84: carefree Mu Xiaolong

On the plaza outside Lingnan Academy, the only rule was a prohibition on violence.

Chen Lian's slap in a fit of rage, though blocked by Xie Ning, also violated the rules.

Just as he was fuming and preparing to summon a Demon Tamers Beast, the instructors from his academy arrived, apologizing as they dragged him away.

Seeing Chen Lian's pathetic state, many people laughed from the bottom of their hearts.

Among the people on both the rich and poor sides, many noticed Xie Ning, but because he had been keeping a low profile for a while, no one recognized him.

Xie Ning chatted with Lu Bingyun and the other two while waiting for the enrollment to begin.

"You seem to be sulking at someone?" Xie Ning asked, looking at Xiaoya.

Xiaoya opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing, just puffing out her cheeks with a look of displeasure.

"Ignore her, she's sulking at her dad," Lan Yu smiled, ignoring Xiaoya's warning glare. "Her aunt is an instructor at Lingnan Academy, so her dad transfers her monthly allowance directly to her aunt for her to manage."

"Is there a problem with that?"

"It's a huge problem. Fifty percent of her monthly allowance used to go toward buying uniforms—JK, Lolita, and so on... Now it's all gone," Lu Bingyun answered with a smile.

Hearing this, Xie Ning had a sudden realization and burst out laughing, which drove Xiaoya even more crazy.

Just then, a boy nearby suddenly tripped and bumped into Xie Ning.

"Buddy, are you okay?"

Xie Ning reached out and pulled him up.

"Th-thank you..." The boy wore a thick peaked cap, his head buried beneath it. His voice was timid and hesitant, as if he were very cowardly.

It wasn't until he stood up that Xie Ning noticed he was very short, only about 1.5 meters tall. His slightly worn shirt was tucked into frayed blue jeans, looking loose and baggy, like a bamboo pole propping up some clothes.

"You're welcome," Xie Ning nodded to the boy, then glanced in the direction he had been pushed from.

In that direction, a boy with a high ponytail and flamboyant clothes was nonchalantly chewing on something. With a thuggish air, he said, "Hey! Kid, what are you looking at? He tripped on his own, what's it to me! Minding other people's business will get you beaten up."

Xie Ning's gaze sharpened as he stared at the other. Just as he was about to step forward, the boy who had been pushed to the ground quickly grabbed Xie Ning's arm. "Forget it, forget it, big brother. I was the one who accidentally blocked the way just now."

Xie Ning said nothing, only slightly raising an eyebrow. In the next second, the boy with the high ponytail fell flat on his face.

"Ouch!" the boy cried out in pain. He scrambled up from the ground, clutching his bleeding nose. After a moment of shock, he suddenly shoved through the crowd and rushed up to Xie Ning, pointing at him. "Did you do this?"

Xie Ning threw his own words back at him: "You tripped on your own, what's it to me!"

"You brat! It seems I need to teach you a lesson..." Halfway through his sentence, just as he raised his fist, an angry shout came from behind.

"Mu Xiaolong! Stop right there!"

Everyone looked toward the sound and saw a handsome man carrying a simple black sword pushing through the crowd and walking over quickly.

"Big Brother?" Mu Xiaolong was startled at first, then overjoyed. He pointed at Xie Ning and said, "Big Brother! Help me, this brat made me fall."

Xie Ning looked at the man with the black sword in surprise; he clearly recognized him.

"I saw exactly what happened. Do you want me to explain it to you, the one involved?" The man with the black sword said with a cold face, glaring at the boy with the high ponytail.

The boy with the high ponytail seemed somewhat afraid of his older brother. Hearing this, he immediately wilted and waved his hands in refusal.

The man with the black sword ignored him. He first nodded to Lu Bingyun and the other two Girls, then turned to Student Xie Ning and said apologetically, "Student Xie Ning, I'm truly sorry. This is my younger brother, Mu Xiaolong. He's been spoiled by our family and is quite mischievous. I hope you won't hold it against him."

After saying that, the man turned to glare at Mu Xiaolong again and scolded, "Apologize, now! Are you not going to listen to me anymore? Or do you want me to apologize for you?!"

