Jun Mo Xie’s lips curled into a triumphant smile. With a wave of his hand, he declared, “Quickly, show them in!” Ah, another one for the experiments. He added, “Clear out these…” he gestured toward several iron cages, “…they’re no longer needed.”

The servant hastily agreed, and several men quickly moved to remove the large iron cages.

“These… are all… useless now?” Jun Wu Yi stared, eyes wide, looking at his nephew.

“Yes, indeed, they are quite useless now,” Jun Mo Xie said with a natural, easy smile. “Third Uncle can dispose of them as you see fit. Uh… Third Uncle, if you decide to slaughter those two snakes for meat, make sure to count me in. That snake meat is extremely nourishing, perfect for fortifying the body.”

“Slaughter… them to eat?”

Jun Wu Yi’s brow twitched. He nearly barked out a reprimand: these Xuan Beasts had cost a fortune, hundreds of thousands of taels of silver! They were purchased just last night at Young Master Shi’s command, and this morning, after a brief inspection, they were deemed useless? Especially that pair of Level Five Iron Bone Snakes—a complete, perfect pair—which had cost a staggering two hundred thousand silver taels! He looked, and now they were talking about eating them… twenty thousand taels of silver for one meal?! Before he could launch his tirade, a resounding rumble shook the air, like the charge of a thousand cavalry. Seven towering figures, solid as iron pagodas, escorted Du Gu Xiao Yi, who resembled a delicate snow lotus, as they entered.

Against the backdrop of her seven imposing brothers, Du Gu Xiao Yi appeared today even more ethereally beautiful and refined, dazzling the eye. Her raven-black hair was loosely pinned up, secured by a single shimmering hairpin from which three tiny pearls swung gently. Her small face was snow-white and tender, the kind that begged to be kissed, with exquisite eyes, a delicate nose, and cherry-red lips curved in a mischievous, delightful smartness, betraying hints of joy and a touch of shyness…

She wore a snow-white shawl over a light-green dress. A snow-white jade pendant swayed gently at her slender, cinched waist. Although her figure remained somewhat youthful and nascent, not yet having reached the voluptuous peak, it was nonetheless beautifully curved, exquisitely proportioned, perfectly balanced between slim and full.

The young lady stood sweetly at the doorway. As a light breeze lifted her sleeves, she became an apparition that seemed impossible in the mortal realm under the rising morning sun. Her beautiful eyes looked toward Jun Mo Xie, seemingly intentionally, yet casually, embodying all the thousand charms of a girl in the prime of her youth—the most captivating landscape in the world.

Even Jun Mo Xie, whose composure could withstand a mountain collapsing before him without his color changing, couldn't help but lose himself for a fleeting moment.

“What are you looking at? Never seen a beautiful woman before?” Du Gu Ying grumbled unhappily. His powerful frame stepped forward, completely blocking Jun Mo Xie’s line of sight, as if two more glances might cause his little sister to vanish entirely…

“Oh, so the Du Gu brothers have arrived as well. Shall we have another drink? I have some truly fine wine!” Jun Mo Xie said, shielding his eyes.

Du Gu Ying instantly glared with bull-like eyes. “What drink? Getting cheated is a one-time affair. I’m warning you, kid, behave yourself this time, don’t look for trouble! Hmph!” He let out a heavy snort, his expression profoundly strange.

It turned out that after Du Gu Xiao Yi returned home the previous night, she was naturally worried about her seven brothers who, according to Ye Gu Han, had been subdued by Jun Mo Xie. She rushed over to check on them. Upon entering, she found the seven burly men squatting around the dining table, slurping congee. A massive pot, too large even for feeding a bear, was already turned upside down…

This wasn't entirely their fault for being gluttons; it was because the alcohol from Jun Mo Xie had nearly scorched their stomachs. For days, they couldn't eat anything difficult to digest, not even anything slightly oily. These men, who normally lived for meat and thrived on strong drink, were already lamenting their fate, starving.

For such strapping figures, having to subsist on nothing but congee three meals a day… the mere thought was terrifying.

“Ah? What exactly did Jun Mo Xie do to torture you? Why have you all lost so much weight? We haven’t seen each other for just a few days!” Du Gu Xiao Yi cried out, heartbroken when she saw her seven brothers looking visibly thinner, feeling utterly shocked.

But her innocent question immediately provoked resentment from the seven strong men. The heroes surged forward, each feeling disgruntled: What? What do you mean ‘tortured by Jun Mo Xie’? That brat could torture us? What a joke! Back then, we were the ones who subdued that boy. If we hadn’t gotten greedy and had a few cups afterward, none of this would have happened—though that wine was truly exceptional! “Pah! That brat Jun Mo Xie? Hmph hmph, I took him down with a single slap from your Third Brother that day! Look at his tiny frame, torturing us? Hahahaha, Little Yi, are you joking? You want to stand up for us? You might as well stand up for that brat!” Du Gu Hao grinned widely.

“Exactly! Sixth Brother even stomped that brat! He let out a yelp of pain, and Sixth Brother just kept kicking him fiercely! If it weren’t for respecting Old Master Jun, Sixth Brother wouldn’t have spared him! Heh heh heh…” Du Gu Shang shamelessly tilted his head back, bragging.

