After putting her clothes back on, Xiao Yi Xian smoothed the wrinkles in her skirt.
Her fingertips brushed through the dark hair someone had messed up. Moonlight filtered through the inn's thin window,
casting scattered flecks of light across her flushed cheeks:
"Can't you be a little more proper?"
"Every day, all you think about is improper things."
Xiao Yan smiled as he pinned the Rank 4 Alchemist badge to his chest.
His fingers curled around a strand of the girl's hair:
"What proper person wanders through the black market in the middle of the night?"
He suddenly leaned close to Xiao Yi Xian's ear:
"Why don't you be more specific? How exactly am I improper?"
"Wasn't someone rather fond of it?"
"Besides, you were clearly the one who started it earlier."
"Shut up!"
Blushing furiously, Xiao Yi Xian turned around and stamped her foot, her moon-white dress rippling around her.
She grabbed her bamboo hat and put it on, traces of pink still lingering at the tips of her ears:
"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll... I'll..."
"You'll what?"
Xiao Yan wrapped an arm around her slender waist, four wings spreading behind his back:
"Lock me outside?"
"Or not let me into bed?"
"Xiao! Yan!"
"Hahaha!"
As scarlet Fire Wings tore through the night sky, the girl's reproachful voice scattered into the evening breeze.
The Alchemist Guild's black market on the left lay concealed in darkness, yet it was brilliantly lit:
Stalls of every kind stretched in winding lines along the bluestone road.
Xiao Yan led Xiao Yi Xian through the crowd, occasionally stopping to browse:
"This Purple Jade Hairpin would go perfectly with your silver hair."
He inserted the hairpin at an angle into the girl's hair, his fingertips seemingly brushing past her earlobe.
"It's... it's too eye-catching."
Xiao Yi Xian examined herself from side to side in a crystal mirror, though the corners of her lips could not help rising.
Just as she was about to remove the hairpin, Xiao Yan pressed down on her wrist:
"Keep it on. It looks good."
Warm breath brushed over the back of her neck, making the face hidden beneath her bamboo hat burn even hotter.
Xiao Yan held the girl's hand as he walked ahead.
His burning palm carried a trace of tenderness.
As Xiao Yi Xian walked, her gaze never once shifted from Xiao Yan's profile:
For some reason, even though she had already given herself to this bad fellow,
she still could never withstand his teasing.
He really was a bad fellow!
When the two turned past the third street corner, Xiao Yan suddenly stopped.
A pitch-black jade fragment lay quietly on a roadside stall.
Xiao Yan could not help twitching at the corner of his mouth:
That was right. The fluctuation coming from this thing
was nearly identical to the jade fragment he had obtained from the treasure vault at Nalan Mansion!
He suddenly recalled a few details. Could this jade fragment contain...
the Heavenly Flame Three Transformations?
Setting aside why all the big shots in these fantasy worlds loved storing opportunities in jade,
he had arrived in Holy City one or two years early!
And he could still run into it!?
Still, doubts were doubts. He did not hesitate.
He crouched down without even bothering to hide his intentions and directly picked up the jade fragment.
With his strength, there was no need for him to act like certain overly cautious people,
slowly reducing suspicion and haggling down the price.
There was no need. To him, it was merely a drop in the bucket!
The gaunt old man wrapped in a tattered cloak had muddy eyes.
The moment he saw the alchemist badge, they abruptly lit up:
"What keen eyes, sir!"
"It is said that this Ancient Jade was found in the ruins of an Ancient Sect!"
"It is indestructible, and it must contain no small mystery."
"Perhaps some earth-shattering opportunity is hidden within it?"
"If this old man could understand it, why would I possibly put it up for sale?"
"But you are different, sir. You will surely uncover its secrets!"
Xiao Yan did not answer the old man. The instant his Spiritual Power swept over it,
the three types of Heavenly Flames within his body trembled at the same time.
