“Brother, take my advice. Crippling her will do you no good,” Feng Yanran said.
Though her words seemed conciliatory, her tone carried a strong warning, even a hint of command.
It was as if her presence demanded Ling Xiao comply without question.
“Will sparing her do me any good?” Ling Xiao countered, his tone laced with sarcasm.
It was an unavoidable question. Even if he let the girl go today, she would seek revenge, likely with greater ruthlessness.
He might as well collect some interest now.
Feng Yanran knew this too. She paused, sidestepping the issue. “If you cripple her today, you’ll not only offend her but also Qingxu Academy. Are you sure you want to do that?”
“Threatening me?” Ling Xiao asked coldly.
“Call it what you want. I have some influence in Qingxu Academy. Plenty would stand up for me,” Feng Yanran said, her threat more overt.
“I hate being threatened,” Ling Xiao said icily. “Do you know the consequences of crossing me?”
His words stunned the onlookers.
This guy was too bold, daring to defy Qingxu Academy’s goddess, Feng Yanran.
Though her strength was the weakest in the Young Phoenix Class, her beauty inspired many of its elites to fight for her.
Crossing her was like crossing half the class’s elite.
Ling Xiao cared nothing for their thoughts. He knew exactly what he was doing.
He had weighed the consequences. If he didn’t teach the girl a lesson, she’d only grow bolder, endlessly.
This was his hard-earned experience.
“I’m not trying to offend you,” Feng Yanran said, shaking her head, taken aback.
“But when my friend was knocked down the stairs, you didn’t stop it. When this woman threw knives at me, you didn’t speak. When she demanded I kneel and cripple myself, you stayed silent. If you want to be a bystander, follow their rules and watch quietly. Why step in only when I’m about to discipline her? Do you think I’m nobody, just a refugee from Tianlong Continent, so my death doesn’t matter? Or does saving a ‘trash’ like me offer you no benefit?” Ling Xiao’s words rang out powerfully.
Before, the crowd thought he was excessive. A beauty asked him to stop, so why not give her face? It cost nothing.
But his words shifted their perspective.
On reflection, Feng Yanran seemed to be currying favour with the girl, a clear double standard.
She claimed not to want to offend Ling Xiao, yet her actions placed her in opposition to him.
“Get lost!” Ji Mingkong suddenly struck, thrusting a sword at Feng Yanran.
Feng Yanran’s face changed, and she dodged quickly.
In that moment, Ling Xiao stepped forward, lightly tapping the girl’s forehead.
“You really shouldn’t be so arrogant,” he said.
“Ah!” A piercing scream echoed through the shop, freezing the crowd and the bustling street.
The girl’s face showed unprecedented fear.
“No! You’ve crippled me! You really did it!” she cried.
Her cultivation was truly gone, her true essence vanished, her martial veins regressed to their primal state, forcing her to start over.
Everyone was dumbfounded.
They hadn’t expected Ling Xiao to actually cripple her, without hesitation.
This girl was a cherished daughter of the Ice Phoenix Clan, a true noble.
Even the Emperor doted on her.
Yet today, her cultivation was destroyed.
Feng Yanran was shocked. Did this boy not fear the Ice Phoenix Clan’s retaliation?
“Your actions are utterly foolish,” she said, after Ji Mingkong forced her back, giving her a chance to speak.
Her trembling body betrayed her once-elegant composure.
“Your ‘smart’ way is to let her kill me?” Ling Xiao didn’t even glance at her. He’d seen too many women like her, not worth mentioning, thinking their beauty commanded all men. Laughable.
“Yes, even if she tried to kill you, you should kneel and let her. At least it might save your friends’ lives. Besides, she couldn’t actually kill you,” Feng Yanran said coldly.
She, too, was surnamed Feng, from the Ice Phoenix Clan, a royal surname.
Like the girl, she was pampered, viewing lives as disposable. Only royals were human; others were toys to be killed at will.
“Hahaha!” Ling Xiao laughed in fury. “Sorry, I’m not as ‘smart’ as you.”
His words dripped with mockery. He loathed Feng Yanran as much as the girl.
“You’re foolish because you’ve brought disaster on yourself. You came to Shenhuang Continent to escape, yet you’ve offended someone you shouldn’t. You can’t bear the cost,” Feng Yanran said coldly.
“Wrong. Completely wrong,” Ling Xiao said, shaking his head. “I won’t repeat myself. Crippling her or sparing her makes no difference. The only difference is crippling her feels good, satisfying, and I don’t have to cower like a turtle, only to be slaughtered later.”
“Exactly. If death is inevitable, why dodge? Standing tall in death is better than kneeling,” Ji Mingkong said loudly.
She hadn’t stopped Ling Xiao because she believed he was right.
“Brave words, but you can’t afford the cost of crippling her. One death versus all of you dying is different,” Feng Yanran said, looking at Ling Xiao. “I planned to ensure your friends’ safety after your death, but now, I can’t help you.”
“If her family wants a corpse, I don’t mind helping them out,” Ling Xiao said, his voice icy with threat.
