Chapter 180 - A Slap (2)

Xu Xinyao lowered her beautiful eyes slightly, then slowly walked back and stood in front of Xu Yuan.

SMACK! The sound of another slap rang out.

A thread of blood spilled from the corner of Xu Xinyao’s rosy lips, but she still silently returned to stand before Xu Yuan.

The moonless official road was pitch-black. Only the faint glow of the inscription lamps on the carriages lit up their surroundings.

Xu Yuan stared at her and raised his hand again, ready to slap her once more, only to find that someone had grabbed his wrist.

It was Li Zhonghua.

Without the Sage’s soul power reinforcing him, Xu Yuan could not react to the other man’s speed.

The iceberg of a woman beside him did react, though. Her sword was already resting against Li Zhonghua’s neck.

The chill rising from the blade gradually spread across the surface of Li Zhonghua’s clothes, frosting them over. It seemed that if he made even the slightest careless move, his head would part ways with his body.

Li Zhonghua glanced at the sword at his neck, then said to Xu Yuan, “Brother Xu, as Xinyao’s older brother, aren’t you going a little too far?”

Xu Yuan turned his eyes slightly and stared at this favored disciple from some unknown sect. A hint of surprise showed in his gaze.

As their eyes met, Xu Xinyao said softly from the side, “Zhonghua, I’m fine. Let go of my brother.”

Li Zhonghua was silent for a moment, but he did not move. He only believed what his own eyes could see. And right now, the Third Young Master of the Chancellor’s Manor had revealed his lawless silk-pants nature as plain as day.

Xu Yuan almost found it funny. “I’m hitting Xu Xinyao because I’m her older brother disciplining his little sister. Are you planning to interfere in the family affairs of the Chancellor’s Manor?”

As he spoke, he saw the anger in the other man’s eyes and seemed to understand something. He smiled. “What’s this? You want to become my brother-in-law? If that’s the case, I suggest you find a mirror and take a good look at yourself first. The Chancellor’s Manor doesn’t accept fools.”

Faced with such humiliating words, Li Zhonghua did not grow anxious or angry. He only said softly, “This is merely advice.”

“Advice?” Xu Yuan smiled. “And what if I don’t take your advice?”

As his words fell, a sharp pain came from his arm.

Feeling that pain, Xu Yuan merely stared at the man beside him with interest, because at that very moment, Ran Qingmo’s sword also cut a bloody line across Li Zhonghua’s neck.

After a brief pause, Xu Yuan asked with a light laugh, “Are you planning to trade your head for one of my arms?”

Li Zhonghua still said nothing.

Xu Yuan glanced sideways at Xu Xinyao. “Xinyao, this suitor of yours is rather devoted. He can’t bear to see you suffer even the slightest grievance. But you had better talk some sense into him. Otherwise, he might start thinking I really don’t dare kill people.”

Past experience told Xu Xinyao that the third brother before her was no longer joking. She was just about to speak when Xu Yuan had already cut her off.

“Forget it. No need to persuade him. I’ve run out of patience.”

As he spoke, Xu Yuan stared at the man beside him and said in a low voice, “You know, you made a mistake. You shouldn’t have kept holding on to me.”

After a strange ripple of power, several faintly glowing cherry blossom petals drifted silently down before Li Zhonghua’s eyes.

At the sight, Li Zhonghua’s pupils shrank. That ripple was... Dao Essence? Why could Xu Changtian, a mere seventh rank cultivator, comprehend Dao Essence and even use it?

In that brief daze, a tiny scarlet speck had already landed quietly on his chest.

BANG! In silence, the scarlet speck exploded. Li Zhonghua was sent flying backward in an instant, only stopping when he crashed into a huge boulder. Earth and broken stones sprayed into the air around him.

Xu Yuan rubbed his slightly numb wrist, shook his head, and said to Xu Xinyao, whose eyes were filled with worry,

“Don’t worry. No matter what, he’s still your friend. I know how to hold back.”

“Hold back? Then this Li must truly thank Brother Xu for showing mercy.” A low murmur tinged with amusement came from within the dust.

Xu Yuan calmly turned his eyes back.

Li Zhonghua walked out from inside. Even after taking such a heavy blow, he showed no obvious injuries anywhere on his body.

Seeing this, Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow, but soon understood.

Most likely, in that instant just now, Li Zhonghua had also used Dao Essence to block the attack. Xu Yuan simply did not know exactly what kind of Dao Essence it was.

No matter what, though, this man did have some real ability. To come out unscathed after an attack like that was no small thing.

Li Zhonghua walked over while speaking as if to himself. “I once thought the rumors about Brother Xu were merely rumors. Now it seems that although Brother Xu is not quite as useless as people say, your temper is indeed as reckless as the stories claim.”

When Xu Yuan heard this, he covered his face and laughed softly. After he had laughed enough, his eyes narrowed.

“Li Zhonghua, you don’t actually think you look impressive right now, do you? In our family, if you do something wrong, you take the beating. That’s normal. Don’t you think it’s a little inappropriate for an outsider to stand here and flap his mouth?”

Li Zhonghua said, “An older brother should cherish his younger sister, not beat and scold her.”

Xu Yuan shook his head. “Since you insist on that, let me ask you something.”

“Ask.”

Xu Yuan lowered his eyelids. “If the person beating and scolding Xu Xinyao here right now were Xu Changge, would you dare step forward?”

Li Zhonghua opened his mouth as if to speak, but no words came out.

“What, can’t answer?” Xu Yuan stared at Li Zhonghua, his gaze full of contempt. “Because you know Xu Changge despises the sects to the bone. You also know that if you dared point fingers at our family affairs in front of him, there’s a good chance he’d cut you down with one swing of his sword.”

After a pause, Xu Yuan sighed. “If you wanted to play the hero and save the beauty, to be honest, you really picked the wrong person in me. Self-righteous people like you are hopelessly stupid. You think what you’re doing is for Xu Xinyao’s own good. But do you know what you’re doing right now? You’re putting her over the fire.”

Li Zhonghua fell silent, because he had already seen the conflicted look on Xinyao’s face.

Xu Yuan glanced at Zhou Ziqing, whose eyes were filled with anger, then continued. “You should learn from Zhou Ziqing. Even though she and I had a grudge in the past, she has endured it this whole time and hasn’t cut me down with one swing. Most likely, it’s because she doesn’t want to make things hard for Xu Xinyao. Now look at yourself, you idiot.

“You suddenly jumped out and told me to stop. Who exactly do you want Xu Xinyao to speak for? You? Whether she sides with family or with reason, it still isn’t your place, you fool. And yet you insist on wearing that face that says, I’m doing this for your own good. With her personality, it’s hard for her to directly tell you to get lost.”

With that, Xu Yuan stared at Li Zhonghua. “I don’t recommend that Xinyao continue associating with a fool like you.”

Li Zhonghua clenched his fists.

After saying this, Xu Yuan sighed and no longer bothered with Li Zhonghua. He looked at the red marks rising on his adopted sister’s face and said in a flat voice, “I won’t keep hitting you. Come on. I’ll tell you on the road why I beat you.”

Xu Xinyao stood still.

Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow and frowned. “What, you don’t want to leave?”

Xu Xinyao glanced back toward the convoy behind her and said softly, “Third Brother... may Xinyao have a little time?”