Chapter 436 - Mad Lisa
Xuefeng felt bad for pushing everything onto his women and decided to spend the rest of the day with them. This was only one of the reasons as the other was Nuwa who didn't let him go anywhere. She was stuck to him like a glue, getting back a day worth of cuddles that she missed.
At the same time, they had to take care of the three hundred new elves who knew nothing about this world. They had to explain many things and basically tour them around the whole territory. It was also nice that Xiao Family cultivators quickly befriended them, hoping for some sparring. It wasn't often that you could fight someone stronger than you.
All they knew is that the skilled three hundred came from far away as none of the Elves said anything about their origin. Their queen already warned them many times and they wouldn't dare take any risks. Each one of them left their wife and kids in the Holy Land which was the main requirement Nuwa had. They needed something in the holy land that they care about, enough to stay quiet.
On top of babysitting Nuwa's army, Xuefeng spent a lot of time arranging his plans with Nuwa and Tangwei.
"Queen wants me to be the leader of all transactions?" Tangwei asked, learning about Nuwa's decision.
"You don't want to?" Nuwa asked back.
"No, no, I will gladly do it! Thank you Queen for the trust in me," Tangwei bowed, showing a bright smile. She couldn't ask for more.
"Don't bow anymore. Since you will take this job, you should act like a leader and make your own decisions. You shouldn't bow to anyone. You can call me by my name too," Nuwa suggested as she patted Tangwei on the shoulder but Tangwei quickly shook her head.
"Queen, you raised me from young as if your own daughter. Out of respect, let me call you my Queen for as long as I can," Tangwei said with firmness, forcing Nuwa to accept it.
"Your main job will be exchanging the goods and managing the manpower. Wuying won't be able to always take care of the guards. You can cooperate with my father too if he needs anything," Xuefeng explained in details, knowing they would be training hard very soon and there would be little time to take care of the Clan. He didn't want to push everything onto his father.
"Mhmm, I will not disappoint," Tangwei promised, glancing at Xuefeng's face with interest and asked Nuwa, "Queen, do you still remember our deal?"
"I do, but it's not a time. I still need you," Nuwa replied before shushing her away, "Okay, now go back to work. You should already know everything."
"Mhmm, good night my Queen," Tangwei nodded in understanding and turned to Xuefeng, holding her gaze on him for a good few seconds. "My King."
She left right after and Wuxing quickly grabbed Nuwa by the arms for questioning. "What deal was she talking about?" Xuefeng asked as he pinned her to the sofa they sat on. "Am I hallucinating or does the deal involve me?"
He could feel she looked at him while wanting something from him.
"What if it does?" Nuwa grinned, leaning over to steal a kiss from his lips. Unfortunately, Xuefeng didn't let her off this time and bit her tongue instead, forcing her to retreat.
"Do you need a spanking?" He asked sternly while pulling her onto himself and smacked her put as a warning. He forgot it was exactly what she wanted.
"Mhmm, yes please. One more time," She pleaded, continuing to smile at him.
"No. Tell me now," Xuefeng pouted, not doing anything until she tells him. Nuwa who lied on top of him could only give up and sat up.
"It isn't much. She doesn't want to be your girlfriend, don't worry. I wouldn't allow that," Nuwa assured him and Xuefeng also sat up, having Nuwa on his lap.
"What is it then? Is it related to sex?" Xuefeng questioned, causing Nuwa to tease him again. "You want it to be?"
"No, I already have full hands with all of you girls. If it's just sex, I can get it from you," he rejected firmly.
"Let's say she has a special hobby where she needs a second person assistance. She only feels good when it's a handsome male doing it with her. It's physical yet its not sex. That I can assure you," Nuwa said mysteriously, giving Xuefeng hints. Many ideas crossed Xuefeng's mind but knowing it wasn't sex, he didn't care anymore.
"Alright, don't tell me. If she is as competent as you say she is, anything she wants, I can give it to her. She has been helping us for some time already," Xuefeng decided blindly.
Seeing he didn't care anymore, Nuwa quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, talking back to what you said a second ago…" She whispered seductively as her hands dove down on his belly, entering into his pants. "Don't you think I deserve a reward too? I worked hard the past two days…"
"Mhmm…" Xuefeng tried to respond but Nuwa locked his lips with her own while rubbing against his crotch with warm hands. It was obvious what she wanted and Xuefeng was quick to get hard as always, his member betraying him.
"You don't need to do anything later anyway…" Nuwa whispered into his ear before biting on the tip, causing him to almost moan. The combo of her soft hands and the pleasure from his ear was just too much.
Just as she said it, Xuefeng froze, realizing he still had one thing to do today that he put on the second plan.
Lisa.
He was supposed to meet with her but he didn't even inform her that he would be absent. Xuefeng immediately felt bad.
"Actually, there is something that I still need to do…" Xuefeng whispered, sensing that Nuwa's force was already pulling his pants down. "I promised to meet with Lisa, my alchemy teacher today. "
Nuwa had only one response to that.
"Is she more important than me?" Nuwa asked as her hands finally turned his bottom naked, staring him directly into his eyes.
"Of course not," Xuefeng replied honestly.
"Then you will meet her later. Now you are mine," Nuwa decided for him as she lifted her butt and sat back down, this time with a hard and long object piercing though her insides. "Got it?"
Xuefeng frowned, realizing that he changed his priorities for a moment and embraced Nuwa, gently placing her on the sofa. "Is this how you should talk to your King?" he asked back with a teasing smile, not letting her win.
"Hehe, my King, please punish this naughty Queen…" Nuwa replied, grasping onto his hair which she gently brushed with her fingers while rubbing his earlobe with her thumbs. She knew where to grab to please him the most.
Xuefeng could only punish her plenty to remind her who is the King.
———
When Nuwa finally released him, it was already evening. Even after a few rounds, Nuwa was still asking for more but Xuefeng decided to continue his punishment at night with everyone else. He still needed to at least inform Lisa that he will be away for a few days. They already decided to visit Fate Organization tomorrow so he had to postpone his alchemy studying.
When he got to her Mansion, the lights were still up so he knocked on her doors, feeling a bit guilty.
"Who is there at this hour?" Lisa asked a moment later, coming up to the doors without opening them.
"It's me, Xuefeng. I'm sorry for not telling you but—" Xuefeng tried to apologize at the start but Lisa stopped him before he actually started.
"I don't know any Xuefeng. Go away," She called out, sounding as if she pouting.
Xuefeng expected this but just as he wanted to apologize again, a soundproof barrier surrounded the mansion, blocking his words from reaching her.
"Fuck."
Chapter 437 - Fun
Xuefeng broke the barrier as it didn't have any defensive properties and called out to her once again, "Lisa, please. I suddenly got really busy and couldn't come until now."
Lisa seemed to be clearly hurt as she fought back, "And you didn't have anyone near you to send me a message and inform me? I was waiting, you know. I was telling myself that maybe something happened as you promised me but I guess you are fine. You just forgot about me."
"I didn't forget about you… It's just each time I wanted to meet you, something came up. We had a big shop opening on the Main Square and then Nuwa came back with a new army which I needed to settle. I am sorry, okay? It won't happen again," Xuefeng apologized as he explained himself, knowing it was his fault.
"So you will come tomorrow without any issues, right?" Lisa asked, acting as if she was ready to forgive him only to get disappointed once again as Xuefeng described the situation. "Actually, I am going to be away tomorrow—"
"Don't talk to me. You can leave," Lisa said firmly, not buying his excuses anymore.
"Fine, I will leave. Just know I'm sorry," Xuefeng replied in annoyance and flapped his wings as if he was leaving, making no other sound.
A minute passed in silence when Lisa asked quietly, "Xuefeng? Are you still there?"
Hearing no response, the doors opened and Lisa's head peeked through the doors, checking if Xuefeng actually left and to her surprise, he was standing right there.
"What's up? I thought you don't care about me anymore," Xuefeng said with a smile to which Lisa showed him her tongue and closed the doors immediately.
Thud.
The doors let out a dull sound but Xuefeng's shoe stopped it from closing entirely.
