GaoMing's Courage

After exiting the side gate of the right courtyard, there was an alley between the front and side courtyards. This alley could lead directly to the side gate outside the family estate. It was here that Gao Ming and his mother were intercepted.

Blocking their way were a young teenager of thirteen or fourteen and three burly men dressed as servants. Gao Ming immediately sensed trouble, as the leading teenager was the same one who had followed Gao Xiao earlier. It seemed that Gao Xiao was indeed ready to cause trouble for him.

"Don't leave. Young Master Gao Xiao still has some matters to settle with you! Hehe~~~~~"

The teenager signaled the three servants around him to surround Gao Ming and his mother. The youth's face, still full of youthful innocence, now bore a sinister smile. He looked Gao Ming up and down, as if examining a rare object.

"Who told you to offend Young Master Gao Xiao? And you even associate with that Gao Jian. Tsk tsk~~~~ Look at yourself in the mirror and see what kind of thing you are!"

Seeing the three burly servants surrounding him, Gao Ming, despite his good physical condition, knew he was not a match for these three fierce-looking men with no fighting experience.

His face turned red with embarrassment. These people were clearly intentionally looking for trouble, and reasoning with them would be futile. Gao Ming decided to stay silent while his mind quickly spun, thinking of a way to escape.

Li Qing, on the other hand, was a bit panicked. She shielded Gao Ming behind her and exclaimed in an agitated tone, "What do you want? We are leaving the family estate, and we have nothing to do with this place. Can't you let us go, mother and son?"

Towards the end, her voice became somewhat hoarse.

"Mother, there's no use talking to them. They're just lackeys under that Gao Xiao~~~~~"

Gao Ming held the trembling Li Qing and looked at the people around with cold eyes. Today was a critical moment. If Gao Xiao just wanted to make things difficult for him, enduring it might be an option. He had endured enough over the years, and this one more time wouldn't make much difference. However, if Gao Xiao intended to take their lives, then there was no choice but to fight to the death. After all, it was a wretched life in this barbaric world, and living like a dog had little meaning.

Perhaps dying like this would lead to a rebirth in the civilized world of his previous life. Gao Ming thought so in his heart.

Maybe with this courage to give it all, Gao Ming's originally fearful mentality unexpectedly calmed down.

The young man's face turned iron-blue, and his ferocious gaze stared at Gao Ming. A sly smile flashed across his face as he sneered at Gao Ming and his mother, "We are indeed the lackeys of Young Master Yuanxiao. So what? But you are worse than dogs. Do you know that? You are even worse than dogs~~~~~ You three, give them a good beating for me."

He practically roared at the end. It was clear that he strongly resisted the term "lackey" psychologically, but reality was reality. He could only vent his anger on those weaker than him.

The three burly servants, hearing the young man's command, immediately showed a sinister and bloodthirsty expression. They approached Gao Ming and began to viciously beat him.

There was no way Gao Ming could be a match for three strong men. He was quickly knocked to the ground. Li Qing, watching this, was filled with fear. She screamed and rushed to Gao Ming, attempting to shield him from the ruthless blows of the three men.

However, how could Gao Ming let Li Qing get hurt? He quickly flipped over, placing himself over Li Qing. Surprisingly, he felt no pain from the punches and kicks, as if there was something protecting him from their blows. He couldn't help but think of the crystal pendant hanging from his chest. Could it be that it was shielding him from harm, allowing him to escape injury? It made sense; although his body had been gradually transformed by abilities over the years, he was still only stronger than an ordinary person. The crystal pendant must be what was actively shielding him from harm. Suddenly, he felt grateful for the old man in the green robe who had given him the crystal pendant.

After several minutes of continuous beating, the young man crossed his arms, sneering on the side. He had no intention of stopping the assault. As far as he could tell from Young Master Yuanxiao's intentions, they were planning to kill this mother and son. As long as they didn't kill them before Young Master Yuanxiao arrived, there shouldn't be any problems.

