A thunderous boom erupted from behind her — Zhao Ya had already exchanged a blow with Hu Xun. Seeing Zhao Yebai captured, she had rushed to rescue him, but Hu Xun had been on guard the entire time. How could he let her have her way?
Blocking Zhao Ya's attack, Hu Xun said, "If you cooperate, Zhao Yebai will remain perfectly safe. But if you resist, I can't guarantee whether that brat lives or dies."
"If so much as a single hair falls from Brother Yebai's head, I'll tear you to pieces!" Zhao Ya's eyes glinted with killing frost.
Hu Xun snorted angrily, "Why do you care about that waste? When I was his age, I was already in the Zhenyuan Realm. And him? Barely at the Qi Movement stage. In this world, only I am worthy of spending my life with you."
"Like you deserve that?" Zhao Ya sneered without end. Her slender hand grasped at empty air, and a silver spear materialized in her palm, leveled at Hu Xun. "Have Xu Hao bring Brother Yebai back, and I may spare your life!"
Hu Xun let out a faint sigh. "Stubborn to the end, are you? Then don't blame me for not being gentle with a fair lady."
Outside the courtyard, Zhao Yebai sighed as well. "Why must it come to this?"
After Xu Hao had dragged him out, he'd simply been set aside — not restrained in any way. With Xu Hao's cultivation at the Zhenyuan Realm, there was no chance Zhao Yebai could make any trouble in front of him.
Listening to the sounds of combat from within the courtyard, feeling the bursts of energy, Xu Hao felt a twinge of unease. After all, in just a few more moments, that breathtakingly beautiful young woman would become Senior Brother Hu's woman!
He glanced over and saw Zhao Yebai standing there looking perfectly at ease. Frowning, he asked, "Aren't you worried about Zhao Ya?"
Zhao Yebai blinked blankly. "What is there to worry about?"
This trip out for training, the two of them hadn't just brought medicinal pills and healing elixirs from Qingyu Peak — they'd also brought two sets of treasure armor.
That armor had been a gift Zhao Ya received at the Seven Star Market's disciple recruitment event all those years ago. Yang Kai had taken it at the time, saying he'd keep it safe for her.
It wasn't until they recently descended the mountain that he'd handed it back to her.
But along the way, neither Zhao Yebai nor Zhao Ya had any intention of wearing them. This training expedition was about relying on their own abilities, not outside help.
A few days ago, Zhao Ya had been wounded by someone, and the injury hadn't fully healed yet. Fearing another accident, Zhao Yebai had insisted she put on her treasure armor.
Zhao Ya always listened to whatever Zhao Yebai said.
That treasure armor had been forged by a Dao Origin Realm Elder of the Seven Star Market. At the Zhenyuan Realm level, it was extraordinarily valuable — wearing it provided formidable defensive power. Not to mention that Hu Xun was merely at the Shenyou Realm, even if he were one tier higher at the Transcendent-to-Saint stage, he might not be able to do anything to Zhao Ya.
Only at the Return to Void and Void King Realm level could one hope to breach that armor's protection.
Xu Hao stared at Zhao Yebai in disbelief, thinking: People like this actually exist? His own sister, still recovering from her injuries, was inside fighting a powerful enemy — if she lost, her chastity would surely be compromised — and he wasn't the least bit worried?
Suddenly a look of concern crossed Zhao Yebai's face. "Xiaoya's wounds haven't fully healed yet. All this fighting is liable to reopen them."
"You're only worried about that?" Xu Hao felt like something was wrong with this guy's head. He couldn't see how serious the situation was.
Zhao Yebai thought it over carefully, then said with even more worry, "Xiaoya has quite a violent streak. I hope she doesn't end up killing Senior Brother Hu."
Xu Hao immediately lost all desire to speak with him.
Just then, Xu Liangcai and Zhen Xuemei came hurrying over. Xu Liangcai looked alarmed. "Hao'er, what happened?"
A moment ago, Zhen Xuemei had gone looking for him, and Xu Liangcai had been equally confused. The couple still hadn't figured out what their son was up to when they heard the sounds of fighting nearby and rushed over to investigate.
Xu Hao's expression was awkward as he blocked the courtyard gate. "It's nothing — Senior Brother Hu just felt like sparring with that young lady."
"Sparing?" Zhen Xuemei's face changed. "Isn't that just reckless? Xiaoya's injuries haven't healed — how can she be sparring with anyone? Hao'er, why didn't you stop them?"
With that, she made to rush inside and put a stop to it.
"Mother!" Xu Hao firmly planted himself in the gate, pressing his lips together as he shook his head at her.
Zhen Xuemei looked at her son's evasive eyes, and her face went pale as paper.
The two people inside were almost certainly not sparring.
Xu Liangcai realized this too, and his brow furrowed.
Hu Xun behaving this way in his home naturally didn't sit well with him, but the man was, after all, his son's senior disciple. Hao'er's future prospects at the Spirit Sea Hall would depend on Hu Xun's goodwill. Displeased as he might be, he couldn't be bothered to intervene.
To him, Zhao Ya and Zhao Yebai were nothing more than strangers who had crossed their path. Whether they lived or died was no concern of his.
"If it's a sparring match, then let them be," Xu Liangcai said, jerking his chin at Zhen Xuemei to signal that she should mind her own business.
But Zhen Xuemei's face was white as a sheet. She grabbed her son's arm. "Hao'er, go stop your Senior Brother Hu right now. Xiaoya just got hurt — she can't be fighting anyone!"
Xu Hao hung his head and said quietly, "Mother, once Senior Brother Hu has decided something, there's nothing I can do to stop him."
"This is between two people — what business is it of yours? Get back inside!" Xu Liangcai reached out to pull Zhen Xuemei away, but she shoved his hand aside.
Her expression twisted with anguish as she looked at Xu Hao. "Hao'er, Xiaoya absolutely cannot be harmed. Mother is begging you — won't you go talk to your senior brother? You're fellow disciples, after all. He should listen to you."
Xu Hao shook his head with a bitter smile. "Mother, you don't know Senior Brother Hu's temperament. Once he's set on something, no one but Master can talk him out of it."