"Crack!"
"Xiao Ning held a sharp kitchen knife in his hand and swiftly chopped off the head of the Heavenly Dragon Fish, splashing a face full of blood onto the young boy across from him."
"Xiao Ning, did we steal so many fish that the Grand Elder is going to beat you?" Xiao Cheng, who was opposite him, asked with a worried expression.
Xiao Cheng was the strictest disciple among the younger generation of the Xiao Lin lineage.
With such a family background, his manners and conduct were naturally exemplary, making him a model figure among the younger generation.
But because of this environment, his courage and resolve were often slightly lacking compared to others.
"Xiao Cheng, I heard your grandfather still has some fine wine he got from completing missions in the outside world," Xiao Yan's voice came from behind as the two were talking.
Xiao Cheng's face changed, and he turned around with a smile that looked worse than crying. "Yan Ge'er, there is some, but I dare not steal it."
"Ah Cheng, how can you be so lacking in confidence? Trust me, stealing a few barrels of wine isn't that hard," Xiao Yan said with a cheerful tone, encouraging him. "You've always been benefiting from the collective's efforts. Now, it's time for you to contribute something to the team!"
"Yan Ge'er, please don't pressure me,"Xiao Cheng nearly burst into tears.
With the strict discipline in his family, stealing a few bottles of his grandfather's wine would probably get him beaten half to death by his parents.
"Xiao Cheng, you really have no ambition," a voice came from not far away, and a round little chubby boy walked over.
The little chubby boy's name was Xiao Feng, and his cultivation was almost at the bottom among the group. However, he couldn't be ignored because, like Xiao Jiande, he had a grandparent who was a Dou Zun.
If it weren't for Xiao Yan guiding him and holding him back over the years, Xiao Feng's personality might have made him the next Xiao Jiande.
"Yan Ge'er, don't worry about the wine. I'll go steal it from my grandfather's collection," Xiao Feng said confidently, patting his trembling chest.
"Good, looks like Ah Feng is the reliable one," Xiao Yan thought to himself. He was still thinking that it's always good to have a good grandfather, but his face still showed an encouraging smile.
After all, his younger brother worked hard, so he had to praise him.
"Heh heh, this is nothing. Yan Ge'er, once my grandfather dies, I'll bring you the best wine from his secret room to try,"Xiao Feng said, filled with pride.
Xiao Yan's smile froze for a moment, and he suddenly didn't feel like talking to this chubby boy anymore.
"Xiao Feng, how's your Dragon Suppressing Skill coming along?" A faint voice echoed, and Xiao Li's figure appeared before Xiao Feng, coldly asking.
"Ah! Li Laoshi!"Xiao Feng's face changed, as he dreaded being questioned by Xiao Li about his progress.
"You're already sixteen and still just a Nine-Star Dou Shi. Maybe by the time you die, your grandfather will still have time to give you an uncle."Xiao Li didn't hold back in criticizing.
Xiao Feng lowered his head, not daring to speak. He was terrified of Xiao Li.
"Second Brother, it's rare for you to hang out with your students today. Aren't you afraid of scaring them off with that cold expression of yours?"Xiao Yan teased.
"Fine."Xiao Li nodded slightly, then looked at Xiao Feng. "I'll spare you this time. If I ever hear you say such rebellious things again, slap yourself!" With that, his figure disappeared from the spot.
"Phew."Xiao Feng let out a deep breath. "Yan Ge'er, thanks for helping me out. Otherwise, I would've been scolded to death by Xiao Li."
"It's fine, you're my little brother, after all."
Xiao Yan waved his hand and then paused, reflecting. "But your strength really is lacking. When I become a Dou Sheng, if you're still not a Dou Zong, don't even talk about being with me, Xiao Yan. I can't afford to lose face."
"Don't worry, Yan Ge'er." Xiao Feng said earnestly, "I will definitely cultivate to become a Dou Zong, then I'll make my grandfather die of exhaustion."
Xiao Yan: "..."
"Does your grandfather often hit you?"
"No."
"Do you have any hatred with your grandfather?"
"None."
"Alright, I see."Xiao Yan suddenly found himself lost for words.
After Xiao Feng left, Xiao Yan patted Xiao Cheng's shoulder and smiled. "Ah Cheng, I was just joking with you earlier. Don't take it to heart, and don't feel like you owe the team anything.
As the leader of this group, since I'm willing to bring you all along, I won't hold anything against you for not having anything valuable to contribute from your family.
Xiao Feng and the others are still young, maybe they don't understand the complexities of relationships. If one day you feel they've crossed a line, remember to come to me to solve the problem."
