(Keep your distance from him)
Looking at the handsome youth's joyful expression, Xun'er frowned slightly. Ignoring his call, she turned around and walked away.
"Miss Xun'er!"
Seeing Xun'er turn away, the handsome youth's pale face instantly grew anxious. He quickened his pace and finally blocked her path. With her way barred, Xun'er had no choice but to stop. Her autumn-water eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at him with a lazy gaze, not saying a single word.
"Miss Xun'er..."
Stared at by those autumn-water eyes, the youth—who usually spent his days chasing after beautiful women—felt his breathing quicken. Normally glib and talkative, he now found himself unable to utter a single word.
"Young Master Jia Lie Ao, if there is nothing else, please step aside. I still have things to do."
Seeing the youth's face flush slightly, Xun'er finally spoke. Her soft, gentle voice made the face of the young man standing opposite her turn an almost feverish red.
"Haha, Miss Xun'er, what did you come to the marketplace to buy? I happen to be free right now, so why don't we go shopping together?" Taking a quiet breath, Jia Lie Ao wore a bright and gentle smile. Combined with his status and appearance, this charm had helped him win over beautiful women several times before.
"Young Master Jia Lie Ao, I have already said that I have things to do! Could you please step aside?"
Xun'er's small mouth pursed slightly, her voice calm and devoid of any emotion.
Rejected so bluntly by Xun'er, the corner of Jia Lie Ao's mouth twitched slightly, but the smile on his face remained. He reached into his robes and fumbled around for a moment before pulling out a bracelet. The bracelet was a pale blue-gold color, forged from blue-gold iron. Hanging from the clasp was a polished, round green magic core, which emitted a faint green glow. It was clear that this exquisitely crafted bracelet was also highly luxurious.
"Haha, since Miss Xun'er has business, it would indeed be difficult of me to hold you back."
Jia Lie Ao carefully held the bracelet and smiled warmly. "This is a Wood Spirit bracelet that I specially acquired from the marketplace. Although it cannot be considered extremely precious, it is embedded with a rank-one wood-attribute magic core, which is highly beneficial for recovering Dou Qi. Since Miss Xun'er is not yet a Dou Zhe, this bracelet would make an excellent accessory for you. It is just a small token of my sincerity, so please do not reject it, Miss Xun'er. Otherwise, I, Jia Lie Ao, will lose face in front of my subordinates..."
As he spoke the last sentence, Jia Lie Ao intentionally added a touch of humor, and his surrounding subordinates cooperatively burst into laughter.
Seeing Jia Lie Ao's actions, Xun'er's delicate brows furrowed again. She truly felt somewhat helpless against this thick-skinned fellow. Just as she was about to refuse, her gaze suddenly locked onto the green magic core on the bracelet's clasp. Recalling how hard someone had been searching for a wood-attribute magic core, Xun'er's long eyelashes fluttered slightly, and her cold little face seemed to soften a bit...
Seeing that Xun'er seemed to be swayed, Jia Lie Ao rejoiced inwardly. He hastily offered the Wood Spirit bracelet forward and smiled, saying, "Miss Xun'er, there is no need to be polite. The Jialie clan and the Xiao clan are both listed among the three major clans of Wutan City. For members of our two clans to exchange gifts, no one will have any grounds to gossip."
"I'll take the bracelet, give the magic crystal to Xiao Yan-ge, and as for the bracelet itself... I'll just throw it away when he isn't paying attention."
With this slightly mischievous thought in mind, Xun Er did not hesitate. Just as she was about to reach out and accept it, a hand suddenly moved a beat faster and grabbed hers. Startled by the sudden grip, the Dou Qi in Xun Er's body surged rapidly. But just as she was about to wrench her wrist free, a soft snort from the youth made her obediently stop struggling. Shifting her gaze, Xun Er looked at Xiao Yan, who had suddenly appeared behind her. Looking slightly upward, she saw his youthful face, which was currently looking rather displeased.
"Do you really not know what kind of person this guy is?" Glaring fiercely at Xun Er, Xiao Yan chided her in his heart. Then, he raised his head, smiled, and said, "Young Master Jialie Ao, Xun Er appreciates your kind intentions, but I'm afraid you'll have to take this bracelet back."
