Chapter 6: Irony

The applause faded. The guests began to mingle again, and the new couple had just exited the main hall when a deep yet gentle voice rang out across the space.

"Young man, might I have a word?"

Sukuna's gaze shifted slightly. The speaker was none other than Xiao Lie, the Fifth Elder himself. The tone wasn't commanding but respectful, and that alone drew attention.

Some elders raised their brows. A few disciples exchanged puzzled glances.

Sukuna an outsider with no revealed cultivation being called over by a patriarch? That wasn't normal.

With unhurried steps, Sukuna approached. The faint sway of his pristine white kimono and the strange markings on his face and arms drew murmurs from the crowd. His presence alone unnerved many.

Xiao Lie gestured toward the vacant seat beside him.

"Please, be seated."

Gasps whispered across the room like wind through dry grass. That seat… was reserved for honored clan guests, often visiting Elders or Sect envoys.

A murmur from the First Elder Xiao Li cut through the crowd like a blade coated in vinegar.

"Birds of a feather, hmph. That old bastard's affinity for trash is getting out of hand..."

He said it under his breath, but just loud enough. The words had barely left his lips when he felt the air around him… shift.

Suddenly, every tiny hair on his body stood up. The breath caught in his lungs. Just for a second, it felt like someone had cast a veil of darkness over him a presence cold, ancient, and terrifying. His eyes, almost on instinct, met Sukuna's.

Sukuna didn't move. He hadn't changed posture. Yet somehow, even seated, he felt like he was towering above him.

Xiao Li turned his head with a small grunt, brushing off the sensation. A trick of the mind... nothing more.

"Peculiar attire," Xiao Lie said kindly, eyes observing him with curiosity. "And a name that doesn't sound native to our city. Tell me, child… where do you come from?"

Several of the surrounding Xiao disciples leaned closer to hear the reply. The boy who had silenced a guard with no visible cultivation had sparked their curiosity as well.

Sukuna responded evenly, his voice smooth and regal.

"My home is far from here. A remote place, long forgotten. It was… destroyed, due to a curse."

There was no emotion in his voice, but the weight behind the words was chilling.

A loud laugh broke the tension.

"For a simple curse to wipe out your entire village, boy your people must've been pathetic."

Xiao Bo, the Second Elder, chuckled with disdain. He sipped from his wine cup with a smug smile, awaiting some reaction shame, anger, perhaps a threat.

But Sukuna didn't even look at him. Not a twitch. Not a flicker.

The lack of acknowledgment only deepened Xiao Bo's frown. How dare he… ignore me?

Xiao Lie, on the other hand, simply nodded, his tone deepening slightly.

"Then you shall be my guest for the time being. Do you understand this?"

Sukuna turned to him with a faint smile, one that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Hoo… If that's what you want… then I shall impose."

He understood clearly. Xiao Lie was doing this not just out of kindness but because of his grandson. A subtle way of offering protection. And Sukuna… didn't mind accepting it.

Xiao Lie, meanwhile, watched the boy closely. That guard he felled was early-stage Nascent Profound Realm… If this child truly has no cultivation, then either he used some unfathomable technique or he's hiding something far deeper.

Later that evening…

Inside the Xiao Clan's Main Hall, the banquet was in full swing.

"Seventh Uncle Liu, please have a drink."

Xiao Che respectfully offered a cup to a middle-aged man with kind eyes and weathered features.

"Ah, my nephew." Uncle Liu stood and laughed, draining the cup in one go. "Your father was my brother in everything but blood. To see you married it brings me joy."

"Thank you, Seventh Uncle Liu."

"First Elder, please have a drink."

Xiao Li didn't look at him. He simply took the cup, drained it in one aggressive gulp, and slammed it down.

"Hmph."

That was his only reply. Still, the fact he even drank was a gesture in itself.

From his seated position beside Xiao Lie, Sukuna observed the entire exchange, expression unreadable. He could feel Xiao Bo's eyes drilling into him with each sip of wine. That gaze didn't bother him it entertained him.

