The man named Xin He had clearly lost his mind and lunged towards the woman.
His Dou Qi surged. If she were touched by it, she would likely be severely injured.
And if he dragged her back to the room, her fate would be even more miserable.
Xiao Yan was, in truth, a ruthless person and didn't care much about the lives of others. However, he felt that some things were just wrong, that people shouldn't die like this, at least not this way.
If he were still the same as in his previous life, struggling to survive himself, he certainly wouldn't have bothered with such matters. But this life was different. He could change someone's fate with just a slight push.
Not for any other reason, but simply because he didn't want to see it happen, he chose to intervene.
Seeing Xin He's grasping hand, despair flashed across the woman's face. Being dragged back meant certain death, and not just death, but a cruel and painful one.
Just as she was about to close her eyes in despair, a slender hand reached out and grasped Xin He's eagle claw.
"Let go of me!" Xin He roared twice, but his hand remained firmly in Xiao Yan's grip.
He looked up at Xiao Yan, and through his blurred consciousness, Xiao Yan's already handsome face seemed almost delicate.
"Roar!" He involuntarily thrust his hips forward.
He even had the urge to pounce on Xiao Yan.
"What the hell…" Xiao Yan's expression darkened. He took a step back, then delivered a resounding slap without reservation.
This single slap, packed with twelve years of cultivation, sent Xin He flying like a cannonball.
He didn't stop until he'd smashed through dozens of buildings, finally coming to rest in a pile of rubble.
A moment later, Xin He, his right cheek swollen and teeth shattered, stood up in a daze. He glanced at the shocked crowd around him and his own naked body, a look of shame flashing across his face.
But soon, a surge of anger ignited within him again.
"Abalone, I want abalone!" Xin He's eyes were bloodshot as he ran towards another seafood restaurant, completely ignoring Xiao Yan, who had just beaten him up.
"That's fucking disgusting," Xiao Yan said, shaking his hand in disgust. The woman sitting on the ground was stunned for a moment before her legs trembled as she knelt before Xiao Yan.
"Thank you, benefactor!"
"You're welcome," Xiao Yan's voice was cold as he left with Wen Wu Er Sheng.
If he had shown any more kindness or enthusiasm at that moment, the good deed might have turned into a hassle.
Moreover, he simply didn't want this scene to ruin his mood.
For a scumbag, nothing is more terrifying than having "kind" and "honest" as descriptors.
"But honestly, that curse in the ruins looks pretty scary. If I go in there, will I end up like that too?"
Xiao Yan shivered, remembering Xin He's ravenous state.
Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly felt a cold gaze fixed on him from afar.
Looking up, he saw Yao Ling of the Yao Clan.
"Cousin!" Xiao Yan shouted to Yao Ling from a distance.
Yao Ling's cold gaze faltered, and she frowned. Xiao Yan was already walking over.
"You have the wrong person," Yao Ling said coldly, looking at the approaching Xiao Yan.
"I haven't mistaken anything. My mother is also from the Yao Clan, you should have heard of the name Yao Xian, right?" Xiao Yan casually tried to cozy up to them.
"So, you're that little girl Yao Xian's child." Yao Ling didn't speak, but an old woman beside her spoke with a smile.
Yao Xian's father was also a Dou Sheng elder of the Yao Clan, and he was also a seventh-grade peak alchemist. Although he wasn't a big shot in the Yao Clan, he wasn't exactly a nobody either.
"Oh, Xiao Wen, Xiao Wu, you two old geezers are out here too?" Another old woman named Yao Xu greeted Wen Wu Er Sheng with a smile.
"I didn't expect we all knew each other," Xiao Yan said with a laugh, making the two old women look at him sideways.
"Hehe, you two have become protectors, so why can't we?" Xiao Wen said with a chuckle.
"You two are protectors?" Yao Xu, who was on the side, looked surprised.
"In that case, it seems Yao Xian's child is also a prodigy in your Xiao Clan."
"Hehe." Xiao Wen didn't say anything, just nodded slightly, his inscrutable expression making the two old women speculate about Xiao Yan's identity.
Those two old geezers were both Half-Saints. What kind of genius was worth having two Half-Saints as bodyguards?
You have to understand, even Yao Tian, the Yao Clan's potential young clan leader, didn't have Half-Saints protecting him during his training.
The four old people gathered together, and they had plenty to talk about, occasionally sighing over the events of the past.
Xiao Yan kept calling Yao Ling "Cousin," trying to get close to her, but she didn't seem interested in him. Her expression was always cold, and she only answered a couple of questions now and then.
"See you tomorrow, Cousin!" Xiao Yan waved at Yao Ling with a smile, as they reached the end of the courtyard.
"See you tomorrow," Yao Ling nodded, her expression still indifferent.
When Yao Ling returned to her courtyard, Xiao Yan muttered, "She's so damn cold."
"Heh, he's a genius after all, and with a strong background, it's normal for him to be a bit aloof." Xiao Wen waved his hand, and a barrier covered the courtyard, concealing it from view.
Of course, you can't let others hear you talking badly about them.
"Hmph, wait until this little master becomes a Dou Di in the future. Let's see if you still dare to be so disrespectful?" Xiao Yan pouted.
In another courtyard, Yao Ling's always icy face finally thawed a little, though she was still somewhat cold.
"Elder Xu, what do you think of that young man from the Xiao Clan?"
"Miss, this young man's aptitude is probably not inferior to that of the young clan leader." Yao Xu was no longer as relaxed and jovial as she had been earlier with the Wen Wu Er Sheng.
She also reached out and set up a barrier to shield the entire courtyard. After all, it wasn't good to talk about others behind their backs.
"You mean, his aptitude is not inferior to my brother?" A hint of surprise appeared on Yao Ling's always cold face.
"Heh heh, hasn't miss noticed that this young man's aura is at the Dou Huang level?" Yao Xu chuckled.
"Indeed. To become a Dou Huang at such a young age, his talent is indeed comparable to my brother back then." Yao Ling nodded. In her memory, Yao Tian had broken through to Dou Huang at around fifteen.
As for herself, she had reached Dou Huang level when she was nearly eighteen. Of course, Yao Ling's true strength didn't lie in her Dou Qi, but in her terrifying soul power.
Among her peers, her soul power had always been the most formidable.
"There's more to it than that." Yao Xu said lightly, "Does miss know that the two old fellows accompanying that Xiao Yan boy have already reached the Half-Saint realm?"
At these words, even Yao Ling's eyes widened.
"Even if the Xiao Clan is filled with experts, they wouldn't send two Half-Saints as his protectors. From this, it seems this person's status is likely even higher than an ordinary Saint Son of the Xiao Clan." Yao Xu stated.
"It seems that this Xiao Yan is quite the genius." Yao Ling nodded.
"Hehe, Miss, if it's not necessary, you should be a little nicer to this Xiao Yan."
Yao Xu said softly, "After all, although our Yao Clan and the Xiao Clan are both among the Ancient Seven Clans, everyone knows in their hearts that even if the Xuan Emperor of the Xiao Clan doesn't intervene, the Xiao Clan's strength is enough to suppress the other six clans."
Hearing this, even Yao Ling couldn't help but sigh.
The Xiao Clan, this ancient clan, was simply too powerful.
My cervical spondylosis is acting up, I feel dizzy just looking at the computer, I'm so blue, I'm so sad.