Two old figures suddenly appeared.
The man slowly raised his head, revealing his rugged face beneath the hood.
"Poison Douluo… Thunder Douluo…" His low voice rippled in the secluded alley.
Dugu Bo said in a cold voice, "Those who come from the Clear Sky Clan all share the same habits—always bullying the young with the old."
The man's eyes narrowed. With just that subtle movement, the already dim light in the alley grew heavier still, the air thickening as though filled with lead.
An oppressive force like a mountain collapsing crashed down.
Li Zhexian felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. Even Dugu Bo's expression changed slightly.
Boom—
At that very moment—
Thunder exploded out of nothingness.
The crushing pressure shattered instantly, torn apart as if by an unseen bolt of lightning.
Yu Yuanzhen's white hair moved without wind. Wisp after wisp of lightning arcs moved and jumped among his hair.
"Clear Sky Douluo."
"In your current state, you can't even touch a single hair on Li Zhexian."
"If you insist on striking, then this old man will have no choice but to experience the methods of Clear Sky Douluo himself."
Tang Hao's expression remained calm for a while. Then, he looked at Li Zhexian.
"Boy, , I'll let you catch a few more breaths. Your life doesn't need me to come and take it."
With that, He turned.
One step carried him several meters away.
A few more, and his figure vanished entirely into the shadows at the alley's mouth.
Li Zhexian let out a long breath. He bowed respectfully toward the two elders.
"Thank you, Senior Dugu and Senior Yu Yuanzhen, for stepping in to protect me."
Dugu Bo waved a hand with a smile.
Truth be told, If Li Zhexian had asked only him to provide guard,
Those words he'd just spoken would never have left his lips, nor would he have stood against Tang Hao.
No—had Tang Hao appeared, he'd have grabbed Li Zhexian and run.
Yu Yuanzhen's stern, heroic features softened with a smile. "Zhexian, you are shrewd indeed, to think of asking me and the old poison to accompany you in secret."
Li Zhexian replied helplessly: "After being ambushed so many times, one has to learn."
Then, straightening once more, he saluted earnestly: "This debt of protection, I will not forget."
"This trip to Spirit City, I must still trouble the two seniors further."
Because of him—
Dugu Yan, Ye Lingling, Yu Tianheng and the others had suffered grievous injuries at the hands of the Golden Generation of Spirit Hall.
That blood-debt, that humiliation—
Li Zhexian swore the Golden Generation would repay it a hundredfold.
It was also his answer to Spirit Hall's attempts to kill him.
But…
He had not forgotten the killing intent from the Pope herself.
This trip to Spirit City—
Was no different from stepping into a dragon's den.
After careful thought, Li Zhexian had no choice but to ask Dugu Bo and Yu Yuanzhen, two Titled Douluo, to guard him in secret.
Spirit Hall's power was immense.
But the Continental Spirit Master Tournament drew the eyes of the entire world.
Even the Pope could not openly slay a contestant under the gaze of thousands.
With these two by his side,
He would be safe.
Of course—
Favor is favor.
Li Zhexian had already prepared sufficient Ice Flame Immortal Dew and Thunder Lotus Brew as thanks for their protection.
"Young friend Zhexian is too polite." Dugu Bo and Yu Yuanzhen said with a smile.
Then their forms dissolved—one into a mass of emerald poison mist, the other into a blinding rift of thunderlight—
Dispersing into the depths of the alley.
Li Zhexian knew the two of them hadn't gone far. Once he encountered an insurmountable danger, they would immediately appear.
The reliance of two Titled Douluo at his back—
Brought a trace of ease to Li Zhexian's handsome face.
Chewing the sugar figurine, he strolled leisurely toward his courtyard.
He still had an evening banquet ahead.
Best to rest up—
So he could drink his friends under the table without mercy.
...
Meanwhile—
At the lodging where Shrek was staying, Xiao Wu dipped the blood-stained handkerchief into the water to scrub it.
She turned her head to look at Tang San, who was meditating on the bed. She pursed her lips and said, "Third Brother..."
Tang San slowly opened his eyes. Those eyes, which had once been filled with a purple aura, were now bloodshot, dull, and sore. "What is it, Xiao Wu?"
Xiao Wu said in a low voice, "Can we... not be enemies with Sword Wine..."
"Third Brother, he doesn't seem like a bad person."
As she said this, the air seemed to freeze.
The long silence made Xiao Wu's heart feel flustered. She cautiously raised her eyes, colliding with Tang San's calm gaze.
Tang San took a deep breath, trying his best to make his voice sound calm. "Xiao Wu, I have always listened to what you say."
"If it weren't for today's incident, I would still listen to you."
"But now…"
"Sword Wine crippled my Purple Demon Eye. Years of bitter cultivation were destroyed in a single moment."
"You also saw how he and the Emperial Battle Team humiliated me."
"The enmity between me and Sword Wine can never be reconciled."
Xiao Wu lowered her head. Her slender hands tightly clenched the wet cloth. A moment later, she timidly spoke again in a complex tone mixed with pleading, anxiety, and even fear.
"Third Brother… could I not go to Spirit City?"
But Tang San's mind was consumed with how to counter Sword Wine's sword.
He didn't hear the unusualness in Xiao Wu's words. He only thought of it as her throwing a tantrum because he had refused her.
His already restless, troubled mood flared with sudden anger.
His chest heaved. He exhaled with a trembling breath, then shut his eyes again, his words unyielding:
"Do not speak of this again."
Xiao Wu walked out of the room, disappointed. Her pretty face held a trace of sadness. It wasn't until she saw Zhu Zhuqing walking toward her that she forced a smile.
"Zhuqing…"
"I hope all this…"
"Won't affect our sisterly relationship."
"You and Rongrong are my only good sisters."
Her pink eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
Zhu Zhuqing frowned softly at the sight.
She reached out to take Xiao Wu's cool arm. "As long as you do not hate Li Zhexian—"
"I will always be your sister."
With Zhu Zhuqing beside her, Xiao Wu's mood lightened somewhat.
Then Zhu Zhuqing recalled something and asked: "By the way, Xiao Wu—where's Rongrong?"
Xiao Wu shook her head blankly. "I don't know."
"I haven't seen her since this afternoon."
...
In his courtyard, Li Zhexian plucked several ripened, purplish-red plums from the branches.
The tree's fruit was crisp and sweet—
No wonder Huo Wu kept thinking of them.
"Better not eat them all, I need to save some for Qian Renxue." He muttered as he put them down.
Thump-thump—
Thump-thump—
A light knocking sound, filled with hesitation, came from the door.
Li Zhexian's sword-like eyebrows slightly raised.
The aura outside was unfamiliar.
But if someone had passed Dugu Bo and Yu Yuanzhen's defenses, they posed no danger.
He put the plums casually on the stone table,
And walked to the gate.
Creak—
The gap in the door gradually opened.
A graceful young girl stood there, delicate and lovely.
Her fingers twisted unconsciously at her sleeve hem,
Her brows and eyes betraying an irrepressible nervousness.
Li Zhexian was stunned at first. Then, almost without thinking,
His gaze slipped past her slender shoulder, scanning behind her several times.
This unexpected reaction left Ning Rongrong—who had rehearsed countless ways to begin in her mind—blank and frozen.
Her lips parted as she stammered for words.
But before she could speak, She heard Li Zhexian ask in puzzlement:
"Where's Sister Zhuqing?"