Xiao Tian threw him straight to the ground. The man sprawled in a sorry heap, gasping desperately for air.
Han Yue and Qing Lin stepped quietly to Xiao Tian's side. The young man's eyes locked onto them instantly, utterly entranced by their beauty. His current predicament vanished completely from his mind.
Xiao Tian gestured. The two women understood. They turned to the father and daughter. "You two should leave now. Quickly."
The pair dropped to their knees, kowtowed once, and fled without looking back.
Xiao Tian stared down at the man from above. "What is the Heavenly Serpent Mansion Master to you?" His voice carried the chill of deep winter. The man snapped back to reality in an instant.
"She is my mother." He wasn't foolish enough to lie. He hoped his identity might preserve his life. Revenge could be arranged later.
Qing Lin and Han Yue returned to Xiao Tian's side. He hoisted the young man and, with the two women flanking him, flew swiftly toward the Heavenly Serpent Mansion.
"Where are you taking me?!" The young man was nearly beside himself with terror. He was utterly convinced Xiao Tian intended to slaughter him in some remote wilderness. His face twisted with panic as he begged without pause. Annoyed, Xiao Tian sealed his vocal cords.
They reached the Heavenly Serpent Mansion's mountain stronghold without slowing, flying directly toward the largest structure. The palace was adorned everywhere with Heavenly Serpent totems, imposing and majestic. After knocking out the outer guards, Xiao Tian cast a brief glance at the empty void beside him.
"Who dares trespass into my Heavenly Serpent Mansion?!" A cold shout erupted from within the great hall.
Xiao Tian swept the main doors open with a surge of Dou Qi and strode inside, still carrying the young man. Han Yue and Qing Lin followed close behind. Most would expect a force named after serpents to be dark and sinister, but this hall was nothing of the sort. The space was bright, the pillars carved with Heavenly Serpents that gave it an air of both majesty and mystery.
At the highest seat, at the very back of the hall, sat a woman of striking beauty and graceful figure. Her lovely face, however, was a mask of frost and wariness. Her gaze lingered on Xiao Tian for a moment, then shifted to the man in his grip. A flicker of tenderness—and fury—flashed through her eyes, instantly smothered by cold. When she looked at Xiao Tian again, her stare was twin blades.
This was the Heavenly Serpent Mansion Master, She Yuyan. A Five-Star Dou Zong.
"Who are you? How dare you cause trouble in my Heavenly Serpent Mansion and abduct my son?" Her voice was melodious, yet carried absolute authority. She sensed a vague threat emanating from Xiao Tian—this young man, younger even than her own son, was not weak. She did not act rashly.
Xiao Tian's lips curved into a faint, cold smile. "Heavenly Serpent Mansion Master, I come with no hostile intent. I merely wish to make a deal."
She Yuyan's brow furrowed. The other party had clearly come with ill intentions, and her son was still in his hands. "What deal?" Her voice was ice. Inwardly, she cursed him—what kind of scoundrel kidnapped someone's son and then spoke of deals? But she knew she was at a disadvantage. She could only bow to circumstance.
"The corpse of the Ancient Heavenly Serpent." Xiao Tian's voice reached her with perfect clarity.
Her eyes flickered—barely perceptible—then settled. The existence of the Ancient Heavenly Serpent's corpse had been passed down solely among successive Mansion Masters. There was no possibility of a leak. "Although our Heavenly Serpent Mansion bears the name, we possess no such corpse. Where exactly am I supposed to produce this for you? Are you toying with me?"
The shift in her expression had been fleeting, but Xiao Tian caught it. "Mansion Master, I suggest you reconsider. There's no need to brush me off with such words. I would not have come here without certainty. Either you refuse, and I kill your son—then we continue our discussion. Or..." He lifted the young man slightly, a cold chuckle escaping him. "Madam, you wouldn't want your son to lose his life, would you?"
At the open threat, She Yuyan's face drained of color. She knew he had come fully prepared. Her fingers dug into the armrest of her seat. "The Ancient Heavenly Serpent's corpse is the foundation of my Heavenly Serpent Mansion. How could I simply hand it over?"
"It seems the Mansion Master has decided she no longer wants her son." Xiao Tian unsealed the young man's vocal cords. The instant sound returned to him, he shrieked as though clutching a lifeline.
"Mother, save me!! Forget that damned corpse, just save me!"
Xiao Tian sealed his voice again.
She Yuyan, who had always doted on her son, felt her heart clench as though crushed in a fist. Before she could speak, Xiao Tian's calm voice continued. "Of course, I don't intend to take the entire corpse. Only a single item from it."
All his earlier pressure had been building toward this one sentence: tighten the screws, then crack open a sliver of hope.
She Yuyan sank into thought. The most precious thing within the corpse was its hidden soul, which could only be drawn out through a special method. While she hesitated, Xiao Tian spoke again. "Madam, I will give you one final chance. If you still refuse, I can only offer my apologies." His hand tightened. The young man thrashed, his face a mask of agony, growing paler by the second, his breath weakening.
The Mansion Master watched her son suffer, her heart torn to shreds. His life now hung on a single word from her. Her fists clenched as though reaching a final, desperate decision. The tension in the hall pressed down like a physical weight.
Xiao Tian stood motionless, his gaze fixed on her. His grip continued to tighten. The young man's breath grew fainter and fainter.
"I agree." The words left her, and she seemed to deflate, her body sagging slightly. "But I hope you keep your word. One item only. And the moment you have it, you release my son. Otherwise, even if I must fight to the death, I will leave my mark on you."
A strange feeling stirred in Xiao Tian's chest at her words. *Fight to the death. Leave my mark on you.* Why did that sound so oddly familiar? He glanced back at the two women standing guard behind him.
Qing Lin and Han Yue: ?
He dismissed the thought and slowly eased the pressure and Dou Qi in his grip. A smile returned to his face. "Of course. Madam has made a wise decision."
The young man in his grasp sucked in air like a drowning man pulled from the sea. He had already seen his great-grandmother coming to fetch him.
"Then lead the way, Mansion Master. Once I have what I need, I will naturally release your son."