When Bai Xutao saw Yuan, his eyebrows immediately raised in a puzzled manner. Bai Ning made it sound like they knew each other, but he was certain that heâd never seen Yuan before in his life.
His gaze slowly shifted to Feng Yuxiang, whose beauty caught his attention. However, he didnât immediately recognize her, as Feng Yuxiangâs aura and scent had changed drastically since she awakened her bloodline and got rid of the curse.
Noticing Bai Xutaoâs lustful gaze on her body, Feng Yuxiang had the urge to strangle him to death, but controlled herself.
"What are you doing? Greet the esteemed guest," Bai Ning suddenly spoke.
"Uh... I greet... um... who are you?" Bai Xutao couldnât help himself and asked.
Bai Ning snapped her head to glare at him with a threatening gaze, even clenching her fists in anger. After all, sheâd given Yuanâs name to him before they arrived.
However, Yuan spoke before she could act, "Itâs only been a few years and youâve already forgotten about me, old friend?"
"A few years?" Bai Xutao became even more confused, as heâd spent the last few years training inside the Heavenly White Tiger Clanâs territory and hadnât met any new individuals.
Yuan calmly nodded before leaving his seat to approach Bai Xutao.
Then, using voice transmission, Yuan spoke to Bai Xutao, "Have you already forgotten about our time together in the Third Heaven? How you were utterly humiliated by me?"
Bai Xutaoâs face twisted in horror, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief. Without a momentâs hesitation, he instinctively unleashed his cultivation and launched an attack at Yuan.
"Y-You?!" Bai Ning gasped, her voice laced with fear. She was so stunned by his action that her body refused to move.
Yuan calmly raised his hand, intercepting Bai Xutaoâs strike with a single motion. His fingers closed around the fist, halting the attack effortlessly.
"W-What?!" Bai Xutaoâs eyes widened in disbelief.
He tried to pull away, but no matter how much strength he used, his hand wouldnât budge from Yuanâs grasp. It was like being caught in an unbreakable vice.
"What is the meaning of this, Bai Xutao, you little bastard?!"
Bai Ning finally snapped out of her daze. In a flash, she appeared beside Bai Xutao, seizing him by the neck and yanking him away. Yuan released his grip without resistance, allowing her to drag him away.
"If you donât have a good explanation, Iâll snap your neck where I stand!" she roared.
"W-Wait! Why are you helping him?! Heâs the one who attacked me in the lower heavens!" Bai Xutao exclaimed.
"Bullshit!" Bai Ning didnât believe him even for a second. "That masked individual had the scent of a dragon! Tian Yang here is clearly a human! Also, he was only a Spirit King a few years ago!"
Bai Xutaoâs gaze suddenly landed on Feng Yuxiang, and his eyes widened with realization. He then pointed at her and shouted, "T-Thatâs the phoenix who offended me in the lower heavens! Iâm sure you met her, too!"
Bai Ning turned to look at Feng Yuxiang and frowned. However, she couldnât believe it.
"Nonsense! That phoenix was nowhere near the realm of True Immortal! Her scent is also different!"
"Young Master, may I?" Feng Yuxiang suddenly stepped forward and asked.
Yuan calmly nodded, "Go ahead. Heâs all yours."
"What?" Bai Ning raised her eyebrows in confusion. However, before she could even ask, Feng Yuxiang shot forward like a bolt of lightning, seizing Bai Xutao by the face. With a single, fluid motion, she tore him from Bai Ningâs grasp and slammed his body into the wall with bone-rattling force.
Bai Xutao coughed up a mouthful of blood, though his injuries werenât anything serious.
However, Feng Yuxiang didnât stop there. She yanked him away from the wall, only to slam his face into it againârelentlessly, over and overâuntil the entire wall crumbled beneath the repeated blows.
"So you enjoy bullying the weak and preying on women, huh?!" Feng Yuxiang snarled. "Today, Iâll return the favorâfor me and for Xi Meiliâand turn you into a roasted tiger!"
With a burst of fiery laughter, she hurled Bai Xutaoâs body into the next wall, shaking the entire house.
"Senior Tian Yang..." Bai Ning turned to look at Yuan for answers.
"Whatâs wrong?" Yuan asked with a nonchalant expression on his face.
"I understand that youâre upset he attacked you, but can you tell her to calm down? Iâll make sure he recieves the proper punishment," she said. "It wonât be a good look on our clan if we let outsiders harm our members... whether they deserve it or not."
"..."
After a moment of silence, Yuan sighed, "That is whatâs wrong with the current Heavenly White Tiger Clan. You guys have fallen too much."
"What are you...?"
"Bai Xutao has harmed so many people, causing irreparable damage to your clanâs image and reputation. Yet, you continue to protect him like heâs some priceless treasure. Why? Because he has a miniscule amount of your ancestorâs blood in him? How pathetic."
Yuan stared at Bai Ningâs dumbfounded face with a calm expression as he continued, "Iâm sure you know what happened to your ancestor because of his unruly behavior. If your ancestor can be punished, then what about Bai Xutao? Are you trying to say that heâs even more important than your ancestor?"
"I..." Bai Ning gritted her teeth and clenched her fists in frustration.
"Even if I want to punish him, I do not have that authority. Only our Clan Head can make such a decision."
One of the reasons Bai Ning treated Bai Xutao so harshly was because it was all she could do. Any further, and their father would undoubtedly punish her. Although she was the clanâs top genius and held more status than Bai Xutao at the moment, her bloodline was still inferior to his, and that was what truly mattered.
"Thatâs just an excuse. A poor one, at that." Yuan shook his head.
Meanwhile, Feng Yuxiangâs relentless beating of Bai Xutao had grown so intense that the entire guest house collapsed under the pressure.