A Slap

On a moonless night in the wilderness, darkness hung as thick as spilled ink. As the dust settled, two figures—a man and a woman—came into view before everyone in the convoy. The man was clad in blood-red robes, a hint of weariness lingering in his narrow eyes. The woman wore a veiled hat that obscured her features, yet her graceful, faintly discernible curves stirred the imagination. The ink-black sword gripped in her hand, however, instantly snuffed out any flirtatious thoughts. The moment Li Zhonghua laid eyes on the two, his brows knitted slightly. In an instant, he realized that between these two uninvited guests, the man in the blood-red robes was the leader. Though the man's tone had been hostile, he had not attacked right away, suggesting he was an acquaintance of Xinyao's. Yet with Xinyao's temperament, she hardly seemed the type to make enemies. Moreover, this man's aura was rather bizarre. He was clearly only in the seventh rank, yet the speed he had just displayed was comparable to that of a Grandmaster. Such a technique was unsettling. Thinking this, Li Zhonghua shifted his gaze to the woman beside the man. Had she been the one carrying him as they flew? These thoughts flashed through his mind in a split second. Li Zhonghua quickly steadied his composure and cupped his hands toward the newcomer. "Brother, is there some misunderstanding between you and Xinyao?" "..." Xu Yuan glanced at Li Zhonghua. "Xinyao? Heh... You two seem quite close. But I don't recall asking you anything." With that, Xu Yuan fixed his gaze on the black, coiled-dragon carriage at the rear and strode toward the convoy, his voice icy. "Xu Xinyao, stop playing dead. Get out here!" Seeing this, Ran Qingmo stayed barely a meter from his side, following closely. While Li Zhonghua stood on high alert, the beautiful eyes of Zhou Ziqing beside him were filled mostly with bewilderment. No matter how she looked at it, that familiar face looked just like the villainous playboy she had encountered back in the Imperial Capital. Yet the completely transformed aura around him left her uncertain. After a moment's hesitation, Zhou Ziqing murmured under her breath, "Are you... Xu Changtian?" "..." Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow, not expecting someone in his fourth sister's entourage to recognize him. He shot her a glance, and at the sight of that spirited, beautiful face, past memories naturally surfaced in his mind. To put it simply, they had crossed paths once back in the Imperial Capital. At the time, his group of playboys had gone to Fengqi Pavilion for drinks and food, where they ran into a group of sect disciples led by Zhou Ziqing. Freshly arrived in the Imperial Capital, Zhou Ziqing's group had not understood just how dangerous these top-tier playboys were. Because someone in the crowd had looked a bit too long, a loose-tongued sect disciple muttered a few insults like "good-for-nothing gluttons," which Xu Yuan's group overheard. And so, a fight broke out. The outcome had not been pleasant for Zhou Ziqing and her companions. The reason these playboys could run rampant with utter impunity was not only their family backgrounds, but largely because the guards accompanying them were exceptionally powerful. If the young masters couldn't win, the guards beside them certainly wouldn't just stand by and watch them get beaten. After a few clashes, Zhou Ziqing and the other sect disciples were pinned to the ground on their knees. As a lecher bold enough to seek one dragon sporting with five phoenixes, the original host had naturally refused to pass up such an opportunity. Faced with a beauty like Zhou Ziqing, he couldn't take things all the way due to the disparity in their cultivation, but groping had certainly not been out of the question. Recalling this, Xu Yuan chuckled dryly and said with a smile, "Oh, it's Zhou Ziqing. You're already in the third rank? I truly never expected you to be mingling with my fourth sister." "..." Hearing those words, Zhou Ziqing instantly confirmed that the man before her was indeed that villainous scoundrel. Her pupils contracted sharply, and a deep flush gradually crept up her fair cheeks. The rapier in her hand began to glow faintly. "It... it really is you! You scoundrel!" Though her emotions threatened to boil over, Zhou Ziqing forced down her shame and rage, refraining from acting rashly. She saw the woman in the black veiled hat behind him slowly draw the ink-black sword from its sheath. As the blade slid free, the temperature of the surrounding air plummeted. This woman was terrifyingly strong. Moreover, this man was Xinyao's third brother. Striking him would put Xinyao in an impossible position. For a moment, only the soft footsteps of the two newcomers echoed along the official road. Amidst the dead silence, a gentle, melodious woman's voice carried from within the convoy: "Third Brother, long time no see." Xu Yuan halted and looked toward the voice. Dressed in a light blue gown with a sable-fur cloak draped over her shoulders, Xu Xinyao stepped gracefully down from the coiled-dragon carriage. Looking at the blood-robed youth not far away, she smiled gently. "Third