Gazing at the black-robed figure who strode out of the reception room carrying the medicinal ingredients with an air of satisfaction, Ya Fei struggled to maintain her composure. Her shoulders finally slumped, and her voluptuous, graceful figure sank limply into the chair. She looked for all the world like a curled-up fox—her languid posture exuding a rather different, peculiar allure.
"This Elder... truly is a man of remarkable conviction." Resting her head against the cool back of the chair, Ya Fei shook her head with a wry smile.
Beside her, Gu Ni wore an equally dazed expression. He rubbed his temples and sighed. "Five Qi-Gathering Powders... even for a Fourth-Rank Alchemist, that is quite a lavish gesture."
Ya Fei nodded and pressed her soft, red lips together, a self-deprecating smile playing at her mouth. "I thought I could hold out. I never expected..."
Gu Ni chuckled. "Had it been me, I probably would have caved in by the third. That you held out until the fifth already exceeded my expectations."
"Holding out? I was simply too stunned by the prices he quoted to say anything! And then... to think he would actually raise the bid by two at once." Ya Fei rolled her eyes, unable to help but laugh.
"Your little moment of silence just added nearly forty thousand gold coins in pure profit to the auction house's coffers." Hearing this, Gu Ni's spirits lifted and he teased her.
Ya Fei pressed her slender hand over her lips, letting out a few soft giggles. She slowly straightened in her chair and rose to her feet with a sigh. "The Jie Lie family has truly kicked an iron plate this time."
Gu Ni nodded in agreement.
"What does puzzle me, however, is that this Elder does not seem to be particularly close to the Xiao Clan. Why would he go to such lengths on their behalf? He even went so far as to use five Qi-Gathering Powders to sever the Jie Lie family's supply line." A flicker of confusion passed through Ya Fei's luminous eyes as she spoke softly.
"Who can say... This gentleman's origins are exceedingly mysterious. In all my years in the Jia Ma Empire, I have never heard of an alchemist matching this description." Gu Ni shook his head.
Ya Fei nodded faintly, her gaze drifting in contemplation. After a moment, she smiled. "It seems we would do well to solidify our relationship with the Xiao Clan from now on. With this Elder's pills, I am confident I can double the auction house's profits in Wutan City. At the next family performance review, I would like to see who can surpass me then."
At this thought, Ya Fei's red lips curled in a proud little pout. She clasped her hands behind her back, humming a lighthearted tune as she sauntered leisurely toward the back of the reception hall.
Stepping out of the auction house, Xiao Yan let out a long, deep breath and murmured in a low voice, "Master, thank you."
"What is there to thank? If we do not bring down the Jie Lie family, would you focus on following me for training?" Yao Lao replied with helpless exasperation.
"Hehe." Xiao Yan grinned and said no more. Following his usual practice, he loitered in the vicinity for a while before finally slipping off his black robe in a secluded spot. Then, with careful steps, he emerged onto the street and made his way back toward the Xiao residence.
Returning to the clan, he occasionally encountered fellow clan members, and Xiao Yan could sense that their gazes now carried a measure of envy he had not noticed before. Word of today's events in the reception room had evidently already spread throughout the clan.
Disregarding those looks, Xiao Yan proceeded at an unhurried pace toward his own room. As he rounded a corner, a girl in red came hurtling straight toward him. Fortunately, Xiao Yan braked in time, sparing them both the awkwardness of a collision.
"Cousin Xiao Yan? I finally found you!" The girl in red stumbled back a step and looked up. Her youthful, innocent features were still tinged with a faint touch of mature allure—a contradictory combination that gave the girl a certain indefinable charm that other girls her age simply did not possess. The effect was such that even Xiao Yan could not help but steal a second look.
This girl, her pretty face now alight with joy, was none other than Xiao Mei.
Xiao Yan's gaze swept over Xiao Mei's lovely features. He rubbed his nose and spoke in a level tone. "Something the matter?"
Hearing this somewhat distant greeting, a shadow of disappointment flickered across Xiao Mei's delicate face. She lowered her voice. "The Clan Leader asked you to go to his study."
"Oh?" Xiao Yan paused briefly, then nodded with a smile. "Noted. Thank you." With a casual wave of his hand, he turned and headed toward the study at the front of the residence.
