After the clamor of the victory feast, the familiar order and bustle soon returned. The clansmen began packing their belongings and taking stock of their supplies, preparing for the days ahead.
The joy of surviving the disaster diluted the sorrow of parting, and a reassuring sense of stability filled the air. Yet that stability clearly did not extend to Xiao Yan. With faint dark circles beneath his eyes, he looked weighed down by worries.
Naturally, none of this escaped the notice of the Xiao Clan's two elder brothers. Xiao Ding and Xiao Li exchanged a glance, both silently arriving at the same name: Xiao Yi. As his elder brothers, how could they tolerate their precious little brother suffering such an indignity?
"No, we can't swallow this!" Xiao Li sprang to his feet.
"Big Brother, let's go! Before we leave, we have to get justice for Third Brother! We'll show that brat that not just anyone can bully a little brother of the Xiao Clan!"
Xiao Ding nodded as well, his gaze sharpening. The two brothers stormed toward Xiao Yi's little courtyard next door. When they reached the tent, they did not even bother announcing themselves and kicked the door open.
Inside, Xiao Yi was unhurriedly putting away assorted bottles and jars. Their strange shapes looked nothing like anything produced on the Dou Qi Continent. Xiao Li stepped forward, about to deliver a few threats, only to see Xiao Yi's figure flicker like a phantom before instantly appearing in front of them.
Before either brother could react, they felt a sharp sting at their necks, as though a tiny mosquito had bitten them. Then an irresistible wave of drowsiness surged over them like a rising tide. Their eyelids grew as heavy as a thousand pounds, and their bodies began to go