Fellow Daoist, I gladly accept this heaven-defying opportunity.

On the hillside, the little girl wiped away her tears, her shoulders shaking with sobs.

"They...they all call me an ugly monster..."

Xu Qingshu, standing beside her, quickly reassured her, "Who said that! Our Yuzhu is the prettiest, the most beautiful fairy in the world!"

"Really?"

The little girl sobbed, her eyes red, and asked, "But...but what if I really become ugly when I grow up and can't get married?"

Xu Qingshu thought for a moment, then pulled out paper and pen from his pocket, patted his chest, and said earnestly, "If I can't get married, I'll marry you! I'll write the marriage certificate now, and no one can go back on their word when we grow up!"

As he spoke, he bit the pen and wrote a line of crooked words on the paper: "I, Xu Qingshu, promise today that if Yuzhu remains unmarried in the future, Xu Qingshu of the Xu family will definitely marry her. If I break this promise, may I be struck by lightning!"

After finishing writing, he handed the paper to the little girl, looking as proud as if he had found a treasure: "See! Are you relieved now?"

The little girl stopped crying and started laughing. For some reason, she subconsciously turned her head and looked behind her.

On a rock not far away, a child two years younger than her was lazily sunbathing, seemingly not even looking this way.

"Could you... add Xu Mofeng's name as well?"

The little girl hesitated before speaking softly.

Xu Qingshu hesitated for a moment, then readily agreed: "Alright! Let's change it to either Xu Qingshu or Xu Mofeng, you can choose one! With the two of us around, Yuzhu, you'll never have to worry about not getting married!"

The little girl giggled, nodded vigorously, and kept glancing at the rocks, her eyes crinkling with laughter.

Little did the young girl Yuzhu know that Xu Mofeng, though a child, already possessed the mind of a time traveler.

……

Memories flooded back like a tidal wave, and by the time Dongfang Yuzhu came to her senses, her face was already covered in tears.

She finally remembered.

For so many years, the person who has been around her every day saying nice things is Xu Qingshu, but every time she is in trouble, the one who truly stands in front of her to shield her is always the taciturn Xu Mofeng.

"Oh no!"

Dongfang Yuzhu snapped back to reality, her face turning pale instantly.

The Jia family is powerful and has many experts in their mansion. Xu Mofeng's crippling of Jia Pingsheng is like stirring up a hornet's nest. The Jia family will never let this go!

"I have to go find him!"

The thought had barely formed in her mind when she lifted her skirt and rushed outside, unable to hide the panic in her heart any longer.

Meanwhile, inside the Jia family's main hall, a large round table was laden with delicacies, with beautiful maids standing on either side.

The head of the family, Jia Qing, accompanied his eldest son, Jia Ping'an, with a beaming smile as they greeted the young man seated at the head of the table.

The young man was in his early twenties, handsome, dressed in a light purple robe, with a noble air and an undisguised arrogance in his expression.

"It is truly an honor to have Young Master Ning grace our Jia family with his presence today..."

Jia Qing was over fifty years old, but he had a full head of black hair and a strong physique. He was a Golden Core cultivator and the head of the number one family in Nanheng City. Even the city lord had to give him some face.

But now, facing a young man decades younger than himself, he adopted an extremely humble posture, his words full of flattery, which showed that this purple-robed youth was no ordinary person.

Jia Ping'an chimed in, his face beaming with pride, "Father, Senior Brother Ning Jin is the only son of an elder of the Ziyun Sect, and one of the sect's most outstanding talents, currently ranking eighty-seventh on the Jinliang Elite List. If it weren't for my sake, he wouldn't have come to our Nanheng City..."

"Is he ranked eighty-seventh on the Jin-Liang Elite List?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Qing's expression shifted slightly, and the respect in her eyes deepened.

This Jin-Liang Elite List only includes young martial artists under the age of twenty-eight from the Jin-Liang Kingdom. The list has a total of one hundred people, and those who can make it are all exceptional talents selected from among thousands.

He quickly stood up, picked up his wine cup, and respectfully addressed Ning Jin: "Young Master Ning is truly an outstanding person. On behalf of the Jia family, I toast you!"

Ning Jin nodded slightly, raised his cup and drank it all in one gulp. His tone was calm but full of confidence: "I am leaving the sect this time to go to the capital to participate in the royal secret realm trial, and also to meet the young talents from all over Jin and Liang. If I have the opportunity, I will also move up my ranking on this list."

As he finished speaking, he exuded a powerful confidence and a commanding presence.

Jia Pingan quickly chimed in, "Senior Brother, during this seclusion, your Purple Flame Profound Technique broke through to the sixth level, greatly increasing your strength. You'll definitely achieve your goal! In my opinion, breaking into the top fifty is a piece of cake!"

Ning Jin smiled slightly, but feigned modesty, saying, "Getting into the top fifty isn't that easy. I'll just do my best..."

"Young Master Ning is a prodigy, there's definitely no problem! Let me offer you another toast!"

As the three were exchanging toasts, a sudden commotion arose outside, clearly reaching the hall.

Jia Qing's face darkened, and he shouted sternly, "What's all the noise outside? Can't you see I'm entertaining distinguished guests!"

Soon, a man who looked like a steward rushed in and whispered a few words in Jia Qing's ear.

"What?!"

