Amid the utter chaos, a slightly haughty-looking youth pushed through the crowd with a group of people clustered around him and walked in, frowning. It was Xiao Ning. He normally held his nose so high he could barely see anyone beneath it. With his decent talent and a grandfather who was an elder, he wielded considerable influence among the Xiao Clan's younger generation. Back when Xiao Yan had fallen on hard times, he had schemed to bully him more than once.
Xiao Ning immediately recognized the two people wrestling on the ground. One was Xiao Yan, the clan's former trash who had now turned his fortunes around like a salted fish coming back to life and become a genius. The other was Xiao Yi, that mysterious Adopted Son who spent all day spouting strange nonsense. Although Xiao Yan had taken a few hits himself, he was clearly overpowering Xiao Yi, and Xiao Ning's mind began to race.
He recalled how, when Xiao Yi had first arrived a while ago, he had brought people along to bully both Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi. Now that Xiao Yan could cultivate again, there would be bitter fruit to swallow down the road if Xiao Yan held a grudge. Wasn't stumbling upon this scene the perfect chance to mend their relationship and earn himself a favor?
At that thought, a gleam flashed through Xiao Ning's eyes. He cleared his throat and waved at the lackeys behind him, who usually followed him around throwing their weight about. "What are you standing around for? Can't you see little brother Yan is being bullied? Hurry up and help him! Teach that Xiao Yi a good, hard lesson! He has no idea how high the heavens are or how deep the earth runs!"
Xiao Yan had just punched Xiao Yi hard enough to make him see stars when Xiao Ning's voice caught him off guard. He turned and saw Xiao Ning charging over with seven or eight people in tow, all looking fierce, and jumped in alarm. He knew all too well about certain hidden "traits" of this idiot Xiao Yi. The fellow's mind ran along bizarre tracks, and the stronger his opponents were, the stronger he became in a fight. The more people there were, the more fired up he got, as though he could draw strength from chaos itself.
"Xiao Ning! Stop! Don't come over!" In his panic, Xiao Yan threw all caution aside and shouted, "There's something strange about this guy! The more people there are, the crazier he fights! Don't make things worse!"
Pinned beneath Xiao Yan, Xiao Yi was already somewhat dazed from the beating when he heard Xiao Yan's shout and sensed several hostile presences rushing toward them.
Xiao Ning's lackeys were used to following him around and lording it over others. Why would they take Xiao Yan's warning seriously? As far as they were concerned, Xiao Yan had only just recovered his Dou Qi, while Xiao Yi was merely a newcomer among the younger generation. With numbers on their side, wouldn't taking down those two be as easy as reaching out and grabbing them? Besides, this was a fine chance to show off in front of Young Master Xiao Ning!
Instead of stopping, they howled and lunged at the wrestling Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi like hungry wolves pouncing on prey. Their goal was clear: help Xiao Yan subdue that eyesore Xiao Yi first. Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi felt a weight descend on them as figures piled on one after another, instantly pinning them at the bottom of a human pyramid. Only their heads remained exposed. Even breathing became difficult, never mind moving.
At first, Xiao Yi was also stunned by this sudden "Mount Tai crushing down on his head." He felt at least three or four people weighing on him. Quietly working his hands and feet, he wriggled like a loach through the gaps in the pile, inching his way out. After exerting the strength of nine oxen and two tigers, he finally crawled out from beneath that "mountain of flesh," his head drenched in sweat.
Xiao Yi scrambled out in a sorry state, stood up, and brushed the dust off himself. Looking at the pile of people still squirming and struggling, especially Xiao Yan's miserable face and neck, which had gone red under the crushing weight, he felt no sympathy whatsoever. Instead, he grinned, showing a mouthful of white teeth, then planted his hands on his hips and shouted at the fellows still straining to "subdue" thin air.
"Hey! You think I'm easy to bully? Let me tell you, when it comes to fighting, a crowd is the last thing I'm afraid of!" As he spoke, he pulled two carefully wrapped oil-paper packets from inside his clothes. They contained his special chili powder, which he usually claimed was for "driving out ghosts and warding off evil," though he sometimes used it to give his food an extra fiery kick.
