"Jiarong?" Wang Xiao repeated, tilting his head.
"Yes!" Xueying huffed, crossing her arms. "Mother is always pestering her about settling down. She's the oldest. She should go first!"
"Oh, so you're saying you'll wait your turn?" Wang Xiao asked, smiling as if he'd just caught her in a trap.
Xueying's cheeks flushed. "I—I didn't say that!"
"Sounds like you're stalling," Anran chid in from her spot on the couch, grinning wickedly. "You're scared to tell your mother about your relationship with him, aren't you?"
"Shut up, Anran!" Xueying snapped, her face burning.
Anran shrugged innocently. "Just saying. It's about ti your mom knew, isn't it?"
Xueying's shoulders tensed as her thoughts spiraled. Telling their mother about her relationship with Wang Xiao? The idea made her stomach churn. What if Xinyue Zhilan fainted? Or worse—what if she died on the spot?
"She'd have a heart attack," Xueying muttered, running a hand through her hair. "No, scratch that. She'd kill , and then have a heart attack."
Wang Xiao chuckled, clearly unfazed. "She'll find out eventually, you know. Better to get it over with."
"Easy for you to say!" Xueying shot back, glaring at him. "You're not the one who has to face her wrath!"
"True," Wang Xiao admitted with a shrug, though his smirk didn't waver. She was older, after all, and their mother would absolutely use that against her. Xinyue Zhilan would probably say sothing like, 'He's younger! At least you should have the brains to think before doing sothing so reckless!' That would be followed by a dramatic gasp and a head-grabbing gesture, the signature move of every exasperated mother.
He chuckled quietly at the ntal image. Even so, he couldn't help but wonder how their mother would actually react to… well, everything. His gaze flickered toward Yue and Wenxi, who were still sprawled on the couch trying to look like they weren't eavesdropping.
The two little cotton balls were undeniably his daughters—his spitting image, even—but they were also old enough to look like his younger siblings. Hell, even he struggled to fully process it sotis.
How was Xinyue Zhilan supposed to handle the bombshell? Her son, who had barely reached his pri, not only had two teenage daughters but also brought along a woman with all the subtlety of a crashing teor?
Wang Xiao let out a breath, shaking his head. If nothing else, it would be entertaining to watch. But there was no denying that when the Pandora's box of surprises finally opened, their mother would need ti—probably a lot of ti—to recover.
Depression for a month? Definitely.
Wang Xiao glanced at Xueying, shaking his head as the weight of the ss he'd created pressed down on him. Another fire to put out. With a sigh, he stood up, brushing imaginary dust from his shirt.
"I'm going to et Jiarong," he announced casually, strolling toward the main entrance as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Hm?"
Both Xueying and i turned to look at him, their expressions mirroring surprise.
"Already?" Xueying asked, frowning. "You just got back."
i nodded, tilting her head.
But Wang Xiao didn't slow down, his steps steady and unhurried. Neither of them chased after him—they simply sighed, their shoulders slumping in resigned unison.
"Get used to it," Xueying muttered, "One minute here, the next minute gone...."
i gave a small, forced smile, though a hint of concern lingered in her eyes. "Maybe it's better we don't ask…"
Unbeknownst to them, Wang Xiao wasn't heading to see Jiarong. Not yet, at least. His lips curved into a smile as he walked down the stone path outside, a smile that carried no warmth.
It wasn't Jiarong he needed to deal with first.
It was soone else.
His best friend—Maliketh.
The na sent a faint chill running through his veins, one he welcod. mories of their last encounter flashed through his mind, sharp and vivid. Maliketh, smug and confident, had walked away that day without a scratch. But Wang Xiao…
He hadn't forgotten.
He would never forget.
That humiliation, that helplessness—it still burned in his chest, smoldering like embers waiting to ignite.
And now, it was Maliketh's turn.
Wang Xiao's smile deepened as he quickened his pace, his aura growing colder with every step. Revenge wasn't just a fleeting thought—it was a promise carved into his very bones. Maliketh would understand what it truly ant to be powerless, to have everything ripped away.
By the ti Wang Xiao reached the end of the path, his smile had turned into a sharp, evil grin, the kind that could make even the bravest soul shudder.
______
Country M!
The District — White House!