Jia Qing's expression changed drastically, and he was about to slam his fist on the table and stand up, but when he caught a glimpse of Ning Jin beside him, he forced himself to suppress his anger.

His face was grim, and his voice was full of murderous intent: "Send Zhang Gongfeng to take his men over there. Leave no one, not even a chicken or a dog, alive in the Xu family."

The butler responded and hurriedly retreated.

Seeing this, Ning Jin casually asked, "What trouble has the Jia family head encountered?"

Jia Qing immediately put on a smiling face and waved his hand: "It's nothing. They're just some ignorant fools who dared to challenge the Jia family's authority. I've already sent people to deal with them. Let's continue drinking and not worry about these trivial matters."

After saying that, he picked up his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.

Seeing that he spoke so casually, Ning Jin didn't ask any more questions and continued drinking by himself.

At this moment, the Xu family's hall was deathly silent.

"What?! You severed Jia Pingsheng's tendons, disfigured his face, and even killed two Foundation Establishment Realm guards from the Jia family?!"

Xu Shengheng was so startled that he smashed the teacup in his hand on the ground with a "clatter," shattering it into pieces.

Xu Qingshu, standing beside him, was also stunned, his face filled with disbelief.

The father and son stared intently at Xu Mofeng standing before them, their first thought being: He could kill a Foundation Establishment realm guard? Doesn't that mean he at least has Foundation Establishment realm cultivation? The Xu family actually produced a Foundation Establishment realm martial artist!

But a second thought popped into their heads, and the two of them instantly felt a chill run down their spines.

"You've committed a terrible disaster!"

Xu Shengheng's face was deathly pale, and he slumped into the chair as if all his strength had left him, his voice trembling: "How dare you provoke the Jia family! Provoking them is one thing, but to be so ruthless...you're driving our Xu family to ruin!"

Xu Qingshu's expression also turned grim, and he lowered his voice, saying, "Second brother, you were too impulsive..."

Xu Mofeng remained calm and composed, his tone unwavering: "It's alright, I can ensure the safety of the Xu family."

"Guarantee? What are you going to use to guarantee it!"

Xu Qingshu shook his head and smiled bitterly: "The Jia family has Foundation Establishment cultivators everywhere, plus several Golden Core experts. Even if you've reached Foundation Establishment now, in the Jia family's eyes you're nothing more than an ant; they could crush you with a flick of their wrist!"

Seeing that he couldn't reason with him, Xu Mofeng gave up and shook his head, turning to walk towards the door.

Xu Qingshu's expression changed several times. He quickly stepped forward to stop him, lowering his voice even further: "Second brother, you did all this... for Yuzhu, didn't you?"

Xu Mofeng glanced at him indifferently and nodded slightly: "The two Xu brothers should have one of them stand up for her."

After saying that, he didn't linger and walked away.

Xu Qingshu stood frozen in place, not moving for a long time.

Shame, guilt, regret... a surge of emotions welled up, ultimately turning into a heavy sigh.

By this time, the Xu residence was already surrounded by layers upon layers of people.

The news that Xu Mofeng, the second young master of the Xu family, caused a ruckus at Zuixiang Tower, crippled the second young master of the Jia family, disfigured him, and even killed two Foundation Establishment guards had already spread like wildfire throughout the entire Nanheng City.

The whole city was shaken, and countless people rushed to see what this ruthless person who dared to stir up the Jia family's hornet's nest looked like.

Xu Mofeng walked to the gate of the mansion, looked at the crowd of onlookers on the street, and showed no surprise. He calmly drew the Ice Soul Longsword from his waist, turned around and sat down on the steps in front of the gate.

One man, one sword, guarding the gate of the mansion alone.

His aura was calm and unwavering.

As soon as Xu Mofeng stepped out of the Xu residence gate, the crowd erupted in a frenzy, with a deluge of pointing and whispering comments.

"This is the second young master of the Xu family, who has been studying martial arts outside for many years? He is indeed handsome and outstanding!"

"What good is being good-looking? He doesn't use his brain, he only acts on impulse and bravado, bringing utter disaster upon the Xu family. He's just a pretty face with no substance!"

"Who says otherwise? The Jia family has always been vengeful; today, the Xu family is likely to be completely wiped out of Nanheng City!"

"The people from the City Lord's Mansion are all here; surely they won't go that far?"

"Heh, can the City Lord's Mansion control the Jia family? Didn't you see the City Lord only brought a few attendants? It's obvious he's just here to observe, with no intention of interfering at all!"

That makes sense.

Everyone's gaze unconsciously turned to the street corner, where stood a middle-aged man in fine clothes, exuding an imposing aura—the city lord of Nanheng City.

He gazed at the boy on the steps, his eyes flashing with undisguised admiration: "At such a young age, he has the ability to kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator, single-handedly guard the gate of the mansion, and remains calm even when disaster strikes. This young man from the Xu family does have some courage and responsibility."

But his expression quickly turned to regret, "What a pity, he just had to offend the Jia family. Even if I wanted to protect him, I couldn't."

Just then, a guard beside him whispered, "Lord, the Jia family has arrived!"

The city lord of Nanheng City turned his head and saw a powerful aura of a Golden Core Realm expert rapidly approaching. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he whispered, "It should be the Jia family's retainer. We need to act according to the situation and try our best to protect the Xu family's elders and children, so that they can at least leave behind a lineage."

"Yes."