"Take your foot away," Lisa demanded but her wish wasn't fulfilled as Xuefeng slowly opened the doors instead. She had no strength to fight back so she let go of them, pouting as she stared at him with her arms wrapped under her chest.
"Can you stop for a minute and listen?" Xuefeng asked, closing the doors behind him.
"Hmph!" Lisa remained stubborn and simply snorted, turning her head away. "I am not doing anything. It's all your fault."
"Yes and I said sorry, didn't you hear me? Do you want me to drop on my knees and beg for forgiveness?" Xuefeng questioned as he walked up to her, getting annoyed with her attitude. He could only do so much in the current situation.
Lisa probably realized that she acted unreasonably as a complicated expression appeared on her face. "You could send me a message…" Lisa muttered softly, lowering her head.
When her blonde hair fell on her forehead, she looked exactly like her sister, Jiao, making Xuefeng realize that he didn't see her since they came to the Capital.
Focusing on the issue at hand first, Xuefeng lifted Lisa's chin to look directly at her as he spoke, "Do you think you would be satisfied if I sent a servant to inform you of my absence?"
Lisa quickly shook her head in response, biting on her lip. She would definitely throw the person out without hesitation and get even angrier. Him coming on his own was the best solution.
"What are you doing tomorrow then?" She asked curiously, her voice much less aggressive as if she forgave him this time.
"I will be away from the Capital for a day or two. I am still not sure how long it will take but we can continue the lessons as soon as I am back," Xuefeng replied honestly, finally letting go of her chin.
"Alright. You are the boss anyway," she nodded, looking at him pitifully.
"Good," Xuefeng smiled and patted her as a reward. "Before I go, did you see Jiao anywhere? I realized I didn't see her since yesterday."
"I didn't." Lisa shook her head, watching Xuefeng expression. "Is my sister important to you?"
"Well, she lost a bet so now she is working for me. I care about my people. If they go missing, I will naturally go search for them," Xuefeng explained simply, not going into details.
Unfortunately, Lisa didn't stop her questioning and investigated further, "Oh, so she is your servant now?"
Xuefeng gave her a glance and said, "You can say that, though, I didn't ask her to do anything yet. She just wanted to follow me I guess."
He never treated her as a servant but more like a friend.
"Hmm, I guess I know when she is. Whenever she is stressed, she goes to the Bloody Cherry Bar, not far from here. Maybe you can find her there," Lisa suggested, knowing her sister well.
———
Lisa couldn't be more accurate as at the same time, Jiao slammed a wooden cup against the table in a nearby bar, crying out to the barman, "Another one!"
Her cheeks were rosy from the strong alcohol but she didn't plan to stop. She thought that she could influence Xuefeng more by being closer to him but it wasn't the case at all.
'Damn… With so many women around who guard him from the shadows, I have little chances to seduce him. How did they act to make him change?' Jiao thought to herself, wondering what she should do.
She didn't mind being one of his women and she already threw away her plans of getting rid of his wives. She knew that the task was simply impossible. All she wanted now was a bit of his attention which he didn't want to give her.
"My lady. Don't you think it's dangerous to drink alone?" The barman asked her as he placed another cup of strong wine in front of her before whispering, "Maybe it's time to stop before It's too late... You have been watched by many tonight…"
They were in a bar full of rouge cultivators so for a beauty like her to come there alone was a bad idea. It would be a waste for such a lady to be assaulted.
Just as he said it, he spotted a man in the back throwing him a dirty look as he played with his dagger. The Barman immediately realized what happened.
She was already a target for them.
The Barman shivered and immediately retreated. "Enjoy your drink, ma'am," he added as he walked away. He couldn't help her more.
Jiao wasn't drunk to the point of not knowing what was going on around her. Instead of running away though, she smiled, picking up her cup and walked towards the man that has been ogling her body since she came to the bar.
One could clearly see based on his appearance that he was meant to be a bad guy. Scars all over his face with half of his face tattooed.
Jiao passed through the circle of his friends who grinned to themselves as they watched her curves. They couldn't believe she actually walked up to them by herself. For them, it was akin to surrender.
"How can we help you, Miss? Are you looking for fun?" The man with scars asked, his voice deep and hoarse.
"Of course," Jiao nodded with a gentle smile, stopping in front of him. "Why else would I come to you?"
"Hahaha, good! Come here bab—" the man laughed and reached out to grab her but he couldn't finish his words in the end.
Splash!
Jiao swung with her cup and the black wine splashed across the tattooed man's face. Before he could do anything, the liquid froze, crushing his face within black prison and his body stopped moving.
"Ah, it felt nice," Jiao called out with a smile and asked the rest of the men in the group, "Who else wants some fun?"
Chapter 438 - Affair
"This should be around here…" Xuefeng muttered as he followed Lisa's directions, scanning the city below.
It was already an evening with darkness swallowing the last bits of the sun rays at the horizon. Despite that, the streets were still filled, Cultivators ready to experience the nightlife of the Capital.
Many bars and taverns were open whole day but night was the time the business actually bloomed. Xuefeng had the name of the bar but seeing so many of them close to each other, he couldn't find the right one from the sky. He had to go down and search from up close.
'Bloody Cherry Bar… Ling, can you see it? There should be sign somewhere,' Xuefeng asked in his mind as he lowered his altitude to the level of house roofs. He wanted to search with his Spirit Awareness but unfortunately, all houses had barriers on them which he didn't want to ruin and create chaos.
'Hmm, I don't think it will be a problem to find her,' Ling said as she scanned the area. 'Just go to the place with the most noise.'
He didn't know what does she mean at first but once he spread his awareness, he heard the sounds of battle and surprisingly, the bar it came from was the one he was looking for.
Bang!
The doors of the bar blew up and two young men flew out from inside like rockets, smashing against pavement. It alerted everyone on the streets but they were not surprised to see a brawl. It was an everyday occurance on those streets. They walked around the two men or stopped to watch the show, realizing the person from the inside was probably not done with them.
Xuefeng glanced at them and seeing they were covered with ice all over, he knew he found the right place.
'Bingo.'
He activated his invisibility and flew down to observe the situation from up close. He didn't want to stop Jiao in case the two men deserved punishment. Though, he knew it was best to avoid unnecessary drama so it was best if the situation didn't escalate too far.
Just as he landed, a beauty walked out from the bar, a gentle smile on her face greeting everyone. Jiao's golden hair lost its buckle and it was all released. It didn't fall on her shoulder but instead waved as if wind blew on her face.
Many males were immediately stunned by how pretty she was and sided with her without knowing the facts, thinking the two men assaulted her. Some even thought about rushing out to help and stand up for her to earn some merits but they stopped themselves, realizing she wasn't normal.
With each step she took, ice covered the street, creating large snowflakes. Although her walk wasn't steady, her eyes were sharp and extremely cold.
"Miss! We didn't do anything! Please spare us!" The two men begged after struggling to stand up. Their bodies were too stiff to move properly.
Jiao only glanced around at the crowd before walking up to them. "So you wanting to do all those naughty things with me was nothing? So you didn't ogle me at all?" Jiao asked with a grin.
She extended her hand forward and a small ice shard formed on top of her hand. Jaio spinned it with her fingers as she waited for their answer.
"We didn't! It was our boss! We know our place!" one of the men shouted, his eyes opened wide and body shaking.
Jiao didn't seem to find that responce satisfactory as the shard suddenly launched from her hand, smashing right in front of the man's crotch. It was only inches away from reaching the target.
"Hehe, oops, my hand slipped," Jiao giggled to herself and created another shard. "I sometimes can't control my power when I listen to bullshit."
Glancing at the shard that was half-way in the rock of the pavement, the man couldn't help but get scared shitless. He wasn't that scared of death but losing your own family jewels was something no men wanted to experience.
The two men immediately covered their balls and bowed down, almost kowtowing with their foreheads on the ground. "Miss! We are—" They tried to beg once again but a sudden glass-shattering sound stopped them.
Jiao released the ice shard, aiming it straight at one of the men's head but out of nowhere a white-haired man with golden wings appeared in between of them and caught the shard, breaking it with a squeeze.
