Realm of the Night God

"You misunderstand, dear big brother. We didn't come to your manor today to pick a fight, but truly wanted to take this opportunity during the New Year to pay our respects and greet you."

Seeing that Ye Zhiqiu was about to ruin this act, Yang Haoran hurriedly spoke up with a smiling face to save the situation.

As soon as he opened his mouth, he naturally drew the Goateed Man's gaze to himself, relieving some pressure off Ye Zhiqiu.

As his words fell, Yang Haoran took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, smiled and handed one to the Goateed Man with a warm attitude, just like greeting a good friend.

The Goateed Man looked at the smiling Yang Haoran with puzzlement. After hesitating for a few seconds, he accepted the cigarette.

After the Goateed Man took the cigarette, Yang Haoran also took one out from the pack and handed it to Ye Zhiqiu.

Ye Zhiqiu hesitated briefly, accepted the cigarette handed over by Yang Haoran, then took out a lighter to light it up for himself, using the smoke to cover his nerves.

After taking the cigarette, the Goateed Man didn't immediately light it. He waited until he saw Ye Zhiqiu light his, then put the cigarette in his mouth. As he was about to grab the lighter from the small tea table next to him, a lit lighter was already in front of his face.

This act wasn't done by Bai Xue, and of course even less likely by Ye Zhiqiu. Apart from the two of them, it could only be Yang Haoran.

The Goateed Man didn't stand on courtesy either. After glancing at the smiling Yang Haoran, he rudely lit the cigarette in his mouth.

If the Goateed Man knew Yang Haoran's true identity, he would never ignore Yang Haoran like this.

If the Goateed Man knew the real purpose behind Yang Haoran's visit, he absolutely would not remain seated.

Sadly, however, he was unaware of these things.

The Goateed Man didn't sense any fluctuation of power from Yang Haoran or Bai Xue, but he was clear that the two were not ordinary people. The fact that he couldn't sense their power fluctuations must mean they had sealed their powers.

Although he could tell Yang Haoran and Bai Xue were not ordinary people, he didn't think their strength was particularly powerful because he saw that they deferred to Ye Zhiqiu as their leader.

In his view, since the two treated Ye Zhiqiu as their leader, it meant their strength was clearly inferior to Ye Zhiqiu's.

Ye Zhiqiu's strength was decent, but still weaker compared to himself. Since he didn't even regard Ye Zhiqiu highly, how could he care about the strength of Yang Haoran and Bai Xue?

Moreover, even if he misjudged their abilities and they weren't as weak as he imagined, so what?

This was his Cloud Mist Manor territory. What could they do to him? Would they dare do anything to him?

Hence, he had an arrogant disdain, feeling this was only natural.

Apart from his arrogance, the Goateed Man was also excessively skeptical. After accepting the cigarette handed over by Yang Haoran, he didn't have any intention of lighting it until he saw Ye Zhiqiu light the same cigarette.

The reason he did this was to prevent Yang Haoran from tampering with the cigarette.

Yang Haoran clearly noticed this detail. In his view, the Goateed Man's caution was completely unnecessary showmanship that missed the mark entirely - it was just an empty shell.

The Goateed Man took a puff of smoke, and Yang Haoran's friendly attitude made his expression soften somewhat.

Meanwhile, Yang Haoran smiled as he put away the cigarettes and lighter, but he didn't light one for himself.

Seeing this, the Goateed Man frowned slightly, glanced at the cigarette in his own hand, then looked back at Yang Haoran and asked, "Why aren't you smoking? Don't tell me you don't know how."

Upon hearing this, Yang Haoran's smile became a bit awkward as he replied, "I do want to smoke, but wouldn't that be rude?"

"What's rude about it? I'd find it rude if you didn't smoke," said the Goateed Man.

"My apologies then," Yang Haoran responded with a smile. He then took out the cigarettes from his pocket again, pulled one out and lit it up for himself without feeling awkward.

