I Hate People Who Talk Too Much

Half a month later,

"Young Master, I've broken through to the first stage of Dou Qi!"

Hearing Qing Lin's form of address, Xuan Qing could only smile helplessly.

They had originally agreed that she would call him Master, but she felt that would be stealing Xiao Yi Xian's special form of address, so she had changed it to Young Master instead.

Xuan Qing naturally let her have her way. In any case, it made no difference what she called him.

Qing Lin pushed open Xuan Qing's door and excitedly threw herself into his arms.

"Young Master, I broke through!"

Xuan Qing gently stroked the soft crown of the girl's head, brushing through her dark hair. His brows and eyes softened as he praised her.

"Not bad. Breaking through one stage in half a month means you've improved quickly."

Praised by her Young Master, Qing Lin's cheeks, buried in his embrace, grew slightly hot. The joy in her heart deepened, and her clear eyes sparkled brightly.

A series of footsteps sounded outside. Xiao Yi Xian, dressed in a plain white gown, came over upon hearing the noise and entered the room.

She had clearly heard the commotion just now and had come specifically to see what was happening.

Qing Lin caught sight of the newcomer from the corner of her eye, and panic flickered through her heart.

Seeing her cling so intimately to Young Master in his arms made her unbearably shy when Xiao Yi Xian saw it.

She also realized that their current posture was far too intimate. Her little face flushed red as she gently pulled herself free from Xuan Qing's warm embrace.

Her slender body retreated slightly. With her eyes lowered, her delicate fingers lightly clutching the corner of her clothes, and the tips of her ears crimson, she explained,

"Young Master... Qing Lin was too excited and lost her composure for a moment."

Her voice was soft and sweet, carrying a girl's bashfulness.

Xiao Yi Xian stood at the doorway, a gentle smile appearing between her brows as she quietly watched Qing Lin.

Xuan Qing looked at Qing Lin's shyly lowered brows and eyes.

"It's fine. Breaking through in cultivation is a joyous occasion. It's only natural to get a little excited."

As soon as he finished speaking,

he raised his eyes and instructed the two girls,

"I have something to take care of. At noon, eat with your sister Xiao Yi Xian. You don't need to wait for me."

After saying that, he raised a hand and gently pinched Qing Lin's soft, tender cheek. It felt warm and smooth, carrying the faint softness unique to a young girl.

Qing Lin's cheeks puffed up slightly from his pinch, and her ear tips reddened even more. She obediently nodded in response.

Hearing this, Xiao Yi Xian stepped forward. Expectation shone in her clear, beautiful eyes as she asked,

"Master, can we come with you?"

Seeing her hopeful expression, Xuan Qing shook his head helplessly.

"No. This matter is a little dangerous for you two."

Xiao Yi Xian was slightly taken aback. The expectation in her eyes dimmed somewhat, but she still nodded sensibly.

"Alright. Then Master, you must be careful."

Qing Lin hurriedly raised her head as well, her clear eyes full of concern. "Young Master, come back early."

Looking at the two obedient and sensible girls, Xuan Qing nodded faintly, turned around, and stepped out of the room.

Half an hour later.

Xuan Qing looked at the map shop called "Ancient Map," then pushed open its creaking wooden door and walked inside.

The lighting inside was very dim.

Xuan Qing ignored the owner and began browsing on his own, searching for the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame Fragment Map.

At last, beneath a pile of cluttered maps, he found the distinctly different Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame Fragment Map.

Holding the fragment map, which was clearly half-sized, Xuan Qing asked the owner,

"Boss, where's the other half? Take it out, and I'll buy it."

Hai Bo Dong raised his head, and a sharp glint flashed through his cloudy eyes.

"Brat, this map isn't for sale. Put it down!"

Hai Bo Dong's tone carried a clear warning.

"I asked where the other half is. Take it out. Don't force me to make a move."

Hai Bo Dong stared at him for a long while before suddenly bursting into laughter.