Brother, why are you here?" Seeing this fourth sister just as he remembered her, Xu Yuan's eyes curved slightly. "Not long after I arrived at Huanglong Market, I heard that the Fourth Miss of the Chancellor's Manor had passed through, so I rushed over to see you." With that, Xu Yuan crooked a finger at her. "Come here. I have something to say to you." "..." Xu Xinyao hesitated for a fraction of a second before walking toward Xu Yuan. As she passed Zhou Ziqing, she whispered softly, "Ziqing... I'm sorry." Though the exchange just now had been brief, connecting it with Ziqing's earlier attitude whenever her third brother was mentioned made it clear that Ziqing had clashed with him in the past—and had likely been mistreated by him. Zhou Ziqing took two sharp breaths, bit her lip, and shook her head. "This has nothing to do with you, Xinyao." Xu Xinyao fell silent for a moment before stepping in front of Xu Yuan and coming to a halt. Looking up at this third brother, whose demeanor was entirely different from before, she said softly, "Third Brother, the conflict between you and Ziqing back in the Imperial Capital—" Before she could finish, Xu Yuan suddenly raised his hand and struck toward her gentle, water-like face. In a split second, a strange array fluctuation surged around Xu Xinyao. A majestic barrier of light materialized over her body on its own. Seeing this, Xu Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly. Yet in the next breath, *Smack!*— The slap landed squarely. The crisp crack of the blow rang out with striking clarity on the silent official road. Xu Xinyao's delicate frame was sent stumbling back two steps before she managed to steady herself. Struck for no apparent reason, she did not cry out in protest. Xu Yuan looked at his adopted sister and slowly drew his hand back. "Why did you suppress your defensive array?" Xu Xinyao looked up at Xu Yuan. Her beautiful eyes held no resentment, and her voice remained soft. "The backlash from the array is powerful. Your cultivation is weak, Third Brother; you would have been hurt." Even after getting hit, she was worrying about the person who struck her. Xu Yuan twisted his lips into a smirk. "Aren't you going to ask why I hit you?" Xu Xinyao shook her head gently. Looking at Xu Yuan with curved eyes, her gaze was full of tenderness. "You are different from how you used to be, Third Brother. If you hit me now, you must have your reasons. "Only... once you finish hitting me, could you please apologize to Ziqing for the trouble in the past?" "..." Looking at the gentle demeanor that was identical to his memories, Xu Yuan rubbed his temples and let out a low chuckle. "Since you know I have my reasons, stand firm. Once I finish hitting you, I will apologize to Zhou Ziqing." Xu Xinyao lowered her eyes slightly, then slowly walked back to stand before Xu Yuan once more. *Smack!*— The sound of a slap rang out again. A streak of bright red trickled from the corner of Xu Xinyao's lips, yet she quietly remained standing before Xu Yuan. The moonless road lay in pitch-black shadow, lit only by the faint glow of the talisman lamps mounted on the carriages. Xu Yuan stared at her. Just as he raised his hand to deliver another slap, he found his wrist caught in a firm grip. It was Li Zhonghua. Without the enhancement of the Saint's soul power, Xu Yuan's reflexes could not keep up with the man's speed. The big block of ice beside him, however, had reacted in time—her sword was already resting against Li Zhonghua's neck. The chill radiating from the blade caused a layer of frost to form across Li Zhonghua's outer garment. It seemed that with the slightest sudden movement, his head would part from his shoulders. Li Zhonghua glanced at the sword at his neck, then spoke to Xu Yuan: "Brother Xu, as Xinyao's elder brother, isn't what you're doing going a bit too far?" "..." Xu Yuan turned his head slightly, staring at this prodigy from an unknown sect with a hint of surprise in his eyes. As their gazes locked, Xu Xinyao said softly from the side, "Zhonghua, I'm fine. Let go of my third brother." "..." Li Zhonghua fell silent for a moment, but did not budge. He believed only what his own eyes saw, and the reckless, arrogant ways of the Chancellor's Manor's Third Young Master were already plain for all to see. Xu Yuan found it somewhat amusing. "My striking Xu Xinyao is an older brother disciplining his younger sister. Are you trying to interfere in the private affairs of the Chancellor's Manor?" Noticing the anger in the man's eyes, Xu Yuan seemed to understand something and smiled. "What, hoping to become my brother-in-law? If that's the case, I suggest you go look in a mirror first. Our Chancellor's Manor doesn't take in fools." Hearing such humiliating words, Li Zhonghua did not lose his temper. Instead, he said calmly, "This is merely a dissuasion." "A dissuasion? And what if I refuse to be dissuaded?" Xu Yuan chuckled. As the words left Xu Yuan's mouth, a sharp pang of pain shot through his arm. Feeling the pain, Xu Yuan merely looked at the man beside him with keen interest, because at that very moment, Ran Qingmo's blade had already sliced a thin line of blood across Li