As Spiritual Power clung to his eyes, he saw clearly.
Dense, tiny runes emerged across the jade fragment's surface!
That was it!
"How much?"
His fingers rubbed the edge of the jade fragment, his voice calm.
The old man raised three fingers:
"Three Rank 4 pills."
Xiao Yan raised a brow. So he was pricing it based on the rank shown on his badge?
Fine by him!
Smack!
Something shaped like a badge landed face-down on the stall.
The old man was puzzled, but he said nothing.
Instead, he reached out, picked up the badge, and turned it over:
The next moment, his hand trembled!
The badge fell again!
In an instant, his entire body began shaking, his eyes filled with disbelief:
His voice tore out, hoarse and low:
"Rank... Rank 6!"
Recovering himself, he instantly dropped to his knees!
He continuously kowtowed toward Xiao Yan:
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sound drew the attention of the surrounding people, who all turned to look.
Yet they could not make out the conversation between the two.
"Sir, please spare my life!"
"This old man was blind! This old man deserves death!"
"This jade fragment, no!"
"Everything on this stall, all of it is yours, Master!"
"Please, Master, spare my life!"
Xiao Yan chuckled and slowly rose to his feet:
"What?"
"Why such a reaction? I am not the sort who bullies men and women."
"Didn't you name your price based on the badge's rank?"
"Why aren't you naming a price now?"
Putting away the jade fragment, Xiao Yan casually tossed down a pill bottle:
"I'm in a good mood today. A Rank 4 Recovery Pill!"
"No, no, no, this old man dares not!"
Xiao Yan stopped and turned his head:
"Hmm... you don't want it?"
"Yes! Yes!"
Hearing Xiao Yan's tone,
the old man lunged forward and clutched the pill bottle. His wrinkled face forced out a stiff smile.
Several stall owners in the distance were green with envy.
Though they did not know exactly what had happened,
that old man had actually traded a broken stone for a Rank 4 pill!
Pulled along by Xiao Yan, Xiao Yi Xian suddenly gave a soft laugh and looked at him:
"Is teasing an old man really that fun?"
"How can you put it that way?"
"Though I do not care about such a small amount, voluntarily offering it and being tricked are two different things."
"In this world, very few people can deceive me."
She felt the warmth from the young man's palm:
"You're so sharp. Can anyone really deceive you?"
The moment Xiao Yi Xian said it, Xiao Yan suddenly turned around!
He pulled the unsuspecting girl into his arms.
People came and went through the black market, and Xiao Yi Xian felt somewhat shy.
Yet she still wrapped her arms around Xiao Yan's waist:
"What are you doing? We're still on the street!"
Xiao Yan brought his face close to the girl's ear and spoke softly:
"Aren't you one of the people who can deceive me?"
"You didn't just deceive my heart. You deceived me too!"
Xiao Yi Xian's face suddenly reddened:
"Xiao Yan, can't you act properly for once?"
The horizon began to pale. Xiao Yan suddenly wrapped an arm around the girl's waist.
Turning into Flowing Fire, he darted through the night:
"I'm being perfectly proper!"
Holy City, central imperial palace:
Scarlet Fire Wings swept over the high walls of the imperial city. The guards were just about to shout a rebuke,
when, upon seeing the Rank 6 Badge, they all dropped to one knee:
"Welcome, Master Xiao!"
As the guards' cries rang out, Xiao Yan descended gracefully with Xiao Yi Xian in his arms:
"It is our honor that Master has come to the Imperial Family's palace."
A cool, respectful female voice came from behind the vermilion gates.
Yao Ye wore a suit of silver armor that reflected the cold moonlight:
"Her Imperial Ancestor has been waiting in the Forbidden Area for quite some time."
In the morning mist, Yao Ye's eyes beneath her gilded forehead guard were sharp.
Her long dark hair cascaded down her back, dancing gently in the wind:
"Master, this way, please!"
Before you continue