Just then.
A gentle voice with a hint of teasing suddenly rang out, sounding like that of a big sister.
Ma Xiaotao came to her senses at once. Her little face flushed, and she hurriedly looked away from Jiang Yang and toward the doorway.
"Grandmaster?!"
She cried out in surprise.
Then she ran straight toward the girl at the door, forgetting that she had just lost something precious. The moment she exerted herself, pain made her wince again.
Zhang Lexuan had originally come just to see what was going on. But when she saw the thin trail of blood running down Ma Xiaotao's leg to her ankle, her pretty face flushed too.
Jiang Yang also turned around at that moment.
At a glance, he saw the woman's dark hair cascading down her back, her features clear and beautiful. She wore a black dress over a low-necked top edged in black and silver, a black, jagged-patterned choker around her neck, and a purple-red cardigan over it all. Her air was cool and captivating, like someone who stood apart from the world.
Though this was their first meeting, Jiang Yang had already found himself silently overlaying her with the gentle, lovely figure from his memories.
"Grandmaster, you finally came!"
"That's the guy who bullied me! You have to stand up for me!"
As Zhang Lexuan took a few steps forward, Ma Xiaotao promptly threw herself into her arms.
"Giggling..."
Hearing Ma Xiaotao's tearful, coquettish complaints, Zhang Lexuan broke into a smile.
It had been a long time since she had seen Ma Xiaotao act so girlishly in front of a boy.
It seemed...
This young man was no ordinary person.
"You must be Jiang Yang, Outer Court Chief—the Outer Court's senior brother?"
"You're quite handsome. No wonder you managed to win our Taotao's heart."
"Oh! Grandmaster, what are you saying?"
The moment Zhang Lexuan finished speaking,
Ma Xiaotao's little fist landed against her chest.
Thump~
Thump~ Thump~~
Jiang Yang stared, slightly dumbfounded. Fortunately, his willpower was strong enough that he wasn't too distracted.
If his little brother had been there, he probably would have felt a little sick.
"Actually, if I said this was all a misunderstanding—"
"Would you believe me?"
Jiang Yang asked helplessly.
"Little junior, whether I believe you isn't the point. What matters is whether Xiaotao is willing to believe you."
"If little sister Xiaotao doesn't believe you, then I'm afraid I won't let you leave so easily."
"That sword in your hand looks pretty good. How about trying to stab me with it?"
Zhang Lexuan had taken an interest in him too.
Apart from her dull, monotonous cultivation, she didn't have much else to occupy her time.
Now that she had finally found a boy who was graceful, exceptionally handsome, and gifted, she naturally wanted to test his mettle.
Especially since this boy seemed to have an unusual relationship with Ma Xiaotao, who was known as the Flame Maniac.
"Do we have to fight again?"
Jiang Yang was starting to feel worn out.
Zhang Lexuan possessed an Eighth Soul Ring that was a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring, and she was a Soul Douluo.
She was also the Grandmaster of the Shrek Inner Court.
Judging by their strength on paper alone, Jiang Yang, a thirty-five-level, three-ring Soul Elder, couldn't hold a candle to her.
Unless he fused with his armor.
But using his armor here would be making a mountain out of a molehill.
At this stage, the Emperor Armor was still his one and only trump card for saving his life. He would keep it hidden if he could.
Only once he reached Soul King and tried to form a Soul Core could he start to set aside the word "only."
"You don't have to fight. Just ask Xiaotao to forgive you, and we'll call it even."
Zhang Lexuan said deliberately.
Hearing the Grandmaster say that, Ma Xiaotao, who had just lost to Jiang Yang, lifted her snow-white neck and looked at him smugly.
It was as if she were saying, See? You bullied me, and now my family's here to back me up!
"Then let's fight."
"Hmph! Grandmaster, just beat him to death for me!"
When Ma Xiaotao saw that Jiang Yang would rather take a beating than swallow his pride and apologize to her, she lost her temper and shouted.
"Oh?"
"In that case, I won't hold back."
With that, Zhang Lexuan summoned eight Soul Rings beneath her feet.
They shone brightly in the night, especially the hundred-thousand-year red Soul Ring, which was dazzling.
[Ice Empress: You're suffering just to save face. This time, even if you ask your granny for help, I won't lift a finger!] [Jiang Yang: Who said I was going to ask you?] [Ice Empress: You!] [Emperor Armor Will: Heh heh heh heh...]
"Then I'll make my move."
Zhang Lexuan chuckled, and her Sixth Soul Ring suddenly lit up.
Ma Xiaotao's face turned pale with fright.
"Wait, wait, Grandmaster! I forgive him!"
"You really forgive him?"
"Mm-hmm!"
Ma Xiaotao was stunned too. She had only wanted the Grandmaster to teach Jiang Yang a lesson.
She hadn't expected the Grandmaster to use her sixth Soul Skill right off the bat.
That was the sixth Soul Skill of an eight-ring Soul Douluo! If they really fought, would Jiang Yang even make it out alive?
Wait, no!
The Grandmaster usually wasn't so careless about how hard she hit.
Could it be...?
"Come on!"
"Grandmaster, you're so mean!"
"I'm not talking to either of you anymore!"
After saying that, Ma Xiaotao fled as if her life depended on it.
The courtyard was left with only Jiang Yang and Zhang Lexuan.
Of course,
That didn't count the people secretly watching from afar.
"Not going after her?"
Zhang Lexuan teased.
"There's no need."
Jiang Yang replied, then withdrew his Martial Soul as well.
"Are all you men like this?"
As she spoke, Zhang Lexuan's expression grew noticeably more downcast.
It seemed she had thought of Beibei.
At this point, her feelings for Beibei weren't yet that deep, but she had already taken him to heart.
"What am I like?"
"Starting something, then abandoning it. Getting what you want, then failing to cherish it."
"I didn't get anything from her. There's no question of cherishing or not cherishing her."
"You didn't get anything? Do you have to take her body for it to count as getting something?"
Zhang Lexuan seemed to have mistaken Jiang Yang for Beibei. Though she appeared to be questioning Jiang Yang, she was really pouring out feelings she had buried deep inside for years.
"What if—"
"This is only the second time I've seen her?"
Jiang Yang's words left Zhang Lexuan stunned.
Though she knew Ma Xiaotao had always been impulsive and heedless, the kind of person who would do anything,
she could hardly imagine her bringing a man straight to her bedroom after meeting him only once.
That was well beyond what she could comprehend.
"Besides, you only live once. The most important thing is to live freely. There's no need to shackle yourself to something as elusive as this."
"I can tell, senior sister, that there's a feeling in your heart you can't bring yourself to face. You've been searching desperately for an answer, but you haven't found one."
"Have you ever considered that some questions are wrong from the very beginning?"
"If the question itself is wrong, then what meaning does the answer have?"
With that, Jiang Yang walked out.
"Could I really have been wrong?"
Before you continue