But after seeing it so many times, Miao Feiping simply couldn't bear it any longer. Yet he couldn't reveal himself either, so he gave money to someone nearby and asked them to buy things and deliver them to her.
The little girl ate with tremendous delight.
When night fell, the little girl had nowhere to sleep. She simply found an alley somewhere in the city and curled up for the night. Every time, Miao Feiping secretly intervened to shield her from the cold.
Miao Feiping had assumed his days would continue on like this in quiet monotony, never expecting that misfortune would arrive without warning.
The little girl's rattle drum had actually been snatched away!
Had it been merely an ordinary child's toy, no one would have paid any mind. The critical issue was that the material used to make the rattle drum was no ordinary object — it was a piece of precious Canglan Wood.
After all, this was a toy made for the Supreme Elder's descendant. That Elder from Seven Stars Workshop had put considerable care into crafting it, and having a suitable piece of Canglan Wood on hand at the time, he had decided to use it.
This material was extraordinarily rare — it could be used to refine Emperor Treasures, and across the entire Void World, it was hardly common. Its value was practically immeasurable.
A handful of warriors with modest cultivation spotted the rattle drum in the little girl's hands and noticed it seemed extraordinary. They tossed her some money — half purchase, half robbery — and seized the drum from her grasp.
These warriors had low cultivation and likely couldn't identify Canglan Wood by name. They simply knew the drum's material was unusual and might have some significant use.
Having lost her rattle drum, the little girl looked utterly devastated, tears swirling in her eyes. She wanted to snatch her toy back, but how could a seven- or eight-year-old girl catch up to those warriors? In the blink of an eye, they had vanished from sight.
The little girl fell to the ground, covered in dust, and burst into wailing sobs. Her grief was beyond description.
Miao Feiping burned with fury. He cornered those men in an alley, beat them soundly, and reclaimed the rattle drum. Then he found the little girl crying silently in some secluded spot and quietly returned the drum to her.
Only when he saw the little girl's smile bloom once more did Miao Feiping finally breathe a sigh of relief.
He had assumed the matter would end there, but it turned out to be merely the beginning. Among those warriors he had thrashed, one happened to be the offspring of the Purple Phoenix Palace's Vice Palace Master. The Vice Palace Master's child had been beaten in Purple Phoenix City — how could such a thing stand?
Numerous Purple Phoenix Palace warriors swarmed the city in search of the assailant, and it wasn't long before they tracked down Miao Feiping. The two sides naturally clashed again, but Miao Feiping was a Third-Order Emperor realm powerhouse — how could these shrimp and small fry possibly stand against him? They were taught another lesson they wouldn't soon forget.
Word traveled back, and the higher-ups of Purple Phoenix Palace seethed with rage. They dispatched all their experts, and the entirety of Purple Phoenix City was suddenly swept up in churning undercurrents.
After suffering several losses, Purple Phoenix Palace finally identified the troublemaker — it was Miao Feiping of Seven Stars Workshop!
This revelation shocked Purple Phoenix Palace considerably. After all, in the current Void Continent, Seven Stars Workshop was the most powerful Sect. Not only did it boast the greatest number of Emperor realm cultivators, it also had a Supreme Elder who was a divine dragon that showed its head but never its tail — completely unpredictable.
It was said that the Supreme Elder's strength had already surpassed the Emperor realm entirely. As for his exact cultivation, no one knew.
Purple Phoenix Palace and Seven Stars Workshop had some minor dealings, but given the vast distance between them, there was no great relationship to speak of. What baffled the higher-ups was why Miao Feiping, a Third-Order Emperor realm Elder, had silently appeared in Purple Phoenix City and attacked numerous Palace disciples without any apparent reason.
The Vice Palace Master of Purple Phoenix Palace personally sought out Miao Feiping to get to the bottom of things. Only then did the truth come to light — it turned out that their own offspring had been extorting a mortal little girl, which had provoked Miao Feiping to intervene.
The Vice Palace Master was furious, though he acknowledged the poor upbringing on his side. Nevertheless, many Purple Phoenix Palace disciples had been injured in the course of these events. No matter what, he needed Miao Feiping to provide some form of explanation — otherwise, Purple Phoenix Palace would lose all face.
But what explanation would Miao Feiping ever give them? The Supreme Elder's descendant had been bullied, and he hadn't even killed those responsible — that was already showing immense restraint. What further explanation could they possibly demand?
The two could not reach any agreement, and tempers flared in their exchange. In the end, they came to blows.
The Vice Palace Master of Purple Phoenix Palace was utterly defeated! He was even injured in the process, fleeing Purple Phoenix City in a wretched state.
Having their disciples beaten was one thing, but now even the Vice Palace Master had been injured? How could Purple Phoenix Palace endure such humiliation? They immediately dispatched several Emperor realm cultivators to reclaim their honor from Miao Feiping.
News quickly reached Seven Stars Workshop. Upon learning that Miao Feiping had run into trouble at Purple Phoenix City, Seven Stars Workshop did not dare delay. Shangguan Ji personally led several Emperor realm Elders to provide backup.
By the time Shangguan Ji and the others arrived, Miao Feiping had already crossed swords with Purple Phoenix Palace's Emperor realm cultivators multiple times. Purple Phoenix Palace had initially assumed that despite being a Third-Order Emperor, Miao Feiping was alone and would struggle against many opponents. Yet after several exchanges, they discovered that this Third-Order Emperor was quite different from what they had understood.
His strength had already transcended the boundaries of the Emperor realm. Even fighting alone against multiple opponents, he never once found himself at a disadvantage. After several rounds of combat, Purple Phoenix Palace had been unable to do a thing against him.
Once Shangguan Ji and the others arrived as reinforcements, Purple Phoenix Palace dared not act rashly at all.
And upon hearing that even Shangguan Ji had made an appearance, the Palace Master of Purple Phoenix Palace could no longer remain seated. Regardless of everything else, the reputation of the Void World's foremost Sect was right there — Purple Phoenix Palace could not afford to take it lightly.
The Palace Master of Purple Phoenix Palace personally received Shangguan Ji, and the two sides conferred at length. On the surface, the atmosphere was calm and civil. Purple Phoenix Palace had no other demands — they only wanted Miao Feiping to come forward and apologize, after which the matter would be laid to rest. Having witnessed Miao Feiping's strength firsthand, Purple Phoenix Palace had come to realize that Seven Stars Workshop's Emperor realm cultivators could not be judged by conventional standards. A single Miao Feiping had already left them in a desperate bind, and now that Shangguan Ji and the others had arrived, a real fight would surely leave Purple Phoenix Palace on the losing end.
To say nothing of the fact that Seven Stars Workshop still had that elusive Supreme Elder who never showed himself.
So many disciples had been beaten, yet all they asked for was a single apology. In Purple Phoenix Palace's eyes, this was already a tremendous concession.