Inside the inn, the black-clad elder stared in terror at Xiao Yan, who was still eating. Beads of cold sweat kept breaking out on his forehead as he weighed the power of Xiao Yan's earlier attack, trying to guess his strength. After a few breaths, the elder arrived at a rough estimate and thought to himself:
Judging by the power of that attack, he should be somewhere between a Seven-Star and an Eight-Star Dou Zong. He's so strong and extraordinarily gifted. There must be an immensely powerful faction backing him. It seems we absolutely cannot take him on by force. We must do our utmost to befriend him. If we offend a faction the Wu Clan can't afford to touch, we'll be finished! Sigh! The young master has stirred up a huge disaster this time. Once we get back, I must have the clan head discipline him properly.
Suddenly, the black-clad elder lunged forward, darting between the green-clad man and the girl. Before either could react, he seized their wrists and moved to rush out of the inn with them. Xiao Yan remained motionless, seemingly letting them leave. But just as the three were about to reach the stairwell, a soft chuckle suddenly rang out on the inn's second floor. Xiao Yan, who had been eating his side dishes, had now risen to his feet. With his hands behind his back, he looked at the three of them with a smile and spoke lightly:
"You three have only just arrived. Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Now that I've finished the side dishes on my plate, how about I treat you three to a main course?"
Xiao Yan's tone was light, as though he really were inviting the three of them to a meal. But the black-clad elder was startled the moment he heard those words. The side dishes were finished, so weren't the three of them the main course? He abruptly quickened his pace, hoping to leave the inn before Xiao Yan made his move.
The black-clad elder had only just moved when he came to an abrupt halt. He turned to look at Xiao Yan, his eyes full of terror. At the very instant he had been about to go downstairs, he had discovered to his horror that he could no longer move. Xiao Yan, meanwhile, walked toward the three of them one step at a time.
By comparison, the black-clad elder was clearly much better off than the other two. The green-clad man and the girl beside him had both been knocked unconscious by Xiao Yan's soul pressure, while Xiao Yan had merely pinned the elder in place. The elder seemed to know what Xiao Yan intended to do. Soul Power surged frantically out of his mind and blasted toward the spots between the other two's brows.
The man and woman finally awoke under the elder's desperate efforts. The instant they did, he swung his arms hard and flung them out the window. At the same time, he sent a message to the green-clad man:
"Eldest young master, hurry back to the clan and tell the clan head what happened here. Tell him that the faction behind this man is powerful. We must do everything we can to befriend him and must not make an enemy of him! Otherwise, the clan will surely bring a great disaster upon itself! Remember!" The elder's final words had a tragic, heroic ring to them, leaving even Xiao Yan speechless for quite a while. He was the one who had picked a fight, yet he thought himself a hero.
At that moment, everyone on the inn's second floor came to their senses. This man had not been courting death at all; he was clearly a peerless genius. He had already reached the level of a Dou Zong at such a young age. In the future, he would surely become a peerless expert whose brilliance shook the region, and perhaps one day he would become a legend of his generation. Yet rather than go out and cultivate ties with such a person, the Wu Clan had actually tried to kill him. The Wu Clan was truly stupid beyond measure. Some people sighed repeatedly at the thought that the clan had thrown away such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Others, however, wore cold smiles. The Wu Clan had been arrogant and overbearing for the past ten years, and now someone had finally come to put them in their place.
The green-clad man's pupils contracted sharply when he heard the message. He forcibly twisted around in midair and caught the girl, whose face had gone ashen with fright. Landing steadily on the ground, he raced back toward the clan.
Xiao Yan did not even glance at the fleeing pair. He calmly watched the black-clad elder across from him. Seeing Xiao Yan looking his way, the elder hurriedly gave him an ingratiating smile uglier than a crying face and said:
"I was indeed in the wrong to attack you just now. In truth, it was only a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. My young master is accustomed to sitting in your seat, so that's why... But I've already sent him back to fetch the clan head. The clan head will come in person to apologize to you. I hope you won't be angry anymore, all right?"
Xiao Yan gave a cold laugh and said:
"You're from the Wu Clan, aren't you? A member of the Liu Clan helped me with something before. I heard him say that the Wu Clan of Qingyang City was arrogant, overbearing, and utterly ruthless. I didn't expect to see for myself today that it was true. Heh..."
Xiao Yan stared at the elder with a cold gleam in his eyes, making the man feel as though needles were pricking his back. He was extremely uneasy. In the next moment, however, an idea struck him, and he said with a smile:
"Haha, so it's you! We're family, yet we didn't recognize each other. The one who helped you was Liu Xiang, wasn't he? Haha, to tell you the truth, young master, that lad is my grandson. If I'd known of this connection earlier, there wouldn't have been so many misunderstandings!"
Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow slightly, and the faces of the people in the inn twitched. This old fellow's skin was far too thick. He was pretending to be a member of the Liu Clan just like that. If he were found out, wouldn't he really be finished?
The elder naturally knew that himself, but now that the words were out, how could he take them back? Besides, if he said nothing now and Liu Xiang asked this man to deal with the Wu Clan after helping him, then no matter how strong the Wu Clan was, it would never be his match. For now, he could only stall. If all else failed, he could simply wait for the clan head to arrive and kill him here in one stroke. As long as they dealt with everyone who knew about it, what of it even if the Wu Clan really did kill a junior from some major faction?
