Brother Chen Cang

Shoving away the lunging Xiao Yan, Chen Cang wore a look of utter confusion.

"What's got into you? You're the Third Young Master of the Xiao Clan, who on earth could bully you?"

"..."

Xiao Yan had grievances he couldn't voice. After all, anyone who looked at Chen Cang's arrangements knew they were for his own good; even Xiao Zhan and his two brothers strongly supported them.

Therefore, Xiao Yan could only make a helpless plea.

"Brother Cang, could you please stop having Cousin Xiao Yu supervise me from now on? I promise I'll work hard at my cultivation. With the two of you constantly staring down my neck, I can't relax at all-it's just too uncomfortable."

After a brief glance that took in everything Xiao Yan had been through these past few days, Chen Cang couldn't help nodding slightly.

Xiao Yu, well done!

"Fine then, everything as you wish."

"Really?"

"Really."

"I knew Brother Cang was the easiest person to talk to!"

Having secured the desired outcome, Xiao Yan was thoroughly satisfied. He cast a provocative glance at Xiao Yu and happily went off to enjoy his freedom.

After sending Xiao Yan off, Chen Cang thanked Xiao Yu as well. Only after finishing that did he look toward Xiao Xun'er, who was standing obediently to the side.

"Mhm, already at the 2nd Stage of Dou Qi. Xun'er's talent truly is extraordinary."

Hearing the praise, the corners of Xiao Xun'er's lips couldn't help curving upward.

"Big Brother Chen Cang is in such a good mood. I suppose you must have harvested a bountiful crop from this trip out."

Look at how thoughtful the little girl was-unlike those blockheads of Xiao Yan's, who never thought of such things.

"I suppose you could say it met expectations. Besides, discovering that Xun'er has made such great progress right upon my return is also something worth celebrating."

"Seeing Big Brother Chen Cang, Xun'er is very happy too."

Even though he knew she was simply expressing herself purely without any other meaning, hearing those words still felt a bit like a foul.

Yet one could also tell that the effect of this outing was indeed quite good.

Xiao Xun'er's attitude had grown noticeably closer.

Plan successful!

Entering the courtyard, Chen Cang first settled the Void Pegasus Beast.

Along the way, Xiao Xun'er naturally followed right behind him like a little tail.

Guiding her into the living room, it seemed as if they had returned to how things used to be: asking questions, giving explanations, and chatting about interesting trivia.

When Chen Cang recounted how he had discovered the skeletal remains of a Dou Wang expert inside a cave and, after going through 'unspeakable hardships', finally obtained some fortuitous encounters left behind by the other party, Xiao Xun'er also revealed a joyful expression, genuinely happy for him.

This made Chen Cang's old face burn slightly. After all, he hadn't experienced any danger at all-those tales were all completely fabricated.

The truth was that he had acted on a whim, taking the Void Pegasus Beast straight to the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Aside from the bit of time spent reading a magical beast's memories to locate the cave, he hadn't delayed for even a moment.

From opening the cave to finishing the looting, it hadn't even taken a quarter of an hour.

Still, it didn't matter. Since nobody knew the truth, all rights of interpretation belonged to Chen Cang.

Ever since his return from the Imperial Capital, Chen Cang's daily routine grew regular once more.

Cultivating, walking the mount, and occasionally going out for a stroll.

The only difference was that previously he used to go alone, whereas nowadays Xiao Xun'er accompanied him on most of his activities.

Because of this, Xiao Xun'er discovered even more unknown secrets about Chen Cang.

For instance, Chen Cang had learned how to compound poisons and cultivated a flying Dou technique called the "Purple Cloud Wings". These secrets were known to her alone.

And the more secrets they shared with each other, the deeper their bond became.

Time flew by, and a month passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Chen Cang sat cross-legged in the Xiao Clan Back Mountain, forming cultivation hand seals with utmost concentration.

