BTTH: Demon Emperor Xiao Yan

Night had fallen.

Inside the Xiao Sect's warehouse, rows of rare medicinal herbs lay quietly in jade boxes. Due to the previous theft, this time the energy barriers had been fortified even more than before. But to a certain little thief, these seemingly impenetrable defenses were no obstacle at all.

In the spacious room, a petite figure suddenly appeared. She glanced around the area, and after confirming that no one was guarding the place, she slipped inside quietly. Her eyes landed on a jade box labeled Blood Python Branch, and a proud smile lit up her small face.

"Heh heh, these guys are really dumb. Do they think reinforcing the barriers actually works?" She reached out with her hand, effortlessly passing through the energy shield. But just as her hand was about to touch the jade box, the protective barrier vanished, and a large net suddenly dropped from the ceiling, catching her inside in one clean motion.

She struggled hard, thinking she could easily break free—but the more she thrashed, the tighter it became, eventually wrapping around her firmly and leaving her unable to move. Just then, the lights in the room flared on, and Xiao Yan and the others walked out slowly from the shadows.

"Don't waste your energy. That net's made from the tendons of high-rank magical beasts. It's specifically designed to restrain strong, brute-force types," Xiao Yan said calmly, watching the small figure tangled in the net. He had already suspected this intruder's nature, so he had deliberately used rare medicinal herbs as bait. He hadn't expected to catch such a big fish this quickly.

The one trapped inside was a white-clad girl who looked no older than eleven or twelve, with long, light purple hair. Though petite, she was remarkably cute. However, at the moment, her fair little face was filled with panic—clearly not expecting to fall into a trap.

Even Hai Bodong, who had been fuming with rage at the theft, was left speechless at the sight. He had never imagined the thief who had cleaned out his stash would be such an adorable little girl. Qing Lin tugged at Xiao Yan's sleeve and asked quietly, "Young Master, did we catch the wrong person?"

"Don't be fooled by her appearance. This little one's not as simple as she looks." Xiao Yan shook his head with a smile. Since only the three of them were involved in this nighttime operation, none of them had used the illusion beast masks. At this moment, Xiao Yan had returned to his usual, harmless-looking self.

The little girl, seeing that only three people had appeared—two of them children like herself—quietly let out a breath of relief. Her big black eyes sparkled with cunning, and in no time, tears welled up, ready to fall. If a woman had seen this scene, she'd probably rush over to free her and hug her tightly out of sympathy.

But Xiao Yan wasn't falling for that. Whether she was acting or truly frightened didn't matter to him. Sitting down casually in a nearby chair, he said flatly, "That's enough. Cut the act. You're a Dou King, for crying out loud. Isn't crying like this embarrassing?"

"Huh?" Hai Bodong and Qing Lin were both stunned. They hadn't expected this little girl to actually be a Dou King-level expert. Was she another monster like Xiao Yan?

"Don't get the wrong idea," Xiao Yan added as he noticed their astonishment. "She's nothing like me. If we're talking about age, she might even be old enough to be your grandma."

"Tch." The little girl pouted, clearly annoyed. That expression was a far cry from the tearful look she had a moment ago.

"Where'd you put my medicinal herbs?" Hai Bodong barked angrily.

"I ate them," the girl snorted, her nonchalant attitude making Hai Bodong grit his teeth. "Ate them?! What kind of joke is that? You're just a little girl! How could you possibly absorb that much medicinal energy?"

"Shows what you know," she huffed, crossing her arms. "Your herbs weren't even enough to count as a snack."

"Hai Lao, she's actually telling the truth," Xiao Yan said with a grin. "Normal humans definitely can't withstand the energy from those rare herbs. But this girl's clearly not human."

"Not human? You mean... she's a magical beast?" Hai Bodong's expression changed. He glanced at the girl, and his face grew fierce. "If she ate all those herbs, then we should just kill her and take her Monster Core to cover the loss!"

"Hai Lao, that's a little too brutal, don't you think?" Xiao Yan stopped him with a raised hand. "No matter what, she still looks like a little girl. You'll scare her if you act like that."

"Exactly!" Qing Lin nodded quickly. Even if the girl was a magical beast, her innocent appearance made the kind-hearted Qing Lin unwilling to see her come to harm. She quickly echoed Xiao Yan's stance.

Hai Bodong stared at Xiao Yan in disbelief. If this hadn't been the wrong occasion—and if he could actually beat Xiao Yan—he'd have spit in his face. 'Me? Brutal? You're the one who slaughters people left and right. You've got the nerve to call me savage?'

"Alright, Hai Lao," Xiao Yan said. "I'll help you gather the ingredients for the Purple Spirit Recovery Pill again. As soon as they're ready, I'll refine it for you myself."

After appeasing Hai Bodong, Xiao Yan turned to the little girl trapped in the net and asked, "Little one, what's your name? Where are you from?"

She turned her face away, clearly not willing to answer. But Xiao Yan just smiled. From their earlier exchange, he could already tell that while this girl had decent strength, her mental maturity was about the same as a twelve- or thirteen-year-old human child. She was likely still in the juvenile phase for magical beasts.

"If you tell me your name and identity, how about I let you out?" Xiao Yan offered.

"Really?" The little girl turned back to him, her childish voice filled with excitement.

"Of course. If I lie to you, then I'll read my name backward—how about that?" Xiao Yan said with a warm smile.

Seeing the gentle smile on his face, the girl quickly dropped her guard. "My name is Zi Yan, and I'm from Jia Nan Academy. Now let me out!"

"Jia Nan Academy, huh…" Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow. That was a surprise—he hadn't planned on dealing with that place anytime soon.

"Alright, I've told you my name. You said you'd let me out. If not, you have to say your name backward!"

"Mhm, I did say that." Xiao Yan nodded. "But there's something I forgot to mention… My real name is Xiao Yan."

"You tricked me?!"

(End of Chapter)

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