Like popping champagne at halftime?

"Heh, old dog. Having fun beating them up?"

An enormous Black Ruler seemed to descend from the heavens, landing squarely between the Xiao Clan members and the elite guards of Aoba and Jia Lie.

"Young clan leader! It's the young clan leader!" Xiao Wugou cried in delighted surprise.

"Long live the young clan leader! Long live the young clan leader!" Though almost every Xiao Clan Dou Shi was wounded, they still cheered excitedly.

Some moved too vigorously and pulled at their wounds, baring their teeth in pain.

Xiao Wuqi spat out a mouthful of blood, but a smile of relief appeared on his face as well.

"Mmph! Mmph!"

Oba Padun shot Jia Lie Bi a murderous look. Clutching his mouth, he wanted to demand an explanation from Jia Lie Bi, but could only make muffled whimpering sounds.

"Xiao... Xiao Yan?" Jia Lie Bi took a step back. "Aren't you dead?"

"Have you gone senile, you old dog?" Xiao Yan bared his teeth in a cold sneer. He walked over to the Xiao Clan Dou Shi and handed Xiao Wugou a Storage Ring. "There are healing medicines inside. Distribute them to everyone. Just leave these scum to us."

"Right!" Xiao Wugou nodded firmly. Taking the Storage Ring, he went over to Xiao Wuqi and signaled for him to arrange the distribution.

"Us?" The Third-Grade Alchemist's face was somewhat pale. "What is your relationship with that esteemed lord?"

The esteemed lord he meant was naturally Yun Congxin, who had just taken Nalan Yanran away. He could not see through Yun Congxin's strength at all, and knew that he was someone he could not afford to provoke.

Xiao Yan glanced at the badge on his chest. Rather than answering his question, he asked, "Who are you?"

"I am Liu Qianjin, a Third-Grade Alchemist."

"Liu Qianjin... You're Liu Xi's teacher?"

"Y-yes, but young friend, I came here only to investigate the truth behind my disciple's death. Surely there has been some misunderstanding between us..."

"Misunderstanding, my ass! He's the ringleader! He's the one who organized these dogs from the two clans to bully our Xiao Clan!" Hearing this, Xiao Wugou abruptly raised his head from distributing the medicine and cursed loudly.

Liu Qianjin hurriedly said, "That is absolutely not the case. A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding..."

"There's no misunderstanding. Liu Xi—I killed him!" Xiao Yan hefted the Heavy Xuan Ruler and sneered. "Honestly, kill the young one and the old one comes running. And they're both cut from the same cloth..."

"Young man, don't take your words and actions too far. That would be better for everyone..." Liu Qianjin said, his expression darkening.

"A mere third-tier alchemist has no right to say that to me!" Green Lotus Core Flame erupted from within Xiao Yan as he sneered. "It's a rare occasion to have all of you visiting our Xiao Family Market today. You've even made it so lively. Since you all like this place so much, why not just be buried here..."

"Arrogant brat! However strong you are, you're still only one man. We have five Da Dou Shi on our side. Who wins and who loses is still up in the air!" shouted the Two-Star Great Dou Master whose Dou Qi Armor Nalan Yanran had cleaved open with a single sword strike.

"Oh? So you're planning to overwhelm us with numbers?"

Xiao Zhan walked out of the ruins with a smile. Behind him were the three Xiao Clan elders, all of them Da Dou Shi.

Further behind them were several high-star Dou Shi, their eyes fierce and their bodies brimming with killing intent. They were all reinforcements Xiao Yan had invited from Black Flame City.

For an Alchemist, calling in reinforcements was a basic skill.

"That little girl's aura has vanished... Is this... a heavenly flame? The Xiao Clan boy arrived so quickly, and brought so many reinforcements... Something's wrong. Leave, quickly!"

In the distance, an old man watching the show through his senses from inside an upper room realized something was wrong. His expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly gave the order.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

Though he did not understand what the old man meant, the burly man obediently rose to leave as instructed.

"Idiot! If that boy could return with reinforcements, it means he already knew something would happen in Wutan City!" The beautiful woman in palace attire opened the door and looked back as she spoke. "We've been exposed. When could we have been exposed?"

"You were never hidden to begin with."

Yun Congxin's voice came from outside the door. He stood in the doorway with his hands behind his back, coldly regarding the four people inside.

Yun Congxin stepped into the room. The beautiful woman in palace attire froze, still holding the door open. Her entire body was stiff and immobile, as though she were a maid stationed there specifically to open the door for him.

"Hah!"

The burly man, at least, had some backbone. He gave his Dou Qi spiritual form, gathering water-attribute Dou Qi into a giant python that lunged at Yun Congxin.

Yun Congxin paid no attention to the menacing python and simply walked forward, treating the burly man's attack as though it did not exist.

Without a sound, the deep-blue python dispersed into water-attribute Dou Qi, soaking the beautiful woman's palace attire and dampening the old man's gray robe. Yet not so much as a trace of moisture touched Yun Congxin.

"Insolence! Stand down!" Seeing that the burly man intended to attack again, the gray-robed old man's expression changed drastically, and he hastily shouted for him to stop.

One attack could still be excused as an ignorant mistake. A second really would be courting death...

"This junior, Jia Xingmo, pays his respects to Sect Master Yun." The gray-robed old man bowed, signaling with his eyes for the beautiful woman in palace attire to serve tea.

"Mm..." Yun Congxin sat in the seat of honor and crossed his legs. "Tell me. Whose idea was this?"

"It was this junior's idea, and had nothing to do with anyone else. I earnestly beg Sect Master Yun to show mercy and spare their lives. This junior is willing to bear all responsibility and take his own life publicly in the Imperial Capital!"

"Elder Jia!" The burly man wanted to say something, but Jia Xingmo silenced him with a threatening look.

"You?" Yun Congxin sipped his tea and said without raising his head, "You won't do. You're not qualified to shoulder this matter."

The gray-robed old man's expression changed. His Dou Qi had barely begun circulating when ropes formed from wind bound his body.

The old man immediately felt his energy grow sluggish, as though even the Dou Qi within him was no longer under his control.

"Myriad Wind Binding..." the dwarf murmured.

"You recognize it?" Yun Congxin skimmed the foam off his tea with the lid as he spoke. "Then you ought to know better than to try that suicide routine in front of me."

"If I let you Dou Ling juniors die right in front of me, where would I put my face?"

Yun Congxin took another sip and sighed. "It's bad enough that you can't handle your affairs properly, but you can't even brew tea... You're the Imperial Family of the Jia Ma Empire, after all. With this paltry ability, are you really planning to live off your elders to the bitter end?"

"Forget it. Come with me. It's about time I flushed some of the foul water out of that old fellow Jia Xingtian's belly..."

With that, Yun Congxin poured out the tea and snapped his fingers.

Not one person noticed when Yun Congxin activated his Dou Qi. Ropes formed from the wind attribute seemed to appear out of thin air, binding all four people present.

Oh, it's even an X Armor Bind. Fancy... Seeing that Myriad Wind Binding's effect on the beautiful woman in palace attire was completely different from its effect on the others, Yun Congxin thought in some surprise.

...How does the Misty Cloud Sect even have such an indecent Dou Technique?