Na Lan Family, Grand Hall
The hall blazed with light, filled with a bustling crowd, yet it was eerily silent.
A richly dressed elder gripped the shoulder of a pale-faced young man, his aura surging, his eyes locked gravely on a small girl nearby.
The girl eyed the table's delicacies, swallowing hard, but her big, dark eyes flickered with disdain.
"Little girl, are you trying to kill my grandson?" The elder's voice was low, laced with faint anger.
"Hmph! He wouldn't shut up, yammering on beside me, spitting everywhere, ruining all this food! I told him to stop, and he called me a country bumpkin!" Zi Yan shot the elder a glance, pouting. "If I really wanted to kill him, you think you could've saved him just now?"
The crowd snapped out of their daze, murmurs erupting around them.
"Who's this girl? That punch just now—it caused a sonic boom! Even a Da Dou Shi wouldn't dare take it head-on, right?"
"She came with Ya Fei, and she looks barely ten. Since when did the Miteer family have such a terrifying member?"
"Tch, Mu Zhan's always been a cocky bully, treating others like idiots and Ya Fei like his personal prize. Looks like he's finally hit a wall!"
"Haha, Old Mu, kids roughhousing is normal. No need to get so worked up!" Na Lan Jie, seeing Mu Chen's darkening face and rising aura, laughed heartily, stepping between them to defuse the tension.
"Na Lan, old man, step aside. Today, I'm teaching this little brat a lesson for Teng Shan. Just because she's got some strength doesn't mean she can do whatever she wants!" Mu Chen snapped, glaring at the young man beside him in frustration.
"Heh, teach me? Who do you think you are?" Zi Yan's eyes grew cold. Even the old man at home only scolded her lightly when she messed up. This old geezer dared to boast about disciplining her?
Mu Chen's face turned black as a pot. It had been years—decades, maybe—since anyone had dared speak to him so brazenly, let alone a child.
"Na Lan, old man, your injuries aren't healed yet, so I won't fight you. Step aside. This Miteer girl is getting a lesson today, and even if Teng Shan shows up, he'll have nothing to say!" Tossing the youth aside, Mu Chen's anger flared, his mid-tier Dou Wang aura bursting forth.
The oppressive aura made the young nobles in the hall gasp, their faces paling as they scrambled back.
"Elder Mu, Zi Yan isn't from the Miteer family. She's Hai Lao's guest. Think twice before you act, lest you bring disaster on the Mu family!" Ya Fei, pushed back by the aura, spoke with difficulty.
"Hai Lao?" The hall erupted in shock. They'd assumed the girl was a secret Miteer prodigy, but she was a guest of a Dou Huang?
All eyes turned to Mu Chen, who froze, his expression caught between a rock and a hard place. The crowd's gazes gleamed with amusement—this was about to get good!
Most of them had been bullied by Mu Zhan and held no love for the Mu family.
Just as the atmosphere grew awkward, a majestic aura swept in from the direction of the royal palace.
Moments later, a white-haired elder in plain hemp robes appeared in the crowd's view.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
"Greetings, Elder Jia!"
The hall's occupants hurried to pay their respects.
"Heh, no need for formalities," the hemp-robed elder said, waving a hand. His gaze swept the crowd, pausing on Na Lan Jie. "Looks like your Branding Poison is nearly gone. Good. The empire won't lose a decorated marshal."
"Your Majesty flatters me. It's all thanks to your blessings," Na Lan Jie said, bowing.
"I didn't do a thing," the elder said, shaking his head. His cloudy eyes glinted as they passed over Na Lan Jie and Mu Chen, a faint smile on his lips. "So, what's this about? You two, unleashing your auras in the dead of night, disturbing my peace?"
"I apologize for alarming Your Majesty. It's just a misunderstanding," Na Lan Jie, as the host, explained the situation in detail.
"Oh?" The hemp-robed elder's gaze turned to Zi Yan, studying her. A shock stirred in his heart.
He couldn't discern her exact strength, but he sensed a vast energy within her small frame, enough to unsettle him.
