My Name Is Little Nannan

Phoenix Cry Town, Phoenix Cry Tavern, third floor.

The little girl's bright eyes stayed fixed on Chen Qiye, as though she wanted to see right through him.

In Chen Qiye's eyes, she saw care and warmth. Her dead heart seemed to have been brushed by a gentle spring breeze, and amidst the coldness, a trace of warmth emerged.

A fragrant breeze wafted over, carrying the enticing aroma of the delicacies on the table. The little girl's stomach grumbled helplessly.

"Little girl, eat quickly. Stop staring blankly."

"Thank you, Uncle. I'm not called Little Girl. My name is Little Nannan." The little girl thanked him politely, then paused slightly and tried to take off Chen Qiye's robe, afraid of dirtying the pure white garment.

"It's cold. Keep it on."

Chen Qiye smiled, but his heart was deeply shaken. Little Nannan... Could this stubborn little girl before me be the future Ruthless Great Emperor?

Then he smiled. The Ruthless Great Emperor had severed the Long River of time, while he had traveled upstream and saved Little Nannan from Li Chengfeng's hands. It all seemed so natural.

Little Nannan watched Chen Qiye as she slowly brought food to her little mouth, her gaze never leaving him.

Chen Qiye pushed all the dishes on the table before her. "Eat whatever you want."

"Uncle, aren't you eating?"

"I'm not hungry."

Chen Qiye smiled faintly. From the corner of his eye, he saw a rapid series of footsteps coming up the stairs, followed by two burly men clad entirely in black armor.

"Black Armor Guards. They're from the White Family in the southern city."

"I didn't expect even the White Family to come for this Southern Isle Sect selection."

"The Southern Isle Sect is second only to Northern Azure Grotto-Heaven within three thousand li of Phoenix Cry. It's normal for the White Family to come. Rumor has it that Bai Ningbing opened his Sea of Bitterness at sixteen..."

The guests on the third floor began whispering among themselves at the sight.

Soon after, a handsome youth in white robes and a young man in a long yellow robe came upstairs.

"It really is Bai Ningbing!" Bai Ningbing sat by the window, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

Only Chen Qiye's gaze passed over Bai Ningbing and fell on the young man sitting beside him.

This young man looked to be around twenty. A long sword was strapped to his back, and his eyes were half-closed. Not a trace of a cultivator's aura emanated from him.

Sword intent restrained within—he's an expert who has deeply cultivated the sword path!

Chen Qiye was startled. Possessing the sword intent of the Heavenly Sword Art, he was especially sensitive to the path of the sword. He could clearly sense that this young man's realm was above his own—at least a cultivator who had erected a Divine Bridge, perhaps even higher...

Just then, someone murmured in surprise.

"That young man... doesn't he look a bit like Imperial Sword?"

"Imperial Sword? What Imperial Sword?" Everyone blinked, clearly having never heard of him. Was there someone called Imperial Sword in the southern city?

Still, anyone able to share a table with Bai Ningbing could not be an ordinary cultivator.

"Northern Azure's Imperial Sword, Ye Guxue!"

The moment those words were spoken, everyone was shocked.

If the title Imperial Sword was unfamiliar, then Northern Azure's Ye Guxue was renowned far and wide!

Northern Azure did not refer to Northern Azure Grotto-Heaven, but Northern Azure City. Northern Azure City was the largest prefectural city within three thousand li of the Phoenix Cry Mountains. It spanned the mouth of Three-Fork Lake and lay within the Central Plains territory under the Evolving Immortal Dynasty's jurisdiction. Northern Azure's Imperial Sword Ye Guxue, Tian Nan Lingxu, and Fang Yuan of the Fang Family were all famous young prodigies of Northern Azure City, and were the ones most likely to reach the Transforming Dragon Mystic Realm before the age of fifty. Compared to them, Bai Ningbing and Li Xianyun were nothing more than minor figures.

"Brother Ye?" Bai Ningbing frowned slightly and saw that Ye Guxue's gaze had already fixed on Chen Qiye and Little Nannan at the other end.

Ye Guxue ignored Bai Ningbing. His arrogance was famous throughout Northern Azure City, just like his name: solitary, proud drifting snow.

His figure flashed, and everyone was startled to see that Ye Guxue had already arrived at Chen Qiye's table.

"Shrinking the Earth into an Inch! At least the Dao Palace realm!"

Someone with sharp eyes exclaimed, "A Dao Palace expert at twenty years old—he truly deserves the title Imperial Sword."

Before the man arrived, the wind came first.

Little Nannan was slightly startled and hurriedly stood up, then sat close beside Chen Qiye, her little hand tightly clutching the corner of his robe.

Ye Guxue looked ordinary—not ugly, but not handsome either—and lacked the air of a cultivator. With his dark complexion set against his long yellow robe, he looked somewhat like a food delivery rider.

"You scared her." Chen Qiye raised his eyes and looked at the young man before him.

The moment those words were spoken, everyone on the third floor shuddered. They could all hear the displeasure in Chen Qiye's tone, and their gazes involuntarily turned toward him in the corner, their eyes carrying varying degrees of fear.

