XIAO SHUXIANG'S

172 - Helping Residents of Cold Cloud Cities [Revised]

The 15 Scarlet Shadow disciples were sitting cross-legged while closing their eyes, seemingly focused on recovering and resting themselves.

Only Xiao Shuxiang, Lan Guan Zhi, Duan De, and Shao Nu were in the special room belonging to Tianqi Mao, while their friends sat down with the Scarlet Shadow disciples.

Tianqi Mao was actually surprised that Xiao Shuxiang could kill Mu Zan with such a low level of practice, let alone without using a secret weapon like poison.

".. But considering you are the Destroying Star, so it's no longer surprising. Did you get that sword?"

Xiao Shuxiang shook his head, "The sword is in the hands of the Upper Pillars, I don't even know what my Night Star Sword looks like right now.."

"The form is still the same, but the main ingredient is not the stars in the sky but the bones of the Scarlet Shadow disciples.." Duan De told how he cultivated a living human, it was the first time he felt like he was becoming a monster.

Xiao Shuxiang looked excited at Duan De's story, he also wanted to do it. But before he could imagine, Lan Guan Zhi immediately pinched his arm in a twisting motion.

"ah! Lan Zhi, you're this!" Xiao Shuxiang rubbed his arm which was hot and aching. He looked at Lan Guan Zhi irritatedly while muttering an obscure curse.

Tianqi Mao looked at the strange Xiao Shuxiang and Lan Guan Zhi alternately, he then shook his head slowly then started talking to Shao Nu.

".. You don't have to feel guilty. Everything that happened in the past has been forgotten. I appreciate Big Brother's decision to come with them, but I hope this isn't Big Brother's scheming or Scarlet Shadow's. I'm sorry for what I just said, but I hope you know what I mean." Tianqi Mao so seriously said it, he made Xiao Shuxiang feel that his relationship with Shao Nu was lacking.

Shao Nu did not mind or be offended by his sister's words at all. He smiled and politely thanked her because Tianqi Mao was already willing to forgive him.

"All right, now there's one more thing. The representatives of the Middle Sun Emperor are now in the Cold Cloud City, they are waiting for your arrival. I've finished my job. So Senior Xiao, I hope you're willing to help me with one thing.."

?

Xiao Shuxiang looked puzzled, his sense of self never asking Tianqi Mao to help the citizens of Cold Cloud City, but why would he charge her something instead?

"What do you want..?"

Tianqi Mao smiled, "Senior, I know besides Alchemists you also made ar-hmp!"

!!

Everyone in this room was shocked when Xiao Shuxiang suddenly disappeared then appeared behind Tianqi Mao and smothered him, from the movement of Xiao Shuxiang earlier generating quite a strong wind within this room.

"Sssst, come with me.. Excuse me for a second.." Xiao Shuxiang laughed awkwardly and invited Tianqi Mao to have a word together somewhere else.

Xiao Shuxiang obviously did not want Duan De to know that he was the maker of Arak Child Linglung. He would definitely be urged by the old geezer to make wine every day. Fortunately his premonition was correct that Tianqi Mao wanted the Arak.

"You almost got me in trouble, how did you know I made it?"

"Hmm, of course using my connection. So how's..?"

Xiao Shuxiang rubbed his chin, he requested that Tianqi Mao buy at the Peacock Stork Association only, because the wine stock there was so much and he now did not have a stash of Arak Anak Linglung.

"The price there is expensive, which is why I want to buy it from you. You know, my beloved city is famous for its fashion beauty, there are many beautiful girls here but there is still something lacking.. I need your wine. Come on, you don't want to do business with me?"

Xiao Shuxiang rubbed his chin, there was no harm in making a relationship with this Demonic Beast, but he wanted a long-term relationship that should not be interrupted.

"Tianqi Mao, you know Lan Guan Zhi, Grandfather Long Beard and the others know who I am. They did accept me, but did not rule out the possibility that someday I would fight it out with all of them. If that time comes, I'd like you to be a reinforcements even if you had to sacrifice a life, would you?"

"Hm? Why would you think that? Are you still intending to destroy this continent?" Tianqi Mao looked at Xiao Shuxiang from top to bottom, this man taller than himself seemed to be speechless and fixedly staring at him.

!!

Tianqi Mao certainly knew that gaze, yet he had not expected Xiao Shuxiang to still remain at his destination. "Why are you still insisting, Shuxiang? Don't you want to live quietly and protect your precious people..?"

Xiao Shuxiang turned his gaze in another direction, silent for a moment before answering Tianqi Mao's question.

