Chapter 13: Fury
"What happened?" Xiao Yan stood up abruptly, sensing an ominous premonition.
"Put some clothes on first," Xiao Yu said, her face flushing red as she turned away quickly.
"Clothes?" Xiao Yan finally realized his earlier energy training had burned his clothes to ashes. A breeze passed by, and… well, everything was out in the open.
"We've been naked around each other as kids. What's there to be shy about?" Xiao Yan teased while pulling out a new set of clothes from his storage ring and putting them on.
"You were a rascal as a child, and you've only grown worse," Xiao Yu retorted, glaring at him. However, her expression quickly turned serious as she said coldly, "It's Xiao Jian de. He knows he can't retaliate against you, so he's decided to target others instead."
"Target others?" Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You mean Xiao Niu and Xiao Ma's group?"
"Yes. Xiao Jian de knows he can't touch us directly, so he's sent people to harass Xiao Niu and Xiao Ma. He's even encouraged some of his family members to cause trouble on our side as well. There have already been several fights some injuries on both sides.
"But the real problem is this: Xiao Niu and Xiao Ma's people aren't just being beaten up. The villagers in their outpost Seven Spirit Village could lose their lives."
Hearing this, Xiao Yan's face darkened.
An uncontrollable anger surged within him, burning hotter with every word.
Xiao Jian de's retaliation was no surprise. His minions showing up to cause trouble was par for the course. Xiao Yan would compensate his people and handle any revenge as expected.
But targeting the innocent villagers?
Xiao Niu and Xiao Ma were merely "outer lineage" members low ranking clansmen who had clawed their way up from nothing to barely scrape together a meager living. And now, because of one spoiled rich kid's petty revenge, their entire village had been devastated.
"Xiao Jian de, you deserve to die!" Xiao Yan's voice was chilling as he turned to Xiao Yu. "Take me to Seven Spirit Village now!"
Xiao Yu nodded. With a flick of her Dou Qi wings, she shot into the sky, Xiao Yan following close behind.
After crossing several mountain ranges, the two arrived at a small basin nestled between the peaks.
Seven Spirit Village was situated in the Seven Spirit Basin, named for the abundant Seven Spirit Clover that grew in the area. This spiritual herb was highly nutritious and ideal for raising magical beasts.
The basin had been leased out as a massive pasture by a Dou Zun ranked clan elder, and most of the villagers earned their living by tending to magical beasts.
The most common beast raised here was the White Jade Rainbow Cloud Ox, a docile third rank magical beast prized for its sturdy frame, meat, magical core, and bones, all of which were valuable for alchemy and trade.
But last night, tragedy struck.
Thousands of these usually gentle beasts suddenly went berserk, stampeding straight into Seven Spirit Village. In mere moments, the small village was reduced to rubble.
Thankfully, a few Dou Wang ranked villagers and their Dou Huang level village chief managed to hold off the beasts and minimize casualties. Even so, two people had died, and nearly ten were seriously injured.
At the edge of the ruined village, Xiao Niu and Xiao Ma stood with downcast faces, their weathered eyes reflecting grief and helplessness.
The two brothers had worked tirelessly for 30 years to break through to the Dou Wang level. The day their names were finally recorded in the clan's genealogy, they had been so proud symbols of hope for their family and village.
But when they left the village and entered the broader world of the Xiao Clan, they learned a harsh truth: being a Dou Wang meant nothing.
The young heirs of prominent families didn't even have to try. With innate bloodline advantages and the resources provided by their parents and grandparents, they could effortlessly surpass what Xiao Niu and Xiao Ma had achieved in decades of struggle.
"Village Chief, this tragedy is partly our fault," Xiao Niu said quietly, his head bowed as he addressed the elder of the ruined village.
The old man, a Dou Huang who had protected the villagers through the stampede, looked haggard but resolute. "Niu'er, Ma'er, this is not your doing. You've always worked hard for the village, and no one here blames you."
"But we…" Xiao Ma hesitated, his voice heavy with guilt. "If we were stronger if we could stand up to the likes of Xiao Jian de this wouldn't have happened."
The elder shook his head. "Strength? Even if you were Dou Zong, you wouldn't be able to stop this. It wasn't your power that failed us it's the cruelty of the Xiao Clan's upper echelons."
Xiao Niu and Xiao Ma's hands clenched into fists, their knuckles white as bone.
Just then, a shadow passed overhead.
Xiao Yu landed lightly in the ruined square, followed closely by Xiao Yan.
Seeing the destruction, Xiao Yan's expression grew darker. His gaze swept over the broken homes, injured villagers, and the lingering fear in the air.
Finally, his eyes settled on Xiao Niu and Xiao Ma.
