"Brother Xiao Feng, why have you been holding back all this time?"
Xiao Xun'er held her teacup, took a small sip, then raised her fair chin, her snow-white neck swaying slightly as she swallowed the tea.
Since that evening, Xiao Xun'er had been coming over every day to stay for several hours.
Xiao Feng, who was practicing his horse stance, stared straight ahead without turning his head. "I wasn't holding back."
"But... they all bullied you like that."
When Xiao Xun'er recalled those scenes, she felt even more aggrieved than Xiao Feng, her brows furrowing.
"Huh? How did they bully me?" Xiao Feng asked, puzzled.
"They call you weak, and they even ostracize you." Xiao Xun'er waved her fist, dissatisfied. "You could easily defeat them with a flick of your finger, but you don't do anything."
"Oh, you know that too."
"What?"
"You could easily defeat them with a flick of your finger, that's why I'm worried. What if I don't control my strength and cripple them?"
"But..."
Xiao Xun'er was led astray by Xiao Feng, feeling that something was wrong, but she couldn't refute it.
"But they should be beaten for talking badly about me, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah."
"I didn't lose anything. On the contrary, I learned that Xiao Ding, Xiao Li, and Xiao Huohuo aren't the kind of people who kick someone when they're down. Xiao Yu is cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and Xiao Mei isn't opportunistic; she's just not very resolute. I also felt Uncle Xiao Zhan's meticulous care... The lower you are, the more you can find the good side in the hearts of wicked people."
Xiao Xun'er seemed to understand, "Brother Xiao Feng, I think what you said makes some sense, but..."
Hearing Xiao Xun'er's conflicted voice, Xiao Feng laughed inwardly: As long as you succeed, any logic can be applied to you. That's the scary thing about toxic chicken soup!
An hour later, Xiao Feng stood up and stretched his body slightly. He hadn't even broken a sweat. The effect of the horse stance on his body training was negligible.
Looking at the smiling girl sitting in the chair, Xiao Feng raised an eyebrow. "Why aren't you cultivating again?"
Xiao Xun'er's pretty face fell, and she said unhappily, "Xun'er just finished cultivating."
"Oh, did you advance?" Xiao Feng poured himself a cup of tea.
Xiao Xun'er completely slumped onto the table, pushing her teacup over as well, protesting in an almost coquettish tone, "Brother Xiao Feng, advancing isn't that easy!" Her
smooth, long black hair covered her petite back, her dark eyes held a hint of grievance, her pretty face was slightly flushed, her cheeks were puffed out, and her pink lips were upturned... she was
truly a beautiful and adorable girl.
Xiao Feng shook his head. Beautiful as she was, she was essentially a lazy bum.
The world of Doupo wasn't very big, there was nowhere to hide, and the plot wasn't very long either, less than fifty years. To contend with an old guy who had lived for thousands of years was a long and arduous task, he couldn't relax!
Xiao Feng didn't want to be buried in the yellow earth before he turned fifty.
At this moment, there was a knock on the courtyard gate.
Xiao Feng glanced at Xiao Xun'er. "You must be looking for you, right?"
"Brother Xiao Feng, you said I wasn't here." Xiao Xun'er didn't even look up.
Xiao Feng sighed inwardly again, got up, and opened the door.
The person outside surprised him.
"Uncle Xiao Zhan?"
"I've been busy with family matters, so it's been a while since I've had a heart-to-heart talk with you. You won't resent your uncle, will you?" Xiao Zhan looked at the boy, somewhat lost in thought.
Such a sensible and well-behaved child, and so hardworking, but this world is never fair; talent is more important than effort.
"How could I? Uncle Xiao Zhan, please come in and sit down."
Xiao Feng led Xiao Zhan into the main hall.
Xiao Xun'er, who had just been lounging around, had obediently stood up and said to Xiao Zhan, "Hello, Uncle Xiao."
Xiao Zhan was taken aback, his gaze towards the two filled with doubt.
In his view, the difference in their status was like heaven and earth; he really didn't understand how they could be so intimate.
"Xun'er is here too. I was about to talk to Feng'er about something."
"Yes, Brother Xiao Feng, Uncle Xiao, Xun'er will go back first."
