"Careful!" Su Xiaobai warned.
"Wh—what's happening?!"
Xiao Lu spoke, flustered.
Shlick!
The tendrils recoiled, the beast's mouth clicking shut as it prepared to strike again.
Without hesitation, Su Xiaobai kicked the beast with full force.
WHAM!
"Skreeee!"
The flower beast let out a shrill scream as it tumbled across the floor, its tendrils flailing wildly, searching for something to latch onto.
WHOOSH!
Su Xiaobai's hand ignited with crackling Infernal Flames.
The crimson blaze bathed the room in searing heat.
The flower beast froze, its tendrils retracting as the fierce heat washed over it.
"Shhh...."
With a pitiful whimper, it shrank into a quivering ball, its once vibrant petals trembling in fear.
Satisfied, Su Xiaobai extinguished the flames with a flick of his wrist. "Good boy. Try to eat someone without my permission again, and I'll burn you to ash," he said, his voice calm but filled with a subtle threat.
The 'Devouring Thorny Flower' shuddered, its once aggressive tendrils retracting as though understanding the warning.
Xiao Lu's face had drained of all color. She stumbled back, her chest rising and falling rapidly, eyes wide in disbelief. "What... what "is' that thing?" she stammered, still trembling from the shock.
"Something I picked up a while back," Su Xiaobai replied, his gaze shifting to the now-docile creature. His expression was thoughtful and concerned. "Didn't expect it to try and eat you."
"Eat me?!" Xiao Lu gasped, her legs wobbling as she took another step back, the fear in her eyes clear as sky.
Su Xiaobai shrugged, nonchalant.
In truth, he hadn't expected the flower to attack a human either. Walking over to the beast, he prodded it lightly with his finger, causing it to recoil further. "Devouring Thorny Flower," he muttered to himself.
The name came to him on a whim, though it seemed fitting.
The flower remained motionless now, its deadly tendrils curling protectively inward, the once-dangerous creature suddenly meek and harmless under his watchful gaze.
"What are you...?" Su Xiaobai whispered, brow furrowed as he studied it further, wondering what secrets this beast held.
Without wasting more time, he tossed it back into his spatial ring, deciding to figure it out later.
For now, the noise outside demanded his attention.
As the flower disappeared from view, Xiao Lu exhaled loudly, her pale face regaining a bit of color. "I thought that thing was going to swallow me whole..." she muttered, still shaken but trying to compose herself.
Su Xiaobai shot her a sideways glance, amused by her nervous expression. "Don't worry, you're safe for now," he said, reassuring her while moving toward the window to investigate the noise from outside.
The bustling streets were alive with sound, and something seemed to be drawing a crowd.
"Let's see what's going on," he muttered, curious about what was causing such a stir in the town.
_______
Outside the Inn!
Su Xiaobai and Xiao Lu made their way toward the bustling crowd gathered outside. A circle of city guards kept onlookers at a distance, allowing a grand spectacle to be observed from distance.
Su Xiaobai's attention was quickly drawn to a magnificent red horse in the clearing, its fiery fur gleaming under the sun. The horse's powerful wings, half-spread, added to its regal and intimidating presence.
As the crowd parted, a figure emerged that left everyone in awe.
The horse's rider was a woman. Her fiery red armor hugged her shapely figure, combining beauty with the strength of a seasoned warrior. A massive sword rested on her shoulder, radiating power. Her golden hair flowed down her back, tied with dark blue ribbons, while her sharp blue eyes shimmered with authority and confidence.
Though she wasn't a beauty that could topple kingdoms, her striking mix of heroic strength and feminine charm turned heads wherever she went.
As she approached her horse, ready to mount, Su Xiaobai's eyes instinctively drifted to her chest, admiring the perfect two round mounds beneath her armor.
Feng Lianhua was about to depart when she suddenly felt as if thousands of ants were crawling on her chest.
She turned her head, her eyes narrowing at the crowd with the intensity of a hawk spotting its prey.
Her expression darkened with a flicker of annoyance. 'Pervert', she thought.
