--- Chapter 17 ---
Hayate yawned inside and pressed Xiao Lingxi slightly more into his embrace, making Xiao Kuangyun's eyes flare in anger.
Xiao Kuangyun's bodyguard, Xiao Moshan, appeared between them in a flash.
He stared at the unknown young man solemnly and questioned him, "Do you know who you just attacked?"
"I don't know?" Hayate put on a clueless expression. "A pervert, who wanted to harass a girl?"
"I'm XIAO KUANGYUN! My father is Xiao Sect's Master!" Xiao Kuangyu roared while leaving his boneless hand hanging.
Even though Hayate barely put his strength into that grip, Xiao Kuangyin's hand barely could handle the pressure, which resulted in his bone getting crushed into bits.
"Oh, the Xiao Sect's 4th young master," Hayate responded with a realization.
"I thought you were a pervert, young master Kuangyun."
"Aih, it's hard to differentiate, to be honest."
Xiao Moshan's lips twitched because Xiao Kuangyun is a good-for-nothing pervert. He doesn't even have the aptitude to back himself up.
The 4th young master was the only child of the sect master's official wife and was thus doted on by his father, which was why Xiao Kuangyun could get away from being a pervert.
It was a fact that he had snatched other people's wives.
Hayate knew everything about Xiao Sect since he had controlled one of their elders through one dumb relative in the past.
"Well, young master Kuangyun, I'm sorry." Hayate smiled at them. "I can't let someone taint such a pure young lady."
"It's not respectable in my principles."
"Also, let's not bring your father's name here." He chuckled. "Unless you don't have pride as a man."
Xiao Kuangyun's face was so red as he stared at Hayate with a hateful gaze.
He pointed his finger at Hayate and screamed, "Moshan, kill him!"
"I want him dead right now!"
Xiao Moshan frowned because Xiao Kuangyun was getting too hot-headed by Hayate's comment. Yet, he couldn't do anything about it because he was a mere bodyguard.
He used a profound art and sent a powerful kick at Hayate's head, hoping it would explode by his sheer strength.
BAM!
A loud smack abruptly echoed in the courtyard, but Xiao Moshan's expression became unsightly.
Hayate fended the kick with his bare hand, which shocked everyone in the courtyard. Everyone who knew Xiao Moshan personally understood how ridiculous this scenery was.
Xiao Moshan is at the 2nd stage of Earth Profound Realm, but an unknown young man received his kick casually without getting harmed?
Xiao Lingxi blinked her eyes and saw Hayate's golden eyes shimmering under the shadow. "How beautiful..." She whispered to herself.
"Can you go behind me for a moment?" Hayate peeked at her. "You might not want to see this."
Xiao Lingxi nodded like an adorable hamster and quickly hid behind Hayate. She looked at his broad yet firm shoulders and couldn't help but imagine something.
Hayate clenched his grip on Xiao Moshan's leg and destroyed every muscle tissue inside with profound energy. He twisted his leg bone and smacked him onto the concrete floor.
BAM! CRACK!
Xiao Moshan couldn't react because everything was happening at such a fast pace. He saw the young man grab his leg, but he was on the concrete floor a moment later.
"Ugh... I can't feel my leg." He groaned in pain.
Hayate glanced at Xiao Kuangyun and said, "Oh, I haven't introduced myself, Am I?"
"Nice to meet you, young master Kuangyun."
"I'm from Silver Lake City and the only son of City Lord."
"Hayate Kurogami."
Xiao Yulong's legs trembled in dread when he heard what Hayate spouted.
Since Silver Lake City was such a common topic for years, everyone within the Blue Wind Empire and even neighboring Empires knew about it.
It started from a small village with barely any attraction but suddenly grew into a great city with monstrous wealth, influential power, connection, and bizarre things.
Silver Lake City's growth hasn't stopped for four years and keeps growing to become better.
Blue Wind Empire's Emperor stated that Silver Lake City is akin to a blessing for this land. He even gave the city "The Gold Mine of Blue Wind." title.
Even though Silver Lake City wasn't on the same level as the four main sects/factions in Blue Wind Empire, it slowly approached that height.
Silver Lake City's Lord is a beautiful woman with Sky Profound Realm's cultivation. A rumor said that City Lord had a genius son, who was taught the heavenly medical skill by a miraculous doctor when he was small.