"It's enough. We are going home." Xuefeng spoke out, staring at Jiao sternly, shocking everyone on the streets. They were not surprised by his appearance but rather because they recognized the man right away.
Handsome young man. Golden Wings. Black jacket. White hair.
There was only one men in the capital with that appearance.
"Young Master Liu! It's him!" One of the girls in the crowd called out happily, ignoring the scene of murder than almost happened just now. He was an overnight celebrity so anyone was excited to meet him.
Jiao's pupils were already widened from the alcohol but when she recognized the face of the man in front of him, they reached even bigger size. She was the last person she expected to appear right now. After all, she already convinced herself that he didn't care about her.
"Xuefeng…" She muttered in disbelief but Xuefeng turned his gaze away from her and looked at the two men on the ground.
"I will take care of my friend now. If you want to live, scram now," Xuefeng advised indifferently and flicked with his finger, sending the two back on their feet. He didn't wait for their thanks and instead returned to Jiao. He knew they would leave as soon as possible after gaining the chance.
"Shall we go home?" He asked, reaching out for her hand but Jiao stepped back to dodge it, turning her gaze away.
"I'm not going back…" She replied quietly, her head down. He could feel her voice shaking. Instead of arguing, Jiao turned around and planned to walk back into the bar but Xuefeng couldn't let that happen.
He teleported in front of her again and blocked her way. "Well, you are definitely not going back to the bar," he called out with a frown. "You had enough drinks today."
There were many people watching them, so he made a swift decision of taking her away to resolve her problems privately. He knew he might have be the reason for her behavior.
He didn't expect she would once again brush his hand away and this time glare at him with red eyes on the verge of crying. "Why do you care?!" She cried out, her usual soft voice turning harsh. "Am I even your friend…? I'm just a temporary servant you don't even need…"
Led by the alcohol, she spoke out what was bothering her in front of everyone.
Oof…
People on the scene took a deep breath, realizing what they might be witnessing. They could see the pain in Jiao's eyes. There was also no hatred in her eyes as she looked at Xuefeng but instead a feeling most of them felt at least once.
They couldn't help but theoretize as they looked at the two.
'Is Young Master Liu having an affair with a servant…?'
Chapter 439 - Jiao's Pov
Xuefeng glanced at the pretty face of Jiao and saw the same pain everyone else did. The pain of someone in love.
He felt the same way back on Earth where he loved Tianshi yet they couldn't be together. Some of him wanted to end that pain Jiao felt but was it fair?
He didn't love her like he did any of his wives and they were not at that kind of stage yet. Seeing her behavior now, Xuefeng had other reasons to be sceptical about her. She needed to change.
"Sigh…" Xuefeng took a deep breath and decided to help her with that. It wasn't like he didn't care for her at all.
She didn't want to make it private so Xuefeng wasn't reserved anymore. He leaned over to her, took her hand to his own and asked, "But isn't it the life you chose for yourself?"
———
Jiao blinked, her mind scanning his question and realised he was right. It was her idea to have this kind of bet. She wanted to look down, embarrassed with herself but Xuefeng caught her chin and lifted it up, staring closely into her eyes.
"Returning to your question, yes, you are my friend. I considered you to be one since the very beginning. I never thought of you as a servant. If you wanted to follow me to the Capital, you could just ask. I would always find a place for you. You didn't need to become my servant for that," Xuefeng explained the situation from his side.
"I thought… I will spend more time with you this way…" Jiao muttered, regretting even proposing such a bet.
A part of her thought that Xuefeng will maybe try to use her for some tasks but she overthought once again. Xuefeng was nothing like any other guys of this world. Especially his personality which broke any established rules.
At this point, the people in the crowd already understood Jiao wasn't a normal servant but rather Xuefeng's friend which put her status from a commoner to a high profile person in an instant.
"You knew that I will be busy," Xuefeng countered her. "I wish I had time for everyone but it can't help it. I thought you will understand but just cause I didn't find time for you in two days, you come here and created a scene."
"I'm sorry…" Jiao apologized softly, a single tear falling down her cheek. She was forced to look into his eyes but she suddenly found herself not worthy of that. Shame engulfed her insides and she wanted to hide.
'What did I think I am doing…?' she asked herself, slowly hating her behavior.
It would be okay if Xuefeng didn't care. She could get over her troubles with alcohol and battles but he did came for her. The whole time she thought that she was a nobody to him but he considered her his friend already. How could she fuck up so badly.
Just as she thought of that, she heard gossips from the crowd, criticizing her. It struck her like a lightning.
"Tsk, I pity Young Master… He has to take care of his clan, business and now his friends too…"
"Yeah… Isn't she an adult? To trouble Young Master so much, I don't think she deserves to be his friend at all…"
She almost choked when she heard the last one, coming from another girl. At normal times she would slap the girl for speaking such nonsense but at the current moment, Jiao felt the girl was right.
'I really don't deserve him…' Jiao repeated in her mind, more tears falling with each second she looked at his handsome face. Her tears burned her cheeks and eyes. She forgot the last time she actually cried.
Jiao couldn't stand it anymore.
She wanted to run away.
She wanted to hide.
Hide from everything. She already created enough trouble for Xuefeng. He didn't need her at all. It was a mistake she even followed him.
Thousands thoughts engulfed her mind, trapping her inside a bubble of negative thoughts but she forgot the person that was the cause of all of her emotions was right there, holding onto her chin.
Pop.
The bubble she created to protect herself suddenly popped, her eyes snapping open into focus. Her vision was impaired by her tears but she could feel the change in her surroundings.
Xuefeng grabbed her head out of nowhere and brought it into his chest, gently hugging it with both of his arms. She wanted to run away from the crowd, hide from the reality and being hugged by him cancelled everything she wanted.
She became a blank page, ready to rewrite what she actually felt.
"Better…?"
She heard Xuefeng's voice. He didn't sound mad. He didn't feel any annoyance in his voice. It was all calm and soothing. Combined with a gentle rubs of his thumb that entwined within her hair, she didn't know how to feel about it.
Before Jiao knew, the tears she tried to suppress fell down like summer rain, coming out of nowhere.
She didn't deserve his kindness. She knew she didn't yet he didn't stop, continuing to embrace her.
"You can stay like this until you are fine…" Xuefeng whispered, causing more tears to fall. Her hands that clutched to his jacket climbed onto his back and she squeezed him tightly.
He didn't mind and only patted her head. Jiao was surrounded by many sounds but getting his hug, any other distractions disappeared.
Ba-dum. Ba-dum.
She couldn't hear anything else other than his heart-beat that made her feel at peace, slowly letting her calm down a little. It made her understand a few things. The whole time she treated Xuefeng like any other men that she could get by slowly working on him but it would never work on Xuefeng.
'He cares about love and feelings… If he doesn't love me… Even if I offer myself on a golden plate, he won't touch me…' She thought to herself, tightening the hug she considered the last she would ever get from him.
'I'm so pathetic…' Jiao concluded, finally calming down. 'It's best if I leave him—'
She was in her zone, rethinking her life choices when Xuefeng stopped her by calling out to the crowd, "I'm sorry for my friend. She already called down so I will take her home."
'He still calls me his friend…' Jiao thought, finding that already laughable. She didn't deserve that title at all.
She felt him move her hand and then turn with her in his arms. "Are you manager of this bar? I'm sorry for the damages. I hope this can cover it," He apologized yet again.
She hated it.
He had to lower himself and apologize for her mistakes which made her feel sick. She couldn't stand it anymore, wanting to push him away and apologize for herself but to her surprise, Xuefeng held her tightly. She couldn't get away and each time she tried, he would stop her.
"Young Master! That's more than the cost of the doors or a few chairs!" the manager cried out in panic.
"It's nothing compared to the trouble we caused… Please treat it as Liu Clan's apology. We treat each case very seriously. Please accept it," Xuefeng replied with calmness, insisting for the manager to take the money.
Because of her, Xuefeng even involved Liu Clan which broke her final restrains. It was all her mess yet he took it on himself which she couldn't accept.
