"I'll be blunt. I, the young group leader, am laying my cards on the table. I'm done pretending!"
Mu Li didn't spare a thought for their past friendship. He'd thrown caution to the wind and didn't care about her at all. Xiao Yi Xian's face turned terribly grim, but there was nothing she could do.
Mu Li continued, "You have only two choices. Either come with me and cut off all ties with Xiao Ze of your own accord, or I'll personally drag him here and rip his skin off, then tear his tendons out!"
At his words, the mercenaries all looked at Xiao Yi Xian with ill intent. If she dared say no, they'd have no choice but to use force.
In Green Mountain Town, no matter how high Xiao Yi Xian's reputation might be, it was worthless in front of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group. After all, nobody dared offend them.
They'd only held back before for the sake of appearances. Now that they'd thrown caution to the wind, they naturally had no reason to hold back.
"You're acting so recklessly. Aren't you afraid of the Xiao Clan's retribution?"
Even when cornered, Xiao Yi Xian's expression didn't change. She'd already agreed to become Xiao Ze's wife. In life, she was a member of the Xiao Clan; in death, she'd be its ghost. There was no way she'd submit to their brute force. At worst, they'd all die together!
Once the Woe Poison Body was unleashed at full force, she believed nobody present would escape!
But Mu Li didn't care in the slightest. A disdainful smile hung on his face as his gaze roamed over Xiao Yi Xian's alluring figure. His mind was already conjuring up countless fantasies.
"Xiao Yi Xian, stop imagining that good-for-nothing from the Xiao Clan will come save you. I already spread the word. If he dares show up, I'll make sure he never leaves. You don't want to watch him get hurt, do you?"
"You're shameless!" Xiao Yi Xian burned with fury. She hadn't expected him to be so vicious as to use her as bait.
"Of course, no matter what happens, I won't hurt you. Just agree now, and you'll be the young group leader's wife!"
As he spoke, Mu Li and his men all wore mocking smiles, wishing they could taste Xiao Yi Xian right then and there.
He'd waited far too long for this day.
"What if I refuse, even if it means death?" Xiao Yi Xian's voice was low.
"Then there's nothing I can do..." Mu Li seemed to have expected this outcome.
If soft words didn't work, then he'd have to use force.
At a glance from Mu Li, his men understood. In the next moment, they all lunged at Xiao Yi Xian.
"Even if I die, I won't let you have your way!"
Just as Xiao Yi Xian was about to unleash the Woe Poison Body, a terrifying pressure suddenly enveloped the entire Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion.
Everything in its path shattered. The mercenaries' hearts and guts split with terror, and blood poured from their eyes, ears, noses, and mouths!
"You bunch of mere mercenaries dare lay a hand on my woman? You're asking for death!"
High above, a young man stood in the sky, handsome and aloof. His terrifying pressure made the air itself still. Everyone present struggled to breathe, their vision swimming as if they were trapped deep beneath the sea, unable to escape.
Xiao Yi Xian blinked, then saw the familiar figure. Her heart filled with joy.
Xiao Ze had come to save her.
But when they saw the Dou Qi wings behind him, not only Xiao Yi Xian but everyone present widened their eyes.
"Dou Qi wings! He's a Dou Wang expert!"
"No, that has to be a Dou Huang expert!"
Only a Dou Huang expert could exert such pressure, its reach covering nearly all of Green Mountain Town. Everyone was utterly shocked.
There were only a handful of Dou Huang experts in the entire Jia Ma Empire, and every one of them stood at the very peak of power!
What had Green Mountain Town done to deserve a Dou Huang expert's personal arrival?
Mu Li's heart and guts were shattered, and he had only one last breath left. After hearing the people around him, the light faded from his eyes.
Even at death's door, he couldn't believe he'd dared to steal a Dou Huang expert's woman. Perhaps this was retribution.
"Xiao Yi Xian, I'm not too late, am I?"
After dealing with the rabble, Xiao Ze descended from the sky and hurried to Xiao Yi Xian's side, immediately checking her for injuries.
Seeing how anxious and worried he looked, a warm current welled up in Xiao Yi Xian's heart. She said softly, "You came just in time. I'm not hurt."
"Good. That's all that matters."
Xiao Ze let out a sigh of relief. He'd thought that teaching them a lesson once would make them learn their place.
He hadn't expected them to refuse to change their ways and still covet his woman. They'd brought death upon themselves.
"Don't wait a few more days. Come back with me now." Xiao Ze held her little hand, unwilling to let go.
What had happened before made him afraid to be careless.
Xiao Yi Xian agreed without hesitation.
As a physician, she'd treated most of the mercenaries in Green Mountain Town. She believed she'd done all she could to repay their kindness, yet they'd repaid her kindness with treachery. When she was in danger, they hadn't come to her aid; instead, they'd helped the wicked. There was no reason for her to stay.
Xiao Ze gently patted her hand. "Don't worry. With me here, I'll never let anyone bully you again."
With that, Xiao Ze spread his dazzling Dou Qi wings and lifted them both into the air.
Below, the mercenaries prostrated themselves, their heads pressed to the ground. Nobody dared open their eyes. Only after Xiao Ze had gone far away did they dare breathe a sigh of relief.
Xiao Ze didn't leave Green Mountain Town right away. Instead, he flew over the headquarters of a mercenary group.
He'd once told Mu She that as long as Mu She didn't cross the line, Mu She could walk his sunny road, and Xiao Ze would walk his narrow bridge.
But by sheer coincidence, Mu She's son had dared set his sights on Xiao Ze. Well, he was sorry, but that was that.
The group leader had only the strength of a two-star Dou Shi. To Xiao Ze, he was no different from an ant.
Xiao Ze's Dou Emperor pressure surged down like a raging flood. Everything in its path shattered, and even space could no longer bear the strain, developing fine cracks.
A chorus of shrill screams rang out. In an instant, more than a hundred members of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group were slaughtered.
From beginning to end, the Wolf Head Mercenary Group never even saw what Xiao Ze looked like before they perished there.
Only after finishing all this did Xiao Ze contentedly take Xiao Yi Xian back to the Xiao Clan.
At the Xiao Clan, when Xiao Zhan told the clan members that Xiao Ze was engaged, everyone had different thoughts.
Since Xiao Ze had been born with weak meridians and couldn't cultivate, he was practically invisible in the Xiao Clan. If the clan leader hadn't mentioned him, they might not even have known he existed.
His engagement now was certainly unexpected.
But no matter what, he was the clan leader's son. They ought to show him some respect.
"Elder Ling, what do you think about Xiao Ze's engagement?"
In the Xiao Clan's rear courtyard, Xun Er gazed into the distance, her heart uneasy.
As the person closest to him, Xun Er simply couldn't accept this outcome.
"I'm not sure either. But before Young Master Xiao Ze left, I saw him fly away. His strength seemed to have reached the Dou Emperor level..."
"Dou Emperor?" At that, confusion appeared on Xun Er's troubled face. "Elder Ling, are you sure you didn't see wrong?"
"I saw it with my own eyes. I couldn't possibly be mistaken," Ling Ying said with absolute certainty.
"Brother Xiao Ze, what else have you kept from Xun Er..."
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