Uh...
Xiaoyao wanted to find someone worse than himself to compare to—just to prove he wasn’t the worst, even if he didn’t say it out loud, at least he’d know it in his heart. But after looking around at the Mo family’s people, he realized... he really was the worst of the lot!
Even the few candidates who came close were pretty much on par with him. It’d take time to decide who was actually worse, which made the comparison meaningless!
“You’re all looking at me like this—do I look handsome or something?” Xiaoyao said with a grin. Since he’d already become the fish in the barrel, he might as well face it calmly.
“Get lost!!”
“Tch!”
Several people openly showed their disdain for Xiaoyao, raising their middle fingers—or thumbs pointing down...
“Eldest Lady, it’s him—he’s the worst!”
Almost in unison, everyone pointed at Xiaoyao and shouted the same thing.
“You there, come here...”
The Mo's Eldest Lady waved at Xiaoyao without even looking directly at him. She didn’t care who he was. To her, this “worst” candidate was entirely unimportant.
“Coming! Greetings, Eldest Lady!”
Xiaoyao trotted over enthusiastically and greeted her respectfully. As a low-ranking servant, this was how things had to be. Humility was expected. One had to show proper respect to the family.
“Mm. What’s your name?” the Mo's Eldest Lady asked casually.
“Xiaoyao, ma’am!” he answered.
“Xiaoyao? That name sounds familiar...” She paused, the name ringing a bell, but she was certain she had no actual memory of him.
“He’s the one who taught the Third Young Master to go get struck by lightning...” someone added.
“Oh, so it was you! Not bad, kid—keep it up!” she said loudly, giving him a few hearty slaps on the back.
“Yes, Eldest Lady! I’ll keep working hard!” Xiaoyao replied earnestly.
"..."
Keep working hard? As in teaching more people to do dumb, dangerous things? This Eldest Lady sure had a way with words...
The Mo family members nearby were speechless. Both she and Xiaoyao were just a little too carefree.
“Excellent! Xiaoyao, get up there and spar with that girl across from you. Don’t be afraid—if you get hurt, I’ll cover the medical bills. If you die, I’ll give you a proper burial!” she said even more casually.
“...”
Who the heck talks like that?! Who’d dare get up there now?!
“Yes, Eldest Lady, I’ll do my best!” Xiaoyao answered without hesitation, unaffected by her words. His calm response stunned everyone. How could someone be so composed in the face of that?
What a gutsy servant!
“Miss Nangong, nice to meet you!”
Xiaoyao approached the Eldest Lady from the Nangong family with a polite smile. It was a courteous smile, and his demeanor made it clear he was being very proper.
“Save the chatter—I’ll let you have three free moves. I won’t even use my hands,” Nangong’s Eldest Lady said coldly, clearly irritated with the situation. Her contempt for Xiaoyao was obvious.
He was just a lowly servant—why should a genius like her even acknowledge his presence?
“Wait a sec. Why are you giving me three moves?” Xiaoyao raised his hand, signaling her to pause, cutting her off.
“??”
The crowd was puzzled. Sure, offering someone three free moves might seem a bit condescending, but for a servant like him, it was generous. Even if she gave him a hundred moves, he probably still couldn’t win.
Could this servant be hiding some formidable strength?
“Xiaoyao, do you even know martial arts?” the Mo's Eldest Lady asked. She was starting to wonder if she’d picked a gem by accident.
“A little bit,” Xiaoyao replied. Everyone knew he dabbled in everything—but just a little. That little bit wasn’t enough to face off against a warrior of her level.
“Great. Then go knock her down!” the Eldest Lady said with confidence—though she didn’t stop to consider that even she couldn’t beat Nangong’s Eldest Lady, let alone Xiaoyao.
“Eldest Lady, that won’t work—I can’t beat her,” Xiaoyao said honestly.
“Damn it! Then why’d you refuse her offer to give you three moves? Are you an idiot? She’s offering—you take it! Hit her hard! Don’t treat her like a woman!” the Mo's Eldest Lady scolded.
“...”
She really was as legendary as the rumors said...
Nangong’s Eldest Lady frowned. She suddenly recalled the rumors about the Mo Family’s eccentric Eldest Lady.
