Chapter 35: A Modest Profit

"Cock-a-doodle-doo!"
The Lord Rooster hopped straight onto Xiao Yang’s shoulder, chattering away in agitation—no doubt making complaints.
Meanwhile, the Shadow Leopard Demon moved to stand beside Zhou Yan.

Suddenly, a steel arrow whistled through the air.
Xiao Yang slipped aside, and the arrow shot past his face.
At that moment, a group of riders thundered up on horseback.

"Who are you, and why are you carrying my prey?"
The leader, a young man barely in his twenties, confronted Xiao Yang with sharp words.

Xiao Yang arched his brow.
Well, now—shooting at my battle beast with an arrow, and not even bothering to apologize, then swaggering up like this?

"Young man, have some dignity. You shot at my battle beast, and I haven’t even bothered to hold you accountable."
He glanced at the group and spoke with indifference.

His words sparked a round of laughter.

"Haha, you little bastard, do you even know who this is?"
"Stop wasting time! Let go of those two animals so our young master can practice his skills!"

Two voices barked out insults.

Hearing this, Zhou Yan’s face darkened in displeasure; she lifted her head to look.
The young leader froze, stunned by her beauty, but quickly regained his arrogance.

"Haha! There's a beauty here—she’s mine. I, Jiang Luo, will take her."

The youth’s words grew even more insolent.

A cold gleam flashed in Xiao Yang’s eyes.
Sensing his master’s mood, the Lord Rooster reacted immediately.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo!"
He crowed, as if seeking Xiao Yang’s permission.

"Go!"
Xiao Yang uttered the command softly.

The group burst out laughing.

"This kid must be scared witless. Who’s he even talking to?"
"Heh, unlucky for him to run into Young Master Jiang."

Almost simultaneously, a shadow darted forward.

A large rooster launched itself straight at them.

"Hmph, courting death!"
Jiang Luo snorted coldly.

He recognized this chicken—it was one of those common meat birds sold at the market, entirely devoid of cultivation.

He drew the sword from his waist and swung it fiercely.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo!"

But the Lord Rooster didn’t dodge.
After enduring so much provocation, he could finally strike back.

Had Xiao Yang not warned him against harming people indiscriminately, it would have been far harder to say who was pursuing whom.

Clang!

The rooster caught Jiang Luo’s sword in his claw.

"What!"
Jiang Luo cried out in shock as the other claw swiped toward his face.

"Cock-a-doodle-doo!"

"Ah!"

A scream echoed—then the Lord Rooster returned to Xiao Yang’s side.

At the same time, the rest of the group snapped out of their daze.

None of them had expected an ordinary chicken to suddenly attack.

They stared in alarm.

Jiang Luo now clutched his face with both hands, blood streaming between his fingers.

"Young master, are you all right?"
His men rushed to him in panic.

Almost at once, an enraged shout erupted.

"Damn it, you useless lot! My face!"

He gasped in pain, then jabbed a finger at Xiao Yang.

"Cut that brat up and feed him to the dogs! Bring the woman back—I’ll enjoy her at my leisure!"

The men dared not hesitate, advancing toward Xiao Yang.

Behind them, Jiang Luo barked,
"And grab that rooster! Tonight I want it in my soup!"

"Yes, young master!"

They nodded, ready to carry out his orders.

Xiao Yang glanced at them.

"Sister, have you heard of the Jiang family?"

In the tense moment, Zhou Yan set aside her annoyance and replied,

"I have. They’re a second-rate clan—nothing to worry about."

Xiao Yang’s eyes brightened.

He had already decided how to deal with this group.

"Lord Rooster, take them down—all except that boy."

He gave the order.

The Lord Rooster, impatient for action, stared hard at Jiang Luo.
This fellow wants to stew me?
Grudges were already forming.

"Courting death!"

The guards—all sixth-level martial artists—stood ready, but before the rooster, they were no match.

There were six guards in total; in a flash, three were toppled.

The remaining three were visibly terrified.

None of them could've imagined that a mere rooster possessed such terrifying strength.

"I am from the Jiang family of North Desert City. Leave now, and we’ll pretend none of this happened."

One guard tried to intimidate them with his family’s reputation.

But Xiao Yang was unmoved.

To him, Jiang Luo had become a walking pile of silver—ransom money beckoned, and he had no intention of letting it go.

"Oh! The Jiang family? I’m so frightened!"

Xiao Yang feigned terror.

The guard pressed,
"Hmph! Then tell that beast to stop!"

The Lord Rooster struck down another guard; at this rate, they’d all soon be defeated.

"Heh, Sister, I’m scared. Are you scared?"

Xiao Yang sidled up to Zhou Yan, only to be pushed away with a scornful glance.

"Stop playing around—finish this. We still have places to go."

Hearing this, Xiao Yang’s mood soared.

His sister was speaking to him again.

He glanced back toward the Jiang family guards.

Unluckily for them, after another cry of pain, the last guard was knocked down.

Now the Lord Rooster was pecking at a guard’s armor.

Jiang Luo stood stunned.

He never expected his elite guards to be so easily crushed—by a rooster, no less.

He had been chasing them only moments ago.

Gulp.

He swallowed hard, turning to flee.

But a shadow moved faster, blocking his escape.

"Where are you off to, little brother?"

Xiao Yang intercepted him with a cheerful smile.

"Don’t do anything rash! I’m from the Jiang family! If you harm me, my family won’t let you off!"

Xiao Yang’s smile remained, as he said leisurely,

"You’ve frightened me. You’ll have to compensate."

Blink.

"Ah—ah???"
Jiang Luo’s mind short-circuited; he couldn’t keep up with Xiao Yang’s logic.

"What’s with the 'ah'? I’m a core disciple of Giant Spirit Sect. You scared me, so you must pay."

Xiao Yang pressed his claim, now invoking his sect’s reputation.

The Giant Spirit Sect’s name carried weight.

Jiang Luo’s body visibly trembled, his eyes wide with fright.

"G-G-Giant Spirit Sect?"

He had heard of this sect—guarded by martial lords, a force powerful enough to wipe out small clans like the Jiang family with a flick of the wrist.

He realized he’d landed himself in trouble.

Ignoring the pain in his face, he hurried to beg for mercy.

"Little brother, I failed to recognize a great man. I didn’t know you were a disciple of Giant Spirit Sect—I’ll pay compensation."

He pulled out his money pouch and handed Xiao Yang over ten silver notes.

"This is a token of my sincerity. Please accept it."

Xiao Yang didn’t hesitate, glancing at the notes—each worth a thousand, ten in all.
Over ten thousand in an instant.

"All right—let’s call it even for scaring me."

Jiang Luo breathed a sigh of relief.

But his heart soon tightened again.

"Since scaring me is settled, let’s talk about frightening my sister."

Jiang Luo froze, staring in bewilderment.

Finally, with tears in his eyes, he handed over all his silver notes.

He thought that would be the end of it.

But another voice sounded in his ear.

"Frightening my sister is settled—but now let’s discuss scaring my battle beast."

Jiang Luo was dumbfounded.

He wanted to shout,
Are you blind? It was your damn rooster that beat us up! We haven’t even asked for medical compensation, and you have the gall to demand money?

Seeing Jiang Luo’s stunned expression, Xiao Yang turned to Zhou Yan.

"Sister, send word to the sect. Tell them there’s a family here begging for annihilation. Let’s do a good deed and send them on their way."

Before Zhou Yan could respond, Jiang Luo was nearly petrified with fear.

He began frantically searching his body for anything valuable, desperate to appease this master.