Accidental Trespass into the Tian Family

"Because, the way he just ran off in such a pathetic, panicked state makes it hard for people not to think you did something to him."

"Right now, everyone on the street is pointing fingers at you, as if... you're some kind of detestable second-generation heir throwing your weight around!"

"Ha!? Are you kidding me? Do I, Xiao Hongchen, look like that kind of person?"

Upon learning that his reputation had been tarnished, Xiao Hongchen's face changed color and heated up at a speed visible to Qian Yuhan.

Noticing the distinct lack of conviction beneath Xiao Hongchen's loud tone, Qian Yuhan pursed his lips in a smile and continued to fan the flames:

"Brother, I, Qian Yuhan, am not one to stir up trouble, but... if you don't go and get to the bottom of this, by tomorrow noon at the latest, all sorts of newspapers in the Bright Capital will surely be flooded with headlines like..."

"<Shocking: Young Master of the Hongchen Family runs rampant, preying on the people of the Bright Capital, scaring them into fleeing at the mere sight of him!>"

"<Trespassing into the Tian Family! The real reason behind an innocent passerby's desperate sprint through the streets of the Bright Capital is...>"

"<A certain playboy bullies the common folk in broad daylight! Where is justice? Where is the way of heaven?>"

"<He's here! The sky of the Bright Capital has gone dark!>"

"Once these bizarre stories sweep through every street and alley of the Bright Capital, you'll truly be: like mud landing in your trousers—if it's not excrement, it's still excrement!"

"Then tell me, what should I do now?"

Regardless of what kind of heaven-sent genius Xiao Hongchen might be in the eyes of others, at the end of the day, he was still just a thirteen or fourteen-year-old kid.

Facing a major issue that clearly exceeded his own capabilities, he cautiously and sensibly chose to seek advice from the person he felt he could rely on.

Even if... this guy looked quite a bit younger than himself.

"Of course, we follow him and get to the bottom of this!" Qian Yuhan explained, walking forward while looking back at Xiao Hongchen.

"Use your brilliant genius brain and think carefully. No matter how this turns out, as long as we keep following that person and find out who he is, at the very least, we'll still have a way to confront him in court."

"If you really let him get away, the Bright Capital is so huge, a vast sea of people, with so many coming and going every day—you might never find this stranger again for the rest of your life. By then, you'll likely be stuck carrying this murky, unjust accusation until you die of old age!"

"Just imagine, a hundred or so years from now, you'll have already achieved great success, standing above ten thousand people, second only to one."

"Old and frail, feeling your life is complete, you lie peacefully in bed, looking at the children and grandchildren surrounding you, and begin to reminisce about the glorious years of your youth!"

"But halfway through your life's highlight reel, instead of seeing your own youthful spirit, you see the local folks of the Bright Capital pointing fingers at you, and your classmates deliberately avoiding you while whispering behind their newspapers."

"By then, even in death, you'll be holding in a belly full of grievances you never got to vent."

"Hiss—"

Associating Qian Yuhan's words with his own bleak future, Xiao Hongchen felt a chill run down his spine and sucked in several cold breaths in succession.

"Alright, enough! Stop, just stop! My head is already starting to ache from the thought! We'll chase him! We must chase him! Even if we have to chase him to the ends of the earth, we have to catch him!"

Today was destined to be an unusual day for those walking along this long street, for they could watch in amazement as a golden-haired youth dodged and weaved through the crowd at a speed completely inconsistent with his age.

That hair, smooth as silk and shining like gold, fluttered behind him like a banner.

And less than twenty meters behind him, another youth was running as well, though judging by the way he was panting, he seemed to be finding the chase... quite strenuous...

'Good fellow, who would have thought that you, Qian Yuhan, with those thick eyebrows and big eyes, would actually start swindling people! And you managed to drag someone onto your pirate ship so easily?', the Rakshasa Phantom muttered softly.

However, this time, besides surprise, there was a look in its eyes that could only be described as: This Seat is truly a master teacher, having taught this old-fashioned stick so well—hmm, satisfaction?!

'What do you mean "pirate ship"? I am inviting a promising young talent to join me in slaying Evil Soul Masters and ridding the people of a scourge. This is a great deed, indeed!'

As Qian Yuhan spoke, he didn't forget to add:

'Don't forget, you were the one who told me that the gray-robed man had a student ID for the Sun-Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy in his pocket. I let Xiao Hongchen follow along just to give them a chance to turn over a new leaf through the grandson of the Dean.'

'And what if they don't appreciate it?', the Rakshasa Phantom asked curiously.

'Then let Xiao Hongchen and his Dean grandfather worry about it.', Qian Yuhan raised an eyebrow, teasingly. 'I believe Xiao Hongchen's grandfather would be more than happy to clean house.'

'666, you're not even pretending anymore.', the Rakshasa Phantom curled its lip and pointed toward a winding alleyway hundreds of meters away, saying in a low voice:

"It's right there! All three of those lackeys are inside. Remember to leave those two Evil Soul Masters for me to eat; that's what we agreed on, don't you dare forget!"

"Rest assured, my word as Qian Yuhan is still worth something."

As he finished speaking, Qian Yuhan used the momentum of a hand flick to press the Rakshasa Phantom into the shadows of a corner, then led the panting Xiao Hongchen into the alley.

The moment his foot crossed into the alley, Qian Yuhan quickly adjusted his pace, stepping into the dark and deep lane as if nothing were the matter.

"Huff—huff—huff—, finally here."

Xiao Hongchen, who had only managed to catch up to Qian Yuhan's pace by using a propulsion Soul Tool, gasped for air, leaning against the wall while quietly following behind him.

Looking at Qian Yuhan's not-so-tall back, Xiao Hongchen had only one thought at this moment:

Brother, the soul beasts I encountered in the soul beast gathering grounds last year didn't run as fast as you. If I hadn't used my propulsion Soul Tool to accelerate, I don't think I would have even seen your shadow. Can you tell me how you trained to run so terrifyingly fast? Or are you a Agility-type Soul Engineer?

If Qian Yuhan knew what was going through Xiao Hongchen's mind, he would likely only look up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle with a melancholic expression and sigh: 'This is nothing! Not only do I run fast, but I fly pretty quickly too.'

"Shh, we're almost there.", Qian Yuhan turned back to whisper a reminder to Xiao Hongchen, though even without it, Xiao Hongchen's hearing as a four-ring Soul Ancestor was enough to faintly catch the commotion coming from not far ahead.