"Brat, do you know who I am, daring to make a move against me?"

Xuan Qing looked at Hai Bo Dong and chuckled as well.

"After Ice Emperor Hai Bo Dong, one of the Jia Ma Empire's ten greatest experts, was sealed by Medusa, he concealed his identity and came here to become a map-selling shopkeeper. Am I right?"

Hearing Xuan Qing reveal both his name and his most secret past, Hai Bo Dong could not help but freeze.

He suddenly rose from his chair, and terrifying cold light erupted from his cloudy old eyes.

"Brat, it seems I can't let you live."

The aura of a Dou Ling expert erupted from his body, sweeping through the entire wooden house.

Watching his opponent make a move, Xuan Qing spoke indifferently.

"You wouldn't listen when I tried to talk nicely. You insisted on forcing me to act, so go die. I'll find the map myself."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xuan Qing released the pressure of a Dou Emperor without holding anything back. His powerful aura instantly overwhelmed the Dou Ling aura Hai Bo Dong had unleashed.

The entire wooden house began trembling violently. The beams creaked, and countless wood chips flew through the air.

Hai Bo Dong's entire body stiffened as he stared fixedly at the young, childish-faced youth before him.

That vast and majestic pressure truly descended upon him, heavy as a mountain pressing down on his head.

His lips trembled, his face filled with disbelief as he cried out,

"This... how is this possible! A Dou... Dou Emperor? Such a young Dou Emperor?!"

A monstrous storm surged through Hai Bo Dong's heart.

Having once been a Dou Emperor himself, he was more familiar with the aura of a Dou Emperor than anyone.

Yet the youth before him looked no older than fifteen or sixteen. How could someone that age possess the strength of a Dou Emperor?

The biting pressure of a Dou Emperor enveloped the entire room. Even the icy Dou Qi erupting from Hai Bo Dong's body was firmly suppressed by that force, making even speech incredibly difficult.

The shadow of death enveloped his heart. Hai Bo Dong no longer retained the slightest trace of his former arrogance. Gathering all his strength, he endured the mountain-like pressure and spoke with difficulty,

"Your Excellency... why don't we sit down and talk this over properly?"

Xuan Qing's gaze was cold, leaving no room for compromise.

"Too late."

"Go die. I hate people like you who talk too much. If you had handed over the map from the start, wouldn't none of this have happened?"

The moment he finished speaking, Xuan Qing slightly raised his palm. Surging Dou Emperor Dou Qi roiled within it, and a fierce attack stood ready to strike.

Hai Bo Dong's face turned deathly pale, and his heart went cold.

He knew full well that with his current Dou Ling cultivation, he had no room to resist before a true Dou Emperor.

Terrified, Hai Bo Dong dared not hold anything back at this critical moment between life and death. He frantically circulated his ice-element Dou Qi, gathering cold air throughout the sky.

A thick, gleaming white ice shield stood before him. Layers upon layers of ice crystals radiated bone-piercing cold.

This was the Dou Technique he had kept in reserve. Even though his cultivation had fallen, it still possessed formidable defensive power.

Yet before Xuan Qing's Dou Emperor strength, everything appeared pale and powerless.

Xuan Qing casually waved his arm, and his mighty Dou Qi transformed into a fierce fist force. He threw out a simple punch.

Boom!

The dull explosion shook the entire wooden house violently, and roof tiles came clattering down.

The seemingly indestructible ice shield was like thin ice meeting the blazing sun under that punch, instantly becoming covered in dense cracks.

The next moment, it exploded with a crash, countless shards of ice scattering in every direction.

The remaining force of the punch did not diminish and shot straight toward Hai Bo Dong.

Hai Bo Dong had no time to dodge at all. His entire body was struck viciously by the violent force and sent flying backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily into the wooden wall behind him.

The wooden wall collapsed with a deafening crash, sending wood chips and fragments flying everywhere.