Chapter 70: That’s What You Get for Showing Off

Kuang Shao dared not be careless. He glanced at his left hand; the blackness had already spread to his wrist. When he tried to move it, he realized it was completely immobile. He surveyed his surroundings and sighed, then looked at Xuan Xuan nestled in his arms and sighed again. “I wonder if today you’ll be the death of me, or I’ll be the death of you.”

Xuan Xuan ignored him, and it was hard to blame her for thinking Kuang Shao was useless.

She had already given him the fire magic technique, yet he’d barely made any progress. He still fretted over such insignificant opponents, and she scoffed disdainfully.

Kuang Shao stared blankly, growing increasingly puzzled. Was this child in his arms really just a useless one?

He wasn’t so sure. Ordinary children weren’t this clever, nor so calm in the face of danger, were they?

Seeing Xuan Xuan ignore him, Kuang Shao felt he must be developing a masochistic streak lately. It was one thing for Zhan Yu to constantly ridicule him—after all, they’d been friends since childhood and Kuang Shao could forgive him for old times’ sake. The girls online ignored him even more, and thinking of that god-tier one—well, he grudgingly forgave her too. But now even the little baby in his arms was starting to disdain him?

Kuang Shao felt he had to show some authority.

He glanced at his immobile hand, hoping his reputation wouldn’t be ruined here. With his right hand, he shifted Xuan Xuan, and his demeanor suddenly changed. Even Xuan Xuan was surprised, giving Kuang Shao a curious look.

Under the control of his mental power, he released his mech, “Radiant Sun.” Kuang Shao balanced on his toes, retreating several steps, his gaze coldly fixed to the side. Xuan Xuan glanced at the spot where Kuang Shao had stood—not far away was an arrow.

She frowned. It seemed these people were after her?

The trajectory of that arrow was clearly aimed at her.

Kuang Shao, battle-hardened, immediately saw the arrow’s intent. He gave Xuan Xuan a bitter smile. He really shouldn’t have spoken, even a teasing comment she hadn’t heard, and now he was inexplicably caught up in trouble.

He slipped into the mech, holding Xuan Xuan. He couldn’t move freely, and the mech was safer. “Radiant Sun,” true to its name, was dazzling and vibrant. On this night, it was an obvious target for assassins, practically inviting attack.

She looked at Kuang Shao with schadenfreude. Serves him right for showing off.

Kuang Shao’s heart bled. “Radiant Sun” was his father’s masterpiece; if it got so much as a scratch, he’d be flayed alive upon return, let alone being used as a target—who knows what would be left of it.

When Kuang Shao deployed his mech, the enemy responded with several mechs of their own. Xuan Xuan stared wide-eyed—what would become of her little garden now?

When she caught them, she’d definitely make them test her medicines.

Inside Kuang Shao’s mech, the mental control system was highly refined. Despite holding Xuan Xuan and his injured hand, he could still deftly control the mech to attack.

It was Xuan Xuan’s first time watching someone control a mech so closely. The technology wasn’t perfect, but she had to admit, aside from energy efficiency and the mental control system, even she couldn’t improve on the other aspects.

Kuang Shao’s face was cold as he maneuvered the mech.

In just a few moments, everyone around the mech was dealt with. In Kuang Shao’s hands, the giant metal beast moved as naturally as his own body.

Even Xuan Xuan was slightly stunned.

Kuang Shao wasn’t as at ease as he appeared. The poison in his hand was potent—after only a few minutes, despite his best efforts, he felt the toxin creeping into his head. His mind was foggy, and his vision blurred.

The enemy seemed to sense his state; those who had retreated quickly closed in, surrounding Kuang Shao at the center.

“Despicable,” he muttered, grinding his teeth. He truly felt his reputation was ruined.

Xuan Xuan glanced at Kuang Shao. The winning move is always the best move—who cares about honor?

Kuang Shao was glad he’d recently practiced the technique the girl had given him. His mental power was much stronger, and his use of it more refined. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have managed the poison in his hand alone. “How is your family’s security so poor? Isn’t your father worried about losing his daughter?”

“Hmph,” Xuan Xuan snorted. As if these little shrimps could threaten her.

He tapped Xuan Xuan’s head. Was it his imagination, or were all girls named Xuan Xuan this confident?

Forcing himself to focus, he looked at his arm—the visible parts were completely black. Who else in the Kuang family could his father bully now?

He smiled bitterly. In truth, he didn’t blame his father; if it were him, he might make the same choices. Even the most selfish person is sometimes forced by circumstances to act selflessly.

Zhan Yu wasn’t wrong, either—they all had their duties. But this time, he could only be selfish once. He glanced eastward, wondering if his father was still clutching his mech.

He looked outside, mustering all his strength for an attack. His head swam, and his hold on Xuan Xuan faltered. He barely managed to lift his head and forced a smile at her. “Don’t be afraid.”

Determined to die before Xuan Xuan, he hugged her tightly, shielding her beneath him before collapsing unconscious.

She looked at Kuang Shao with disdain. Useless and still pretending to be a hero—what a coward.

She pushed him aside; he’d fallen on top of her, as if she weighed nothing.

She glanced at the surrounding crowd. What audacity—to act up in her presence! Over the past few months, she was a level-three junior mage, but no one knew she possessed demi-god level mental power.

She unleashed a pure mental magic: “Psychic Storm.”

“Psychic Storm” could only be used by those with formidable mental power. It caused a shockwave, damaging others’ mental power and affecting them according to its strength.

If the opponent’s mental power was strong, it might only cause a brief pause or moment of confusion. If their mental power was much weaker, they could be turned into idiots on the spot. Of course, with too many targets, Xuan Xuan didn’t use full force, leaving only a few unconscious while those inside the mechs were dazed for quite some time.

If the opponent’s mental power surpassed the caster’s, the caster could easily suffer backlash.

Seeing all the mechs around her frozen in place, Xuan Xuan took a high-grade antidote she had previously refined from her spatial storage and poured it down Kuang Shao’s throat, sighing. What a waste of medicine—if she’d acted sooner, a basic remedy would have sufficed.

She watched as the blackness on Kuang Shao’s face slowly faded, and even his hand’s darkness lightened. She put away the bottle and looked at the mechs around her.

One could still move—apparently, someone had created a small protected zone within her control.

The enemy was desperate. Seeing Kuang Shao’s mech, “Radiant Sun,” completely motionless, and believing Kuang Shao had no strength left, Xuan Xuan saw a massive energy cannon aimed straight at “Radiant Sun.”