Danger in the Marketplace, Two Dou Masters Killed in an Instant!

Wutan City, Xiao Family marketplace.

A crowd of onlookers gathered in front of a shop called Xiao Clinic, watching the spectacle. Two middle-aged men were shouting at the entrance, "Bah! You Xiao Family clinic killed someone and refuse to admit it. Poor my old father..." The taller man wiped away tears, threw himself over the motionless old man lying on the ground, and began to wail.

The shorter man continued to clamor, demanding the clinic owner come out and pay compensation, threatening to report them to the City Lord's Mansion otherwise.

Xiao Chen frowned at the farce nearby. He had been cultivating for the past three months and it was rare to have time today to take Xiao Xun'er out for fun, yet he had run into this.

"Brother Xiao Chen, let's change streets!"

Xiao Xun'er did not want to waste this rare opportunity to be out, so she grabbed Xiao Chen's hand and prepared to leave. As for who died or how they died? What did that have to do with her, Xiao Xun'er?

Xiao Chen nodded upon hearing this. This matter had nothing to do with him, so he naturally had no intention of interfering. He would rather spend that time accompanying Xiao Xun'er.

However, before they had gone far, their path was blocked. The person blocking him was the middle-aged man who had been shouting just moments ago.

The man somehow spotted Xiao Chen, rushed straight over, knelt before him, and began to kowtow like a pestle pounding garlic, crying out, "You must be Young Master Xiao Chen! Young Master Xiao Chen, please, you must uphold justice for me!!"

"I cannot help you. Since you recognize me, you must know that I am merely a side-branch disciple of the Xiao Family and have no authority to intervene in the management of the marketplace!"

Xiao Chen pulled Xiao Xun'er back two steps, avoiding the man's kowtowing. He was not lying; as a side-branch disciple, he truly had no standing to interfere with the marketplace's administration.

Yet, the man did not seem to think so. He crawled forward on his knees, approaching Xiao Chen while wailing loudly, "Young Master Xiao Chen, please have mercy and help this lowly one!"

Xiao Chen's expression grew increasingly grim. He glanced around and realized they were surrounded by the crowd of onlookers, leaving no path for retreat.

As the man continued to close in, a sharp glint flashed in Xiao Chen's eyes. He channeled his Dou Qi to execute the Mountain Crushing Palm, striking directly at the man's face.

The man clearly had not expected Xiao Chen to be so decisive. In his haste, he channeled his Dou Qi, manifesting a thin layer of Dou Qi armor around his body.

The palm, wrapped in gale-force wind, struck the armor, sending ripples across its surface, but it could not advance any further.

Seeing this, the man's eyes filled with mockery, as if laughing at Xiao Chen's overestimation of his own strength.

However, the next second, a burst of golden flame erupted from Xiao Chen's palm. The seemingly indestructible Dou Qi armor melted away like snowflakes before the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Watching the golden flame easily pierce his defense, the man's pupils contracted violently, and he instinctively channeled his Dou Qi to resist.

Alas, he had vastly overestimated his own strength. How could a mere Dou Shi withstand the might of the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame?

In the span of a single breath, the man's figure vanished into nothingness under the scorching flames, not even leaving behind a pinch of ash.

"You... you actually killed him to silence him! Everyone saw it, this is how the Xiao Family operates!!"

The other man, seeing this, scrambled away in terror, diving into the crowd and attempting to incite the onlookers to condemn Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen ignored the man's words. He let go of Xiao Xun'er's hand, transformed into a golden streak of flame, and charged into the crowd. He raised his hand and struck the back of the man's head, "You die too!!"

The golden flames coiled around Xiao Chen's palm, meeting no resistance as they easily shattered the thin layer of Dou Qi armor and killed the man on the spot.

"With only this much skill, you dare to come and kill me?"

Xiao Chen stepped over the headless corpse, his eyes sweeping across the crowd with killing intent. Everyone caught in his gaze began to retreat, terrified that Xiao Chen might be in the mood for more killing and take them out as well.

Xiao Xun'er finally snapped out of it. She rushed to Xiao Chen's side, her eyes brimming with tears as she choked out, "I'm sorry, Brother Xiao Chen. It's all my fault for being willful and insisting on coming to Wutan City to play, almost putting you in danger!"

"Don't cry, don't cry, look, I'm perfectly fine!"

Watching Xiao Xun'er cry like a flower in the rain, Xiao Chen was suddenly at a loss. He wasn't afraid of killing, but he was truly terrified of Xiao Xun'er's tears.

In his past life, Xiao Chen was a loner who had no idea how to comfort girls. Now, tasked with cheering her up, he had no idea where to start.

Seeing Xiao Chen's words fail to stop her tears, they continued to fall like rain. Xiao Chen was completely flustered.

Perhaps a wire in his brain snapped, but on a whim, Xiao Chen lifted his hands to cup Xiao Xun'er's face and pressed his lips against hers.

Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Xiao Xun'er's mind went blank. After an unknown amount of time, a flustered Xiao Chen pulled away. However, this action worked; Xiao Xun'er finally stopped crying, though she kept her head down, not daring to look at him.

Fortunately, Xiao Chen was thick-skinned enough to act as if nothing had happened. He kicked the headless corpse at his feet and shouted sternly, "Where is the manager of the Xiao Family marketplace? Come out and see me!!"

"Y-Young Master Xiao Chen, I am the manager of the Xiao Family marketplace. This was my negligence, and I am willing to accept punishment!"

Under Xiao Chen's gaze, a pot-bellied man in his forties squeezed out of the crowd and fell to his knees before him.

The manager's forehead was covered in beads of sweat. He knew of Xiao Chen's reputation and was well aware of how important this nine-year-old Dou Zhe was to the Xiao Family.

Now that this genius, whom the entire family viewed as their future, had nearly been assassinated in his jurisdiction, the Clan Head would surely skin him alive if he found out.

He could only hope that the young master would show mercy and plead for him, sparing his life in light of his years of hard work managing the marketplace.

Xiao Chen stared coldly at the trembling man. After a full three seconds, he spoke slowly, "Get up. This isn't entirely your fault. I called you out just to have you clean up the scene!"

"As for your punishment, wait until the family has investigated the matter thoroughly; the Clan Head will decide."

Leaving those words behind, Xiao Chen didn't even glance at him again, took Xiao Xun'er's hand, and turned to leave.

The dense crowd, seeing Xiao Chen approach, scattered to make way for him. Such is the privilege of the strong.