Half an Incense Stick

But Lin Xiaotian was no fool. He would not agree so easily.

A faint smile crossed his face as he looked at the lovely Xiao Jingxin, his voice turning a little lecherous.

"Miss Jingxin, I thought geniuses held themselves back and spent more time building their foundations in Blood Tempering. How did you all reach External Force so quickly?"

The veiled Xiao Jingxin shot him a cutting glance. She ignored his question and said coldly,

"What, you don't dare face us? Then what use are you?"

"A few days ago, the head of the Ouyang Household came to the Xiao Household like a madman, claiming we'd killed those people. You were the one who killed them, weren't you? Why else would you come here seeking protection?"

Lin Xiaotian raised his brows. So that was the kind of woman she was: if she couldn't use someone, she would kick him out and stomp on him for good measure.

He glanced at the others without letting anything show. They all wore much the same expression. The Xiao Household was nothing if not pragmatic.

Still, he had considered this possibility before coming here. It was hardly a surprise.

Otherwise, he would never have walked into the tiger's den with his eyes open.

"Heh." Lin Xiaotian gave a mocking laugh. "It's not that I won't fight you. It just doesn't seem fair."

Xiao Jingxin opened her mouth to speak, but another woman at the neighboring table cut in.

"If you can't fight above your level, how can you prove you're a genius?"

Lin Xiaotian glanced sideways at her. She was pretty enough to be a major star in his previous life, but unfortunately, he wasn't interested.

He quietly checked his Blood Qi. It was perfectly calm, without the slightest stir of desire.

So his Blood Qi really did respond differently to different people.

If sleeping with a woman was the criterion for its evolution, did that mean it was selective about women too?

Lin Xiaotian changed tack. With a slight smile, he ventured,

"And how should I address you, miss?"

The woman had no airs. She answered briskly.

"I'm Xiao Wanyin, Uncle Ming's daughter. If you have the guts to fight, you'll at least prove you're a man. Then you may call me Wanyin."

Lin Xiaotian blinked. His voice grew steadier, all trace of frivolity gone.

"Miss Wanyin, what level have you reached in the Martial Dao?"

Xiao Wanyin met his gaze and replied evenly,

"Like Jingxin, I'm at the middle stage of External Force. We understand why you came to the Xiao Household."

"In the danger you faced, you might have lost your life if you hadn't submitted to us. We made an exception because we saw your potential."

"We even had women of the clan come to consider you as a match."

"We observed you over the past few days, but nothing compares to a real fight."

"If you truly have potential, you may choose one of us to marry into the household."

"But if your strength falls short, we can only hand you over to the Ouyang Household to appease their anger."

They were both at the middle stage of External Force, yet his Blood Qi reacted only to Xiao Jingxin—and fiercely at that. It was quite possible that his Blood Qi also judged a person's potential.

Hmm. I'll test that when we fight.

"Heh. Thank you for explaining, Miss Wanyin," Lin Xiaotian said.

Then he turned to Xiao Jingxin. She was the household head's daughter and carried the most weight here.

"Miss Jingxin, I know you think I have to defeat you despite the gap in our levels to prove my potential. But do you really think that's possible?"

Xiao Jingxin's mouth curved. Even through the veil, he could see the mockery in her expression.

"As Wanyin said, if you can't defeat us above your level, how can you prove you're a genius?"

Lin Xiaotian did not argue. After a brief pause, he looked straight into her eyes.

"Miss Jingxin, if I truly had that kind of ability, do you think the Ouyang Household would want to kill me?"

"Don't forget, the apple of the Ouyang Household's eye has already been intimate with me as husband and wife. If they discovered I was truly an extraordinary genius, wouldn't they go with the flow and accept me as their son-in-law?"

"And there's something else. You're all young ladies of the Xiao Household. Your potential must be far greater than most people's."

"If you're geniuses yourselves, isn't asking me to defeat you setting the bar too high?"

Xiao Jingxin raised her brows. The other women also fell into thought.

Uncle Ming suddenly spoke.

"Lin Xiaotian has a point. The Xiao Household's disciples are all geniuses. But precisely because they are geniuses of our household, we must be all the more careful in choosing husbands."

"Of course, my nieces, you may also take the circumstances into account."

He was giving the four women a way to back down.

"Fine. Fight me for half an incense stick without losing, and you'll pass."

It was Xiao Jingxin who spoke.

A wicked smile spread across Lin Xiaotian's face.

"What if I fight all four of you and remain undefeated for half an incense stick?"

He lowered his voice.

"Would all four of you marry me, then?"

"How dare you!" Before the four young ladies could cry out, the three elders beside them slammed their hands on the table and roared.

"What do you take the Xiao Household for?"

"Hmph! Do you think we can't manage without you? If not for the map you gave us and the potential you've shown, do you really think we'd be begging you to stay?"

The elders' words carried an authority that turned the room as cold as frost.

But Lin Xiaotian merely chuckled. He was neither angry nor afraid.

If he acted too prim and proper, escaping the Xiao Household later would be no fun at all.

"All right, elders, no need to be angry. As I said, Ouyang Nianci and I have already been intimate as husband and wife. As long as she doesn't abandon me, I will never betray her."

"You wouldn't want me to marry one of these young ladies—or marry into the household—only to have my heart in three places, would you? That wouldn't be fair to them."

"How about this?"

"I'll face all four of them. If I last half an incense stick without being defeated, I earn the right to court them. We can discuss marriage or my marrying into the household later. What do the elders and the four young ladies think?"

The elders gave him no answer.

But Xiao Jingxin gave a cold snort.

"You're trying to buy time. But the Xiao Household can afford to play along."

Lin Xiaotian thought more highly of her for that. Perhaps that's why my Blood Qi chose her.

Bang!

Uncle Ming slammed the table. "Then it's settled."

"Someone, clear the training ground outside. Let this boy fight the four young ladies."

"Let's make one thing clear first. If the young ladies beat you so badly that you're crippled—or even killed—you'll have no one to blame."

Lin Xiaotian naturally agreed. He had no objections.

Soon, they arrived at a broad training ground.

The ground held a fighting platform, but it was not very large. With five people on it, there would be precious little room to maneuver.

One glance told Lin Xiaotian that the elders had arranged this deliberately.

They feared he would fight a hit-and-run battle—or simply run without striking—until the time ran out.

The Xiao Household really was a den of old foxes. They had closed off even that last loophole.

But he was not afraid. The Xiao Household's techniques, together with the boost from his Blood Qi, would soon give them a tremendous shock.

Lin Xiaotian put on a panicked expression, as though the platform had frightened him.

At the sight of his face, the four women and three elders all snickered to themselves.

Let's see what tricks you can pull now, boy.