Alliance Formed

"What was strange about it?" Xiao Ni asked urgently, his fists clenching unconsciously.

He still was not sure whether what had happened back then was connected to Gu He, but he felt that old bastard Shen Mi, who came and went like a ghost, was most likely involved.

"When we went to ask Gu He to refine the Heavenly Soul-Recovery Pill, he seemed to be injured, so he arranged for us to stay in a room first and said he could only help us refine the medicine after half an hour. But unexpectedly, Shen Mi drove us out after we had waited for only two quarters of an hour."

"I had always thought Gu He was playing us. Now it seemed that old bastard Shen Mi might have been sabotaging things behind the scenes! And the destruction of our Chek Lineage was strange as well." Chekenao's thoughts had become much clearer, and some of the doubts seemed to have been resolved.

"Back then, those four Dou Wang powerhouses wreaked havoc in our Qieke Lineage and then left. But for some reason, they later returned. Not only did they completely destroy the Chek Lineage, they also killed many of our people. If Miss Lan had not appeared in time, I would have long since become a pile of bones."

Chekenao frowned tightly, his eyes revealing traces of coldness. Back then, more than half of the Chek Lineage's experts had been killed or injured. He had always wanted to avenge this grudge, but the Chek Lineage could not develop openly, and he was only a Dou Ling. Thus, he could only bury thoughts of revenge deep in his heart.

"What level was that Shen Mi?" Coldness flashed in Xiao Ni's eyes as well. He felt that those people's return might have had something to do with that rotten old man Shen Mi.

He only knew that Shen Mi was Gu He's teacher and that he often came and went without a trace, making his whereabouts difficult to pin down. As for his strength, Xiao Ni did not know much.

"Back then, he was a Two-Star Dou King just like me. But I heard that he later offended Queen Medusa, and his strength seemed to have fallen to around the Eight-Star Da Dou Shi level. Even the few Dou Wang powerhouses who survived back then were killed by Queen Medusa." Chekenao spoke uncertainly.

This was merely gossip he had heard, and he did not know whether it was reliable. After all, that old bastard Shen Mi always came and went without a trace, so information concerning him was hardly trustworthy.

"An Eight-Star Da Dou Shi?" Xiao Ni narrowed his eyes slightly. If the information was reliable, perhaps he would soon possess the strength to contend with Shen Mi.

Shen Mi was simply courting death. Was he tired of living? Of all people, he had to offend Queen Medusa. Xiao Ni truly was curious about what grudge existed between Shen Mi and Medusa.

Forget it. What mattered most now was determining whether Shen Mi truly was the culprit behind Aunt Lan's death. If he was, then no matter how difficult Shen Mi was to find, Xiao Ni would find him and kill him!

An Eight-Star Da Dou Shi was only a tiny bit stronger than Ge Ye. As long as the system gave him another two missions, he should possess enough strength to blast Shen Mi to death.

"Senior Nao, regarding an alliance between the Chek Lineage and the Xiao Household..." After pondering for a moment, Xiao Ni tried asking again.

"Of course I am willing to form an alliance with the Xiao Household. However, the Chek Lineage has endured in silence for so many years. If we suddenly emerged, we would surely draw the attention of many powerful figures. When that time came, I fear we would bring disaster upon the Xiao Household." Chekenao tactfully declined Xiao Ni's request.

Everything he said was true, not an excuse.

"Senior Nao need not worry about this. My teacher has already sent a Dou Emperor powerhouse to secretly protect me. With that person here, even the Jia Ma Empire's ten greatest experts would find it difficult to touch the Xiao Household." Smiling, Xiao Ni straightened his back a little.

He said this partly to reassure Chekenao and partly to tell Xiao Xun'er, I've already discovered Ling Ying's presence.

He did not wish to disappoint Xiao Xun'er's good intentions, but neither would he allow Ling Ying to keep protecting him in secret like this. Before that, he needed to prepare Xiao Xun'er mentally.

"Brother Xiao Ni discovered Elder Ling?!"

Upon hearing Xiao Ni's words, Xiao Xun'er's expression shifted slightly before she quickly calmed down.

Since Xiao Ni believed Elder Ling had been sent by his teacher to protect him, she would let him continue misunderstanding for now. Otherwise, if Xiao Ni learned the truth, he would surely blame her for meddling.

"Fine, I agree!" After being stunned for a moment, Chekenao finally broke into a radiant smile.

The Xiao Household already had Qingtian and that Dou Emperor powerhouse watching over it, yet Xiao Ni still wanted to forge an alliance. If Chekenao continued to hesitate at a time like this, he would be far too unmanly.

"Big Brother, so I'm not the strongest in the Xiao Household after all." Qingtian sighed, feeling slightly dejected as disappointment flickered in his eyes.

During his ten years at Black Jade Pavilion, he had always been the strongest. Even when he had fought Chekenao to a draw, he had deliberately held back. Yet this tiny Xiao Household actually had a Dou Emperor powerhouse stationed here, which truly depressed him. He had only just broken through to the Four-Star Dou King level.

Big Brother's teacher was too incredible, wasn't he? He could actually invite even a Dou Emperor powerhouse, and one from outside the Jia Ma Empire at that.

"Don't worry. That senior will not reveal himself easily, so on the surface, you will still be the strongest person in Wutan City." Xiao Ni smiled and patted Qingtian on the shoulder, his eyes full of affirmation.

"Don't worry, Big Brother. While you're away, I'll be the one protecting the Xiao Household." Upon hearing Xiao Ni's words, Qingtian was instantly reinvigorated, and fierce fighting spirit flared within him.

So that Dou Emperor powerhouse would not act easily. That made things simple. Whoever dared disturb his peace or harm the Xiao Household had better be prepared to pay a price in blood.

"Senior Nao, we'll be leaving first. In three days, Xun'er and I will head to the Magic Beast Mountain Range." Xiao Ni bowed to Chekenao, then left the secret chamber with Xiao Xun'er and Qingtian.

"Heaven-Soaring Dragon Python, if you ever can't find something you want to eat, you can come back to me anytime. I'll make sure you have all you want!" Just as Qingtian had walked only a few steps past Chekenao, Chekenao suddenly said in a slightly trembling voice.

He was not crying. He simply could not bear to part with him.

"You should worry about yourself first. You're already an old bag of bones, yet you still toil day and night. Be careful, or one day, instead of being beaten to death by me, you'll work yourself to death." Qingtian turned his head slightly to remind Chekenao before striding away.

His tone was somewhat arrogant, but both Xiao Ni and Xiao Xun'er could hear the concern in his words. Only Chekenao stood there in a daze for a long while before exclaiming inwardly, Fuck, does this guy really want to beat me to death? Good thing he didn't overhear what Xiao Ni and I plotted earlier, otherwise...

After leaving Black Jade Pavilion, Xiao Ni and the other two returned to the Xiao Household. When everyone saw that Xiao Ni had brought back a handsome young man, they all fixed curious gazes on Qingtian.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Qingtian. Hello, everyone. My name is Qingtian. Hello, everyone..." Qingtian kept waving, a fairly gentle smile on his face, while inwardly he wanted to dig a well and jump into it.

This was Xiao Ni's test for him. He had to greet everyone he saw, and he could not show the slightest impatience toward anyone from the Xiao Household. Otherwise, Xiao Ni would take back his Dou Wang strength and send him back to Black Jade Pavilion. He had no choice.