"Silver Lake City..." Xiao Lingxi covered her mouth in surprise.
Hayate picked out a token from his clothes and showed it to them, leaving Xiao Yulong's mouth open in awe.
A circle-shaped token made of precious metal with the "Hong." a character carved on it, entered everyone's sights.
"Is that enough proof?" Hayate asked while staring at Xiao Kuangyun.
"Y-Young master, call the carriage." Xiao Moshin stood on one leg. "Let's return to Xiao Sect first."
"I'm blind and judged too early, so please forgive my rudeness." He breathed nervously and cupped his hand at Hayate.
"It's okay, but someone else should say sorry, no?" Hayate reminded Xiao Moshan, who sighed in defeat.
Xiao Kuangyun gritted his teeth because he had never borne this kind of humiliation before. He always could get away from anything with his father's power, but not anymore.
Hayate won't let such an idiot roam freely without getting attached to his strings. 'I'll use your father's love for you to my right, young master Kuangyun.' He thought naturally.
"Do you want me to wait until noon?" Hayate asked casually.
"I-I'm... I'm sorry." Xiao Kuangyun said with a soft voice.
Hayate nodded and replied, "Very well, I'll take your apology."
"Don't wander around and try to touch a young lady with a perverted expression again, okay?"
"Y-Yes." Xiao Kuangyu lowered his head.
"Pffft~." Xiao Lingxi cheerfully giggled because it was such funny scenery for her.
Xiao Kuangyun acted arrogantly a few seconds ago, but now he was like a scared puppy.
A few more bodyguards with lower cultivation than Xiao Moshan's arrived in the courtyard. They were about to attack Hayate, but Xiao Yulong stopped them quickly.
Xiao Kuangyun and Xiao Moshan quickly stepped out of the Xiao Clan afterward, returning to Xiao Sect with their carriage.
Hayate had placed an upgraded version of Onyx Eagle to monitor them from the sky so that he could find them later.
"Are you okay?" He asked Xiao Che's little aunt. "Ah yes, may I know your name, young lady?"
Xiao Lingxi blushed a little and replied with a stutter, "M-My name is Xiao Lingxi."
Hayate stared quietly because his heart ached for a moment when looking at her. He sighed inside because that faceless woman in his dream must be the cause of this.
He shook his head and continued, "I see, what a beautiful name."
They stared at each other's eyes and suddenly felt comfortable feelings inside, making the time around them stop.
"Little Aunt?"
"Big Brother?"
Hayate and Xiao Lingxi snapped out of their trance phase when Xia Qingyue and Xiao Che called them simultaneously.
Xiao Lingxi's face blushed in shame because she was about to hug Hayate there. She ran away to her courtyard quickly, leaving Xiao Che speechless on the spot.
"Eh, Little Aunt!" Xiao Che chased her.
Xia Qingyue approached Hayate and asked, "Is there something happening here?"
"Well, Yes." Hayate chuckled while hiding his trembling hands.
As if someone pushed Hayate, there was a brief moment when he was about to hug Xiao Lingxi and comfort her.
'This has never happened before.' He thought solemnly.
"Big brother, are you okay?" Xia Qinyue tilted her head in confusion.
"Ehem, yes." Hayate coughed slightly.
Xia Qingyue stared at him in suspicion because she had never seen Hayate dazed around like this. He was lazy, serious, and playful most of the time.
'He lowered his guard down in front of Xiao Che's little aunt?' She frowned inside.
A spark of jealousy brewed inside Xia Qingyue, but with her Heart of Snow Glazed Glass. She could maintain her emotion quickly.
"Have you eaten anything, Qingyue?" Hayate changed the topic with a gentle tone.
"I haven't eaten anything since yesterday." Xia Qingyue replied with a nod.
Chu Yueli suddenly appeared and greeted Hayate naturally, "Young ma-, I mean ehem, Junior Hayate."
"How are you?"
Hayate stared at Chu Yueli and responded, "I'm okay, Senior Yueli."
Since everything settled comfortably, Xia Qinyue doesn't have a tie with Xiao Clan anymore. Chu Yueli is obviously here to pick her back to Frozen Cloud Asgard.
He clapped once and said, "Let's have breakfast."
They went to the lake where Hayate met Xia Qingyue for the first time and saw the water glimmering in such clearness.
