The defensive array shattered like porcelain fragments!
Before that towering, monstrous strength, it was no sturdier than paper pasted together!
Puff, puff, puff...
Bloodshed erupted in thick crimson mists all at once!
Ten breaths later!
The dust finally settled at the scene!
He had used a tiny, tiny fraction of a billionth of his power again!
Ye Tian walked outward with his hands clasped behind his back!
Behind him, he left a massive crater spanning a thousand feet across!
Three thousand lives had melted completely into the ruins of the grand hall and the pulverized rubble of the mountains!
...
Outside the Imperial City, in the woods of the hunting grounds.
Clang, clang, clang!
Amidst the crisp, sharp ringing of clashing steel, Su Xiaotang retreated step after step!
A masked man in black sneered, "Second Miss Su, originally we only meant to hold your worthless brother-in-law hostage, but now it seems you'll serve as a fine bargaining chip yourself!"
Su Xiaotang said coldly, "Are you people from Shadow Sect?"
"I advise you to get lost right now, or not a single one of you will escape once my sister arrives!"
The masked man burst into roaring laughter. "Su Xiaotang, do you really think Shadow Sect is afraid of your sister? Even though your sister is at the Half-Step Golden Core Realm, don't forget that the Sect Master of Shadow Sect is also at the Half-Step Golden Core Realm!"
"Besides, under my sect, there are no fewer than five hundred powerhouses in the Foundation Establishment Realm, and at least two thousand in the Qi Condensation Realm!"
"Lass, get on your knees for me!"
The dark grand hall had been virtually indestructible, protected on the outside by a defensive array; even a powerhouse in the Golden Core Realm would find it impossible to shatter!
Su Xiaotang frowned.
This was precisely why her older sister had never managed to uproot Shadow Sect!
It was because Shadow Sect was simply too powerful!
Although Su Chanjuan commanded numerous soldiers under her, fewer than fifty of them were Foundation Establishment powerhouses!
Even though this was a dynasty that prized martial prowess, due to limited resources, the vast majority of ordinary soldiers remained stuck in the Tendon Changing Realm!
Qi Condensation powerhouses were few and far between!
Foundation Establishment powerhouses were rarer still!
A Tendon Changing Realm soldier was generally qualified to serve as a centurion!
A Qi Condensation Realm fighter could already serve as a thousand-man commander in the military camp!
As for the Foundation Establishment Realm, those belonged to the level of ten-thousand-man commanders within the military!
A ten-thousand-man commander was a high-ranking general at the deputy-commander level at the very least!
Following the masked man's shout!
A formidable surge of sword qi compressed downward, directly blasting Su Xiaotang out of mid-air!
"Impudent! How dare Shadow Sect run amok here in the Imperial City? You can stay here permanently!"
Along with a cold reprimand, a streak of silver light broke through the air from afar!
The masked man's expression changed drastically. "Su Chanjuan!"
He turned on his heel and fled!
Yet he never expected Su Chanjuan's speed to be so blindingly fast, nor that she would hurl the long spear in her hand directly!
With a sharp *thwack*, it pierced clean through the masked man's chest!
His corpse plummeted to the ground.
"Sis, why did you come?"
"Old Su said you brought the Young Prince out, and I was worried!"
With that, Su Chanjuan swept her gaze around. "Where is your brother-in-law?"
"Oh no, three men went chasing after him!"
Only now did Su Xiaotang remember Ye Tian, and she hurriedly grabbed her sister and bolted back into the woods!
They hadn't gone far before they saw the carriage parked right there in the trees!
The warhorse was lowering its head to graze on the grass! Dozens of yards away, traces of a fierce battle lingered faintly!
Neither of the Su sisters could see Ye Tian anywhere!
"Xiaotian!"
"Brother-in-law!"
...
At that moment, Ye Tian crawled out from underneath the carriage, still clutching a single copper coin in his hand. "I found a copper coin under the carriage. Shouldn't I turn this in?"
Naturally, Ye Tian was merely putting on an act!
He had just happened to return right when the warhorse was bolting about in panic.
So he had reined it in, and seeing the Su sisters come running over just then, he quickly soothed the horse and let it graze.
Seeing that Ye Tian was completely unharmed, Su Chanjuan let out a sigh of relief, then couldn't help glancing sideways at her younger sister with a warning look in her eyes.
"Don't think I don't know what you were plotting!"
"Let this be the last time!"
Su Xiaotang stuck out her tongue in a playful grimace, though she wasn't particularly bothered.
She didn't believe her sister would ever fall out with her over a mere brother-in-law!
Ten breaths later, a slender dark shadow touched down outside the ruins of the small courtyard!
It was none other than Black Widow!
"Am I late? Could that damned fellow have already been killed by someone else?"
...
Half an hour later, the Su sisters brought Ye Tian back to the General's Estate.
Fearing that Ye Tian might have suffered a severe fright, Su Chanjuan refrained from asking too many questions about what had happened at the scene.
"Xiaotian, don't be afraid. It's all in the past now!"
"From now on, as long as you don't step outside the General's Estate, no one will dare try to abduct you!"
Ye Tian hadn't intended to keep a low profile in the first place, but a vague intuition told him that someone was plotting against him behind the scenes.
Through this kidnapping attempt, he sensed that a terrifying existence was lurking in the shadows, stretching out a malicious hand toward him.
