YOU DEMONIC BRAT! THIS ISN'T YOUR DADDY'S WALKING STICK!

"..."

"..."

"The Xiantian Sect isn't the place for someone like you right now," Grandpa Wei had said, his voice heavy with the kind of seriousness old people loved to dish out.

"Hm? Why's that?" Su Xiaobai had asked, pretending to be all concerned, though in truth, he was already calculating how deep into their treasury he could get before anyone noticed.

Grandpa Wei took a long drag from his pipe, letting the smoke billow around him as if he were some kind of ancient sage. "The sect that once ruled the cultivation world, feared and unrivaled, is now little more than a glorified ghost story. Not even the capital's so-called geniuses want anything to do with it."

"Oh, really?" Su Xiaobai raised an eyebrow, not quite hiding the flicker of interest in his eyes.

"The lion's grown old and weak," the old man continued, his voice dropping like he was revealing a grand secret. "And when the lion's weak, the jackals come sniffing around. Soon, every rat, snake, and hyena will descend on it. Blood will flow. War is coming." Grandpa Wei's eyes gleamed with the wisdom of a man who had clearly seen his fair share of ass-kickings. "You walk into that, you're walking into a meat grinder. Stay away, unless you've got a death wish."

Su Xiaobai had nodded solemnly during that conversation, doing his best to look like he was deeply considering the old man's words.

But in reality, his thoughts had gone in an entirely different direction.

'War? Hyenas? Blood?' Su Xiaobai nearly burst out laughing on the spot. 'Sounds like a treasure hunter's dream.'

Grandpa Wei thought he was warning Su Xiaobai, telling him to steer clear of the Xiantian Sect, but all the old man had really done was throw fuel on the fire.

Su Xiaobai wasn't some innocent kid looking for a peaceful sect to join.

Hell no. He was a scavenger, and nothing excited him more than the smell of chaos and the promise of loot.

"If the lion's weakened, then its treasure hoard is wide open," Su Xiaobai mused to himself, barely able to contain his grin. 'Let the so-called geniuses stay away out of fear. I'll just stroll in and help myself to whatever's left.'

Grandpa Wei might have thought Su Xiaobai was another wide-eyed cultivator looking for a "safe" place to settle, but Su Xiaobai had other plans.

Why settle in a crumbling sect when you could rob it blind instead?

"Where there's blood, there's treasure," Su Xiaobai muttered under his breath, his grin widening. "And if the sect's falling apart, that just makes the looting easier."

The best part? While everyone else was focused on either joining or tearing down the Xiantian Sect, Su Xiaobai planned to quietly sneak in, grab whatever shiny artifacts weren't bolted down, and leave before anyone even noticed. 'Let the vultures fight over the bones. I'm taking the best parts.'

Grandpa Wei thought he'd given him a dire warning. Su Xiaobai, on the other hand, saw a golden opportunity.

"Thanks for the heads-up, old man," Su Xiaobai chuckled to himself, his voice echoing softly off the rocks surrounding the waterfall. "I'll be sure to 'avoid' the Xiantian Sect... right after I empty their vaults."

He stood completely naked beneath the waterfall, the cool water cascading down his body in thick sheets.

Each drop of water splish-splashed against his skin, mixing with the peaceful sounds of nature around him.

For a moment, it was perfect—tranquil, even.

But Su Xiaobai had long learned the heavens rarely let him enjoy peace for long.

His cauldron ring buzzed violently, a subtle vibration that pulled his attention away from his musings.

"Huh?" Su Xiaobai muttered, glancing at his hand. He barely had time to register it before something 'grabbed his third leg' under the water.

Splosh! Splosh!

Startled, Su Xiaobai glanced down, only to see the demon child—no longer the small, harmless thing she once was.

She had grown to two feet tall, her once vague features now eerily beautiful, like a delicate porcelain doll. But the real issue was where she had spawned.

Right in the water, about four meters deep.

Gurgle… Gurgle…

The demon child flailed her arms helplessly, water bubbling around her as she struggled to stay afloat.