“But I heard that Jun Mo Xie knocked all of you down? The person who told me this news was an absolute master expert!” None of the seven brothers noticed that their precious little sister’s brow was beginning to furrow: So, he endured all this suffering for me, and he never said a word? And I just scolded him earlier…

“With Jun Mo Xie’s skill, how could he possibly take down seven of us? That’s a rumor, plain and simple!” Du Gu Xiong declared brazenly, rising to his feet, rolling up his sleeves to expose his thick, hairy arm. With a tense flex, his muscles knotted instantly. “Little Yi, you actually believe such a rumor? It must be that brat Jun Mo Wu who got beaten up by us brothers and, unwilling to accept it, is spreading these lies to comfort himself!”

“That’s right, that’s right! That rumor spreads too easily; three people make a tiger! That day, not only did we beat up Jun Mo Wu soundly, but we nearly demolished the entire Jun family manor! If it weren’t for those few jars…” Du Gu Jie began, but Du Gu Chong quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.

The seven brothers embellished their story with great gusto. The more they blew, the more they convinced themselves that the tale should be true. They grew increasingly proud, until they were lost in the fog of their own lies, as if the Young Master Jun had truly been beaten up by them…

“He didn’t do anything to me at all… You, you, you actually treated him like that… His body is so frail, how could he bear it? How could you do such a thing!” Du Gu Xiao Yi grew angrier the more she listened, her heart aching more and more. Suddenly, she burst into tears, sobbing, “How could you bear it… Wuuuu…”

They over-bragged! The seven brothers exchanged bewildered glances; the expressions on their seven rough faces all conveyed the same four words.

What kind of mess is this? We were sweating bullets, couldn’t they let us enjoy the bragging session without interruption?! Du Gu Xiao Yi stamped her foot while sobbing, “You… you are too cruel… Wuuu… I, I will never speak to you again… I hate you… Wuuu…” With that, she suddenly spun around and ran off in tears.

“What just happened?” Du Gu Ying looked at his younger brothers, completely baffled.

“We don’t know,” the remaining six replied, equally confused, all shaking their heads—six heads swaying uniformly first left, then right.

Following this, the great General Du Gu Wu Di, seeing his daughter run off crying, angered by his sons and nephews, immediately felt his own temper flare. He kicked the door open aggressively, seized the seven brothers, and proceeded to beat them soundly again…

As for the news that Du Gu Xiao Yi was going to the Jun residence today, the entire Du Gu clan was vehemently opposed! This was a joke—they should be trying to keep those two apart, and now she was willingly walking into the lion's den? Preposterous! Thus, Du Gu Xiao Yi deployed her peerless art of coquetry: a flurry of playful wriggling, intermittent, pitiful whimpers, and a steady stream of dripping tears. In moments, three generations of the Du Gu family surrendered completely…

However, they imposed one condition: she could go, but she absolutely must be accompanied by her entire entourage—the seven brothers. And so, Du Gu Xiao Yi’s solo outing instantly turned into a massive procession, the momentum truly formidable! Whoosh! Little Bai Bai shot out first, landing on the ground, shaking its white fur. It turned, looked at Du Gu Ying with an unfriendly expression, let out two fierce whines, and then proceeded with its unfinished business. With a swish, it dove straight into Jun Mo Xie’s embrace, extending a paw as if seeking praise, letting out two small whines before settling down contentedly.

Even though the little creature was merely a cub of a Xuan Beast, utterly undeveloped and barely showing any signs of maturing, the inherent pride belonging to a high-level Xuan Beast was entirely present.

That brute dared to block the path between me and the Big Good Man! Unbearable! If I weren’t still young, I’d bite his wretched appendage off! Let this brute know my might! Jun Mo Wu hugged Little Bai Bai affectionately, reached out to usher guests in, and then eagerly called for tea, treating everyone diligently. This was the first time he had willingly held the little creature. The little thing seemed exceptionally excited, scrambling and crawling in his arms, sniffing here, smelling there—busily occupied.

Jun Mo Xie watched Du Gu Xiao Yi with a smile. “Miss Du Gu, you are truly beautiful today; you’ve quite dazzled my eyes.”

Du Gu Xiao Yi’s face instantly lit up, and she let out a delicate, jealous snort. “And you know what beautiful is? Hmph, I thought you hadn’t even noticed.” But inwardly, she was thinking: Why is he calling me Miss Du Gu? It sounds so distant. Why doesn’t he call me Little Girl anymore! That sounded so much better! Jun Mo Wu hurriedly laughed to smooth things over, “No, no, of course not.” But internally, he was circulating his divine technique at full power, simultaneously sinking his spiritual consciousness into his Sea of Thought. Steel-hearted, his consciousness shot out like a sharp arrow, piercing into the Hongjun Pagoda! With Little Bai Bai in hand, he naturally had to test it out.

This was the first time Jun Mo Xie had forcibly activated the Hongjun Pagoda with his own spiritual consciousness when it hadn't risen actively on its own! Boom! His consciousness pierced into the Hongjun Pagoda! The Hongjun Pagoda lifted into the air unprecedentedly suddenly, spinning at high speed. The seven-colored light emanating from it was almost ten times more intense than anything previously emitted. The dense spiritual energy poured out like something tangible, surging forth crazily… (To be continued)