"Yan Ge'er!"Xiao Cheng's eyes reddened.
"Go ahead and catch some fish." Xiao Yan smiled meaningfully.
Not everyone is born with an impressive grandfather or father. The group of young boys around Xiao Yan mostly had fathers or grandfathers who were only Dou Zongs.
Even so, their starting point was already ahead of most people, who came from humble origins like Xiao Niu or Xiao Ma.
In his previous life, Xiao Yan, like Xiao Cheng, was born into a strict family and was just like Xiao Cheng when he first entered society.
Afraid of being mocked by others, full of awe for many things, often falling into self-doubt and internal conflict, and even having some people-pleasing tendencies.
Such a personality often leads to a sensitive, cautious, and sometimes fragile heart.
But this kind of background wasn't entirely a tragedy, because being alert and cautious was a rare intuition.
As long as one meets the right person to guide them, and overcomes their flaws like insecurity and weakness, they can transform into a truly strong person at heart.
Such a person might still lack courage, but their steadiness and caution would be top-notch.
In Xiao Yan's eyes, Xiao Cheng, who always seemed ordinary, perhaps had more potential for development than those second-generation sons with Dou Zun grandfathers.
Fortune and misfortune are interdependent, light and dark intersect. An excellent leader should understand how to polish the dark sides of their subordinates, turning their weaknesses into strengths.
Night fell, and the milky white sunlight in the sky gradually dimmed. A black round moon suddenly appeared.
On the small square, more than ten bonfires formed a circle.
Over a hundred young boys gathered around. On the bonfires, the Heavenly Dragon Fish that Xiao Ning and Xiao Cheng had painstakingly cleaned was roasting to a golden, glossy finish, releasing an irresistible aroma.
"Big sis, was the outside world as amazing as they say?" As Xiao Ning, the loyal follower, had the privilege of sitting next to Xiao Yan, he curiously looked at Xiao Yu.
Being beautiful, Xiao Yu and Xiao Mei directly sat beside Xiao Yan.
"It was alright, but the outside world is quite poor," Xiao Yu said, tearing a piece of the crispy roasted fish. She continued while chewing, "I heard that Zhongzhou is the richest area on the Dou Qi continent, gathering the continent's top experts."
"But the so-called factions, like the One Tower, Two Sects, Three Valleys, and Four Fangs Pavilion, didn't seem all that impressive. A few Dou Zun experts can establish a sect, and aside from the Pill Tower, which is a little wealthier, the other factions seem worse off than our branch."
Xiao Yu sneered, expressing her disdain for the so-called major powers.
In the Xiao Clan, branches supported by Dou Sheng experts were called royal veins.
There were over a hundred royal veins in the entire Xiao Clan, and above them were the Ten Imperial Veins. It was said that the masters of the imperial veins started as Seven-Star Dou Sheng.
"So how about the sun and moon outside?" Xiao Mei, with her curious little face, asked.
"That's quite different from our Xiao World." Xiao Yu thought for a moment and said, "The sun in the outside world rises in the east and sets in the west. Its color changes with time."
"The moon is silver-white, like a big jade plate hanging in the sky, but it changes shape as time goes on."
The group of young boys all looked up at the sky after hearing this.
The sun in the Xiao World is a constant milky white, with only the intensity of the light changing with time.
The moon, too, is black and always keeps the same shape. It is even lazier than the sun, maintaining a constant brightness all night without changing shape.
Moreover, the sun and moon don't slowly alternate, but appear together for a brief moment, then the sun disappears rapidly.
Of course, occasionally, they would fight.
Just like the scene they were seeing now, the white sun and black moon in the sky were colliding.
After several impacts, the white sun seemed to be no match for the black moon. After flickering a few times, it suddenly disappeared.
Under the night's cover, the black moon, though it looked similar, released a strange cold light, covering the ground in a layer of fluorescent glow.
Author's Note:
I had some drinks with my brothers this afternoon and ended up getting a bit tipsy, so I revised this chapter while in a daze.
Maybe it was the alcohol, but I unknowingly gave Xiao Cheng, this small character, a bigger role than intended.
Perhaps this character resonated with me and reminded me of myself when I was younger, so I unintentionally wrote a bit more. If you think this part is poorly written, feel free to leave a comment. I'll carefully read the suggestions, but I might not change it.
If you think this character is good, then please vote for him! Maybe it's for that version of ourselves who was once insecure and timid but never bowed to reality, stumbling and fighting all the way forward.
Tomorrow, three updates, I'll catch up on the previous ones.
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