't solve anything. It'll only make things worse."
Seeing this, Yang Xiaolong shouted, too. "Liu Yun, are you crazy? You're going to kill us over a bird? That's ridiculous!" Her words betrayed her panic and helplessness. Even she had been shaken by what was happening.
She couldn't understand it. A pretty young woman like her should've been welcomed by young men wherever she went. Yet this man was willing to fight her over a stupid bird. It was simply unimaginable.
Liu Yun looked at the group. They were people, after all, and more important than monsters. He couldn't just kill them.
But Little Red was truly gone, and it was too late to do anything. Perhaps one day, once he became the Universe Master, he could try to Reverse Time and Space. For now, there was nothing he could do.
Glinda was baffled, too. What was wrong with Liu Yun? Why would he start a fight with a whole group of beautiful women over a bird? She didn't realize that Liu Yun had already seen through her.
A gentle smile still graced her face, a smile that seemed capable of dissolving all hostility and distance in an instant, making people lower their guard without even realizing it.
"Calm down, War God Liu Yun! These are your teammates. They're actually around your age. You shouldn't treat them like this! As for your loss, the HR Alliance will compensate you to your satisfaction."
She invoked her position in the HR Alliance to pressure Liu Yun. At the same time, she increased the compensation, hoping to keep the matter from escalating.
In Liu Yun's eyes, Glinda was nothing special anymore. At most, she was a genuinely powerful schemer—a Green Tea Ancestor.
"Hmph. Compensate me? With what?"
Liu Yun tore up the check Glinda had given him, then left with Little Red in his arms. He had to bury her so her spirit could rest undisturbed.
Even Glinda found his words surprising. Liu Yun had been acting strangely for the past few days, but she didn't know he'd already broken through the War God limit and, by taking drugs, reached the level of Earth's strongest fighters.
He couldn't let Green Tea Ancestor lose too much face, either. It wasn't that he'd been caught in Glinda's spell. It was just that whenever he imagined the gentle Glinda in an awkward situation, he immediately wondered if he'd done something wrong. So he stopped making trouble before things got out of hand.
It was a strange, stifling feeling Liu Yun couldn't put into words. He composed himself and returned to the villa. There, he watched the prim and proper Glinda direct workers as they restored the courtyard: filling in the holes, planting trees, and putting out the fire!
He didn't care about any of it. In fact, he loathed this sort of thing. It was like they'd come to collect some kind of ghost debt.
"Stop fussing over it. Sit down, all of you!"
Liu Yun said this because Glinda had practically taken over his living room.
In one corner of the living room, an antique carved wooden table held all kinds of tea sets, from a blue-and-white porcelain teapot to delicate teacups. Every piece reflected Glinda's taste and attention to detail. She'd personally picked several fine teas: the freshness of Longjing, the mellow richness of Pu'er, and the orchid fragrance of Tieguanyin. Each one represented a different mood and story.
When Liu Yun spoke, they all took their seats. Glinda still wasn't satisfied with the tea.
"Tea ceremony is very particular among you Huaxia people. I've been studying it for a while, and I made tea especially for you this time. Give it a try!"
She was already acting as if things had calmed down, discussing tea ceremony with Liu Yun. He sneered. What was all this fancy nonsense?
"So you really are a green tea schemer! Green Tea Ancestor, don't try to play innocent with me! You're investigating me. Did you think I wouldn't notice?"
At his words, Glinda's refined face immediately showed a hint of embarrassment. That was the very expression that always made Liu Yun take a step back whenever this beauty wore it. This time, he wouldn't back down, even if it killed him.
"What are you talking about? What does Green Tea Ancestor mean?"
Glinda asked coldly. Liu Yun ignored her. He'd broken through to the Planetary Stage, so he wasn't afraid of Glinda causing trouble. He pointed at the four young women and continued.
"Make them leave. If they disappear from my sight, that'll be compensation enough. You should stop coming around, too. I don't have time for you. If you push me too far, I'll leave the HR Alliance as well."
He didn't care that they were around his age. All he cared about was whether he could grow stronger. Unless Glinda was willing to join his team, there was no way he'd choose the people who'd killed Little Red as his teammates.
Ruby and the others were furious at his words. So what if they'd misjudged Liu Yun before? Why was he allowed to get so angry? Glinda looked embarrassed now, worried Liu Yun would leave the HR Alliance, and it seemed she wouldn't speak up for them either. They had to seize their chance themselves.
"Stop making a scene! You're only mad because we killed your battle pet, aren't you? I'll compensate you with myself. That should settle it, right?"
Yang Xiaolong figured she was the one who'd started the fight, so she wanted to offer herself to settle the matter.
Everyone was stunned by what she'd said, but Liu Yun knew the real reason. Most likely, the blonde foreign girl wasn't very good at Chinese.
"Heh. Sorry, but to me, you're not even as good as that bird."
Liu Yun replied with complete sincerity. Yang Xiaolong then swept her hand through the air and said something that would shock Liu Yun for the next year: she'd offer all five of them to settle the debt.
"I'll give all of them to you as compensation. Do you still dare say it isn't enough?"
Liu Yun was stunned. She'd even included Glinda in that offer. It was absurd. He'd never seen anything like this before. It was beyond ridiculous.
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