An Unexpected Turn

Luoyang City.

On a street in the city at that moment.

Passersby looked at a little girl crying in the middle of the street, sighing from time to time.

"Boo-hoo, you bullied Tong'er! I'm telling Big Bwother!"

Rubbing her eyes and crying, Li Tong charged into a young man in fine robes before her.

With a mocking curl to his lips, the young man watched the tiny figure before him and let her charge.

The next instant, under his disdainful gaze, Li Tong struck his leg like a thousand-pound boulder.

The young man's expression changed. With a crack, his leg broke from the impact. Seeing him fall, Li Tong turned and ran.

"Young master! Young master, are you all right?"

Several of his servants hurriedly helped their young master up and asked after him with concern.

"Useless trash! Catch that little bastard! Fuck, she thinks she can run after ramming into me?" Dragging his injured leg, the young man slapped at his servants and snarled.

Looking at the men chasing after her, Li Tong wiped her tears and dashed into the crowd on her short little legs.

But how could a child without any cultivation escape several young men? Before long, Li Tong was caught and carried back.

Li Tong struggled and cried out, her heart-rending sobs spreading through the crowd, but not a single person dared step forward to help.

"Young master, who knows where this little bitch got so much strength? You'd better be careful."

The servants held Li Tong before the young man as they spoke.

Clutching his broken leg, the young man said with a crazed expression,

"Run, little bitch! Weren't you so good at running? You dared ram into me? Let's see just how capable you are!"

The young man raised his palm, about to strike Li Tong's face.

"Are you courting death?"

In an instant, a bone-chilling voice rang out in the street, and the young man's raised arm flew off like a kite with its string cut.

Li Xiao came before the young man, slowly crouched down, and took Li Tong into his arms, his eyes filled with guilt and heartache.

"Tong'er, it was my fault. I didn't look after you properly. I'm sorry."

Li Tong's little face had already turned pale with fright, but upon seeing Li Xiao arrive, she hurriedly threw herself into his embrace and burst into tears.

"Boo-hoo, Big Bwother, Tong'er isn't a little bitch! Tong'er didn't block anyone's way!"

Earlier, while Li Tong was walking along the street, she had encountered this finely dressed young man. Who knew what had gone wrong in his head? He had brought several household servants to block her path, insisting that the little girl was in his way, as though doing so would give him some peculiar pleasure.

Hearing Li Tong's accusations, the self-reproach in Li Xiao's eyes deepened. He patted the little girl's back and repeatedly comforted her,

"Of course. Tong'er is your big brother's little princess. Don't listen to their nonsense."

Meanwhile, the young man looked at Li Xiao crouching before him, his expression ugly and his body trembling.

By now, he had forgotten his severed arm and did not even dare let out the slightest scream.

An immortal cultivator.

The moment Li Xiao had struck, he had known that this man in blue robes was certainly no ordinary person. The pressure this blue-robed man exerted on him was even greater than that of his lineage's elders.

His lineage was a subordinate force of the Li Lineage, whose influence was now like the sun at its zenith. Though Luoyang City had many immortal cultivators, they would all show his lineage some measure of respect.

Thus, he was king in Luoyang City, but today, this person before him seemed unwilling to give him face.

Just then, Li Xiao turned his icy gaze toward the young man. Their eyes met, and cold sweat poured from the young man in fright.

"I... our lineage is subordinate to the Li Lineage... you... you can't touch me."

Trembling, the young man invoked the Li Lineage as his shield as usual, completely unaware that the person before him was the current head of the Li Lineage.

Just then, a troop of cavalry carrying long spears arrived. As though he had found his savior, the young man scrambled toward them.

"Second Uncle, kill him! Hurry and kill him! He cut off my arm!"

The young man spoke in terror.

The middle-aged man leading the cavalry swung down from his horse. At the sight of the young man's severed arm, anger surged in his chest.

The next instant, the middle-aged man walked toward Li Xiao and said,

"You have some nerve, daring to commit violence openly on the streets of Luoyang City."

Li Xiao turned his head and glanced at him.

Once the middle-aged man saw Li Xiao's face clearly, he seemed to have encountered something utterly terrifying. He hurriedly lowered his head and knelt.

"Y-young master."

Expressionless, Li Xiao spoke softly,

"You recognize me?"

"Yes, yes. I had the honor of seeing you once."

The middle-aged man's head was almost touching the ground.

The surrounding passersby nearly dropped their jaws at the middle-aged man's actions.

"Who is this young man?"

"The Xiao Lineage's Second Master actually knelt to him. This young man is no ordinary person."

"Good! The Xiao Lineage has finally hit an iron plate. Heaven has eyes!"

Nearby, seeing his second uncle behave this way, the young man whose arm Li Xiao had sliced off immediately realized Li Xiao's identity.

Despair appeared on his face, and he looked in terror at the little girl in Li Xiao's arms.

Then didn't that make her the Li Lineage's little princess?

At that thought, a chill ran down his spine. He hurriedly knelt and kowtowed.

"Young Master Li, I didn't know it was you! Otherwise, even with a hundred times the courage, I would never have dared do this! I was wrong, I was wrong! Please give me a chance! I don't want to die!"

With an icy expression, Li Xiao gently pinched the little girl's cheek and asked softly,

"Tong'er, that big brother knows he was wrong. Will you forgive him?"

Li Tong timidly turned her head, hesitated for a moment, and spoke softly.

"If he knows he was wrong, then Tong'er forgives him. Mother said only children who recognize their mistakes and correct them are good children."

"Thank you, little princess! Thank you, little princess!"

Hearing this, the young man felt as though he had been granted a pardon and excitedly knocked his head against the ground.

"Where is your home?"

Li Xiao asked coolly.

The young man instinctively pointed in a direction.

Then Li Xiao turned and walked away with the little girl in his arms.

"Thank you, Young Master Li! Thank you, Young Master Li!"

Just as the young man thought he had survived the calamity, Li Xiao sneered inwardly in the distance, and two black-flame marks flashed in his eyes.

Adults have to take responsibility for what they do. If an apology were enough, why would I even cultivate immortality?

In an instant, the two men on the street were engulfed by inexplicable dark-red flames and reduced to ashes.

At that same moment, their lineage was swallowed by a pitch-black fire dragon, without even having time to let out a scream.