Liu Xi was exhilarated, and the source of his exhilaration was the gracefully poised girl in green who stood a short distance ahead.
She was dressed in an elegant ensemble of delicate simplicity, her exquisite little face adorned with not a trace of cosmetics — entirely natural, entirely her own. Her silky, lustrous dark hair was loosely tied back with a short green ribbon, the ends just brushing her waist. A gentle breeze swept through, lifting those strands of hair in a way that stirred something deep in the observer's chest.
Cinched at her impossibly slender waist was a pale violet sash that traced the alluring curve of her figure with exquisite precision. Even the passing pedestrians could not help but steal furtive glances at that narrow waist, secretly imagining what a pleasure it might be to fold such a delicate thing into one's arms.
Liu Xi's gaze burned upon the girl, his hands trembling slightly with barely contained excitement. This serene, refined beauty was utterly unlike any woman he had ever toyed with before. That lotus-like air of purity that seemed to emanate from her very being made Liu Xi — a man who was utterly besotted with women — itch to seize her for himself right then and there.
His eyes flicked briefly to Xiao Ning, who had been sent sprawling to the ground by a single casual strike of his palm. Liu Xi smiled. "Protecting a flower requires real ability, boy. You're still a bit short of the mark."
Flushed crimson from the mocking laughter, Xiao Ning glared at Liu Xi with bloodshot eyes, his teeth clenched so tightly that he looked ready to charge forward and tear the man apart with his bare hands.
"Xiao Ning, come back. You're no match for him." Xiao Yu's face was like a sheet of ice as she stepped forward and spoke in a low, commanding voice.
Xiao Ning gritted his teeth, weighed the disparity in their strength, and withdrew, seething with humiliation. To lose face so thoroughly before the girl he admired — he felt as though he might die of shame.
Xiao Yu's gaze swept coolly over the intruder before Liu Xi's eyes came to rest upon her long, shapely legs. His face brightened with undisguised appreciation, and he let out a low whistle of admiration. "Another top-grade beauty. It seems my luck today is truly extraordinary."
Behind him, Jie Lie'ao approached with a cluster of hulking men and leaned in with an obsequious grin. "Hehe, Brother Liu Xi, they're all from the Xiao Clan. This woman is called Xiao Yu, but her temper is fiery as a furnace. Only a man with real skill could ever hope to tame her."
"Hehe. The hotter, the more exciting." Liu Xi's gaze drifted once more to the girl in green, who had not uttered a single word. His pupils glowed with a greasy, predatory light. "And what might this young lady's name be?"
When Jie Lie'ao realized that Liu Xi had set his sights on the very girl he himself harbored designs upon, a muscle at the corner of his mouth twitched. He silently cursed this brainless, lust-addled fool under his breath, then answered with forced cheerfulness: "Her name is Xiao Xun'er."
"A lovely name." Liu Xi nodded with a satisfied smile and dispensed with further pleasantries toward Jie Lie'ao. He stepped forward two paces and affected a gentlemanly bow. "I am Liu Xi. Might I invite both young ladies to stroll through the market with me? Hehe, if there is anything here that catches your fancy, you have only to name it and consider it mine." As he spoke, he drew his arm back slightly, casually exposing the professional badge pinned to his chest in what was unmistakably a display of vanity.
Upon the badge was emblazoned an ancient alchemy cauldron. Across its surface, a single silver ripple caught the sunlight and reflected an otherworldly gleam.
"A First-Rank Alchemist?" The crowd that had gathered around them gasped in unison. The gasps of awe only widened the smile on Liu Xi's face.
At the mention of "First-Rank Alchemist," Xiao Yu's expression shifted. But knowing her fiery temperament, she would never consent to stroll with a man who looked like a weasel in human clothing. Without missing a beat, she responded in a frigid tone: "We have no interest. Find someone else." With that, she seized Xiao Xun'er's hand and turned to leave.
No sooner had she turned than several burly men pushed their way out of the crowd, blocking their path with leering, insolent grins.
Xiao Yu's face darkened. She whirled back to face Jie Lie'ao and said icily, "This is Xiao Clan territory. Don't you think you're pushing your luck a bit too far?"
"Hehe, the Xiao Clan? All that impressive? You're nothing but a clan that clawed its way back to relevance with Blood-Staunching Powder. If I so desired, I could cripple your precious Xiao Clan without the slightest effort. The Rejuvenation Powder? That was nothing but a casual experiment on my part." Liu Xi stroked the pristine white sleeve of his robe, his tone dripping with smug condescension.
Xiao Yu's face flared with fury at this provocation, but she bit back the retort. She knew all too well what an alchemist was capable of and did not wish to say anything too caustic and bring unnecessary trouble upon the Xiao Clan.
