She wasn’t an idiot. Sun Jian had gone from not even glancing at her to stepping in on her behalf, his tone now fawning. There had to be a reason.
"Your brother has reached Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement," Sun Jian said with a bitter smile.
Xu Qing had a sudden realization. Her big brother had gone out to hunt down the Blood Lotus Sect Demons, so his Cultivation level couldn’t have been concealed.
"My brother’s back? Is he hurt?" Xu Qing asked, her face lighting up with pleasant surprise.
Sun Jian nodded. "He’s fine. He performed a great service, and rumor has it he earned the most contribution points. You know, your brother and I are practically friends. When you see him, tell him congratulations for me."
"Okay!"
Xu Qing was in a bit of a daze. Of course she didn’t believe Sun Jian’s claim of being friends with Xu Yang. She knew this was all because her brother had revealed his talent, and the people who used to look down on them were now starting to suck up.
...
Xu Yang had no idea about the series of consequences his breakthrough had caused. He went straight to sleep after returning to his courtyard and didn’t wake up until the next day.
After a quick wash, he pushed open the courtyard gate and walked out.
"Junior Brother Xu!"
"Brother Xu!"
As he walked through the disciple residential area, the very people who used to ignore him were now greeting him enthusiastically from afar, their warmth overwhelming.
He didn’t put on any airs, politely responding to everyone who greeted him.
When he returned from the dining hall, he saw Luo Xin pacing back and forth in front of his courtyard gate, looking uneasy.
Upon seeing him, Luo Xin forced a smile onto his face and bowed. "Junior Brother Xu, I was blinded by anger before. I spoke nonsense about you being a Blood Lotus Sect mole without investigating properly. I’ve come today specifically to apologize. I hope Junior Brother Xu can be magnanimous and forgive my recklessness."
Luo Xin had submitted!
He simply couldn’t afford to provoke a genius who had reached Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement just three years after entering the Sect. Face was important, but his life was more so.
Besides, if he didn’t get Xu Yang’s forgiveness, there would be no place for him in the Purple Sun Sect. None of the other disciples would dare to associate with him.
"Haha... Luo Xin submitted."
"He caved so fast. Before, he looked like he wouldn’t rest until Xu Yang was dead."
"He was never a tough guy to begin with. He just bullies the weak and fears the strong. Now that he’s picked a fight he can’t win, of course he’s quick to back down."
...
The surrounding jeers made Luo Xin feel a wave of humiliation, but he still tried his best to keep the smile on his face.
’As long as Xu Yang is willing to let this go, I don’t care if people look down on me.’
’If you provoked a genius like him, you’d probably cave even faster than I did.’
Xu Yang gave Luo Xin a cool glance and said nothing. This man had tried to get him killed, and now he thought a simple "I was blinded by anger" was enough to earn forgiveness? ’Things aren’t that easy.’
He walked around Luo Xin and pushed the gate open, entering his courtyard.
"Junior Brother Xu, I’m truly and sincerely apologizing!" Luo Xin’s expression changed drastically.
He started to follow, but Xu Yang slammed the gate shut with a BANG.
Luo Xin stood there dumbfounded for a moment before leaving, unwilling but with no other choice.
Soon, someone else came calling.
Ding Xu arrived on behalf of the Ding Family, bringing two Profound Yuan Qi Transformation Pills. Having somehow learned that Xu Yang liked to collect Pure Yang Grass and Tiger Bone Vine, he also brought one of each.
The gift wasn’t heavy, but it wasn’t light either. Xu Yang accepted it with a smile, figuring the Ding Family was worried he held a grudge for them obstructing his path.
But in truth, he didn’t hold a grudge against the Ding Family. Of course, he also had to be wary that they were just trying to lull him into a false sense of security.
’In any case, I’ll take the gifts. I’ll say the score is settled, but if we run into each other outside, it’s every man for himself.’
The Yuan Family also had Yuan Sujie deliver a gift. As stingy as ever, they only gave a single Profound Yuan Qi Transformation Pill. Xu Yang accepted it all the same.
After all, if he started refusing gifts, he was afraid it would be the Yuan Family’s turn to feel uneasy.
Besides these two families with whom he had some history, people from within the Purple Sun Sect also came bearing gifts.
Outer Sect Stewards Sun Ke, Zhao Qing, and Liu Jinghe visited one after another, also presenting gifts.
He already had a slight acquaintance with them. Now that he had revealed his talent, even if he couldn’t achieve Dragon Ascension, he was still destined to become a high-ranking member of the Purple Sun Sect. Naturally, these men hoped to maintain their relationship with him.
The three of them each brought a Guiyuan Pill. This was a significant gift, considering they were only Outer Sect Stewards in their forties whose Cultivation was merely at the Entry Level of Marrow Cleansing.
