Treacherous

"That Chen Xiao is quite the interesting character."

In a private room on the third floor of the Heavenly Abode, a young man in green robes couldn't help but laugh. "It seems this top playboy of Moon-Gazing City isn't entirely useless. If it were that fellow from our own family, he would have probably been shouting to clear the place out by now, wouldn't he?"

"Fifth Brother, you're mistaken there." Sitting opposite the green-robed youth was a boy of sixteen or seventeen. He had a fair complexion and a slender build, giving off an impression of fragility, as if a gust of wind could knock him over.

"Oh? Why don't you enlighten me, Little Seven?" Fifth Brother raised an eyebrow, looking at the boy with a playful smile.

"Because of Nangong Wenyue, Chen Xiao is clearly at odds with the Nangong Family. How could he possibly be so generous as to send Heavenly Mystery Stones to them? I suspect the Nangong Family won't even see a single low-grade stone this time."

Little Seven smiled faintly and spoke at a leisurely pace.

"Haha, that is true." Hearing Little Seven's words, Fifth Brother laughed heartily. "But the Nangong Family is known as the 'Southern Overlord' of the Glazed Heaven. They likely wouldn't even spare a glance for a few measly Heavenly Mystery Stones."

"Fifth Brother, don't be so quick to conclude." Little Seven shook his head. "If this situation were to fall upon our family, and Second Brother and the others happened to find out, what do you think would happen?"

Fifth Brother didn't answer, but a look of gratified approval appeared on his face.

"This Chen Xiao—I should find an opportunity to befriend him."

"Third Young Master, that was a brilliant move!"

As they walked to the third floor, Li Changqi couldn't help but give Chen Xiao a thumbs-up.

"This is only the beginning. If that piece of trash from the Nangong Family gets wind of this, he'll probably come running to clear the place out, won't he?"

Chen Xiao chuckled with a smirk.

Bei Yu Xian's entourage had been arranged in the second-floor hall, while Chen Xiao and the others each brought one high-cultivation personal guard to the third-floor private rooms. Naturally, Mengmeng served as Chen Xiao's personal guard.

"Third Young Master, what do you mean by that?"

Bei Yu Xian and the other two looked at Chen Xiao with slight surprise.

The private rooms were isolated by formations. Here, with only the four playboys and their trusted confidants present, Chen Xiao decided to speak plainly.

Chen Xiao's expression turned serious. "Moon-Gazing City hasn't been peaceful these past few days. Many big shots have arrived in secret. Don't say I didn't warn you—while causing trouble is our specialty, keep your eyes peeled these next few days. Don't provoke people you shouldn't."

Upon hearing Chen Xiao's remark that "causing trouble is our specialty," the three guards behind Bei Yu Xian, Canghai Chengkong, and Li Changqi couldn't help but roll their eyes.

This City Lord's third son certainly had character.

However, when they heard what Chen Xiao said next, they couldn't help but hold him in higher regard. They knew exactly what their own young masters were like, and yet this Chen Xiao, the pinnacle of playboys in Moon-Gazing City, actually possessed such foresight?

Their own masters might be playboys, but they were surely ten times better than this waste who only had the cultivation of the Qi Refining stage. Yet, Bei Yu Xian and the others hadn't noticed the changes in the city at all—or more accurately, they hadn't taken those changes to heart.

Yet, this top playboy of Moon-Gazing City had noticed it all.

These three guards were not loyal to their respective families, but to the young masters before them. Unlike the entourage on the second floor, they were the true confidants of their young masters. As their masters grew, became family elders, or—if they were lucky enough to win the succession struggle—became the family head, these guards would become their core inner circle.

Of course, such treatment was reserved only for the direct descendants of great families. In other words, if they weren't the sons of the family head, why would they be allowed to roam the streets and act recklessly?

Therefore, Chen Xiao felt quite secure with these three. At the very least, the Bei Yu and Canghai families were already tied to the Chen Clan. Although the Li Family was an affiliate of the Nangong Family, in his previous life, it was Li Changqi who first received the news and joined others to report it, and Li Changqi's confidant had died in that very incident.

"Third Young Master, our families are the biggest in these thousand miles of Moon-Gazing City. Who else would dare offend us?"

Canghai Chengkong was somewhat confused. At that moment, he was secretly sighing at the graceful figure of Mengmeng; it was a pity that such a beautiful silhouette was marred by a terrifying birthmark on her face.

"Three days ago, two Mahayana Realm cultivators fought in the city. One of them was an envoy from the Glazed Heaven Palace. The other party dared to fight them regardless of the consequences. What do you think other cultivators would conclude after hearing this news?"

"There's something fishy!" Bei Yu Xian was the first to speak. "A Mahayana Void Immortal expert first approached the City Lord, and upon meeting the powerhouse from the Glazed Heaven Palace, immediately engaged in a fierce battle. If there were no profit involved, who would risk offending the Glazed Heaven Palace? Therefore, there must be something in Moon-Gazing City that a Mahayana expert would risk offending the Glazed Heaven Palace to obtain."

The other two suddenly realized the truth.

"Exactly. That alone is enough to incite various factions to make a move." Chen Xiao nodded. "You must realize that while Moon-Gazing City is not small, looking at the entire Xuhe Realm, or even the Glazed Heaven, it is merely a backwater town."

"If that's the case, wouldn't we be in great danger? And as for our families..." Canghai Chengkong was a bit worried.

"Don't worry. It's just two Mahayana cultivators fighting; it's not worth those major powers sending their true experts." Chen Xiao shook his head. "Those who have arrived in Moon-Gazing City now are likely just peripheral members. We just need to be careful and not provoke them."

Chen Xiao was spot on. Aside from a few individuals, most of those who had arrived in Moon-Gazing City were merely peripheral members. Although many had guessed Nangong Xiangyan's identity, if there were truly a massive profit at stake, the Nangong Family would have sent more than just a Mahayana-stage Nangong Xiangyan—they would have sent Immortals.

Thus, the major factions of the Glazed Heaven hadn't paid much attention, merely sending some cultivators to scout. After all, the Nangong Family was a top-tier clan within the Glazed Heaven.

Hearing Chen Xiao's words, Li Changqi, Canghai Chengkong, and Bei Yu Xian finally breathed a sigh of relief. The three of them were incorrigible playboys, and their thinking was naturally led by Chen Xiao.

To be precise, the three had always taken Chen Xiao as their core. Though Chen Xiao was a playboy, he had more schemes than the other three. In the past, Chen Xiao had played the role of the "dog-headed strategist" among the four, full of devious tricks.

"As for offending people, let the Nangong Family handle that."

Chen Xiao leaned comfortably against the soft fur cushions. "Nangong Wenyang should be here soon. Heh, once he arrives, he'll offend every cultivator in this restaurant. The factions behind them alone will be enough to give the Nangong Family a headache."

Chen Xiao's eyes darted around. This was an open move, but in the shadows, he had also dispatched Ao Xie and the others to assassinate members of the Nangong Family. If Nangong Wenyang were to intervene now, Moon-Gazing City would be plunged into chaos.

Seeing the look in Chen Xiao's eyes, Canghai Chengkong and the others couldn't help but shiver. For the first time, they realized that this like-minded third son of the City Lord was actually so sinister. It was fortunate they were on his side; otherwise, they wouldn't even know how they had been done in.

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