"I.. Not having anything of value to protect and also not interested in protecting anyone. Shouxing asked me to live my life well, so I'm trying to do it now, but my dream remains the same."

Xiao Shuxiang said it so seriously, he looked at Tianqi Mao who was currently standing beside him while exhaling.

"Heah.. It's not easy to let go of a dream, and you have a bad dream. But.. Don't you have something valuable? Your family and friends right now, are they worthless to you?" Tianqi Mao looked at Xiao Shuxiang's face, the young man beside him only showing an ordinary face.

Tianqi Mao narrowed his eyes, ".. Don't tell me you don't consider them your family..?"

"Right now, it still hasn't taken me a while to think of someone as family. You don't understand my predicament.."

Tianqi Mao patted Xiao Shuxiang's arm softly, it was indeed very difficult to accept others as family, let alone consider them valuable.

As a Demonic Beast, he also felt the same way. Humans are the weakest and greediest creatures, they have hearts that are hard to guess.

Only a small percentage of them are truly sincere in relationships, it is very difficult to find such a human being.

".. I can tell you, only five percent of the people in this Continent can be trusted. Most of them were very thirsty for the power to be on top, others were just acting as sycophants.."

"True, I've seen it in my first life. Then and now.. They are still arrogant, always underestimating others, consider themselves stronger, their pride is already very ingrained.. Hmp, sickening.."

Tianqi Mao could hear there was a tinge of ridicule from Xiao Shuxiang's words, yet upon noticing his face.. This young man did not show any resentment, not even he smelled the scent of resentment or hatred on the body of the man beside him.

".. You're confusing me,"

"I am not someone who easily hates anyone, let alone being vindictive. Even Mu Zan who betrayed me never hated me at all, I was just annoyed at him.." Xiao Shuxiang rubbed his chin, when was the last time he hated someone to such a terrifying degree? It never seems.

There are many people who often upset them, but they never hate them. In fact, he is the target of the hatred of others.

".. Why should you do it? I think being vindictive doesn't produce anything, we'll just burn out ourselves. You agree, right?"

"You're weird, Shuxiang. But what you say is true, it'll make us tired ourselves, it's useless. It's just.." Tianqi Mao hung up his words and looked back at Xiao Shuxiang.

Xiao Shuxiang rubbed Tianqi Mao's head with a faint smile, this child-bodied demonic beast's speech somehow calmed him down.

His dream is still the same, but he is determined to find another dream. Of course while living the life that Shouxing said.

In the end, Xiao Shuxiang and Tianqi Mao forged a cooperation. The two decide to exchange cups, making them brothers.

There is nothing wrong with being in a relationship with a Demonic Beast in the form of a cat, they include loyal animals. Even in his first life, Xiao Shuxiang had seen a cat that went far from its master when it was about to die.

Right, they didn't want their master to see them die. Xiao Shuxiang told Tianqi Mao not to do that.

"Just calm down, I won't trouble you. You now know how to call me, so don't hesitate.."

"I certainly wouldn't hesitate. You should be proud of being Xiao Shuxiang's adoptive sister now, but don't let anyone else know. Being in a relationship with me is beneficial, but also dangerous. It's not me who should give you protection, but I'm the one you should protect. Understood, right?"

Tianqi Mao nodded, he then invited Xiao Shuxiang to return to where his friends were.

After cleaning up and changing clothes, Xiao Shuxiang and the others said goodbye. Siu Yixin decided to stay with Tianqi Mao while Hu Li went with his master.

Tianqi Mao prepared six carriages that would take them all to Cold Cloud city.

The journey was quite long, lucky the representative of the Middle Sun Emperor was Li Qian Xie, the daughter of the Emperor as well as a disciple of the Butterfly Sect.

Li Qian Xie wore royal clothes, she grew into a beautiful, graceful, and alluring girl. He was actually quite shocked to see Xiao Shuxiang, the child who had once broken his hand had now grown into a charming young man.

The state of the Cold Cloud city began to be filled with light from the lit bamboo torch. Only about thirty homes were in good condition, while others were badly damaged.

This was the reality of the illusion that Bian Que had created, in the end the citizens of the Cold Cloud city were not up to 50 heads. They were also seen traumatized by what happened, sad and shaken feeling enveloped the citizens of the city.

Mo Huai hugged one of the children who lost both parents, during this time the child lived together with the illusory parents that Bian Que created. Whether what food was given to him during this time, remembering it makes the child nauseous and vomiting repeatedly.

"Brother Xiao..?"

