Speaking Frankly

The auction concluded successfully, and Xiao Se once again made a fortune. With the three great clans scheming against one another, the price of the Nurturing Spirit Liquid kept soaring.

The ten bottles of Nurturing Spirit Liquid ultimately sold for more than seven hundred thousand Gold Coins, making Xiao Se grin so widely he could hardly close his mouth.

Xiao Se had no intention of staying any longer. He turned to Xiao Ning and said, "Xiao Ning, the auction is over. I should head back and cultivate."

"You really are a cultivation maniac." Xiao Ning grumbled, then suddenly curled his lips into a wicked grin and coaxed, "Don't you want to meet Miss Ya Fei? When they hand over the goods later, you'll have a chance to get up close to her."

"Aren't you fond of that Xiao Xun'er? Why are you interested in Ya Fei too? She isn't a simple woman. Aren't you afraid she'll devour you until not even your bones are left?" the clan elder said flatly, rolling his eyes at him.

Xiao Ning chuckled. "Hehe, how can flowers at home compare to wildflowers? Besides, Xun Er won't even pay attention to me. It's still good enough to feast my eyes here. But you can't betray my sister. My sister is..."

At the end, Xiao Ning hurriedly covered his mouth, his voice becoming as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

At the mention of Xiao Yu, Xiao Se fell silent. She was still just a young girl who knew little about love. If she remained as true inside as she appeared on the outside in the future, Xiao Se would not mind having another wife.

"Alright, I'm leaving first. Take your time watching." Xiao Se patted Xiao Ning on the shoulder, rose, and left.

After inconspicuously leaving the Auction House, Xiao Se wandered around the nearby Imitation Market for a while. Only then did he slip into a deserted alley, put on a large black robe with its hood raised, completely concealing his figure, and slowly return to the Auction House.

Ya Fei knew Xiao Se would come today and had already arranged informants throughout the Auction House to wait for him. Thus, the moment Xiao Se arrived, a pretty Maid respectfully led him to the reception room.

Sitting quietly in his chair, Xiao Se lifted the fragrant tea on the table and took a light sip. He glanced at the timid young girl standing beside him but said nothing. Familiar with the unspoken rules of the workplace, he naturally understood that this Maid had been specially arranged by the Mittel Auction to entertain distinguished guests and satisfy certain needs they might have.

Xiao Se was disdainful of such things. He had no perverse tastes in that regard.

As the girl waited in terrified unease, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door after roughly seven or eight minutes.

The girl let out a heavy sigh of relief.

"Hoho, Mister Pu, you arrived quite early. The handover procedures with the customers took some time. Ai Li didn't cause you any trouble, did she?"

Her voice arrived before she did. The soft, delicate voice entering his ears made Xiao Se's heart tremble slightly.

The door to the room was pushed open. Ya Fei walked toward Xiao Se with elegant steps. With each step, the proud curves on her chest rose and fell slightly, tracing a breathtakingly perfect arc.

Enchantress. Xiao Se cursed inwardly once more before setting down his teacup and giving a slight nod.

Seeing Xiao Se nod, the Maid called Ai Li felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted. She bowed and slowly withdrew from the reception room.

Seeing that Xiao Se showed no dissatisfaction, Ya Fei also relaxed a little. A seductive smile bloomed across her pretty face as she discreetly studied him.

Ever since she had guessed that Pu was most likely an obscure youth from the Xiao Clan, Ya Fei had regretted following Gu Ni's suggestion and assigning him a Maid.

A boy who looked no older than twelve or thirteen, still at the age when he knew little of love—how could he possibly be interested in such a girl?

Yet she had never expected this Grandmaster Pu to arrive so quickly.

This made Ya Fei even more certain of her suspicions.

Because of that sword-shaped pattern, Ya Fei had paid special attention to Xiao Se while standing on the auction platform. Not long after Xiao Se left, Grandmaster Pu appeared. There could not be such a coincidence in the world.

"The auction is over, then?" A hoarse voice sounded from beneath the black robe.

"Yes." With a smile, Ya Fei lightly raised her fair, beautiful chin and stopped examining him. She flicked her jade-like hand over the Ring on her finger, producing a golden card. Smiling, she said, "Grandmaster Pu, the ten bottles of Nurturing Spirit Liquid sold for a total of seven hundred and sixty-five thousand Gold Coins. After deducting the two-percent tax, the cost of the medicinal ingredients and outdoor supplies, as well as the cost of the three Low-Level Mysterious Dou Skills as you instructed, the remaining amount is all on this card."

Xiao Se accepted the gold card and nodded slightly. For Second-Rank Pills to fetch an average price of more than seventy thousand Gold Coins each was already quite remarkable.

However, when he noticed Ya Fei's gaze sweeping over his hands, Xiao Se frowned. His hoarse voice slowly sounded. "I'm very satisfied with the price. But Miss Ya Fei, are my hands really that attractive? Also, where are my medicinal ingredients and outdoor supplies?"

The first half of his hoarse words delighted Ya Fei slightly, but the latter half caused her expression to change dramatically.

Fortunately, Ya Fei possessed excellent composure and reacted quickly. The seductive expression returned to her pretty face as she pressed her red lips together in a charming smile. "Grandmaster Pu misunderstands. I merely noticed that you are accustomed to wearing a black robe and gloves, and thought it must be rather inconvenient. So, I specially had someone tailor a set of black robes to your measurements. As for your medicinal ingredients and outdoor supplies, they have also been prepared."

Ya Fei clapped her jade-like hands. Two Maids entered, each carrying a silver tray. They stopped beside Xiao Se, slightly bent their graceful bodies, carefully placed the trays on the table, and slowly exited the reception room.

"Grandmaster Pu, these are your medicinal ingredients and outdoor supplies, stored separately in two low-level Rings. And this black robe was woven from black silk spat from a second-tier magical beast, the Black Silkworm. Ordinary blades cannot easily damage it. It is an additional gift from our Auction House, so I hope you will not refuse." Ya Fei pointed at the tray containing the Rings, then at the tray holding the black robe, smiling as she spoke.

"You've put thought into this." After putting away the Rings and black robe, a young, childish voice suddenly sounded from beneath the black robe. "But Sister Ya Fei, since you've already guessed my identity, aren't you tired of testing me like this?"

Xiao Se's sudden change in voice startled Ya Fei greatly. Covering her red lips with her jade-like hand, she cried out, "Grandmaster Pu, you..."

"Shh!" Xiao Se made a silencing gesture, then slowly removed his hood, revealing a rather handsome and youthful face. "Keep your voice down. I don't want everyone to know."

Staring blankly at the handsome yet youthful face before her, Ya Fei took a deep breath and sighed softly. "Should I call you Grandmaster Pu, or should I call you Little Brother Xiao Se?"

Looking at the somewhat uneasy Ya Fei, Xiao Se's gaze narrowed slightly as he asked, "What do you think?"

Under Xiao Se's gaze, Ya Fei's heart tightened slightly. The smile on her face suddenly faded as she tossed the question back to him. "What would you like me to call you?"