Chapter 174: Explain “Eating Up”
***
“Right? Pretty interesting, isn’t it?”
Yunduo leisurely cracked sunflower seeds, the crisp crunching sound particularly peculiar in this atmosphere. Before long, a small pile of shells had accumulated at her feet.
“You know what, this watermelon is actually pretty sweet. Got any more? Give me another slice.”
Lin Muyu said while gnawing on watermelon and watching the spectacle.
She had originally been wondering what was so interesting about a wedding crash, but now she was genuinely captivated by this melodramatic scene.
“Xiao Huo, Xuanxuan will never leave with you!”
The groom’s face instantly darkened. He raised his head and roared furiously at the unfamiliar man who had suddenly appeared in midair.
“Xiao Huo?”
Lin Muyu was happily chomping on the freshly handed watermelon when she heard this name and suddenly froze.
“What, you know this Xiao Huo?”
Yunduo turned her head, still holding half an uncracked seed between her fingertips, her tone carrying a hint of curiosity.
“I don’t.”
Lin Muyu gently shook her head and explained.
“It’s just that I suddenly remembered someone from back home who had their engagement broken off before. His name was Xiao Huohuo, just one character different. Thought it was quite a coincidence.”
“What a coincidence indeed.”
Yunduo’s eyes lit up. She cracked the seed, tossed it into her mouth, and responded with novelty.
“You know what, this Xiao Huo actually did have his engagement broken off.”
“Eh?!”
Lin Muyu blinked in surprise, a thought suddenly popping into her head.
Could it be that when the group chat friend was writing their novel, they added another male lead? After all, that friend loved adding a common male lead archetype.
It couldn’t be this much of a coincidence, could it?
“By the way, what cultivation stage is he at now?”
Lin Muyu leaned closer to Yunduo and asked in a lowered voice.
This Xiao Huo seemed to have some treasure that concealed his cultivation level, she couldn’t see through him at all.
Yunduo finished cracking her last seed and casually destroyed all the shells.
Then, from who knows where, she produced a candied hawthorn stick covered in crystalline sugar frosting. She bit off a hawthorn, and as the sweet and sour taste spread in her mouth, she replied indistinctly.
“Foundation Establishment stage, but don’t underestimate him, he can fight opponents above his level.”
“Wow, that’s way too similar!”
Lin Muyu couldn’t help but exclaim after hearing this.
Fighting above one’s level, wasn’t that standard equipment for male and female leads?
Good thing this Xiao Huo had nothing to do with her and no grudge either.
The only male lead she’d had issues with was Ye Fan. This Xiao Huo before her eyes, she’d never even met him, much less had any grudge.
Thinking of this, where had Ye Fan gone anyway?
Wait, why did Yunduo know so much about Xiao Huo? Could it be… the male lead’s halo at work?
She immediately turned her head and asked Yunduo seriously.
“How do you know so much about him? Don’t tell me…”
“Don’t you think this guy’s really entertaining?”
Yunduo smiled, her tone full of the casualness of someone who loved watching drama unfold, like a chaos enthusiast.
“You haven’t helped him, have you?”
Lin Muyu was still somewhat worried and couldn’t help asking again. She really didn’t want such a nice girl to end up as just another member of someone’s harem.
“Help him?”
Yunduo sounded like she’d heard something strange. She raised an eyebrow, her tone carrying a hint of bewilderment.
“Why would I help him? What’s he got to do with me? I’m just here to watch the show.”
“That’s good then.”
Lin Muyu breathed a sigh of relief and quickly warned her.
“You absolutely must not get involved in his affairs! Otherwise, trouble will come endlessly.”
She had deep personal experience, once you got too close to a protagonist, misfortune was like a shadow you couldn’t shake off, coming one thing after another.
Though fortunately, she’d now built up some resistance. At least Su Wanqing lately seemed to have stopped causing her trouble.