At that thought, the smile on the elder's face grew even brighter, though Xiao Yan found it utterly unsettling. How could Xiao Yan not know what the elder was thinking? Yet he turned to look out the inn's window, a hint of surprise appearing on his face.
Xiao Yan looked at the elder without attacking, simply smiling. The elder seemed to understand something as well. He said no more about being a member of the Liu Clan and stood there with Xiao Yan, silently waiting. A moment later, a mighty, commanding middle-aged man swept in through the window and appeared beside the elder in a flash. After the elder explained Xiao Yan's relationship with the Liu Clan, the Wu Clan head's expression changed. He sent the elder a message, then walked toward Xiao Yan with a cheerful smile. But when he reached Xiao Yan, the two men suddenly attacked, intending to kill him on the spot in one stroke.
Xiao Yan's expression remained unchanged. The two men felt a slight unease and put even more force into their hands as they rained blows at him. Xiao Yan stood quietly in place, his hands behind his back, making no move at all. But just as their attacks were about to strike him, a boom rang out, and the two men's charging figures came to an abrupt halt. A somewhat weary figure appeared before them and blocked their attacks. An instant later, the figure staggered back three steps, while the Wu Clan head and the elder retreated only one slight step. The two took a closer look and sneered, their gazes toward Xiao Yan turning even colder. Xiao Yan ignored them and looked at the middle-aged man in front of him. As if sensing his gaze, the man turned around, a gentle smile on his pale face. Xiao Yan looked him over briefly and nodded back with a smile.
Seeing the two disregard them so completely, the Wu Clan head grew even angrier. With a furious shout, he circulated the Dou Qi in his body at top speed. Light flashed in his hand, and a long sword appeared. He thrust it at the man whose back was turned to him. The man neither dodged nor evaded, turning around and meeting it with a punch.
"Heaven and Earth One Sword!" "Mountain-Shaking Fist!"
The two roared at the same time. Sword and fist collided, and each took a step back. The Wu Clan head's body trembled, dispersing the full force of the terrifying impact. The middle-aged man's blood and Qi churned inside him, and a flush appeared on his pale face.
"Hahahaha! Liu Huabai, you really still can't do it! With your strength as it is now, I advise you to leave at once. Stop thinking you can forcibly protect this boy. If you leave, I guarantee I won't touch your Liu Clan for five years. Otherwise, I can let you go today, but when tomorrow comes, you can't blame me. So tell me, what matters more: your clan, or an outsider who has nothing to do with you?" the Wu Clan head said with a cold smile, his eyes full of mockery as he looked at the Liu Clan head.
The Liu Clan head's brow instantly furrowed, and a conflicted look appeared on his slightly flushed face. As far as personal ties went, he and Xiao Yan indeed had none; they had only just met. Yet Xiao Yan had done him a favor. Although it had been indirect, he had helped him a great deal all the same. But what about his clan? What would happen to them?
After turning it over in his mind, the Liu Clan head ultimately decided to protect Xiao Yan. After all, if he kept Xiao Yan safe, it would mean the Liu Clan had befriended him. With Xiao Yan's aptitude, he would surely be valued by some major faction. As long as the clan could hold out until then, never mind the Wu Clan of little Qingyang City-even a clan ten times stronger would probably have to give his clan some face.
At that thought, the Liu Clan head's hesitant expression immediately turned resolute. He stood before Xiao Yan, blocking the Wu Clan head, who wanted to attack him. A hint of appreciation appeared in Xiao Yan's eyes, which had been as untroubled as an ancient well. He gave an almost imperceptible nod and continued watching.
Looking at the resolute Liu Clan head, the Wu Clan head and the elder both darkened. Their hands slowly clenched into fists, as though they were about to attack, and the Liu Clan head's expression instantly grew grave.
But in the next moment, the Wu Clan head suddenly burst out laughing.
"Good! Good! Good! Well done, Liu Huabai! Well done, Liu Clan! Just wait for the wrath of my Wu Clan! I meant to give you a little more time to catch your breath, but since your Liu Clan doesn't want it, you can't blame me! Wash your necks clean tonight and wait for my Wu Clan's assault tomorrow!"
The Wu Clan head bellowed in fury. As soon as he finished speaking, he and the elder left the inn and headed back to their clan to prepare for the great battle the next day.
Liu Huabai waited until the two men had vanished from sight before turning to Xiao Yan. Seeing how unconcerned Xiao Yan looked, his gaze sharpened slightly. Then he asked:
"May I ask what your plans are? If you have none, I would like to invite you to spend the night as a guest at my humble home, in case that old devil of the Wu Clan attacks you in the middle of the night. Would you accept my proposal?"
Xiao Yan looked at Liu Huabai, smiled, and nodded.
"Then sorry for the trouble."
Liu Huabai hurriedly waved off the apology and left the inn with Xiao Yan, smiling. As soon as they stepped outside, Xiao Yan saw Liu Xiang, who had guided him earlier. Seeing the respectful look on Liu Xiang's face, Xiao Yan frowned slightly and spoke with him for quite a while before Liu Xiang returned to the way he had been when guiding him. He talked and laughed with Xiao Yan, leaving the Liu Clan head beside them out in the cold. Rather helpless, Liu Huabai could only follow the two of them along the way, watching Xiao Yan and Liu Xiang head toward the Liu Clan residence together.
(The editor needs encouragement! The editor's speed is improving! Fellow readers, please give me some support too!)