Huh?
Jiao wanted to set herself free but her body didn't respond to her thoughts. She felt as if a strange force froze her body in place. No matter what she did, she couldn't fight back against it.
"Xuefeng…" She spoke with difficulty, thinking something happened to her only to find out the source of this paralyze. It came from Xuefeng himself.
Just as the restriction suddenly disappeared, Xuefeng called out for the last time, "We will be leaving now. The show is over. Please enjoy your night."
He then lowered one of his arms and grasped her waist, not bothered by the lack of clothes on her lower back. Before she knew, they were already in the sky, raising above the buildings.
She wanted to speak up but he kissed her on the hair and said warmly, "Stay still and hold me tightly. We will arrive home soon."
Chapter 440 - Jiao's POV - Part 2
How could she fight back when Xuefeng behaved like that?
"Why…?" Jiao asked, her mind needing answers to stay sane.
"Why what? I don't understand," Xuefeng replied confused.
"Why did you take the blame for my actions? Why are you so nice to me? Why did you come? Why do you care about me? Why…?" She asked repeatedly, hitting her head against his chest with each question.
It seemed Xuefeng had already an answer prepared as he didn't take a break to think.
"Aren't you one of us? I care cause you are my friend. It's only natural for me to do so. Even though you are a bit of silly at times, I won't give up on you," Xuefeng replied honestly, patting her head as he continued to fly in the direction of their territory.
Sob...
Jiao tried to stop herself from crying but another wave of emotions hit her out of nowhere. She blamed it on alcohol and on Xuefeng. Who asked him to be so sweet to her once again.
"Oi, oi, why are you crying again? Didn't you finish already? How much liquid do you have in your body to cry so much?" Xuefeng asked as he stopped, hovering in the night sky.
Jiao hit him with her forehead again. "It's all your fault…" She muttered. "You don't need to be nice to me. I know I'm just an useless log on your way. Right now I'm just wasting your time. You don't need me at all."
She didn't know what she expected Xuefeng to say but he definitely surpassed her expectations. "You are right. I don't," Xuefeng confirmed with a shrug.
"Cough, cough." Jiao choked, wanting to get mad but she couldn't. It was the truth she already understood.
"Jiao, let me ask you something," Xuefeng muttered, resumming his flight. "Can you tell me where did you find the confidence that I would like you? I'm really curious."
Jiao's body shuddered at the question, her body momentarily weakening. Didn't he say a moment ago that she was his friend? Why did he turn into a bad Xuefeng so fast?
"Do you really think I would like you the way you are now? Tell me what did you do when everyone was working hard either cultivating or helping the clan? Did you just wait for my orders thinking you are actually a servant?" Xuefeng asked seriously. "You are really silly. You did nothing for two days and then went drinking to forget about your problems. Did you think I will find it attractive?"
The tears that kept coming stopped under the barrage of Xuefeng's questions, freezing on her cheeks. She pushed herself away from Xuefeng and this time he didn't hold her back.
Jiao didn't know the answer to those questions and instinctively tried to run away. Too bad she couldn't fly away far as she ended up falling into Xuefeng's arms once again.
"I'm not scolding you. I'm telling you facts. We can be friends, I don't mind, but with your attitude and behavior, It will never become anything more than this. I don't really know what do you expect," Xuefeng continued, holding her hands so she doesn't fly away. "Is that how you wanted me to see you? Drunk while arguing and fighting with strangers in the bar?"
"No! I didn't want any of this!" Jiao finally responded, shouting with all her feelings behind her voice.
"Then why?" Xuefeng questioned, not giving her time to breathe.
"I don't know… I don't know..." Jiao muttered out of strength, finding it hard to even think. She really didn't know what she thought. Everything was new for her since she met him.
She thought he will question her yet again but he hugged her instead, no longer talking about the issue.
"I will give you time to think about it. You still don't know what you want. I hope when I come back, you will have your answer," Xuefeng said calmly.
"Come back…?" Jiao didn't understand, her thoughts already mushy.
They were already nearing Liu Clan's Palace and Xuefeng stopped before they entered. He lifted her up, leveling up their gazes and pinched her cheek with a soft smile.
"I will be away for a few days. It will give you some time to rethink your behavior," Xuefeng explained, releasing her cheek.
She wanted to question him but a sudden force engulfed her, making her eyelids heavy. She couldn't fight back against it and her surroundings slowly darkened, the face of Xuefeng getting blurry.
She struggled to open her eyes, wanting to see him a bit more but when she finally regained her vision, she felt a huge headache and pain in the eyes.
Sunrays stung her as she tried to keep them open.
"What happened…?" Jiao muttered, thinking Xuefeng was still next to her but she realized she was now back in her room, laying on her bed. It was already morning.
"Xuefeng…?" She asked weakly, looking around but he was nowhere to be found. Rubbing her eyes she slowly realized what happened.
Xuefeng knocked her out and brought back to her room.
She drank a bit of water to fight the hangover and rubbed her eyes. The sheets fell from her fair shoulders and she realized she was in her blue, see through nightgown.
Jiao immediately blushed, thinking it was Xuefeng who changed her clothes. Her blue dress was laying at the edge of the bed, folded nicely.
"Did you leave already…?" Jiao asked herself out loud, rubbing her temples. She wanted to check if she remembers any details but there was nothing.
Knock, knock!
A sudden knock to the doors disturbed her, forcing her to go back under the sheets.
"Yes?" She asked, her Spirit Awareness not yet deployed.
"Miss Jiao! Do you wish to eat breakfast?" a female servant called out from behind the doors, making her sigh in relief. If it was Xuefeng, she would be probably forced to escape through the balcony.
"Yes," Jiao replied, covering herself as if she forgot she once was a respected Sect Master. The whole dominance she had was gone, her self back to being a young miss from years ago.
"Good Morning Miss! I'm here to take care of you." The servant called out as she walked inside with the tray full of food and placed it like a table on Jiao's bed.
"Please enjoy your breakfast while it's hot. If there is anything I can help with, please call me. I will be standing right outside the room," the female servant announced happily, bowed and walked back to the exit.
"Wait," Jiao stopped her, finding the situation weird. "Since when I have a personal servant?"
The girl smiled warmly and explained, "Miss Jiao is an important friend of Young Master Xuefeng. It's only natural Miss has your own servant."
"Since when…?" Jiao asked confused.
"I was personally chosen by Young Master yesterday night. He assigned me to take care of any of your needs," the female servant replied right away.
"Mhmm…" Jiao nodded, slowly connecting the dots. "Were you the one who helped me changed yesterday then?"
"Yes, according to Young Master's orders. It would be uncomfortable to sleep in Miss' dress," the female servant agreed, not finding it embarrassing at all.
A bit of disappointment hit Jiao for some reason, realizing she preferred to think it was Xuefeng's job instead.
"Did Xuefeng leave already?" Jiao asked one last question and hearing another confirmation, she fell onto the bed, not knowing what to think.
The female servant excused herself and left her alone with her thoughts. Jiao recalled Xuefeng's words of how she didn't do anything for last two days and sighed.
This was the least important question she wanted answers to.
"What do I want…?
Chapter 441 - Portal
"Xiao Wen, will you lead us?" Xuefeng asked as he approached the crimson beauty, glancing at all the girls next to him. "I think we are ready." He wanted finally leave the palace in case Jiao wakes up and decides to search for him but Wuying ruined his plans.
"Are we not taking Jiao with us?" Wuying suggested in confusion.
She accidentally caught Xuefeng as he was coming back last night with Jiao in his arms but she immediately realized something was wrong. Jiao wasn't moving but it turned out nothing serious. She was just drunk. Xuefeng didn't tell anything so she didn't ask, only helping him take her to the room.
Recalling how he ordered a servant to assist Jiao in anything, she thought he cares about her enough to take her with them. After all, only four of them gathered had a Fate Spirit while the rest were still waiting, so it didn't matter if she came with them.
Everyone looked at Xuefeng and Nuwa was first to approach him, questioning before he could even respond to Wuxing. "Jiao? Why? Did something happen?" She asked in quick succession.
