Little Sorcerer, Divine Doctor

Chapter 1334: Chapter 161: The Early Bird Catches Sheng

The two of them reached out their hands, one to the left and one to the right, seemingly about to catch hold, but their hands found nothing as Yun Sheng had already gracefully stepped back, standing three to four feet away from them.

This left Dugu Xiu and Lu standing there awkwardly, their hands suspended in midair.

Dugu Xiu was about to lash out, but then he saw Yun Sheng standing in the sunlight, her eyes twinkling with a slight smile on her face. In that moment, her beauty made him reluctant to even blink.

Lu was surprised, but it was Dugu Xiu’s reaction that startled him.

Could it be that the Vice Clan Leader feels...? Being fellow men and fancying the same woman, Lu suddenly understood the underlying reason behind Dugu Xiu’s earlier provocation.

"Haha, I apologize, Vice Clan Leader. This is my niece, Yun Sheng, who is naturally mischievous. I hope you’ll forgive her for disturbing you and the Young Clan Chief," Hu Qianqiu quickly intervened upon seeing the strange sparkle in Dugu Xiu’s hawk-like eyes as he stared at Yun Sheng, cursing her quietly for causing trouble.

"So Miss Yun is actually the niece of the Fox Clan Leader. You’ve truly raised an excellent niece," Dugu Xiu said, deliberately emphasizing the word "excellent," curving his lips into a graceful smile.

The brief commotion dissipated because of Yun Sheng’s supposedly "unintentional" interruption, but it was clear to any discerning eye that tension had arisen between Dugu Xiu and Lu.

Dugu Xiu led the Four Great Beast Clan members to their respective pavilions for lodging.

"The Seven Great Beast Clans are esteemed guests, and I have personally prepared a pavilion for them on the bustling main street in Tianyong City." Dugu Xiu, maintaining his role as the hospitable host, led the group forward.

In proper order, Dugu Xiu first accompanied the Bimong Clan to their nearby pavilion.

To the left of the Bimong Clan’s pavilion was the Pengyu Clan’s, and to the right, in sequence, were the pavilions for the Ba Snake and Azure Nether Wolf clans.

"I heard that Young Clan Chief Lu and the Di Clan Young Patriarch are closely linked, so I’ve arranged for their pavilions to be alongside each other," Dugu Xiu said as he led the Jiuluan Clan Patriarch and others to two very grand courtyards.

The pavilions for the other six Great Beast Clans had all been arranged, except for the Sky Fox Pavilion, causing some dissatisfaction for the Sky Fox Clan Leader, Hu Qianqiu.

Could it be that Dugu Xiu, like the other beast clans, was looking down on them and intended to dismiss them lightly?

With that thought, the faces of the Sky Fox Tribe warriors showed a hint of displeasure.

"Regarding the Sky Fox Pavilion, I’d originally made arrangements, but a recent dry spell caused a sudden fire, and it’s currently under repair. At the moment, I couldn’t find a suitable place. I remembered that my mansion still has a few vacant courtyards. If you don’t mind, Clan Leader Hu, you and your people can stay in my other courtyards for the time being," Dugu Xiu said apologetically.

Upon hearing this, the Sky Fox warriors immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Hu Qianqiu’s face turned from displeasure to contentment.

He was more than willing to spend time with this promising young Vice Clan Leader who might one day become the Hei Qilin Clan Leader.

"Then we shall trouble the Vice Clan Leader," Hu Qianqiu said with satisfaction.

Staying with Dugu Xiu?

He must be doing this on purpose!

Tianyong City is so big, and yet there isn’t a pavilion that can accommodate a dozen people?

Yun Sheng was skeptical, but Dugu Xiu had only met her today, so it seemed implausible that he could have planned so meticulously.

Upon learning that Yun Sheng would be staying at Dugu Xiu’s mansion, Lu was also dissatisfied. However, standing on the territory of the Hei Qilin Tribe, he had to suppress his dissatisfaction. Instead, he glared fiercely at Dugu Xiu, helplessly watching Yun Sheng and the Sky Fox Tribe members depart.

"Lu, what’s going on between you and that Vice Clan Leader?" the Jiuluan Clan Patriarch asked, noting Lu’s handsome face was turning icy with coldness.

"Grandfather, I really don’t know. It seems...the Vice Clan Leader has some connections with Yun Sheng," Lu, who was concerned about Yun Sheng, could feel her repulsion towards Dugu Xiu.

"Oh? Haha, it seems the Vice Clan Leader has some affection for Miss Yun. It’s an age-old tale of heroes struggling to resist beautiful women. But rest assured, even if the Vice Clan Leader has thoughts about Miss Yun, he won’t be your romantic rival. Due to an ancient curse, unions between the Hei Qilin and the Sky Fox Tribe are impossible," the Jiuluan Clan Patriarch, with years of experience, also noticed his grandson’s concern for Yun Sheng.

"An ancient curse between the Hei Qilin and the Sky Fox? Grandfather, what is this about?" Lu inquired further.

"Let’s go inside. I’ll explain it to you slowly," the old patriarch said calmly, leading the way into the pavilion.

Since Dugu Xiu was promoted to Vice Clan Leader of the Hei Qilin Tribe, Hei Yao bestowed upon him the Dugu Mansion, symbolizing his status.

Reclusive in nature and rarely interacting with others in the Hei Qilin Tribe, Dugu Xiu had never hosted guests overnight at Dugu Mansion; this was the first time he was accommodating the Sky Fox Tribe.

Through an arrangement at Dugu Mansion, he could see Yun Sheng every day, and he couldn’t help but smile as he thought about his successful scheme.

Unexpectedly, he saw a Kirin carriage parked outside the gate as he arrived.

The carriage, drawn by a black and a white Kirin, belonged solely to Hei Linlin in the Hei Qilin Tribe.

That little witch, what business did she have at his mansion?

Although Dugu Xiu had joined the Hei Qilin Tribe, his relationship with Hei Linlin remained strained.

The two had frequently clashed within the tribe over the years. Unnoticeably, factions had formed, known as the "Dugu Xiu faction" and "Hei Linlin faction," and debates over who would become the future clan leader had never ceased.

Were it not for Hei Yao still being around, the two might have already come to blows.

Dugu Xiu wasn’t sure of Hei Linlin’s intentions, but thinking about Yun Sheng behind him, he grew anxious.

Hei Linlin and Yun Sheng were sworn enemies.

Hei Linlin had long admired Ye Beiming, but throughout the years, Ye Beiming had only ever thought of Yun Sheng.

If Hei Linlin knew that Yun Sheng had come to the Bahuang Continent and was within the Hei Qilin Tribe’s territory, she’d stop at nothing to eliminate her.

Under no circumstances could Hei Linlin meet Yun Sheng at this time, Dugu Xiu thought to himself.

Although he knew the two women would inevitably cross paths sooner or later.

Given Yun Sheng’s strength, she was bound to make it into the core competition of the Eight Desolate Clan Competition, while Hei Linlin was already a seeded participant from the Hei Qilin Tribe.

But now was not the time for them to meet.

Once she became a core competition candidate, all of the Bahuang Continent would know Yun Sheng, and Hei Linlin would find it much harder to act against her.

Before the core competition, they mustn’t meet.

"Clan Leader Hu, a guest has arrived at my mansion, so I can’t accompany you to the other courtyards. I’ve ordered someone to arrange accommodation for you all," Dugu Xiu said, and a close attendant beside him stepped forward to guide the way.