"I heard what happened," Xiao Yan said coldly, his voice steady but laced with anger. "Who's responsible for this?"
Xiao Niu and Xiao Ma looked up, surprise flickering in their tired eyes.
"Y Young Master Xiao Yan…" Xiao Niu stammered.
"We… we don't know for sure," Xiao Ma added, though his clenched jaw betrayed his suspicions.
"I don't need guesses. I want facts," Xiao Yan said sharply. "But whoever it is whether it's Xiao Jian de himself or his lackeys they'll pay for what they've done."
Xiao Yu stepped forward, her tone icy. "We already know Xiao Jian de orchestrated this. He may not have struck directly, but his people caused the stampede."
Hearing this, Xiao Yan's eyes burned with fury, a sharp contrast to the calmness in his voice.
"Good," he said softly, his tone as sharp as a blade.
Then, turning to Xiao Niu and Xiao Ma, he added, "You've suffered enough. Leave the rest to me."
For Xiao Jian de, trouble was brewing.
For people like Xiao Jian de, even a sliver of malice in their hearts could erase years of effort for others. Simply to vent their anger, they would destroy homes and ruin lives without a second thought.
"Enough," the old village chief interrupted, sitting on a large boulder. His wrinkled face was lined with weariness, his white hair stark against his tanned skin. His cloudy eyes seemed lost in thought.
"If we must blame something, blame our own weakness," he said with a bitter laugh. "Weakness is a sin, after all."
To the villagers, the old chief was the strongest, wisest, and most revered elder of Seven Spirit Village. But deep down, he knew just how powerless he was compared to the truly strong in the Xiao Clan.
"But what did we do wrong?" he murmured, his voice trembling as he looked at the ash covered villagers. "What crime have we committed to deserve being born weak only to be bullied and looked down upon?"
His eyes shifted to a pile of mangled corpses, trampled beyond recognition by the rampaging White Jade Rainbow Cloud Oxen. Among them lay the remains of an old friend, someone he had known since childhood. Though the friend had once been a Dou Ling, his vitality had long faded with age. Struck down by a maddened ox leader, he had been trampled into nothingness in the chaos.
Nearby, the chief's gaze fell on a pale faced little girl. At just ten years old, she was already a Dou Zhe, a rare talent in the village with the potential to one day reach the Dou Zong stage a realm the old chief himself had never been able to achieve.
But in last night's attack, she had lost her right arm.
Her future, once so bright, now seemed like a deep abyss. Without that arm, she would struggle to even reach the Dou Wang stage, let alone achieve the greatness she had once seemed destined for.
Despair hung heavy over the ruins of Seven Spirit Village. A sense of helplessness gnawed at the villagers' hearts as they sifted through the rubble.
A sudden breeze swept through the air, catching the villagers' attention.
They looked up to see a young man clad in black descending from the sky, his Dou Qi wings shimmering as he streaked through the air like a falling star.
"This is it," Xiao Yu said, pointing toward the wreckage of the village below.
The moment Xiao Yan saw the devastation, blood rushed to his head, and fury surged through his veins.
"Xiao Yan, young master," Xiao Niu and Xiao Ma greeted him, suppressing their grief as they bowed slightly.
"Xiao Yan, young master," the old chief echoed, slowly rising to his feet. Though he was a Dou Huang, his posture was stooped, his back bowed as if carrying a mountain. His white hair and weathered face radiated an air of helpless sorrow.
"Was this Xiao Jian de's doing?" Xiao Yan's voice was cold and sharp, each word cutting through the heavy air.
"We have no solid evidence," the old chief replied, his tired voice tinged with resignation.
"Evidence?" Xiao Yan's eyes were like icy blades as he gazed at the ruins.
Xiao Jian de's move was truly despicable a carefully calculated act to infuriate Xiao Yan while avoiding direct consequences. Without proof, even if Xiao Yan found evidence later, at best Xiao Jian de would face a minor punishment.
Under normal circumstances, Xiao Yan might have had to swallow his anger until he grew stronger perhaps waiting until he reached the Dou Sheng stage to settle the score personally.
But now things were different.
Xiao Yan was no longer just a talented young member of the Xiao Clan. He was the Empire's Chosen, the newly appointed Emperor's Son of the Xiao Clan.
This title placed him among the most influential figures in the clan, second only to the clan patriarch, Xiao Xuan.
Although his current strength didn't yet match the weight of his title, and many elders still underestimated him, it was more than enough to deal with a petty second generation troublemaker like Xiao Jian de.
"So, you like to use your connections and power to crush others, huh?" Xiao Yan's lips curled into a cruel smile.
"Let me show you what it feels like to be crushed under the weight of true authority."
(Chapter End)
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