Watching the girl's departing figure, Xiao Zhan sighed softly, "Xun'er is a good child... but..."
"Sister Xun'er has a very good talent, and we can only be friends." Xiao Feng finished speaking for Xiao Zhan and poured two cups of tea for each of them.
Xiao Zhan was taken aback, then looked at Xiao Feng and smiled wryly. This child was still as well-behaved as when he was little.
"It's good to be friends with her." Xiao Zhan murmured, following Xiao Feng's words, then changed the subject, "Have you been working on your body these past few years?"
Xiao Feng's skin was dark, with a bronze hue, a result of long-term physical strain.
"Hmm."
"Feng'er, there have been people in this world who have walked this path before, but ultimately it can't last long, and it's very harmful to the body. I think..."
Xiao Feng smiled, "Uncle Xiao Zhan, I'm also preparing to give up."
"I see...that's good." Xiao Zhan breathed a sigh of relief, but a hint of pain appeared in his expression. He continued, "I've come to see you today mainly for another matter."
"Uncle Xiao Zhan, please speak freely."
"You haven't been doing well in the clan these past few years, and I don't want to interfere in the affairs of the younger generation, so I was thinking of having you move out and live in a shop outside. You'll receive your monthly resources as usual. No one will bully you there, and it's also good for planning your future."
Xiao Feng took a sip of tea and smiled, "Uncle Xiao Zhan, who said anyone bullied me? Everyone in the clan is talented and speaks so nicely. I love it here."
Xiao Zhan fell silent.
After a long pause, he finally spoke, "I understand how you feel. I'll have Yan'er take good care of you. If it's not urgent, don't leave this courtyard."
Seeing Xiao Zhan off, Xiao Feng felt a surge of emotion; his uncle had done a great job.
Just then, Xiao Yan returned.
"Hey, Brother Feng!"
As the saying goes, "Riding the spring breeze, the horse's hooves are swift; one day, one can see all the flowers of Chang'an." Xiao Yan was practically floating on air.
"Could it be that Xiao Mei confessed to you?" Xiao Feng teased.
To his surprise, Xiao Yan panicked. "Hey, Brother Feng, don't talk nonsense! I like Xun'er!"
Xiao Feng scoffed, thinking: Go ahead and jump, Xiao Yan, you'll regret it in a couple of years.
That night, Xiao Feng sat cross-legged.
Since Xiao Zhan taught him how to cultivate, Xiao Feng hadn't missed a single night of practice.
At this moment, the vortex of Dou Qi within his body was extremely dense; according to the standards of this world, he should be a nine-star Dou Zhe.
Xiao Feng remained calm. This was nothing to be proud of, as this vortex had existed for eight years… meaning he had become a Dou Zhe (Battle Warrior) not long after learning cultivation.
Someone who had stagnated for eight years had nothing to be proud of.
Staring at the vortex within his body, Xiao Feng adjusted his mind and once again used his soul power to guide his Dou Qi towards the Zhongchong acupoint in his right hand, continuously flushing away the death energy blocking it, strengthening its resilience, and gradually storing Dou Qi within it.
When nearly half of his Dou Qi was depleted, Xiao Feng gritted his teeth, reversed the flow of Dou Qi, and heard a muffled thud in his lower abdomen—the vortex… had exploded.
This was another discovery for Xiao Feng. Perhaps because he had honed his physique to its extreme in his youth, the vortex could reassemble even after shattering, it just took time. And each explosion when the vortex shattered increased the strength of his dantian. As a special acupoint, its tempering method could only be this special.
"Cough cough cough, cough cough cough cough…"
Xiao Feng half-lay on the ground, coughing incessantly.
Wasn't this more powerful than a large bottle of baijiu?
Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he forced his weary body to sit up cross-legged; this was the best time to cultivate.
The surrounding battle qi continuously gathered towards the courtyard, even creating gusts of wind.
"Why is it so windy lately?" Xiao Yan pulled back the covers, hiding himself beneath them.
"Brother Xiao Feng has so many secrets," Xiao Xun'er murmured, gazing at the courtyard opposite, a smile unconsciously appearing on her face.
