Chapter Ninety-Six: An Unexpected Visitor

Jiang Xiaotian stood dazed for a moment, then revealed a pure, innocent, and guileless smile. "Beautiful lady, do we know each other? Is your neck all better now?"

The moment he turned back, Ouyang Ziqian’s eyes filled with disbelief, which quickly transformed into an inexplicable excitement.

"Oh~~" She nodded exaggeratedly. "Then perhaps I mistook you for someone else! But tell me, do you think my sister is impressive?"

Seeing her relentless persistence, Jiang Xiaotian had no choice but to follow her lead. "Very impressive. The Ouyang family is truly worthy of being one of the three great houses."

Ouyang Ziqian seemed entirely uninterested in his evaluation, however, and instead blinked. "Didn't you say you didn't know me?"

"..." Jiang Xiaotian was instantly choked for words, unable to even muster a response. He felt so awkward that he couldn't bring himself to look her in the eyes.

Ouyang Ziqian was immensely pleased with herself. However, she was so dazzling that she immediately attracted the attention of many, and several young martial artists, being her fans, rushed forward to strike up a conversation.

It was only because it was Ouyang Ziqian that these people dared to be so enthusiastic; if it had been Ouyang Zijing, they would have learned within minutes what it meant to have a hot-tempered older sister beat them up on the spot.

Furthermore, Ouyang Ziqian was a martial physician—a profession even more respected than an ordinary doctor—and paired with a personality so sweet it was almost cloying, she was practically the mascot and spokesperson for the Ouyang family in Dragon City.

While the ordinary citizens here did not know that the Ouyang family was a clan of martial artists, they all knew of them, primarily due to Ouyang Ziqian’s presence.

Thus, as soon as she appeared, people immediately crowded around, shouting greetings from all directions.

Jiang Xiaotian seized the opportunity to slip away into the crowd. In the blink of an eye, Ouyang Ziqian lost sight of him, and she grew so angry that she bit her lip and stomped her feet.

In the city park, if Jiang Xiaotian wanted to hide, it was difficult for ordinary people to find him, let alone Ouyang Ziqian, who wasn't even a martial artist.

Jiang Xiaotian was currently incredibly puzzled. He wondered how this woman, who knew nothing of martial arts, could have recognized him at a single glance.

He curled his lip; no wonder they said it was better to offend a villain than a woman.

However... setting aside these trifles, Jiang Xiaotian stood behind the crowd and looked at Zhao Zheng, who was confronting Ouyang Zijing.

Something was wrong with this kid. He had no talent; in Dragon City, with the vast resources of a major family, he had only barely reached the peak of the External Strength stage—truly pathetic. Yet, it hadn't been long since they last met, and he had leaped to the middle stage of Internal Strength as if he’d been injected with stimulants. There was definitely something fishy going on.

Jiang Xiaotian suddenly thought of the martial arts manual he had taken—the one that belonged to his "master."

Back then, Chen Yu’s martial art allowed him to forcibly extract the martial energy of others for his own use. Perhaps the other manual from the same sect had a similar effect?

At this thought, he had an ominous premonition.

Could that masked man be from the Zhao family? And his strength was so formidable that he could emerge unscathed from the siege of three late-stage Internal Strength martial artists; this was certainly not something he could resolve in his current state.

Just as he was contemplating this, someone else emerged from the Zhao family, causing Jiang Xiaotian’s brow to furrow.

Because standing behind those powerhouses was a weak presence that was particularly conspicuous—and a person he recognized: it was Master Lin!

Previously, he had said that he had refused the Zhao family’s invitation, which was one of the reasons Jiang Xiaotian hadn't held a grudge against him, given his irreconcilable hatred for the Zhao family. Yet now, Master Lin was following right behind this bunch of bastards!

At such a critical juncture, what was he doing here?

Jiang Xiaotian quickly pulled out his new phone and called Wang Xuening. She didn't answer at first, but after five consecutive calls, he finally heard her reluctant voice: "What is it?"

He asked in a grave tone: "Where is Master Lin?"

She pondered for a moment, still reluctant: "What is it?"

Jiang Xiaotian’s temper flared instantly, and his voice deepened: "I’m not joking with you. Where is Master Lin?"

Wang Xuening had been pampered since childhood and was stunned to be snapped at by Jiang Xiaotian. However, she sensed that he wouldn't be like this without a reason, so she suppressed her anger and said, "Master Lin said he had something to do and went out. I don't know where he is..."