As they were having a morning picnic comfortably, Xiao Che was kicked by the Xiao Clan because he was adopted.
Xiao Lingxi cried profusely and refused to separate from Xiao Che, leaving a weird sensation in Hayate's heart even though they were several miles apart.
Hayate sent another Onyx Eagle to check Xiao Lingxi and saw Xiao Che confidently walk out of the Xiao Clan's main gate.
"Xiao Che, huh." He commented while chewing a steak.
A rumor about Xiao Che getting divorced by Xia Qingyue spread in the Floating Cloud City. Well, Xiao Lie can't prevent such a thing from happening.
"Junior Hayate, about the duel we agreed upon two years ago." Chu Yueli stopped her chopsticks. "Are we still going to do it?"
"Of course," Hayate answered with a shrug.
"Even though we have been spared so many times within a couple of months,"
"A duel is still a duel."
"Are you afraid, Senior Yueli?" He questioned her with a stern tone.
Chu Yueli couldn't hide her excitement and screamed in joy inside because Hayate was about to beat her so hard again.
She covered her thighs with a napkin and calmly replied, "We are on the same level, Junior Hayate."
'I'm the lowest of the lowest in front of you, young master.'
"Why should I be afraid?"
'Yes, I should be grateful!' Chu Yueli pumped her fist excitedly inside.
Hayate nodded and commented, "Well, let's finish our breakfast and arrange the duel in the nearest secluded area."
"Qingyue, you should tell Uncle Hongyi that you'll go to the Frozen Cloud Asgard."
"Mhm." Xia Qingyue agreed and walked to the Xia Clan's manor.
As Xia Qingyue left them on the leg, Chu Yueli immediately bowed down on the dirt and lowered her head for Hayate.
"Sorry for my rudeness, young master~." Chu Yueli whispered submissively. "This slave couldn't help but almost wet herself in front of Qingyue."
"Please punish me~." She added with a hopeful look.
"No," Hayate answered while ignoring her.
"Hnnn~."
Chu Yueli groaned because she got rejected by her master. She trembled in fear and excitement, but Hayate told her to act normal again.
They waited for half an hour, and Xia Qingyue approached them again with a bright smile. "I'm done." She beamed at Hayate.
"Let's go." Hayate picked Xia Qingyue's slender hand and brought her with him to the sky.
Chu Yueli followed them and witnessed Xiao Kuangyun's carriage resting on the roadside near Cyan Forest Town.
Hayate brought Koro out of his inner space and dropped it onto Xiao Kuangyun's carriage.
"Koro, scare them a little." He instructed, to which the dog Kaiju responded with a nod.
"Grrrr..." Koro's body expanded and became bulky with swelling muscles.
Hayate smirked and commented, "A little trauma should be fine, right?"
Xia Qingyue and Chu Yueli watched Koro's transformation with an incredible look. They sometimes played around with this cute dog but didn't expect it could become such a terrifying monster.
Koro only was instructed by Hayate to scare and not kill, which caused it to destroy Xiao Kuangyun's carriage, defeat his bodyguards, and chase him like a wild dog.
"What's this?!!"
"Moshan!"
"MOSHAN!"
Xiao Moshan stared at his young master with a bitter expression because he couldn't move an inch as Koro knocked him heavily to the ground.
"Kyaaa, Save me!" Xiao Kuangyun screamed in a high-pitched voice.
"PLEASE, SOMEONE!"
"SAVE ME FROM THIS MONSTER!"
The 4th young master of Xiao Sect has to run desperately for his life. When Koro was about to reach him, he fainted and dropped onto the hard rock.
"Good job, koro." Hayate landed near Xiao Kuangyun and planted a Spy Slime into his ear.
Koro bounced and returned to Hayate's inner world with a satisfied expression.
"Be useful for me, young master Kuangyun." He said while remembering something.
"Ah, that scarlet dragon..."
Hayate moved his gaze to the Scarlet Dragon Mountain Dragon, where one of his Onyx Eagle got turned into ash in the past.
"Hmm, why are you staring at that mountain range, big brother?" Xia Qingyue wasn't even questioning Hayate's action on Xiao Kuangyun because she was used to it already.
However, when Hayate suddenly moved his gaze to the Scarlet Dragon Mountain Range, her interest immediately increased.
Hayate chuckled and replied, "Well, I have a grudge to settle."