Was the Good-Hearted Immortal Lord Fooled Today? - Chapter 4

I never imagined it would happen to me.

That old storybook business of “beat the young one, and the old one comes running” turned out to be real.

The quacking brat had no sense of fair play, and his elder had no sense of reason. Instead of scolding his grandson for stealing, the old man flung a fistful of Five Thunder talismans at me without asking what had happened. He meant to blast me into scraps.

Afraid the house would collapse and leave me nowhere to sleep, I had to jump out of my doghouse into the open and face the pair of them there.

The old one was much harder to handle than the young one, especially since he had money to burn and hurled talismans at me as if they cost nothing.

I couldn’t expose my identity, so I had to act like a stupid demon beast the whole time, dodging without fighting back.

Thanks to my nimble footwork, I ended up a fox with bald patches blasted through her fur.

I was angry. I was *really* angry!

Grieving for my fur, I opened my jaws wide. To hell with hiding my identity—I was about to teach this grandfather and grandson a lesson.

Just then, a graceful figure in white descended from the sky. His sword came out of its sheath, and with one motion he shattered the talisman array trapping me.

Fingers as elegant as bamboo and jade closed around my open snout, and he gathered me into his arms.

“Xie Jingci! This demon beast injured Huai’er, and you still dare protect it?” The old man puffed with outrage and issued a command from on high. “Kill it yourself, right now, and I’ll pretend I saw nothing today. Then your master needn’t be upset over such a trivial matter.”

The duck-voiced brat joined in. “Master dotes on me most. If he hears your demon beast hurt me, just wait for your punishment!”

Xie Jingci looked at the door they’d forced open, then at the bare patch they’d blasted into the fur on my forehead.

I was too miserable to look up at his face, but I could guess he wouldn’t be pleased. He’d warned me again and again not to hurt anyone or cause trouble. I’d failed at both and brought a serious problem down on him, when his position was precarious already.

He probably wouldn’t want to keep me.

Damn it. Was one stupid quacking brat going to ruin my plan before I’d tricked a drop of blood out of him?

“What happened today is my responsibility,” Xie Jingci said, lifting his gaze from my dejected form. “There’s no need to trouble Master with something so small.”

His bonded sword rang out. It flew at the gloating pair with terrifying force.

“The sect rules state the punishment for fighting fellow disciples and defying an elder quite clearly. I’ll go to the disciplinary hall and accept it afterward.”

His expression didn’t change as his sword energy sheared off half their hair. They flailed in defense, but every talisman they threw was shredded, and they tumbled from the air.

Xie Jingci looked as cold as he had on the day we met—as though he weren’t also the man covering my ears so I wouldn’t hear their insults.

“Before that, however, I ask you both to let me settle its grievance.”

“It chose me. I can’t very well let it suffer on my account.”