Besides them, Elder Huoyun’s Inner Disciples, like Zhu Yuan and Hong Lei, also came in person to deliver gifts, which were either contribution points or twenty-to-thirty-year-old Old Ginseng.
The gifts didn’t have to be expensive, but they absolutely had to show their junior brother enough respect.
Even those who weren’t currently in the Sect had friends deliver congratulatory gifts on their behalf.
Even Gao Lin and Lu Chuping, with whom he had a slight acquaintance, sent gifts.
Then there was Liu Qing. When Xu Yang had taken third place in the Outer Sect competition, Liu Qing hadn’t made a single gesture. This time, however, he couldn’t stay put.
Not only did he personally deliver a gift, but he also offered a sincere apology for snatching things from him several times at the Heroic Assembly’s trading fair.
Xu Yang, of course, accepted the gift with a smile. As for whether the score was truly settled, that would depend on Liu Qing’s luck. If they met outside the Sect, there would be nothing more to say.
Next was Cao Jin. That guy showed up too, apologizing, presenting a gift, and acting incredibly humble.
Xu Yang accepted it without hesitation. They’d settle the rest later.
He didn’t believe for a second that their grudges were truly settled. If they had the chance, these people who came to apologize would undoubtedly kill him without a second thought.
For several days straight, Xu Yang was busy receiving guests. He’d lost count of all the gifts he’d received and hadn’t had a single moment to go down the mountain to see Xu Qing.
Just when he thought it was over, there was another knock on his door.
He opened the door to find two people he didn’t recognize, a man and a woman.
The moment the woman saw him, she dropped to her knees with a THUD. "Brother Xu, spare my life."
Xu Yang frowned. "What’s all this about?"
"I am Wang Jianxing of Medicine King Peak. Greetings, Brother Xu."
These two were none other than Wang Jianxing and Zhang Juan, who had come to kowtow and beg for their lives.
Wang Jianxing spoke extremely quickly, rushing through the story of how Zhang Juan had bullied Xu Qing. He finished by adding, "I truly had no idea this woman was running amok and abusing my name. How she should be dealt with is entirely up to you, Brother Xu."
Xu Yang’s face darkened. Only now did he learn that the little lass had been treated like a servant girl on Medicine King Peak and hadn’t told him a thing about it.
A powerful killing intent erupted from him, its pressure pinning the woman, Zhang Juan, to the ground. He desperately wanted to kill her with a single palm strike, but he held back.
Even if she was just an Outer Disciple, he couldn’t decide her life or death on a whim.
"I was wrong! I’ll never do it again! Please, give me a chance!"
Zhang Juan groveled on the ground, her whole body trembling as she pleaded.
"Get lost. And you had better pray we don’t meet outside the Sect," Xu Yang said coldly.
For those who had bullied him in the past, when they came to his door, he could still put on a false smile, chat with them, and say their grudges were settled.
But for someone who had bullied Xu Qing, he didn’t even have the patience to pretend. His killing intent was completely undisguised, a clear message to everyone: bullying him was one thing, but bullying Xu Qing meant a fight to the death.
Zhang Juan trembled like a leaf. Xu Yang wasn’t letting her off the hook; he wanted to kill her.
With Xu Yang’s current status, he didn’t even need to do it himself. A single word from him in the Outer Sect, and there would be plenty of disciples and stewards willing to kill her for him, to make her die a quiet, unnoticed death.
Wang Jianxing’s expression also changed drastically.
He never imagined that even after all this, Xu Yang still wouldn’t let it go. His protectiveness was terrifying. He was even openly threatening to kill a fellow sect member, all because his sister had been bullied.
The spectating Li Fire Peak disciples immediately understood: Xu Qing was not to be trifled with.
Provoke Xu Yang, and he might still have a drink with you and bury the hatchet. But provoke his sister, Xu Qing, and even if you kowtowed on your knees, Xu Yang would still fight you to the death.
"Brother Xu, this has nothing to do with me! As soon as I found out, I dragged her here to apologize to you," Wang Jianxing hastily tried to draw a line between them again.
Xu Yang said coldly, "Take her and get lost. Whether or not you were involved isn’t for you to say. I’ll find out the truth. If you truly had no part in it, I won’t drag an innocent person into this.
"But if you were involved... you’d better wash your neck."
"Feel free to investigate, Brother Xu. My conscience is clear."
Wang Jianxing clasped his hands in a salute, then grabbed the limp, mud-like form of Zhang Juan and left.
’That girl!’
Xu Qing was so considerate it was heartbreaking. She was so worried about causing him trouble that she didn’t even say anything when she was being bullied.
Xu Yang immediately shut his courtyard gate and headed down Li Fire Peak.