C22 He Took a Break

"Bastard, just you wait!"

With those words, Lo Ding's mother shot a venomous look at the Elder presiding over the arena and, with a heart full of pain, carried the disheartened Lo Ding down from the stage.

"Little Lo Chen, you must be wary of that wretch. The family backing her is no less formidable than the Lo family."

The weight of her words hung in the air, yet Lo Chen responded with a respectful bow to the Elder.

Lo Chen was a man of discernment, well aware that the Elder had saved him, and such a gesture of respect was well deserved.

"Young Master Chen, you..."

Before Lo Gaang could finish, Lo Chen gave him a cold sneer, "Housekeeper Lo, remember your place as nothing more than a servant!"

At that, Lo Gaang's face twisted with a flicker of astonishment in his eyes.

"Thank you for the reminder, Young Master Chen. I understand," Lo Gaang replied, no longer daring to chastise Lo Chen.

Firstly, Lo Ding had failed to defeat Lo Chen, even with cheating.

This signaled that his allegiance to the Fourth Young Master's lineage was now null and void!

Secondly, if Lo Chen maintained his current form, not only could he rank in the top three, but he could very well take first place!

From any perspective, Lo Chen was now beyond Lo Gaang's reproach.

"Clan Master, that bastard must be severely punished!"

Upon hearing this, Lo Gaang glanced back at Lo Ding's mother, who knelt beside Lo Wushuang.

"Lo Ding got what he deserved for taking the Blood Explosion Pill without permission."

Blood Explosion Pill?

Lo Chen cast a meaningful look at Lo Wushuang, likely referencing the pill Lo Ding had recently ingested.

"The eighteen to nine round is complete. Time to draw lots for the bye!"

Moving from nine to four meant that someone would inevitably receive a bye.

Lo Chen nonchalantly quirked his lips. Naturally, if luck was on his side, he would be the one with the bye!

Once everyone had drawn, Lo Chen selected the final piece of paper.

It bore a large zero.

As Lo Chen puzzled over the meaning of the zero, Lo Wushuang's calm voice began to fill the air.

"There are five numbers on the paper ball, and aside from zero, each has a corresponding match!"

Upon hearing this, Lo Chen arched an eyebrow and glanced at the paper ball in his hand. He then tossed it to Lo Wushuang, signaling that he was the zero.

Lo Chen departed, but Lo Ding's mother lingered, her eyes betraying a venomous glare as she watched him leave.

"Lo Wushuang, if you refuse to act, then I'll summon the might of my maternal family to exterminate that bastard!" she hissed.

Lo Wushuang's eyebrows lifted in a mix of disdain and amusement as she faced Lo Ding's mother. "For your information, Lo Chen is the Lo family's prodigious disciple. It doesn't matter if it's you or your father, that old man; neither of you will have a say in this!"

This show of defiance from Lo Wushuang was unexpected, especially since it was the first time she had taken such a firm stance.

Despite her surprise, Lo Ding's mother gave Lo Chen's retreating figure a malevolent look before slowly exiting the family competition arena.

Meanwhile, Lo Chen, oblivious to these events, strolled back to his house.

"Mom, I'm home!" he called out.

Yu Yuvlian emerged from inside, her gaze softening as she affectionately patted Lo Chen's head. "Chen, how was your day? Are you tired?"

A surge of warmth spread through Lo Chen as he met his mother's eyes and shook his head. "Not tired at all. Today, I took down my fourth brother, Lo Ding."

His voice was steady, betraying no inner turmoil at the statement.

"You... you took down your fourth brother?" Yu Yuvlian was taken aback by Lo Chen's decisive action at the family competition.

But her shock was fleeting, and she quickly regained her composure, smiling at Lo Chen. "I may not grasp the intricacies of family affairs, but I support you, my son."

Lo Chen returned the smile, opting not to delve deeper into the conversation. Instead, he sniffed the air and asked, "Mom, what have you been cooking? It smells amazing."

Yu Yuvlian chuckled, somewhat resigned to her son's playful deflection.

"Today's dishes are all your favorites. Go wash your hands and let's eat."

"Okay."

Yu Yuvlian remained silent, prompting Lo Chen to breathe a sigh of relief. After washing his hands, he sat down and began to eat.

"Chen, eat slowly."

Hearing this, Lo Chen paused briefly before nodding in agreement with Yu Yuvlian.

"Alright."

The mother and son ate in silence, their meal exuding an air of warmth and comfort.

Suddenly, a disturbance at the front door caused Lo Chen to furrow his brow.

"Who could that be?"

A wave of confusion washed over Lo Chen, but he dismissed it with a shake of his head and didn't dwell on it.

"Chen, I've come to check on you."

Before Lo Chen could inquire, Lo Wushuang's voice rang out.

Lo Chen immediately knew it was Lo Wushuang.

With a quiet smile, Lo Chen told Yu Yuvlian he was done eating and excused himself from the table.

Yu Yuvlian's initial excitement at seeing Lo Wushuang quickly faded back to composure.

"Yuvlian, you've had it tough all these years, being on your own."

The world's most told lie is the promise of a lifetime together during moments of affection.

Clearly, Lo Wushuang was a prime example of this.

"What brings you here?"

Lo Chen served a portion of rice for Lo Wushuang.

"I... I came to see how you both were doing."

His reluctance was palpable.

If he had truly been willing, Yu Yuvlian wouldn't have spent all these years living outside with Lo Chen.

Lo Chen remained silent, merely giving Lo Wushuang a level gaze. If not for Yu Yuvlian's lingering attachment to the man who had let her down, Lo Chen wouldn't have spared Lo Wushuang a second glance. Yet, Lo Wushuang couldn't help but reveal a smile when looking at Lo Chen.

"Let's not dwell on the past. You're obviously here for a reason, so out with it."

At these words, Lo Wushuang hesitated before looking at Lo Chen, "Chen, you've been too excessive today."

Lo Chen shook his head. Although he anticipated that Lo Wushuang had come to reprimand him, he hadn't expected such directness.

"How do you wish to punish me, Master?"

Lo Chen's demeanor had become decidedly frosty, leaving Lo Wushuang somewhat taken aback.

No one expected Lo Chen to be so unyielding, to confront Lo Wushuang so directly.

Despite her irritation, Lo Wushuang managed to keep her temper in check and addressed Lo Chen, "Chen, you're surely aware that your fourth brother's maternal family is no less distinguished than the Lo family, and his grandfather holds Lo Ding in the highest regard."