Jiang Chuxue met Chen Xiao's steady gaze and felt her heart skip a beat.
"I never noticed before — Sister Tang has good taste. Brother Chen Xiao is really handsome…" she murmured.
Chen Xiao caught the adoring look and felt a quiet pleasure; her feelings seemed to have climbed to a new height.
"Chen Xiao, what happened?!" Jiang Yunhan burst in, followed by the little monk. The moment he stepped inside and saw Jiang Chuxue he cried, "Chuxue!"
Overjoyed, Jiang Yunhan hugged her tightly, checking for injuries. Then, scrutinizing Chen Xiao, he blurted, "You didn't—do anything to her, did you?"
Chen Xiao nearly spat blood — he was the one who rescued her!
"Brother… Chen Xiao saved me," Jiang Chuxue answered, helpless.
"Brother… Chen Xiao?" Jiang Yunhan's face tightened. He instinctively stepped between them, uncomfortable and suspicious. "Did you bring back a love child from outside?" he teased.
Jiang Chuxue's eyes lit up at the sight of the little monk; she adored children. He was truly cute — starry eyes, a neat nose, a mix of porcelain-doll delicacy and lively maturity.
The little monk answered calmly, "I don't have a father. I'm an orphan."
Jiang Chuxue softened; Jiang Yunhan cut to the chase: "What's happening outside? There are more and more people gathering."
Chen Xiao briefly recounted events. Jiang Yunhan paled. "You told Xu Baichuan you'd overturn the Xu family? And you let him go call for backup? You're crazy."
Chen Xiao simply nodded. Jiang Yunhan glowered, then his eyes hardened with resolve. "He insulted Chuxue — I won't let the Xu family off."
Outside, a dense force had gathered — nearly a hundred men, many armed. This was the Xu family's main strike unit. At their head strode five men of S-rank talent.
"It's not just the two of us," Chen Xiao said calmly. "It's three."
Jiang Chuxue blinked. "My talent is useless in a fight…" she protested.
Chen Xiao pointed at the little monk. Jiang Chuxue stared. "You mean him?"
The little monk pursed his lips. "I can help. But where's the meat you promised me?"
Chen Xiao grinned. "Win this, and we'll have hot pot on the Jianghe Grain Warehouse rooftop."
They descended to the warehouse yard and waited.
Xu Yun, the true figurehead of Jianghe Grain Warehouse, led the charge. He was a bloated man in a grey shirt; his glasses reflected a cold, calculating glare rather than scholarship. Flanking him were five hulking men in black — polished shoes, dark shirts, a brutal, coordinated presence.
"You joined with outsiders to hurt my son!" Xu Yun sneered. "My Baichuan has the qualities of an emperor! He slept with you, so what? You act like you've been wronged."
The crowd jeered and spat filthy remarks at Jiang Chuxue. Each barb stabbed her; she'd never before been so humiliated. Tears filled her eyes.
Jiang Yunhan's muscles tightened in fury. Chen Xiao placed a hand on Jiang Chuxue's shoulder and said softly, "Don't worry. They all have to die."
Xu Yun laughed cruelly. "They all have to die? You have a death wish." He waved his hand; brilliant blue light erupted around him like a small galaxy. S-rank Support Talent — [Magic Augmentation] — a mutated gift from the Awakened Sheep. The light flowed into the five burly men, surging their strength to new heights: Xu Yun's trump card, five S-level capacitors ready to dominate the bridge.
With a roar they shot forward — three speed-types, two power-types — elites closing in at once.
"Die!" the lead hulking man bellowed, and he lunged for the little monk, aiming to kill the child and shatter the defenders' morale.
The little monk watched with a faint, indifferent expression and lifted a hand as casually as if brushing a falling leaf. The impact was deceptive: though the motion looked light, the opponent sensed a real force like a current piercing the air. The burly man felt as if something tangible had struck his chest; his breath seized, his steps stuttered. The force sent him spinning and slamming to the ground, half-kneeling to disperse the impact — sliding out of control under the wave.
"Did Da Niu just get thrown by a child?" whispers and shocked exclamations spread through the crowd. "Is he a Golden Gourd Baby?" "No way — he's faking it!"
The five men stung with shock — this kid's power was real.
Xu Yun's expression darkened. He gestured sharply and the five surged again. They were elites, trained and ruthless. But as they rushed in, Chen Xiao's small group — Chen Xiao, Jiang Yunhan, the little monk, and their allies — remained composed.
The first burly man had already tested the child and learned humility. The second and third charged with full force, but each time the little monk's subtle motions and Chen Xiao's silent control of the battlefield turned momentum against them. Where the Xu men expected clashing, they met counterpressure, displacement, and precise, bewildering blows.
Outside, many spectators murmured. Some tried to rationalize: "He must be holding back." But time and again the S-men were forced to retreat, shocked by how much the "small" group could absorb and return.
From the crowd, Xu Yun's face twisted; his trump card had faltered. The blue augmentation gave power — but power without direction or cohesion can break itself against a calm, strategic resistance. Chen Xiao wasn't relying on brute force alone.
"Keep pressuring them," Xu Yun snarled. "Take them down."
The five rallied, roaring, but the tide had already turned. The little monk's unassuming movements carried a concentrated weight that stunned the best of them; Chen Xiao's strikes were cold and precise. Step by step, the Xu men's momentum crumbled. Panic flickered across Xu Yun's features as more of his men fell into disarray.
By the time the dust settled, Jianghe Grain Warehouse's elite line stood ragged and battered. The crowd — who had come to watch a show of power — found their confidence shaken.
Chen Xiao looked at Jiang Chuxue and quietly said, "Trust me. After today, the Xu family won't rule Jiangbei anymore."