After the woman was dug out from the rubble and broken tiles, Tang San checked her condition. Confirming that she was still alive but with her meridians severely damaged nearly crippled Zhou Qing instinctively glanced at Xiao Wu:
What a troublemaker.
Originally, he had intended to intimidate the woman into submission, negotiate, and potentially establish some level of cooperation...
But everything had happened far too quickly.
At the time, he had only wanted to demonstrate strength and seize the initiative. Yet Xiao Wu had blown the situation out of proportion, directly injuring the woman's face, which triggered a murderous intent from the other side.
At this point, neither Zhou Qing nor Tang San could possibly hand over Xiao Wu—no matter how much they bickered among themselves or even fought physically, when it came to outsiders, they had to be united. Only with this kind of solidarity could a team possess true cohesion.
Besides—
In this situation, logic stood on their side. After all, that woman had hidden her identity as a soul master and infiltrated them…
So now, there was only one path forward:
Eliminate the threat completely.
However, through an unexpected twist of fate, they gained the gratitude of Xiao Chenyu—and even the Xiao family itself—which turned out to be an unexpected boon.
As the saying goes: Even a vicious tiger won't eat its own cub.
In the near future, if Notting City were truly to fall into irreversible chaos over a small piece of soul bone, the head of the Xiao family might very well request the three of them to escort Xiao Chenyu away.
Better safe than sorry.
[At the very least, it's a viable way out.]
Only now did Zhou Qing truly understand the saying: Man proposes, heaven disposes.
"Actually, there's something I'd like your help with." After the woman with the spirit of a Spirit Fox was taken away for interrogation, Zhou Qing called out to Xiao Chenyu and led him back into the sitting room.
Once the steward had tea and pastries brought in, he tactfully excused himself.
"What kind of help?" Xiao Chenyu's face was bruised black and blue. Every word tugged at his wounds and made him wince, but he still responded with boldness: "In Notting City, aside from my father and the Roman family's deputy lord, there's basically nothing I can't handle."
"It's simple."
Zhou Qing glanced at Su Yuntao, who was sitting on a cushion, still seemingly thinking about how to "train" Xiao Chenyu later. After organizing his words, Zhou Qing asked, "About your father's affair—was your mother truly okay with it from the bottom of her heart?"
Su Yuntao snapped out of his daze, realizing Zhou Qing was talking about something that involved him, and suddenly grew nervous.
Xiao Chenyu's lips twitched. He didn't quite understand why Zhou Qing was asking this, but still sighed and replied, "My mother passed away three years ago, and my father never really liked her. I heard it was my grandfather who forced them together… So, honestly, my father has quite a few mistresses in Notting City."
"That's strange," Xiao Wu said naively. "If your dad didn't like your mom, why did they get together in the first place?"
Xiao Chenyu: "..."
How is anyone supposed to answer that? He couldn't just say: If they didn't get together, I wouldn't exist...
"Don't change the subject." Zhou Qing glared at Xiao Wu and stuffed an apple in her mouth.
"Oh." Xiao Wu munched on the apple, seemingly shaken by Zhou Qing and Tang San's earlier sudden actions, her temperament calming a bit.
As for Zhou Qing, he had already guessed most of the story behind the City Lord and his wife—arranged marriage, family alliances, political benefit.
On the material side, it was just about power consolidation. The higher the status, the less freedom one had—the pressure of clans, sects, and royalty made rebellion impossible. But now wasn't the time for that discussion.
"My condolences for your mother's passing," Zhou Qing said sincerely.
"It's fine." Xiao Chenyu seemed accustomed to it, though a flicker of emotion crossed his eyes. "In fact, I might have a new mother soon."
"Oh? Tell me more," Zhou Qing immediately followed up.
"..." Xiao Chenyu sighed deeply and said gloomily, "My father usually keeps his lovers outside, but recently he brought one home overnight—together with Dales from Luo Xing City… She's not exactly discreet, but she is a soul master. So, it's highly likely she'll become my new mother soon. And all I can do is hope that her future child—"
Is a girl!
Why?
Because if it's a boy, then in the more distant future, the title of City Lord of Notting might not be his.
But he couldn't say that in front of Xiao Wu. Otherwise, she'd slap him with a "misogynist" label and give him a good lecture.
"That soul master… is her name Sisi?" Su Yuntao asked, pained and trembling, unable to understand why Sisi had become like this.
"Master Battle Soul? You know her?" Xiao Chenyu was taken aback, but then his eyes widened in realization. "She… is your girlfriend?"
In the soul master world, once a soul master couple is married, infidelity is utterly taboo. Anyone who breaks that vow would be condemned by all of Douluo Continent.
So Xiao Chenyu could only assume that Sisi was Su Yuntao's girlfriend.
As long as they weren't married, no matter how promiscuous someone was, it would only affect their reputation. Male soul masters could get away with it, and so could female ones.
Just like how he himself acted like a tyrant in the academy—most students and teachers disliked him. But did he care?
In the soul master world, strength was everything. And his father was the City Lord!
As long as he didn't truly endanger anyone's actual interests or stir up universal outrage, who could really stop him?
They could only endure.
That's the harsh reality.
"No… it's just that… we've known each other for many years," Su Yuntao sighed heavily.
Though Xiao Chenyu wasn't exactly a notorious womanizer like Dai Mubai, he'd grown up under his father's influence and had a rough idea of Su Yuntao and Sisi's situation.
Sisi had kept up an ambiguous relationship with Su Yuntao while maintaining an even more intimate one with his father...
What kind of mess is this?
Now, Xiao Chenyu also realized something: the beating he just received wasn't training—it was payback.
The sins of the father fall on the son?
For a moment, Xiao Chenyu was nearly in tears. But he quickly came to a realization and said urgently to Su Yuntao, "Master Battle Soul, I can try to talk to my father. If he learns the full story, he'll definitely break things off with Miss Sisi."
Xiao Chenyu didn't really care what kind of person Sisi was. As long as she didn't marry his father and become his stepmother, that was the best outcome for him.
He absolutely did not want a future sibling competing with him for inheritance or the city lord's position.
His father's other lovers?
They weren't soul masters. If they dared to come to the Xiao residence, he—a level 11 Grand Soul Master—wouldn't mind arranging some "accidents" to leave them disfigured or crippled.
But Sisi was also a soul master, and her spirit power surpassed his. He couldn't do anything to her…
So now, sending Sisi back into Su Yuntao's arms was the best solution.
"No."
To Xiao Chenyu's surprise, Su Yuntao seemed to have come to a decision and refused.
"These past few days… I've thought it through. Zhou Qing was right. If you truly love someone, you should let them go. That's the greatest respect you can give them. I've decided to give them my blessing… I just want to see Sisi one last time and talk to her face-to-face."
Xiao Chenyu opened his mouth, heart sinking, and advised awkwardly:
"Master Battle Soul… you don't want to try a bit harder? Maybe Miss Sisi will change her mind…"
"No need. Even if I become the head of Notting City's Spirit Hall branch three years from now, I still won't be as noble as the City Lord. I can't give her the luxurious life she wants."
Su Yuntao looked up at a 45-degree angle, tears welling in his eyes.
"A golden canary wants to fly in a wider sky… How could I possibly stop her?"
"Maybe I was too good to her when we left the village together… I couldn't see myself clearly…"
"…Let's just leave it at that."
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/XenTronix