She wore her battle outfit today, having her white dress intertwined with pieces of golden armor which made her sharper than usual. Nuwa was especially against Jiao so having her join was definitely out of the question.
Having her face right in front of him with her eyes staring at him, Xuefeng only leaned forward, planting a kiss on her nose and assured her, "don't worry, she is not coming with us. She is staying in the palace to rethink her behavior."
He tried to embrace her, wanting to please her but Nuwa turned around away from him. "Wuying, you tell us. This dummy will try to bend the truth," Nuwa proposed, not willing to listen to Xuefeng. What made it worse was the fact that everyone else nodded.
"Hey! I always tell you the truth—" Xuefeng momentarily protested but his lips were quickly sealed by Nuwa's finger.
"You stay quiet, okay? Let Wuying speak first and then you can correct her or add anything if you want," Nuwa proposed with a smile, giving him no other choice but to accept it. He knew what was hidden behind her smile. Lots of punishments.
"I agree, this way we can see the situation from two perspectives," Xiao Wen approved, also smelling something. Her female intuition was telling her something was not right.
"Yes, I think so too," Princess Shan also nodded, siding with the girls.
Xuefeng turned to Tianshi who stood next to him and acted pitifully, hugging into her chest. "Tianshi… All of them group up against me… I didn't do anything…" Xuefeng muttered, trying to buy her sympathy and Tianshi hugged his head, pressing it stronger against her soft breasts.
"There, there. I will always be on your side," she said sweetly as she patted his head, gently brushing his hair. He felt like in heaven only to drop when Tianshi suddenly called out to Wuying, "So, what happened? I remember Xuefeng came home late."
"Traitor…" Xuefeng whispered but stayed in her embrace, not letting go.
"I don't know much but Xuefeng brought Jiao home yesterday and assigned a servant to her. She seemed to be drunk to the point she passed out. I suppose Xuefeng found her leaving from a bar as he was coming back from his meeting with an alchemist," Wuying described, not making it that big of a tragedy.
Xuefeng sighed in relief and quickly added, "I did meet her in a bar after I searched for her. She has been missing for the last two days so I started looking around. She had some problems which she decided to solve by drinking alone so I scolded her. I will check up on her after we come back. I hope she will change her behavior."
Xuefeng only had to tell the truth and all suspicions would be over. He couldn't fight against all of them.
"Fine. You are forgiven. I thought you are sneaking out to drink with her. If you really did, I would beat your ass," Nuwa warned. "If you want to meet with a girl, you have to inform at least one of us, got it?"
Others nodded, agreeing with Nuwa hundred percent. Xuefeng was their treasure so they needed to keep him safe else someone else will steal him.
Xuefeng didn't exactly like this but he understood them well. He equally wouldn't feel nice if his wives started meeting other men without telling him.
"Alright. I don't think I can always predict it but I will try to inform you girls. I already did with Wu, didn't I?" Xuefeng agreed, giving them an example and proposed, "We can talk as we travel. It's already late."
The girls didn't mind that this time and everyone flew up, following Xiao Wen.
"Talking about Wu, we already scheduled a meeting with her by the end of this week. We will spend a day with her and tell you what we think," Tianshi informed, speaking directly into his ear. She was the one who got to fly with him this time. She happened to have Xuefeng in his arms as they departed so she stayed next to him, latching onto his chest as the launched into the sky.
"Oh, I see. Thank you for telling me," Xuefeng replied, squeezing her waist with care. Tianshi took this opportunity when his focus was on her and kissed him on the lips before going back to hugging without saying anything.
"What was that for?" Xuefeng asked, thinking she wanted to say something but she only rubbed his chest with her cheek.
"I love you, Xuefeng," she whispered in the end and didn't disturb his flight any further.
His heart couldn't help but skip a beat at that moment. She was his first crush, his first love. How could he stay calm in such situation? He heard her say it many times before but for some reason it hit him differently this time.
He felt guilty. Each time he added another women to his group, less and less space was left for her in his heart. She was supposed to get all of his love yet now she had to share him with others, not getting much time with him alone. Only those moments where they flew in each other's embrace could their love flow without obstacles.
He hugged her tighter and whispered back, "I love you more…"
Tianshi didn't argue about that, knowing Xuefeng already proved it by sacrificing his life for her.
They flew in silence until they reached their destination but that was enough for them, their synced heartbeat being the token of their love.
"Why both of you have such goofy smiles?" Yiren asked as they all halted in the sky. Once they let go of each other, Xuefeng still looked at Tianshi with a smile.
"It's nothing. Can't I smile to the girls I love?" Xuefeng replied happily, kissing Yiren on the forehead before focusing on his surroundings. They were in the dangerous territory so they couldn't act so casually
They hovered above a thick mist that made it impossible to see the ground.
"The portal is inside the mist. Let's stay grouped so no one gets lost. The mist is special and blocks Spirit Awareness," Xiao Wen explained as she gathered everyone.
Both Yiren and Tianshi looked at each other and grabbed onto Xuefeng's arms to not get lost. Xuefeng had to cancel his wings else they would all bump into each other.
"Everyone, follow Xiao Wen closely. We are going in," Xuefeng called out as he began to lower his altitude, diving into the mist and everyone followed.
They landed on the ground a moment later and saw thousand stone pillars everywhere. Even Xiao Wen didn't know where she was but she pulled out a small golden token and soon confidently led them.
There was no one around them once they stopped in front an innocent-looking plain rock.
"So here is the plan. Once I open the portal, everyone has to enter inside as soon as possible else it will close," Xiao Wen explained, patting the rock in front of her.
"I will enter last," Xuefeng immediately decided, wanting to make sure no one is left behind. No one protested and Xiao Wen nodded, opening the portal without waiting. There was a high possibility that they would meet a Fate Holder by waiting here so it was best to hurry.
The rock turned golden as soon as she touched it with the token and she immediately jumped inside while calling out in reminded, "Jump in!"
One by one the girls entered until only the last three of them were left. Xuefeng caught Yiren and Tianshi waists and hopped inside. They closed their eyes in worry but hugging Xuefeng made them assured.
Just as the portal closed behind him, the mist that was empty just a moment ago suddenly began filling with people. One by one cultivators started appearing with grins on their faces.
"Fresh meat, hehe," one of them giggled, making others laugh. It was impossible to use Spirit Awareness inside the mist so it was easy to hide and observe. Seeing so many low ranked beauties going inside, everyone got excited.
Chapter 442 - Monthly Arena Day
Just as Xuefeng crossed the portal, the golden-robbed youth inside the Fate Organisation's Palace panicked. He was the medium in this Hidden Realm and sensed it each time someone entered or left it. When he noticed Xuefeng inside, entering with all of his women, even those that were not Fate Holders, he didn't know how to react.
In normal cases, according to their rules, if someone deliberately allowed entry into Fate Organization Realm for a normal mortal cultivator, the latter would be instantly killed while the Fate Holder would be forced to fight ten consecutive battles on the Arena. If they are alive after the punishment, they were pardoned.
Naturally, it was almost impossible.
Seeing the group already looking around the realm as if they were at home, the golden-robbed youth finally moved. Instead of going to stop them as he would usually do, he rushed towards Liena office. Only she could decide in Xuefeng's matter.
Knock, knock!
Even though the matter was urgent, he still knocked on her doors and only entered after her permission. He didn't want to barge inside in case she did something she didn't want him to see. Her room was after all blocking away his vision.
Seeing her behind her desk, looking through some papers, the youth sighed in relief and called out, "Milady! We have a problem!"
Liena's face was behind the mist, making him unable to see her but he heard her confused voice, "Hmm? What happened?"
"Xuefeng arrived in the Realm just now!" He announced right away. "He brought his women as well!"
Bam!
Liena hit the table, standing up and cried out happily, "Yes! Finally! Why are you panicking? This is great news! We should immediately welcome them!"
Golden-robbed youth quickly stopped her, explaining the severity of the situation, "That's not it Milady! He brought inside those who aren't Fate Holders as well. Based on the rules, all of them should be dead by now!"
