Ouyang Zixin, however, seemed extremely happy. She hurriedly took some picnic food from her pink shoulder bag and neatly arranged everything.
It was only then that Lin Xiuran noticed something was off about her, but he didn't comment. He asked with a calm expression, "Aren't you going to celebrate Xu Xiaoyu's birthday?"
Ouyang Zixin was slightly stunned. Then she looked at him. "You… you already know?"
Lin Xiuran was silent for a moment before saying, "Sister Zixin, I may be young, but I'm not stupid."
Ouyang Zixin frowned lightly and quickly explained, "I'm just trying to help you and Xu Xiaoyu smooth things over. When Xu Xiaoyu arrives, you need to talk nicely—after all, you're like brothers. How could you turn against each other?"
She seemed a little guilty for deceiving him, so she offered an explanation.
"Don't overthink it. I was worried you wouldn't come, so I said that, but we will still celebrate your birthday. Xu Xiaoyu will arrive later, and we'll celebrate together."
Hearing this, Lin Xiuran understood everything. It seemed Xu Junwen had arranged for Ouyang Zixin to invite him under the pretext of repairing their relationship.
And Ouyang Zixin's happiness was simply because Xu Xiaoyu would come too, so they could all eat together.
But before Xu Xiaoyu arrived, some people suddenly rushed out from the nearby forest.
They were dressed entirely in white, wearing masks, but their murderous intent was obvious.
And they were clearly targeting Lin Xiuran!
Having been to the Spirit Ascension Platform, Lin Xiuran had some combat experience and immediately moved backward.
Ouyang Zixin seemed to react as well, but she had no time to retreat. She immediately tried to defend using her spirit skill.
The leader of the attackers instantly launched an attack: a one-meter-long ice spike shot forward, aiming directly at the frontmost target—Ouyang Zixin.
She hadn't expected this. She summoned her martial soul but had no time to use a spirit skill before the ice spike reached her.
The spike grew larger in her vision, nearly impaling her. At that instant, she instinctively closed her eyes.
But just in the nick of time, a surge of force pulled her to the side, narrowly avoiding a deadly strike. Her arm was still cut, blood gushing and quickly covering her left arm.
Ouyang Zixin looked at Lin Xiuran in shock. She was only a teenager; facing such danger, how could she remain calm?
Her mind raced: why hadn't Xu Xiaoyu arrived? Why were there assassins here? This place was supposed to be safe—the location Xu Xiaoyu had given!
But no one answered her thoughts. The assassins were already closing in again.
Lin Xiuran gritted his teeth. There were five of them: three Soul Masters and two Soul Experts.
At his twentieth-level soul power, he couldn't possibly fight them head-on. And being in the suburbs, there were few people around—help was nearly impossible. This was a dead end.
Yet no one abandons even the smallest hope, especially when life is at stake. For the first time, Lin Xiuran experienced a true life-or-death battle between soul masters. Despite having no real experience, he remained unusually calm, almost instinctively.
"Take them out quickly!"
The leader jumped into the air, the fourth purple soul ring on his arm glowing. A blue bird appeared, screeching loudly.
In an instant, countless ice spikes rained down like a storm, enveloping Lin Xiuran and Ouyang Zixin.
Lin Xiuran didn't hesitate. He concentrated his soul power in his arms, interlocking his hands to resist the attack.
There was no other choice—the range of the soul skill was too large to escape, so he could only defend with soul power.
The ice bird Soul Master sneered. A millennium soul skill from a level-40 Soul Expert was not something a level-20 boy could resist.
But just as the spikes were about to hit, a circular shield suddenly appeared before Lin Xiuran.
The spikes slammed into it, yet the shield held firm, completely blocking the fourth soul skill of the ice bird Soul Master.
The ice bird Soul Master's eyes darkened. "A defensive spirit device!"
It was the very spirit device given to him by the clan elder, worn on his wrist. Even the ice bird Soul Master hadn't expected it to be so strong—to block a millennium-level fourth soul skill.
"Attack!" the ice bird Soul Master shouted, activating his soul ring again, and the others followed suit.
But at that moment, pink smoke suddenly enveloped them, causing them to lose sight of their targets for an instant.
When they emerged, the ice bird Soul Master's face was black with anger. He couldn't believe that the five of them hadn't immediately eliminated Lin Xiuran and Ouyang Zixin.
"Chase them!" he growled through gritted teeth.
Meanwhile, in the heart of East Sea City's villa district, the Xu family was hosting a grand birthday banquet. Guests from all directions filled the place, the atmosphere lively.
Today was the birthday of the Xu family's eldest son, Xu Xiaoyu. Almost every prominent figure in East Sea City had been invited. Being a major family, the Xu household naturally attracted wealthy and influential guests.
Xu Xiaoyu, dressed impeccably in a suit, hair perfectly combed, smiled politely as he greeted each guest. Today, he was the center of attention, basking in everyone's admiration.
Many in East Sea City were eager to curry favor with the Xu family, and naturally with its future heir, Xu Xiaoyu.
Xu Junwen, watching from the second floor, nodded in approval. He was clearly pleased with Xu Xiaoyu's performance.
After a while, he turned to the butler. "Any news from over there?"
"No, sir, not yet."
"Inform me immediately if there's any news." Xu Junwen nodded.
Xu Xiaoyu's heart was undoubtedly satisfied. In the past few days, he had been riding a wave of success. With Lin Xiuran out of the way, he no longer had to worry about the Xu family's inheritance.
Even Xu Xiaoyan, despite her excellence, was a girl. Eventually, she would marry and leave. The Xu family's inheritance would naturally fall to him.
"Even if I can't have Ouyang Zixin, it's still worth it."
Through the villa windows, Xu Xiaoyu glanced toward the suburbs, a hint of regret in his eyes, but mostly pride.
(End of Chapter)