"Cousin Xiao Yan, thank you again for last time." Watching Xiao Yan depart with such brisk efficiency, a glimmer of disappointment crossed Xiao Mei's eyes. She bit her lower lip and spoke softly.
Xiao Yan's steps slowed for just a moment. He gave a casual wave backward without looking back and replied in an even tone. "It was nothing."
Her gaze lingering on Xiao Yan's retreating figure, Xiao Mei suddenly mustered her courage and called out, "Cousin Xiao Yan, will you be enrolling in Jia Nan Academy's entrance exam?"
"Probably." The young man clasped his hands behind his head as he ambled further and further away, his carefree reply drifting back to her on the breeze.
Upon hearing these words, Xiao Mei's downcast face brightened inexplicably. She clenched her small fist in quiet determination, standing rooted to the spot and watching Xiao Yan disappear from view before finally letting out a soft, wistful sigh. Then she turned and walked away.
...
After wandering through the clan estate, Xiao Yan at last arrived before a spacious room. He rapped lightly upon the door before slowly pushing it open.
Inside, Xiao Zhan and the three elders were engaged in conversation. Upon seeing Xiao Yan enter, they all fell silent.
"Father, you sent for me?" Xiao Yan stepped forward with a smile.
Xiao Zhan nodded and smiled. After exchanging a glance with the three elders, he hesitated for a moment before speaking in a low voice. "You have met that Elder, I presume?"
"Mm." Xiao Yan nodded. He knew perfectly well whom his father was referring to.
"Do you know where he comes from?" Xiao Zhan asked in a contemplative tone.
"I have only recently come to know him. How would I know his background?" Xiao Yan's reply held a ring of genuine truth—he truly did not know Yao Lao's exact origins.
"But I do know he is an alchemist." Xiao Yan scratched his head and offered a grin.
"Obviously." Xiao Zhan shot him a look and laughed scoldingly.
Shaking his head with a smile, Xiao Zhan was clearly in an excellent mood. He asked Xiao Yan a few more questions about Yao Lao, but the youth deflected them all with deliberate feigned ignorance. In the end, he had yielded nothing of substance.
"You little rascal, I truly cannot tell if you are pretending." Gazing at Xiao Yan who professed to know nothing at all, Xiao Zhan shook his head with helpless resignation and waved him off. "Fine, go about your business. If you happen to encounter that Elder again, try not to provoke him. The future of the Xiao Clan still depends on him."
Xiao Yan shrugged noncommittally.
"Ahem... Xiao Yan, I sense that your aura seems rather... potent." The First Elder, who had been studying Xiao Yan intently all along, suddenly spoke with some hesitation.
Hearing this, Xiao Zhan was also taken aback. His gaze sharpened as it swept slowly over Xiao Yan. After a moment, his mouth gradually dropped open in astonishment. "You... you have broken through to Dou Warrior?"
Upon hearing this, the corners of the Second and Third Elders' mouths twitched, their eyes fixed upon the young man before them in utter disbelief.
"Mm..." Xiao Yan scratched his head and spread his hands in an expression of innocence. "Seems like it. I was just refining and refining, and somehow I broke through..."
Xiao Zhan's eyelids twitched rapidly. Beyond his shock, he was caught somewhere between amusement and exasperation. And what exactly had he been refining?
By now, Xiao Zhan had grown almost numb to the miracles Xiao Yan produced. He could only wave his hand and smile ruefully. "Well, breaking through is what matters. When you have time, go to the Rank Assessment Guild and pick up your rank badge."
Xiao Yan nodded, a hint of teasing playing at the corner of his lips. "Then may I go? I really was just refining and refining, and suddenly I broke through..."
"You may get lost..." Xiao Zhan rolled his eyes and cursed with a laugh. This little fellow was doing it purely to torment them. Did he not know that all three elders present had failed twice each in their attempts to condense their Qi Vortexes before finally succeeding in becoming Dou Warriors?
Watching the three elders whose expressions had grown somewhat rigid, Xiao Yan let out a hearty laugh. Then, amid his father's parting shouts, he darted out of the study.
Listening to the young man's laughter gradually fading into the distance, the three elders' faces relaxed slightly. They exchanged glances, each one wearing a look of helpless resignation.