"Junior Brother?"
The members of the Xiao Family were filled with doubt and confusion.
Zhang Mei recalled, "He did go up the mountain years ago to study under some hermit as a master, but that was a long time ago."
"What kind of background does this so-called junior brother have?"
Xiao Tong frowned and said, "Have them let him in!"
Before long, a servant led a young man in from outside.
Xiao Yuyan instantly rose from her chair, and when she saw Shen Qing, a look of delight bloomed across her breathtakingly beautiful face.
"Junior Brother!"
Xiao Yuyan cried out softly and trotted over to him.
With a brilliant, stunning smile on her face, she walked straight up to Shen Qing and pulled him into an embrace.
Shen Qing felt a soft, voluptuous warmth rush toward him, pressing directly against his face.
The pleasing, delicate fragrance and the soft touch almost melted his heart.
Instinctively, Shen Qing reached out and hugged Xiao Yuyan back. "Third Senior Sister!"
His Third Senior Sister was actually this gorgeous!
Surprised and delighted, Shen Qing felt his heart race with excitement as he held her full, soft figure in his arms."Master, I really wronged you! You really do love me after all!"
Shen Qing chuckled heartily. With his Third Senior Sister being so gorgeous, he was already starting to look forward to the breathtaking looks of the other two senior sisters.
He hugged Xiao Yuyan and refused to let go. Upon seeing this, the members of the Xiao Family in the main hall instantly erupted into an uproar.
Xiao Yuyan, who had always shown zero interest in men, was actually being this affectionate toward a young man. It was simply unbelievable.
"What are you two getting all cozy for? Where on earth did you crawl out from, you fellow?" Zhang Mei rebuked Shen Qing.
"My name is Shen Qing. The Third Senior Sister and I share the same master, and this time Master sent me down the mountain to find the Third Senior Sister," Shen Qing introduced himself.
The members of the Xiao Family looked Shen Qing up and down, their faces quickly displaying expressions of disdain.
"Junior Brother, if you ask me, he's just a country bumpkin. Why is he dressed in such tatters?"Zhang Mei let out a sneer, looking at Shen Qing with utter disdain. "What kind of stray dog dares to come try and claim kinship with our Xiao Family? Why don't you take a piss and look at what kind of pathetic thing you really are?"
"Someone, throw this fellow out!"
"Stop!"
"Auntie, what are you doing? Ah-Qing is my junior martial brother," Xiao Yuyan said, frowning.
Zhang Mei sneered again. "Hold your tongue, Yuyan! Look at how tattered this person's clothes are—anyone passing by would take him for a street beggar!"
"Our Xiao Family is a prominent and respected household in Pingjiang; we cannot associate with such low-class trash."
The other members of the Xiao Family nodded in agreement.
Xiao Tong chimed in, "Chase this man away. Don't let him stay here."
The henchman from earlier immediately stepped forward, preparing to drive Shen Qing out on the spot.
Shen Qing was both dumbfounded and furious. Angrily, he demanded, "Why do you all harbor such intense hostility toward me? Who is a street beggar?"
Zhang Mei wore a mocking expression. "Naturally, you are."
"Our Xiao Family is a distinguished, prestigious family in Pingjiang after all. What qualifications do a person like you have to be connected to us?"
"Looking at your empty hands, I suppose you didn't even bring a gift when coming to pay a visit?"
Shen Qing was so angry he laughed. He pulled out the box that Li Xue had given him earlier.
"Who says I didn't bring a gift!"
"Third Senior Sister, this is a small token of my sincerity." Shen Qing handed the box over to Xiao Yuyan.
Zhang Mei strode over and snatched it away. She flipped it open, and resting inside was a bizarrely shaped mass of something.
With an immediate sneer, she tossed the box directly onto the ground, sending the contents rolling out.
A dog nearby trotted over, wagged its tail, and took a few bites, only to quickly spit it out in disgust.
"Look at this garbage you brought as a gift—even a dog won't eat it!" Zhang Mei sneered.Shen Qing's expression darkened. "You really are blind!" he snapped. "This right here is a piece of flesh ganoderma, and that box alone is worth at least a million."