Before she could ask what his attitude was about, he hung up the phone. She was truly bewildered, and when she called back, no one answered.

"Damn Jiang Dali! You just wait!" Wang Xuening was grinding her teeth in anger but could do nothing, secretly resolving to make this jerk pay later!

She had no idea that the arrogant Master Lin, who acted so haughty in front of them, was currently fawning like a dog, wagging his tail behind the Zhao family!

Jiang Xiaotian stared at him, feeling deeply disgusted—not for himself, but for the members of the Wang family. Master Lin showing up here was definitely no good sign.

But Jiang Xiaotian couldn't stand up and confront him directly; after all, the Zhao family was still there.

By now, apart from the group surrounding Ouyang Ziqian, most of the others had dispersed. The appearance of the two heavyweights, the Zhao and Ouyang families, meant that this conflict would end in a stalemate.

Sure enough, Ouyang Zijing’s aura gradually subsided. She glanced at Cao Ren behind her and sneered: "Your strength may have increased, but your character is still garbage. Zhao Zheng, you really are pathetic. Bullying an External Strength martial artist? Why don't you go to the streets and beat up ordinary people instead?"

Zhao Zheng scoffed. Few were a match for this crazy woman when it came to arguing, so he waved his hand to signal his family to leave, having no intention of trading barbs with her.

Zheng Yang’s expression was extremely ugly. He glared coldly at Cao Ren before having no choice but to follow Zhao Zheng away.

He was likely the biggest loser this time; not only was his folding fan gone, but he had also lost face. On the contrary, this had bolstered Cao Ren, making everyone see him as a real man.

Cao Ren finally regained his composure and quickly bowed to Ouyang Zijing: "Sister Zijing! Thank you! If it weren't for you, I would have been in big trouble!"

"Don't mention it. But you were lucky this time; someone was protecting you from the shadows, otherwise, you really would have been finished. You’re also a fool—why did you fall for such an obvious provocation? The Zhao family has more influence than your Cao family; why argue with them?"

Although Ouyang Zijing was criticizing him, she had a good impression of the kid.

Cao Ren was kind-hearted and kept his word, which was one of the reasons she was willing to take the Cao family under her wing.

He looked at Ouyang Zijing with eyes full of admiration, now tinged with confusion. He leaned forward to look down: "It’s just that I didn't want to lose my family's face while causing you trouble... By the way, Sister Zijing, who was the one who helped me? Do you know them?"

Ouyang Zijing shook her head: "You could say I know them... but I don't know who it is."

Seeing her sister's expression, she feared she had lost him.

She sighed with slight disappointment, went down to disperse the crowd, and pulled Ouyang Ziqian out.

However, the latter was still very excited, like a young girl in love: "Sister! I saw his face! It really is someone I know!"

Ouyang Zijing’s eyes lit up, and she lowered her voice: "So, is he handsome?"

Ouyang Ziqian paused: "It seems... alright. At any rate, he’s pleasing to the eye. And he really is that beggar I told you about!"

The two of them had discussed this several times. Ouyang Ziqian’s sixth sense was incredibly accurate; she always felt that he was the newcomer beggar they had met in the East District earlier. It wasn't just his voice—his presence felt even more similar.

"So where is he?"

Mentioning this, Ouyang Ziqian pouted again: "Hmph! He wouldn't even admit it! I left a mark on him; as soon as I get close, I’ll be able to confirm it’s definitely him! This guy is a terrible liar; he was so stupid acting like he didn't know anything!"

Watching Ouyang Ziqian’s excitement, her sister couldn't help but tease: "Don't tell me you’ve fallen for him? I’ve never seen you this interested in a guy before."

To everyone's surprise, Ouyang Ziqian didn't answer, simply turning her head and making a face.

"Silly, since he appeared and saved Cao Ren, it means he’s willing to help us. He will definitely show up for the treasure hunt."

Hearing this, Ouyang Ziqian raised her hand: "Then sign me up! I want to participate too!"

It was over. Ouyang Zijing rolled her eyes; her sister was truly interested in that brat.

...

Jiang Xiaotian felt a chill down his spine, as if someone were talking about him, but he shook his head and didn't dwell on it.

He followed Master Lin and the Zhao family, circling outside the city park several times.

He didn't hear anything else, but he did hear a Zhao family elder say to Master Lin: "Little Lin, make sure you do well with the task you've been assigned!"

Master Lin responded with full confidence: "Rest assured, there won't be any problems!"