He decided not to startle the snake in the grass just yet!
He wanted to draw the snake out of its hole!
After careful consideration, he chose to temporarily conceal his true strength!
He would operate in secret and unmask the mastermind behind the scenes first!
That evening, Ye Tian drank a bowl of soup personally brewed by Su Chanjuan and fell into a sound, peaceful sleep in the study!
Before long, dawn broke!
The very first thing Ye Tian did upon waking up was to check his System interface!
Sure enough, a brand-new day had begun, which meant he could draw a prize!
"Qiuqiu, roll the gacha!"
Qiuqiu was the name Ye Tian had given to the System!
Who could blame it for looking just like a little ball?
[Host, can you please give me a cuter name? Why do I feel like I'm just being kicked around all the time?]
"Qiuqiu is plenty cute! Chubby and round. Don't worry, as long as you behave yourself, I won't kick you!"
[Fine!]
[Ding-dong, thank you for playing!]
What?
Ye Tian's consciousness sank deep into his mind, manifesting before Qiuqiu in his soul form. With a single kick, he sent Qiuqiu rolling wildly in all directions!
[Host, spare my life! It's not my fault, blame the host's terrible luck! I... I'll leak a little secret to you: if the host gently strokes the female protagonist's hand every day before drawing, your luck will improve!]
"Are you saying my hands aren't lucky?"
Ye Tian was about to flare up in anger when footsteps sounded from outside. "Xiaotian, are you awake?"
Ye Tian hurriedly pulled his soul form back, sat up on the edge of the bed, and smiled. "My lady, I just woke up!"
Su Chanjuan suddenly grabbed Ye Tian's hand and said happily, "Xiaotian, I have great news!"
[Ding-dong, detected that the female protagonist and the host held hands; rewarded with 1,000 points!]
Looking back at the System interface: his points had surged!
Did happiness really arrive this fast?
"My lady, what has you so happy?"
"Shadow Sect has been wiped out by some mysterious powerhouse! From now on, you won't ever have to worry about being kidnapped again, and our Daxia has one fewer thorn in its side!"
[Ding-dong, detected that the male protagonist and the host held hands; rewarded with 1,000 points!]
Inside Su Chanjuan's mind, the System's notification chimed, and a brilliant, joyful light flashed in the depths of her eyes.
That's wonderful! The System truly didn't lie to me!
If things keep going like this, I'll be able to exchange for the Golden Genesis Pill in no time at all!
The Golden Core Realm was within arm's reach!
The Empress must be at the Golden Core Realm too, right?
The System said that receiving a hug from the male protagonist would grant bonus points!
I certainly reaped points yesterday, but when it came to a matter like hugging, I couldn't very well initiate it myself, could I?
Su Chanjuan gazed at Ye Tian, her expression hesitant, as if she had more to say.
"My lady, is there anything else?"
Seeing Su Chanjuan looking so cheerful, Ye Tian felt a wave of amusement in his heart.
Don't just stop at holding hands; it would be even better if you came and gave me a voluntary hug!
"Nothing else. I have to head to court now. I'll have Xiaotang protect you, but remember, don't wander off!"
With that, Su Chanjuan turned and walked toward the door.
"Alright then!"
Ye Tian felt a tinge of regret. He couldn't very well rush forward and forcibly embrace her, could he?
If he annoyed her to the point where she refused to see him ever again, that would be the end of it!
Ah, sigh, sigh! Why are you walking so fast? Turn around! Turn around and give me a hug before you go!
Just as these thoughts crossed Ye Tian's mind, Su Chanjuan abruptly came to a halt.
Slowly, she turned around, looked straight at him, and gave a half-smile. "Don't you have anything else to say to me?"
"I am supposed to be heading to court, you know?"
Ye Tian was momentarily stunned; then, gritting his teeth, he decided to throw caution to the wind!
"My lady, I wish you a safe journey! Though... in a dream I had once, a white-bearded old man said that mere words of blessing aren't enough; it's best to accompany them with a ritual for the blessing to truly take effect."
As he spoke, Ye Tian stepped forward and gave Su Chanjuan a hug!
Su Chanjuan froze for a fraction of a second, then chuckled as she gently pushed him away. "Alright, message received. Goodbye!"
"Goodbye!"
Discovering that although Su Chanjuan had been startled, she didn't show any sign of aversion, Ye Tian let out a long breath of relief.
[Ding-dong: detected that the female protagonist hugged the host, rewarded with points!]
Points acquired!
Watching Su Chanjuan's retreating back, Ye Tian clenched his fist and whispered a quiet "Yes!" to himself.
Right at that moment, Su Xiaotang poked her head out from behind a corridor pillar. "Brother-in-law, are you hungry?"
Ye Tian rubbed his belly. "Starving."
Su Xiaotang blinked mischievously. "Shall we go out to eat?"
Ye Tian leaped a step backward. "Are you trying to frame me again?"
Su Xiaotang protested indignantly, "Brother-in-law, am I really that wicked in your eyes? I'm your sister-in-law! Look, when I saw you two hugging just now, did I jump out to stop you?"
"Actually, I think the two of you are quite a good match after all!"
Ye Tian shot her a sidelong glance. In truth, he had already caught the flicker of craftiness deep within her eyes.
Still, what did he have to fear!
"Let's go, time to get some food!"