The SSSSSSSS-level Mad Dragon is released from prison!

The tall, thin gatekeeper looked at Jiang Chen's words as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.

"You absolutely must come in?"

He slammed the scabbard to the ground with a dull thud, sending dust flying from the cracks in the stone slabs.

"Then try it and see if your head is harder or the sword in my hand is harder."

Several members of the Xiao family's collateral branches who had come to watch the commotion also gathered around, pointing and whispering as if they were looking at a few stray dogs who didn't know what was going on.

Xiao Ruoye's face stung.

This is her family, the Xiao family she was once so proud of.

"Get out of my way, all of you!"

Xiao Ruoye shoved aside the tall, thin man blocking her way, pulled out a bronze waist token covered in scratches from her bosom, and slammed it hard against the vermilion gate.

A crisp "clang" sounded.

The waist tag was embedded three-tenths of the way into the wood.

"Look carefully! This is the Direct Lineage Order! I am Xiao Ruoye!"

The tall, thin man stumbled after being pushed, and was about to curse when he saw the character "Xiao" on the sign, and his expression immediately changed.

That was a token of the family head's lineage.

"Young Miss?"

He rubbed his eyes, staring in disbelief at the woman in front of him, covered in mud and with hair that looked like a bird's nest.

Where is there even a trace of the arrogant and domineering "number one witch" of Beijing's elite circles back then?

"Lead the way! To the council chamber!"

Xiao Ruoye had no intention of wasting words with these watchdogs, so she grabbed Jiang Chen's sleeve and barged inside.

This time, no one dared to stop them.

After passing through several courtyards, the once familiar rockeries and streams now look particularly jarring.

The pool was covered with green algae, and the paint on the corridor was peeling, giving off a cheap and pretentious vibe.

Jiang Chen didn't speak, his gaze sweeping around as his fingers gently caressed the half of the jade pendant inside his sleeve.

Upon entering the council chamber, the atmosphere instantly froze.

In the center of the hall, on the grand chair, sat an old man dressed in a Tang suit, twirling two iron walnuts in his hands, his eyelids drooping as if he were asleep.

This is Xiao Wanshan, the current head of the Xiao family.

Several elders sat on either side, their noses flailing upwards, their teacup lids clattering.

"Oh, isn't this the eldest daughter of the Xiao family?"

The one who spoke was the Third Elder, who was sitting on the left. He slammed his teacup down on the table, splashing tea all over it.

"Three years have passed, where have you made your fortune? And how come you've brought back so many... friends?"

He emphasized the word "friends," his eyes sweeping over Jiang Chen and Shen Suxin like hooks.

A sickly man wearing loose-fitting sportswear, and a village girl carrying a bamboo basket on her back.

This really brings honor to the Xiao family.

Xiao Ruoye took a deep breath, stepped forward, and said stiffly, "Uncle, I've come back..."

"Kneel down!"

Xiao Wanshan abruptly stopped holding the iron walnut in his hand, raised his eyelids, and two sharp glints shot over.

An aura belonging to a half-step grandmaster descended like a mountain.

Xiao Ruoye's knees buckled, but she gritted her teeth and stubbornly refused to kneel, though cold sweat streamed down her face.

"He left home for three years without a word, and upon his return, he led outsiders to break into the mountain gate, violating the family rules."

Xiao Wanshan's voice wasn't loud, but it shook the dust off the beams of the hall.

"Is this the kind of manners you learned outside?"

Xiao Ruoye was about to argue when Jiang Chen reached out and patted her on the shoulder.

The oppressive force that had been suffocating her inexplicably dissipated.

Jiang Chen ignored Xiao Wanshan and the murderous glares from the elders, and walked to an empty chair in the corner to sit down.

He even picked up the teapot on the table.

"The tea has gone cold."

He poured himself a glass, swirled it, didn't drink it, and put it down.

The entire room fell silent.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, as if they had seen a ghost.

Where did this hothead come from?

In the Xiao family council hall, in front of the family head, he acted as if he were on his own kang (heated brick bed).

"presumptuous!"

The Third Elder slammed his hand on the table and stood up, pointing at Jiang Chen's nose and yelling, "Where did this stray dog ​​come from? Don't you know any rules?! Is this a place for you to sit?"

As soon as he shouted, several disciples from the Enforcement Hall rushed in from outside, their hands on the hilts of their swords.

"He's the guest I invited!"

Xiao Ruoye stood in front of Jiang Chen, like a cat with its fur standing on end. "He saved my life in Haicheng!"

"Help?"

