At the coming-of-age ceremony, Xiao Heng and Xiao Xun Er stayed in the shadows, keeping a low profile. With his exceptional strength, Xiao Zhan had agreed to let him remain inconspicuous. No need to steal the spotlight, Xiao Heng thought.
Perched on a rooftop, Xiao Heng rested his head on Xiao Xun Er's lap, savoring her delicate fragrance, occasionally taking deep, indulgent breaths. This is the life.
Every youth at the ceremony endured a tedious half-hour ritual, looking foolish. "Good thing we skipped it," Xiao Xun Er said, relieved.
"Mm," Xiao Heng nodded, content.
Xiao Yan, under the second elder's scrutiny, underwent a Dou Zhi Qi retest after his ritual. "Eight-Stage Dou Zhi Qi!" the tester announced.
The crowd gasped, stunned by the "waste" Xiao Yan's progress. Representatives from various factions began their routine flattery, exchanging empty praises. Next came Xiao Ning's challenge, also at Eight-Stage Dou Zhi Qi. Xiao Yu slipped him a second-tier Qi-Boosting Powder.
Predictably, Xiao Ning's inferior Dou Techniques couldn't bridge the gap. Even with the pill, Xiao Yan defeated him effortlessly, leaving him half-dead. The disparity in their skills wasn't something a mere second-tier pill could overcome. Xiao Yan's got the edge, Xiao Heng mused.
Unwilling to accept defeat, Xiao Yu, unreasonable as ever, tried to challenge Xiao Yan publicly but was stopped by the second elder. Xiao Heng stayed silent. She'll go after Xiao Yan in the back mountains. Time to teach her a lesson—cinematic style.
___
After the ceremony, Xiao Yan relaxed. Finishing his daily training, he emerged from the back mountain's grove and spotted a stunning woman with long, shapely legs.
"Nice legs. Offering them for a spin?" Xiao Yan teased, his words sparking fury, her chest heaving with anger.
Their verbal sparring escalated quickly, each barb sharper than the last. Unable to outwit him, Xiao Yu attacked, launching a vicious low kick aimed at Xiao Yan's vitals with her slender right leg.
"Daring to bully the weak? Little Yan, I've got your back!" Xiao Heng leapt from a nearby rock, delivering a flying kick that struck Xiao Yu's chest, sending her crashing into the bushes. The impact let him feel the fullness of her figure. Quite the bounce, he thought.
"Little Yan, you alright?" Xiao Heng asked.
"We barely started," Xiao Yan replied, unfazed.
"Fine, fine, fine! A sneak attack, huh? Barely a year as a Dou Zhe and you're this arrogant? I'll take you both!" Xiao Yu emerged, her neatly pinned hair now a mess.
With a powerful push from her left leg, Xiao Yu charged, her right leg swinging toward Xiao Heng. He didn't dodge, grabbing her leg firmly. She struggled but couldn't break free. As she opened her mouth to scream, Xiao Heng, quick as lightning, snatched a pink garment from her body and stuffed it into her mouth.
"Holy—am I allowed to see this?" Xiao Yan gasped, covering his eyes but leaving a slit to peek through.
Xiao Heng didn't go too far. Grabbing a larger pink garment, he bound her hands and bolted. Can't linger—Xun Er catching me would be trouble.
Xiao Yan, eyes wide with shock, followed Xiao Heng's escape, leaving Xiao Yu raging helplessly. With her Dou Zhe strength, she could soon free herself from the pink bindings.
Face flushed with fury, Xiao Yu struggled to untie the knots. After failing, she tore them apart, shredding the garments. Removing the cloth from her mouth, she pulverized it in anger. Exposed and humiliated, she cursed under her breath, sneaking away from the back mountains. Xiao Heng got me good, and that shameless Xiao Yan just watched! she fumed.
___
Xiao Heng sprinted to Xiao Xun Er's courtyard. "Xiao Heng-gege, is someone chasing you? You're running so fast!" Xiao Xun Er said, catching him panting.
"Just exercising. Come on, Xun Er, let's go for a stroll!" Xiao Heng suggested.
"Alright!" Xiao Xun Er took his hand, and they headed out of the Xiao clan.
"That kid's got some nerve—reminds me of my youth," Yao Lao's voice echoed in Xiao Yan's mind. Xiao Yan, keeping pace, saw Xiao Heng and Xiao Xun Er leaving.
"Nice view back there, huh? White with a hint of pink!" Xiao Yan quipped.
"Indeed, not bad!" Yao Lao replied.
"What's not bad? I didn't see anything," Yao Lao backtracked, realizing his slip.
"Sure, sure, I was the only one looking, right?" Xiao Yan said, exasperated.
"Exactly," Yao Lao insisted.
Perverted old geezer. Sounds like a young slacker, Xiao Yan grumbled inwardly.
___
Time passed, and Xiao Yan soon broke through to One-Star Dou Zhe. Xiao Heng had miscalculated Jia Nan Academy's recruitment schedule, forcing him to stay in Wu Tan City longer. A minor setback, he thought.
The Jia Lie clan hired a first-tier alchemist, Liu Xi, to flood the market with low-grade healing medicines, crippling the Xiao clan's profits. Under Yao Lao's guidance, Xiao Yan crafted superior healing medicines, turning the tide. Yao Lao also secured a deal to refine five Qi-Gathering Powders, cutting off the Jia Lie clan's supply from the Miteer Auction House.
The Xiao clan's Blood-Coagulating Powder outsold the Jia Lie clan's Rejuvenation Powder, forcing them to slash prices. The auction house's supply cutoff hit the Jia Lie clan hardest, though mercenaries' high demand for healing medicines kept their business afloat when the Xiao clan's stock ran dry. The rivalry boiled down to a battle of supply volume.
While strolling Wu Tan City with Xiao Xun Er, Xiao Heng encountered Liu Xi, the Jia Lie clan's lecherous alchemist. Spotting Xiao Xun Er and Xiao Yu, Liu Xi's eyes glazed over, driven by lust. This guy's got no shame, Xiao Heng thought.
"Dear miss, may I invite—" Liu Xi began, but the stunning girl in green vanished, replaced by a youth in green.
"Where'd this blind fool come from?" Liu Xi snapped, startled by Xiao Heng's sudden appearance.
"Who let this mad dog bark here?" Xiao Heng retorted, pointing at Liu Xi. Now a Nine-Star Dou Shi, his strength was formidable.
"Can't you see? Or do small-town folk not recognize this?" Liu Xi sneered, flaunting his first-tier alchemist badge while wiping Xiao Heng's spit from his face. This kid's got a mouth on him.
"He's the Xiao clan's third young master, broke through to Dou Zhe a year ago," Jia Lie Ao, accompanying Liu Xi, said.
"Just a petty Dou Zhe, then?" Liu Xi scoffed.
"That lousy badge looks like my clan's mad dog badge. Did you steal it from the Xiao clan at midnight?" Xiao Heng taunted, spitting again, drenching Liu Xi's face.
"Ready to fight?" Xiao Heng said, eyeing several Jia Lie clan guards closing in.
Tempted by Liu Xi's promise of more pills, Jia Lie Ao ordered his dozen burly guards to surround Xiao Heng, who stood protectively before Xiao Xun Er.
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