’Looks like Jun Yao offended him pretty badly.’

"Ahem. Since you’ve already said that I’m the one who calls the shots in our family, then no one else gets a say. It’s settled. Let’s go."

Si Xie: "..."

’Damn it, all that badmouthing was for nothing.’

’He’d only wanted to badmouth him a little, but she’d seen through it in an instant. How was it that this woman always seemed to see everything with perfect clarity?’

On the way back, Jiang Yunnuan got the full story from Jiang Wang and Jiang Tang about the trouble they had run into.

Jiang Wang still owed a hefty debt to the foster center, so he needed to constantly take on missions to earn Star Coins. But other than Jiang Tang, he had no permanent teammates, forcing him to always join other people’s teams.

A certain Beastman, who held a grudge against him over some past conflict, took advantage of this and set a trap for him.

The man gathered some friends to form a team and then posted a recruitment notice.

The recruitment notice offered generous pay, and the conditions were a perfect match for him and Jiang Tang. The man then had someone else forward the information to Jiang Wang.

At the time, Jiang Wang had no idea it was a trap set for him, so he contacted Jiang Tang about joining.

It wasn’t until they arrived at the base that he met the team leader and realized it was a setup.

But by then, it was too late. The man immediately kicked the siblings off the team, then ganged up with the other members to give Jiang Wang a vicious beating.

Once they had vented their anger, the group swaggered off, leaving Jiang Wang covered in blood and Jiang Tang scared out of her wits.

To make matters worse, they then ran into another group who held a grudge against them because of Xu Momo—the very same people Si Xie had just thrashed.

Hearing their story, Jiang Yunnuan sighed.

"Jiang Wang, why don’t you find a few skilled, permanent teammates and form a long-term team?"

’Sigh. This kid is supposed to be the newly-risen villain. How can he be so naive at this stage?’

’Regardless, I should still nurture him properly. In the future, he might become a capable asset in my fight for providence.’

’But before that, I need to settle this score for him.’

’That team had better pray they don’t run into me. Otherwise, I’ll beat them so hard they’ll be looking for their teeth on the ground.’

"I used to think it was too much trouble, but after this, I see I need to form a team."

Hearing her words, the young man nodded solemnly.

Permanent teams required long-term communication to maintain bonds. He wasn’t good at dealing with people, so he had never formed one. He never expected something like this to happen.

If he hadn’t been lucky enough to run into her, he couldn’t imagine what would have happened to him and Jiang Tang today.

*

「Meanwhile.」

After finding them a place to stay, Jun Yao returned to the Flying Device, only to discover that Si Xie and Jiang Yunnuan were gone.

This place was a lawless, chaotic mess, filled with vicious and desperate criminals beyond the reach of the Empire’s laws.

’They’d better not have run into any trouble.’

Jun Yao frowned. Activating the Power of Contract within him, he located Jiang Yunnuan and headed in her direction.

Before long, he saw a group of four—it was Jiang Yunnuan and her companions.

Jun Yao strode over, his eyes fixed on Jiang Yunnuan, not sparing the other three so much as a glance.

"Where did you go?"

"Si Xie took me for a little walk. Oh, right, let me introduce you. This is Jiang Tang and Jiang Wang, my little sister and brother. They’ll be with us for the next few days."

Jiang Yunnuan introduced them casually.

After she finished, Jiang Tang nervously but politely greeted the imposing man.

"Hello... Brother-in-law."

He hadn’t intended to acknowledge her, but the address "Brother-in-law" inexplicably struck a chord with Jun Yao. He glanced down at the well-behaved, pretty girl and grunted in acknowledgment.

Seeing this, Si Xie was instantly indignant. He glared at Jiang Tang and protested unhappily.

"Hey, little lady! How come you only call him Brother-in-law and not me? Have you forgotten who just helped you thrash those toads?"

Jiang Tang: "..."

’It was true... she hadn’t called him that.’

"Er, I’m sorry, that was my mistake. Thank you for before, Brother-in-law."

"That’s more like it."

Hearing her call him Brother-in-law, Si Xie’s mood brightened instantly, and he grinned as he took Jiang Yunnuan’s hand.

Suddenly, he felt an icy gaze on him.

Following the line of sight, he saw Jun Yao staring, ice-cold, at their clasped hands.

Si Xie rolled his eyes and sneered inwardly, pulling Jiang Yunnuan’s hand even tighter.

’Heh. There goes his damned possessiveness again!’

’Sigh. If only the Mind Reading Technique worked on people in the same Realm as him or higher, he’d love to know what was really going on in that guy’s head.’

’Why is he so damn possessive!’

’Does he really think he can have Jiang Yunnuan all to himself?’

’Even a peerless, once-in-a-millennium expert like Yun Aochen had to share the Empress with a group of Beastmen who were inferior to him in every way. What gives this guy the right?’