Chapter 31
Dark Battle Angel: Noblesse Obligee
~ Mortal Realm.
~ Pit of the Damned.
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The sudden appearance of Lu Xitong left the crowd stunned.
For many in Yin-Yang City, and even across the entire Primordial Nation, this was their first time seeing her in person. To them, she was nothing short of a legend—a child whom had fallen from the heavens.
Her public appearances were so rare they could be counted on one hand—this occasion included. Yet, her striking features made her unmistakable. There was no mistaking it. The girl standing on the stage was the Lu Xitong.
Yang Jiang froze momentarily, then broke into a broad smile. He was delighted to see her return back from the endless catacombs. Furthermore he could sense something about her had changed but he couldn't spot what exactly.
Yin Feiyu was even quicker to react. In a flash, she appeared in the arena, pulling her long awaited daughter into a suffocating embrace. As she sighed in relief.
"Can't... breathe! Too tight! Too tight!!" Lu Xitong gasped, tapping at her mother's arms for mercy.
"You'll choke her to death at this rate. Her face is already beet-red," Yang Jiang said, stepping forward with a chuckle.
Yin Feiyu finally released her after giving one final squeeze—Lu Xitong was sure she heard her bones pop in agony.
"I was barely gone a week. What's with the waterworks?" Lu Xitong asked, genuinely puzzled as she glanced at the tears welling up in both her parents' eyes.
"Ahhh, isn't this heartwarming? A picture-perfect family reunion," a sharp voice rang out, abruptly cutting the atmosphere. Yan Youmei (Rouxi).
"But then again," she continued, her tone laced with venom, "she's the only one still in one piece... But on the other hand she's not even your real daughter, sad, isn't?"
"Will it kill you to be silent for once, witch?!" Yang Jiang snapped.
"If a witch were silent, how would she ever jinx people?" Yan Youmei chuckled, humouring her own words.
"I heard the little brat ventured into the Endless Catacombs to fix her crippled physique. Any success? Actually, I doubt it. If you had, your bloodline should've reversed, and maybe—just maybe your dynasty wouldn't have lost so miserably."
"You sure like to hear yourself talk," Lu Xitong said flatly.
"And as for what I gained or didn't, that's none of your business."
"Let's not waste our time on her," Yin Feiyu said, taking Lu Xitong's hand to leave the arena.
"You talk big," Yan Youmei sneered. "Didn't you say you'd save your dynasty? You spoke so grandly. How boring. I was expecting something interesting."
"You want interesting? Let me tell you an old tale... Titled 'Thick-skinned Yan clan'" Lu Xitong said, her eyes flashing.
Yan Youmei's smile twitched. An old tale? It couldn't be... she had a foreboding feeling.
"I'm sure your Yan clan is well aware of how they became the second most powerful force in Yin-Yang City, right?" Lu Xitong began.
Damn it! Yan Youmei cursed internally. Her face turned several shades darker. This was the last thing she wanted aired in public—she whished she could rip the little brat's mouth off.
"Your clan's ancestor was a mere vagabond," Lu Xitong said clearly, her voice carrying across the arena. "It was the head of our dynasty back then who took him in and in return offered our dynasty head his servitude. Later, discovering his talent for cultivation, he was gifted the Yin mystic art your clan now use to bite the very hand that fed you."
The crowd gasped.
"That's why your Yan Clan's Yin techniques share such striking similarities with those of the dynasty. The Babbling Brook you so proudly claim as yours? That was entrusted to your ancestors for safekeeping. The dynasty believed in nurturing your clan as a loyal ally."
Her eyes narrowed.
"But how long has it been since your clan's rise? And already, you bare your fangs at the hand that fed you. Even dogs are more loyal. Don't you agree?"
She paused, letting the words sink in.
"But don't worry," she added, smiling coldly. "We'll just consider all of that... an act of noblesse oblige."
The crowd erupted in murmurs. It made sense now—why the dynasty tolerated the Yan Clan's antics, why they turned a blind eye, why the Babbling Brook had been left under their control for so long.
Yang Jiang leaned closer, tugging at Lu Xitong's sleeve. "How did you find out about this?"
She only smiled as she whispered into his ears "When my physique was sealed there was nothing better to do than read random books from the archive, plus they weren't that hard to find."
Yan Youmei's face was a mask of fury. Her clan's darkest history had just been thrown into the spotlight.
"And this is your grand plan to save your dynasty?" she snapped. "Do you think I'll just bow my head in shame and end this here? Dream on!"
"Of course not," Lu Xitong replied. "That would be disappointing. I know how thick-skinned you are."
Gotcha!, Lu Xitong thought, inwardly gleeful. She admitted to it by reacting.
Yan Youmei's voice turned eerily calm. "Are you done? Or do you have more stories to share?"
"Actually, I do. And this one's even more interesting."
Everyone's ears perked up. Even the crowd leaned forward in anticipation. Meanwhile, members of the Yan Clan looked like they had yellow mud smeared all over their faces.
"Did you also know," Lu Xitong said slowly, "that the Yin-Yang Dynasty's bloodline is incomplete?"
A collective gasp burst from the arena. Even Yan Youmei's eyes widened.
Yan Jiang furrowed his brows, black lines appearing on his forehead.He rubbed his temple, feeling a migraine approaching. Such sensitive information should be more securely hidden in the future— he took a mental note.
"The dynasty only possesses eight layers of the Primordial Carp's bloodline," Lu Xitong continued. "The full heritage has ten. Two are missing. That's why the Yin and Yang arts had to be split into two separate parts, instead of one complete system.
"And because the complementary Yin layer is absent, Yin cultivation is weaker. So, an alternate mystic art was developed to compensate—and your Yan Clan's Yin technique is merely a fragment of that workaround."
The arena was in chaos now.
If the Yin-Yang Dynasty is already this powerful with only eight layers... what would they be like with all ten?!
Yan Youmei narrowed her eyes and looked toward Yang Jiang, noting the faint black line forming on his forehead.
So... Lu Xitong was bluffing. That changed things.
"What are you pinning at?" Yan Youmei asked, tone icy. "You're not doing all this for fun, are you?"
Lu Xitong tilted her head playfully. "What am I after? Hmm..."
Then she raised her voice:
"Let me match your so-called clan genius Yan Feitian!"
With the comprehension of Lu Xitong sudden declaration came a myriad of reactions.
A collective gasp spread like wildfire. The crowd had been gasping quite a lot, soon they did be gasping for air. The arena descended into a storm of excitement.
Yang Jiang and Yin Feiyu felt their soul escape them, they could have sworn at that moment for the briefest of time they had seen the fable divine white light people claimed to see before they passed on.
Even the usually expressionless Granny Mu twitched.
The members of the dynasty present felt their hearts twitching, their visage seeming to age several decades per second.
On the other side, most Yan Clan members let out strained, awkward laughter that carries a hint of mockery—except Yan Youmei and Yan Zhang, who wore serious expressions.
Yan Feitian's cold gaze landed on Lu Xitong, examining her dainty figure without emotion.
"What are the stakes?" he asked, raising a brow dryly, shocking everyone.
Lu Xitong smiled like a fox. Bait, taken.
"If I win, your clan returns everything you've gained from my dynasty: the northeastern territory, the Babbling Brook, the Yin mystic art—you hand it all back."
"Hahaha! Brat, does your dynasty even have the capital to make such bold demands?" an elder mocked.
Yan Feitian ignored him. "And if I win?"
Lu Xitong raised a slender fingers, counting the number ten. "Then you get the complete heritage of the Primordial Carp's Sanguine Essence."
"All ten layers."
She gave him a playful wink.
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