Battle Through the Heavens: Reap the Red Lotus Karmic Flame at the Start

275. Origins of the Abandoned Infant

Seeing Tang Qiying's unyielding stance, Mu Xinyuan felt a surge of anger, his beard and hair fluttering wildly due to the surging battle qi.

"If I don't teach you a lesson today, I'm afraid I've lived in vain for all these years." In his anger, Mu Xinyuan's terrifying battle aura also caused turbulence in this space.

Even Xiao Yan, who was behind, felt some pressure. He stepped to the side to protect Mu Qingluan behind him. Xiao Yan was also certain that Mu Xinyuan's strength was even stronger than that of Venerable Huangquan and Venerable Lei.

Meanwhile, Tang Qiying, who was directly opposite Mu Xinyuan, was also being suppressed and began to tremble. However, the ferocity in Tang Qiying's eyes grew stronger and stronger, and he refused to take a step back.

Just then, a gentle aura of battle energy pierced between the two, protecting the swaying Tang Qiying, and a figure appeared between them.

"Brother Yuan, please calm down." A gentle and charming voice rang out.

Between the two was a woman, tall and slender, with long, flowing black hair that cascaded down her back, swaying in the wind. Her eyes shimmered with a purple light, her skin was like jade, and she possessed a delicate fragrance that, upon closer inspection, was almost intoxicating. The most distinctive feature of the woman was the few purple feathers behind her ears, adding a touch of wildness to her otherwise gentle beauty.

The woman's appearance immediately stopped the conflict between Tang Qiying and Mu Xinyuan. Xiao Yan was certain that the woman was also one of the five Dou Zun of the Tianluan Clan.

Upon recognizing the person who had arrived, Mu Xinyuan stopped what he was doing, but said somewhat displeasedly, "Zi'er, why are you stopping me?"

Mu Zier said with a wry smile, "Brother Xin, you know the temper of abandoned babies, and there are outsiders here now."

Upon hearing Mu Zier's explanation, Mu Xinyuan's anger subsided somewhat. He snorted coldly, though his expression remained somewhat unpleasant. However, he no longer intended to continue the fight. As Mu Zier had said, it was rather inappropriate for a Dou Zun elder to fight a junior.

Mu Zier turned to Tang Qiying and instructed, "Qiying, let Elder Xinyuan lead people in."

Tang Qiying was still panting heavily, her brows furrowed, and she stood blocking the passage, coldly saying, "Elder Zi, it's the rule not to bring humans in casually. I'm just doing my duty."

Seeing that Tang Qiying was unmoved by reason, Mu Zier was clearly prepared and added, "Elder Xinyuan brought disciples of the Starfall Pavilion, and the clan leader knows that, so they can go in."

Upon hearing the word "patriarch," Tang Qiying's resolve wavered slightly, and at that moment, a voice emanated from within his battle aura.

"The abandoned child should step back; this is rude."

Upon hearing this voice, Tang Qiying relaxed, bowed to Mu Xinyuan and Mu Zier, and then walked to the side.

"Grandma Zi!" Mu Qingluan called out as she walked to Mu Zier's side.

Mu Zier smiled and said, "Qingluan is back, why didn't she come to see Grandma Zi?"

Mu Qingluan's eyes darted around, and she said with a grin, "I have something important to do yet. Once I finish it, the first thing I'll do is go see Grandma Zi."

Mu Zi'er affectionately patted Mu Qingluan's head and said to Xiao Yan, "You must be that little guy from the Starfall Pavilion."

Xiao Yan nodded and said, "Xiao Yan of the Starfall Pavilion thanks Elder Zi!"

Mu Zier nodded, then asked with a hint of anticipation, "Didn't Feng Xian ask you to bring me anything?"

Mu Zier's question left Xiao Yan somewhat at a loss, and he could only answer truthfully, "Elder Feng didn't mention it... he must have accidentally forgotten." Seeing the change in Mu Zier's expression, Xiao Yan quickly tried to cover for Elder Feng.

Mu Zier retorted with a hint of annoyance, "You human men are all heartless!"

At this moment, Xiao Yan was the only so-called human man present. However, with the Dou Zun senior beside him, Xiao Yan could only stand by and offer a forced smile. Although Xiao Yan wasn't particularly sensitive to matters of the heart, he could tell that the relationship between Mu Zi'er and Feng Zun might not be simple, and as a junior, he dared not speak out of turn.

Mu Qingluan pulled Mu Zier aside and said, "Grandma Zi, Teacher has been very busy lately. He'll definitely come over in person when he has time!"

"Qingluan, you should speak up for him. He's probably forgotten about me long ago."

Mu Qingluan, standing to the side, grabbed Mu Zier's arm and said, "How could that be? I saw Grandma Zi's portrait in Teacher's room earlier!"

Upon hearing this, Mu Zier smiled again and stopped dwelling on the topic. She said to the three of them, "Brother Yuan, you take the little ones inside."

Mu Xinyuan nodded, but as Mu Qingluan walked into the passage, she still glanced sideways at Tang Qiying. However, Tang Qiying simply stood to the side, seemingly unconcerned.

After entering the passage, Mu Qingluan said to Mu Xinyuan, "Grandpa, this guy is getting more and more fond of making things difficult for people."

"Girl, don't say things like that so easily in the future. After all, we are all members of the Tianluan Clan."

Xiao Yan then raised his own question: "Elder Xinyuan, why is his surname Tang and not Mu, and why is he called Abandoned Infant?"

Xiao Yan had some doubts before, but it was inconvenient to bring them up, since the name "abandoned baby" didn't seem like something a normal person would choose.

Mu Xinyuan also said in a low voice, "Tang Qiying is not a pure-blooded member of the Tianluan Clan."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan was also somewhat puzzled. It would be fine if it were an ordinary person, but he did not expect that Tang Qiying, as the chief inspector of the Tianluan Clan, was not a member of the Tianluan Clan.

"He was originally a human-phoenix hybrid. He was abandoned shortly after birth for unknown reasons and was on the verge of death when he met Tang Zhen, the master of Burning Flame Valley."

"Valley Master Tang rescued him and brought him to the Tianluan Clan. Since he had Tianluan blood, the clan allowed him to stay. Tang Qiying was otherwise alright, but he was extremely obsessed. Because Valley Master Tang saved him, he adopted the surname Tang. He even named himself Qiying (Abandoned Infant) to remind himself of his status as someone abandoned by his parents, a sentiment he has never been able to let go of over the years."

"Back then, he was bullied by the children in the clan for a period of time. However, his perseverance in cultivation was incredible. In the end, he was taken in as a disciple by Elder Chen Wei, who was not from the Tianluan clan. During the selection of the Inspector, all the younger generation of the Tianluan clan became his defeated opponents. This position was obtained for the first time in many years by a non-Mu surname Tianluan clan member."

Upon hearing Mu Xinyuan's introduction, Xiao Yan couldn't help but say, "It seems that this Tang Qiying is quite a character."

Mu Xinyuan shook his head and said, "I used to admire people who rise to the challenge, but this person's mind is too sinister. Back then, when the Inspector was selecting people from the clans who had grudges against him, he deliberately maimed many of them. However, he is very familiar with the rules of the Tianluan Clan, so no one can really accuse him of anything except his teacher Chen Wei. He probably has no feelings for anyone else in the Tianluan Clan. He is so cold-blooded and ruthless that I sometimes feel a chill when I see him."