âLooks like Jun Yao offended him pretty badly.â
"Ahem. Since youâve already said that Iâm the one who calls the shots in our family, then no one else gets a say. Itâs settled. Letâs go."
Si Xie: "..."
âDamn it, all that badmouthing was for nothing.â
âHeâd only wanted to badmouth him a little, but sheâd seen through it in an instant. How was it that this woman always seemed to see everything with perfect clarity?â
On the way back, Jiang Yunnuan got the full story from Jiang Wang and Jiang Tang about the trouble they had run into.
Jiang Wang still owed a hefty debt to the foster center, so he needed to constantly take on missions to earn Star Coins. But other than Jiang Tang, he had no permanent teammates, forcing him to always join other peopleâs teams.
A certain Beastman, who held a grudge against him over some past conflict, took advantage of this and set a trap for him.
The man gathered some friends to form a team and then posted a recruitment notice.
The recruitment notice offered generous pay, and the conditions were a perfect match for him and Jiang Tang. The man then had someone else forward the information to Jiang Wang.
At the time, Jiang Wang had no idea it was a trap set for him, so he contacted Jiang Tang about joining.
It wasnât until they arrived at the base that he met the team leader and realized it was a setup.
But by then, it was too late. The man immediately kicked the siblings off the team, then ganged up with the other members to give Jiang Wang a vicious beating.
Once they had vented their anger, the group swaggered off, leaving Jiang Wang covered in blood and Jiang Tang scared out of her wits.
To make matters worse, they then ran into another group who held a grudge against them because of Xu Momoâthe very same people Si Xie had just thrashed.
Hearing their story, Jiang Yunnuan sighed.
"Jiang Wang, why donât you find a few skilled, permanent teammates and form a long-term team?"
âSigh. This kid is supposed to be the newly-risen villain. How can he be so naive at this stage?â
âRegardless, I should still nurture him properly. In the future, he might become a capable asset in my fight for providence.â
âBut before that, I need to settle this score for him.â
âThat team had better pray they donât run into me. Otherwise, Iâll beat them so hard theyâll be looking for their teeth on the ground.â
"I used to think it was too much trouble, but after this, I see I need to form a team."
Hearing her words, the young man nodded solemnly.
Permanent teams required long-term communication to maintain bonds. He wasnât good at dealing with people, so he had never formed one. He never expected something like this to happen.
If he hadnât been lucky enough to run into her, he couldnât imagine what would have happened to him and Jiang Tang today.
*
ăMeanwhile.ă
After finding them a place to stay, Jun Yao returned to the Flying Device, only to discover that Si Xie and Jiang Yunnuan were gone.
This place was a lawless, chaotic mess, filled with vicious and desperate criminals beyond the reach of the Empireâs laws.
âTheyâd better not have run into any trouble.â
Jun Yao frowned. Activating the Power of Contract within him, he located Jiang Yunnuan and headed in her direction.
Before long, he saw a group of fourâit was Jiang Yunnuan and her companions.
Jun Yao strode over, his eyes fixed on Jiang Yunnuan, not sparing the other three so much as a glance.
"Where did you go?"
"Si Xie took me for a little walk. Oh, right, let me introduce you. This is Jiang Tang and Jiang Wang, my little sister and brother. Theyâll be with us for the next few days."
Jiang Yunnuan introduced them casually.
After she finished, Jiang Tang nervously but politely greeted the imposing man.
"Hello... Brother-in-law."
He hadnât intended to acknowledge her, but the address "Brother-in-law" inexplicably struck a chord with Jun Yao. He glanced down at the well-behaved, pretty girl and grunted in acknowledgment.
Seeing this, Si Xie was instantly indignant. He glared at Jiang Tang and protested unhappily.
"Hey, little lady! How come you only call him Brother-in-law and not me? Have you forgotten who just helped you thrash those toads?"
Jiang Tang: "..."
âIt was true... she hadnât called him that.â
"Er, Iâm sorry, that was my mistake. Thank you for before, Brother-in-law."
"Thatâs more like it."
Hearing her call him Brother-in-law, Si Xieâs mood brightened instantly, and he grinned as he took Jiang Yunnuanâs hand.
Suddenly, he felt an icy gaze on him.
Following the line of sight, he saw Jun Yao staring, ice-cold, at their clasped hands.
Si Xie rolled his eyes and sneered inwardly, pulling Jiang Yunnuanâs hand even tighter.
âHeh. There goes his damned possessiveness again!â
âSigh. If only the Mind Reading Technique worked on people in the same Realm as him or higher, heâd love to know what was really going on in that guyâs head.â
âWhy is he so damn possessive!â
âDoes he really think he can have Jiang Yunnuan all to himself?â
âEven a peerless, once-in-a-millennium expert like Yun Aochen had to share the Empress with a group of Beastmen who were inferior to him in every way. What gives this guy the right?â