Ya Fei

"How was your recovery, Brother Xiao Yan?"

Letting the young man play with her raven hair, the girl propped up her little face with both hands and gazed at Xiao Yan's features.

"After resting for a night, I feel much better."

Xiao Yan looked at Xun'er, suppressing the urge to pull her into his arms. In his previous life, after being husband and wife for tens of thousands of years, embracing the moment they met had been all too commonplace.

But this life was different. The girl before him was still barely old enough to be called a young lady. If he did that, he would probably scare her senseless.

It was only that Yao Lao had drained every last bit of his Dou Qi, leaving his body somewhat weak. It was not a serious problem. After taking a Recovery Pill and resting for a full day and night, he had already recovered seventy to eighty percent.

"It's good that you're all right. Uncle Xiao Zhan said that once you woke up, he wanted you to go see him."

Xun'er blinked her beautiful eyes.

"Fine. I need to see Father as well."

Xiao Yan smiled faintly, slowly climbed out of bed, and reached for Xun'er's little hand.

"You're awful! Brother Xiao Yan, wasn't taking advantage of me yesterday enough? If you keep doing this, I won't speak to you anymore."

Seeing Xiao Yan like this, Xun'er hastily drew back her hand, and her little face instantly flushed a few shades redder.

"Sorry, force of habit."

Xiao Yan chuckled and thought, What's the big deal? You'll even bear my children in the future.

With that, he no longer dwelled on the matter. Instead, he stepped out of the room and followed the tree-lined path of the Xiao Family toward Xiao Zhan's chambers.

Xun'er followed behind Xiao Yan, her little feet strolling leisurely across the stone pavement, her long hair swaying softly against her slender waist. Yet a trace of mischief hid within her lively eyes.

"Ever since Brother Xiao Yan's cultivation went wrong, he seems to have changed somewhat.

But this Brother Xiao Yan seems even more likable."

"Father, you wanted to see me?"

Xiao Zhan was discussing matters with several elders. The instant he saw Xiao Yan, a kindly smile appeared on his face.

The other elders also smiled slightly when they saw Xiao Yan, but Xiao Yan could tell at a glance that their smiles were somewhat forced.

"Yan'er, how is your recovery?"

Xiao Zhan was the first to ask with concern.

"With Father's Recovery Pill, along with a day of rest, I've naturally recovered for the most part."

Xiao Yan answered with a smile. The Third Elder, however, was blunt by nature, and his gaze had already settled on Xiao Yan.

"Xiao Yan, has your Dou Qi recovered now?"

As soon as he spoke, the gazes of the several elders all converged on Xiao Yan.

"No. My Dou Qi has fallen to Dou Qi Level 3."

Xiao Yan shook his head slightly. Upon hearing this, the disappointment on the elders' faces was no longer concealed. Even Xiao Zhan had a faint, hidden trace of despondency.

Xiao Yan had already experienced such a scene once in his previous life. Back then, he had been panicked and terrified, feeling as though endless darkness had engulfed him.

But this time, Xiao Yan remained composed, without the slightest fear for the future.

This came not only from the solid confidence brought by the memories of his previous life, but also from the fearlessness forged in the heart of a powerhouse over tens of thousands of years.

Once the headwind had arrived, he had learned to withstand winds from every direction and stand immovable.

"However, although I have lost much of my Dou Qi, my talent for cultivation has not disappeared. Given a little time, I will be able to cultivate it back."

Xiao Yan's words made the elders, including Xiao Zhan, relax slightly, though the disappointment on their faces remained impossible to hide.

Xiao Yan's talent might have been heaven-defying, but he had begun cultivating at the age of four and only broken through to become a Dou Zhe at eleven. Now that he had been reduced to merely Dou Qi Level 3, even with his exceptional talent, it would probably take him several years to recover his cultivation.

These were the years when Dou Qi advanced the fastest. After suffering such a disaster, who knew what impact it would have on his future path to becoming a powerhouse?

"Yan'er, go back and rest first. Recover your health before anything else."

Xiao Zhan waved his hand lightly, and Xiao Yan prepared to bid farewell.

With his tens of thousands of years of experience, how could Xiao Yan not understand what his father and the elders were thinking? But what they did not know was that compared to an old treasure like Yao Lao, what did a few years of cultivation amount to?

Although Yao Lao had only absorbed Dou Qi once so far, his immense Soul Power and Bone Chilling Flame still made him capable of easily killing a Dou Ling and suppressing a Dou Wang.

Before Xiao Yan cultivated to the Dou Wang realm in this life, Yao Lao would likely still be of tremendous help.

Moreover, with the precious memories of his previous life, Xiao Yan was fully confident that he could make Yao Lao several times stronger than he had been in his previous life.

Just as Xiao Yan was about to leave, a servant jogged in.

"Family Head, Elders, Miss Ya Fei, who recently arrived at the Mittel Auction House, has come to visit the family. She said she heard about Young Master Xiao Yan and brought a small gift to visit him."

"Ya Fei?"

Xiao Zhan and the elders exchanged glances, all seeing surprise in each other's eyes.

They had long heard that a beautiful auctioneer and branch manager had arrived at the Mittel Auction House some time ago. They had assumed she was merely a pretty face, but they had not expected her to be so thoughtful.

"Go prepare tea. I will personally receive Miss Ya Fei and bring her to the family reception hall."

Xiao Zhan nodded slightly, his expression quite solemn. The Mite'er Family was a colossal force within the empire. Even a branch in Wu Tan City was a commercial center nearly on par with the Three Great Families.

Ya Fei's status might not appear high, but it was not much lower than his own as the Xiao Family's Clan Leader.

"Father, I would also like to meet Miss Ya Fei."

Just as Xiao Zhan was about to leave, Xiao Yan suddenly spoke with a smile.

"You want to meet her too?"

Xiao Zhan was slightly startled, then nodded gently.

"That's fine. She came to see you after all. You should meet her as well."

Thinking of that woman who was like a fox spirit, Xiao Yan's smile grew gentler still.

When he had lost his Dou Qi at this time in his previous life, his mood had been incredibly depressed, to the point where he had almost wanted to see no one. He had forgotten that Ya Fei had come to visit him once long ago.

Since Heaven has given me this chance, it seems I really must give you all a home this time.

A moment later, Xiao Yan followed Xiao Zhan to the entrance of the Xiao Family and saw that exquisite, fiery-red cheongsam.

Ya Fei had likely only recently begun to gain experience in the world. Her enchanting, naturally seductive face still retained a trace of youthful innocence.

Only then did Xiao Yan remember that when he had first met Ya Fei, she had merely been a young woman in her early twenties.

Judging by her age, she was not even twenty yet.

"Clan Leader Xiao Zhan."

The moment Ya Fei saw Xiao Zhan, a perfectly measured smile naturally appeared on her face.

"Ha ha, Miss Ya Fei's visit to the Xiao Family is truly an honor for us. Please, please."

Xiao Zhan and the elders behind him were all momentarily stunned by Ya Fei's beauty. Fortunately, they were seasoned people and did not make fools of themselves, causing Ya Fei to regard the Xiao Family's leadership a little more highly.

Yet among the crowd, there was one gaze that made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.

This discomfort did not come from the disgusting greed in other men's eyes, but from a familiar warmth that left Ya Fei slightly dazed.

But how could she possibly have met this little brat, who could barely even be called a man?

With that thought, Ya Fei looked toward the young man among the crowd. Her red lips parted slightly as she smiled softly.

"Clan Leader Xiao Zhan, this handsome young man is Young Master Xiao Yan, isn't he?"