"Don't call me, Brother Jing. I was also quite shocked by what I saw this," Xiao Shuxiang rubbed his stomach, he had already forgotten when the last time he ate.

At the moment Xiao Shuxiang was thinking of nothing else but filling his stomach, yet there seemed to be no signs of dinner being served yet.

Li Qian Xie only brought twenty workers and ten bodyguards, he did not bring the cook with him, ".. I brought cooking ingredients and asked some women to cook, but.."

Li Qian Xie looked under one of the trees, there were many cooking ingredients as well as 9 women. Yet they were like there was no spirit to cook, only to remain standing while bowed down miserably.

Xiao Shuxiang flicked at Li Qian Xies forehead, his actions made everyone shocked including the royal bodyguards. How dare this young man hurt the emperor's daughter..! Yet they had not had the time to act, Xiao Shuxiang directly nagged Li Qian Xie.

No one dared to act because Xiao Shuxiang always mentioned his name when nagging. Li Qian Xie himself could only keep quiet with an incredulous look that his senior was so chatty, just like his father.

".. Haah, stop. You're making Xiao Shuxiang even hungrier. Let me do it.."

"I agree! I'll help you, Brother!" Jing Mi was so excited, she had long since looked forward to Xiao Shuxiang's cooking.

That night, everyone witnessed firsthand the first talent Xiao Shuxiang had since his second life.

The aroma of the herb was so strong, making them all impatient to immediately try the cuisine of the young man whose name was very similar to that of the Destroying Star.

Xiao Shuxiang realized he was being noticed, "There's no need to look at me that way, I am indeed amazing. Be proud, as you are among the lucky ones who will try this Xiao Shuxiang-made cuisine.."

"You are the best, my brother..!" Jing Mi was so enthusiastic, she told her brother's greatness in cooking as well as Xiao Shuxiang's Alchemist talent to the citizens of Cold Cloud city.

The citizens of the Cold Cloud city were so shocked that it turned out that Xiao Shuxiang had a close relationship with the Best Alchemist in the Eastern Continent, Immortal Zhou Yan.

Jing Mi's story made the citizens of Cold Cloud City unconsciously forget their trauma. Everything was like getting a spirit that had been extinguished for a long time.

They had not expected the arrival of two such special people, one was the future GrandElder of the Sky Sword Sect, and the other was Immortal Zhou Yan's direct disciple.

Xiao Shuxiang himself never remembered being appointed as the disciple of the Third Patriarch of the Heavenly Sword Sect, yet he did not mind it. After all, he had indeed learned the Alchemist from Zhou Yan, so indirectly Zhou Yan was his teacher.

".. My niece became my teacher, what kind of fate is that.. Haaah.. Whatever."

The workers and citizens of Cold Cloud City became excited in repairing the badly damaged buildings. They also had help from Lan Guan Zhi, Jing Mi, Dai Chen, and Hu Li.

While Xiao Shuxiang had the help of the women and girls in Cold Cloud city to cook.

Li Qian Xie also helped, although in the end Xiao Shuxiang told him to take care of the little ones because the cuisine was even made a mess by the daughter of the Middle Sun Emperor.

The ten bodyguards of Li Qian Xie looked angry and considered Xiao Shuxiang to be disrespectful towards the emperor's daughter, but they also got scolding from the Destroying Star to help the existing workers.

No one should sit still, even the little ones had the task of sweeping and laying down the pedestal as well as helping Xiao Shuxiang serve food.

Dinner in the moonlight and thousands of stars is fun. The citizens of Cold Cloud City were actually nervous and felt uneasy eating together with the main warriors Lan Guan Zhi and Xiao Shuxiang, let alone their nervousness growing due to Li Qian Xie's presence.

But all of that disappeared when they started eating. Xiao Shuxiang and Jing Mi were always throwing a tantrum, they were both scrambling to tease the girls and women sitting beside them.

It was not uncommon for Xiao Shuxiang to tease Li Qian Xie, even though he ended up losing out while teasing Lan Guan Zhi.

Some residents choked on the water when they saw the way Lan Guan Zhi replied to Xiao Shuxiang's joke by helping him clean up the leftovers that were stuck on Xiao Shuxiang's cheeks.

His actions made Dai Chen, Jing Mi, as well as the citizens of the Cold Cloud city stare strangely at them. Xiao Shuxiang was also shocked by Lan Guan Zhi's treatment, all this was his fault because he started first.

"Mn, I won again," Lan Guan Zhi remained calm, she looked at Duan De who raised a thumb at her.

***