Chapter 100: A Narrow Encounter

On the country path, Bai Yun’an walked while keeping an ear out for any sounds behind him.

【Ha… He says he won’t follow, but there he is, trailing along. This elder brother is quite the sly one.】

Juanjuan: !?

Is Big Brother following us?

Why does Third Brother know, but I don’t?

Then again, considering Third Brother can conjure things out of thin air, it’s not surprising he knows Big Brother is behind us.

Bai Yun’an quietly calculated in his mind.

【Looks like I can’t give Juanjuan any treats today to boost my Favorability Score. It’s stuck at 50, and who knows when it’ll reach the passing mark of 60.】

【Initially, I was too impatient and upset about being tricked by the System, which caused my Favorability Points to drop instead of rise.】

【But now, almost a month has passed, and haven’t the Favorability Points been climbing rapidly?】

【No worries, Yun’an, you can do it. Don’t rush!】

Juanjuan followed quietly behind her third brother, fully focused on listening to his inner thoughts, so she didn’t notice when he suddenly stopped.

Instinctively, she sidestepped and continued walking forward.

Suddenly, someone grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her back.

“Hmm?”

Juanjuan turned back, puzzled, to glance at her third brother, then followed his gaze.

She saw Hua Ni’er and her group, whom she had fought with not long ago.

Just as Juanjuan was gearing up, ready to roll up her sleeves and “face the battle,” she heard her brother’s inner thoughts.

【Tsk! This is too coincidental. I was just worrying about how to increase my Favorability Points, and now this group shows up.】

【If I take on this bunch of little punks by myself, won’t Juanjuan’s Favorability Points shoot up?】

Hearing her brother’s scheming thoughts, Juanjuan wondered if she should even be on guard now.

“Hmph!”

Hua Ni’er snorted coldly, her eyes filled with disdain and hatred.

Last time, she suffered too much at the hands of Juanjuan and her brothers, so she dared not act rashly now.

But there are ways to fight without fighting.

“Oh wow, what’s this! It’s Osmanthus Cake!”

Hua Ni’er exclaimed, pulling a small cloth bundle from her pocket. She unwrapped it to reveal an oil paper package, which she opened to show a small piece of Osmanthus Cake inside.

“You’ve never had this, have you? It’s Osmanthus Cake!”

One of the most common tactics among children: I have something you don’t.

It’s a non-physical form of psychological warfare, extremely effective at this age.

With the added grudge from their previous fight, Hua Ni’er was confident she could make Bai Family’s Juanjuan envious.

To flaunt her Osmanthus Cake and tempt Juanjuan up close, Hua Ni’er deliberately took a few steps forward.

Previously, Juanjuan would have been angry.

But now…

Juanjuan looked at the small piece of Osmanthus Cake.

Honestly, it didn’t stir any feelings.

Not to mention the treats Third Brother had secretly conjured for her recently—Wang Zai Small Mantou Buns, toffee, Luncheon Meat…

Of course, she learned these names from listening to Third Brother’s thoughts.

And just recently, Sister Liang brought her some delicious snacks.

Weren’t those much bigger than the Osmanthus Cake in Hua Ni’er’s hand?

Plus, she had not only tasted Osmanthus Cake but also Honey Three Knives and Sugar Crisp Cakes!

So, Juanjuan paid no mind to Hua Ni’er’s flaunting.

“Brother, let’s go.”

Juanjuan ignored Hua Ni’er, took her third brother’s hand, and marched forward with her short legs, full of pride.

However, Bai Yun’an didn’t want to leave just like that. If they left now, how could he show he was protecting Juanjuan and increase his Favorability Score?

【I need to think of a way to make them attack Juanjuan.】

Juanjuan suddenly turned her head, her clear, round eyes looking incredulously at her third brother.

In the next moment.

As Bai Yun’an walked past Hua Ni’er, he gave her a push. It wasn’t hard enough to hurt her.

But…

With a “plop,” the piece of Osmanthus Cake, which Hua Ni’er treasured, fell to the ground.

“My Osmanthus Cake!!”

Hua Ni’er looked at the fallen cake, almost on the verge of tears.

After picking it up, Hua Ni’er glared at Bai Yun’an, growing angrier by the second, and finally couldn’t help but start hitting him.

“You owe me a new Osmanthus Cake! You owe me!”

Bai Yun’an stepped forward, shielding Juanjuan behind him. “Juanjuan, your brother will protect you!”

With that, Bai Yun’an began to “valiantly” fight with Hua Ni’er.

Meanwhile, Bai Yunqi, who had been stealthily following his younger siblings, wasn’t one to just sit back.

Seeing his brother getting into a fight, the protective instinct inherited from their lineage flared up.

“Let go of my brother!”

With a shout, Bai Yunqi charged forward.

Juanjuan was startled.

Bai Yun’an frowned slightly, looking back at his charging elder brother.

【I almost forgot about this troublemaker! What’s he doing here?】

Bai Yunqi grabbed his “frail and weak” third brother, preventing him from falling, and pushed him behind.

“Little Third, let Big Brother handle this!”

Perhaps cultivators are easily ignited.

In just a few moves, Bai Yunqi had knocked Hua Ni’er and her companions to the ground.

He raised his chin slightly, trying to display his arrogance and dominance.

“Next time, don’t let me catch you bullying my Bai Yunqi’s siblings, got it?”

Hua Ni’er took a deep breath, then opened her mouth and started wailing.

The cries of young children, before their voices change, are incredibly piercing, akin to a sonic assault.

Bai Yunqi: “Whoa!”

【Why is she crying so loudly! Such strong lungs!】

Juanjuan and Bai Yun’an peeked out from behind their big brother, one on each side, watching Hua Ni’er wail.

She really could cry.

Hearing adult voices approaching, Juanjuan didn’t know why, but she grabbed her two brothers’ sleeves and started running.

“Wait, Juanjuan, why are we running? She was the one who started it!”

As Bai Yunqi ran, he sensed something was off.

Juanjuan stopped, looking at her big and third brothers, but didn’t explain. She simply looked at Third Brother’s hand.

“You’re bleeding…”

There were small drops of red, and his palm had a cut from the fight.

Bai Yunqi glanced at his third brother’s hand. “It’s nothing, just a small cut, not serious.”

For boys…

Bai Yunqi adhered to the sect’s previous teachings.

【Boys! Tough and resilient. A little cut and some blood are normal.】

【And since this wound was from protecting his sister, there’s no need to worry. He should feel proud!】

Juanjuan, however, lowered her head and pursed her lips.