"You only ever buy cakes for her."
"That's not true."
Yao Zixian's calm reply made the boy, Yao Bin, narrow his eyes.
"You just weren't around whenever I bought something back," Yao Zixian added as he nudged the remaining cakes on the table toward him. "Since you are here, take some."
Yao Bin eyed the cakes on the table with an offended look that clearly stated 'I don't want your leftovers' but Yao Zixian paid him no mind as he continued sipping his tea.
"What are you even here for?"
Yao XinYue's impatient tone snapped Yao Bin back to his task. He glanced at the letters in his hand, then smirked.
"I'm here to give you the invitations from the Xia Clan to attend their training. But since you are in such a bad mood, maybe I'll drop by another day."
"Give me those letters, now." Yao XinYue hissed as she lunged for them. Yao Bin yanked his hand back, holding them above his head, his lips curved into a wicked grin.
Yao Bin yanked his hand back and held the letters above his head, his grin wicked. "What if I don't want to? What are you going to do about it?"
RenJie shifted uncomfortably at the edge of his seat, watching XinYue rise on her toes, arms flailing as she tried to snatch the envelopes from her brother.
"They are not on good terms?" RenJie whispered to Yao Zixian who gave a grim nod.
RenJie could see the tension in his shoulders as Yao Zixian observed the siblings. His fingers gripping the teacup in his hands a little tighter than he usually would. RenJie turned his gaze back to the siblings just in time to see Yao XinYue leap with her hands outstretched, missing the invitations and raking her nails across her brother's arm, leaving vivid red welts.
Yao Bin howled in pain as he clutched his arm, examining the red lines in disbelief. A flicker of guilt flashed through Yao XinYue's eyes, but before she could speak, a large shadow loomed over her.
She looked up to see Yao Bin with his hand raised, ready to strike her. His thick arm bulged, condensing spiritual energy to enhance the power of the strike, and he swung it down towards her. She instinctively closed her eyes, bracing herself for the impact.
RenJie leapt to his feet.
Yao Bin, as the heir of the Yao Clan, should have received special training from the elders of the clan, something that Yao XinYue was not part of, as she was younger by two years. As a male, his strength is fundamentally stronger than hers. Should this strike land, Yao XinYue would not escape with light injuries.
RenJie was never trained in cultivation arts. As an orphan, he never had the privilege of learning the cultivation arts. He never belonged to the cultivation world. If not for Yao Zixian and Yao XinYue picking him up from the streets, he would have never stepped into the inner circles of the cultivation world.
He didn't have spiritual energy. He won't be able to stop that blow. In fact, he might be even more injured should he take the blow for Yao XinYue, someone who had started training her basic cultivation.
But his body moved on its own.
He jumped over the round table and shielded Yao XinYue behind him, his arms stretched out, fully intending to block the incoming blow.
The strike never landed.
A strong grip caught Yao Bin's arm mid-swing.
RenJie blinked. Yao Zixian stood beside him, easily catching Yao Bin's arm in his grip, his smile had slipped from his face. Replaced by a rare seriousness and a sharp warning in his eyes.
"Stop, she is your sister." Yao Zixian's voice was dangerously low as he tightened his grip on Yao Bin's hand.
Yao Bin glared at Yao Zixian before jerking his arm free.
"She dared to injure the heir of the clan, she should be prepared to accept punishment."
"Even so, the punishment should not come from you." Yao Zixian took a few steps towards him, his tone authoritative, making Yao Bin falter and deflate for a moment.
He didn't understand why Yao Zixian always rattled him. He was the son of the current head of the Yao Clan and was undergoing the clan's secret training. All his teachers and elders had praised his talent, saying that he was worthy of being the clan's heir. But everything changed when Yao Zixian arrived at their mansion.
His natural talent outshone Yao Bin's, making his past achievements seem insignificant. Yao Zixian could easily understand and master something that would take Yao Bin several weeks to even grasp, astonishing the elders of the clan. Some even hinted that Yao Zixian should undergo the training of the Yao Clan, but even without going through the training, Yao Bin knows that Yao Zixian had already seen through the Yao Clan's swordsmanship. He had accidentally peeked at Yao Zixian when he was training in the woods, and his level was clearly above Yao Bin's.
In Xia City, Yao Bin stood just beneath Young Master Xia. That much he could accept.
But losing to Yao Zixian was unacceptable. Someone who was disowned and disgraced, who came crawling back to their maternal home to seek shelter, who didn't have a father, shouldn't be standing on equal grounds with Yao Bin. He would never accept it, but he knew he couldn't win against Yao Zixian. Not in a head-on fight, not with brute force.
Just like now, Yao Zixian could easily dispel his spiritual energy and stop his movements. And now, standing beneath that steady gaze, Yao Bin felt like a cornered animal.
But why should he back down?
He isn't in the wrong this time. Yao XinYue had scratched him, even tearing his skin. Yao Zixian is only a cousin, from a disgraced mother no less. Why should he have the final say?
"Don't you dare tell me what to do, you filthy bastard child!" Yao Bin spat as he shoved Yao Zixian away. He then glared at RenJie, the servant boy they recently picked up from the streets. Even a servant dares to oppose him.
Yao Bin reached out to grab RenJie, murderous intent in his eyes, when suddenly, a commanding voice came from behind Yao Bin.
"What is this fuss?"