Not far from him, Xiao Xun'er sat on the soft grass, resting her chin in her hands as she watched motionlessly.

Suddenly, an incomparably familiar dark shadow entered her line of sight from the side and rear.

Xiao Xun'er snapped back to her senses instantly, casting a somewhat nervous glance toward Chen Cang's direction. Seeing that he remained entirely absorbed in his breakthrough without the slightest awareness, she lightened her steps and quietly retreated until she reached a suitable spot for talking, then stopped.

Soon, a figure shrouded in a black robe appeared.

Without a doubt, it was Ling Ying.

"Miss, I have already investigated everything."

"This Chen Cang is indeed a native of the Tianxing Empire. Following the clues step by step, I traced it to Tianying City. The city lord of Tianying City is named Ding Dian, a Nine-Star Dou Wang in strength. This man took Chen Cang in when he was four and a half years old, and immediately placed Chen Cang along with many other adopted children into an estate to be raised."

"I went to that estate and hid in the dark to observe for two days. Even though Chen Cang left several years ago, those children still mention him-especially one named Lü Guan, who frequently keeps him on his lips."

"After leaving the estate, Chen Cang stayed continuously at the City Lord's Residence until the time Ding Dian hired mercenaries to head into the mountains to search for the Azure Nether Fruit. Chen Cang accompanied them, and afterward everyone lost all contact. The people of Tianying City have already presumed they all perished."

"The intelligence after that is rather scarce, but where geese fly they leave tracks. In a city within the Chu Yun Empire close to the Black Eagle Mountains, I also picked up word that someone had seen a youth-and-horse combination passing through. Judging from the appearance described, it was undoubtedly confirmed to be Chen Cang and the Void Pegasus Beast."

"It was precisely relying on the Void Pegasus Beast that he was able to safely cross the Chu Yun Empire and the Tagor Desert to arrive within the borders of the Jia Ma Empire."

Without the slightest concealment, Ling Ying reported all the intelligence he had gathered.

It was also because Chen Cang's footprints were so clear that his investigation had proceeded so smoothly, even faster than anticipated.

Xiao Xun'er nodded slightly, smiling brightly as if she were extremely satisfied with this result.

"Right, Miss, during this investigation I also discovered a rather interesting matter. If the thread of clues hadn't been so clear, I would have found it hard to believe."

"What matter?"

"Does the Miss know how old Chen Cang is nowadays?"

"That's no secret. Big Brother Chen Cang was fifteen when he first arrived in Wutan City, and he's just a few months shy of turning seventeen now."

"That is correct, but in truth, Chen Cang's actual age is merely thirteen! He likely also knew this would seem far too fantastical in Wutan City, which was why he lied about his age. Yet even so, it still shocked the people of Wutan City. With him around the Xiao Clan for even a day, the other two great clans wouldn't dare harbor any ulterior thoughts whatsoever."

Hearing this, Xiao Xun'er's pretty mouth parted slightly in astonishment.

A thirteen-year-old Da Dou Shi-even in the Central Plains, that was a genius worthy of all-out cultivation.

"Xun'er?"

Just as Xiao Xun'er was digesting this information, Chen Cang in the distance had already completed his breakthrough and was searching for her over here.

Hearing the call, Xiao Xun'er looked toward Ling Ying.

The latter immediately understood her intent, and his figure flashed and merged into the darkness.

"Brother Chen Cang, I just went over by the pond. Have you finished your breakthrough?"

Bounding in front of Chen Cang, Xiao Xun'er's gaze carried a sense of wonder.

"Mhm, and moreover I broke through twice in a row. Having taken the Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill, I'm now a Seven-Star Great Dou Master..."

Mid-sentence, Chen Cang suddenly reacted. This little lass's form of address seemed somewhat wrong.

Seeing him freeze, Xiao Xun'er smiled slyly.

Clearly she wasn't even of age yet, so calling him "brother" was obviously much more fitting!