Ha-ha-ha!
The members of the Xiao Family burst into loud laughter.
Xiao Tong sneered, "A ragged nobody like you claims to have a flesh ganoderma worth a million? What a joke." He scoffed, "Lower-class trash will always be trash. Not only are you completely useless, but you actually dare to try and trick people. How utterly pathetic! You're nothing more than a troublemaker who came here to wreck things. Someone grab him, break his legs, and throw him out!"
The thugs immediately stepped forward to move in, but Xiao Yuyan rushed forward without a second thought to shield Shen Qing, only for Zhang Mei to yank her back.
"Have you lost your mind? What on earth makes you want to protect a wild stray like him?" Zhang Mei scolded her. "Compared to the young master of the Wang Family, he's nothing more than a stray dog!"
"Enough!" Xiao Yuyan defended Shen Qing, trying to reason with them. "You're all misunderstanding my junior brother. He only just came down the mountain."
By this time, the lead thug had already reached Shen Qing. Raising a wooden club high in the air, he prepared to strike. At that exact moment, a surge of fiery anger boiled up inside Shen Qing.
He had been insulted over and over again. Even a clay figurine possessed a shred of temper, let alone a man like him.
"Enough!" Shen Qing roared in fury. "You people are pushing things much too far! Did you really take me for a pushover?"
Without the slightest hesitation, he moved. Reaching out, he snatched the wooden club right out of the thug's hands and swept it back down across the man's legs.
"Aargh!" The thug dropped his hands to his legs and collapsed to the floor, shrieking in agony.
The members of the Xiao Family stared in shock at the sight. Xiao Tong's expression turned grim. "Audacious! This is the Xiao Family residence, not some place where you can run wild! Someone—come here!"
As his voice fell, a full seven or eight more thugs charged into the room.
"Stop this at once!" Xiao Yuyan cried out, half-mad with anxiety as she tried to intervene, but Zhang Mei grabbed her and held her fast.
All the thugs rushed straight at Shen Qing. Instead of retreating, he stepped forward, plunging directly into the midst of them.
Moving like a fierce tiger let loose among a flock of sheep, Shen Qing took down all seven or eight thugs in the span of just a few breaths, leaving them howling as they sprawled across the floor.
Gasp!
Everyone in the Xiao Family was utterly stunned, scarcely believing their own eyes.
"Good, very good! No wonder you dared to come and run wild in the Xiao Family—so you actually have a bit of skill!" Xiao Tong was both startled and enraged, and the rest of the Xiao family members shared his anger and shock.
Suddenly, a servant hurried inside. "Old Master Tong, Li Xue, the eldest young lady of the Li Family, has arrived!"
What?
Overjoyed, Xiao Tong exclaimed, "Quick! Invite the eldest young lady of the Li Family inside immediately!"
The entire group of Xiao family members scrambled to their feet to welcome her. Moments later, a striking young woman walked into the main hall. It was none of other than Li Xue herself.
Xiao Tong, Zhang Mei, and the others swarmed forward to greet her with overwhelming enthusiasm.
"Eldest Young Lady Li, welcome to the Xiao Family! Your presence truly brings immense honor to our humble household," Xiao Tong said, his face beaming with eager warmth.
Li Xue's attitude remained cold. "Don't misunderstand," she said flatly. "I'm just here to hang out with Yuyan."
As she spoke, the corner of Li Xue's eye caught sight of the box lying on the floor nearby. Finding it somewhat familiar, she couldn't help muttering, "Huh? Isn't this my box? How did it end up here?"
Hearing this, Xiao Tong looked baffled. He hastily explained, "You must be mistaken, Eldest Young Lady. This box was brought as a gift by some country bumpoke who claimed it was flesh ganoderma! Haha, utterly ridiculous—how could a penniless nobody from the boondocks possibly get his hands on a flesh ganoderma?"
Ha-ha-ha!
The gathering of Xiao family members burst into roaring laughter once again.
Right at that moment, however, Li Xue's face iced over.
"Is that so?" she said coldly. "This *is* indeed a flesh ganoderma. Furthermore, it was picked out by my own hands."