Chapter 139: Another Peacock that thinks it’s a lion.

Lost in thought, they walked out of the passage—only to be stopped by a group of people.

Liu Tao and his companions.

They had clearly been waiting.

“So you’re finally out,” Liu Tao said lazily, his gaze sweeping over the group. When his eyes landed on Mu Xianling and the other women, they lit up with unhidden greed. “I thought they looked good from afar. Up close… even better.”

Ryan frowned immediately. “Who are you?”

He had ignored Liu Tao earlier without a second thought, never expecting the man to wait here just to cause trouble.

Some people were like that. You didn’t bother stepping on them, yet they insisted on crawling up to bite your ankle.

“Who am I? That’s a good question.” Hearing Ryan’s calm inquiry, Liu Tao curled his lips into a smug smile, straightened his back, and lifted his chin. “When it comes to my identity, it might frighten you. I am—”

Before he could finish, Ryan cut in flatly. “No need. I already know. Just answer me this. Are you trying to stop us?”

The interruption left Liu Tao stunned.

Through the Sky Eye Technique, Ryan had already seen everything worth knowing. Liu Tao was merely a one-star Exalt. Among ordinary candidates, such strength could be considered impressive. In front of Ryan, however, it was nothing more than a flickering candle before a blazing sun.

Ryan didn’t even bother hiding his indifference.

“What?” Liu Tao stared. “No need to say it?”

The words he had carefully prepared were choked off in his throat, leaving him feeling as if someone had poured cold water over his head. He had been ready to flaunt his background, his ranking, his reputation—everything meant to dazzle the women behind Ryan.

And now this nobody told him to stop?

It felt like being pushed onto the stage, only to have the curtains slammed shut mid-performance.

Anger surged.

“Stop you?” Liu Tao sneered coldly. “Earlier, when we spoke to you, you acted deaf and blind and walked straight into the Kai Ling Hall. You treated us like air. What, do you think we don’t exist?”

“That’s right!” Qian Xiaoliu immediately chimed in, puffing out his chest. “Brother Tao asked you something, and you just left. Do you really think you can ignore us like that?”

Their tone was aggressive, openly provocative.

Before Ryan could respond, Wang Bi’er frowned and stepped forward. “You’re being unreasonable. We don’t know you, and we’re not related to you in any way. Why should we answer your questions? And whether we go to the Kai Ling Hall or not has nothing to do with you.”

“Oh?” Liu Tao’s gaze slid toward her, his eyes narrowing as a grin crept onto his face. “This little lady has some bite. I like that.”

His eyes lingered far too openly, making Wang Bi’er instinctively recoil. She crossed her arms and stepped back behind Ryan, anger flashing in her eyes.

“You!”

Mu Xianling let out a cold snort, her expression darkening. She could tolerate many things, but not this.

Even though she saw Wang Bi’er as a rival in her heart, that didn’t mean she could stand by and watch such behavior.

“Oh?” Liu Tao laughed, turning his attention to Mu Xianling instead. “There’s an even better one here. Cold and proud. That’s more to my taste.”

His gaze swept over her without restraint, as though appraising an object rather than a person.

The fire in his chest flared instantly.

“Xiaoliu,” Liu Tao said lazily, “tell me. Which one do you think is pretrank?”

Without hesitation, Qian Xiaoliu glanced at Mu Xianling. “This one.”

“Good taste,” Liu Tao chuckled. “Exactly the same as mine.”

Mu Xianling’s face turned ice-cold. “If you don’t want trouble, take your filthy eyes elsewhere. Otherwise, I’ll dig them out.”

“Hahaha!”

Liu Tao burst out laughing and turned to his companions. “Did you hear that? She says she’ll dig out my eyes.”

The others followed suit, laughing loudly.

Qian Xiaoliu wiped tears from the corners of his eyes and sneered. “That’s the funniest joke I’ve heard all day. You’re from the North District, right? The weakest region, and you still dare to speak so boldly?”

He pointed proudly at Liu Tao. “Do you know who you’re threatening? This is Liu Tao, fifth place in the Eastern District qualification exam, a one-star Exalt. If you want to dig his eyes out, you’d better have the strength to back it up.”

“And don’t forget,” he added coldly, “the Outer House forbids private fighting. If you want to fight, go to Yanwutai. Do you dare?”

This was exactly what they wanted.

From the start, Liu Tao and Qian Xiaoliu had planned to provoke them, then lure them to Yanwutai under the excuse of rules and pride. Once there, they would crush the North District candidates, proving superiority and humiliating them in front of everyone.

It was an old routine.

Suppressing North District candidates had long been an unspoken tradition among the other three regions.

And this time, there were four exceptionally eye-catching women involved. Liu Tao’s intentions were far from pure. In his mind, after displaying overwhelming strength, a little intimidation might be all it took to make them submit.

“Look at how fierce you are,” Liu Tao said mockingly. “Dig my eyes out? With your strength? If that’s too much effort, you could always kneel down obediently. That’d be easier.”

