Luo Le'er stepped forward and spoke.
Zhou Xianzong was dumbfounded.
Hold on, big sister.
What do you mean by that?
Why the hell are you jumping out to take the blame for me?
You're supposed to be the protagonist's woman!
How can you admit to doing it?
Who's the real villain here?!
Hearing Luo Le'er's words, Xiao Potian was momentarily stunned.
But soon, he pieced it together and sneered, "Well done, Zhou Xianzong. Are you even a man? Le'er's covering for you because she's wary of your status as prince, but I, Xiao Potian, am not afraid of you. If you're a man, own up to it! Letting a woman take the fall for you—what kind of skill is that?"
*Thud, thud, thud!*
At those words, Luo Le'er staggered back a few steps, nearly breaking down.
Why is Xiao Potian so dense? It's infuriating!
"Le'er, don't be afraid. I'll protect you for life!" Xiao Potian said to Luo Le'er with deep affection.
In his mind, Luo Le'er couldn't resist his sweet talk.
No way around it—your bro's just that charming!
"Hmph, you? Why don't you take a look at your swollen face first," Luo Le'er retorted, utterly speechless.
She couldn't take it anymore.
If she didn't leave now, she might actually lose it and try to kill Xiao Potian.
Ignoring both of them, Luo Le'er turned and left.
Seeing her walk away, Xiao Potian blamed it all on Zhou Xianzong.
If Zhou Xianzong hadn't used dirty tricks behind his back, causing him to get beaten up, how could Le'er act like this?
She might've already been won over by his heartfelt words just now.
Zhou Xianzong was left bewildered in the chaos.
What's wrong with this ice queen today? So moody!
Xiao Potian's lines just now were so touching.
I was almost moved to tears!
And you just left him like that?
Damn it!
Fuming, Zhou Xianzong threw the wildflowers to the ground and stormed off.
Ugh!
This woman's period must still be going—she's so damn irritable!
"Hahaha… this guy is hilarious."
When Mo Wu heard about today's events, she couldn't hold back her laughter.
She knew Zhou Xianzong was acting.
Every time she saw him struggling to keep the plot on track, it cracked her up.
Meanwhile, after Zhou Xianzong sent word of Mo Wu's matter back to the Zhou Dynasty, he plopped down on a chair.
No matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn't figure it out.
In the end, he pulled out his diary and started writing.
[This is absurd. Too damn absurd.]
[They say women flip faster than a book, and I finally experienced it today.]
[One second, this ice queen agrees to marry me, and the next, she wants to kill me!]
[She's gotta be crazy or something. Why would she agree to me? I'm not the male lead!]
[That sword-drawing moment scared the crap out of me. I'm traumatized.]
[But thank goodness I'm smart enough to keep the plot from derailing further.]
[And for the next bit, it seems I don't have a role.]
[It's mostly Xiao Potian fighting monsters and leveling up. Poor lackeys of mine—they're about to get a serious beating.]
After finishing his diary, Zhou Xianzong leaned back in his chair, leisurely crossing his legs, enjoying a pleasant day.
"Host has successfully written in the diary. Kidney strength enhanced yet again!"
"Get the hell out of here!"
Zhou Xianzong couldn't hold back anymore.
*Smack!*
On the other side, Luo Le'er, after reading the diary, tried hard to calm herself down.
But no matter how long she thought about it, she was still furious.
Is there something wrong with Xiao Potian's brain?
Why does he keep jumping in and ruining her plans?!
"Old Mo, come here!" Luo Le'er called out.
"Miss, what are your orders?" Old Mo appeared silently.
"Go beat up Xiao Potian again! This time, hit him harder—make sure he's bedridden for ten days to a month. I don't want to see him show up again!" Luo Le'er said through gritted teeth.
Thinking back to today's humiliation and still not shaking off Xiao Potian, she felt utterly wronged.
"This… Miss, not to argue, but Xiao Potian seems like a decent guy. What did he do to make you so angry?" Old Mo asked, puzzled.
Mostly, he felt a bit awkward about beating someone up twice for no reason.
"No need to ask questions. Just do it."
Luo Le'er waved her hand dismissively.
"Yes, Miss."
Old Mo nodded.
As soon as he finished speaking, he vanished.
At the same moment, in a room not far from the Qingyang Sect…
*Bang!*
Xiao Potian slammed his palm on the table, seething with anger.
"Master, that Zhou Xianzong is too much! He keeps ruining my plans. I can't swallow this!"
"Potian, this is Zhou Xianzong's peak moment. You haven't fully grown yet. If you face him now, you can't beat him," the old man in the jade pendant sighed.
He acknowledged that Xiao Potian's talent was indeed exceptional.
But with his current strength, he was still too weak.
He was only at the ninth level of the Body Forging Realm.
"Potian, be patient for a while longer. Once you've fully grown, killing Zhou Xianzong will be as easy as crushing an ant. You mustn't act rashly now," the old man in the pendant advised again.
*Crack!*
Xiao Potian clenched his fists, knuckles popping.
"Speaking of which, I'm still a disciple of the Xiao family. Though I was kicked out, my father still holds considerable influence in the family. If I tell him about this, he could send strong fighters to secretly kill Zhou Xianzong, and the Zhou Dynasty would be powerless."
"Absolutely not!"
The old man in the pendant quickly dissuaded him.
"Potian, reaching where you are today was no easy feat. We don't know if there are people in the Xiao family secretly plotting against you. If you reveal your recovered cultivation too soon, it could be dangerous."
You had to admit, the old man in the pendant was quite cautious and far-sighted.
He was extremely patient, stopping Xiao Potian from anything even slightly risky.
Xiao Potian's face flushed with frustration, but he didn't dare defy his master and reluctantly agreed.
"In half a month, it'll be the tri-sect martial competition. Before then, you must break through to the Pulse-Opening Realm. That way, you can shine. If you can take first place, the rewards will be substantial," the old man in the pendant reminded.
"Master, what should I do now?" Xiao Potian asked.
"Time is short. Head to the Demonic Beast Forest immediately to train. Only through life-and-death battles can you unlock your potential."
As expected, the old ginger is the spiciest—the old man in the pendant was clearly more experienced.
"Yes, Master."
Xiao Potian quickly agreed.
He packed his things and headed to the Demonic Beast Forest.
The Qingyang Sect wasn't far from the forest, just a dozen or so miles away.
Qingyang Sect disciples often went there to train and hunt demonic beasts for profit.
*Whoosh!*
Suddenly, while running, Xiao Potian heard a sound slicing through the air behind him.
This unexpected event made him instinctively shift his body to the side.
But the sound was too sudden, ringing right by his ear.
Looking up, he saw a figure.
"Potian, be careful!" the old man in the pendant shouted.
But the next second, a massive palm struck.
A surge of overwhelming spiritual energy pinned Xiao Potian down, rendering him immobile.
"It… it's you!"
Xiao Potian's face changed dramatically.
He'd never forget that night when he was brutally beaten.
Yes.
The person Xiao Potian referred to was none other than Old Mo.