The Third Elder scoffed, sizing up Jiang Chen. "Him? There's not even a shred of true qi emanating from him. This piece of trash can't save you?"

"Wakaba, you're getting worse and worse."

At this moment, a young man emerged from behind the screen, fanning himself with a folding fan.

He was dressed smartly, his hair was slicked back and shiny, and his almond-shaped eyes darted around.

Xiao Ding, the young master of the Xiao family.

He closed his folding fan, walked up to Xiao Ruoye, and used the fan rib to lift a strand of her messy hair.

"Is this the random guy you found outside? You have terrible taste."

As Xiao Ding spoke, his gaze passed over Xiao Ruoye and landed on Shen Suxin, who was standing behind Jiang Chen.

Although Shen Suxin was dressed in rags, her ethereal temperament was like a white lotus flower blooming from the mud.

Especially those clear eyes, which made Xiao Ding's heart itch.

"But this little village girl is quite nice."

Xiao Ding licked his lips, his eyes becoming blatant. "She's quite pretty. It just so happens that my courtyard needs a maid to pound medicine."

Shen Suxin shrank back behind Jiang Chen, her hands instinctively gripping the hem of her clothes.

Jiang Chen didn't move. He held the teacup in his hand and gently rubbed the rim with his fingertips.

"Xiao Ding! Watch your mouth!"

Xiao Ruoye trembled with rage, drawing her short sword with a clang. "This is my guest, and a guest of the Xiao family!"

"guest?"

Xiao Ding seemed to have heard a joke, and turned around to cup his hands in greeting to Xiao Wanshan above.

"Uncle, is it now the case that just anyone can come and go in our Xiao family?"

He turned around again and pointed his folding fan at Jiang Chen's nose.

"Kid, you can try to get a job in the Xiao family if you want."

"We need someone to shovel manure in the backyard stables. Room and board included."

"As for this woman..."

Xiao Ding chuckled and reached out to touch Shen Suxin's face. "Offer her to me for some discipline, and maybe I'll even give you a few bones to gnaw on."

"You're asking for it!"

Xiao Ruoye could no longer hold back. The short sword in her hand transformed into a cold light and stabbed straight at Xiao Ding's wrist.

"presumptuous!"

Xiao Wanshan above snorted coldly and waved his sleeve.

A powerful gust of wind rose from the ground.

"when!"

The short sword in Xiao Ruoye's hand was knocked away and stuck into a pillar next to her, the blade buzzing.

She was knocked back several steps by the strong wind, and a trace of blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

"You unruly thing."

Xiao Wanshan stood up, hands behind his back, looking down at the crowd. "Take the young lady away and lock her in the ancestral hall to reflect on her actions. As for the other two..."

He didn't even glance at Jiang Chen.

"Do as Ding'er says."

Several law enforcement disciples immediately surrounded them, some grabbing Xiao Ruoye, while others reached out to grab Jiang Chen and Shen Suxin.

Xiao Ding's smile widened.

His hand was only an inch away from Shen Suxin's face.

Shen Suxin's pupils suddenly contracted, and a faint green light was rapidly gathering deep within her normally clear black and white eyes.

That was the instinctive counterattack of the Hundred Herbs Poison Body.

If that hand dares to touch her, within three seconds, this dissolute young master's entire arm will turn into a puddle of green water.

Just then.

"Click."

A soft, crisp sound.

In the noisy hall, the sound wasn't loud, but it was inexplicably jarring.

The teacup in Jiang Chen's hand cracked.

Countless fine cracks covered the surface of the porcelain cup, but it did not break, and not a single drop of tea leaked out.

Xiao Ding's hand froze in mid-air.

It's not that he doesn't want to move.

Instead, it can't move.

An invisible, extremely cold aura instantly enveloped the entire council hall.

This aura is not true qi, nor does it exhibit any energy fluctuations.

It's more like a pure, soul-deep pressure.

It felt like being stared at by a ferocious beast that had crawled out of hell.

The law enforcement officers who were about to take action froze on the spot, still in their grabbing positions, their backs instantly soaked with cold sweat.

Even Xiao Wanshan, who was sitting in a high position, stopped spinning the iron walnut in his hand again.

Jiang Chen slowly raised his head.

Those deep eyes calmly gazed at Xiao Ding before them.

Despite being a useless person without any true energy, Xiao Ding felt as if his heart was being squeezed tightly by those eyes.

"Your hand."

Jiang Chen placed the cracked teacup on the table, his voice hoarse and his tone as indifferent as if he were talking about something trivial.

"If we extend it another inch forward..."

"The floor tiles in the Xiao family's house will probably need to be washed again."