Chapter 302: My Foolish Younger Brother

Fu Xing was startled, and so was Mu Zixi. Even Fu Yinhong herself looked utterly bewildered. Who was this person, popping up out of nowhere and calling her... 'sister'?

Wait! She had seen this guy before!

"You are... Xu Xiaoshou?" Fu Yinhong suddenly recalled the day black lotuses fell from the sky. While on a mission, she had run into a Xiantian realm cultivator in the back alley behind the Duojin Merchant Guild.

She had too many tasks to handle and too many people to meet daily to recall him immediately. But this man was somewhat recognizable; his voice and familiar tone instantly jogged her memory.

Hearing this, Xu Xiaoshou merely shook his head slightly. He clasped his hands behind his back, took a step back, and tilted his chin up. "That's no way to address an elder! Don't call me Xu Xiaoshou; you should call me 'Big Brother'!"

Fu Yinhong's face instantly paled with anger. She felt veins throbbing on her forehead as fury flared within her. This young man, after just a few days, had grown quite bold! That day, he had been trembling under her interrogation, and now, upon meeting her...

"Call him 'Big Brother'?" Who gave him the audacity to speak to a commander like that?

"I heard you didn't follow my orders that day and even knocked out Imperial Guards?" Fu Yinhong's eyes narrowed, her gaze suddenly turning dangerous. Honestly, she disliked handling official business after taking off her armor. But this young man had uttered such arrogant words. If she didn't teach him a lesson, where would Fu Yinhong, Deputy Commander Fu, put her face?

Xu Xiaoshou gave her a profound look, deciding not to argue about the matter. There was no defending it, and saying more would likely land him in solitary confinement. He turned to Fu Xing and asked, "This is your sister, isn't she? You called her earlier, right?"

Fu Xing didn't reply, a vague sense of dread settling in his heart. It was clearly just a bet, just one punch... Why had things gone so wrong?

Seeing his silence, Xu Xiaoshou naturally took it as an affirmative. If he didn't preemptively take control of the situation with this girl today, he'd likely be the one facing trouble. He calmly stated, "Since she's your sister, wouldn't it be perfectly appropriate for me to call your sister 'sister'?"

*You make a very good point,* Young Master Fu thought to himself, *but I dare not speak.*

Fu Yinhong watched her brother's silence, then fell silent herself. When she realized he truly had nothing to say, the red-haired woman's eyebrow twitched, and she erupted in fury. She wasn't clear what exactly had transpired between the two, but failing her assessment was already infuriating enough. While the recent earthquake certainly played a part, that was fate, and there was nothing to be done about it. Yet, the moment she stepped out of the alchemy room, she was greeted by this Xiantian-level nobody who kept spouting "sister" at her. And he was the same little ant who had defied her orders!

"'Sister'?" Did he think she had a good temper?" With a *clang*, she drew a long sword directly from her ring, startling even Master Shi Ti.

"Put that sword down, now! Don't be rude!" the Guild Master barked, then, realizing his tone was a bit harsh, immediately added, "This is the Alchemist Guild, remember."

Fu Yinhong bowed apologetically and slowly sheathed her sword, but a sense of surprised doubt swelled within her. This Xu Xiaoshou... when did he get involved with Guild Master Shi Ti? Given the Guild Master's concerned words, and the fact that he had personally brought this person here... And... since when could her elder brother tolerate a mere Xiantian realm practitioner acting so brazenly toward him?

"Xu Xiaoshou, what exactly is your intention?"

Xu Xiaoshou saw the girl calm down and thought, *This makes things easier.* He looked at Fu Xing. "You explain it, little brother."

"Little brother..." Fu Xing nearly choked on his own blood. He swore that if he could live his life over again, he would absolutely never get involved in any so-called "hero saving the beauty" situation. And he certainly wouldn't have made such a humiliating bet with Xu Xiaoshou. Even giving the boy a million spiritual crystals would have been preferable to his ridiculous bet! The way this situation was unfolding was completely opposite to any scenario he'd imagined — no, it was miles apart, poles apart! He covered his face in shame. Why had things turned out this way?

"Fu Xing!" Fu Yinhong pressed, her voice sharp.

The commotion near the alchemy room's entrance had already drawn many eyes, and daring to draw a sword in this place had made the elder alchemists tremble with apprehension. After all, not everyone could maintain their alchemy skills and cultivation at the same high level; individuals like Elder Sang and Master Shi Ti were rare exceptions.

*This is not good,* Fu Xing thought. *If I wait any longer, everyone will probably gather around again.* He mumbled hesitantly, "It's... actually nothing, just a wager... that's all!"

"A wager? With *this* young man?" Fu Yinhong couldn't believe her elder brother would engage in such a blatant act of bullying. She gasped, "With your cultivation, why would you bully him? You..." She paused abruptly mid-sentence. "Wait."

If Fu Xing had won, there wouldn't be such an awkward situation, and he certainly wouldn't be acting so sheepishly. "You lost?" Her voice rose several decibels.

Fu Xing's face turned green. So many people were watching! "Give your brother some face, please! He didn't have much left to begin with!"

"Shush!" he hissed urgently. "How about we discuss this in the alchemy room?"

"Now, immediately, right this instant, you explain everything to me!" Fu Yinhong was beside herself. "You lost, fine, but why did you drag me into this?"

"'Sister'?" The mere thought of the word made her chest heave violently. This Xu Xiaoshou was truly infuriating. She hadn't managed to apprehend him in the back alley that day, and now he was finding another way to get under her skin?

With a long face, Fu Xing wailed, "It's really nothing. Just a one-punch wager, we were just joking around, right? If you lose, you just have to call him 'Big Brother'..." He seemed to give up entirely, turning and bowing his head to Xu Xiaoshou. "Big Brother! I've called you Big Brother, okay? Just stop messing with me. Let's just drop the whole thing..."

Xu Xiaoshou was initially pleased, but upon hearing the latter part of the sentence, he immediately raised a hand to stop Fu Xing from speaking further. "What did you say?"

Fu Xing thought Xu Xiaoshou was about to play another trick. Without giving the young man a chance to say, "I can't hear you, speak louder," he immediately bellowed:

"BIG BROTHER!!!"

The deafening shout startled sparrows from the windowsills and was heard by everyone in the vast hall, leaving them all dumbfounded. Young Master Fu of the City Lord's Mansion, in front of a Xiantian realm cultivator... called him 'Big Brother'?

"Suspicion received, Passive Point value, 36.""Admiration received, Passive Point value, 22."

Xu Xiaoshou grimaced and leaned back, covering his ears. "Why are you shouting so loud? I'm not deaf! What I meant was, what was the sentence before that?"

Fu Xing was speechless. He thought back for a moment, then tentatively offered, "Let's just drop the whole thing?"

"The one before that!"

Fu Xing didn't know what Xu Xiaoshou was trying to achieve, but as a spiritual refiner, his memory was excellent. He immediately searched his mind and recited, word for word: "It's really nothing. Just a one-punch wager, we were just joking around..."

"Stop!" Xu Xiaoshou suddenly raised a hand, cutting him off.

Fu Xing stopped abruptly, a bad feeling rising in his gut. "So?"

"Joking around..." Xu Xiaoshou muttered. He then shook his head and extended a finger, pressing it against Fu Xing's forehead. "My foolish little brother, did you truly think I was just joking with you? A bet is a bet, and you must admit defeat! You are now my younger brother, for good!"