Chapter 681: Xiao Wanfeng's Repeated Wavering, Mu Xiaogong's Flirtatious Ways

“Who are you?” Luo Yin was stunned for several seconds before finally retorting.

“Xiao Wanfeng.”

Xiao Wanfeng answered very seriously.

Without questioning the order of who asked first, he followed up after replying by asking again, “So, who are you?”

“Luo Yin.”

“Oh.”

Xiao Wanfeng seemed to be checking off a task as he heard the very familiar name, confirming in his heart that this was indeed one of the strong candidates for the champion, as indicated in the information brought by Yao Yue girl in the VIP box.

Then, he paused briefly, a look of conflict flashing across his face, but he finally steeled himself and slapped his thigh hard, letting out a heavy, angry shout.

“Luo Yin, huh! What nerve you have—who gave you the guts to block Mu Zixi?”

Luo Yin’s eyelid twitched: ???

Seeing the way the person below was trembling after speaking, Luo Yin instantly realized that this guy was basically just a messenger.

However, as soon as he turned his head toward Xu Shao’s direction, Xiao Wanfeng below spouted off again.

“What are you looking at? I’m talking to you—didn’t you hear?” After a hesitation, Xiao Wanfeng added, “Are you deaf?!”

That was it—Luo Yin couldn’t hold back anymore.

A vein bulged on his arm, and he clenched his fist, leaping down to land right in front of Xiao Wanfeng on the ground.

But Xiao Wanfeng was as slippery as if he’d oiled his soles; after saying those words, he turned and bolted, apologizing nonstop over his shoulder without looking back.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please don’t kill me, please don’t kill me…”

Yet, the direction he was running wasn’t toward Xu Shao—it was straight toward Mu Zixi!

“Crazy?”

Everyone watched this young man’s outrageous stunt of stirring up trouble everywhere, so shocked that they forgot the fight altogether.

After all, that was Luo Yin!

Who in the entire venue didn’t know that guy was unbeatable in physical combat, the only one with a real shot at challenging Xu Shao in this event?

But things got even more absurd.

Xiao Wanfeng dashed right up to Mu Zixi and shouted up at the girl in the air, “Come down already! What are you waiting for? Let’s have some tea!”

With that, he pulled a wooden table out of his space ring and set the tea tray on it.

Then, he actually produced a brand-new teacup, with tea leaves already prepared inside, and hauled out a pot of insulated hot water, shakily pouring it in with a gurgling sound.

Mu Zixi: ???

Her eyes widened like copper bells as she glanced back and forth between Xu Shao and Xiao Wanfeng, completely baffled about what was happening.

“We’re on the same side—come down! What’s there to fear!”

Xiao Wanfeng waved up at her, but then his face twisted in distress, and he squeezed his eyes shut, looking utterly hopeless as he muttered, “Heh, what a fool, so clueless…”

Mu Zixi’s pupils shrank, and her temples pulsed.

The next second, the air echoed with the sound of small hands clapping.

“Bang!”

The tea Xiao Wanfeng had just tremblingly poured exploded from the cup, sprouting a massive tea tree that shot up in an instant.

The tree turned red the moment it touched the air, swelling rapidly before bursting with a deafening explosion that shook all around, flipping over the onlookers who had gathered for the show.

But the main culprit had already vanished without a trace.

As Xiao Wanfeng fled toward Xu Shao, he even paused midway, turned his back, and wiggled his butt a little, while hunching over, covering his mouth with his left hand and waving his right hand wildly in front of his chest.

“Yo, yo, look at that tree, it’s so big and red, just like…”

“Ah—”

He only sang half the weird tune in a flat voice before letting out a shriek and doing a lazy roll forward. He glanced back at the wooden spikes on the ground with lingering fear, then decisively abandoned the rest of his task and lunged toward Xu Shao.

“Help me, Xu Shao! I can’t do this anymore!”

Only then did waves of endless fear and shame wash over him.

Xiao Wanfeng’s face flushed red, and sweat—both from cold dread and the frenzy of his run—poured down like rain.

He was done for!

If he had known that working as a tea server at Tian Shang First Tower would be this thrilling and dangerous, Xiao Wanfeng would never have applied, no matter what.

This wasn’t just serving tea—it was a death wish!

And how did Xu Shao think of all this? He’d predicted everyone’s reactions almost perfectly and even mapped out an escape route for him.

The key was, those two lines Xu Shao had told him earlier—part spoken, part sung—hadn’t seemed that bad.

So why did they sound so off coming from his own mouth?

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”

Xiao Wanfeng kept running while bowing apologies to the air, finally reaching Xu Shao and poking his head out from behind him, puffing out his chest: “If you’ve got beef, come at me! None of this has anything to do with Xu Shao!”

