Chapter 36: When Gods Clash
It wasn’t just Yu An who was confused; every single person present was utterly bewildered. This was especially true for the Base personnel, who were watching Ling Xingcheng and Joshua with increasingly bizarre expressions.
Didn’t the higher-ups say that the S-rank Arbiter, Ling Xingcheng, had gone to track down a Xenogenic? Why was he now chasing a man with such desperate fury? Tsk, tsk, tsk… The older staff members looked away, finding the sight almost too much to bear.
If anyone was truly shocked, it was the Night-traveling Mist. The moment Joshua and Ling Xingcheng appeared, it felt as though it had come face-to-face with its mortal enemy. The black mist making up its body trembled violently.
Despite its massive, imposing size, the Night-traveling Mist cowered and tried to drift away stealthily. Every few seconds, it had to divert its energy just to glance fearfully at Joshua, looking exceptionally small, pitiful, and helpless.
Yu An snapped out of the shock of seeing Joshua. Witnessing the Night-traveling Mistâs shivering form, he looked at Joshua with eyes full of curiosity. “Is the Night-traveling Mist really that afraid of Brother Joshua?”
“Brother Joshua?” Lin Huaichenâs brow arched slightly. “An-an, you know this man?”
Yu An nodded honestly. “I do. Brother Joshua even came to our banquet last time. Didn’t you know, Papa?”
“You never mentioned him to me.”
Lin Huaichenâs deep, dark eyes narrowed as he scrutinized Joshua. He searched his memory for any information regarding this man, but unfortunately, he came up empty.
Lin Huaichen was certain that no man named “Joshua” existed among the prominent figures of Kyoto. Furthermore, those eyesâthe same color as Yu Anâs… A suspicion immediately formed in Lin Huaichenâs heart.
It seemed that without his or Wen Xunâs knowledge, Yu Anâs biological family had found their way to him.
“I didn’t tell you?” Yu An knit his small brows, trying hard to recall that night. Shortly after Joshua had left, he had fallen asleep because he was too full. By the next day, the incident had slipped his mind entirely.
Yu An realized he really hadn’t told Lin Huaichen. He offered a small, placating smile and rubbed his head against his father’s neck. “Iâm sorry, I accidentally forgot.”
At this point, Lin Huaichen naturally wouldn’t blame him. Looking at the little fellowâs guilt-ridden face, his heart softened, and he gave Yu Anâs soft cheek a gentle pinch.
On the other side, Joshua was the first to spot Yu An. His eyes widened in pleasant surprise, and without a second thought, he ran toward the boy. In his hand, he held a bright red heartâfood he had scavenged for Yu An.
Joshua called out enthusiastically: [Cub~ Come and eat~]
Yu An looked up. When he saw the heart in Joshuaâs hand and remembered the trauma of having an entire Xenogenic dropped in front of him last time, he immediately began shaking his head.
He wouldn’t eat it. He wouldn’t eat it even if he starved to death.
Joshua was terrible at reading the room. He was full of expectation as he tried to present the hard-earned delicacy to the cub. But a second before he could reach Yu An, a wall of roaring flames erupted between them, forcing him back.
Ling Xingcheng had been chasing Joshua all day, and his patience was gone. His gaze was sharp and piercing, flames dancing in his palms. His voice was thick with suppressed rage. “Stealing my Xenogenic wasn’t enough? Now you’re going after a child?”
He had spent half a month painstakingly tracking that S-rank Xenogenic, fighting tooth and nail to capture it alive for the Base. Then, this lunatic had suddenly appeared, ripped out the creature’s heart, and turned to walk away.
Ling Xingcheng was nearly dying of anger. He wanted nothing more than to tear this pretty boy limb from limb and show him the consequences of stealing his kill. “If you know what’s good for you, hand it over right now.”
Joshuaâs beautiful peach-blossom eyes flicked toward Ling Xingcheng. This “cub,” who wasn’t much older than his own cub, actually dared to threaten him? How unappealing. As expected, the young of other races were nowhere near as good as the cubs of his own kind.
Joshua compared Yu An and Ling Xingcheng in his mind, mentaly labeling the latter as “annoying.” Then, looking back at the delicate and cute Yu An, he decisively tossed the heart into the boy’s arms.
[Cub, time for dinner.]
The soft heart was still stained with blood, and the sticky sensation was absolutely revolting. Yu An couldn’t bring himself to drop it, yet he didn’t want to hold it either. He was on the verge of tears as he tried to give it back. [No, no, I don’t want this!]
Joshua had tried to give Yu An things twice now, and both times he had been rejected. He sadly lowered his long lashes and murmured gloomily: [Cub, being a picky eater is bad. The Boss will spank you.]
Claude, who had been silent until now, thought: “âŚâŚ?” Nonsense. He never disciplined the children; why would he care if a cub was a picky eater?
Yu An didn’t even know who the “Boss” was, but the moment he heard about being spanked, he shut his mouth. He looked to Lin Huaichen for help. Help me… save the baby…
Unfortunately, Lin Huaichen was too busy speculating which relative Joshua might be to receive Yu Anâs distress signal.
