Nobles District, Black Dust Capital, Black Dust Domain.
Xiao Clan Estate.
In one of the pavilions of the Xiao Clan Estate, a young man in an elegant and luxurious robe was standing, book in hand. He was of average height and had extremely long hair that extended beyond his back. Fortunately, it was tied; otherwise, it would appear even longer.
This was Young Master Xiao Lei, the Xiao Clan's fourth young master. At just 22, he had already attained Tier 5 of the Flesh Refinement Stage. He was reading a book about the history of the Xiao Clan while three young ladies stood before him, each beautiful in her own right, listening to his story.
"And my father, the current patriarch of the Xiao Clan, defeated two barbarian generals!" Xiao Lei said, his voice filled with pride.
"That was truly impressive, Young Master Xiao Lei!"
"Indeed, members of the Xiao Clan are truly dragons among men."
"Young Master Xiao Lei is amazing for memorizing the specific details of the Xiao Clan, even without the book!"
Xiao Lei grinned ear to ear at the young ladies' compliments, happiness blossoming inside him. He then said, "Of course, we are the Xiao Clan after all."
"Oi, Lei-Lei, come here for a moment!"
Suddenly, a powerful voice reverberated through the air, reaching everyone's ears. Xiao Lei froze when he heard this, and, looking at the three young ladies, nervously said, "Well, I guess that's enough history for today."
He scrambled away toward the building where the voice had come from, leaving behind the young ladies, who laughed in amusement.
As Xiao Lei entered the clan's main hall, he was immediately bombarded with angry shouts from a middle-aged man sitting cross-legged in the center. It was his father, the patriarch of the Xiao Clan, Xiao Ma.
"Can you explain what happened yesterday? Did you just try to hit on Old He's daughter? That one called the Queen of Coldness or something?!"
Xiao Lei's lips twitched at this, but he hurriedly answered, "I-I did, Father, I thought I would—"
"'Have a chance?' You miserable, degenerate brat, how dare you shame the name of our family!" Clan Patriarch Xiao Ma screamed, smashing his fist on the table in front of him, causing the cup of tea to shift slightly. "You should follow your older brothers. They are more disciplined and not degenerates like you!"
Xiao Lei clenched his fist upon hearing this, being compared to his brothers again. Of course, he would be—after all, that's all his father knew to do. To compare one person to another. He was always a man of comparison, and Xiao Lei hated it. No wonder Mother left him.
"You should apologize to Old He—"
"For what?!" Xiao Lei finally snapped. "For confessing to his daughter? Why should I? It's just a confession."
"You… you… what did you just say?!" Xiao Ma looked at him in disbelief. "You dare say that?!"
"Whatever! You are not even a good father! You're a monster! If you think I'm a disgrace to this family, look at yourself in the mirror!" Xiao Lei snarled.
Bang!
Xiao Lei stared at his father in shock, then down at his stomach where his father's fist had landed. Before he could even process what had happened, he flew back and slammed into the wall, dust flying through the air.
Xiao Lei spat out blood and glared at his father with hatred. However, he said nothing, knowing that if he did, that monster might kill him.
Xiao Ma's face briefly showed guilt as he saw his son on the floor, but he quickly hid it and coldly said, "That's what you get for being disrespectful. Clean your mess up and get out of my sight!"
Xiao Lei gritted his teeth as he rose from the floor. He tore a piece of fabric from his robe and used it to wipe the floor clean. After doing so, he briefly glanced at his father before leaving.
---
Jiang Ye closed his eyes, feeling the spiritual energy between heaven and earth. A white mist appeared with every breath. He could sense the movement of the carriage as it rolled along.
He was currently riding in a carriage full of food supplies. After leaving Red Pond Town, he had spotted this carriage and asked the driver for a ride. Fortunately, the owner agreed, and now here he was. He had discovered that the carriage was headed for the capital, which was also his destination. He was incredibly lucky!
Bang!
Jiang Ye opened his eyes, a smile plastered on his face. He had finally advanced to another tier. He could feel new strength surging within him, and if he fought Pei Long again, he could probably defeat him easily. However, Jiang Ye knew that Pei Long was still hiding some tricks up his sleeve. Unlike Officer Qin, who merely oversaw the slavery camp, members of the Warrior's Council not only protected towns and cities in the Domain but also fought against invading barbarians, who were martial cultivators themselves.
With such a comparison, it was easy to see who was superior. Jiang Ye also felt that there were many people stronger than Pei Long, which weighed on his mind. He had many things to deal with, but for now, he needed to focus on carefully hiding his identity while quietly increasing his cultivation level.
As Jiang Ye continued cultivating, the carriage suddenly stopped. He peeked through a small hole and saw that they had arrived at the capital's gate, though he couldn't see clearly what was happening outside.
"Purpose?" a voice said, which Jiang Ye assumed was a guard at the gate.
Jiang Ye saw through the hole that the owner of the carriage was handing something to the guard. "I am the younger brother of Wu Hantian, the owner of Wu's Delicacy Tavern. I'm here to deliver ingredients."
"Oh, so you're Master Wu's younger brother. You're welcome here, of course," the guard replied. "However, I need to inspect what's inside. Just a formality, part of my duty as a guard."
Jiang Ye's eyes widened at this. He glanced around the carriage but saw no hiding place large enough for a human. It seemed he would be exposed.
The owner hesitated but agreed. "Okay, do what you must."
A few moments later, Jiang Ye saw the fabric at the entrance lift, and the guard spotted him.
"Who is this?" The guard looked alarmed.
Jiang Ye clenched his fist, ready to strike, but the owner of the carriage quickly stepped in and said, "He's a worker my brother requested. I forgot to mention it earlier."
"Oh," the guard nodded, though he still seemed suspicious. However, he didn't press further and instead smiled. "Alright, you can go now, Senior—"
"Wu Chen," the owner replied.
The guard closed the fabric, and Jiang Ye saw Wu Chen staring at him. Jiang Ye realized something: this Wu Chen definitely recognized him!
However, since Wu Chen hadn't exposed him, it seemed a further discussion would take place later.