Feeling his scrutiny, Zi Yan's brows furrowed. This old man's strength rivaled Old Man Hu Qian's.
I can't beat him! she thought, her little face growing wary.
Suddenly, her nose twitched, her big eyes lighting up with joy, her tension easing. Recalling Xiao Bai's instructions, she shouted, "Brother Bai! There's an old man here I can't beat!"
Her clear, childish voice rang out in the quiet hall, startling everyone. They craned their necks, searching for this "Brother Bai" the terrifying girl spoke of.
Only the Na Lan trio and Ya Fei knew who she meant.
"Er, Zi Yan, Elder Jia won't hurt you. With me here, no one will. No need to call Young Friend Bai, right?" Na Lan Jie said, sweating profusely. He couldn't afford to offend Xiao Bai—not with his poison still untreated!
If that youth thought the Na Lan family was bullying his people and held a grudge, it'd be disastrous. And if Elder Jia really acted, even Young Friend Bai couldn't help!
"Right, Zi Yan, no need to bother the gentleman. I swear, as Yun Lan Sect's young mistress, you won't be wronged. Okay?" Na Lan Yan Ran stepped forward, taking Zi Yan's hand gently.
Her eyes shot daggers at the green-robed youth nearby, seething. This is all that arrogant brute's fault!
Everything had happened too fast to react, and by the time she did, Elder Mu had already stepped in. If her grandfather's recovery was jeopardized because of this, she'd make that brute pay!
"Sister Ya Fei, talk to Zi Yan. Don't let the gentleman come over this late—it'll cause a scene!" Na Lan Yan Ran urged.
"…" Ya Fei.
That guy was fiercely protective—the Miteer family knew it well. Would her words sway him? And judging by Zi Yan's expression, he was probably already here!
Ya Fei's peach-blossom eyes flicked to the culprit, a flash of disgust in her gaze. She and Zi Yan had been fine until that jerk stuck to them like glue, glaring at anyone who approached and ignoring her warnings, prattling on until Zi Yan snapped.
Seeing the Na Lan family's reactions, the crowd buzzed with curiosity, itching to know who this "Mr. Bai" was that made Na Lan Jie so anxious and the haughty Na Lan Yan Ran so cautious.
"Likely the one who cured Na Lan Jie's poison," the hemp-robed elder mused, observing the scene. The Na Lan family had been tight-lipped about the healer, but as the empire's ruler, he'd received reports.
Recalling the staggering aura that erupted from the Miteer family a few nights ago, it was likely this person. He was curious about the man's ties to Hai Bo Dong—a troubling sign for the royal family.
The Miteer family was growing too strong.
His own royal lineage, born from overthrowing a previous dynasty's great clan, made him wary of powerful families.
Suddenly, the elder's head snapped around, his expression grave.
The crowd, noticing his shift, followed his gaze, their faces uncertain.
A black-robed young figure stood at the hall's entrance, unnoticed until now. A strange silver vertical mark adorned his forehead, his presence commanding, his expression neutral, his deep eyes scanning the crowd faintly.
"Haha, Young Friend Bai, you're here! Please, come in!"
"Sir!"
The Na Lan trio rushed forward, their attitudes warm.
Xiao Bai nodded slightly, stepping into the hall, ignoring the crowd's stares. He reached Zi Yan, looking her over, a faint relief settling in his heart.
"Bullied?" he asked.
"Mm!" Zi Yan nodded, grabbing his hand and pointing across the hall, her crisp voice ringing out, "That guy called me a country bumpkin, and that old man said he'd teach me a lesson. Even the old man at home never said he'd discipline me!"
Glancing where she pointed, Xiao Bai withdrew his gaze, patting her head gently. "Didn't I tell you? We don't start trouble, but if someone messes with you, hit back with your fists."
"Those two—one-punch knockouts. How could they make you feel wronged?"
"…" The hall fell silent.
Damn, that's arrogant!
