Chapter 25: Threatened

Words : 1018 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 25: Threatened Leaving the teahouse behind— Hei Long walked with his hands clasped behind his back, his steps unhurried, his posture relaxed. The faint fragrance of golden tea still lingered in his breath, and the warmth of spiritual energy hummed steadily in his core. He had accomplished what he came for. There was no reason to linger. Yet just as Hei Long stepped past the bamboo gate, he heard a soft voice call out from behind him: "You..." Hei Long stopped. His ears twitched slightly, and he turned his head halfway, a faint smirk playing on his lips. "Hmm? Oh—Saintess. What can I do for you?" His gaze, of course, flicked upward to the familiar system prompt that hovered just above her head. [Name: Ji Yao] [Love Meter: Indifference] [Cultivation: Middle Stage, Sacred Realm] No change. As expected. All around, the inner disciples who had been trailing behind Ji Yao like moths to a flame froze in place. For a brief moment, it was as though time had paused for them. Their eyes widened. Their mouths parted slightly. Some of them even took a subconscious step forward, straining to make sure they’d heard her correctly. The Saintess spoke... To him... Not to them!? Not even a glance in their direction. But to him—this stranger who had appeared out of nowhere. The jealousy was almost tangible, boiling just beneath the surface of their stunned silence. Hei Long, however, was unfazed. He kept his expression calm, neutral, though inwardly, he assessed the situation with practiced ease. ’So... no shift in affection. That’s fine. Ji Yao isn’t someone who opens her heart so quickly. It’ll take more... much more.’ Hei Long waited patiently. He knew her type. She wouldn’t say more than she needed to, not until she wanted to. Ji Yao raised her hand—and pointed directly at him with a slender finger. Her voice, as expected, was clipped and emotionless: "Name...?" Hei Long blinked innocently, then raised a hand and pointed to himself. "Me? I’m Hei Long. Young Master of the Hei Family." He said it without arrogance. Ji Yao gave a faint nod, as if filing the information away. Then, without another word, she turned and resumed her walk forward. The inner disciples followed her immediately, but many glanced back. Several of the male ones cast dark looks Hei Long’s way—glares sharp enough to be felt. Some whispered amongst themselves, their tones hushed and dangerous. A few gave nods to each other, subtle ones, but clear enough. ’Jealous dogs,’ Hei Long thought, licking his lips slightly as his eyes followed Ji Yao’s retreating figure. He watched her hips sway: ’Ah~ I can’t wait to have you.’ He turned back around and continued walking, the smirk never leaving his face. However— Hei Long didn’t get far. He found himself walking across a narrow stone path, and then waling along a small arch bridge resting above twin koi ponds on either side. Suddenly— "Hey! You there—bastard!" Hei Long paused on the bridge. From both ends, figures emerged. Inner disciples—four in total. Their expressions twisted with envy and irritation, their gazes trained on Hei Long like arrows drawn taut. The one in front stepped forward, chin raised, voice full of indignation: "Stay away from the Saintess if you know what’s best for you! She already belongs to Brother Huayuan! If he hears you so much as looked her way, you’ll be crawling out of this sect with broken bones!" Hei Long said nothing. He didn’t even blink. Another disciple, slightly older, pulled a sword from the ring on his finger with a shing, the sound cutting through the air like a threat made physical. He held it at his side, not yet pointing it—but close. "You do understand what we’re saying, right?" His voice was low, warning. Still no answer. Hei Long didn’t so much as flinch. One of the inner disciples scowled: "Hey! Are you deaf or just stupid?!" It was in that moment that Hei Long’s shoulders began to shake—softly at first, like a man struggling to hold something in. Then came the low chuckle. Then a snort. And then— A full-throated, distorted laugh burst from Hei Long. Like a knife dragged across glass. "Hahaha... oh—oh you’re all so funny." Hei Long clutched his stomach with one hand and wiped a tear from the corner of his eye with the other: "Threatening me? Me?" He straightened up, his eyes cold now, the smile wiped clean off his face as his voice dropped into a frigid, mocking tone: "The Young Master of the Hei Family?" He tilted his head. "Are you all dumb?" The air turned tense. The inner disciples blinked. Looked at one another. Truth be told, none of them had ever heard of a ’Hei Family.’ Not in their sect, not in their books, not in any of the gossip they traded during training. One of them frowned. "Hei... Family?" "I’ve... never heard of it." "Is it some offshoot family?" "Maybe he’s bluffing?" Hei Long could read it all on their faces. The cluelessness. The doubt. The lack of education. Hei Long sighed, dragging a hand down his face with dramatic disappointment. "Pathetic," he muttered: "You talk about ’Brother Huayuan’ like he’s some sort of threat—but you’ve never even stepped off this mountain to see the real world. You cling to names in your little pond while I swim with dragons in the ocean." One of them flushed in anger. "Don’t act so smug! You’re in our sect now. Your fancy title means nothing here." Hei Long looked him dead in the eye: "Oh, it will." He stepped forward once, and all four inner disciples instinctively stepped back. Not because of spiritual pressure—he hadn’t released any—but because of something colder. That smile. That unshakeable arrogance. Hei Long didn’t need to raise his voice. "Tell your Brother Huayuan something for me." Hei Long paused at the edge of the bridge: "If he comes to have a problem with me... he can crawl out of whatever hole he’s in and say it to my face."

Chapter 25: Threatened

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