The “young man” was none other than Ye Qingyi, who had just finished his training and was about to leave when he stumbled upon this mess.
“Listen here, my brother-in-law is Elder Han from the Council! Ah—”
A blade flashed, and Ye Qingyi sliced off his right ear.
“I don’t care who your brother-in-law is. If you refuse to listen to reason, I’ll just remove this useless thing for you.”
The leader clutched his ear, howling in pain, then lunged at Ye Qingyi. “Take this—Fierce Tiger Strike!”
Ye Qingyi didn’t dodge. Instead, he met the punch head-on.
The leader was sent flying like an arrow—completely outmatched.
Ye Qingyi’s aura was profound, his spiritual energy condensing into a single point in his abdomen.
There, a vast ocean churned, filled with liquefied spiritual power.
That’s right—he had successfully opened his Qi Sea, officially stepping into the Qi Sea Realm.
“You just wait! I’m calling my brother-in-law right now!” The leader scrambled to his feet and immediately dialed Elder Han, sobbing dramatically. “Brother-in-law, some arrogant brat attacked me and even insulted you, calling you worthless…”
A cold voice came from the other end of the line. “Who was it?”
“Me.” A cheeky voice rang out from a distance. Everyone turned to see a mushroom-haired teenager.
He moved incredibly fast, appearing beside the leader in an instant and snatching the phone from his hand. “Hey, Old Han, it’s me. Hehehe…”
Elder Han’s tone shifted oddly. “Luo Wanqing?”
“Pah! Since when do you call me Luo Wanqing?” The mushroom-headed youth—Luo Wanqing—scowled. “You should address me as Elder Luo!”
After a long silence, Elder Han finally spoke. “If it’s Elder Luo, then I’ll let this matter rest. Farewell.”
“Hah— ptui!“* Luo Wanqing spat in disgust. “You’ve got some nerve! I haven’t even settled accounts with you yet, and you dare say you’re letting me off?”
The line went dead with a click.
Luo Wanqing froze, then his eyes blazed with fury as he hurled the phone to the ground, smashing it into pieces.
“So. Damn. Mad!“
The leader gaped in dismay. Sure, you’re angry, but why take it out on my phone? That thing cost over 10,000 yuan! Do you know how many hours I had to… uh… “earn” to afford that?!
Luo Wanqing ignored him, turning to Ye Qingyi instead. “Not bad. You’ve got guts.”
“Well, with Elder Luo backing me, why wouldn’t I?”
“I thought you just couldn’t stand bullies.”
“Even if I couldn’t, without someone powerful behind me, I wouldn’t dare provoke him.”
“…”
Luo Wanqing was speechless for a moment. “Couldn’t you at least pretend to be noble?”
Ye Qingyi shook his head. “No.”
“Fine. Since you helped me once, I, Luo Wanqing, always repay my debts!” He thumped his chest. “From now on, we’re brothers.” He moved to sling an arm around Ye Qingyi’s shoulders, only for the latter to sidestep him.
“Sorry. I don’t like getting too close to people.”
“Come on, we’re both guys here. Why so—whoa, are you gay?” Luo Wanqing suddenly took two steps back, maintaining a safe distance.
Ye Qingyi’s face flushed slightly. “A dignified Jade Star Elder, and yet you’re this shameless?”
“You’re blushing… I knew it!” Luo Wanqing nodded sagely. “Just so we’re clear—we’re brothers. Don’t get any ideas. But if you really can’t help it, I’ll go catch one for you.”
Ye Qingyi couldn’t take his nonsense any longer and turned to leave.
“Hey, why’re you storming off like some angry girl?” Luo Wanqing chased after him. “Brother Su Mo, where you off to in such a hurry?”
“To find a friend.”
Luo Wanqing’s eyes gleamed mischievously. “Boyfriend or girlfriend?”
Ye Qingyi stopped dead in his tracks, locking eyes with him. “Will you please stop following me? All I did was guard you during your meditation. You really don’t need to thank me.”
“You sure about that?” Luo Wanqing smirked. “A B-rank powerhouse’s gratitude is something most people would kill for.”
“Then what do you want out of this? Just amusement?”
Luo Wanqing froze, as if struck by something profound. After a long pause, he murmured, “Finally… someone gets it. All these absurd antics… I do them for fun…”
Ye Qingyi: “???”
“Just knowing someone understands is enough. Don’t worry, I won’t bother you anymore—I’ve got a relic to guard anyway. Duty calls.”
With that, he turned to leave.
Then, abruptly, he spun back around. “Oh, and when you find your boyfriend or girlfriend, introduce me, will ya?”
Ye Qingyi’s eye twitched.
Do you have to announce that so loudly in front of everyone?
…Whatever. It’s Su Mo’s reputation taking the hit, not Ye Qingyi’s.
At that thought, she covered her mouth and giggled.
Speaking of which… it’s been so long. He must’ve grown stronger by now. Maybe even reached C-rank—Mountain Snow Realm?
She smiled faintly.
Then again, breaking into Mountain Snow isn’t easy. Not even an A-rank talent could do it overnight.
Then, a sudden worry struck her.
…He didn’t start dating while I was gone, did he?
If he did… was it a guy or a girl?
Su Mo, you bastard… Wait, I don’t even know if he’s dating anyone. Maybe I jumped the gun.
Eh, too late now. He’ll never know anyway.
Nyahaha~
(￣y▽￣)~*
…..
Meanwhile, Su Mo had been taken to a snow-capped mountain by Yaxian and the foreigner. He’d been surprisingly cooperative the entire way, which pleased the two immensely.
However, an unexpected issue arose—though it had nothing to do with him.
It was about Yaxian.
Earlier, Yaxian had tapped into the power of “Elegance”, temporarily surpassing D-rank limits. But this came at a cost—the relic world’s rules were now punishing him for it.
Yet, despite the backlash, he refused to leave, as if searching for something crucial.
The trio trudged up the snowy slope, their feet slipping constantly but never quite falling.
Then, out of nowhere—
“A—CHOO!”
Su Mo sneezed violently.
“Hey! Keep it down! You wanna trigger an avalanche and bury us all?!” the foreigner snapped.
Su Mo turned to Yaxian with an innocent look. “Elder Yaxian, he’s being mean to me…”
Yaxian clutched his chest, where a searing pain tore through him—the combined toll of his earlier “inelegance” and the world’s retribution. This agony struck him at least once daily.
“See? He’s in no state to care about—WHAT THE—?!”
The ground trembled.
In the distance, a fissure split the mountaintop, unleashing a catastrophic tide of snow and ice—thousands upon thousands of cubic meters, rapidly multiplying in scale.
“RUN!“
There was no time to assign blame. The three bolted.
Even through the pain, Yaxian kept his eyes locked on Su Mo, ensuring he didn’t escape.
The avalanche was merciless, swallowing everything in its path. Just as it was about to overtake them, the foreigner suddenly muttered something under his breath.
A flash of cyan light—
Suddenly, he was riding the wind, darting away at impossible speed until he vanished.
Yaxian’s face darkened. That bastard! I’ll settle this with him later—
Then he realized Su Mo, too, was now wrapped in a swirling gust…
“DAMN IT!” Yaxian roared, pushing through the agony as he sprinted harder. “That backstabbing foreign rat! I swear—I’ll feast on your flesh, sleep on your skin, and drink your blood to quench my rage!”