Taking a deep drag, he unconsciously revealed a satisfied and indulgent expression on his face.

"Although Yang Haoran's expression did not show it clearly, the Goatee Man noticed it and his furrowed brow relaxed.

"Who are you?" the Goatee Man asked.

"Hehe, let me introduce myself. I'm Sata, and this is my sister Shani. We're both friends of big brother Ye," Yang Haoran replied with a smile.

"Sata? Shani? Hehe, your names are a bit weird, but your sister's name is quite flavorful, just like her figure," the Goatee Man said with a smile. He glanced at Yang Haoran but his gaze fell entirely on Bai Xue.

Although Bai Xue was dressed in sportswear, it could not fully conceal her attractive figure. Anyone with some understanding of the female form could see at a glance that Bai Xue's figure was exceptional.

Clearly, this Goatee Man seemed to have more than a general understanding in this regard.

"Hehe, brother has good taste. Even though I'm dressed so conservatively, I still couldn't escape your discerning eyes," Bai Xue said with a seductive voice and a slight curl of her lips.

Upon hearing this, the Goatee Man's mood seemed to improve. He laughed heartily and said, "Haha, I do have an eye for these things. Not only do you have a great figure, but your voice is also alluring. Although you're wearing a mask, I'm sure there's a shockingly beautiful face underneath."

Bai Xue understood the Goatee Man's meaning and replied coyly, "If brother wants to see, I can take off the mask anytime. It's just a pity that... some people are too strict about it." As she said the last part, Bai Xue glanced towards Yang Haoran, making her meaning clear to the Goatee Man.

"Haha, is it your brother who made you wear the mask?" the Goatee Man asked with a laugh.

Bai Xue simply nodded lightly in response.

The Goatee Man took a puff of his cigarette and then looked at Yang Haoran with a smile. "As a brother, you shouldn't be too harsh on your sister. She's a beautiful woman; why make her wear a mask all day?" ThistextwasacquiredfromM|V|L0EMPYR.

Although the Goatee Man had not yet seen Bai Xue's true face, he was already convinced that she was a great beauty.

"Alas, making my sister wear a mask is a reluctant measure. If possible, who would want their sister to wear a mask all day, making her look disfigured? But to prevent her beauty from attracting too much unwanted attention and causing unnecessary trouble, I had to make her wear the mask," Yang Haoran sighed and said with a wry smile.

The Goatee Man's interest was piqued, but he did not dwell too much on Bai Xue's appearance, knowing he could not appear too obvious and had to strike a balance to achieve his goal.

"Instead of standing, why don't we all go sit in the pavilion if you don't mind?" the Goatee Man said, stubbing out his cigarette and finally standing up to extend the invitation.

"Then we'll intrude," Yang Haoran said with a smile.

"Thank you for the invitation, brother," Bai Xue added in a melting voice.

The Goatee Man laughed again and then turned his gaze to Ye Zhiqiu, who was drinking and smoking alone. "Brother Ye, why don't you join us in the pavilion?"

It was clear that the Goatee Man's invitation to Ye Zhiqiu was rather reluctant. Ye Zhiqiu shook his head and said, "No need. I'll drink and enjoy the scenery out here."

Hearing this, Yang Haoran felt a bit helpless, but he did not show it on his face. Instead, he smiled at Ye Zhiqiu and said, "If big brother Ye, our introducer, doesn't join us, won't my sister and I feel awkward?"

Ye Zhiqiu did not respond to Yang Haoran, but he did enter the pavilion with his beer, albeit with a somewhat reluctant expression.

Seeing Ye Zhiqiu's unwillingness, the Goatee Man couldn't help but let out a cold snort. "I admire that you can be friends with such a weirdo."

With those words, the Goatee Man also stepped into the pavilion.

Yang Haoran's smile did not falter, as if he was not bothered by the Goatee Man's remark. He glanced at Bai Xue, and the two of them followed into the pavilion as well."