A few maids and children who had just been expelled from the clan saw the situation as they passed through the passage but dared not linger. They hurriedly left.

At this moment, a mocking and chilly voice came from behind, "Alright, stop now. If you kill them, I won't have any fun toys left."

The young man shivered, knowing who had arrived. He quickly shouted, "Young Master Yuanxiao is here, stop now~~~~~" He immediately stopped the excited subordinates and stepped aside, smirking at the approaching Gao Xiao. "Young Master Yuanxiao, these two tried to escape. I blocked them, and they were disrespectful, insulting Young Master Yuanxiao. So, I had my men teach them a lesson~~~~"

Gao Xiao hadn't spoken yet, but the young men by his side immediately expressed their dissatisfaction. 

Gao Xiao's eyebrows slightly furrowed, casting a cold glance at the young men. Immediately, they fell silent, lowering their heads and not daring to make a sound.

Clearly, their eager display of loyalty irritated Gao Xiao. Without their master speaking, why were they in such a hurry? Couldn't they understand the concept of being respectful?

Gao Xiao shifted his gaze to the struggling Gao Ming. Despite being beaten, Gao Ming maintained an expressionless face, with an unusually cold look in his eyes. His mouth showed a trace of blood, indicating internal bleeding.

In fact, everything was just an act put on by Gao Ming. He didn't want to raise suspicion about the abnormalities in his body. Otherwise, given his strength, the crystal pendant would definitely be taken from him.

So, he had to endure. He even pretended to be injured from the beating, biting his tongue to make his mouth bleed, simulating internal bleeding.

In fact, Gao Ming was just putting on an act. He didn't want to arouse suspicion about the abnormalities in his body. Otherwise, given his strength, the crystal pendant would undoubtedly be taken from him.

So, he had to endure. He even pretended to be injured from the beating, biting his tongue to make his mouth bleed, simulating internal bleeding.

Gao Ming couldn't help but marvel at the magic of the crystal pendant. The three subordinates were incredibly heavy-handed, their punches and kicks were like pounding to death, yet they couldn't inflict any harm on him. No wonder the man in the green robe said that, unless facing extremely powerful ability users, this crystal pendant could ensure his safety for a lifetime. Gao Ming wondered if this Gao Xiao belonged to the category of formidable ability users the old man mentioned.

"Gao Xiao, what exactly do you want? If you just want to torture us, use any means you have. If you want the lives of my mother and me, then go ahead. In your eyes, ordinary people like us are nothing more than ants."

He pretended to be injured, clutching his chest, trying to make his breathing calm down. He stared at Gao Xiao, hoping to glean something from those deep and mysterious pupils.

Unfortunately, Gao Ming saw nothing. The ability of ability users to conceal their thoughts was too profound for an ordinary person like him to fathom.

Gao Xiao was somewhat surprised by Gao Ming's determined words. In his opinion, someone like Gao Ming, who had lived in the clan for over a decade, should have been ground down by reality long ago. He didn't expect to hear such words of courage from him in front of Gao Xiao. Interesting!

A sly smile curved his lips as he approached Gao Ming. He chuckled in amazement, "It seems you have some backbone. However, in this world, without strength, having backbone alone is useless and meaningless. Killing you is easier than stepping on an ant. Unfortunately, if you hadn't sided with that Gao Jian, maybe I would have dismissed you. But now, you must die~~~~~~"

The last sentence was ice-cold to the extreme, sending a shiver through everyone around. They looked at Gao Xiao's demonic figure with faces filled with fear.

This sentence shattered Gao Ming's last glimmer of hope. His heart sank into an icy abyss. On the side, Li Qing's eyes widened with terror, her face filled with despair. Suddenly, she went mad and rushed toward Gao Xiao, both hands reaching for his face, attempting to fight him with all her might.

Gao Xiao sneered, waving his hand casually. Li Qing's petite body seemed like a willow leaf as it crashed into the brick wall, then slid down to the ground. Li Qing's screams were abruptly silenced.