By the time Xiao Yan awoke from his deep sleep, the sun was already at its zenith. Warm, brilliant sunlight streamed through the window cracks, leaving dappled patterns on the floor and brightening the room slightly.
Even after waking, Xiao Yan’s eyes were still hazy with sleep as he sat on the bed, dazed for a long while. He chased away the last vestiges of drowsiness from his mind, slowly shaking his head until he was fully awake. Reluctantly, he got out of bed and casually went to wash his face.
No sooner had he finished washing than a knock on the door, accompanied by a soft, sweet, and coquettish voice of a young girl, reached him: “Is Brother Xiao Yan not up yet?”
Hearing this voice, Xiao Yan’s brows furrowed slightly. He quickly finished washing his face, then went to open the door. “Zhi—” The door slowly opened.
As the door opened, the dazzling sunlight suddenly shone in, causing Xiao Yan to instinctively close his eyes. After a moment, he slowly opened them, shifting his gaze to the young girl in green standing in the doorway.
Today, Xun’er, as always, wore a green dress that gave her an ethereal aura, making the young man in the room sigh inwardly.
His gaze casually swept over Xun’er’s graceful and delicate figure, finally resting on her slightly pale, small face. His brows couldn’t help but furrow slightly: “What happened?”
Her wide eyes fixed intently on Xiao Yan’s expression, and finding nothing but a hint of reproach, Xun’er immediately smiled sweetly and said, “I’m just feeling a little unwell for a moment, it’s nothing serious.”
“Unwell?” Xiao Yan’s brows twitched. He stepped out of the room, carefully closed the door, and then suddenly took Xun’er’s small, jade-like hand. He controlled a gentle Dou Qi with his spiritual sense, slowly circulating it through Xun’er’s body.
After a moment, Xiao Yan expressionlessly withdrew his Dou Qi, sighing softly in his heart. It seemed that Xun’er’s use of the secret technique last night had indeed consumed a great deal of her essence. Currently, only a few wisps of Dou Qi circulated within her body, clearly a side effect of using the secret technique.
It was early morning. Quite a few clan members were already awake, and seeing Xiao Yan and Xun’er standing so intimately together, they couldn’t help but show expressions of envy.
“Brother Xiao Yan,” Xun’er’s face flushed as she wriggled free from Xiao Yan’s hand, speaking softly.
“I really don’t know what you did! To actually become so weak,” Xiao Yan released Xun’er’s small hand, his face serious, and he reprimanded her in a low voice.
Her lively eyes widened as she looked at Xiao Yan’s stern expression. Seeing nothing unusual, Xun’er quietly sighed and said with a smile, “Yesterday, I cultivated some Dou Skills beyond my level, which is why I became like this. I’ll recover in a few days, Brother Xiao Yan doesn’t need to worry.”
Rolling his eyes, Xiao Yan could only helplessly shake his head. After eating breakfast with Xun’er at the clan, he found an excuse and quietly slipped away from the clan.
He wandered around Wu Tan City, taking the opportunity to inquire about some news related to the Jia Lie Clan. Liu Xi’s disappearance must have caused quite a stir within the Jia Lie Clan, but he still didn’t find any unusual behavior from them. The market was still open, selling medicinal pills, no different from usual.
"Heh, this Jia Lie Bi truly lives up to his name as patriarch, actually hiding this news. But you can hide it for a day, can you hide it for a month? Once the healing medicine is sold out, I'd like to see what you'll do then." With a cold chuckle, Xiao Yan pondered for a moment, then headed into the city center towards the Mi Te Er Auction House.
In a secluded spot outside the auction house, Xiao Yan was still wearing his black robe, completely concealing himself. Only then did he join the flow of people entering the auction house.
As soon as he stepped into the auction house, Xiao Yan was respectfully led into the reception room by a beautiful maid. After sitting leisurely in the room for a moment, Ya Fei, with her graceful figure, appeared before Xiao Yan with a long laugh.
"Ah, what an esteemed guest. Xiao Yan Didi, what brings you to the auction house today?" Raising a teacup, Ya Fei poured a cup of tea for Xiao Yan herself and said with a faint smile.
Whether intentionally or not, Ya Fei was wearing a cheongsam. As she bent over to pour the tea, a captivating expanse of snowy white skin was revealed at her chest, appearing and disappearing, causing a strange glint to flash in Xiao Yan's eyes.