But rather than confront him, she dismissed it, more amused than angry.
Without a word, she mounted her horse.
Whoosh!
The stallion spread its wings and soared into the sky, leaving trails of embers behind it.
Su Xiaobai, realizing he'd been caught, turned away, his curiosity about Fairy Lianhua satisfied. It was time to leave the city.
______
"Boss, that guy was staring at sister-in-law!"
As Feng Lianhua's horse took off, a young man near the front whispered angrily to his leader, Li Gong, who was escorting her. His eyes narrowed in fury.
No one disrespected his guest like that in his town.
Li Gong clenched his jaw, waiting for Feng Lianhua to disappear before making his move.
______
Su Xiaobai, finding nothing else of interest, turned to leave, but Xiao Lu, walking behind him, suddenly stiffened.
Her eyes widened as a group of seven men advanced towards them, led by a vicious-looking young man.
The leader raised his hand with a sneer, and—
Swoosh!
A wind blade materialized in an instant, tearing through the air and hurtling toward them at terrifying speed.
"Watch out!"
Before Su Xiaobai could react, Xiao Lu threw herself in front of him, shielding him with her body. Her arms shot up to block the attack—
Slash!
A tearing sound echoed as the wind blade tore through her flesh.
Splurt!
Blood sprayed as Xiao Lu's arms took the full force of the wind blade, her flesh shredded into a bloody mess.
She gasped in pain, her eyes wide with shock before collapsing into Su Xiaobai's arms, unconscious.
For a moment, Su Xiaobai just stared.
"..."
Her pale, delicate face was now stained with blood, making her look pitiful. Her arms hung limp, torn and bleeding heavily. But there was no time for pity.
Confusion flickered in his mind. "What... just happened?"
Then a sharp voice broke through his thoughts:
"Surround them!"
Su Xiaobai's head snapped up, his eyes narrowing as a group of city guards closed in, their spears gleaming under the evening sun. He instinctively tapped Xiao Lu's forehead, sending her into the safety of his spatial ring in a flash of light.
Alone now, he faced the circle of enemies.
"So, you're the one who dared to offend Fairy Lianhua?" a sneering voice echoed above the crowd.
Su Xiaobai turned to see a young man in an emerald robe stepping forward, arrogance plastered across his face.
Li Gong, the second son of the Li family—petty, cruel, and clearly eager to show off.
"Offend?" Su Xiaobai's voice was cold. He still had no idea what was going on, and that made him even angrier. "You just attacked my companion, and now you say I offended someone?"
Li Gong's sneer deepened. "Fairy Lianhua—our guest—was disgusted by your filthy gaze. A worm like you doesn't deserve to live after daring to look at her."
Su Xiaobai blinked. "You mean... the woman on the red horse?" He scoffed, almost in disbelief. "You're going to kill me because I looked at her? What are you — some obsessed psycho lover?"
Li Gong's eyes darkened, his tone turning venomous. "Shut up! Everyone outside kept their distance, but you crossed the circle and stared. That was enough to offend her. Do you understand the consequences? If she's unhappy, it could ruin my entire family. Killing you is just the price to remove that disgust."
It clicked. He's killing me to impress her... to save face.
However, Su Xiaobai misunderstood the situation. The Li family might have been the dominant force within the Red Flame Fortress, but outside of it, they were insignificant—mere ants compared to true powers.
Just two weeks ago, a mysterious and beautiful woman arrived at the Li family, guided by Patriarch Li himself. The entire household was ordered to serve her every need, and Li Gong had been secretly warned by his father: she was not someone to lust after. Even the slightest improper thought could have him turned into an eunuch in an instant.
The patriarch had emphasized that maintaining a good relationship with her could elevate their small clan to one of the top families in Yue Country. That was the goal now.
From then on, Li Gong had abandoned any thoughts of pursuing her. His greatest concern was that Su Xiaobai's gaze had offended her, and if she felt truly disgusted, she might retaliate and destroy the Li family. To prevent that, he needed to offer Su Xiaobai's head as a peace offering.