Xiaoyao nodded. “Got it! I won’t treat her like a woman! But... there’s no need for her to give me three moves. I’m not planning to spar with her in combat.”
“Great—not treating her as a woman—wait, what? Not sparring? What do you mean?” The Mo's Eldest Lady had been praising him when she caught his last line—and paused.
“You only said we had to compete, not specifically in martial arts. So... we can compete in something else!” Xiaoyao explained.
“Oh... that’s true...” she blinked. She hadn’t thought of that. Everyone had just assumed “compete” meant martial arts—including her.
“Well, since Miss Nangong said she’s giving me three moves, how about letting me choose what we compete in? That should be fair, right?” Xiaoyao said with a sunny, harmless smile.
“No problem,” Nangong’s Eldest Lady replied casually. A competition was a competition. She wasn’t just a genius in martial arts—she excelled in many fields.
There was no way she could lose to a lowly servant!
Anyone could tell from his clothes—he was clearly a low-ranked Mo family servant!
Nangong’s Eldest Lady was supremely confident. But she didn’t yet realize this moment of confidence would be something she regretted for years to come. It would make her remember someone she would otherwise have ignored.
“Alright, then let’s compete in something... something we used to do often as kids…”
Looking at Xiaoyao’s smile, everyone felt a wave of nostalgia. Childhood memories are always sweet, and everyone has them.
But that nostalgic feeling shattered in an instant, replaced by speechless disbelief.
“Let’s see who can pee the farthest!”
“...”
The whole place fell silent. For a moment, it was like a cold wind swept through the crowd.
“You disgusting—” Even someone as well-bred as Nangong’s Eldest Lady couldn’t keep her composure.
“What, are we doing this or not?” Xiaoyao asked calmly, ignoring her anger.
“I—CON—CEDE!!” she ground out, biting her words, her eyes fixed hatefully on Xiaoyao.
She didn’t want to give in. But she had no choice.
She’d brought it up. She’d allowed it. Her overconfidence had led to this.
Even though no one would truly think she “lost” in such a ridiculous competition—Xiaoyao’s move was just too shameless—there were still rules.
And rules were rules. She’d been defeated by a servant she utterly looked down on.
The worst part was how humiliating the competition had been...
She hates Xiaoyao now. If not for all the people watching, she might have torn him to pieces on the spot!
“Eldest Lady, mission complete. She surrendered without a fight,” Xiaoyao reported to the Mo's Eldest Lady, unfazed by all the murderous glares.
In fact, he was subtly shifting the attention—this wasn’t his doing, he was just following orders.
“Not bad! Good work! That woman’s too weak—wouldn’t even compete!” The Mo's Eldest Lady clapped him on the shoulder, looking down on Nangong’s Eldest Lady.
The implication?
She meant that she was different, and could take on such a challenge?
People began imagining how the Mo's Eldest Lady might handle that kind of challenge. The thoughts... drifted.
“What are you staring at? You think I’d give you perverts what you want?!” the Mo's Eldest Lady shouted, snapping them out of it.
“...”
“Kid, you’re alright. I like your style. But wasn’t that kind of shameless? You should show some compassion to women, you know,” she added.
“But you were the one who told me not to treat her like a woman,” Xiaoyao replied plainly.
“...”
At that, everyone suddenly remembered—she had said that. Now the blame was slowly shifting to her, while Xiaoyao looked more and more innocent.
She didn’t care though. She’d already taken the fall—what was a bit more?
“Miss Nangong, shall we begin the second round now?” The Mo’s Eldest Lady ignored Xiaoyao and instead asked Nangong’s Eldest Lady with a cheerful smile.
“No need! Mark my words—this matter is far from over,” Nangong’s Eldest Lady snapped, glaring at Xiaoyao with eyes full of resentment. That look made it clear to everyone: she wasn’t letting this go, and there would be consequences.
Xiaoyao chuckled and said, “Don’t look at me like that. I know you want to get back at me, but I’m just a lowly servant. You’re the eldest daughter of the Nangong family—holding a grudge against someone like me doesn’t suit your status! The one you should be targeting is our eldest lady. She’s the one who started all of this. If you want revenge, remember her, go after her, and get your payback good and hard…”
(End of Chapter)