Xu Shao had been watching the whole spectacle with glee, laughing so hard he was just short of slapping his thigh and yelling “hee hee hee hee hee.” But hearing that, he froze for a moment.

“I didn’t tell you to say that!” He whipped his head around and glared.

Xiao Wanfeng took a deep breath, then exhaled: “Sorry, Xu Shao, but I’m not trying to deceive myself either.”

Well, damn!

Xu Shao was impressed by the kid’s audacity.

This guy had pissed off everyone and still wasn’t afraid of death—he even turned the tables on his own boss?

Xu Shao raised a hand to slap him, but unexpectedly, Xiao Wanfeng had already chosen to bolt again.

This time, he didn’t follow the planned route; instead, he charged back toward Mu Zixi, whom he’d just provoked.

“Granny, save me! Xiao Xin ge told me to come to you after going on stage. I’m so sorry about earlier, but I—I…”

He stammered incoherently, but his movements were lightning fast, and in a flash, he was in front of Mu Zixi, his face full of remorse, on the verge of kneeling to beg for mercy.

By this point, even the densest person in the crowd could see that this whole mess was undoubtedly Xu Shao’s doing.

But Xiao Wanfeng, who dared to carry it out anyway…

“Holy shit, that’s insane!”

The audience was dazzled by Xiao Wanfeng’s back-and-forth antics.

“Insane, I tell you! That ordinary guy… he’s the most outrageous I’ve ever seen! Has he got a death wish, messing with everyone and then his own master? He’s hell-bent on causing chaos until he drops dead!”

“But… pfft, hahaha, who saw this coming in the final round? Is this Xu Shao’s scheme?”

“I’m floored. How did he come up with such a wild plan? Does he want to take on two at once? Or mess with them and then the whole crowd in a free-for-all?”

“That Xiao Wanfeng… is his name Xiao Wanfeng? Did you see Xu Shao’s expression? That last line was definitely Xiao Wanfeng’s own addition—it put Xu Shao in a ‘the lady doth protest too much’ situation!”

“Showstopper!”

Everyone with eyes could see what was going on, and Mu Zixi was no exception—she quickly figured out who the real prankster was.

“Did he tell you to do this?”

The young girl looked up at the disheveled boy in front of her and asked.

“Wahhh…”

Xiao Wanfeng was on the verge of tears.

How could he dare say “yes”?

Xu Shao was a total devil!

He hadn’t done a thing himself, yet he had everyone dancing in the palm of his hand.

The crucial part was, if Xiao Wanfeng hadn’t been clever enough to piece together hints from what Xiao Xin ge had said in the box earlier, and noticed how Xu Shao treated the two differently, deducing that the girl in front of him was probably an ally—someone important to Xu Shao…

He’d probably be dead by now!

Sure enough, Mu Zixi’s protective instincts were triggered by Xiao Wanfeng’s tearful plea. She tiptoed up and gently patted his shoulder.

“Don’t be afraid, big sister’s got you covered.”

Then, she reached into her ring and pulled out a golden ring blade.

This was the Zhan Fo Dao!

The item Xu Shao had seized from Bu Le Xiao Seng, incredibly powerful but with a significant backstory, so he’d never dared use it carelessly and had kept it in Yuan Fu.

Mu Zixi figured it was just sitting there unused, so she’d brought it out along with the Yu Kong Mo Zhang.

Now, the blade was pointed straight at its true owner’s direction.

“Xu Shao, how dare you call me an idiot?”

Mu Zixi seethed inwardly, her fury boiling over as she glared at the person across from her, unable to hold back.

“Come get what’s coming to you!”

She charged at Xu Shao, swinging the Zhan Fo Dao.

“Mu Zixi, stop—”

Luo Yin had already set aside the earlier verbal jabs from the ordinary guy and rushed to block the golden blade’s path, raising his hand to stop it.

“Bang!”

But this time, the explosive force that couldn’t budge Luo Yin before sent the golden blade slicing through, knocking him flying and nearly off the stage.

Luo Yin’s hand shook wildly from the impact, and he stared in shock as he got up from the stage’s edge, his face full of disbelief.

Then, he witnessed a scene utterly different from the intense duel he’d expected.

Mu Zixi stormed up to Xu Shao with the massive blade but didn’t strike; she just angrily pointed the tip at him. “Did you call me an idiot?”

“Are you deaf? It was Xiao Wanfeng who said it.” Xu Shao remained completely unfazed.

“He was acting on your orders!” The young girl’s face was furious, radiating irritation, though she still didn’t swing the blade.

“He said himself he wasn’t following my orders. If something happens, go after him… I didn’t tell him to say that.” Xu Shao shrugged.

Mu Zixi let out a cold, amused snort: “So, you’re admitting everything else was your doing?”