Zhonghua's neck. After a brief pause, Xu Yuan asked with a faint smile, "Are you planning to trade your head for one of my arms?" "..." Li Zhonghua still did not speak. Xu Yuan glanced sideways at Xu Xinyao. "Xinyao, this suitor of yours is quite devoted. He can't bear to see you suffer in the slightest. "Still, you'd better talk him down. "Otherwise, he might actually believe I wouldn't dare to kill him." "..." Past experience told Xu Xinyao that her third brother was not joking. Just as she was about to speak, Xu Yuan cut her off. "Never mind, don't bother. My patience has run out." With that, Xu Yuan fixed his gaze on the man beside him and said in a low voice, "You know, you made a mistake. You shouldn't have kept holding onto me." As soon as the words fell, a bizarre fluctuation rippled out, and several faintly glowing cherry blossom petals drifted quietly past Li Zhonghua's eyes. Seeing this, Li Zhonghua's pupils shrank violently. This fluctuation... was Dao Charm?! How could this Xu Changtian, a mere seventh-rank cultivator, comprehend a Dao Charm and even unleash it?! In his moment of daze, a tiny speck of blood-red light had already settled quietly against his chest. *Bang!*— Without a sound of warning, the blood-red dot detonated. Li Zhonghua was instantly hurled backward, tumbling through the air until he slammed into a massive boulder, kicking up a shower of dirt and stone. Xu Yuan rubbed his slightly numb wrist, shook his head gently, and said to the worried Xu Xinyao, "Don't worry. He's your friend, after all. I showed restraint—" "Restraint? Then Li must thank Brother Xu for your mercy." A faintly amused murmur drifted from the cloud of dust. Xu Yuan looked back with a calm gaze. Li Zhonghua stepped out from the smoke. Despite taking the heavy blow, there were no visible wounds on his body. Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow, though he soon understood. Presumably, the man had also deployed a Dao Charm to defend himself in that split second, though it remained unclear what kind of Dao Charm it was. Regardless, this man did possess real skill to emerge completely unscathed from an attack like that. As Li Zhonghua walked forward, he spoke as if to himself: "I once thought the rumors about Brother Xu were merely rumors. Seeing you today, though you are not as useless as the tales claim, your temperament is indeed as reckless as they say." Hearing this, Xu Yuan covered his face and chuckled softly. Once he had his fill of laughter, his eyes narrowed. "Li Zhonghua, you don't actually think what you're doing right now makes you look cool, do you? When you do something wrong, you get beaten. That is the norm in our household. For an outsider to stand here passing judgment—don't you think that's a bit out of line?" Li Zhonghua replied, "An elder brother ought to protect and care for his sister, not beat and scold her." Xu Yuan shook his head. "Since you insist on that, let me ask you a question." "Ask." Xu Yuan let his eyelids droop lazily. "If the person beating and scolding Xu Xinyao right now were Xu Changge, would you dare step forward?" "..." Li Zhonghua opened his mouth to speak, but the words caught in his throat. "What, nothing to say?" Xu Yuan stared at Li Zhonghua, his gaze dripping with disdain. "Because you know Xu Changge despises the sects to the bone. You know that if you dared poke your nose into our family affairs in front of him, he would most likely lop your head off with a single sword stroke." Pausing, Xu Yuan let out a sigh. "If you want to play the hero saving the damsel in distress, frankly, you shouldn't be trying that on me. Self-righteous fools like you are truly beyond cure. You think what you're doing is for Xu Xinyao's sake. "But do you realize you're just roasting her over an open fire?" "..." Li Zhonghua remained silent, for he had already caught the conflicted, helpless look on Xinyao's face. Xu Yuan glanced at Zhou Ziqing, whose eyes were ablaze with anger, and continued, "You should learn from Zhou Ziqing. Even with the bad blood between us, she held herself back from cutting me down, largely because she didn't want to make things difficult for Xu Xinyao. Look at yourself, you idiot. "Jumping out of nowhere to make me stop—whose side were you expecting Xu Xinyao to take? "Yours? Whether she stands by family or reason, it wouldn't be your place, you fool. Yet you put on this righteous 'I'm doing this for your own good' act, making it hard for someone with her gentle temperament to tell you to get lost." With that, Xu Yuan glared at Li Zhonghua. "I, for one, strongly advise Xinyao to stop associating with an idiot like you." "..." Li Zhonghua's fists clenched tight. Xu Yuan sighed and paid Li Zhonghua no further mind. Looking at the red marks rising on his adopted sister's face, he said in an indifferent tone, "I won't hit you anymore. Let's go. On the way, I'll tell you why I beat you." Xu Xinyao stood where she was, not moving. Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow and frowned. "What, you don't want to leave?" Xu Xinyao glanced back toward the convoy behind her and murmured softly, "Third Brother... could you give me a little time?"