Butterfly Effect

"Who?"

Xiao Yi Xian looked to the side and rebuked someone in a low voice, Dou Qi gathering in her hand. She had been too focused on herself just now and had barely noticed anyone nearby.

"Don't misunderstand, don't misunderstand!"

A young man in green emerged from the grass with an awkward expression. He had merely been passing by.

"And you are?"

Xiao Yi Xian looked at the young man before her. She was certain she had never met him. Weren't there supposed to be few people on the Xiao Clan's back mountain?

"My name is Xiao Ning. Who are you?"

Xiao Ning looked at the beauty before him. In his memories, there had never been anyone like her in the Xiao Clan. There was no way he would not remember someone this beautiful.

"Hm?"

Xiao Yi Xian looked at Xiao Ning in surprise. Why had Xiao Ning appeared on the back mountain?

Wasn't that guy always throwing his weight around in the Xiao Clan?

Xiao Ning, Xiao Yan's cousin, Xiao Yu's younger brother, and the first person Xiao Yan defeated after regaining some of his strength—the stepping stone for the protagonist's rise?

"Me? I'm Xiao Yan's distant cousin. I just finished watching the sunset on the back mountain."

The Dou Qi in Xiao Yi Xian's hand slowly dissipated as she idly twirled a lock of her purple hair around her finger.

"Oh, oh, Cousin!"

Xiao Ning greeted Xiao Yi Xian with a cheerful grin. The strength she had displayed just now was definitely not weak. She was an expert.

"Cousin, you must not have been here long. Would you like me to show you around the Xiao Clan?"

Xiao Ning scratched the back of his head awkwardly and warmly extended the invitation to Xiao Yi Xian.

A girl this beautiful and this strong—he wanted to pull her to his side. That good-for-nothing Xiao Yan was completely useless.

Xiao Yi Xian shook her head and headed toward the marketplace. Why would she want to tour the Xiao Clan?

She was a stranger. Though she could be considered Xiao Yan's cousin in a sense, Xiao Zhan did not know that!

Xiao Ning watched the white figure grow farther and farther away, his fists unconsciously clenching tighter and tighter.

That good-for-nothing had not only drawn the goddess Xun Er's attention, but even this woman regarded him differently.

"Why?"

He was clearly already useless, so why?

"Why?"

When he had been a genius, he had crushed them so badly they could barely breathe. Why did people still refuse to abandon him after he became useless?

Did his own efforts mean nothing?

"Hmph!"

Xiao Ning swung his fists and stormed toward Xiao Yan's room.

The enormous marketplace was packed with people, and all manner of goods lay spread across the various stalls.

Before long, a worn bronze mask at one of the stalls caught her attention.

Xiao Yi Xian picked up the battered bronze mask and drew out a thread of Dou Qi from within her body, letting it seep into the mask.

"Miss, this mask was originally sold by the City Lord's Mansion. They say it was forged from a meteorite that fell from the heavens. It passed through an auction house and changed hands many times before ending up here.

The quality is absolutely first-rate. Even a Da Dou Shi's full-force blow couldn't break through its defenses."

Seeing that someone was actually interested in the mask, the stall owner's eyes flashed with amazement when he looked at Xiao Yi Xian. Then he watched her with a playful grin.

Xiao Yi Xian withdrew the Dou Qi clinging to the mask. It truly was sturdy; even the poisonous sword qi could not damage it.

"How much is this mask?"

The instant the stall owner heard her words, his eyes lit up. Rubbing his greasy hands together, he said with a smile, "Since you're such a beautiful young lady, I'll give you a discount. One thousand gold coins!"

Xiao Yi Xian put on the mask, tossed down a pouch, and headed deeper into the marketplace.

The stall owner laughed heartily as he counted the money in the small pouch, his gleaming eyes looking as though he wanted to melt the gold coins into himself.

The neighboring stall owners could do nothing but envy him, looking at Xiao Yi Xian as if she were a foolish rich girl.

Though the mask was indestructible, it was ugly as hell. The only reason anyone had bought it before was to study its forging techniques.

"Alas!"

The stall owner looked at Xiao Yi Xian's retreating back and shook his head. Why did such a sucker not come to his stall?

At that moment, a large group of guards hurried past Xiao Yi Xian. The leader waved a hand, and his subordinates immediately surrounded the group ahead of them in turn. The two sides were instantly at each other's throats.

Xiao Yi Xian looked over and saw another group of familiar figures. Yet for some reason, the smug look on Xiao Yan's face made her want to punch him.

Xiao Yi Xian did not bother with the protagonist's group. What could possibly happen to them?

There were probably only a few people in all of Wutan City who could threaten the protagonist's group, yet that person could barely be considered part of their group as well.

Xiao Yi Xian wandered through the marketplace without any particular purpose. She did not have a protagonist's luck, so she did not come across any treasures.

She had the soul power of two lifetimes, after all. Though she was only at the middle stage of the Mortal Realm, she had not found a single treasure.

She had bought the mask on her face only because she liked it. Nothing more than her admiration for the Ruthless Great Emperor.

Whenever she thought of the Ruthless Great Emperor from the neighboring vast universe of Shrouding the Heavens, she really wanted to become inseparable friends with her.

Without realizing it, she had wandered somewhere unfamiliar. The crowds around her gradually thinned, while the winding streets grew more numerous.

"What are you trying to do?"

A delicate girl's voice came from a fork in the road. In an instant, Xiao Yi Xian thought of something. Dou Qi surged through her body, and with a leap, she landed atop a wall.

A familiar pink figure appeared before her in an alley.

Looking at the figure before her, Xiao Yi Xian remembered seeing this person when she had once read, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. Do not bully the poor youth."

Xiao Mei, Xiao Yan's cousin. She was also a snob, but with that seductive yet innocent appearance, even Xiao Yi Xian could not help feeling some fondness for her.

At that moment, Xiao Mei was actually being pinned against the wall in the alley by a green-haired young man.

The green-haired young man looked at the beauty before him and leered. "Beauty, come with me. I'm a first-grade alchemist, and my master is even a Fourth-grade Alchemist!"

Upon hearing that, Xiao Mei, who had been about to curse him out and fight back, froze. She did not even know what to do.

On the Dou Qi Continent, there was a profession even more prestigious than that of a Dou Zhe. People called them alchemists!

As their name implied, alchemists could refine all sorts of miraculous medicinal pills that enhanced one's strength. Any alchemist would be courted at all costs by every faction, their status and position exceptionally lofty!

Standing on the wall some distance away, Xiao Yi Xian watched the scene in surprise. All she could say was that this did not resemble the original story at all!

Had her arrival changed something, creating a butterfly effect?

A glimmer flashed through her purple eyes beneath the worn mask, and strands of purple hair drifted in the wind. She was still considering whether to intervene.

Fight?

Or not fight?

Liu Xi was one of the most disgusting villains, but should she keep watching this scene play out?

Could someone tell her?