After making all the necessary preparations, Xiao Yan returned to the village. Coming out from inside the mountain cave, he unexpectedly climbed up the small path. On the mountaintop, there were still no people in sight, so he let out a sigh of relief, hurried along, and headed directly towards his clan.
While leisurely strolling, as soon as he arrived at the clan, he encountered people in the front courtyard. Looking closer, it turned out to be the three elders, walking in a hurry. As they passed by him, their footsteps paused. Xiao Yan was a little puzzled; just now, all three of their faces clearly showed gloom and anger.
"Did someone provoke them?" He shook his head in surprise. As soon as he turned around, he saw a girl in a green dress standing to one side. She came out from the small path and stopped in front of him.
Looking at Xun Er's adorable, smiling face in front of him, Xiao Yan's heart skipped a beat. Recalling what Yao Lao had asked in the mountain cave, his cheeks couldn't help but flush slightly, feeling somewhat embarrassed. He shifted his gaze to the sky, appearing lost in thought.
Seeing Xiao Yan behaving somewhat differently than usual, Xun Er was momentarily stunned by his actions. After a moment, she snapped out of her surprise. Shaking her head, she took a step forward, her eyes carefully scanning Xiao Yan. A hint of surprise suddenly appeared on her small face. She then put her hands behind her back, leaned slightly forward, bringing their faces close as if there was no distance between them, and with a half-smile, said, "Xiao Yan Gege has advanced to Dou Shi?"
Suddenly, a warm, fragrant breeze from the girl blew across his small face. Xiao Yan was momentarily dazed, then fiercely shook his head, suppressing the thoughts in his heart. He clapped his hands in front of him, simultaneously straightening his body, and patted the girl's head, saying, "You didn't let me say it myself, so I feel a bit more at ease. Will illusory glory bring disaster?"
Hearing this, Xun Er narrowed her pupils, like a pair of beautiful small crescent moons. Her small, fair hand reached out in an arc, grasping Xiao Yan's arm, causing their clothes to brush against each other slightly.
Seeing Xun Er act this way, Xiao Yan, who originally had no such thoughts, had his inner thoughts exposed by Yao Lao's words today. Now, his heart wavered again, and those feelings resurfaced.
Near the small path, if any clan members passed by, they would see Xun Er clinging to Xiao Yan's clothes like an ordinary young wife, and they couldn't help but feel a sense of envy and jealousy.
He lowered his head to look at her exquisite, flawless face. Strands of fine hair appeared on her jade forehead, occasionally blown by a gentle breeze, revealing a pair of bright, lively eyes, their gaze incredibly captivating.
Thump-thump. Xiao Yan looked at Xun Er, his breathing slowly quieting, yet also a little hurried. A hint of heat rose in his eyes.
"Xiao Yan Gege... you, what are you looking at?" Feeling Xiao Yan's clothes, Xun Er finally sensed his burning gaze. Her small face flushed slightly, and she said softly, in a somewhat scolding tone.
"Ah? Uh...!" Snapping back to reality, Xiao Yan's face suddenly turned crimson, though much less so than Xun Er's. He then coughed twice and calmly said, "Nothing, I just noticed that Xun Er is getting more and more beautiful!"
Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Xun Er did not deny it. She let out a soft hmph, her small, rosy mouth pouted, and she pursed her lips several times.
"Alright, alright..." Suddenly remembering something, Xun Er's gaze swept over Xiao Yan again. She said gently, "Since Brother Xiao Yan has advanced to a Dou Practitioner, he must have learned a Dou Qi cultivation method, right?"
Xiao Yan's face stiffened, and he nodded awkwardly.
Stopping her slender, snow-white fingers, Xun Er smiled broadly and said, "Quickly, let Xun Er see what grade that cultivation method is!"
"Ahem... cultivation methods are merely external things. That... as long as one cultivates diligently, aren't all grades the same?" Xiao Yan said with a dry laugh.
Seeing Xiao Yan's demeanor, Xun Er slowly narrowed her eyes slightly, assessing the danger. Her voice remained as soft, gentle, and captivating as before. "Brother Xiao Yan, quickly, let Xun Er take a good look, just so I know..."
Seeing Xun Er's persistent refusal to give up, Xiao Yan felt a bit helpless. He shrugged and extended his hand. A moment later, a faint golden light appeared before their eyes.
"Brother Xiao Yan, according to what you said, you found a good cultivation method. Is this it?" Her gaze fixed on the faint golden light, which seemed so weak it could extinguish at any moment. A displeased expression appeared on Xun Er's small face. Her small, rosy mouth was tightly pursed, showing that she was extremely angry at this moment.
Xiao Yan smiled awkwardly, not knowing how to explain.
"You clearly know that if you had obtained a high-grade cultivation method from the start, the benefits for your future cultivation would be self-evident. Yet, you still refused me. Xun Er wasn't giving it to you for free or doing you a favor. At most, after you cultivated to a high level, you could return the cultivation method to me. But now you're refusing and cultivating the lowest-grade cultivation method. Are you deliberately trying to provoke me?" Xun Er angrily widened her eyes and glared at Xiao Yan. A few transparent tears had already appeared on her slender eyelashes, making her look heartbroken and extremely pitiful.
Xun Er could be described as having a gentle and amiable disposition. Seeing this attitude, it was difficult to understand what Xiao Yan was thinking. No matter how much she guessed, she couldn't explain it. It was both perplexing and infuriating.
Biting her lip, Xiao Yan looked at Xun Er's stubborn expression, waiting for a reasonable explanation from himself. He helplessly shook his head and chuckled bitterly, saying, "We've grown up together for over ten years. Don't you understand me? Do you really think I'm the kind of... idiot who refuses to cultivate a high-grade cultivation method and instead cultivates the lowest one? An idiot?"
"But your cultivation method is clearly... a Huang-grade Low-level cultivation method. I can feel it." Hearing this, the anger on Xun Er's small face diminished a little, but she still spoke with the same stubbornness.
"Not everything can be judged by its surface. Right now, it's not convenient for me to tell you the detailed reasons. I will tell you the reasons later. I absolutely won't ignore this issue now..." Xiao Yan said with a smile.
"Is that so?" Hearing Xiao Yan speak so resolutely, Xun Er also fell silent for a moment, then hesitated before asking again.
"Exactly, exactly, absolutely correct..." Xiao Yan nodded hurriedly, afraid that further delay would lead to more trouble. He quickly changed the subject, saying, "Has anything bad happened to the family recently? Why do the elders look so grim?"
"Yes, recently the Jia Lie Family somehow managed to invite a first-grade alchemist. Now, in their market, they've produced a medicine called 'Hui Chun San' that has wound-healing properties. This medicine is more convenient and effective than even poultices, so it's extremely popular with the mercenaries near Wu Tan City." Xun Er nodded, her willow-like brows slightly furrowed, and she said softly, "This 'Hui Chun San' is now affecting most of the Xiao Family's markets, causing the number of people staying to decrease. The number of people staying is only about five-tenths of what it was before. Merchants in our market have also directly gone to the Jia Lie Family's areas. In the past few days, the Xiao Family's economy has suffered a considerable blow, and Uncle Xiao is troubled by this."
Hearing this, Xiao Yan suddenly nodded. No wonder the three elders looked so grim...
Rubbing his nose, Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes and chuckled coldly to himself, "Just a first-grade alchemist, that's all."