Chapter 75: A Slap in the Face Right Off the Bat!
While traveling today, Gu Qingxue clearly felt something was off.
She glanced at Lin Mo, who was following behind her, and quietly asked Ruoyan Qu what was going on.
“Why isn’t Brother Lin Mo walking ahead of us like before?”
Ruoyan Qu, who was unusually clever for once, replied, “Perhaps Senior Brother feels it’s more convenient to protect us from behind?”
Gu Qingxue tilted her head slightly and secretly glanced at Lin Mo, who was watching them from behind. “So that’s how it is…”
This feeling of being specially looked after brought a hint of sweetness to her heart.
After walking for two hours, the road gradually narrowed, with thorns and branches bristling on both sides.
Lin Mo moved slightly forward, casually waving his Liuli Sword. Several sword qi blasts cut through the path ahead like a machine.
“Brother Lin Mo, you’re really amazing!” Gu Qingxue’s eyes sparkled, her face full of admiration.
“What’s this? You should have seen Senior Brother when he was chopping down a Flood Dragon with his sword a few days ago. That was truly cool.”
Ruoyan Qu, munching on candy, handed Gu Qingxue a piece.
“So, the meat we ate before was Flood Dragon Meat…”
Gu Qingxue understood with a sudden realization. She took the candy from Ruoyan Qu, her face full of curiosity. “Why is this candy so brightly colored?”
Ruoyan Qu said proudly, “This is candy Senior Brother made himself. It’s especially delicious, try it.”
As the candy melted in her mouth, its sour and sweet taste burst onto her taste buds. Gu Qingxue’s eyes, like Ruoyan Qu’s before, were filled with little stars of happiness.
“This candy is too delicious.”
“Right?” Ruoyan Qu replied with a smile.
Seeing this, Lin Mo directly summoned the System and performed a ‘Candy’ Ten Consecutive Draws.
“Hold out your hand.” Lin Mo stepped forward and said with a light smile to Gu Qingxue.
Gu Qingxue, very obediently, extended her hands, which were empty.
Then, she saw bags and bags of unseen things appear in her hands…
“If it’s not enough, I have more.”
After Lin Mo said this, Ruoyan Qu jumped up, expressing her strong dissatisfaction. “Senior Brother, you’re being biased! Didn’t you tell me these candies were difficult to make?”
“Why did you give Sister Qingxue ten bags at once?”
Gu Qingxue blinked at the pile of things in her hands that she could barely hold. “So this is the candy Brother Lin Mo made…”
Lin Mo looked at Ruoyan Qu on the ground, throwing a tantrum and acting cute, and smiled. “With your appetite, if I gave it all to you at once, wouldn’t you eat it all in a day?”
“But, ever since Senior Brother did that thing with Sister Qingxue last night, your attitude towards her has changed.”
Although Ruoyan Qu was simple, she could also think for herself.
Hearing this, Gu Qingxue’s small face began to steam again.
Lin Mo, however, said, “I’ve always been very biased towards my own people.”
“Compared to your other three Junior Sisters, isn’t I treating you better?”
“That’s true…”
Ruoyan Qu pondered for a moment, wondering if she would get ten bags of candy at once if she did what Sister Qingxue did with her Senior Brother last night.
Lin Mo, naturally unaware of the outrageous thought that crossed his Spirit Pet’s mind, continued to control his sword qi to clear the obstructions ahead.
After walking for about another half hour, a strong sound of rushing water came from ahead.
Besides the sound of water, there was also a strong smell of blood.
On the shore in front of a waterfall, two teams stood: the Lin family and the Xia family.
At this moment, nearly ten people from the Lin family had sustained injuries of varying degrees. The leader, Lin Zijian, glared at the man in front of him. “Xia Qianqiu, are you really going to fight us for the Cloud Sky Lotus in the waterfall?”
“Else? Do you amusingly think whoever sees it first gets it?” Xia Qianqiu sneered. “The Lin family has truly declined, to have you lead the team.”
Lin Tian, the foremost sycophant, stepped forward. “Cousin Zijian is the strongest person of our generation. Don’t speak so arrogantly. If it weren’t for your people ambushing us, it’s not certain who would be lying on the ground if we really fought.”
Xia Qianqiu’s face turned cold. “Even now, you’re still talking tough.”
As he spoke, a hand formed of fire shot towards Lin Tian.
A strike from a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator was not something a Foundation stage cultivator like him could block. Lin Tian, terrified, retreated repeatedly, shouting, “Cousin Zijian, save me!”
Lin Zijian cursed Lin Tian in his heart for stirring up trouble.
Xia Qianqiu not only had a higher cultivation level by a minor realm, but he also cultivated the Xia family’s renowned ‘Blazing Palm’.
However, he had no choice but to intervene. He channeled all his spiritual energy and forcefully blocked the opponent’s attack with a single punch.
Seeing that Xia Qianqiu’s move was nullified, Lin Tian once again took the lead in praising Lin Zijian.
“Cousin Zijian is indeed powerful, to be able to challenge someone of a higher realm. He truly lives up to being the genius of our Lin family’s generation.”
“Yes, yes, Cousin Zijian must teach them a lesson!”
Lin Zijian wished he could tear Lin Tian apart.
He used to find him clever, but now he had no sense of the situation.
He genuinely didn’t want to confront Xia Qianqiu.
But now he was being praised so highly, and with the hopes of the family members behind him, he had to act.
Gritting his teeth, Lin Zijian still stepped forward.