Left with no choice, Yu An looked piteously at Ling Xingcheng and held the heart out to him. Ling Xingcheng had seemed to want it from Joshua earlier; if Yu An didn’t want it, he might as well give it to him.
But in the next second, Joshua grabbed Yu Anâs hand and pushed it back without allowing for any argument. [Eat your food properly.]
Yu An wanted to cry. Couldn’t Brother Joshua just bring him something normal to eat for once?
“Hey! Why do you keep bullying him?!” Ling Xingcheng furrowed his brow, crossing his arms over his chest. “Heâs just a kid. Aren’t you ashamed of yourself for scaring him?”
He had seen enough to understand the gist of it. This pretty boy, who was all style and no substance, had traveled all this way to steal his Xenogenic just to scare a child.
Dammit, how bored do you have to be to do something like that?
Joshua ignored him, staring expectantly at Yu An. His eyes urged: Hurry up and eat.
Because the Night-traveling Mist was cowed by the invisible pressure Joshua released, it floated in place, motionless. Every time it tried to drift even a centimeter away, a fireball from Ling Xingcheng would startle it back. Eventually, it gave up all resistance, standing there in despair, waiting for death.
With Ling Xingcheng present, plus the legendary Lin Huaichen whoâthough he hadn’t made a moveâwas rumored to be incredibly powerful, the staff members knew the situation was under control. They began to gather around.
When they saw the heart in Yu Anâs hands, their own hearts skipped a beat. They only breathed a sigh of relief once they confirmed it wasn’t a human heart.
In their day-to-day dealings with Xenogenics, their moral baseline had dropped significantly. They had no desire to investigate why this beautiful youth was giving a heart to the young master of the Lin family.
The more you knew, the higher the risk of dying.
Yu Anâs heart grew numb under the collective gaze of the crowd. He looked at Joshuaâs encouraging eyes, then at his father who was lost in thought, and finally at the confused Ling Xingcheng. He knew that today, he simply had to eat.
How did he eat that Xenogenic back then? Yu An searched his memory and tentatively tried to use the power within his body. Invisible little tentacles emerged once more, slapping onto the heart and beginning to devour the energy contained within.
Humans couldn’t see his tentacles. In their eyes, the heart in the child’s palm simply turned a bit darker, appearing less fresh than before.
The Xenogenic Joshua had found this time was clearly more delicious than the last one. Yu An was hesitant at first, but after finishing, he felt he could have eaten even more.
Joshua asked expectantly: [Is it tasty?]
Yu An nodded firmly. [Tasty~]
Joshuaâs eyes filled with smiles. Seeing the little fellow unsure of how to handle the discarded remains, he reached out and took the heart. With a slight squeeze of his hand, the heart instantly turned to dust and scattered with the wind.
“You!” Ling Xingchengâs expression shifted drastically. “If you didn’t want it, you should have given it back to me! Why did you crush it?!”
Joshua ignored him as usual, not even bothering to reply. After all, there was a language barrier; this person couldn’t understand him anyway, so there was no point wasting his breath.
His mission to feed the cub complete, Joshua was satisfied. As he began thinking about what to feed the cub next time, an annoying brat suddenly blocked his path, stopping him from leaving.
Ling Xingcheng was fuming. “Are you a mute? Iâm talking to you!”
His voice was so loud that Yu An, seeing Ling Xingcheng this angry for the first time, reached out his small hands helplessly. He wanted to grab Joshua, hoping they wouldn’t fight.
But Lin Huaichen caught his small hand and pulled him back. Like a parent teaching his child, he guided him: “An-an, Brother shared his things with you. What should you say to him?”
Yu An realized belatedly. “Thank you, Brother~”
“Mhm, such a good baby.”
Lin Huaichen airily distanced Yu An from Joshua. He didn’t know Joshuaâs exact identity, but based on the mental power he sensed, the man was a powerful humanoid Xenogenic.
He glanced at the enraged Ling Xingcheng; the idiot likely hadn’t realized that yet.
“Xingcheng, go finish off that Xenogenic.” Lin Huaichen looked at the Night-traveling Mist and gave Ling Xingcheng an order. “Itâs late. Itâs time to go home, eat, and sleep.”
And stop trying to go head-to-head with a humanoid Xenogenic of unknown strength.
Clearly, Ling Xingcheng didn’t realize Lin Huaichenâs good intentions. He stubbornly insisted that Joshua give him an explanation, or he wouldn’t let him leave.
“If you can’t talk, write it down! Either way, you aren’t leaving until you make things clear to me today!”
The explosive atmosphere made Yu An want to explain. Brother Joshua didn’t know human language at all, and from the look of him, he was clearly irritated to the limit by Ling Xingcheng.
Yu An could only pray silently that the two wouldn’t start fighting, but his hopes were soon dashed.
Under Ling Xingchengâs continuous harassment and obstruction, Joshua, whose temper was already unstable, finally snapped. He reached out and slapped Ling Xingcheng across the face. Ling Xingcheng stood there, a visible handprint on his cheek, completely stunned.