The underground chamber was vast and silent, a suffocating void where shadows danced like restless spirits. The leftover tallic stench in the air, sharp and bitter, forcing its way into Wang Xiao's lungs.
Blood stained the walls in violent streaks, pooling in dark rivers across the stone floor. At the center of it all stood a grand throne—a mass of black iron.
Once a symbol of dominance, it now stood as a monunt to death.
Slumped upon it was a body.
The corpse was broken and bloodied, its chest torn open in a display. Blood dripped lazily from the throne, pooling at its base.
"Maliketh," Wang Xiao muttered, his sharp gaze narrowing.
This was the end of his hunt? After years of pursuit, Maliketh—lay dead before him.
Not by his hand, but soone else's.
He stepped closer, his expression unreadable, though the tension in his jaw betrayed his irritation.
"Who got to you first?" Wang Xiao murmured
The question in the air, unanswered, until—
"Ah..."
A faint groan shattered the silence.
"!" Wang Xiao's eyes flicked to the far wall, where shadows were thickest, he stepped forward, his gaze sharp.
A figure ca into view slowly—a woman, bound in chains of glowing gold. The chains coiled tightly around her wrists, pulling her high against the wall. Her legs hung limply, her body sagging against the pull of her restraints.
Her armor glead in the darkness, a silver masterpiece etched with the images of dragons and phoenixes. It hugged her figure, elegant yet battle-worn, like sothing forged for a warrior who commanded armies.
Her long, pale hair spilled over her shoulders, streaked faintly with silver, framing a face that was both delicate and arrogant.
Wang Xiao's eyes narrowed. She wasn't just beautiful. No, there was sothing far more dangerous about her. Even now, suspended and drained, her presence was filed with an aura like the heat of a blade fresh from the forge.
"Who are you?" he asked, curious.
The woman stirred, her head lifting slowly. Her eyes t his—sharp, glowing faintly, and filled with a pride that refused to be broken.
She didn't answer, but Wang Xiao felt the weight of her gaze.
His eyes flicked to the golden chains. They pulsed faintly with power, alive with suppression. These weren't ordinary bindings—they were designed to hold sothing far beyond mortal comprehension.
"Did Maliketh put you here?" Wang Xiao asked, glancing back at the corpse. "Or was it the other way around?"
The woman said nothing, her silence heavier than words.
Wang Xiao turned away, deciding this wasn't his fight. Whatever grudge had played out here was their business, not his.
But just as he began to step away—
WHOOSH!
A flare of energy ripped through the air. Wang Xiao reacted instantly, twisting around as a glowing sphere of light ford behind him. It crackled violently, expanding before erupting into a beam of destruction aid at his back.
KACHA!
A shard of black tal appeared in an instant, summoned by Wang Xiao's will. The beam struck it with a deafening crack, scattering sparks across the chamber.
CRASH! SHATTER!
The attack fizzled out, leaving only silence.
Wang Xiao lowered his hand, letting the black shard dissolve into the air. His expression was calm, but his gaze sharpened as he turned back toward the woman.
She hadn't moved, though her faint smile suggested she'd been watching closely.
"Testing , huh?" Wang Xiao muttered. His voice was quiet, but the confusion in his stance betrayed his rising caution.
His instincts urging him to look deeper. He let his body dissolve, his soul slipping into the astral plane. Hovering above the chamber, he watched silently.
Ti passed slowly, but then the truth revealed itself.
The corpse on the throne began to twitch. Slowly, Maliketh's body started to reform. Flesh crawled over broken bones, blood reversed its flow, and his obsidian eyes snapped open, burning with hatred.
But before Maliketh could rise—
BAM!
A lance of radiant energy tore through the air, piercing his chest. His body disintegrated into ash, scattering across the throne.
Wang Xiao's gaze flicked to the woman. Her chains rattled as her body trembled, and her eyes burned with newfound fire. Whatever strength she had managed to gather, she poured into that single attack.
And then the cycle repeated.
Maliketh's ashes swirled together, his body regenerating. The woman struck again, obliterating him before he could fully rise.
Wang Xiao hovered above them, his expression darkening.
"They're trapped," he murmured. "She's too strong to let him recover, and he's too immortal to stay dead. This isn't a battle..It's a prison."
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