……
While the two were chatting in low voices, the situation in the field had become increasingly tense.
The groom and Xiao Huo in midair stared at each other, their eyes full of hostility, almost to the point of being fire and water.
And General Li, standing beside the groom, finally couldn’t hold back and prepared to make his move.
“Shameless brat! How dare you come to steal my son’s bride, today I’ll make sure you die!”
General Li roared, and instantly, the powerful aura of peak Golden Core stage erupted from his body. The surrounding air seemed to congeal under the pressure of this momentum.
Immediately after, he raised his hand and waved. A thick surge of spiritual energy condensed into a giant palm that, with a howling wind, fiercely slapped toward Xiao Huo in midair.
“Mm… do you think he’ll die?”
Yunduo was still chewing on her candied hawthorn, speaking indistinctly. She turned her head to look at Lin Muyu, her eyes carrying a hint of expectation for the drama.
“No.”
Lin Muyu gently shook her head and speculated with certainty.
“I think someone will definitely come out to help him. Think about it, he dares to rob a wedding alone. If he didn’t have some trump cards, someone to help, how could he possibly be so bold?”
For Xiao Huo to dare charge in single-handedly, he must have something to rely on, Lin Muyu thought.
Sure enough, events developed just as she predicted.
That spiritual energy palm slapping toward Xiao Huo had just flown halfway through the air when it suddenly shattered, turning into scattered points of spiritual light filling the sky.
Immediately after, a resonant yet gentle voice emerged from the crowd.
“General Li, don’t be hasty to attack. Issues between the younger generation, why not let them resolve it themselves? We elders shouldn’t get involved.”
Everyone looked toward the voice and saw an elderly figure with graying hair, wearing a blue-green robe, walking out from the crowd.
While stroking the goatee on his chin, he spoke with a smile, his tone carrying a hint of mediation.
General Li’s expression instantly darkened. His already unpleasant face now looked even more like the bottom of a pot. He stared at the elder who had stepped forward and questioned coldly.
“City Lord Zhou, what’s the meaning of this? Are you actually going to help this wedding crasher?”
“General Li, don’t get angry.”
City Lord Zhou spoke unhurriedly, his tone carrying a hint of appeasement.
“I’m not helping him. It’s mainly to reduce conflicts in our border city. You know, the Xiao family’s influence isn’t what it used to be. If we’re a bit more tolerant, we can avoid unnecessary conflicts. Don’t you agree?”
“What are these two old geezers blabbering on about?”
Yunduo was getting somewhat impatient and couldn’t help complaining, her tone full of dissatisfaction.
“I want to see rivers of blood!”
“?”
Lin Muyu turned her head in surprise to look at Yunduo.
Clearly, this Yunduo had such clear, pure eyes and looked innocent and adorable.
So why was what she said so contradictory?
“What? Staring at me like that, have you fallen for this big sister?”
Seeing Lin Muyu staring at her fixedly, a flash of cunning passed through Yunduo’s eyes. She deliberately moved closer, her tone carrying a hint of teasing, and even extended her small hand to gently hook Lin Muyu’s chin.
Who knew Lin Muyu would react extremely quickly and grab Yunduo’s wrist in return. Her expression serious, she asked with utmost gravity.
“Tell me honestly, is your real name Hei Yunduo?”
“It’s not.”
Yunduo was stunned by the question, then asked back somewhat puzzled.
“Why would you ask that?”
“Because I keep feeling you’re a white-turned-black character!”
Lin Muyu didn’t let go of her hand and still said seriously.
“Don’t talk nonsense!”
Yunduo frowned slightly in dissatisfaction and retorted.
“I have a sincere heart and have always been consistent inside and out.”
“Consistently black inside and out?”
Lin Muyu followed up on her words, her eyes carrying a hint of teasing.
“Hey? If you keep saying that, this big sister might really go black once for you to see. Maybe I’ll just eat up this little cutie directly~”