Seeing the atmosphere between himself and Xun Er ruined, a flash of anger crossed Jialie Ao's eyes. However, to maintain his gentlemanly demeanor in front of the beauty, Jialie Ao could only force a fake smile and say, "Young Master Xiao Yan, I merely noticed that Lady Xun Er wasn't wearing any jewelry, so I wanted to show a small token of my appreciation. Surely you wouldn't deny Lady Xun Er a small piece of jewelry to enhance her beauty?"
Sighing helplessly, Xiao Yan glanced at the Wood Spirit bracelet in Jialie Ao's hand. He reached into his robes, pulled out a pale green bracelet, and said calmly, "You like bracelets? Here, this is for you. Don't take other people's things. I've told you before, when someone is being overly attentive for no reason, they are either a crook or a thief. You're so naive, you might get sold off without even realizing it."
Hearing Xiao Yan's thinly veiled insults, Jialie Ao's face turned cold. But when his eyes swept over the bracelet Xiao Yan was holding, he laughed in surprise.
Judging by its material, the bracelet in Xiao Yan's hand was clearly a piece of roadside junk worth no more than a single gold coin. His own Wood Spirit bracelet, on the other hand, was an authentic piece of jewelry embedded with a magic crystal, costing him over a thousand gold coins to purchase. In terms of appearance, price, and practical value, the two bracelets were as different as heaven and earth; there was simply no comparison. Thus, seeing Xiao Yan offer such a cheap piece of trash to the beautiful Xun Er, Jialie Ao could not help but mock him. "Young Master Xiao Yan, even though I know your status in your clan isn't very high... surely you shouldn't be giving such trash to Lady Xun Er?"
Ignoring Jialie Ao's mockery, Xiao Yan nudged the hand of Xun Er, who was staring blankly at the bracelet. He said with a hint of impatience, "Do you want it or not? It only cost me two or three gold coins anyway."
"Pfft..." Hearing Xiao Yan's words, not only Jialie Ao but even his lackeys burst into mocking laughter. However, their laughter did not last long before abruptly cutting off, as if choked in their throats. They all stood there with their mouths wide open, looking incredibly ridiculous.
Startled out of her daze by Xiao Yan's actions, the young girl involuntarily snatched the bracelet from his hand. Only when the bracelet was firmly in her grasp did Xun Er snap back to her senses, realizing that her reaction had been a bit too eager...
A blush crept over her fair, beautiful face. However, Xun Er was no ordinary girl. After a fleeting moment of embarrassment, she hurriedly slipped the bracelet onto her snowy-white wrist, then looked up and flashed a graceful, elegant smile at Xiao Yan. "Thank you, Xiao Yan-gege."
Watching Xun Er display the demeanor of an ordinary, smitten young girl in front of Xiao Yan, Jialie Ao's expression turned somewhat strained. A flash of jealousy crossed his face, and he let out a dry laugh. "Haha, I never would have thought Lady Xun Er's tastes were so unique. It seems I miscalculated."
Xiao Yan glanced at Jialie Ao. His eyes swept over the single star on Jialie Ao's chest, and he couldn't help but feel a pinch of surprise. *When I saw this guy last year, wasn't he only at the ninth stage of Dou Qi? To think he successfully condensed a Dou Qi cyclone this year. Still, only becoming a one-star Dou Zhe at twenty-one... this talent can barely be considered above average.*
Seeing that Jialie Ao still had no intention of leaving, Xiao Yan spoke up, his voice laced with laziness. He didn't show the slightest bit of politeness just because of the other man's strength. The relationship between the Xiao clan and the Jialie clan had never been good to begin with, so there was no need for Xiao Yan to act humble. Rubbing his nose, he said indifferently, "Young Master Jialie Ao, your playboy reputation is known throughout Wutan City. But Xun Er is still young and has no time to play puppy love games with you. So, in the future, please trouble yourself to flirt with the daughters of other families instead."
"Stay away from him in the future."
Having said his piece, Xiao Yan ignored Jialie Ao's dark expression. Relying on his slight age advantage, he turned around and lectured Xun Er with an air of solemn seniority.
"Okay."
Xun Er's bright, lively eyes blinked as she nodded obediently. To her, Jialie Ao was merely someone she had crossed paths with a few times, whereas Xiao Yan was irreplaceable. Since he had said so, she had no objections. For Xun Er, this wasn't even a matter that required a second thought.