By now, the people at the top seemed to have noticed that something felt wrong beneath them. That brat Xiao Yi appeared to be gone. Two of them had just struggled to raise their heads when, before they could make sense of the situation, Xiao Yi rushed over with a wicked grin. Smack! Smack! The two oil-paper packets landed squarely on their faces. In an instant, red powder filled the air, and a pungent, spicy smell shot straight into their heads.
"Achoo! Achoo-! My eyes! Cough, cough, cough!"
Those two unlucky fellows took the brunt of it. The chili powder sent tears and snot streaming down their faces as they covered them and coughed in agony, unable to see who was in front of them. Then Xiao Yi darted nimbly around the chaotic battlefield like a butterfly weaving through flowers, seizing every opening to fling chili powder into the faces of anyone trying to get up or still looking around in confusion.
For a time, the scene descended into even greater chaos. With chili powder blinding their eyes and burning their noses, no one could tell friend from foe. They only sensed figures moving around them and flailed their fists and feet wildly, trying to drive off their "enemies." Thus, Xiao Ning's men, who had originally come to "help" Xiao Yan, began fighting one another instead. Fists struck their own companions, and screams, curses, and coughing mingled into a racket several times louder than Xiao Yi and Xiao Yan's earlier one-on-one fight. Xiao Ning watched from the side, dumbstruck. He had never imagined things would turn out like this.
Xiao Yi slipped through the crowd like a fish through water, and the chili powder remaining in his hands always landed "just right" on the faces of the unfortunate fellows trying to open their eyes. He was having the time of his life, as though this were not a chaotic brawl but a grand game of hide-and-seek.
Xiao Ning, the instigator, stood outside the fray and watched his men stagger about and attack each other. His face turned livid with rage, yet he did not dare step in lightly. He had never expected that damned Xiao Yi to have such underhanded tricks up his sleeve. Just as he was about to bark at his men to stop, a dark figure shot out of the chaotic crowd like a phantom and came straight at him.
Seizing the moment when Xiao Ning was distracted, Xiao Yi accelerated into a running start. He lightly planted a foot on the shoulder of someone nearby who was crouching on the ground, covering his eyes and wailing, then sprang into the air like an arrow loosed from a bow. He flipped three times in midair and let out a strange cry: "San Francisco Shadowless Kick!"
Xiao Ning saw a blur, then felt a fierce gust rush toward his face. Instinctively, he tried to raise his hands to block, but Xiao Yi was too fast, and the angle was far too tricky. With a muffled thump, Xiao Yi's dusty, tattered cloth shoe planted itself squarely on Xiao Ning's fairly handsome face, leaving a clear footprint. Xiao Ning cried out in pain and flew backward like a kite with its string cut, landing hard on his backside. Stars danced before his eyes, blood streamed from his nose, and half his face burned with pain, swelling almost instantly.
"Owww! My nose!" Xiao Ning clutched his face and screamed, his voice taking on a tearful quaver. By now, the others had stopped fighting among themselves as well. Every one of them was still teary-eyed and utterly bedraggled, without a scrap of fighting strength left.
Xiao Yi landed steadily and clapped the dust from his hands. Surveying his "masterpiece," he raised his chin smugly. Although he had little Dou Qi now, he had traveled far and wide with his unreliable master in his previous life. What sort of people from the three teachings and nine schools had he not encountered? What kind of messy brawl had he not fought? A little scene like this was nothing more than a side dish.
Xiao Yi swept his gaze around, taking in the fellows rendered helpless by chili powder, Xiao Ning, whom his kick had left dazed, and Xiao Yan farther away, still buried beneath the pile with only his head showing as he stared at everything in stunned disbelief. A surge of heroic pride rose within Xiao Yi. Planting his hands on his hips, he spoke in a tone that looked down upon all living beings.
"Hmph! A bunch of trash with power levels of only five! With that little ability, you dare strut around and flaunt your might in front of me? Today, I'll show you what it really means to Subdue Demons and Vanquish Evil!"
Without waiting for anyone to react, Xiao Yi rubbed his fists and charged over, beginning a one-sided "thrashing."
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