However, Ouyang Zixin seemed quite happy, hurriedly taking out some picnic food from her pink handbag and arranging it neatly.
It was only then that she noticed Lin Xiuran's odd behavior, but she didn't seem to care, smiling and asking, "Little brother, aren't you happy?"
Lin Xiuran didn't reply, but looked at her and asked, "Aren't you going to celebrate Xu Xiaoyu's birthday?"
Ouyang Zixin was slightly taken aback, then looked at Lin Xiuran, "You know everything?"
Lin Xiuran was silent for a moment, then said, "Sister Zixin, I may be young, but I'm not stupid."
Ouyang Zixin frowned slightly and hurriedly said, "I'm also trying to ease the tension between you and Senior Xu. When Senior Xu arrives, you must speak properly. We're brothers, how can we turn against each other?"
Ouyang Zixin seemed to feel a little guilty for deceiving Lin Xiuran, so she still offered an explanation.
"Don't overthink it. I only said that because I was afraid you wouldn't come, but we still want to celebrate your birthday. Senior Xu will be here later, and we'll celebrate together."
Hearing Ouyang Zixin's words, Lin Xiuran understood everything. It seemed Xu Junwen had used the pretext of repairing their relationship to get Ouyang Zixin to invite him out.
Ouyang Zixin's happiness was simply because Xu Xiaoyu was coming, and they could have dinner together.
However, before Xu Xiaoyu arrived, they saw several people suddenly rush out of the nearby woods.
These people were all dressed in pure white clothes and wore masks, but their killing intent was obvious.
They were coming directly for Lin Xiuran!
Lin Xiuran had been to the Spirit Ascension Platform and had some combat experience, so he immediately moved back.
Ouyang Zixin, standing nearby, seemed to react as well, but she clearly had no time to retreat and immediately tried to use her soul skill to defend.
However, the leader of the group launched an attack instantly, a meter-long ice spike shooting out. Naturally, Ouyang Zixin, who was positioned closer to the attack, was caught
off guard. She summoned her martial soul, but before she could unleash her soul skill, the ice spike was already upon her.
The ice spike magnified in her pupils, about to pierce her again. At that moment, she instinctively closed her eyes.
But in that critical instant, a surge of strength rushed through her arm, pulling her aside and narrowly avoiding the fatal wound from the ice spike. However, her arm was still cut, and blood flowed freely, quickly covering her left arm.
Ouyang Zixin looked at Lin Xiuran, who had saved her, in shock. For a moment, she was completely at a loss. She was only a teenager; how could she remain calm in this situation?
At this moment, her mind was filled with disbelief: why hadn't Senior Xu come? Why are there assassins lying in ambush here? This is the location Senior Xu gave us!
But before anyone could answer her inner thoughts, the assassins were already close in again.
Lin Xiuran gritted his teeth, his expression slightly tense. There were five people in front of them: three Soul Masters and two Soul Grandmasters.
With his level 20 Soul Power, he had no chance of fighting them, but they were in the suburbs, where the population was relatively sparse, making it virtually impossible to call for help. This was a dead end!
But no one would give up even the slightest hope, especially in the face of life and death. This was also the first time Lin Xiuran had encountered a true life-or-death battle between Soul Masters. Even though he had no experience in this area, he appeared exceptionally calm and not overly panicked. It seemed to be a natural reaction from his body.
"Quickly take care of them!"
The leader pushed off with his feet, leaping into the air. At the same time, his fourth purple Soul Ring lit up, and a blue bird flew in the air, then let out a cry.
Above, large blue bird ice spikes instantly gathered and rained down, instantly enveloping Lin Xiuran and Ouyang Zixin.
Lin Xiuran didn't hesitate. He concentrated his soul power in his arms, folding his hands together, intending to directly resist the soul skill.
There was no other way; the range of the opponent's soul skill was too vast, and he couldn't escape in time, so he could only use his soul power to defend.
But the leader sneered. How could a level 20 child possibly block a thousand-year soul skill unleashed by a level 40 Soul Master?
Just as the ice spikes were about to collide with Lin Xiuran, a circular shield instantly appeared in front of him.
Despite the ice spikes striking him, the shield remained sturdy, blocking the leader's fourth soul skill. The
Ice Bird Soul Master's eyes narrowed slightly, then he coldly said, "A defensive soul tool!"
It was the soul tool given to Lin Xiuran by the clan elder on his wrist. Even he hadn't expected this defensive soul tool to be so strong, actually blocking this thousand-year fourth soul skill.
"Attack!" The Ice Bird Soul Master didn't hesitate. His soul rings lit up, and he was about to launch another attack. The others exchanged glances.
Just then, a sudden burst of pink smoke enveloped them, instantly disabling their target.
When they emerged from the smoke, the Ice Bird Soul Master's face darkened; he truly hadn't expected that the five of them hadn't managed to eliminate Lin Xiuran and his companion in a single moment.
He gritted his teeth and shouted, "Chase!"
Meanwhile, in the central villa district of Donghai City, the Xu family was bustling with guests from all directions.
It was the birthday banquet of Xu Xiaoyu, the eldest son of the Xu family. Almost all the prominent figures of Donghai City had been invited; the Xu family was, after all, a powerful clan, and naturally, all the guests were wealthy and influential.
Xu Xiaoyu, dressed in a well-tailored suit, his hair impeccably combed, greeted each guest with a polite smile. He was the star of the show, bathed in the spotlight, basking in the adulation of the crowd.
After all, there were countless people in Donghai City eager to curry favor with the Xu family, and naturally, they would also try to curry favor with this eldest son, the future heir of the Xu family.
Xu Junwen watched Xu Xiaoyu socializing with guests from the second floor, nodding occasionally, clearly satisfied with his performance.
After a while, he turned to the butler beside him and asked, "How is it? Any news from over there?"
"Master, not yet."
Xu Junwen nodded and said, "Tell me as soon as you have any news."
Xu Xiaoyu was absolutely satisfied at this moment. He had been riding high these past two days. Without the threat posed by Lin Xiuran, he had no worries about the future inheritance of the Xu family.
No matter how outstanding or favored Xu Xiaoyan was, she was still a girl and would eventually get married. In such a large family, only he was truly qualified to inherit.
"Although I can't have that woman Ouyang Zixin anymore, it was still worth it."
Xu Xiaoyu looked out the window of the Xu family villa towards the suburbs with a hint of regret, but mostly with pride.
(End of Chapter)