Xiao Yu might have had such reservations, but Xiao Xun'er did not share her anxieties. At this moment, the only thing on her mind was that this piece of garbage shaped like a human being was wasting her time — time she could have spent finding Xiao Yan.
Xiao Xun'er raised her eyes slightly, her gaze settling upon Liu Xi's smug face. Her delicate lips parted, and the clear, crystalline voice that emerged froze every person present where they stood: "Garbage is still garbage, even if it wraps itself in an alchemist's skin. For someone like you, with the tiniest bit of ability and the need to flaunt it to the entire world, in Brother Xiao Yan's own words, you're nothing but a... fool."
The street fell into a stunned silence. Many of the onlookers wore expressions of open-mouthed astonishment. This refined, picture-perfect young lady had a tongue that was no less sharp than anyone else's.
Xiao Yu stared at Xiao Xun'er in similar disbelief. After a long moment, she shook her head with a resigned half-smile. "I told you — you were going to be corrupted by that little rascal."
Having been subjected to such unconscionably blunt sarcasm in full public view, Liu Xi — whose patience and magnanimity were already shallow to begin with — felt the smile gradually drain from his face. His expression turned venomous. "In all these years, you are the first person who has dared speak to me like that."
"Truly... such a cliched line."
Xiao Xun'er raised one small hand to rub her smooth, pale forehead. By now she had all but confirmed that the man before her was either an imbecile or possessed of an ego so inflated it was practically a miracle he could still walk.
"Jie Lie'ao. Make your move. I had originally intended to handle this properly, but she has left me no choice." Liu Xi's face was dark as he waved his hand dismissively and issued the command in a chilling tone.
"Eh...?" Jie Lie'ao froze, scratching his head with visible discomfort. He groaned inwardly: What is this lunatic thinking? Father was right after him — he knows nothing but alchemy, and apart from that, he's utterly useless. Why on earth does someone like this get to be an alchemist?
Sighing, Jie Lie'ao forced a hollow laugh. "Brother Liu Xi, our Jia Lie Clan really cannot afford to offend the Xiao Clan right now."
"The Xiao Clan?" Liu Xi let out a cold snort, his voice laced with contempt. "If I can have her, then I will personally bring about the true destruction of your Xiao Clan. Besides the Rejuvenation Powder, I can refine two or three other types of pills as well. Once I produce them, I guarantee the Xiao Clan will be right back where it once was."
At this, Jie Lie'ao was stunned once more. He had not expected this man to so readily and completely expose his trump cards. Part of him was secretly delighted, but in the same breath he could not help but marvel once again: is there a direct correlation between low intelligence and the probability of becoming an alchemist? With a sweep of his hand, he issued the order: "Seize them!"
The moment Jie Lie'ao gave the signal, more than a dozen burly men behind him surged forward, their faces twisted with predatory glee, surrounding the three young women.
Watching such brazen arrogance, Xiao Yu's willowy brows shot upward in fury. She let out a cold laugh, her jade hand whipping a slender green whip from the belt at her waist. With a vicious crack, the whip lashed out at the nearest thug rushing toward them. The sharp report of leather striking flesh rang out, and an ugly, raised welt instantly appeared across the man's cheek.
Though Xiao Yu was a Three-Star Dou Warrior, her opponents were all at roughly the Dou Warrior level themselves. After toppling two or three of them in quick succession, she was gradually pressed back onto the defensive, her movements growing increasingly frantic as she ducked and dodged.
With another palm strike that sent a man stumbling back, spitting blood, Xiao Yu retreated several steps, her pretty face paling with the strain. She called sharply over her shoulder: "Take Xun'er and go! Get inside and call that little rascal out!"
Xiao Ning nodded hurriedly. Then his face drained of color, and he shouted in alarm: "Sister, watch out!"
At Xiao Ning's warning, Xiao Yu whipped her head around just in time to see the man she had lashed earlier, his face twisted in a mask of savage fury, raising an iron fist and driving it straight toward her chest in a vicious, low-blow strike.
Seeing the brute resort to such a foul tactic — targeting a woman in such a place — Xiao Yu's face flushed with rage, tinged a livid shade of green. Dou Qi surged into her palm, and she was about to unleash a retaliatory slap when a dark shadow materialized at her side with startling speed. A powerful gust of force slammed into the thug's face with brutal impact. The sheer, overwhelming power sent the man skidding across the ground for several meters, a shower of blood spraying from his nose, before he finally ground to a halt.
"Everyone who laid a hand... will be crippled."
The young man stood there gripping a polished steel rod. His gaze was cold, his lips pressed into a thin line as he cast a brief, appraising glance at Liu Xi and Jie Lie'ao across the street. Then, in a calm voice that carried an unmistakable edge of menace, he repeated: "Crippled."
At the sound of the young man's voice, dozens of burly figures, each brandishing an identical steel rod, surged from the crowd like a pack of wolves, their faces split in savage grins.