In the next second, Joshua kicked him right in the chest, violently clearing the obstacle. The irritation between his brows was impossible to hide. He gave Ling Xingcheng a look of pure disgust and turned to leave.
Yu An was silenced by shock. It took him a few seconds to rush forward to support Ling Xingcheng. Ling Xingcheng stumbled to his feet, his rage eclipsing his reason as he charged at Joshua again.
Ling Xingcheng was losing his mind. “Even my sister has never slapped me! How dare you?!”
Lin Huaichen watched the two engage in a brawl again and pulled Yu An to a safe distance, shaking his head and sighing. He could already foresee Ling Xingchengâs tragic future.
In the dark of night, flames suddenly illuminated the silent street. Ling Xingchengâs entire body was cloaked in fire, the searing heat even slightly warping the space around him.
Joshua was stopped once again, his logic hanging by a thread. His lake-blue eyes swept over Ling Xingcheng, and flames identical to those on the youth erupted around him. Two fireballs collided, the resulting sparks sending the other bystanders fleeing in all directions.
“Why are they fighting again…” Yu Anâs eyes reflected the sea of fire. He pursed his small lips, as if watching two immature, overgrown children brawling. He murmured, “Fighting is bad.”
But in the next second, Yu An shut his mouth. Because the Night-traveling Mist was getting beaten up too.
Joshua and Ling Xingcheng were brawling, but they hadn’t forgotten to be mindful of those around them. Joshua cared about Yu An, and Ling Xingcheng cared about his colleagues from the Baseâbut that definitely did not include the Night-traveling Mist.
The Night-traveling Mist was engulfed in flames. No matter where it tried to flee, Joshua and Ling Xingcheng were always on either side of it, their attacks all slamming directly into its body.
The black mist dissipated rapidly in the fire. The Night-traveling Mistâs massive body continued to shrink as if being dehydrated. Shrill screams echoed in the mind of every Xenogenic nearby; those close to Xiaonan Lane immediately began a frantic migration.
And so, the Night-traveling Mist became the collateral damage of the clash between Joshua and Ling Xingcheng. It had made a grand entrance only to meet a pathetic end, leaving behind not even a wisp of smoke. It had been wiped out completely.
Yu An couldn’t help but feel a bit of pity. This Night-traveling Mist was a little bit tragic… But when his gaze landed on the injured Fu Yunshu and Liu Ming, he changed his mind. Serves it right!
“Um…” Wan Cen, who was still somewhat conscious, suddenly leaned in and grabbed Yu Anâs hand. The look he turned on Joshua and Ling Xingcheng was filled with intense fervor. “Are they your brothers? Theyâre so amazing! Can I study under them as a master?”
Who knew how many xianxia dramas Wan Cen had watched to come up with such an idea.
Yu An: “Uh…”
Just as he was wondering how to respond to Wan Cen, Ling Xingcheng was slammed into the ground by Joshua with a shoulder throw, unable to get up for a long time. Joshua wiped the soot from his face, getting angrier the more he thought about it, and gave Ling Xingcheng one more kick.
Claude urged: [Joshua, leave this place.]
Joshua froze, looking around in surprise for Claudeâs presence. Finally, he spotted the small head poking out of Yu Anâs pocket. His eyes widened. [Boss, you didn’t leave?]
Claude didn’t feel like chatting. [Don’t worry about whether I left or not. Just go.]
Joshua: [Oh.]
Giving Ling Xingcheng one last glare, Joshua turned and left in a huff.
Once Joshua was gone, the others ran over to help Ling Xingcheng up, offering their belated condolences. One of Ling Xingchengâs legs was clearly broken, and he was drenched in a cold sweat from the pain.
Even so, Ling Xingcheng remained “crippled but determined.” Stifling his anger, he pushed aside the staff members and limped on his one good leg over to Yu An. He placed his hands on the boy’s shoulders, his eyes bloodshot. “That bastard is your brother?!”
He had heard Yu An call that jerk “brother” earlier, and both of them had the same eye color.
Yu An was a bit scared and shrank his neck, offering a placating smile. “He… heâs my brother.”
Ling Xingcheng wrapped an arm around Yu Anâs neck expressionlessly and pinched his soft cheek. “Very well. You are now my hostage. Call your brother back right now and tell him to come and ransom you.”
“But my brother isn’t close to me, Iâve only…” Yu An held up two fingers. “Iâve only seen him twice.”
And every time they met, it was just Joshua coming to feed him before vanishing, only to reappear suddenly. He was totally elusive.
Ling Xingcheng gritted his teeth in frustration. “Itâs fine. Iâll just wait right here.”
He would stay by Yu Anâs side and wait for the “rabbit” to come to the “stump.” Heâd wait until the guy showed up!
Recommended Reads
![Those Years When the Son of Destiny Was Severely Scammed [Quick Transmigration]](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/QUICK-TRANSMIGRATION1-214x300.jpg)