In First Elder's courtyard, Xiao Ning was jolted awake by the pain.
"Hiss!"
Xiao Ning bolted upright in bed, looking around in a daze. His memories were somewhat fragmented. The last thing he remembered was being pinned down and savagely beaten. The subsequent events were so horrific that they felt surreal, almost like a dream.
Creak!
First Elder walked in carrying a box of ointment. Whether it was just Xiao Ning's imagination or not, he felt that his grandfather's face looked excessively pale today.
"Grandfather... Hiss!"
As soon as Xiao Ning spoke, it aggravated the injuries on his head, causing him to gasp sharply and nearly bring tears to his eyes.
"Don't speak yet, lest you aggravate the injuries on your head."
First Elder applied the ointment to Xiao Ning's head, which finally made him feel a lot more comfortable. Although Xiao Zi had used Dou Qi to beat Xiao Ning black and blue, he never intended to deal a fatal blow or seriously cripple him. Still, a certain amount of deterrence and punishment was necessary! Xiao Zi had intentionally used Dou Qi to produce those swollen lumps all over his head—lumps that were persistent and intensely painful. Even with medicinal treatment, Xiao Ning would still have to endure the pain for the next few days and walk around with his head swollen like a pig's head.
"Grandfather, what on earth is going on? That guy who beat me... did Xiao Zi get punished?"
As soon as First Elder finished applying the ointment, Xiao Ning eagerly blurted out the question, earning a strange look from First Elder.
"Do you not remember what happened in the Dou Technique Pavilion?"
Xiao Ning paused, then hurriedly searched his memories.
"I remember being pinned down and beaten by him. I don't know if it was because of the pain, but I actually hallucinated that you and the Patriarch were fighting..."
"It wasn't a hallucination!" First Elder interrupted.
A look of utter bewilderment crossed Xiao Ning's eyes, and he looked at First Elder with a measure of worry. "Grandfather, you weren't hurt, were you? The Patriarch is a Five-Star Grand Dou Shi!"
"I'm nothing out of sorts," First Elder replied, shaking his head.
"Then... Grandfather, you still haven't told me, did Xiao Zi get punished at all?"
Xiao Ning was still fixated on Xiao Zi. Even though his grandfather had applied the ointment, he could still feel the throbbing pain on his head. Without needing to look in a mirror, Xiao Ning already knew what his head looked like; it had definitely turned into a giant pig's head. To say that Xiao Ning didn't resent Xiao Zi would be impossible!
Hearing this, First Elder straightened up, looked at Xiao Ning, and said solemnly, "He hasn't received any punishment, and you are not to provoke him ever again!"
"Ah? Why? Grandfather, you're the First Elder, you have to avenge me!"
Xiao Ning found it hard to believe. Normally, First Elder doted on him immensely. How could he say such things now, and even tell him not to provoke Xiao Zi?
"I have temporarily stepped down from my position as First Elder... Alas, Xiao Ning, it's time for you to grow up."
First Elder sighed, speaking to Xiao Ning in a deep, earnest tone. During the time Xiao Ning was unconscious, as First Elder prepared the medicinal pastes and watched his grandson lying in bed, his heart ached terribly. But he had also thought things through. With Patriarch Xiao Zhan having such a prodigious son like Xiao Zi, their voice and influence within the clan were now overwhelmingly high; any thoughts of fighting them for power and authority were out of the question. Since he had been stripped of the First Elder position, he might as well play it safe and stop stirring up trouble. In time, if he could render a couple of contributions to the Xiao Clan, he might yet reclaim his position as First Elder. But if he were to continue opposing Xiao Zhan, having his cultivation crippled and being expelled from the Xiao Clan would likely be the lightest punishments he could expect.
Xiao Ning knew nothing of First Elder's psychological shift. When he heard that his grandfather was no longer the First Elder, it struck him like a bolt from the blue, leaving him completely dumbfounded.
"How is that possible? Even the Patriarch couldn't just strip you of the First Elder position so easily, could he?" Xiao Ning asked in shock.
First Elder patted Xiao Ning's shoulder to calm him down, then slowly recounted everything that had happened in the Dou Technique Pavilion after Xiao Ning lost consciousness.
"Xiao Zi is a Nine-Star Dou Zhe?!"
Xiao Ning cried out in alarm, involuntarily reaching up to touch his head. He had actually survived the fists of a Nine-Star Dou Zhe?