Just as he thought, Liena froze. She also understood how problematic that would be if any Fate Holders learned about it. They obviously couldn't kill Xuefeng's women else he would go on rampage and destroy the whole Realm. Because of Drakos, they wouldn't be able to stop him that easily.
"How about you ask him to visit me? Maybe we can talk with him and solve it. If he doesn't agree, I will appear and talk to him myself," Liena proposed, acting cautious.
"I also think this would be a good idea. Devils wouldn't be satisfied if they see the special treatment we give to Xuefeng," the youth agreed, ready to leave to carry out the order.
"Don't worry about the Devils. Let's hope Xuefeng is in a good mood instead. He already defeated one Devil, he can do that with others as well," Liena muttered, sitting on the table to wait for him while placing one leg on another.
The youth gulped his saliva and immediately disappeared from where he stood. The smooth legs of Liena got exposed as she moved pulled them out of the cut in her dress. If he stayed, he would definitely stare which was equal to courting death.
———
"I thought there would be less people in here," Nuwa commented, looking around the plaza they spawned at. A whole city appeared around them with cultivators walking back and forth the alleys.
"There are more of us Fate Holders than you think. This is the main hub for all of us and most spend all of their time here," Xiao Wen explained as she glanced at the crowds. "Though, there is much bigger crowd today than the usual. Maybe there is some kind of event today. I wasn't here for a while so I'm not up with the news."
Yiren and Tianshi looked up from Xuefeng's chest to also check the city but they quickly hid back, both realizing something. "We are being watched by everyone…" Tianshi muttered, informing Xuefeng and closed her eyes, busy with something.
"I know, I already noticed. Something is blocking my Spirit Awareness as well," Xuefeng replied, making his own investigations and whispered to the girls, "Stay on alert. We don't know what kind of people hang around here."
"I agree. It is dangerous. We should probably move before people start to get interested about us. We are like fresh meat for them to challenge," Xiao Wen proposed and Xuefeng agreed right away.
Before they could move, Tianshi finally opened her eyes and informed out of nowhere, "It's fruitless. We will be stopped by a golden-robbed guy in a few seconds."
They knew about her new ability, one that could tell the future so they stood still, not surprised by that. Xuefeng already expected they would be disturbed as they were practically doing something illegal here.
Just as Tianshi foretold, a familiar face appeared in front of them in the next few seconds, having a big smile on his face.
"What do you want?" Xuefeng asked indifferently, letting go of both girls to free his hands. He didn't plan on being nice to him.
The youth didn't mind that at all and greeted them with a bright smile, "Welcome guests! You finally arrived in our Realm. My Milady has been waiting to meet you."
His arrival naturally gathered a bit of attention from the crowd as everyone knew him well. He was the great Milady's right man with a great power in this Realm. Not many recognized Xuefeng as most knew him from his golden wings instead of his appearance.
Xuefeng looked left and right before asking, "Then where is she? I can't see her."
The youth tried his hardest to keep his expression mask and explained, "Milady is currently in the Palace. She is inviting your group for a meal if you are—" Too bad, he couldn't finish talking as Xuefeng stopped him.
"It's early so we ate already and we just arrived a moment ago so we would like to explore the city first. If your Milady wants to meet, we can do that later," Xuefeng rejected in a simple fashion, not acting overly aggressive but it didn't look like that from the crowd.
The people around them were already shocked that Milady was willing to meet with them but when Xuefeng rejected, they immediately got mad. Many stopped what they were doing, staring daggers at Xuefeng when a sudden flash of light distracted them.
To their surprise, a lady they dreamed to see live suddenly appeared outside of the Palace.
"It's Milady!" Everyone cried out, forgetting about Xuefeng in a blink. He wasn't important when the Milady herself was on the scene.
"Hello Young Master Xuefeng. We meet again. I'm sorry I'm disturbing your visit," Liena apologized from the start and went straight to the point. "We stopped you because we are worried about your group. Because you entered with everyone, including those who doesn't have a Fate Fragment, you put us in a difficult spot. The whole system will crumble if we can allow that."
"Whenever I go, they will go with me. There are no exceptions," Xuefeng replied, receiving looks from others. He realized no one heard Liena's voice other than him.
"I know I can't stop you so just be careful then. Today is the Monthly Arena Day. Anyone can challenge anyone so you should avoid registering your women into the Arena today. Some people may target your group because it's new in the Realm," Liena explained further and decided for him. "I will teleport you guys into a different location of the City to lessen the attention on you guys. Have fun."
Just as he said it, she waved with her hand and they were soon surrounded by a golden ball of light. Before they knew, their surroundings changed and they appeared on a less crowded road with little to no one around.
"Don't worry, we are fine," Xuefeng assured the girls, knowing they had no idea what was going on. "She moved us away so we don't gather too much attention."
"That's good. It's always crowded in the main plaza," Xiao Wen sighed in relief, recalling the angry gazes of the people.
"It seems she has some power in this Realm. I could fight back if I wanted to but it was hard to resist her powers," Nuwa reported, finding it disturbing. She rarely had any opponents in this world.
"Mhmm, it's alright, she won't touch us. If there is a need to fight her, I will take care of her," Xuefeng assured her, getting the report from Drakos.
"Anyway, I learned something good from her. We will be spending some time in the arena today."
Chapter 443 - Arena
"Oh, sure. I don't mind but don't you want to look around the city first? We can visit the market and fight in the arena later," Xiao Wen proposed. She also was eager to fight but they didn't need to rush like that.
"Wen, do you know the term Monthly Arena Day?" Xuefeng asked curiously, knowing they should probably maximize the profits from it. They was no one around them so it was safe to talk.
"What?! It's Monthly Arena Day today?" Xiao Wen exclaimed with a small smile awakening on her face. "It explains why there are so many people active in the city."
"It seems we are lucky. Can you tell us something about it?" Xuefeng asked, pulling the girls into the side of the road.
"Yeah, we are lucky. This day happens only once a month. It is a dream day for all of those who like battles on the arena and betting. Naturally, it's also one of the most dangerous days so anyone inexperienced wouldn't risk joining," Xiao Wen explained. "I know we will go anyway so let's move. I will explain the rules on the way."
"Sure," Xuefeng nodded and they followed closely after her. There were eight of them all together so they needed to stay in a formation where they could protect each other.
Xuefeng was in the middle with both Yiren and Tianshi who had the least fighting experience. Yi and Princess Shan were protecting the sides while Nuwa and Wuying were behind them. Xiao Wen walked in the front, leading the way while describing the rules of the Arena.
"Monthly Arena Day has different set of rules compared to a normal day. It happens once a month and it basically deletes any limitations on the challengers. Once you sign up for the arena, you can't leave on a whim. You have to win at least ten battles or lose three. The only other way around it is to pay a hefty penalty of ten thousand Fate Stones," Xiao Wen explained, throwing the numbers.
Xuefeng wasn't worried about that part as they were beyond the rules of this Realm. He disliked how Liena manipulated every Fate Holder which was why he had no problems with abusing his advantages.
She wanted to use him as well so he could do the same.
"It's okay. We don't need to worry about that," Xuefeng assured her, knowing Liena wouldn't ask him to pay anything.
"Mhmm, I know," Xiao Wen nodded as she turned her head around to show him a smile. "Usually in the arena there are limits of who you can challenge but today you can challenge anyone who registered and both your ranking and strength doesn't matter."
"Interesting…" Nuwa muttered, grinning to herself. "But won't people abuse it? You could easily challenge the weakest participant and win."
She was already thinking of how to abuse the system.
Xiao Wen giggled and replied, "You are not the first person to think of that. It's hard to avoid being bullied as most cultivators here are cruel but you can reject a challenge three times in total. You will be removed from the arena after that but at least you won't lose your matches."
"How about bets? Can I bet on myself?" Nuwa asked curiously, ready to suck the arena dry of its Fate Stones.
"Yes. There is an automatic betting system provided by the arena which is creating your winning chance based on your performance. The more you win, the lower are your rates," Xiao Wen explained and pointed in the distance with her gaze. "We can see the arena from here."