That was a Dou Wang, a top-tier powerhouse in the Jia Ma Empire! Yet in this black-robed youth's eyes, he was just a one-punch knockout?
And his tone suggested this adorable girl could handle them herself. What kind of strength is that?
Was this still the world they knew?
"Haha, are young people these days all so brazen?" Mu Chen's voice, cold as ice, broke the silence, his anger twisting into a laugh. "In all my years, no one's ever called me… a 'nobody.' Young man, you're bold, but in the Jia Ma Empire—"
"Noisy!" A soft rebuke cut him off, faint but sharp.
The crowd barely registered it, but to Mu Chen, it was like rolling thunder, shaking his soul.
"Pfft!" Blood sprayed from his mouth, trickling from his eyes, ears, and nose. His once-vibrant face turned ashen.
"Grandfather!" The green-robed youth beside him cried out in horror, rushing to support the collapsing elder, his eyes filled with regret.
His days of running rampant in the capital had relied on his family's power. Now, with their pillar brought low by a single shout, how could he not regret?
"What powerful soul force!" The hemp-robed elder, Jia Xing Tian, exclaimed, hurrying to Mu Chen's side to check on him.
He hadn't faced that force directly, but he felt its might. Even he, unprepared, would've suffered.
"At your age, still just a mid-tier Dou Wang, and you dare act high and mighty before me, yapping like a dog?" Xiao Bai's calm voice rang out.
The crowd's breath hitched, a chill running through them as they saw Mu Chen's pitiful state, falling silent as cicadas in winter.
Na Lan Jie was stunned. Old Mu's cultivation matched his own, yet a single rebuke had crippled him. Could the same happen to him?
He'd thought Xiao Bai knocked him out during treatments out of courtesy, needing his cooperation. Now he realized the youth's strength—out of politeness, he'd bothered with a warning. Otherwise, he could've been out cold without a word!
Na Lan Su's hands and feet turned icy, wiping cold sweat. Recalling his initial dismissive attitude at their first meeting, he was grateful he hadn't shown it. Otherwise, he'd be bedridden with his father now!
"So strong!" Na Lan Yan Ran stared, jaw dropped, at the black-robed figure holding Zi Yan's hand. She'd thought the gentleman was just a skilled healer, not a cultivator of such terrifying power!
How old was he? He looked barely older than her, yet he'd reached this level!
Teacher said she met a prodigy in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, not yet twenty, already a Dou Ling. But compared to this gentleman, what's that?
She felt an urge to drag him to her teacher, to show her what a true prodigy looked like, to prove her praised talent was nothing before him!
"Let's go," Xiao Bai said, glancing at the obedient Zi Yan, leading her toward the hall's exit.
Behind him, Ya Fei bit her lip, her brows tinged with grievance. Since arriving, he hadn't spared her a glance. Was he blaming her?
"Young sir, he's paid his price. Can we let this matter end here?" Jia Xing Tian, seeing Xiao Bai pause by Mu Chen, stood, his eyes narrowing, his tone solemn.
"He showed up, so I didn't act. His aura's as strong as Old Man Hu Qian's—I can't beat him," Zi Yan whispered, tugging Xiao Bai's hand.
"Your Dou Qi is thick as a mountain, but your vitality's nearly spent, your twilight near. Without a great opportunity, you, a peak Dou Huang, won't live much longer," Xiao Bai said, studying Jia Xing Tian. "You really want to stop me?"
The crowd gasped, some eyes glinting with intrigue.
Rumors had long whispered that if Jia Xing Tian couldn't break through to Dou Zong, he'd fall. But no one had confirmed it.
Now, if this mysterious Mr. Bai spoke true, the royal family's towering pillar was crumbling!
Jia Xing Tian's pupils shrank, his heart reeling. No one had ever seen through his condition—only speculated in private.
But those deep black eyes seemed to pierce his state, announcing it publicly.
This Mr. Bai wasn't just powerful and mysterious—his methods were top-tier!
One sentence to stir hearts—was he planting seeds of chaos for the royal family?
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