"What exactly happened to the Xiao Clan?" Xiao Meng asked breathlessly. Before he knew it, cold sweat was streaming down his forehead. Dad, please don't let anything happen to you!
"Young Master, during the month you were gone, our Xiao Clan was bullied terribly," a guard said indignantly.
Xiao Meng: "?????"
"We were bullied, and that's why a grown man in his forties or fifties like you is bawling your eyes out? How fragile are you?" Xiao Meng wanted nothing more than to kill this bastard.
"My father and the others are all right, aren't they?" Xiao Meng took a deep breath and asked.
"The Clan Chief and the others are fine. They only suffered some injuries," a guard said.
Xiao Meng: "I %#&%@..."
"These bastards nearly scared me to death." Xiao Meng had no time to beat this group of guards senseless and rushed toward where his father lived.
"Dad! Dad!" Before he even entered, Xiao Meng shouted loudly.
Inside, Xiao Zhan, who had been worrying, heard the familiar voice and immediately rushed out the door. The moment he saw Xiao Meng hurrying over, he was overwhelmed with emotion.
"You brat, you finally remembered to come back," Xiao Zhan scolded with feigned anger.
"Dad, which bastard injured you like this?" Seeing Xiao Zhan's injuries, a chilling gleam surged in Xiao Meng's eyes, and murderous intent rolled off him.
"Let's go inside first," Xiao Zhan said.
Soon, Xiao Zhan told him everything that had happened over the past few days.
"That old turtle Jia Lie Bi deserves to die!"
Xiao Meng's eyes turned fierce, cold light flashing within them as he said sharply, "Dad, wait here. I'll go wipe out the Gale Clan right now."
Xiao Zhan hurriedly grabbed him. "Don't rush. Unless it comes to the worst, I don't want you to act."
Now that Xiao Meng had returned, the Xiao Clan's morale would stabilize. As for whether he needed to intervene, they could wait until the crisis point. After all, Xiao Zhan knew Xiao Meng was not particularly strong. If the trump cards on him did not need to be used, then they should not be used. At a critical moment, they could still save his life.
"Dad, don't worry. I have plenty of trump cards. Killing a few hundred Da Dou Shi would be easy, let alone the Gale Clan, which doesn't even have several hundred people. Wiping them out would take no effort at all," Xiao Meng said.
Xiao Zhan froze for a moment, but still shook his head. "Third, there's no need to use trump cards yet. Besides, if you openly wipe out the Gale Clan, it will cause a huge stir. That would be extremely unfavorable for both you and the rest of the Xiao Clan."
"The tallest tree catches the strongest wind."
Xiao Zhan said seriously, "If we destroy them ourselves, no one will have much to say. At most, they'll think our Xiao Clan is far stronger than the Gale Clan. Aside from making the people of Wutan City fear us, it won't draw the vigilance of the Misty Cloud Sect or other factions."
Xiao Meng frowned. His father was right, but this grievance was hard to swallow.
Before long, news of his return caused a huge commotion in the Xiao Clan. The elders and many direct descendants all hurried over, immensely excited.
"Haha, Third, we've been waiting for you to return," they said. Seeing Xiao Meng, the stone hanging over everyone's hearts finally fell.
"Elders, if Xiao Meng has ever been disrespectful toward you in the past, I apologize here and ask for your forgiveness." From Xiao Zhan, he had learned that all the Xiao Clan elders had stood united this time and fought for the clan with their lives. He felt it was necessary to apologize for some of his past behavior, because elders like these deserved his respect.
The atmosphere in the hall briefly stiffened. The First Elder was the first to break the silence, laughing as he said, "Brat, if anyone should apologize, it should be us elders. If not for what you said back then, all of us would have become sinners of the Xiao Clan. Even in death, we would have had no face to meet the Xiao Clan's ancestors."
"Just as you said, you can't write two different Xiao characters with one stroke. We're family, so what is there to apologize for? Let the past drift away with the wind. When you really think about it, we elders only feel ashamed," the Ninth Elder said with a laugh.
Seeing this change in the Xiao Clan, Xiao Zhan felt gratified. If a clan wanted to survive longer in this world where the strong preyed on the weak, it had to learn to huddle together for warmth and stand tightly united.
Together, they would resist foreign enemies.
After some discussion, Xiao Zhan voiced his thoughts. Unless absolutely necessary, Xiao Meng would not be allowed to act. Of course, he did not reveal Xiao Meng's true strength, lest it unsettle people's hearts.
He merely said that he did not want Xiao Meng to appear too exceptional, lest he draw the vigilance of other factions and bring even greater trouble upon the Xiao Clan.
After considering it, all the elders unanimously agreed.
Night fell, and starlight blanketed the sky, pure and bright. It was like auspicious snow fluttering through the air, or white jade descending from above, draping the earth in an illusory veil of silver.
After leaving the hall where Xiao Zhan lived, Xiao Meng planned to visit Xiao Yan. He knew very well that the ones who had saved the Xiao Clan during the day were Xiao Yan and Yao Lao.
He simply did not understand why Yao Lao had not killed Jia Lie Bi and had instead allowed that old bastard to survive.
But just as he reached the halfway point, he encountered Xiao Yan, dressed in a black robe and cautiously sneaking back.