They all followed her gaze and saw a medium-sized stadium a few hundred meters away from them. Earlier they had buildings blocking it but now that they reached the main road, they could clearly see it. The increase in traffic alone indicated they were closer to the arena.
As if they reached a mutual agreement without any words, they stopped talking and instead focused on their surroundings. There were many people around them who could hear their conversation so it was best to be cautious.
To their surprise, as they reached the Arena, they heard a loud cheering noises coming from the inside. Xiao Wen quickly explained, "Those who can't fight because they are either too weak, injured or doesn't want to risk it, come to watch the event instead. It's a good opportunity for them to learn about their future opponents."
As it was already late, when they reached the registration lobby, there were barely anyone inside. Most participants already signed up while the rest headed inside the arena through the spectator passage.
Before they walked up to the registry, Xuefeng stopped them and told them seriously, "We came here to train so I want everyone to join. Naturally, we will stay cautious. If anyone is challenged by an opponent they can't fight, we will reject the challenge."
Seeing everyone nod, he turned to both Yuren and Tianshi. "Can you two battle? I know you trained hard but I want to know how you two feel," Xuefeng asked with caring gaze. He didn't want them to get hurt.
"I believe I can fight," Tianshi replied determined but she knew she wasn't too powerful. "Though, there are limits to my power output."
Yiren, on the other hand, clenched her fist and raised it into the sky. "If it's for you, I can beat anyone!" she called out cutely.
Xuefeng couldn't help but pat both of their heads and assured them, "Don't worry, we will find you a nice opponent."
He didn't ask the rest as he knew they had their fair share of fighting experience.
The registration was simple as it seemed like Liena already informed the Arena management about them. By entering the Fate Organisation, one was already pre registered in the system but they weren't even part of them. They were signed in as the temporary members but Xuefeng didn't mind it, knowing they weren't bound by any contracts.
"It should be best if we stay low once we enter the Challenger Lounge. We don't want to be targeted by any other groups," Xiao Wen warned as they walked towards the preparation room for participants. It was the place where everyone waited for the challenges.
"Do you really think we won't gain any attention with you all? You all are so pretty that you gather male gazes wherever you go. I can bet the moment I push the doors open, the whole room will turn quiet and they will look at us," Xuefeng said confidently, placing his hand on the door handle.
"Usually everyone is busy watching the battles. I don't think—" Xiao Wen thought he was exaggerating but Xuefeng didn't let her finish and opened the doors.
A quiet squeak resounded throughout the noisy room only to quieten in the next few seconds. The room resembled a restaurant with many tables filled with drinks and food. Just as Xuefeng guessed, every individual in the room stopped what they were doing to check who came.
He looked at Xiao Wen with a smile and muttered, "I won."
Keeping a low profile didn't work anymore so since he came to the capital, he already planned to stay high-profile till the end. He grabbed both Tianshi and Yiren by their waists and walked inside with the rest following after them.
There were no free tables inside so he approached the fanciest table which could fit them all and called out to the four people sitting by it.
"Move. The table is ours now."
Chapter 444 - Tactics - Part 1
Xuefeng's choice wasn't random but rather carefully picked. By staying low profile he could naturally trick people into battling him and win but seeing the challenger board on the wall with his names popping up, he knew his identity would be exposed very soon.
He could only gain control over the room by beating the strongest opponents from the very start. Many would think twice before they try to bully them.
Two middle-aged men and two beautiful ladies sitting by the table were the only ones who didn't care about them, not even glancing as they entered. It was an obvious choice for him.
The four were surprised at first, looking at each other as if to check if all of them heard the same. All four burst out laughing right after.
All other people in the room joined them in laughing, making it feel like they were on a comedy show.
Xiao Wen glanced at Xuefeng in worry, knowing exactly who they were but she stayed quiet in the end, not willing to show any weakness. If she tried to stop Xuefeng, he would look bad in front of everyone. She couldn't ruin whatever plans he had.
Bang!
One of the two men banged against the table, making it shake and called out while laughing, "Hahahahaha! You are both funny and stupid. Do you even know who we are?"
His head had brown spiked hair and two earrings, making him looking like a bad guy. Everyone agreed with him, nodding their heads but Xuefeng couldn't care less.
"I really don't give a damn who you are. Get lost," Xuefeng ordered arrogantly and extended his hand in their direction.
The eyes of two men momentarily widened but it was too late. Xuefeng swung his arm and the two men few blasted away, smashing against the wall on the other side of the room without a chance to resist.
Pin drop silence engulfed the space after two thud sounds of the buff men dropping to the ground reached people's ears. They didn't expect it at all, leaving a huge impact on anyone.
Being done with the two men, Xuefeng approached the two pretty ladies who were still gently sitting by the table. There was a slight frown on their foreheads but they didn't move yet, knowing that no one wouldn't be stupid enough to throw them like the other two men. It would definitely create a public outrage and everyone would fight them.
"Are you going to throw us into the wall too?" One of the ladies asked, wearing a full black dress that matched her hair.
When people around them heard her, they momentarily stood up, glaring at Xuefeng. If he did anything improper to the beauties, they wouldn't hesitate to attack.
"Oh no, of course not. I'm a gentleman. I wouldn't attack a lady," Xuefeng shook his head, showing a smile before pointing at the girls. "I won't do anything but they will."
Nuwa and the rest smiled evilly at the two beauties, showing they were ready to battle. The men who stood up earlier as protection felt awkward now. They were only against Xuefeng but it was fine for them if the women battled it out with themselves.
The two girls scanned Xuefeng's group with their gazes and finally stood up, not risking the challenge without any knowledge of their opponent. "Fine. We will move," the beauty in black dress spoke up on behalf of them both. "Though, I want to hear what is your name."
Xuefeng didn't mind that at all, wanting to introduce himself in a big style anyway, "I'm Liu Xuefeng from Liu Clan. If you want to know more about me, ask Saber Devil. He tasted my blade the other day."
When the name Saber Devil fell, everyone exclaimed, finally realizing who he was.
"So you are the one who defeated him in one strike?" the woman in black asked with interest, no longer feeling much resentment for being kicked out from their table. Everyone wanted to meet him after learning that Saber Devil was defeated.
Xuefeng only smiled at her and knowing it was obvious, he didn't reply, turning to his women instead. "You all can sit down first. I will order some drinks," Xuefeng suggested, waving at the waitress.
Unfortunately, they weren't given a chance to relax as a sudden shout reached them from the other side of the room.
"Damn you bastard! How dare you toss me into the wall like that?!"
The man with earrings already recovered from the mental shock he received but his confusion turned into anger. He immediately stood up and began walking to Xuefeng with a hammer in hand. He suffered no injuries but it was shameful to get hit like that.
The second victim was much calmer, walking behind him and observed the situation instead. Even though he was a cultivator, he wore a set of glasses which were something unusual in this world.
Xuefeng didn't even spare a glance at them and focused on the waitress that approached them. He pulled out a pouch and ordered, "Please give me eight cups of best wines you have."
"Sir, we have one of the best wines in this world, though each cup will cost one high-tier Fate Stone," the waitress informed politely, knowing it was a costly order.
Xuefeng pulled out ten Fate Stones as if it was nothing and said with a smile, "Keep the change."
"Thank you Master! I will bring the wine shortly!" the waitress called out excitedly, keeping the stones into her ring and skipped towards the bar to prepare the wine.
The man with earrings got even angrier at being ignored and acted up to everyone's expectations. "I challenge you for a battle!" he called out, aiming his hammer at Xuefeng's head.
"I reject," Xuefeng replied right away without hesitating. "I'm going to enjoy my wine with my wives. Wait patiently until I'm done and then I can consider fighting you."
"Hahaha, using one of the three rejections right off the bat for such bullshit reason! I knew you were stupid but this is on another level," the man with earrings laughed out loud, insulting Xuefeng. "You think that just cause you defeated Saber Devil you are big shit? I can defeat him with one strike as well!"
Xuefeng continued to ignore him and smiled at the waitress who brought them wine. "Thank you Miss."
