What? He Kissed Queen Medusa?

Xiao Chen and Qing Lin walked through the gates of the Desert Iron Mercenary Group.

The mercenaries guarding the entrance saw them and their expressions shifted slightly. They quickly stepped aside.

A few days ago, these people had still been discussing how to drive Xiao Chen out, saying he would drag the entire mercenary group down with him. But today, not one of them dared to say a word.

Xiao Chen paid them no mind and headed straight inside. Qing Lin followed behind him, head lowered, not daring to meet the mercenaries' eyes.

The two crossed the courtyard and headed toward the hall. Along the way, they passed quite a few mercenaries, all of whom made way for Xiao Chen. No one dared approach him or meet his gaze.

Xiao Chen's expression didn't change. His pace remained unhurried.

In the hall, Xiao Ding sat in the seat of honor with a cup of tea in his hand. Xiao Li stood beside him, studying a map.

Both of them looked worried.

Xiao Chen had been gone for a whole day and still hadn't returned. Queen Medusa could come to exact her revenge at any moment. If he ran into her while he was out, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Big Brother, do you think Xiao Chen might have been attacked by Queen Medusa? After all, he killed the Great Elder of the Snake-Person Tribe. If he really runs into Medusa—will he make it out unharmed?" Xiao Li set down the map and asked.

Xiao Ding shook his head. "Hard to say."

"Queen Medusa is a Peak Nine-Star Dou Emperor. No matter how strong Xiao Chen is, he might not be a match for her."

Xiao Li fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

As they were talking, footsteps sounded at the entrance.

Xiao Ding looked up, saw Xiao Chen walk in, and quickly rose to his feet.

"Xiao Chen, you're finally back." Xiao Ding hurried over and looked him up and down. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

Xiao Li came over too and clapped him on the shoulder, a smile spreading across his face.

"You gave us quite a scare, you brat."

Looking at them, Xiao Chen felt touched. His two cousins truly cared about him; he could see it in their worried eyes.

"Did you run into any trouble on the way?" Xiao Ding asked.

"I did."

Xiao Ding's expression changed. "What kind of trouble?"

"Queen Medusa."

Xiao Li's hand trembled, and the smile on his face instantly froze.

"Queen Medusa came looking for you?" Xiao Ding's voice tightened.

"She did."

"Then you weren't hurt, were you?" Xiao Li looked him up and down again.

"No."

Xiao Ding let out a breath of relief, but unease still stirred in his heart. Queen Medusa had come, so how could Xiao Chen be completely unharmed? That woman was a Peak Nine-Star Dou Emperor, the strongest being in the entire Jia Ma Empire.

Just as he was about to speak, Qing Lin stepped out from behind Xiao Chen.

"Group Leaders, there's no need to worry. Queen Medusa has already been driven off by Young Master."

The hall fell silent.

Xiao Ding's hand, holding the teacup, froze in midair. Xiao Li's expression locked in place.

They exchanged a look and saw the same shock in each other's eyes.

"What did you say?" Xiao Li's voice trembled. "Xiao Chen drove off Queen Medusa?"

Qing Lin nodded emphatically. "Not only did Young Master drive her off, he made her cough up blood. And he even kissed Queen Medusa."

Xiao Ding's teacup slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor. Xiao Li's jaw nearly hit the ground; he stood there, completely stunned.

He had kissed Queen Medusa—the queen of the Snake-Person Tribe, a Peak Nine-Star Dou Emperor. Xiao Chen had not only defeated her, he had kissed her.

"Qing Lin, is all that true?" Xiao Ding asked, his voice unsteady.

"Of course. I saw it with my own eyes, and Yue Mei was there too."

Xiao Ding took a deep breath to steady himself, then looked at Xiao Chen, his eyes filled with complicated emotions.

This cousin of theirs was even stronger than they had imagined—not just a little stronger, but outrageously strong.

Xiao Li stood there for a long time without speaking. He looked at Xiao Chen, opened his mouth, then closed it again. He wanted to say something, but didn't know what.

Defeating Queen Medusa and then kissing her—he wouldn't even have dared dream of such a thing.