Her tiny hands reached out, searching for anything to hold on to.

And, unfortunately, she found something.

GRIP!

Su Xiaobai's entire body tensed as his face turned sheet-white. His eyes bulged, staring down in disbelief. 'Oh, no...'

The demon child had latched onto 'his little brother'.

CLENCH!

Su Xiaobai's face went from white to red in an instant, his breath choking in his throat.

A weight—like she was squeezing a rock—clamped down with all the force of a demon fighting for her life.

His mouth hung open in a silent scream, the only sound he managed was a faint, "Ehhhhhh...!"

But the worst was yet to come.

CLENCH!

"GYAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Su Xiaobai's scream tore through the air, echoing across the forest.

His hands shot down instinctively to pry the demon child off, but her grip only tightened.

The pain surged through him in waves as his precious assets were being mercilessly squished by her tiny, vice-like grip.

SPLOOSH! SPLASH!

The water churned wildly around him as he flailed in desperation. "LET GO! LET GO, YOU DEMONIC BRAT! THIS ISN'T YOUR DADDY'S WALKING STICK!" His voice cracked as he tried to pull her off.

But with each tug, she only clung harder, her tiny fingers squeezing his most sensitive parts like she was hanging on for dear life.

CLENCH!

"GAHHHHHHH!!!" Su Xiaobai's voice hit a pitch he didn't even know he was capable of. Birds flew from the trees, startled by the unnatural sound of a grown man being reduced to a pitiful screech.

GURGLE... SPLASH... SPLASH!

The demon child, still struggling to survive, flailed her free hand in the water, oblivious to the absolute agony she was causing.

Her doll-like eyes gleamed innocently as she latched on with all the strength she had.

Su Xiaobai's eyes watered from the unbearable pain shooting through his lower half. His body spasmed involuntarily as the demon child continued to grip his 'precious family jewels' with ruthless determination, entirely oblivious to the destruction she was causing.

"Th-this... this is how it all ends?" Su Xiaobai croaked, his voice barely above a whisper. His knees buckled under the weight of agony, but in a desperate surge of will, he shot his hands down, grabbing the demon child's tiny wrists.

With a sudden burst of strength fueled entirely by the survival instinct of a man fighting for the future of his lineage, Su Xiaobai yanked her hands free from his poor, tortured little brother.

"LET... GO!" he roared.

Splooooosh!

Water splashed everywhere as Su Xiaobai shot up from the depths, lifting the demon child high into the air like some kind of sacrificial offering to the heavens.

Her porcelain face remained eerily expressionless, her arms still twitching as if she hadn't quite realized that her grip on his valuables had been broken.

Without a second thought, Su Xiaobai began dragging her through the water, staggering with the grace of a man in extreme pain.

Each step felt like walking through shards of glass, but the shore was in sight.

He had to make it.

He had to check.

Splish. Splash. Slosh.

He trudged through the water, still holding the demon child above his head like a possessed warrior dragging his enemy's head to the village chief.

His feet hit the shallow end of the lake, and with one final, painful heave, he collapsed onto the grassy shore, letting the demon child roll a few feet away like a discarded doll.

Panting heavily, Su Xiaobai stayed flat on his back, staring up at the sky as if to ask the heavens 'Why? Why me?'

But there was no time for pity.

He had more pressing concerns.

Eyes wide with dread, Su Xiaobai slowly tilted his head downward, his breath catching in his throat as he dared to peek between his legs.

"Please, please... be okay... please..." His hands trembled as they reached down to inspect the damage, his heart racing.

What if she'd crushed his future into oblivion? The thought alone was enough to make him want to vomit blood.

His trembling fingers gently brushed over his "little brother," checking for any signs of permanent damage.

For a moment, he couldn't breathe, too terrified to even look directly.

And then, finally...

"Ahhh..." Su Xiaobai let out a long, shaky sigh of relief. "Still intact... future's still safe... thank the heavens..."