"Third Brother? When did you come back?" Xiao Yan froze upon seeing Xiao Meng. At the same time, Yao Lao immediately withdrew from Xiao Yan's body, turning into a streak of white light and entering the ring, allowing Xiao Yan to regain control of his body.
"Your injuries are serious." Xiao Meng's expression darkened. He now roughly understood why Yao Lao had not killed Jia Lie Bi.
Xiao Yan took off his black robe and smiled bitterly. "That bastard Jia Lie Ao bit me hard. It'll take some time for me to recover."
"Then focus on recovering. Leave the rest to me. I'll make the Gale Clan disappear from Wutan City," Xiao Meng said with chilling murderous intent.
"Third Brother, can you leave the Gale Clan to me?"
Xiao Yan scratched his head and said, "I may not have the strength to destroy them right now, but once I recover, I can still make them feel fear. Besides, that would be far more painful than simply wiping them out."
Xiao Meng frowned. "Can you beat Liu Xi's master now?"
"That old bastard is a Third-Grade Alchemist. How could I possibly beat him right now?"
Xiao Yan then grinned. "But a Third-Grade Alchemist without medicinal ingredients is another matter entirely."
Xiao Meng paused, then chuckled. "So you just went to discuss business with the Mittel Auction House."
"Hehe, nothing can be hidden from you, Third Brother," Xiao Yan said with a smile.
Xiao Meng rolled his eyes. "You only got the Mittel Auction House to stop supplying medicinal ingredients to the Gale Clan. But don't forget that Liu Xi's master is a Third-Grade Alchemist. With his connections, getting medicinal ingredients from elsewhere won't be difficult. At most, it will take some time. You can't let your guard down."
"Don't worry, Third Brother. I've considered that too, so I plan to have Teacher refine some Third-Grade Pills that can increase cultivation for me first, helping Dad and the others raise their strength. That way, I'll have more time to deal with them. And after my injuries recover, I'll try to advance to Second-Grade Alchemist. Then I can slowly deal with them," Xiao Yan said.
"A Second-Grade Alchemist? With your cultivation as a Dou Zhe, how are you going to advance to Second-Grade Alchemist?" Xiao Meng asked doubtfully.
Hearing that, Xiao Yan grinned. "Not long ago, I found a fiery-red crystal in the Xiao Clan's back mountain. I accidentally swallowed it, and it transformed into a flame. That flame is quite special. Back when I only had Dou Qi, I relied on it to refine a First-Grade Pill."
"Fire Essence?"
Xiao Meng was stunned. The moment Xiao Yan mentioned a fiery-red crystal, he immediately thought of Fire Essence. Back when he had collected Fire Essence, he had once lost one piece. At the time, he had thought a bird had carried it away.
Now, it seemed it had most likely been blown away by the wind.
He just had not expected that thing could be swallowed, much less transform into a flame.
Next, Xiao Yan summoned the flame. It was the size of a palm-leaf fan and gave off intense heat.
"All right. Since you're confident you can deal with Liu Xi's master, I won't interfere in the Gale Clan's affairs for now," Xiao Meng said after thinking it over.
Xiao Meng paused before adding, "I'll be at home during this time. If you need anything, tell me. Maybe I can help you with something."
"I actually do need a little help from you, Third Brother," Xiao Yan said with a grin.
Xiao Meng's face immediately darkened. He had only been polite, yet this little bastard had taken it seriously?
"Fourth, has anyone ever told you that you're asking for a beating?" Xiao Meng asked calmly.
Xiao Yan's mouth twitched fiercely. He remained silent, but his eyes stayed fixed on Xiao Meng.
"If you need something, spit it out already," Xiao Meng said with a dark expression.
Xiao Yan rubbed his hands together. "Lend me some money to buy medicinal ingredients."
Xiao Meng gave Xiao Yan a long look, then took out more than ten Storage Rings and tossed them to him.
Hiss!
Xiao Yan instinctively caught what Xiao Meng had thrown over. Once he saw them clearly, he immediately sucked in a cold breath.
More than ten Storage Rings?
Xiao Yan could not believe his eyes. Even all the Storage Rings in Wutan City combined probably numbered no more than a dozen. These things were incredibly precious, with demand far exceeding supply, yet Xiao Meng had casually tossed him more than ten.
"Third Brother, where did you get so many Storage Rings?" Xiao Yan was deeply shaken. Did Xiao Meng rob some major faction?
"Got lucky. Picked them up on the road," Xiao Meng said with a shrug.
Xiao Yan's heart twitched. Damn it, you can pick up Earth-rank Dou Techniques, and you can pick up this many Storage Rings too? Do you step in dog shit every day?
"Third Brother, do you believe that yourself?" Xiao Yan asked, rolling his eyes.
Xiao Meng said decisively, "Of course I believe it. What, you don't?"
Xiao Yan: "..."
Only an idiot would believe you.
Xiao Meng seemed to see through Xiao Yan's thoughts and smiled faintly. "If you weren't an idiot, I wouldn't tell you I picked them up."
"Who are you calling an idiot?"
Xiao Yan's face darkened. "Third Brother, that's enough already!"
"The things inside these Storage Rings are enough for you to splurge for a while. Go ahead and take your time messing around. I'm leaving first," Xiao Meng said with a shrug.
"Wait, Third Brother, there's one more small matter." Xiao Yan hurriedly grabbed Xiao Meng and smiled awkwardly.
Before you continue