Une aura glaçante

Chapitre 80

Xue Beifan reached out and rubbed his ear, then leaned over with a smile and sweetly said to Xiao Dao, "You're the prettiest."

Xiao Dao knew it was just a casual remark, whether it was just for show or meant to amuse herself, but anyway, the corners of her mouth turned up.

Afterwards, Chonghua and Hao Jinfeng chose an inn, and everyone sat down to eat.

Originally, Xiao Dao and his group were walking together, and Xiao Dao and Xiao Yue, being two beauties, would easily attract the attention of passersby. However, in this ghost city, there were more women than men and beauties everywhere, so they were not so eye-catching.

With Youyou around, no one needed to specifically inquire about how to participate in this Ghost King event.

The process is actually quite simple; there are only ten spots available. Regardless of where they come from, the first requirement is a respectable background, and the second is to compete in a tournament. Once ten are selected, they enter the Ghost City to be chosen by the Queen. During this process, they will also undergo several tests.

"So many people and they only picked ten?" Xiao Dao shook his head and asked Youyou, "That's really strict. Your mother tried so many times, but she couldn't find one who was more suitable than your father?"

Youyou pouted, "Just like you said, the wall in my mother's heart has been torn down, and she's waiting for my father to come back and fix it... But I think my father might already be dead."

"Don't talk nonsense." Hao Jinfeng frowned. "If your father is dead, your mother will find out."

Youyou looked at him, puzzled. "But they haven't heard from each other for many years. How would my mother know?"

“If you really care, you’ll feel it,” Hao Jinfeng replied casually. “For example, my dad is quite at ease. He said he hasn’t felt anxious or flustered in all these years, so he thinks my mom and sister must be doing well… If something really happened, he would have searched the whole world for them long ago.”

Xiao Dao pursed his lips, thinking, "As expected, my dad is a good dad."

“Well…” Youyou frowned, “My mother was feeling uneasy recently, so she ran away. Do you think she had a premonition that my father was in some kind of trouble?”

Xiao Dao patted her shoulder, "Don't worry, nothing will happen. Maybe the family will be reunited soon!"

Youyou smiled and nodded, "I can't have too high expectations. I'll be satisfied as long as my mother comes back safe and sound."

Looking at Youyou, Hao Jinfeng inexplicably thought of his younger sister and mother, who were probably still far away in the world. Perhaps they were also looking forward to seeing him and his sister.

He reached out and picked up a chicken leg for Youyou. "Eat your food. Don't think about anything else. Everything will be alright."

Youyou held her rice bowl and looked at Hao Jinfeng, her face instantly turning red again.

Xiao Dao stroked his chin. Was his older brother really that proactive? Could it be that he was just a bit silly in some ways, but not in others? They say you can't judge a book by its cover…

Just as I was pondering this, I heard footsteps and a waiter's greeting; more people were coming upstairs for dinner.

As soon as Xiao Dao looked up, he secretly grimaced. What bad luck! He couldn't shake him off.

It was Xue Xing and his group who came up; this time there were more of them, with several others behind them. Leading them was a handsome man in flowing white robes, followed by several attendants. They seemed to have just met Xue Xing and his group, exchanging pleasantries as they ascended. The man looked up, immediately spotting Xiao Dao, and his face lit up with a smile. He flicked open his ivory-tipped folding fan and gently fanned himself twice.

Xiao Dao quickly picked up his rice bowl to cover his face—what a small world!

Xue Beifan and the others naturally saw it too. Whether it was a coincidence or a deliberate arrangement, it turned out that Wang Bibo was the one who came.

Wang Bibo of Bibo Manor was the wealthiest man in the world, and people in the martial arts world vied to befriend him because of his extensive network. The Beihai Sect was the most powerful sect in the land, so naturally, they wanted to cultivate a relationship with him. However, Wang Bibo was the master of Bibo Manor, while Xue Xing and his group were merely disciples of the Beihai Sect… their ranks seemed mismatched, hence their attitude was somewhat humble.

