Shiao Wenting was a bit of lost. The Immortal was amiable and different than the others he had met before, suggesting something good must have happened. So he hastened to lead the way to the great hall.
"Master Shiao, this time in total two candidates from you family have been selected by Luoyun Valley, and a promising future waits for you. Congratulations." In the great hall, Brother Liu shot a glance at Shiao Chen, who was a disciple of the late Chief Master's fifth disciple and the very reason why he played nice with his family members. Even a lay disciple of Luoyun Valley could not be estimated.
"What! Immortal, did you just say…two of our boys and girls passed the Test?" Shiao Wenting asked in disbelief, ravished with joy.
Brother Liu seemed not surprised at all. He nodded with a smile on his face. "Exactly."
All the family members looked pleasantly surprised. The heads of each house kept looking at their own sons and daughters, and expectation was all over their faces. 300 years had passed and no one in their family had been born with a spiritual root, so none of them had ever expected that two candidates would have been picked on this time. How could they conceal their excitement? If it happened to be their own blood that got lucky, their won houses would also rise in the whole family, even they themselves would be qualified to become the Master.
Shiao Wenting stared at his son, Shiao Lin, short of breath for a moment. Slowly he asked, "Lin, have you……been chosen?"
The attention coming from Shiao Lin's uncles produced a sense of superiority in his heart, so he nodded with a bit of complacency.
"Great! Haha, that's my boy!"Shiao Wenting repeatedly praised, and his face was reddened with excitement.
High compliments were also given by the heads of other houses, who were both jealous and eager to find out that who was the other person favored by luck.
Shiao Wenting understood the anxious stare fell on him, so he calmed himself a little and gave a gentle cough. "Lin, then who was the other one? The daughter of your second uncle or the son of your third uncle?"
The question immediately dispersed the complacency on his son's face who was too embarrassed to make a sound.
A bad feeling welled up in his heart, but he could not figure it out in such a short time.
So he swept the crowd and then fixed his eyes on Shiao Chen. He snapped, "Shiao Chen, you tell us. Who was the other one chosen?"
Shiao Chen darted a cold glance at him with no intent to answer.
His calm and coldness made Brother Liu who had several guesses of what was going on lift his brow and look at others in a weird way.
Such reaction was not expected from Shiao Chen. It aggregated Shiao Wenting. He was trembling with rage, and his face turned red.
"Shiao Chen, having attended the Test of Entering Divine Gate does not grant you any right to defy me! Don't forget who you are. How dare you stand next to the Immortal? Now get out of here and never let me see you again!"
Shiao Chen raised his head to examine the angry face. The corners of his mouth were quirked up, showing his scorning. He was no longer the country boy who could not fight back under humiliation three days ago. He was a cultivator of Luoyun Valley now, and his master had achieved the Late State of the Foundation Establishment. He had absolute confidence in himself when he stood in the great hall of Shiao's again.
"Where is my father? Why is he not here?" He slightly felt uneasy. His father, who would never miss such an occasion, had not shown up this whole time.
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"Hum! You are as disgusting as your father. Guards, take his father here and let them reunite!" Seeing that he was still ignored, Shiao Wenting got more furious, but then he sneered. He had numerous opportunities and ways to teach this father and son a good lesson after today!
Two guards came into the great hall as ordered with an injured old man between them.
The old man was Shiao Chen's father, who had an extremely weary and pale face with drops of dried blood on corners of his mouth. His left arm, which had been dislocated once, was twisted in a peculiar angle, clearly it was broken again.
"Kid, take your old man home quickly. If he dies, don't blame us for not warning you." One of the guards said to him with a grim smile while they threw the old man on the floor.
"Father!" Shiao Chen froze for a moment before he rushed to his father. Red covered his eyes instantly and anguish-motivated killing surged in his heart.
"Ahem. Don't worry. I am fine. These scratches won't kill me. Some rest will cure them." The old man forced a smile, afraid that his son would do something stupid under rage. Provoking the Shiao family right now would only bring them more insults.
"Father, they hurt you, didn't they?" All of a sudden, Shiao Chen regained his calmness. The red in his eyes faded, instead chill accumulated.
"Chen, stay calm. Let's get out of here at once!" The old man knew his own son, who must have boiled with anger. He was terrified that his son would act out, so he struggled, trying to stand up.
Shiao Chen led his father to sit on a chair and said in a gentle voice, "Father, don't worry about me. I have grown up and I can protect you now. I will never allow anyone to humiliate you from now on." Then he stood up and fixed his icy cold eyes on the two guards.
"Brother Shiao, do you need me to take care of this for you?" Brother Liu asked. His face turned pretty dark. Shiao Chen was a member of Luoyun Valley now, yet his father had been badly injured by two mortals. It was a great disrespect to Luoyun Valley. Besides, Shiao Chen was a nominal disciple of Yaodaozi and it was said he was highly favored by his master and likely to achieve huge success. Offering a small favor right now might greatly benefit him in the future.
"Thanks. I will do it by my own." Shiao Chen shook his head. As a son, he must make those who had insulted his father pay for their crimes tens or hundreds of times.
"What! The other one is him!!" When he heard how the Immortal addressed Shiao Chen, Shiao Wenting was stunned. He couldn't help but give out a scream in disbelief.
Shiao Chen's father, on the other hand, was full of pleasant surprise.
But the two guards were both struck by panic.
"Run!" They both dashed backwards at the same time. Though their opponent was a cultivator, he had just started and should have not learnt any skills, so they should have the chance to escape. Once they succeeded, they would change their names and conceal their identities. Who could find them then?
Shiao Chen sneered. After the two guards ran for more than 10 meters, he took a piece of yellow paper that was depicted with numerous lines and sending out waves of energy from his storage bag. It was the Fireball Talisman that Liu Tao had given to him.
He held the Sign in his hand and injected a weak wasp of Spiritual Qi into it. Immediately he got weaker, but the lines on the Sign brightened and two dark red fire balls as big as two fists emerged and rushed directly at the two guards.
"Ah!"
"Ah!"
Two sounds of cry rang in the great hall and then abruptly stopped. The two guards stood no chance under the attack of the fire balls and was burnt into ashes in a blink of eyes.
The attack exhausted the little Spiritual Qi in Shiao Chen's body, yet it intimidated all the people around, including Brother Liu. The latter decided to make a good friend of Shiao Chen who must have been valued much by Yaodaozi if he could have a Sign and produce some Spiritual Qi only a few days in Luoyun Valley.
With the Spiritual Qi ran out, Shiao Chen looked like a fragile boy again, but the eyes fell on him were full of respect and fear.
"Father, tell me, who asked them to beat you?" Though he still remained calm, he frightened others after he killed the two guards without hesitation.
He locked his eyes on Shiao Wenting whose face turned as pale as death in an instant.
"Lin, come and save me. You are also a cultivator now. You must be able to help me!" Shiao Wenting looked at his son and calmed a little bit. His son also became a disciple in Luoyun Valley as Shiao Chen. Was he not able to protect him?
Shiao Lin's face turned white all at once. Though he was taken in by Luoyun Valley, he was not so lucky. His master had only met him once in the past half of a month and had not taught him anything, how was he able to fight Shiao Chen?
As Shiao Chen approached step by step, Shiao Wenting was shocked with fury, even Shiao Lin kept to walk back.
"Chen, that man was my elder brother. You shall not do things that are hated by both man and god." Shiao Chen's father stepped in.
Shiao Wenting continued as if he grasped a life-saveing straw. "That's right. Shiao Chen, I am your uncle. Though I did something wrong in the past, I never thought of killing you. How can you treat me like this? I am……"