“You—!”

Mu Xianling trembled with anger.

But when she heard that Liu Tao was a one-star Exalt, she forcibly suppressed the urge to act. She knew very well that her current strength was no match for him.

No matter how furious she felt, charging in blindly would only bring humiliation.

And Liu Tao, seeing her restraint, smiled even wider, convinced that fear had already taken root.

Mu Xianling felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness. She had always been sharp-tongued and fierce, never afraid to clash head-on with others, yet at this moment she painfully realized that toughness without strength was little more than empty bravado.

Faced with such blatant provocation, all she could do was endure. Along with the anger came a deep sense of grievance that pressed against her chest.

Almost unconsciously, her eyes drifted toward Ryan. Seeing that he still hadn’t stepped forward, her heart sank even further, and resentment quietly bubbled up.

“So useless… Ryan is really useless,” she grumbled inwardly. “Someone’s bullying us this badly, and he still doesn’t move.”

Without realizing it, she had already placed herself among “his people.”

Of course, these thoughts stayed locked in her heart. Ryan heard none of it.

“This is going too far,” Li Baijie said coldly, finally unable to remain silent. “We may all become disciples of Western Mansion in the future. Is there really a need to be so aggressive? And the way you’re speaking, isn’t it disrespectful to women?”

“Sister Xianling, don’t listen to him,” Li Shu added softly, stepping closer to Mu Xianling with a gentle expression. “He’s obviously not a decent person. Let’s just ignore him.”

That simple gesture of support made Mu Xianling’s heart warm slightly, and her fondness for Li Shu grew.

“Disrespectful?” Liu Tao laughed, his smile crooked and irritating. “On the contrary, I respect women very much. I’m just thinking on your behalf. Fighting and arguing is tiring. Wouldn’t it be better to find a good husband and live comfortably instead?”

“You—!”

Li Baijie was so angry she nearly choked on her words. The man before her was shameless beyond belief.

“Enough, Sister Bai,” Mu Xianling said through clenched teeth. Her eyes hardened as she took a step forward. “I’ll handle this.”

She turned directly to Liu Tao. “I accept your challenge. Let’s go to the Martial Arena.”

Her voice was resolute, leaving no room for retreat. She knew she was no match for him, but some insults could not be swallowed. If she backed down now, they would only grow bolder.

At that moment, Wang Bi’er leaned closer to Ryan and whispered, “Brother Li, Sister Xianling is already challenging him. Aren’t you going to do something?”

“There’s no point wasting time on trash like this,” Ryan replied calmly. “It’s meaningless.”

In his eyes, fighting Liu Tao brought no benefit at all. He couldn’t kill him here, couldn’t gain anything from it, and it would only waste time better spent elsewhere.

Still, that didn’t mean he would allow Mu Xianling to step forward alone.

Ryan moved, stepping beside her and pulling her back with one hand.

“What—?” Mu Xianling looked at him in surprise.

“Have you forgotten your position?” Ryan said coolly. “Without my permission, you don’t accept challenges. If you want to fight, you ask me first.”

Mu Xianling froze. Feeling his unwavering gaze, she swallowed her frustration and nodded weakly. “I… understand.”

Ryan gave a small nod, satisfied, then turned to Liu Tao. “Leave. We’re not fighting you. Don’t waste our time.”

“Scared?” Liu Tao sneered loudly. “Hiding behind women and refusing to fight? How pathetic. I really don’t know why these women would follow someone like you. If I were one of them, I’d never associate with such a coward.”

That jab struck close.

Ryan frowned slightly. He hadn’t intended to escalate things, but Liu Tao clearly had no intention of backing down.

Before Ryan could decide, Wang Bi’er spoke again, her voice low but firm. “Brother Li, we were planning to visit the Martial Arena anyway. You might as well teach him a lesson. I really can’t stand him anymore.”

“The Martial Arena?” Ryan raised an eyebrow. “Is there really anything worth seeing there?”

“Of course!” Wang Bi’er nodded eagerly. “Each of the Eight Outer Palaces has its own Martial Arena. They’re connected by special formations, allowing disciples from different palaces to duel remotely. There’s also a ranking board there. The higher your rank, the greater your status. It’s a symbol of strength and honor.”

Ryan’s interest was instantly piqued. “That does sound worth a look.”

After a brief pause, he lifted his head and said to Liu Tao calmly, “Fine. Since you insist on fighting, I’ll indulge you.”

His tone was steady, almost casual, as if agreeing to something trivial.

“Heh. Going at last?” Liu Tao laughed, delight flashing across his face.

The provocation had worked.

In his mind, the scene of crushing Ryan at the Martial Arena and basking in admiration was already playing out.

“Let’s go,” he said smugly, turning around.

Behind him, Qian Xiaoliu and the others exchanged satisfied smiles, convinced that the outcome was already decided.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep