Ya Fei lifted Xiao Yan's chin, her eyes conveying unspoken messages as she looked into his. Standing in her red high heels, she stood half a head taller than Xiao Yan, who was still in his growing phase.
Master Gu Ni watched this scene and sighed. In all of Wu Tan City, there was no other man other than Xiao Yan who had ever touched the hand of Ya Fei. There was once a wealthy foreign merchant who tried to touch her hand, only to have his own chopped off.
But that's not surprising. Ya Fei's natural charm could make any man dream of her with a glance or smile. Not only in the remote Wu Tan City, but even in the imperial capital, she was considered a breathtaking beauty, with suitors lining up from east to west. She hated that kind of attention, which was why she had specifically come to Wu Tan City to gain some experience.
However, she found that this small Wu Tan City was full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Xiao Yan was not only a cultivation genius with extraordinary talent, but also uniquely immune to her charms!
The more unattainable a person seemed to be, the more one would want to conquer them.
Gradually, the idea of subduing Xiao Yan took root in her heart.
Xiao Yan smiled confidently, kissed the back of Ya Fei's hand gently, and said, "Sister Ya Fei, what good is this huge Miteer Auction House without you?"
"Thank you, Sister Ya Fei. I must leave now. I'll come back to bother you when I find more medicinal pills."
Xiao Yan waved his hand and turned to leave with the gold card between his fingers.
The smile on Ya Fei's pretty face slowly faded as she watched Xiao Yan's back disappear. She frowned slightly and leaned back lazily on the soft sofa. Her perfect curves made it hard for anyone to remain unmoved.
Master Gu Ni sighed, "He refused."
There were hidden meanings in the conversation. Ya Fei had offered the entire auction house in exchange for the contact information of the alchemist who had helped Xiao Yan with his refinement. Presumably, her goal was the pill recipe.
Even Master Gu Ni was surprised by the effect of the Foundation Building Pill. If there was a long-term supply, there would be huge profits from selling the pill in the imperial capital.
But Xiao Yan was no ordinary person. Although his words were ambiguous, as if he was expressing affection, in reality, he had realized the trap and refused the offer.
Without Ya Fei and the support of the Miteer Clan behind her, the Miteer Auction House would be nothing but a worthless piece of property.
"Uncle Gu Ni, could the 2nd-tier medicinal pill really have been refined by him?" Ya Fei asked quietly after a short silence.
As soon as she spoke, she rejected the idea in her heart, thinking it was completely unrealistic.
Gu Ni also shook his head, "This is impossible. Even those few little monsters in the Imperial Capital, with the personal guidance of their masters, have not managed to refine a 2nd-tier medicinal pill at the age of fifteen. Alchemy requires not only talent but also vast knowledge imparted by a teacher. He's only a Dou Practitioner, and the temperature of his Dou Qi flame is not high enough for him to refine a 2nd-tier Monster Core...
… Unless he has a special flame to assist him. The quality of those Foundation Building Pills is also quite high and I doubt I could refine a pill of such high quality myself."
Ya Fei's red little mouth curled slightly as she casually mentioned, "Even with a pill recipe?"
Upon hearing Ya Fei's words, the expression on Gu Ni's face changed to one of shock, and he hurriedly said, "A pill recipe is a lifeline for every alchemist. Miss must not have any thoughts of targeting an alchemist's pill recipes. The Cech Family, once famous in the Jia Ma Empire, made the mistake of coveting Pill King Gu He's recipes. They were eventually wiped out by four Dou Kings he had invited. The incident escalated to the point where even the royal family of the Jia Ma Empire did not dare to intervene!"
Looking at the somewhat panicked Gu Ni, Ya Fei hugged a pillow like a fox and muttered, "It would be great if that boy really did refine it himself."
Gu Ni looked at Ya Fei and seemed to casually mention, "There are rumors that Nalan Yanran of the Nalan Clan wants to break off their engagement and has even received the consent of the Sect Leader of the Misty Cloud Sect."
"This Xiao Yan boy has an extraordinary talent. With the support of our Miteer Clan, he's bound to become a Dou King in the future. Miss, perhaps you could...?"
Before Gu Ni could finish, a blushing Ya Fei threw a pillow at him and gave him a stern look.
With a slight blush on her cheeks and her head resting on a pillow, she replied, "Uncle Gu Ni, what are you talking about? It's just a Dou King. Not like our clan doesn't have one."
"And what if he becomes a Dou Emperor?"
"Uh... we had a Dou Emperor too."
"What about Dou Ancestor?"
Ya Fei rolled her eyes and said, "Hmph, not to mention the Jia Ma Empire, even the other two empires do not have a Dou Ancestor."
"If he could become a Dou Ancestor, I... I would package myself up and give myself to him," Ya Fei's voice gradually softened as she spoke. She had a strange feeling in her heart, a feeling that Xiao Yan might indeed have the potential to become a Dou Ancestor.
Gu Ni looked at Ya Fei who was clutching the pillow with a slightly dreamy look in her eyes. He knew that no matter what she said, there were times when a girl's words didn't really reflect her true feelings.
What girl wouldn't like a strong man? And Xiao Yan, showing the first signs of his potential, was easily the subject of fantasies and even secret crushes.
Ya Fei was no exception to this.
...
Time flew by swiftly, and almost a year had passed since Nalan Yanran came to break off the engagement. Xiao Yan was now facing the annual coming-of-age ceremony.
All members of the Xiao Clan who reached the age of fifteen were required to participate in this ceremony.
This ceremony also meant that if their cultivation did not meet the standards, they would be sent to manage properties in other cities. This was essentially a way to free up resources for others.
Therefore, the coming-of-age ceremony of each clan was of great importance. The Xiao Clan was no exception. It attracted many people from Wu Tan City to watch and served as an indirect method of attracting talent.
Disciples with potential from other clans might consider joining the Xiao Clan, which was still the dominant clan in Wu Tan City. Despite the alliance between the Jia Lie and Ao Ba Clans, they could not stop the Xiao clan from expanding and becoming the most important clan in the region. Even Ya Fei from the Miteer Auction House was here in person to watch the event.
In reality, most people were there to see Xiao Yan. After all, the strength of the Xiao Clan largely depended on his growth.
Last year, Xiao Yan was a 3-star Dou Practitioner. Everyone was eager to see how much progress he had made this year.
Xiao Yan and Xun Er sat in the shade of a large tree, their eyes squinting at the huge stage in the distance that had been constructed from massive timbers especially for the ceremony.
"There are so many people here."
Xiao Yan glanced in Ya Fei's direction. Today, Ya Fei wore a bright white dress. The dress outlined her voluptuous and exquisite figure, tantalizingly visible yet hidden.
"Does Xiao Yan ge-ge enjoy the view?"
Xiao Yan suddenly felt a chill beside him, but he pretended to be nonchalant. "What would I be looking at? I'm just worried whether there are any issues with Father's cooperation with the Miteer Clan."
At this moment, Xiao Yan suddenly felt a sharp murderous intent. He turned his head to see a beautiful woman dressed in an academy outfit leaning against a large tree, glaring at him with gritted teeth.
The woman was tall, especially her pair of round and slender legs that gleamed white in the sunlight, appearing as beautiful and pristine as ivory.
"Uh... Xiao Yu!"
The usually calm Little Clan Leader Xiao Yan unexpectedly seemed a bit flustered when he saw Xiao Yu approaching step by step.
Xun Er giggled from the side, "Xiao Yan ge-ge, it is said that heaven's misdeeds can be forgiven, but one's own misdeeds are inexcusable."
Xiao Yan rubbed his forehead and explained, "I was really practicing at that time. I didn't expect the cliff to suddenly give way, and that's how I ended up falling into the hot spring. It's not like I intended to see her naked."
"I heard that Xiao Yan ge-ge even touched her thigh."
"That was a misunderstanding! She was the one who kicked me, and I was merely defending myself."
"Was it also a misunderstanding when Xiao Yan ge-ge was in Xun Er's room when we were little?" Xun Er couldn't help but blush a captivating shade of red as she remembered that night when she was four years old.
Xiao Yan swallowed hard. He is doomed! This time, Xun Er wasn't going to help him out of this one.
"Xiao Yan!!! Go die!!"
Xiao Yu drew her sword and thrust it toward Xiao Yan with a clang.