Once upstairs, Xue Xing eagerly invited Wang Bibo to sit with him, but Wang Bibo said he had run into an acquaintance and needed to greet him first. So he left the three from the Beihai Sect behind and strolled over to Xiao Dao's side.

Xiao Dao buried his face in the bowl as much as possible, thinking to himself—you can't see me!

Wang Bibo walked to their table with a smile, first bowing to Xue Beifan, "Brother Xue, it's been a long time."

Xue Beifan was somewhat surprised. He wasn't familiar with Wang Bibo. If he was familiar with her, she was just a rival who had stolen his sweetheart. Why was she being so polite?

"Brother Chong, Brother Hao, Miss Xiaoyue, it's been a long time." Wang Bibo was very polite.

Hao Jinfeng cupped his hands in greeting to him, but Xiaoyue seemed somewhat wary and remained silent.

"Hehe." After exchanging pleasantries with everyone, Wang Bibo looked at Xiao Dao, who was burying his face in his food like a cat. "Xiao Dao, long time no see, you've gotten fat!"

Xiao Dao immediately put down his rice bowl, looked up, and glared at him.

Wang Bibo was naturally delighted. His men brought over a chair, and Wang Bibo gracefully sat down, lifting the hem of his white robe. He asked Xue Beifan with a smile, "Are you here to choose the Ghost King too?"

Xue Beifan nodded.

"You choose?" Wang Bibo smiled even more broadly.

Seeing him smile, Xue Beifan smiled too, pointing at Hao Jinfeng, "Looks like you're going to be disappointed. He's the one who chose this place, and I'm here to help."

Wang Bibo glanced at Hao Jinfeng, somewhat surprised. Hao Jinfeng was indeed a remarkable person, but his conditions were not as good as Xue Beifan and Chonghua. It wasn't his status or appearance, but his personality... Would a woman like that kind of personality?

Wang Bibo gave a questioning look, but Yan Xiaodao noticed it.

Xiao Dao immediately raised her eyebrows and pointed at him with a chopstick, "What do you mean?"

Wang Bibo was startled. He knew about Yan Xiaodao's background, which meant he also knew about Hao Jinfeng's relationship with her. He immediately realized he'd made a mess of things. Chonghua and Xue Beifan looked at him with pity—he'd really brought trouble upon himself with his loose tongue!

"Ahem..." Wang Bibo coughed, feeling he should quickly change the subject. He glanced at the scarf Xiao Dao was wearing around his neck to block the wind and sand, and immediately raised an eyebrow. "This scarf is so rough, it won't block the wind and sand. I brought some fine gauze." As he spoke, he beckoned to his subordinate.

Xue Beifan shook his head, feeling even more sympathetic—this scarf was a gift from Xiaoyue to Xiaodao, one for each of them, showing their deep sisterly bond. How dare Wang Bibo say it was rough? Without him as a rival in love, he probably wouldn't have had a chance.

Wang Bibo handed the scarf to Xiaodao with a smile, "Change to another one, this one is good, it won't hurt your face."

"You can wear it yourself, mine's perfectly fine!" Xiao Dao glared at him, then looked up at Xiao Yue, who had stopped eating, and said, "Xiao Yue, don't pay him any attention, he's a simpleton!"

Wang Bibo glanced at Xiaoyue and immediately noticed that she was also wearing the same style of scarf. She sighed and rubbed her forehead... She'd messed up again.

Embarrassed, Wang Bibo handed the box back to his subordinate, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a letter, dejectedly handing it to Xiao Dao, "Your mother asked me to give this to you."

"Really?!" Xiao Dao was both surprised and delighted, and quickly put down his rice bowl to grab it.

Wang Bibo accepted it with a grin, saying, "Call me Brother Wang."

"You're asking for it! Give it to me now!"