"Anyone, challenge him right now! He thinks this is some kind of restaurant or place to relax!" The man with earrings called out to the crowd and bumped his friend in glasses. "Quickshot, go challenge him too. He can't reject forever."
"I challenge Liu Xuefeng for a battle!" someone from the crowd shouted, brave enough to test if Xuefeng will reject them more.
"I reject." Xuefeng replied calmly and took a sip of the wine. It had a sweet favour while also being strong, burning his throat lightly as he swallowed the liquid. It made his body warm just from one sip.
"Good wine," he complimented and hurried the girls. "You should try it too. It's really good."
The girls couldn't help but get worried a little but seeing that Tianshi didn't mind Xuefeng's behavior, they knew he would be fine. Knowing Tianshi, she already asked her Fate Spirit to check the future. She couldn't predict what exactly happens yet but if she targeted just Xuefeng's well-being, she could easily check that.
They already agreed earlier than Tianshi would inform everyone right away in case anything was bound to happen to Xuefeng. He was too important for them to lose.
Chapter 445 - Drakos' Extortion
Xiao Wen was the first to try the wine, being a connoisseur of wines and commented right after while pursuing her lips, "Ah, it's good. It's my first time tasting it and my mouth is melting. I wish I could have it every day…"
"It's not a problem," Xuefeng said calmly and asked the waitress who was still nearby, "How much of this wine you have in stock?"
"Uhmm…" It was not a typical question one would ask, causing the waitress to falter for a moment. "We have about ten barrels left…"
"Great. I will take all of them then. You can prepare them for me," Xuefeng ordered, celebrating his decision with a sip of wine.
"Yes! Right away!" the waitress nodded happily and skipped towards the bar, ready to inform her manager. Seeing how confident Xuefeng was, she didn't question if he had money to buy them. Fate Stones were really precious so even though they could bet a few thousand in the battles, no one would spend so much on a simple wine.
After all, one barrel was equal to almost eighteen hundred cups. Not many could afford that. Not to mention ten barrels which would equal eighteen thousand.
There was only one thought everyone had after hearing his order.
He was loaded!
Anyone who could casually spend eighteen thousand Fate Stones on wine was simply filthy rich.
The lady in the black was still standing nearby, watching Xuefeng's face as he sipped his wine and couldn't help but lick her lips. She seemed to be really interested in him.
After the second rejection, the room quietened, no one willing to move first. Xuefeng couldn't reject for the third time else he would be kicked out of the arena and everyone knew that. The next person that challenges him would be actually forced to fight him.
Knowing that he could defeat Saber Devil with one attack, they knew he was strong but that was all. No one knew his limits. This gave Xuefeng a short moment to finish his wine. Everything was going according to his plans.
Unfortunately, he didn't expect a sudden cry inside his mind.
'Such a waste… Why, whyyy~' Drakos lamented, feeling pain when his Fate Stones were about to be taken by someone else. 'If you need a way to spend your money, you can give them all to me! If I regain my strength, you will be able to get rid of me quickly and I can help you more! Do you want me to watch your girls' naked bodies forever? I can obviously see everything when you guys do it!'
Xuefeng almost choked when he heard it, first time realizing this fact. 'It is true! He can see it all. Damn…' Xuefeng cursed and scolded him back, 'Why didn't you tell me earlier?! Get out of my body right now!'
'Pff, I wish! I'm stuck in this bracelet because I have no physical body yet. I still need about eight hundred and fifty-two thousand Fate Stones to restore it,' Drakos replied with exact numbers, shocking Xuefeng even more.
'That's all I have! Do you want to rob me?!' Xuefeng shouted, sensing that Drakos tried to scam him. 'I will be left with nothing in that case!' He got all those Fate Stones from Nuwa after she visited the
'Well, I guess I will enjoy a nice view for a while longer. Don't mind me, I will just watch quietly like always,' Drakos said casually, knowing he grabbed Xuefeng's weakness.
'Damn… Fine, you win,' Xuefeng cursed and gave up. 'But don't think I won't beat you up once you have a physical body.'
Once Xuefeng learned about this fact, he couldn't just forget about it. The whole time he treated him like a Spirit but now he wouldn't be able to feel comfortable knowing some other man was spying on him.
"Hahaha, then we will talk about it once we leave this Realm. You should win some more Fate Stones first,' Drakos laughed wholeheartedly, happy from the successful extortion.
He planned it for a while already and struck when Xuefeng was the least prepared for it. He couldn't wait forever. With the frequency he was fed, it would take months before he recovers.
In the meantime while Xuefeng with his thoughts, the tension inside the Challenge Room was raising. Everyone wondered who would be the one to face Xuefeng and looked at the two ladies together with Quickshot. They were the ones who suffered from Xuefeng's hand and knowing their reputation, they wouldn't let that slide easily.
Just as they expected, the lady in black dress began approaching Xuefeng, smiling to herself. Everyone thought she would challenge him but instead they heard a male voice.
"I challenge Liu Xuefeng for a battle."
Someone else was a second a head of her and she knew the person well.
"Quickshot!" She called out to the man with glasses, showing her disapproval but he only shrugged.
"I accept," Xuefeng agreed this time before taking another sip. "Give me five minutes to finish my wine."
"Deal," Quickshot nodded as he fixed his glasses and left through the exit to the arena.
Knowing who would be fighting, everyone clearly got excited, forgetting about their own battles and rushed after Quickshot towards the betting center. They wanted to see what would be the odds for this battle. Once someone issued a challenge and it was accepted, the battle would appear on the betting board.
When the people saw the odds, they thought something was wrong with the system.
Liu Xuefeng - 1.50
Quickshot - 5.00
"What is this bullshit? How come Quickshot has lower odds of winning?" Someone asked from the crowd but there was no one who knew the answer. It was useless to ask the cashiers as they knew nothing. The system was automatic.
Basically, if Xuefeng won, one could only win half of what he betted as reward but if Quickshot won, anyone who bet on him would leave with five times the amount they bet.
The challengers primary goal to enter arena was to earn money through betting and winning. Seeing such good odds, they hesitated. If the arena favoured Xuefeng so much, there must have been something they didn't know.
It was too risky of a bet for anyone.
Back in the room, Xuefeng was about to speak to the girls when the lady in black dress came up to him. "I wanted to challenge you but I was late. Hope you can win so we can face off against each other later. I'm interested in you," the lady informed, sending a flirtatious gaze at him.
She completely didn't care about his wives by the table, making their eyes twitch. Xiao Wen, who had unfinished business with her, was the first to call out in place of everyone, "I challenge Black Mamba for a battle!"
"Hehe, I knew you would get jealous and challenge me." Black Mamba giggled as she finally glanced at Xiao Wen. "Did you forget the last time you lost?"
"Times changed. I'm not the same person from before," Xiao Wen replied coldly.
"Alright, I will battle with you. I want to see how little Wen improved," Black Mamba agreed and winked at Xuefeng, walking away right after.
"Do I want to know what happened between you two?" Xuefeng asked as he grabbed Xiao Wen's hand into his. "It seems you hate her."
He didn't propose to help her as he could see she wanted to solve her problems on her own.
"I'm fine, don't worry. I can beat her," Xiao Wen smiled gently while shaking her head. "You should focus more on your own opponent instead. He is strong."
"Yeah, I wanted to ask you about him before I fight him," Xuefeng nodded and asked, "Who is he and what are his strengths?"
"Just as Saber Devil, the other four are called Devils. It's a rank given to the strongest Fate Holders. Quickshot is specialized in elements and quick attacks, hence his nickname. His Fate Spirit ability passively improves his Elemental Power and that's all I know about him. He rarely shows his other abilities," Xiao Wen described based on little knowledge she had but that was enough for Xuefeng.
"Let's do our best then," Xuefeng cheered and finally stood up, calling out to Nuwa, "Hope you can protect everyone as we battle."
"Hmpf, so selfish," Nuwa only pouted in response, demanding justice, "Next battle is mine."
Xuefeng could only laugh at her reaction and treat it as an agreement.