“I didn’t say that either. Don’t go making things up—it’s dangerous!” Xu Shao stayed utterly calm, pausing for a moment before countering, “So, you stole my blade?”

“Uh…”

The young girl was caught off guard, her outburst of anger derailed. “I didn’t steal it—you left it there, and I took it fair and square!”

“Heh, fair and square…”

Xu Shao pointed to Luo Yin, still in shock at the stage’s edge. “What’s with that guy? Are you close to him? Do you know where he’s from, his background, what kind of person he is, and you let him defend you every time? What if he’s a fraud?”

“I…” The young girl was at a loss for words.

Like the audience and the competitors, she found Xu Shao’s words oddly off, but she couldn’t pinpoint why.

Yet his aggressive tone, mixed with concern for her well-being, made it sound like he was just looking out for her…

Mu Zixi’s anger faded, and she lowered the blade.

“I didn’t ask him to defend me—I don’t even know him…” The young girl sounded aggrieved.

“Hah!” Xu Shao scoffed. “You don’t know him, but you let him help you like that and even block blades for you? Who’d believe that?”

Huh? Block blades for whom… Mu Zixi’s mind went blank for a moment.

Luo Yin had clearly blocked for Xu Shao, but it was to keep her from offending Xu Shao… So, in a way, he was blocking for her?

As she pondered, the young girl couldn’t quite sort out her thoughts, and before she could, Xu Shao snorted and muttered, “Always off doing who knows what…”

“The blade.”

The young man stepped forward, gesturing for her to lift it a bit higher, and to her surprise, she did.

“Hand it over!”

Xu Shao swiftly snatched it back and returned it to Yuan Fu.

He had been genuinely shocked when that Zhan Fo Dao’s blade had sent Luo Yin flying.

Truth be told, among everyone here, the only one who posed any real threat to him was probably Luo Yin.

Even in different sections, once on the stage, Xu Shao’s “perception” had locked onto Luo Yin.

The reason was simple: the guy’s physique was unusually special, and Xu Shao suspected it might be a sacred body above a spirit body—otherwise, Mu Zixi’s explosions wouldn’t have affected him at all.

The fact that the Zhan Fo Dao’s blade could injure him meant it could potentially hurt Xu Shao too.

After all, as Sang Lao had once said, a master’s body wasn’t invincible; certain special spirit bodies, or sacred bodies above them, could match or even surpass it.

With the blade secured, Xu Shao had no more worries.

He stepped forward, hooked an arm around his little junior sister’s neck, twisted her body down, and pinned her in place with his foot.

“Think you can rebel? How dare you point a blade at me?”

“???” Mu Zixi was dumbfounded.

No matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t believe Xu Shao had gone through all that just to get his blade back.

He’d sounded so worried about her earlier…

“Despicable!”

She punched and kicked, but the young girl couldn’t break free from the master’s hold—her movements were completely locked.

“Ahhh, let go… mmph.”

“Watch your step!”

“Cursed… passive values, 1, 1, 1, 1…”

The chaos on the stage showed no signs of stopping.

Not only were the audience stunned by this pair, but the competitors were also left unsure of what to do.

“What are we even here for?”

“Isn’t this supposed to be a competition? What are they doing?”

“That Mu Xiaogong and Xu Shao know each other? From what they’re saying, that blade that sent Luo Yin flying was really stolen from Xu Shao by Mu Xiaogong?”

“I—I must be blind… Should I just leave? This isn’t my scene.”

“Ahhh, my Xu Shao ahhh—”

“I bless you both!!!”

The competitors who had fought their way here from other sections finally realized that with Xu Shao around, whether they were participants or on stage, they only had one role left…

Spectators!

Yes.

What was the difference from watching a show elsewhere?

This was clearly Xu Shao dropping by for a visit and dragging his disobedient sister—or whatever she was—back home!

At the stage’s edge, Luo Yin’s face turned from pale to flushed.

He straightened his clothes and stood up, coldly telling Xu Shao, “Let go of Mu Zixi.”

The struggling Mu Zixi froze, her expression growing strange.

She wasn’t that naive.

By now, combined with Xu Shao’s earlier words, if she still couldn’t figure out the oddity of Luo Yin’s actions in the previous and current rounds, she’d have to admit she was truly foolish!

“Look what you’ve done!”

Xu Shao shot his little junior sister a fierce glare, thinking to himself how unlucky he was.

First there was Fu Xing, and now Luo Yin.

His junior sister didn’t even seem fully grown yet—how did she have such a talent for attracting trouble?

But complaints aside, family was family, and this outsider had no business butting in.

Xu Shao shot a cold glance over, remembering he was playing the unapproachable Xu Shao and couldn’t afford to offend even this guy, so he became even more arrogant, snorting directly, “Mind your own business?”