A sharp, cracking sound echoed through the plaza. Liu Xi let out a high-pitched shriek of pain. The sheer rebounding force of the mysterious cold Qi struck the alchemist like a physical battering ram.
Liu Xi was violently thrown backward. He staggered wildly for ten paces, his boots skidding across the cobblestones, desperately windmilling his arms before he finally managed to catch his balance, clutching his rapidly swelling right hand against his chest.
The alchemist looked up, his bloodshot eyes wide with sheer, unadulterated terror. He hadn't even touched the boy. He felt as if he had just punched a solid mountain of ice.
Xiao Yan casually dusted off his black robes, though no dirt had touched him. He offered the trembling alchemist a chilling, arrogant smile. "Is that the full strength of a master alchemist? It feels more like a gentle breeze."
The crowd erupted. The mercenaries and commoners, who generally despised the arrogant, overbearing nature of alchemists, broke into loud, thunderous applause and cheers, praising the young Xiao Clan master's strength and bravery.
Liu Xi's face cycled through colors—red with anger, pale with fear, and green with immense embarrassment. He looked at Xiao Yan, trying to comprehend the invisible force that had nearly shattered his arm. His cowardly nature, honed through years of relying on others to do his dirty work, finally took over.
"Y-You... you used some dirty clan artifact!" Liu Xi stammered, pointing a trembling finger at Xiao Yan while slowly backing away. "Just you wait! The Jia Lie Clan will not let this insult to my status go unpunished! You are dead, boy!"
Throwing out the empty, pathetic threats to salvage whatever tiny scrap of pride he had left, Liu Xi spun on his heel and practically sprinted out of the plaza, leaving his "injured" escorts behind.
Seeing the alchemist flee like a beaten dog, Jia Lie Ao miraculously recovered from his crippling war injury. He scrambled to his feet, offered Xiao Yan a highly awkward, apologetic nod, and chased after his infuriated guest, eager to escape Yoriichi's line of sight.
The drama had concluded spectacularly.
"He... he actually repelled him," Xiao Yu breathed in disbelief, her grip on Yoriichi's arm loosening. A proud, radiant smile broke across her face. "Xiao Yan really is back. He pushed back a 6-Star Dou Zhe without even drawing a weapon!"
Yoriichi slowly released his grip on his sister's wrist, his face a mask of deep, analytical thought.
He had observed everything. The crowd thought Xiao Yan had used a profound Dou Skill, and Liu Xi thought it was an artifact. But Yoriichi knew the truth.
'That foreign, strange Qi that deflected the attack...' Yoriichi mused, his mind turning over the sensory data.
'The aura was profoundly cold. It did not belong to Xiao Yan's body. It leaked directly from that black ring. Just as I suspected, Xiao Yan has a mysterious, incredibly powerful backer residing within that jewelry. An entity likely made entirely of spiritual power.'
It was a fascinating revelation, confirming that the young dragon of the Xiao Clan had his own heaven-defying fortune.
As the cheering crowd began to disperse, returning to their haggling and shopping, Yoriichi's gaze shifted from Xiao Yan to the girl standing quietly beside him.
Gu Xun'er was smiling softly, congratulating Xiao Yan on his victory. But in the briefest fraction of a second, as her eyes flicked in the direction the alchemist had fled, Yoriichi caught it.
A slight, incredibly sharp pulse of pure killing intent.
It was gone as quickly as it appeared, masked instantly by her gentle demeanor, but to a grandmaster who had lived his previous life entirely bathed in the killing intent of demons, it was as loud as a thunderclap.
'She intends to kill him,' Yoriichi realized, a slight sense of surprise registering in his stoic mind. 'Insulting her Xiao Yan ge-ge made her thoroughly furious. That golden flame, or perhaps the massive shadow lurking in the alleyway... she maybe will unleash it tonight.'
"Come on, Ning'er," Xiao Yu said cheerfully, pulling on his sleeve and completely oblivious to the lethal undercurrents her brother was analyzing. "All that excitement made me hungry. Let's go get some lunch at that noodle stall near the weapons district before we buy your ingredients."
"Hmm. Lead the way," Yoriichi replied, following her out of the plaza.
They soon settled at a small, open-air stall, the rich aroma of beef broth and handmade noodles filling the air. As Xiao Yu happily slurped her food, chatting about how angry the First Elder would be if he heard about Xiao Yan picking fights, Yoriichi ate his simple vegetable noodles with methodical, quiet grace.
However, beneath his calm exterior, his mind was operating at a terrifying speed. His brow furrowed slightly as he ran through a tactical simulation of the coming night.
'If Xun'er assassinates Liu Xi tonight,' Yoriichi deduced, connecting the political dots of Wu Tan City, 'the Jia Lie Clan will instantly declare that the Xiao Clan murdered their honorable guest in cold blood to win the medicinal market war. They will point to Xiao Yan's public altercation as undeniable proof of motive.'
The local rivalry wasn't the issue. The real danger was the wider world.
'Liu Xi is garbage, but he is a registered alchemist. Jia Lie Ao told me his master in Black Rock City is a peak Tier 2, possibly a Tier 3 Alchemist,' Yoriichi thought, taking a sip of the warm broth.
'A Tier 3 Alchemist possesses enough wealth and influence to hire Dou Ling mercenaries. If that master comes to Wu Tan City demanding an explanation for his disciple's death, the Xiao Clan would be completely defenseless against such a force.'
Xun'er's mysterious faction wouldn't care if the Xiao Clan was exterminated in the crossfire; she only cared about Xiao Yan. But Yoriichi cared. This clan was his sanctuary, the home of his sister and grandfather.
If Yoriichi ever intended to leave this city to travel the continent or attend the Jia Nan Academy, he could not leave a ticking time bomb of a Tier 3 Alchemist's wrath hovering over his family's heads.
He slowly set his chopsticks down on the wooden table, his crimson eyes perfectly calm. The complex geopolitical puzzle had distilled into a very simple, singular task.
'I cannot let Xun'er kill him. And I cannot let him live to supply the Jia Lie Clan,' Yoriichi concluded. 'This lusty man must be handled properly so the Xiao Clan is perfectly insulated from the fallout.'
The solution was clear. Tonight, while the rest of the city slept, the supreme swordsman needed to pay a personal, highly vigilant visit to the Jia Lie Clan estate where Liu Xi was staying. He would manage this problem himself, from the shadows.
His tactical plan finalized, the slight tension left his broad shoulders. He completely relaxed his aura, picking his chopsticks back up.
"Are you going to finish that?" Xiao Yu asked, pointing her chopsticks at a piece of marinated tofu in his bowl.
"You may have it," Yoriichi said, pushing his bowl slightly toward her with a faint, gentle smile.
He patiently resumed his relaxing afternoon stroll with his sister, fully enjoying the warmth of the sun and the peace of the market, knowing exactly what kind of demon he would become when the sun finally set.