Not everyone dared to speak to a cultivator in such a tone.

"Uncle?" Little Nannan shrank back, hiding her little face behind Chen Qiye's arm.

"Don't be afraid. Uncle is here." Chen Qiye gently rubbed Little Nannan's head, then turned his gaze to Ye Guxue and saw him cup his hands slightly. "Friend, may I sit down?"

Everyone was stunned upon hearing this. Bai Ningbing raised his brows in surprise. He actually cupped his hands? A man who did not even regard the Ye Family patriarch with any importance was greeting a young man in this little place with a cupped-hands salute? Bai Ningbing found it hard to believe.

When Bai Ningbing looked at Chen Qiye again, his gaze was filled with slight wariness. This person was probably not simple.

"No."

No? As those two words fell, the third floor of Phoenix Cry Tavern fell utterly silent.

Then, everyone's expressions became even more astonished as Ye Guxue broke into a smile and said apologetically, "I was presumptuous. My apologies."

My apologies?

Clang!

The teacup in Bai Ningbing's hand fell to the floor, spilling tea everywhere.

"Heavens, what is going on?"

Bai Ningbing's eyes were full of disbelief. Only after Ye Guxue slowly returned did he ask in a low voice, "Brother Ye, who is that man? Could he be..."

"Don't know him." Ye Guxue was sparing with words as he gave Chen Qiye a deep look.

Bai Ningbing was utterly dumbfounded. He looked at Ye Guxue as if he were looking at a monster. Are you still that proud drifting snow?

"He's terrifying." Ye Guxue uttered four words. One of the Black Armor Guards beside him frowned. "He's only a Wheel and Sea cultivator. How terrifying can he be?"

"Killing you would be like killing a chicken." Ye Guxue tossed out that sentence and said no more.

The two Black Armor Guards' expressions turned exceedingly ugly. They were the White Family's strongest guards and had long entered the Dao Palace realm, opening three of the Five Viscera Divine Treasuries.

Yet before Ye Guxue, they did not dare argue.

Among everyone present, only these three knew that Ye Guxue had already entered the Transforming Dragon Mystic Realm. He was far stronger than the other two geniuses who shared his fame and was a true figure capable of challenging the Immortal Platform Realm. Even holy land holy sons were no more than this.

In the Phoenix Cry Mountains region, Ye Guxue was without question the number one young cultivator.

"Uncle, I'm full." Little Nannan's little mouth was smeared with grease.

"Mm." Chen Qiye nodded. Just as he was about to rise and leave, stomping footsteps sounded again.

A man who looked under thirty came up the stairs. He resembled Li Chengfeng by seventy percent, but his entire body exuded a cold aura.

Upon seeing him, the guests on the third floor hurriedly stood and said in unison, "Greetings, Young Master Li."

"I didn't expect Young Master Bai and Young Master Ye to arrive first."

Li Xianyun swept his gaze around before it finally settled on Bai Ningbing and Ye Guxue, his expression changing slightly.

Then an old man with a gaunt face followed behind him. The moment he stepped onto the third floor, his sinister gaze immediately swept toward Chen Qiye. His eerie voice sounded. "Young Master Yun, this is the aura."

"Interesting. Someone in Phoenix Cry Town actually dared to rob a disciple of my Li Clan."

Li Xianyun strode forward. The corner of his eye glanced at Chen Qiye as he sneered. "Elder Ge, Chengfeng may be my clansman, but he is ultimately Grandmaster Mo Shan's personal disciple. You'll have to reclaim that dignity yourselves."

As he spoke, Li Xianyun had already arrived before Bai Ningbing. "Young Master Bai, you don't mind if I sit here, do you?"

"Whatever." Bai Ningbing's gaze was indifferent.

Ye Guxue had already closed his eyes, too lazy to even spare Li Xianyun another glance. A trace of anger flashed through Li Xianyun's eyes, but he did not dare say much.

After hearing Li Xianyun's previous words, everyone else had already begun thinking of leaving. Phoenix Cry Tavern might have a great reputation, but these people were all formidable figures from the Phoenix Cry Mountains region. The tavern's owner could not keep them in check.

If a fight broke out, innocent people could easily be caught up in it.

"Ge Tianfeng, right? My White Family has a stake in Phoenix Cry Tavern too. If you break anything, you'll have to compensate us." Bai Ningbing refilled his teacup, his gaze carrying a hint of disdain. "Still, I advise you not to make a move."

"Oh? Does Young Master Bai intend to protect that man?" Ge Tianfeng was Grandmaster Mo Shan's old servant. Although his status was inferior to Bai Ningbing's, he had long reached the Other Shore, one step into the Dao Palace realm. His strength was greater than Bai Ningbing's.

Moreover, this was Phoenix Cry Town—Grandmaster Mo Shan's territory.

Li Xianyun narrowed his eyes at Bai Ningbing as well. Bai Ningbing merely shrugged and sneered. "I'm afraid you'll get beaten to death, and no one will compensate us."