Two hours later, Xiao Feng stood up.
Looking at the newly formed but much thinner vortex of qi, without thinking, he collapsed into the courtyard, quickly falling asleep and snoring.
The next day, Xiao Feng woke up to find himself in bed.
Just as he sat up, a light, melodious voice came from the main hall, "Brother Xiao Feng, you're finally awake."
At the same time, footsteps sounded, and a young woman in a light blue dress, with a slender waist, entered with a smile.
"Xun'er, little sister?"
Xiao Feng scratched his head, looking at the glaring light outside the window. "What time is it?"
"It's already noon." Xiao Xun'er pursed her lips. "This is the first time I've seen Brother Xiao Feng staying in bed."
Suddenly, the aroma of food wafted over, and Xiao Feng's stomach growled loudly.
Ignoring Xiao Xun'er's teasing, Xiao Feng jumped out of bed, quickly washed up, and sat down in the main hall to feast.
Xiao Xun'er sat opposite him, resting her chin on her hand, looking at the handsome young man before her. "When I woke up this morning, I found you sleeping in the courtyard. I felt a little strange; someone with your physique shouldn't be that tired. Out of concern, I rashly checked on Brother Xiao Feng's body."
The girl's eyes gleamed mischievously, wanting to see Xiao Feng's reaction.
"You're mistaken," Xiao Feng said without looking up, swallowing his food as another bite was placed on his chopsticks.
"Xun'er even stopped Uncle Xiao from keeping this secret for Brother Xiao Feng; otherwise, the entire Xiao family would know there's a ten-year-old Dou Zhe here." Xiao Xun'er rolled her eyes, somewhat dissatisfied with Xiao Feng's reaction.
"Cough cough cough cough cough..." Xiao Feng swallowed the blood in his mouth and reached out to Xiao Xun'er. "You really saw wrong. Look if you don't believe me."
A breeze rose from Xiao Feng's body, and his fighting spirit
spread in all directions. Xiao Xun'er realized what Xiao Feng had done, and her face instantly turned pale. "Brother Xiao Feng! You..." The girl pursed her lips tightly, and a layer of mist covered her dark and bright eyes. With each blink, the mist quickly condensed into tears, which rolled down her long and neat eyelashes.
Unexpectedly, his actions had upset the girl so much, and Xiao Feng panicked slightly. "Little girl, don't cry, don't cry."
He was fine until he spoke, but as soon as he said that, Xiao Xun'er's tears flowed like a broken string of pearls, unstoppable. Her voice was full of grievance, and the emotions she had suppressed for a year exploded instantly. "What did Xun'er do wrong? Why does Brother Xiao Feng hate Xun'er so much? It's one thing to ignore Xun'er before, but why do you do something so foolish now, just to make Xun'er sad?"
"No...nothing..." Xiao Feng was mature, but his ability to comfort a young girl was truly terrible. Realizing his comfort was ineffective, he simply continued eating.
Xiao Feng ate slowly, and after finishing, he drank several pots of tea before Xiao Xun'er finally stopped crying.
As if her soul had been ripped away, Xiao Xun'er was listless, even her eyes had lost their color.
She lowered her head, looking at her toes, and said in a muffled voice, "Brother Xiao Feng, please be patient for a few more days. Someone will bring the pills in a few days. Xun'er doesn't dare to ask for anything else, I only beg Brother Xiao Feng not to despise me. After Brother Xiao Feng takes them, Xun'er will leave, so... so that Brother Xiao Feng will never have to see Xun'er again."
As soon as she finished speaking, tears welled up in Xiao Xun'er's eyes again. She covered her face, unwilling to let Xiao Feng see this side of her, and ran away with her head down.
"Why are you running?" Xiao Feng suddenly asked.
Xiao Xun'er stopped, wiped away her tears, and still didn't turn around. She calmly said, "Brother Xiao Feng doesn't want to see Xun'er, so... what else can Xun'er do but leave?"
Xiao Feng, with a terrible headache, pulled Xiao Xun'er back and pressed her into a chair. He
was thinking about how to lead the team to fight the boss every day, while his two silly teammates were thinking about dating every day?
Cross-server chatting was too tiring.
(End of Chapter)