"But I'm the one who got hurt... Wait, wait, I'll apologize, I'll apologize."

Mu Xiaolong was originally a bit indignant, but seeing his brother about to bow, he was so frightened he quickly changed his tune. He bowed to Xie Ning and the short boy. "I'm sorry, I was in the wrong just now."

"It's... it's okay, it's okay..." the short boy said with a hint of panic in his voice.

Xie Ning shook his head with a wry smile. "Why does it feel like I'm the one bullying people? Let's just forget it, then. We'll act like it never happened."

"Brother Xie Ning is indeed magnanimous," the man with the black sword grinned. His handsome appearance combined with the black sword made his smile flutter the hearts of many Girls.

This person was none other than Mu Tian, who had previously accompanied Yan Ruyu to reinforce Flower City and had flown back to Flower City on a Giant Purple Eagle with Xie Ning.

Xie Ning had a good impression of him.

"Student Xie Ning, my teacher has heard about you and has great expectations for you. Would you like to come inside with me now? With your Talent, you can definitely be admitted as an exception. Of course, the same goes for the three young ladies, Lu, Qi, and Lan."

Xie Ning shook his head and replied, "Thank you, but I think I'll pass. Enrollment is starting soon anyway, and I don't want to receive special treatment."

Of course, he said that, but Xie Ning knew his true reasons best.

Xiaoya also replied, "Thank you for your kindness, Senior, but my aunt is an instructor here at the academy, so we won't trouble you."

Mu Tian nodded with a smile and didn't insist. After chatting with Xie Ning for a bit, he left with Mu Xiaolong.

Once they were away from Xie Ning and the others, Mu Xiaolong said frantically, "Brother, what are you doing? Why are you taking the side of an outsider? I was hit, and you wouldn't even help me."

"You deserved it. You think I don't know? You saw someone stealing the spotlight, got jealous, and pushed someone over to cause trouble. Haven't you done this enough? If I hadn't come, you would have definitely brought trouble to the family!" Mu Tian glared at him.

"What trouble could it be? Those two look like penniless nobodies with no money or power. What's there to be afraid of?" Mu Xiaolong muttered, then looked at his brother with slight surprise. "But Brother, how do you know a pauper like that? And you even made me apologize to him?"

"You still don't understand? That's no ordinary person. Not to mention that those three Girls come from influential families, Student Xie Ning alone is not someone you can provoke. If you really got into a conflict with him, Father would be the first one to cripple you."

After saying that, seeing that he still looked skeptical, Mu Tian whispered, "This person you think is ordinary not only has extremely high Demon Tamers Beast Talent but is also an Intermediate Cultivator."

"What?! Inter..." Mu Xiaolong was startled at first, and a few seconds later, panic appeared in his eyes.

"Now you know to be afraid? If Father knew you were acting all high and mighty with an Intermediate Cultivator..." Mu Tian gave him a frustrated look. "Fortunately, Xie Ning isn't narrow-minded. As long as you don't offend him in the future, you should be fine."

This time, Mu Xiaolong didn't dare to talk back, nodding his head like a chicken pecking at grain.

"Your nature isn't bad, you're just a bit cynical. If you could restrain your temperament, your future achievements wouldn't be lower than mine."

Mu Xiaolong laughed at this. "Hehe~ With Brother around, I'll just enjoy being a rich second-generation kid. I can't handle hardships."

Mu Tian rolled his eyes at him but said nothing.

The path of a Demon Tamers Beast is cool, but it's also bitter. Moreover, with great power comes great responsibility. If there were a choice, he would rather his brother live a simple and wealthy life.

Mu Tian had other things to attend to and was about to leave, but he didn't forget to give a final reminder:

"My teacher is currently raring to go, waiting to pull him into his Beginner Class when picking students later. Don't cause any more trouble at this critical juncture. If Teacher misses out on Xie Ning because of you, I'll throw you into Yan Ruyu's class and let you fend for yourself."

"I wouldn't dare! Even if I had a hundred times more courage, I wouldn't dare." Mu Xiaolong shook his head like a rattle.