"Flender, what are you doing here?!"
Seeing Flender supporting the gravely wounded Dai Mubai and Tang San, Ning Rongrong and the others tensed at once, instinctively edging forward.
They moved in perfect unison to shield Xiao Yexuan. Ning Rongrong was especially quick, pulling a distress flare from her Storage Soul Tool in an instant.
If they hadn't been inside, where the cramped space made it unsuitable to set off, she probably would have lit it and sent it flying already.
When Flender saw what Ning Rongrong was doing, the corner of his mouth twitched sharply, and his expression turned awkward.
Ning Rongrong really was loaded. She had already set off a flare at the alley entrance earlier, summoning countless Soul Masters to help.
Barely any time had passed, and now that she saw him, she wanted to set off another flare for help.
But Flender hadn't come to cause trouble for Xiao Yexuan and the others. He was frantic with worry, fine beads of sweat gathering on his forehead. He only wanted to find someone from the Nine Hearts Begonia Clan to treat his students.
Flender hurriedly waved at Ning Rongrong and spoke in a rushed voice:
"Do I look like I have time to waste here with you?"
"Where's Clan Leader Ye? Get him out here, quickly!"
"My two students are badly injured and urgently need his Nine Heart Begonia Martial Soul to treat them!"
"The wounds on those two are burns."
"That aura of flames... Could it be that Master was the one who struck?"
Looking at the charred, hideous wounds on Tang San and Dai Mubai, Xiao Yexuan could even smell the faint scent of burned flesh. A warmth spread through his heart.
So his teacher, Liu Erlong, had been silently protecting him from the shadows all along.
Tang San and Dai Mubai had dared to bully him like this. They were simply courting death.
Xiao Yexuan quickly put the pieces together and guessed the truth.
If Flender hadn't arrived in time, Tang San and Dai Mubai would probably have been killed by the enraged Liu Erlong.
"Sir, do you know them?"
Ye Lingling had keenly noticed Xiao Yexuan's change in mood, as well as the undisguised anger on the faces of Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong. She hurriedly asked.
Xiao Wu curled her lip, her lovely peach-blossom eyes full of scorn and fury. "Of course we know them. We know them all too well!"
"These two charred lumps of coal tried to kill our young master not long ago!"
"If Rongrong hadn't used the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's distress signal in time and scared them off—"
"Given our situation back then, facing Dai Mubai and Tang San, those two treacherous villains, would have been very dangerous."
"After all, the Hidden Weapons in Tang San's hands are vicious and sinister, impossible to guard against."
Xiao Wu added, still shaken, her voice tinged with lingering fear:
"Luckily, we didn't actually fight back then. If Tang San had used the Godly Zhuge Crossbow—"
"Our young master definitely wouldn't have been able to dodge it. The consequences would have been unthinkable!"
Ye Lingling heard every word clearly. Her delicate brows knitted together, and anger flashed across her face.
In her eyes, Xiao Yexuan was a selfless, high-minded man—the best person in the world.
Tang San and Dai Mubai had actually tried to kill him. They were utterly wicked!
Just then, two people hurried into the room from outside. They were members of the Nine Hearts Begonia Clan.
When they saw Flender had returned, they froze for a moment, a flicker of surprise passing through their eyes.
Then their gazes fell on the two people burned beyond recognition. Both wore troubled expressions. They exchanged a glance, and each saw the same helplessness in the other's eyes.
One of them braced himself and said, "Senior, we're terribly sorry."
"Our clan leader had to leave on business. He isn't at the Nine Hearts Begonia Clan right now."
At that, Flender's face turned deathly pale. His heart sank as if someone had doused him with a bucket of cold water. He hurried a step forward and asked in a panic:
"When will he be back?"
"My two disciples won't last even three days with these injuries!"
The two clan members hurriedly shook their heads and replied helplessly, "The clan leader was invited to make a trip to the Star Dou Forest."
"The round trip will take at least half a month."
Flender felt as if he'd been struck by lightning. He stumbled back two steps and plunged into despair.
Half a month?
Tang San and Dai Mubai were already as weak as candles flickering in the wind. They probably wouldn't last even three days!
Just as Flender was losing hope, his gaze suddenly swept across the crowd and landed on Ye Lingling, standing beside Xiao Yexuan.
His eyes lit up, as if a drowning man had grabbed hold of a lifeline, and hope rekindled on his face.
Flender suddenly remembered that when the Shrek Team had fought the Imperial Fighting Team at the Great Soul Arena in Suotuo City, this young girl had been there.
Her Martial Soul was also the Nine Heart Begonia!
The Nine Heart Begonia's healing abilities were renowned throughout the world. Though Ye Lingling had only three Soul Rings, far fewer than the clan leader, she should still be more than capable of treating Tang San and Dai Mubai's injuries.
Flender hurried over to Ye Lingling, forcing a pleading look onto his face as he spoke urgently:
"You're Ye Lingling, aren't you?"
"I know your Martial Soul is also the Nine Heart Begonia. Please, hurry and treat my students!"
"Isn't this place a clinic? Treating the sick and saving lives is your duty!"
But Ye Lingling gently shook her head. Her clear eyes were resolute, and her voice was firm, leaving no room for discussion:
"Although our Nine Hearts Begonia Clan is devoted to treating the sick and saving lives, and is always charitable—"
"I will never save those two!"
"They harbored wicked intentions and tried to kill our young master. Do you even know how great he is?"
"Those two have really gotten too big for their boots. They're utterly reckless!"
"To hurt our young master is to court death!"
"I absolutely won't save those treacherous villains. Saving them would be like releasing tigers back into the mountains. They'd only keep harming the world!"
"In my opinion, the best ending for people like them is to die!"
After hearing Ye Lingling's words, the corner of Flender's mouth twitched sharply, and his face darkened like a storm cloud.
His cold, venomous gaze settled on Xiao Yexuan, surrounded by the others. His eyes were full of hatred and resentment.
That detestable Xiao Yexuan had such an overwhelming charm!
What on earth had he done to the women around him?
How had even Ye Lingling, usually so aloof and taciturn, become like this?
Flender ground his teeth in fury and clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
Liu Erlong's complete reversal in her attitude toward him had also come down to meeting Xiao Yexuan.
If he ever got the chance, he wouldn't hesitate to kill Xiao Yexuan on the spot and sate his hatred!
Before you continue