Han Xiao, drawing from his experiences with modern romance in his previous life, found her reaction amusing and endearing. Smiling cheekily, he lightly tapped the back of his head and approached her.
Cupping his hands in a polite gesture, he said, “Junior Sister, you misunderstand. I’m just a bit lost. Could you guide me to the Bounty Collection Hall?”
Hearing his request, Yan Bingyan was torn between anger and the impulse to resolve the situation. While she hesitated, three other young women rushed forward, eager to assist.
"I can be your guide, Senior Brother!" one of them shouted.
"No, I’m headed there too. You can come with me," the second girl interjected, glaring at the first.
"I know a senior working there. Why don’t you come with me?" the third girl added with a wide grin.
Yan Bingyan felt a pang of jealousy twist in her stomach and glared at the three girls, her eyes still glowing with the activated Crimson Butterfly Gaze. To quell the unfamiliar and unsettling jealousy, she cast the Caterpillar Rash spell on them.
The three girls halted abruptly, their faces turning crimson from the rash. They rolled on the ground, crying and screaming as the ten percent intensity of the spell overwhelmed them, causing them to lose their composure entirely.
Han Xiao's grin widened as he thought, ‘She’s jealous.’
However, Song Ke, the burly man accompanying Yan Bingyan, had a very different reaction. He had been tirelessly trying to win her favor, only to see this filthy youth capture her attention with a single glance.
"Brat, do you know who you’re talking to?" Song Ke barked, then answered his own question, "This is Yan Bingyan, the princess of the Yan Nation and the Second Tigress of the Outer Court. For your disrespect, you’ll have to withstand one of my moves."
Han Xiao simply shrugged, nonchalantly.
Yan Bingyan, her irritation rising, glared at Song Ke and spoke telepathically, “Stop this nonsense. He’s only at Level 7 of the Pulse Condensation Realm.”
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Her tone carried a mix of frustration and resignation, and for the first time, Song Ke felt the sting of defeat. He realized he had lost her interest in the scruffy youth standing before him.
Still smiling, he responded telepathically, "I understand your feelings. This is the first time you’ve spoken to me with such emotion. Now you look like a real woman, not the icy lady I thought I knew. Don't worry, I'm just testing his attitude. We're still friends, and I won't hurt someone you like, right?"
"Who says I like him? Stop being presumptuous. I'm just being nice," she retorted, denying his claim flatly.
"Sure, sure, I understand," he grinned, his expression betraying his words.
“Hello! Are you still there?” Han Xiao snapped his fingers several times. “Will you guide me there?”
“Brat! Prepare yourself!” Song Ke shouted, stepping forward as a powerful aura surged from him, indicating he was at the late stage of Level Nine in the Pulse Condensation Realm.
The force of the wind pushed Han Xiao back slightly, but he quickly regained his stance, standing firm a short distance away. "If it's a fight you want, then bring it on," he challenged, releasing a portion of his own aura. The compressed Curse Qi inside his fifty Acupuncture Points dispersed the forceful aura, creating a fierce clash of energies.
Yan Bingyan, who had been clenching her palms tightly, was ready to intervene the moment Song Ke released his aura. Now, she hid her hands in her long sleeves and took a deep breath. ‘He’s not bad for someone at Level 7. Who is this man? No, who is this brat?’
Song Ke burst into hearty laughter, nodding his head approvingly. “Not bad! Now face my move.” He closed the umbrella and channeled a large amount of his qi into it, causing a yellowish hue to surround it. “Now,” he shouted, hurling it toward Han Xiao like a burning javelin, spinning at great speed.
Sensing the incoming attack, Han Xiao remained calm. Focusing on the blood droplet within his heart, he muttered, “Electric Arc Bloodline, activate!” In an instant, he drew his sword and made a lightning-fast strike, cutting the umbrella in half. The two pieces flew past him and stuck into the ground, silver electricity crackling along their surfaces.
Everyone watched the scene unfold in surprise as Han Xiao sheathed his sword. “Now, can you bring me to the Bounty Collection Hall?”
Song Ke stepped forward, nodding. “Alright, I’ll lead you there.” He gave a knowing wink at Yan Bingyan, who tacitly glanced at Han Xiao.
Han Xiao smiled and clasped his hands in farewell. “I’ll see you again.”
As Han Xiao and Song Ke walked away side by side, they seemed like old friends, with Song Ke’s hearty laughter echoing from time to time as they conversed.
After Han Xiao and Song Ke had long departed, two women in purple Daoist robes, their faces obscured by red veils, approached and bowed. "Your Highness, shall we eliminate him?"
Yan Bingyan shook her head. "No, just find out everything about that brat." She then walked over to the three ladies still writhing on the ground and tossed a silk pouch at them. "Inside, there are three pills. Take one each, and consider the gold coins within as compensation for your trouble. But mark my words: never interfere in someone else’s affairs again. Next time, you might not know how your heads fell from your shoulders."
She glanced in the direction Han Xiao had gone, hesitating whether to follow him or return to her dormitory to continue her cultivation. "Hmm, it’s none of my business." Uttering that, she began walking toward her dormitory, closely followed by the two masked women. After a few steps, she halted, shaking her head. "With these chaotic thoughts, I'll gain nothing from cultivating."
“Miss, did that brat trouble you? I can deal with him,” one of the masked women offered politely.
"I already said no. Just leave him be and gather all the details about him." Answering with a frown, she quickly turned and moved toward the direction of the Bounty Collection Hall.