Recovering his wits, a measure of understanding dawned on him. It wasn't that Xiao Zi couldn't have killed him—it was simply that Xiao Zi had only wanted to teach him a lesson and hadn't intended to take his life. A profound sense of relief washed over Xiao Ning; Xiao Zi had still respected their kinship! Otherwise, he probably wouldn't even be seeing his grandfather right now. The resentment of being beaten into a pig's head quickly dissipated.
"He's untouchable, truly untouchable!" Xiao Ning muttered involuntarily.
First Elder looked pleased upon hearing this. Right now, his greatest fear was that his grandson would act rashly and insist on crossing Xiao Zi.
"That's right, Xiao Zi is someone you can never afford to provoke. For now, I've only temporarily lost the position of First Elder," First Elder advised earnestly. "In the future, as long as we behave well, there is every chance I can return to the post. Once Xiao Zi matures, our Xiao Clan is bound to achieve even greater development. When that time comes, relying on my position as First Elder, I will surely be able to secure more cultivation resources for you. You must also pull yourself together, cultivate diligently, and stop idling away your days."
Looking at his grandfather's face, which seemed to have aged a few years, Xiao Ning felt his eyes moisten and his nose sting. His grandfather had sacrificed so much for him, enduring humiliation and even having to ingratiate himself with Xiao Zi! He could no longer afford to be willful; he had to listen to his grandfather properly!
"I understand, Grandfather. I will never provoke Xiao Zi again, and at the first opportunity, I'll apologize to Xiao Yan!"
First Elder seized the moment to add, "If you can ask Xiao Yan to put in a good word for you and help mend your image in front of Xiao Zi, that would be even better."
"Mm-mm!" Xiao Ning nodded emphatically. Guided by his grandfather, he now understood that Xiao Zi was the hope for the Xiao Clan's future rise. Clinging tightly to this powerful patron was definitely the right move!
"Alright, rest a while longer. Until the injuries on your head are healed, you are not permitted to go out!"
First Elder helped Xiao Ning lie down. As if he had truly grown up through this ordeal, Xiao Ning nodded submissively and obediently settled into bed.
***
Back Mountain.
With a flash of his figure, Xiao Zi nimbly evaded Xiao Xun'er's attack.
"Alright, let's stop here for today. Too much of a good thing is bad."
Hearing Xiao Zi's words, Xiao Xun'er let out a long breath. After such an intense bout of sparring, she was already covered in a light sheen of sweat.
"Xiao Zi Brother, I feel like my mastery over the Swallow Returning Strike has improved a lot."
"Mmm, strive to master the Swallow Returning Strike to perfection as soon as possible. It is better to master one skill thoroughly than a hundred superficially; as a Xuan-tier high-grade Dou Technique, the Swallow Returning Strike is more than enough for you to challenge opponents of higher stars or even higher tiers."
With that, Xiao Zi retrieved a box from a secluded corner. Opening it, he revealed some standard barbecue supplies.
"Are we having barbecue today?"
"Right. Xun'er, go check if that litter of rabbits nearby has bred again, and catch one or two."
"Understood!" Xiao Xun'er said playfully. Her figure flitted like a nimble butterfly toward the other side of the woods.
Xiao Zi stayed behind to prepare the grill.
Rabbits frequently overpopulated the Back Mountain, sometimes requiring Xiao Clan youths to be specifically dispatched to cull them. After all, rabbits bred in large litters and had a short reproductive cycle; without natural predators, their population would swell rapidly. Xiao Zi often brought Xiao Xun'er here to catch and roast rabbits in the Back Mountain, which could also be considered doing their part to ease the burden on the clan.
Before long, Xiao Xun'er returned, holding a rabbit by the ears in each hand. One rabbit was kicking its legs frantically, while the other had a hazy, dazed look in its eyes.
Seeing this, Xiao Zi couldn't help smiling, recalling a well-known verse:
*The male hare's feet kick wildly, the female hare's eyes are hazy.*
Of course, whether male or female, both kinds of rabbits would kick their legs and show hazy eyes; you couldn't actually determine their sex that way.
Taking them from her, Xiao Zi inspected them closely and made a brief identification—sure enough, both were female.
His movements in dressing the rabbits were extremely practiced. Before long, the two skinned rabbits were set over the fire. As the flames roasted them, a layer of golden fat oozed from the skin, dripping onto the fire and hissing audibly.
As dusk approached, the light in the woods grew dim, leaving only the firelight reflecting on their faces. Xiao Zi concentrated on roasting the rabbits, while Xiao Xun'er sat quietly beside him, her eyes slightly narrowed as she simply watched him.
Aside from the chirping of insects and birds, the only sounds around them were the crackling of burning firewood. It was somewhat noisy, yet it filled the two of them with a deep sense of warmth.