Chapter 302: My Foolish Brother

Fu Xing was shocked.

Mu Zixi was also shocked.

Even Fu Yin Hong herself was completely baffled.

This was some guy who had popped up out of nowhere, calling her... his sister?

No!

She had seen this guy before!

"You're... Xu Xiaoshou?"

Fu Yin Hong suddenly remembered: that day when the black lotus fell from the sky, while she was on a mission, she had run into a Xian Tian practitioner in the back street of Duojin Merchant Guild.

She had too many things to handle in a day and too many people to meet, so it was impossible to recall everything.

But this guy was somewhat distinctive—at least his mouth and that familiar tone instantly jogged her memory.

Xu Xiaoshou just shook his head slightly upon hearing this, withdrew his hand behind his back, took a step back, and lifted his chin.

"No manners at all—don't call me Xu Xiaoshou. You have to call me brother!"

Fu Yin Hong's face turned green in an instant. She felt a vein bulging on her forehead as her anger was instantly ignited.

This kid—after not seeing him for a few days, he'd gotten a lot bolder!

That day, when she had questioned him, he was still trembling in fear, but now, the moment they met...

Calling her sister?

Who gave you the courage to talk to me, the deputy commander, like this?

"I heard that you didn't follow my orders that day and even knocked out the Jin Wei Jun guards?" Fu Yin Hong narrowed her eyes, her gaze turning dangerous.

Truth be told, she hated dealing with official business once she took off her armor.

But if this kid kept spouting nonsense without some punishment, where would that leave her face as Fu Yin Hong, the deputy commander?

Xu Xiaoshou gave her a deep look and decided not to argue about it.

There was no defending this matter—if he said too much, he might end up in confinement.

He turned his head to Fu Xing and asked, "This is your sister, right? You called her earlier, didn't you?"

Fu Xing didn't respond. A vague sense of unease was growing in his heart.

It was supposed to be just a bet, just one punch...

Why, why had it turned into this?

Seeing that Fu Xing stayed silent, Xu Xiaoshou took it as confirmation.

If he didn't strike first and take this girl down, he might be the one getting taken down.

He said calmly, "Since she's your sister, calling her my sister seems perfectly fitting, doesn't it?"

Fu Xing thought to himself that what he said made sense, but he didn't dare say a word.

Fu Yin Hong just stared at her brother in silence, and the silence lingered.

Once she realized he truly had nothing to say, the red-haired woman raised her eyebrows and erupted in fury.

She had no idea what had happened between the two of them, but failing the assessment had already been infuriating enough.

Sure, the earthquake earlier played a part, but that was fate—nothing could be done about it.

Yet, the moment she stepped out of the alchemy room, she was greeted by this Xian Tian weakling who kept calling her "sister."

And he was the same little ant who had defied her orders before!

Sister?

Did he think she had a good temper?

With a sharp clang, she drew her long sword from her ring, startling even Shi Ti.

"Put the sword down at once! Mind your manners!"

The guild master snapped, then quickly added in a milder tone, "This is the Lian Dan Shi Association."

Fu Yin Hong bowed apologetically and slowly sheathed her sword, though surprise and suspicion welled up in her heart.

This Xu Xiaoshou...

When had he gotten involved with Guild Master Shi Ti?

From the concerned tone in his voice, and the fact that the guild master had personally brought him here...

And...

Since when had her older brother tolerated a mere Xian Tian running wild over him?

"Xu Xiaoshou, what exactly do you mean by this?"

Seeing that the girl had calmed down, Xu Xiaoshou thought to himself that this made things easier.

He looked at Fu Xing: "You explain it, little brother."

Little brother...

Fu Xing nearly choked on his own blood.

He swore that if he could live his life over, he would never get involved in any so-called hero-saving-the-beauty nonsense.

And he definitely wouldn't make such an embarrassing bet with Xu Xiaoshou.

Even giving the kid a million Ling Jing would be better than this stupid wager!

The way things had unfolded was completely different from the scenarios in his mind—it was more like the complete opposite!

He covered his face in shame. How had everything ended up like this?

"Fu Xing!"

Fu Yin Hong urged him loudly.

Their commotion at the entrance of the alchemy room had already drawn a crowd. Drawing a sword here had the old Lian Dan Shi masters trembling with fear.

Not everyone could maintain the same level in alchemy and cultivation—people like Elder Sang and Shi Ti were rare.

Fu Xing thought to himself that this was bad—if they waited any longer, more people would gather.

He stammered, "Well... it's nothing much, really. Just a gambling match... that's it!"

"What kind of gambling match? With this guy?"

Fu Yin Hong could hardly believe that her older brother would do something so bullying. She exclaimed in shock, "With your cultivation, why go after someone weaker like that? You..."

She stopped mid-sentence.

Wait a minute.

If Fu Xing had won, there was no way things would be this awkward, and he wouldn't be acting so evasive.

"You lost?" Her voice rose sharply.

Fu Xing's face turned green. So many people were watching!

Give your brother some face, will you?

He didn't have much left as it was!

"Shh!"

He quickly shushed her. "How about we talk inside the alchemy room?"

"Right now, this instant, tell me everything!"

Fu Yin Hong was furious. You lost, fine, but why drag me into it?

Sister?

Just thinking about that word made her chest heave with anger.

This Xu Xiaoshou was infuriating! That day in the back street, she hadn't locked him up, and now he was finding new ways to get on top of her?

Fu Xing said with a mournful face, "It's really nothing. Just a bet on one punch, that's all. We were just joking around, right? Losing just means calling someone brother..."

He completely gave up, turned to Xu Xiaoshou, and bowed his head.

"Brother!"

"I called you brother, okay? Let's just drop this whole thing..."

Xu Xiaoshou was originally satisfied, but when he heard the last part, he immediately pushed his hand out to stop Fu Xing from continuing.

"What did you say?"

Fu Xing thought he was up to his tricks again and didn't give him a chance to say "I didn't hear you, speak up"—instead, he roared at the top of his lungs:

"Brother!!!"

His voice was so loud it startled the sparrows outside the window, and everyone in the hall heard it, leaving them all stunned.

The young master of the city lord's mansion, Fu Xing, calling a Xian Tian his brother?

"Received suspicion, passive value: 36."

"Received admiration, passive value: 22."

Xu Xiaoshou winced and leaned back, covering his ears. "Why are you yelling so loud? I'm not deaf!"

"What I meant was, what was the sentence before that?"

Fu Xing: "..."

He thought back and ventured, "Let's just drop this whole thing?"

"The one before that!"

Fu Xing had no idea what he was up to, but as a Ling Lian Shi, his memory was sharp. He immediately recalled and recited word for word:

"It's really nothing. Just a bet on one punch, that's all. We were just joking around..."

"Stop!"

Xu Xiaoshou suddenly raised his hand to halt him.

Fu Xing hit the brakes, a bad feeling rising in his chest. "So?"

"Joking around..."

Xu Xiaoshou muttered to himself, then shook his head and extended a finger to press against Fu Xing's forehead.

"My foolish little brother, did you really think I was joking with you?"

"A bet's a bet! You're my little brother now, and that's final!"