The woman employed her seductive tactics again, coiling around Ke Long like a serpent, her lips brushing his ear as she spoke.
This set Ke Long’s insides ablaze with desire. The guard, witnessing this, felt his mouth go dry, his body surging with energy. As a Five Elements Heaven early-stage warrior, he’d been humiliated by his fear of a mere Three Talents Heaven peak warrior like Ling Xiao. Now, stirred by the woman’s allure, he forgot his fear entirely.
“I’ve heard Ke Long’s cousin is irresistibly seductive. Seeing her today, it’s true. If I can defeat Ling Xiao on the spot, I might get a chance to taste that exquisite body!” Swallowing hard, the guard declared loudly, “Young Master Ke Long, Miss Lin, leave this punk to me. No need for you to dirty your hands!”
Ling Xiao stood there, amused by the guard’s sudden burst of fighting spirit. A man thinking with his lower half, spurred by a few provocative words, had completely shed his earlier terror. He was risking his life to impress a beauty.
“You sure you’re up to it? This Ling Xiao’s just a reckless human trash, destined to die by Blood Skull’s hand, but your earlier performance was pathetic,” Ke Long said with a smirk.
Though aimed at the guard, his words were clearly meant to mock Ling Xiao. Ling Xiao was a known figure in the capital, but his reputation was poor. People called him “that reckless fool,” “poor wretch,” or “the human trash Blood Skull will kill.” Most didn’t rate his chances. Even his friends, avoiding harsh words, thought his challenge to Blood Skull was impulsive.
The guard bowed. “Rest assured, Young Master Ke Long. This rule-breaking mongrel human is nothing. I was careless earlier, letting him get the upper hand.”
Reckless? Rule-breaker? Human trash? Mongrel human? These two spared no venom to impress the seductive woman.
Chu Lin giggled behind her hand. “Brother Ke Long, let him try. It’s just a Three Talents Heaven peak nobody. No need to soil your hands.”
She threw the guard a flirtatious wink, sending him into a frenzy of fantasy. Surely, he thought, he could win her over.
His heart pounded like a rabbit was trapped inside, thumping wildly.
“Fine, since Sister Lin says so, you handle the kid. I’ll deal with the woman,” Ke Long said, licking his lips with a wicked grin.
He’d had his eye on Leng Mei for a while. Her beauty and poise surpassed Chu Lin’s, though she lacked Chu Lin’s overt allure, making them equally captivating in different ways. Ke Long loved women of all kinds, collecting beauties like many noble young masters. Having a woman like Leng Mei would boost his prestige.
“Leng Mei, go train inside. I’ll handle this,” Ling Xiao said, not wanting her to be in the spotlight. He had enough trouble and didn’t mind one more.
“No,” Leng Mei said, shaking her head firmly.
“Don’t trust me?” Ling Xiao asked lightly.
“This servant wouldn’t dare!”
“Then go train. My cultivation’s almost caught up to yours. You can’t stagnate,” Ling Xiao said, patting her shoulder with a smile.
“Alright, this servant obeys,” Leng Mei said, recalling Ling Xiao’s performance at the crystal factory and shaking her head with a wry smile. He’d easily defeated a Five Elements Heaven peak head steward. These three, all early Five Elements Heaven, were no threat.
“That’s better,” Ling Xiao said, affectionately touching her cheek. To him, Leng Mei was like a sister.
But to the guard and Ke Long, it was infuriating. The guard felt Ling Xiao was dismissing him, flirting with a woman despite an impending attack. Ke Long was jealous of Ling Xiao’s bond with the aloof Leng Mei, wondering why she was so devoted to this “trash.”
“Kid, draw your weapon, so no one says I bullied you!” the guard shouted, wanting to defeat Ling Xiao honorably to show off.
Ling Xiao laughed. “You sure you want to fight me? My hands don’t spare lives easily, especially Divine Phoenix Academy warriors!”
“Big talk! If you can kill me, pigs can climb trees!” the guard scoffed, Chu Lin’s influence erasing his memory of Ling Xiao’s terrifying aura.
“Fine, make your move,” Ling Xiao said, beckoning.
He didn’t want to strike first, lest Divine Phoenix Academy use it as an excuse to target him. He aimed to win both in strength and reason.
“Courting death!” The guard brandished a long spear, thrusting at Ling Xiao. As an early Five Elements Heaven warrior, his moves were flashy and not weak, but compared to Earthfire Heavenly Lord, let alone the head steward, he was lacking. His cultivation matched Blood Skull’s, but his presence and combat strength were far inferior.
“I told you, attacking me is suicide, yet you don’t believe it,” Ling Xiao said with a cold smile, unleashing a chilling aura of battlefield slaughter. Fearful, eerie, terrifying, it froze the guard in place, recalling Ling Xiao’s earlier menacing presence.
“I don’t want to kill, so don’t persist in your folly!” Fresh from the crystal factory, Ling Xiao truly wanted to avoid trouble. He held back, using only his killing aura and sword intent to intimidate.
“Tch, you trash, let me handle this!” The guard’s resolve had crumbled, but Ke Long’s voice rang out.
“What a letdown. Cousin, you take him out, this pathetic trash,” Chu Lin’s disappointed voice followed.