"Cough..." His gaze was almost deeply ensnared by that alluring space, but Xiao Yan's willpower was not bad after all. He coughed, trying to avert his eyes, looking at the faint green liquid in the teacup. Then, he pulled out a crimson storage ring from his bosom, took out five small jade bottles from it, and said calmly, "Ah, I came today to fulfill our agreement." Since Ya Fei already knew his identity, Xiao Yan no longer let Yao Lao speak on his behalf, but directly conversed with Ya Fei.
Ya Fei's eyes, from the moment the jade bottles appeared, became intently focused. On her charming smiling face, a mix of joy and apprehension appeared simultaneously.
Looking at Xiao Yan sitting leisurely on the chair beside her, Ya Fei carefully picked up a jade bottle, subtly felt its weight, then tilted the bottle's mouth. A shining, emerald-green medicinal pellet rolled out.
She gently sniffed the medicinal pellet, and a medicinal fragrance assailed her nostrils. Ya Fei's beautiful eyes narrowed, her full chest gently rising and falling, making others feel a longing desire. After a long while, she carefully put the medicinal pellet back, revealing a beautiful and charming smile to Xiao Yan: "It seems Xiao Yan Didi is preparing to take action against the Jia Lie family? Otherwise, why would you fulfill the agreement so early?"
Hearing this, Xiao Yan noncommittally shrugged his shoulders. He pulled out a piece of paper from his bosom, on which were written several types of medicinal ingredients. These ingredients all had the effect of nourishing qi. Of course, this type was prepared for Xun Er. Seeing her weak and pale complexion, Xiao Yan truly felt a little heartache.
Taking the paper from Xiao Yan's hand, Ya Fei, having had many previous experiences, understood Xiao Yan's meaning. Without any unnecessary words, she directly called a maid, then instructed the maid to quickly go and prepare.
Sitting leisurely in the reception room, Xiao Yan was briefly silent, then suddenly asked in a low voice, "The Jia Lie family seems to be searching for medicinal ingredients from other cities?"
"En, the Jia Lie family is currently cooperating with a medicinal ingredient family in Te Lan City. However, the medicinal ingredients they purchase there are four times more expensive than in Wu Tan City," Ya Fei nodded and said with a smile.
"You really can't let it go," Xiao Yan said with a wry smile and a shake of his head. "Could you give me some intelligence on their medicinal ingredient transport route?"
Hearing this, Ya Fei, who was holding a teacup, felt her jade hand tremble slightly. Her beautiful eyes stared at the young man beside her in astonishment. She stammered, "What do you want to do now?"
"Seize the medicinal ingredients."
With a bitter laugh, Ya Fei sighed, "The Jia Lie Clan has provoked a little fiend like you. They're truly unlucky."
Shaking her head, she fell silent for a moment, then stood up and walked to the back of the reception hall. After a long while, she emerged with a scroll in her hand and handed it to Xiao Yan, saying in a low voice, "I received some intelligence from the auction house in Te Lan City. Two days ago, the Jia Lie Clan once again purchased medicinal ingredients worth four hundred thousand gold coins. This batch of medicinal ingredients should arrive in Wu Tan City by noon tomorrow."
"The Jia Lie Clan only paid one hundred thousand gold coins for these medicinal ingredients; the remaining three hundred thousand is on credit. The escort team for the medicinal ingredients consists of guards from the Jia Lie Clan, including three Dou Shi, one Da Dou Shi, and dozens of other guards at the Dou Zhe level."
"Four hundred thousand? That's truly a grand gesture." Xiao Yan chuckled softly, then tucked the scroll into his storage ring. His laughter slowly turned cold. "Without the medicinal ingredients, I'd like to see how they'll account to the medicinal ingredient clan. The Jia Lie Clan is already on the verge of bankruptcy, and with an additional three hundred thousand in debt, even a skinny camel will die!"
Looking up at the maid bringing in the medicinal ingredients, Xiao Yan cupped his hands in thanks to Ya Fei, stepped forward to receive the ingredients, and then walked out of the main hall without looking back.
Sitting in her chair, watching Xiao Yan's decisive departure, Ya Fei shook her head with a bitter smile and sighed softly, "This little fellow's methods are truly inconsistent with his age. Old Man Jia Lie Bi is probably in trouble this time..."