Watching Hai Bodong's rapidly departing figure, the icy blue streak of light left a long trail on the sunset-reddened horizon.
Xiao Yan and Xiao Huohuo exchanged a glance and smiled at each other.
His smile carried a hint of helplessness.
Hai Bodong was, after all, one of the Ten Great Experts of the Jia Ma Empire, a dignified Ice Emperor, Dou Emperor- level powerhouse.
This man, who could make half of Dongcheng District tremble with a stomp of his foot in the capital, was now so frightened by a single glance from Queen Medusa that he dared not even drink tea or enter the door.
He threw down a few polite words and fled in a panic. If word got out, the entire Mittel Family probably wouldn't believe it.
However, Xiao Huohuo could understand.
After all, Hai Bodong's time in the Tagor Desert was ultimately due to Her Majesty the Queen.
Back then, Hai Bodong was full of vigor and ambition, venturing deep into the desert in search of legendary treasures.
As a result, they ran into Queen Medusa.
A single Snake Seal Curse sealed away most of his strength, turning him from a powerful Dou Huang expert into an old man making a living selling maps in Desert City.
The feeling of helplessness—the inability to break free of the seal no matter how hard you struggle, the despair of watching your hard-earned battle Dou Qi being sealed inch by inch without any recourse—still haunts Hai Bodong to this day.
If it weren't for the later appearance of Xiao Huohuo and Yao Lao, the Ice Emperor would probably have already wasted his life and become a real old man.
He spent the rest of his life in that dilapidated map shop in Desert City, never able to regain his peak strength.
Therefore, Hai Bodong's fear of Medusa is ingrained in his bones and cannot be eliminated by time.
Xiao Huohuo didn't blame him. In the entire Jia Ma Empire, there were probably very few people who could remain unfazed in front of Medusa.
Not long after they stepped into the Xiao Clan courtyard, before Xiao Huohuo and Xiao Yan could exchange even a few words, two familiar figures strode out from the direction of the main hall to greet them.
Xiao Ding and Xiao Li walked quickly, one after the other.
Xiao Ding walked in front. In the past two years, the Xiao Clan has suffered great changes. His father disappeared, and most of the family's burden fell on his shoulders as the eldest son.
After working day and night, a few strands of gray hair have appeared at my temples.
Xiao Li followed behind. He was naturally impatient, and now he was practically running, taking three steps at a time, his eyes already slightly red.
Upon hearing of the major incident that had occurred in the Xiao Clan, the two of them immediately dropped everything and rushed back to the Xiao Clan.
Later, at the suggestion of Hai Bodong and the Nalan Family, the Xiao Clan family moved to the capital, which led to the Xiao Residence in the East District today.
" Huohuo!"
From afar, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li watched Xiao Huohuo as she appeared.
An undisguised look of excitement appeared on his face.
Xiao Ding's eyes reddened slightly, but as the eldest brother, he forced back his tears, though his Adam's apple bobbed slightly.
Xiao Li, unlike his elder brother, was not as tolerant. He grinned widely, but his eyes were wet.
"Big brother! Second brother!"
Upon seeing the two, Xiao Huohuo's face revealed an undisguised excitement.
He strode forward, faster than ever before, almost lunging forward.
The three of them immediately embraced.
Xiao Ding patted Xiao Huohuo's back forcefully, as if to confirm whether this person was real or if he was hallucinating.
Xiao Li then wrapped his arms around Xiao Huohuo's neck, shook her violently twice, and kept muttering to himself.
"That rascal has grown taller and thinner."
Xiao Yan stood to the side, watching the three Xiao Clan brothers embrace each other.
He didn't go forward to disturb them, but calmly watched the scene unfold.
Xiao Ding and Xiao Li scrutinized Xiao Huohuo repeatedly, looking at her several times.
Xiao Ding reached out and squeezed Xiao Huohuo's shoulder, feeling the strong muscles under his palm, and a trace of heartache appeared in his eyes.
He knew that his third brother must have suffered a lot outside to grow from a naive boy into what he is today.
But more than anything, I felt relieved.
The little brother who once needed their protection has now grown into a big tree that can shelter him from the wind and rain.
After a while, Xiao Huohuo and the other two finally separated.
Xiao Ding straightened his clothes, which were slightly disheveled from the hug, and regained his composure as the eldest son of the Xiao Clan.
Xiao Li wiped the corner of his eye with the back of his hand, pretending it was from the wind.
The three of them smiled at each other, all their emotions transforming into the joy of a long-awaited reunion.
" Huohuo, who are these two?"
Xiao Ding and Xiao Li's gazes then fell upon Xiao Yan and Medusa, who were standing to the side.
Xiao Ding's gaze swept back and forth between the two of them.
As the eldest son of the Xiao Clan, he was used to observing before judging when meeting strangers.
Xiao Li was much more direct. His gaze lingered on Xiao Yan's face for a moment, and he felt that although the young man had an ordinary appearance, he had a calm temperament and stood there like an ancient sword sheathed in its sheath, unfathomable.
Then his gaze shifted to Medusa, lingering for only a moment before quickly looking away.
It's an instinctive avoidance, just like how an ordinary person would instinctively back away when they see a venomous snake.
He didn't know why he had this feeling, but his intuition told him that this woman was extremely dangerous.
"Hehe, big brother, this is Xiao Yan, my good friend, and this is... Cai Lin."
Xiao Huohuo introduced Xiao Yan and Medusa to Xiao Ding and Xiao Yan. His tone was natural and fluent when introducing Xiao Yan, but when introducing Medusa, there was a very subtle pause in his voice.
He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately used the name " Cai Lin ". However, the slight unnaturalness in his tone was noticed by his perceptive older brother.
Xiao Ding raised an eyebrow slightly, but did not immediately ask further questions.
He smiled, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Xiao Yan, and said a few polite words.
"Since you are Huohuo's good friend, then you are a distinguished guest of the Xiao Clan," he said, then turned to Medusa, bowing slightly in the same manner.
But in the instant he bowed, his gaze inadvertently met Medusa's eyes.
Those long, narrow snake eyes were a very pale gold, with a faint wisp of seven-colored light flowing deep within them.
Xiao Ding felt a sudden chill run down his back, as if an invisible arm had touched him from the base of his spine all the way to the back of his head.
His intuition told him that this woman was no ordinary person.
The aura that emanated naturally from her was more dangerous than any powerful figure he had ever encountered in the Jia Ma Empire.
That feeling was completely different from the oppressive feeling Hai Bodong gave him.
Hai Bodong's power is bold and flamboyant, but this woman's power is restrained yet deadly, like a dagger hidden in silk.
When their gaze fell upon Medusa, a look of undisguised surprise immediately appeared on their faces.
Although Xiao Li was easygoing and carefree, his intuition was equally sharp.
Although the two came out a step too late, they had already seen Hai Bodong's hurried departure.