'Is he still mad I didn't give him "face"? How fragile the pride of the self-righteous becomes when ignored.'

Xiao Che, with grace, approached the next table. But as he turned

Spit.

The wet sound of disdain splattered behind him. Xiao Li's voice followed.

"Such a delicate flower has now been inserted into poop. Bah!"

Sukuna's eyes narrowed slightly. He muttered under his breath.

"Ah… the irony of a dung beetle mocking the soil."

His voice was low, but the venom in it was unmistakable.

Xiao Che, to his credit, didn't pause. His expression didn't change. But Sukuna caught the shift in his eyes the cold glint beneath the surface.

When he reached Xiao Bo, the man didn't even glance his way.

"Yang, dear. Help me drink it."

"Yes, Grandpa."

Xiao Yang reached for the cup.

Crack!

The cup shattered as soon as he touched it. Wine splashed over his robes.

A beat of stunned silence.

"Who dares!"

Xiao Bo shot to his feet.

Sukuna, who had been casually sipping tea and looking elsewhere, blinked slowly.

'That line again… Do they rehearse these phrases in front of a mirror?'

This act, while seemingly minor, was a public humiliation. For a child to drink in place of the elder was already dismissive but for the wine to spill entirely? It was a slap across the face.

Xiao Yang sat back down, fists clenched. His eyes locked on Xiao Che, who this time didn't bother hiding the ridicule in his eyes.

He then looked to Sukuna for a brief second…

But Sukuna didn't acknowledge him at all.

Xiao Che continued on. When he reached the last table.

"Hmph. Trash is trash. Even if it crawled into Xia Clan, it's still trash. Xiao Lie is going to depend on his granddaughter-in-law? Bah!"

Xiao Lie's fist on the armrest tightened. The veins on the back of his hand stood out like cords.

Sukuna noticed. But more than that… he noticed Xiao Che.

'At least the boy has discipline. Tolerance, too. He'll be dangerous… in time.'

The banquet ended.

The night air cooled.

The guests filtered out slowly, faces filled with polite masks and private scorn. Few truly celebrated the marriage. Most had already written Xiao Che off.

To Sukuna, the most curious thing wasn't their disdain but the environment itself. The banquet setting, the cuisine, the presentation it felt…

'Like a strange blend between traditional Japanese and Chinese styles. The food… even the broth tasted like it came from a world that remembers them both.'

As Xiao Lie patted Xiao Che's shoulder…

"Take an early rest."

He then turned to Sukuna.

"This is Sukuna," he said to Xiao Che. "He will be staying as a guest of mine."

Xiao Che blinked. "Sukuna…? Wait, are you really a cripple too?"

Sukuna chuckled. "There are many paths to power. Being born without one doesn't mean I won't carve another."

A thin pulse of cursed energy leaked from his fingers inside his kimono and unseen to anyone.

It was quiet. Barely a ripple.

But the banquet hall… froze.

Dozens of guests, already halfway out, turned sharply as goosebumps erupted on their arms. They looked around, startled like prey sensing a predator.

Xiao Li whipped his head back to look at Sukuna. That same chill from earlier it returned.

Xiao Lie narrowed his eyes, keeping his thoughts to himself.

"Someone will show you to the guest room."

Sukuna nodded silently.

As Xiao Lie walked ahead, Sukuna remained seated for a moment longer.

Across the room, he caught sight of Xiao Che who was staring at his grandfather's back, eyes filled with complex emotions.

Sukuna could read it easily.

'Once feared. Now belittled. And all because he protects someone they believe isn't worth it.'

Xiao Che clenched his fists. The color drained from them. His eyes sharpened into icy slits, and the corner of his mouth curled in a smile that didn't belong on someone so young.

"You guys will… be sorry…"

Sukuna, from the corner of his eye, watched him.

Then, without a word, he looked away.

His eyes turned to the left.

They narrowed slightly.

Now then…

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