"...Huh! Those rich kids again?"
More people meant more problems, as always. New faces and old faces clashing was normal. Among cultivators, a certain group always acted like thugs because they were confident in their own power.
Take this large, muscular man, for instance: the type who always glanced toward the entrance whenever someone new walked in.
The sight of Tang Yeye following her brother in set the large man's teeth on edge.
"Is this some playground for kids to run around in?"
He was in a foul mood. Lately, wealthy-looking heirs had been drifting in as if the place were a tourist attraction, and he was sick of it. Some came to recruit people for work. Several of his acquaintances had been lured away with small sums to take on dangerous work.
No wonder he felt prejudiced.
"Excuse me... could you move aside?"
Tang Letong stepped in front of his sister, eyes narrowing, the earlier warmth in him gone cold. He was no longer afraid of ordinary cultivators. He'd become the number one young master of the Tang Clan with full confidence.
"Fatty Yan, don't cause trouble here."
But before things could escalate, one man stepped out from the crowd. He looked experienced and weathered, his eyes glancing toward the elderly shop owner behind the counter.
Everyone knew no one dared cause trouble here. More precisely: no one who caused trouble had ever left the shop safely!
That old man would beat them senseless and toss them out without a second thought.
There had been complaints at first. But over time it became a selling point. If you wanted a peaceful and safe place, most cultivators would think of this small restaurant first.
"Gulp..."
The large man swallowed hard and glanced over. The elderly owner was still wiping a clear glass in that corner without caring whether things would escalate. As if everything was under his control anyway.
He weighed his options. Backing down wasn't something he wanted, but picking a fight here probably wasn't worth it.
"..."
"Fine... wait, what?"
But just as he was about to back down, his eyes went wide — as if he'd just heard something unbelievable. He hesitated.
"..."
He stood there silently for over three seconds, let out a heavy sigh, then turned back to Tang Letong with a completely different look on his face.
"Ha! How tough can you rich boys really be!"
"...!?"
Even Tang Letong, who was the target, was shocked.
He raised his hand in challenge and released the power of a senior Martial Master. Qi surged through him, swelling his already massive frame until it looked ready to split. Behind him, the faint shadow of a giant turtle shell began to take shape.
What was with this completely different attitude!?
The shop erupted into chaos.
No one could believe someone was actually starting a fight in here. Words were one thing. As long as no one threw a punch, the owner stayed out of it.
Was this guy trying to commit suicide!?
Everyone looked to the old man, waiting to see someone thrown out. But the old man just sat there, not caring how far things escalated.
What was happening? Had the owner changed his rules?
While the customers were confused, only Bai Fanxian knew the real reason.
She was the only one who had heard the old man's voice, sent through qi directly to the large man! The message was simple enough — test her group in exchange for one favor owed, no consequences for the trouble caused, plus several special pills if anyone got hurt.
With such enticing conditions, how could he resist? He'd get to vent his frustrations and walk away with a favor from the mysterious old man himself.
She hadn't expected to be welcomed quite like this on her first visit.
...You want to test us?
Then let's see if you're qualified first!
"You — go on."
Bai Fanxian pushed someone forward. The person turned around, confused. Not just them — everyone in the shop stared in equal confusion, including the large man himself!
"My lady!?"
The one who cried out was none other than Tang Letong — after all, the person she had pushed forward was his little sister, Tang Yeye!
"Me?"
The little one looked up at her lady for confirmation.
"Mm."
Confirmed. Instead of looking frightened, the girl smiled slightly. She lifted the Dragon Queen from her head and handed her to her brother, who still hadn't caught up with what was happening.
"...Want me to help?"
The Dragon Queen sent her voice through qi. Perched on Tang Yeye's head, even a full-force attack from that man wouldn't be anything to worry about.
"It's fine! I've gotten much stronger!"
She was speaking to both the Dragon Queen and her brother at once. She wanted to see what her training had produced. She walked out to face him without a trace of fear.
"What's your name, uncle?"
Tang Yeye asked, completely unfazed.
"I'm Yang Po. Get back, little girl." The large man — Yang Po — crouched down to meet Tang Yeye's eyes. Rough as he was, he wasn't the type to hurt a child.
His grudge against their kind came from watching his companions get taken advantage of, not from cruelty. His basic character was still a good person.
"I'm Tang Yeye. If I beat you, you have to come work for the Tang Clan, okay?"
"...Huh?"
Tang Yeye didn't wait for an answer. She just kept nodding enthusiastically to herself, making his eyelid twitch several times.
These actions made Bai Fanxian smile faintly. How could she not know this child was imitating her own brother?
After seeing Tang Letong recruit one Grandmaster to work for the Tang Clan, as another young miss of the clan she didn't want to fall short of her brother either.
"...Stop messing around. Let your brother fight — ah!?"
Yang Po waved dismissively, hoping the pressure alone would push her back. It didn't work. Instead of retreating, the girl shot straight at him!
PAT!
Tang Yeye caught the swinging arm and used it as a springboard, launching her small frame upward until she was level with his face with ease. She twisted into a spiral and drove her right leg full force at his face!
"Hmph!?"
WHOOSH!
After the first attack, Tang Yeye flipped back and landed with the clean form of an athlete. She hadn't expected Yang Po to stop her ambush with his other hand!
"Wow..."
"Who is that kid?"
"She looks familiar..."
Spectators at the edges murmured praise. That sequence was impressive — complete and powerful. If this child were fully grown, that kick alone would put most men on the ground.
"...Get back, little girl."
Yang Po held his ground even after seeing what she could do. But with common sense in mind, fighting a child still just felt wrong.
"Uncle's a good person!"
Tang Yeye didn't listen to the warning. She charged at Yang Po again with the Tang Clan's fist technique. The little one hammered at him with both fists and feet, while Yang Po defended calmly without striking back once.
Though his expression remained cold, inside he was panicking badly. For a senior Martial Master standing one step from Grandmaster, he shouldn't be having this much trouble against a child this young.
"Hyah!"
Tang Yeye took advantage of the momentum from her swinging body. Both fists glowed with clear blue qi. The cold spread outward so fast that spectators several meters away shivered.
"That kid must've at least reached Martial Master level..."
Someone muttered. But this time even the old shop owner paused mid-polish and looked up with interest.
CRACK!
The technique Tang Yeye was using resembled Huang Zihuan's. When Huang Zihuan attacked, he'd burst qi outward around his fists until they looked like enormous gauntlets. The difference was that when the little one attacked, thin trails of ice appeared wherever she struck. Each hit left cold that made Yang Po feel the threat.
"So strong..."
Ama, standing at the back, watched with wide eyes. He was impressed by both of them. Part of him was stunned at how far the Tang Clan's young miss had come. Another part quietly wondered if he himself could hold up under her sustained assault!
That Yang Po could shrug off all that cold without flinching said a lot about his defensive technique.
Bai Fanxian herself also nodded quietly in approval. If this man named Yang Po wasn't strong to a certain degree, how could that old man ask him to be the one testing them?
"Little girl... I admit you're strong. But you can't break through my Black Turtle Armor."
Yang Po grinned. His muscular frame began to gleam like heavy metal. Unless it was a Grandmaster-level attack, Yang Po was confident nothing could penetrate his defense!
"...Hmph! If Sister Hui'er was here..."
The girl grumbled under her breath, frustrated that her attacks weren't getting through. Her technique was clean, but not yet flawless. Tang Yeye was convinced one sequence from Hui'er would have him on the floor already.
This child's confidence in her sister's strength was that high!
"Just give up, kid. You won't get through." Yang Po urged. He glanced toward the elderly shop owner, misunderstanding that his goal was to test this child's skills. Since they'd seen this much, shouldn't they have fulfilled the agreement by now?
But he didn't know the old man wasn't paying attention to him at all. Those sharp eyes pierced straight toward the back — not at Tang Yeye who was fighting. He was assessing Bai Fanxian standing there calmly watching!
"Hmm?"
How could Bai Fanxian not notice? She stared back fearlessly while examining the elderly man with interest.
As for Tang Yeye's side, the more she fought back the more frustrated she got. Close-range combat had never been her strength.
Tang Yeye's strength was in mid and long-range attacks, after all.
Tang Yeye had had enough. She reached into her shirt. A paper sheet with strange patterns appeared in her hand. The instant she pushed qi into it, it blazed with light.
It could only be Bai Fanxian's explosive talisman!
Because right now she didn't have her weapon with her. Besides a few other hidden weapons that didn't seem able to pierce that metal-like skin, all she had were these explosive talismans — the child had stuffed her pockets full of them from the training room!
Yang Po and the other customers didn't understand what was happening. None of them had ever seen a talisman like this. They had no idea it could level half the building. They remained still and watched the scene continue with excitement.
Except for one person.
The elderly shop owner who had been calm and composed all along showed a pale face for the first time. He froze for a heartbeat, then moved from his counter seat at a speed that defied belief. Those withered hands snatched the talisman from Tang Yeye and flung it away. The moment it stopped receiving qi, the glow faded until it looked no different from ordinary paper!
He exhaled with relief and wiped the sweat from his face, completely forgetting that dozens of people were watching.
No customer had ever seen him move like that. Tang Yeye and Yang Po, caught in the middle, had also stopped fighting. All of them stared at the shop owner with surprise.
"..."
Then came the sound of steady footsteps behind them. Bai Fanxian walked through the crowd and stopped before him. She took off the large black sunglasses and met the old man's trembling gaze.
She smiled.
"You really recognize this talisman?"
The instant she finished speaking, pressure like a collapsing sky burst outward and swallowed the entire shop
"...Seems we have some things to discuss."