“How imprudent!”
Xia Qianqiu unleashed several consecutive ‘Blazing Palms’.
The power of each subsequent strike was greater than the last.
Lin Zijian ultimately didn’t dare to take the hits head-on. Dodging and weaving, he reached Xia Qianqiu’s back and unleashed a punch with all his spiritual energy.
Just as he thought he had found an opening, he saw Xia Qianqiu’s lips curl into a smile.
But it was too late to pull back, and his fist was caught by Xia Qianqiu’s palm.
A burning pain spread throughout his body. With a pained cry, Lin Zijian fell to the ground, his right fist completely charred, clearly severely injured.
Xia Qianqiu taunted, “A few years ago, when we were at the same cultivation level, you were already no match for me. Yet you expect to achieve a breakthrough by challenging a higher realm. You truly don’t take me seriously.”
Saying this, he forcefully stomped on Lin Zijian’s face.
Just as Lin Zijian was about to resist, he heard Xia Qianqiu continue with a laugh, “If you don’t want your face to be scorched, then obediently don’t move.”
Hearing this, Lin Zijian had no choice but to withdraw his spiritual energy, glaring at Xia Qianqiu with resentment.
Xia Qianqiu, however, was unfazed. He called out to the Xia family members following him, “Break the legs of these Lin family members who can still stand.”
Killing was out of the question; while the Xia and Lin families weren’t on the best of terms, killing would trigger a clan war.
However, breaking their legs was acceptable.
It would also halt the Lin family’s progress in exploring this Secret Realm, allowing their other family members to benefit more.
Hearing that their legs were to be broken, the younger generation of the Lin family showed expressions of panic.
Although their legs could be healed with Pills later in the Lin family, they still had to endure the pain of broken limbs.
Xia He, knowing these were her Senior Brother Lin Mo’s family, stepped forward to speak on their behalf. “Brother, perhaps we shouldn’t do this.”
Xia Qianqiu’s face turned cold. “If we don’t break their legs, what if they ambush us later?”
“This is a Secret Realm. The fewer competitors, the more treasures we can obtain.”
Xia He glanced at the Lin family members, still hesitant. “But…”
Xia Qianqiu interrupted coldly, “There’s no ‘but.’ Once you can lead a team yourself, then you can tell me what to do.”
Honestly, he didn’t like this sister.
Due to her Heavenly Spirit Root talent, she had received more cultivation resources than others since being brought to the Xia family.
She had never suffered, yet she always showed excessive kindness.
With such a personality, she was truly unsuited to survive in this world of the strong preying on the weak, and she would drag many people down.
Xia Qianqiu waved his hand, and the Xia family members surrounded the Lin family.
More than half of the Lin family were already injured. Even without Xia Qianqiu intervening, they couldn’t match the dozen or so Foundation stage cultivators of the Xia family.
Xia Qianqiu pointed at Lin Tian, who was cowering in a corner. “This one not only needs his legs broken, but his hands, too.”
Lin Tian, scared, fell onto his backside. “Cousin Zijian, save me!”
Lin Zijian, being stepped on, inwardly cursed. If it weren’t for this blabbermouth Lin Tian, he wouldn’t have engaged in wordplay with Xia Qianqiu and looked for an excuse to back down. How did they end up in such a situation?
He even felt that Xia Qianqiu’s decision was quite satisfying.
Lin Tian was already subdued by two Xia family cultivators, unable to move.
One of them, a robust man, cracked his knuckles and chuckled, “My ‘Cosmic Grasping Palm’ specializes in breaking people’s limbs, but you see…”
Lin Tian swallowed and asked, “But what?”
The robust man grinned sinisterly, licked his lips, and manipulated his fingers nimbly. “Regardless of gender, I’ll grope them first, and when they’re most comfortable, I’ll break their legs and feet.”
The younger generation of the Lin family heard this and their eyes widened. ‘They play this perversely?’
Those Lin family members, who had been injured and fallen first, secretly rejoiced that they didn’t have to suffer such inhuman torture.
Lin Qingqing, who was among the uninjured, turned pale and curled into a ball after hearing the robust man’s words.
Just as Lin Tian was about to suffer the ‘Cosmic Grasping Palm,’ the robust man in front of him was sent flying five to six meters away by a surge of spiritual energy from the side.
Everyone’s gaze collectively turned to the source of the spiritual energy. A figure in white slowly walked out.
Lin Tian, as if seeing a savior, scrambled to Lin Mo’s feet and hugged his leg. “Uncle Lin Mo, save me! I’m your most beloved nephew!”
“Scram!” Lin Mo kicked him without hesitation.
For the first time, Lin Tian felt a trace of warmth in the pain in his abdomen. Was this familial love?
The younger generation of the Lin family’s faces lit up with excitement upon seeing Lin Mo.
They knew that their uncle’s strength was at least at the Golden Core stage.
Although they didn’t know how powerful he truly was, Lin Mo was their only hope now.
Xia Qianqiu had initially felt that the Lin family was missing someone. Seeing Lin Mo now, he suddenly understood.
However, he didn’t take Lin Mo seriously. Firstly, he had never heard of Lin Mo in all these years. Secondly, the Lin family was led by Lin Zijian, not him, which undoubtedly indicated that this person’s strength was not great.
Lin Mo ignored everyone’s gazes and walked up to Xia He, then slapped that delicate face of hers.
This action made everyone’s eyes widen, and the entire scene fell into absolute silence.
……
