"You little beast, you're asking for death..."
With Hu Sixi's furious roar, a black beam of light shot towards me, carrying his rage. Its overwhelming power could have destroyed a mountain.
I merely sneered inwardly. I had been prepared before striking Hu Yuan. While Bai Ling'er's future development was immense, her current strength was still lacking, especially against an ancient entity that had transformed countless times. Unless they were locked in a life-or-death struggle, I didn't want Bai Ling'er to perish. Thus, striking Hu Yuan was merely to distract Hu Sixi. I hadn't expected this old fellow to completely disregard his senior status and attack me directly.
"You little bastard, you deserve this."
I landed a few punches on Hu Yuan's face, then ducked and hid behind him, forcing Hu Yuan to face Hu Sixi's formidable attack.
"Despicable..."
As expected, Hu Sixi's attack softened, striking a nearby small mountain. A lush green peak was instantly covered in frost, and the trees and rocks turned to dust with a gust of wind.
"Old man, how dare you attack an ordinary person?" Bai Ling'er's face darkened like the bottom of a pot as she roared at Hu Sixi.
"Ordinary person? How can Zhang Danian's disciple be ordinary? If he were ordinary, how could he have used him as a shield?" Hu Sixi's face was even darker than Bai Ling'er's, his blood-red eyes almost spitting fire. However, even if he could spit fire, he couldn't do anything to me, because Hu Yuan, the current young master of the Hu family, was still in my hands.
"Kid, release the young master, and I can spare your life. Otherwise, I'll make you wish you were dead."
Hu Sixi no longer had the desire to contend with Bai Ling'er. His gaze shifted to me. His long, fiery red hair, whether from anger or the mountain wind, billowed around him, exuding an aura that could shake the soul like a nocturnal demon.
"Release him? On what grounds? Because you're covered in fur, like a giant red ape?"
How could I let go of my bargaining chip? While taunting Hu Sixi, I slapped Hu Yuan across the face a few times.
This beast was not human. He clearly wanted to kill Chen Yun, but couldn't due to family reasons, so he took his anger out on me. If I hadn't had a powerful bodyguard like Bai Ling'er, I would have been dead by now.
Bai Ling'er's expression was also grim, knowing she couldn't defeat Hu Sixi. She had always been a dominant force in the south, and even in the north, she hadn't encountered an opponent. Yet, a sudden old man appeared. Not only did she fail to defeat him, but her host was almost killed. The frustration was imaginable.
"You old bastard, I'll eat him right now. Let's see what you can do then."
Before Bai Ling'er could finish speaking, she grabbed Hu Yuan and lifted him into the air. The pretty young girl's head instantly transformed into that of a giant white python, and she lunged to bite Hu Yuan's head.
Her action completely caught me off guard. I hadn't even reacted before Bai Ling'er moved. Her speed was astonishing; from grabbing him to swallowing, it all happened in the blink of an eye, far beyond normal human reaction speed.
"Ling'er, no..."
What a joke! If Bai Ling'er really ate Hu Yuan, let alone the Hu family's reaction, the karma she would incur would be enough to make her future attempts to reach the Ghost Emperor realm a pipe dream.
"No..."
The same words came from Hu Sixi's mouth. His entire body ignited with red flames, and using some secret technique, he instantly appeared before Bai Ling'er. However, fearing Bai Ling'er would actually bite, he stopped about a meter away, looking at her with utter terror.
Bai Ling'er stopped her mouth and transformed back into the young beauty. However, a foul stench filled the air. I instinctively looked at Hu Yuan's pants, noticing an unusual color in both pant legs. The foul odor was coming from him. He had been so terrified by Bai Ling'er that he had soiled himself.
"Little snake, release the young master, and I can let bygones be bygones," Hu Sixi gritted out, looking at Bai Ling'er. His face was contorted with rage, as if he wanted to devour her.
"Little snake? You old weasel, you think you can say whatever you want? Why should I listen to you?" Bai Ling'er retorted defiantly, her small mouth occasionally morphing into a snake's maw, flickering near Hu Yuan's neck.
Hu Yuan yelped in terror, constantly calling for his third grandfather to save him. The smell mixed with the stench almost made me faint. This guy was too much of a coward! Bai Ling'er's scare had made him wet and soil himself.
"Alright... alright... young lady, since you've transformed, you should know that in the north, there's nothing the Hu family can't accomplish, and no one dares to offend the Hu family. I admit defeat today. Release the young master, and we'll forget our past grievances. What do you say?" The usually overbearing Hu Sixi actually softened, which surprised me. I really wanted Bai Ling'er to let it go, but it wasn't my place to speak. I couldn't interfere in the disputes of powerful figures. Moreover, Bai Ling'er and I could communicate telepathically, so she knew my thoughts.
"What about Huang San? What did you do to him?" Bai Ling'er asked, sensing my thoughts.
"Huang San? That weasel?" Hu Sixi's expression stiffened, seemingly surprised that Bai Ling'er would ask about him.
Seeing his conflicted expression, I had a bad premonition. Had this guy killed Huang San?
"What did you do to Huang San?" I couldn't help but ask, disregarding the fact that it wasn't my turn to speak.
Hu Sixi turned his gaze to me, frowning with disgust. "To slay a dragon, you need the ability to slay a dragon. If you don't have that ability, be a turtle and stay put. Don't always think you can conquer the world with a few tricks..."
After being reprimanded by Hu Sixi, just as my face was about to darken, he said that Huang San had been captured by the great demon. He had passed out three li to the east, but the Tiger Kui Seal had been recovered, preventing the great demon from controlling the Yin-Yang Realm. As he spoke, he flashed the recovered Tiger Kui Seal before my eyes and quickly put it away, as if afraid I would threaten him with Hu Yuan to get it back.
Looking at the fleeting Tiger Kui Seal, I feigned greediness, but secretly rejoiced. This thing was finally out of my hands. As long as it wasn't with me, whoever wanted to snatch it could have it; it was a hot potato.
"Ten million. Give me ten million, and I'll give you Hu Yuan. Otherwise, you can prepare to collect a corpse."
"You little bastard, go and rob someone then. Ten million? Do you think the Hu family is a bank?"
"You won't give it? Fine! This little beast wanted to kill me, so don't blame me for retaliating." I curled my lips and said to Bai Ling'er, "Ling'er, seize his soul and hand him over to Bull Head and Horse Face. Let's see how much sin this guy has committed. He even calls his own sister a bitch, so he's definitely not a good person."
Since Bai Ling'er realized she couldn't defeat Hu Sixi, she had been using Hu Yuan as a shield. Although she was displeased with my orders, we were in the same boat now. With a slight opening of her mouth, Hu Yuan's terrified soul flickered within his body.
"I'll give it, don't do anything..."