The Agreement

"By the way, I heard that the young lady from the Nalan Family who was betrothed to you before you were born came to break off the engagement today?"

Ya Fei glanced over the list, then put it away and asked with concern.

"Mm. We agreed that in three years, I would go to Nalan Residence and dissolve the engagement with her."

Xiao Yuan nodded and replied with a smile.

"Oh? I heard she came aggressively and even brought people from the Misty Cloud Sect. Was it really as easy as you made it sound?"

Hearing Xiao Yuan's calm account, curiosity surfaced in Ya Fei's eyes. She leaned a little closer, narrowing her long eyes as she spoke with a faintly teasing smile.

As Ya Fei drew near, a fragrant breeze washed over him.

But Xiao Yuan did not panic. He was no longer the inexperienced youth who would blush at the sight of a mature older sister two years ago.

Over the past few years, he had interacted with Ya Fei quite often, and she had teased him plenty. This little trick naturally no longer fazed Xiao Yuan.

"I'm rather surprised that Sister Ya Fei's information is so well-informed. So, does that mean you didn't have me in your heart? Otherwise, why didn't you come today to help me out?"

Xiao Yuan neither retreated nor advanced. He simply sat where he was, calm and composed, asking with feigned disappointment.

"Of course it was because I believed in little brother Xiao Yuan. From what I know of you, a little girl like Nalan Yanran naturally wouldn't be your match!"

Ya Fei moved even closer and spoke softly.

At that moment, the tips of their noses were nearly touching. Xiao Yuan could even smell the scent of the lip rouge on Ya Fei's red lips.

Just as Xiao Yuan was about to speak, Ya Fei drew back again and fluttered her eyes at him.

"Since Sister Ya Fei understands me so well, why not guess what I said to Nalan Yanran that made her feel at ease and believe I was a useless person who knew his place?"

Seeing what Ya Fei had done, Xiao Yuan knew she was "getting back" at him for teasing her earlier, so he asked with a smile.

Yet Ya Fei did not immediately follow his lead and make a guess. Instead, she frowned slightly and said seriously,

"You're not useless. Even if you can never cultivate Dou Qi for the rest of your life, I believe you will still achieve great things in other fields. Nalan Yanran's cultivation talent is indeed not bad, but she acts rashly and is short-sighted. She will definitely regret this broken engagement in the future!"

After saying that, Ya Fei noticed that the way Xiao Yuan was looking at her had become somewhat strange.

"Then I'll accept Sister Ya Fei's kind words. In the future, I may devote more of my energy to cultivation, while the market will be left to the clan to manage. Once my cultivation improves, perhaps there will be more opportunities for Sister Ya Fei and me to work together."

Xiao Yuan smiled.

"Mm, I won't remain in Wutan City for long either. In the future—three years from now, perhaps you and I will meet in the Imperial Capital."

Ya Fei nodded slightly in response.

"I think it would be more accurate to remove 'perhaps.' Three years from now, if Sister Ya Fei does not mind, I hope you will accompany me to Nalan Residence."

Xiao Yuan looked directly into Ya Fei's captivating eyes and extended the invitation solemnly.

"Ah?"

Ya Fei froze. Did that count as a confession? "If I put it that way, Sister Ya Fei should be able to guess what I said to Nalan Yanran, right?"

Then she heard Xiao Yuan add.

"All right, I still have matters at the market to deal with, so I won't disturb Sister Ya Fei any longer. Farewell."

Seeing Ya Fei's bewildered expression, Xiao Yuan could not help but smile. He rose to his feet, poured Ya Fei another cup of tea, then pushed open the door and left.

Only after a long while did Ya Fei come back to her senses. Looking at the tea that had already gone cold on the table, her pretty face flushed slightly.

Did that brat use me as a shield?

She picked up the teacup and drained it in one gulp.

Still, it was not bad.

Smiling, Ya Fei stared thoughtfully at the teacup before her.

Three years from now, Xiao Yuan would surely be an outstanding man among men.

And three years from now, she would certainly no longer be merely an auctioneer in some remote little city.

Xiao Clan Market.

After returning to his office, Xiao Yuan skillfully began drafting the approval documents.

Based on the market's profits over the past year, the market under his jurisdiction would definitely be assessed as an Advanced Market this time.

Therefore, everything that needed to be prepared had to be prepared.

But his father was right. It was indeed time for him to set aside matters concerning the market.

"Someone."

Xiao Yuan called toward the door.

"Third Young Master!"

Very soon, an attendant pushed open the door and entered.

"Go fetch Deputy Market Master Xiao Tong."

Xiao Yuan spoke as he continued writing.

"Yes, Third Young Master."

A moment later, a steady voice sounded from the doorway.

"Third Young Master, what did you need me for?"

Xiao Yuan looked up. Xiao Tong, with his full beard, was waiting at the door.

"Uncle Tong, come in and have a seat!"

Xiao Yuan said with a gentle smile.

"Ah."

Xiao Tong immediately broke into a smile, walked into the room, and sat down to one side.

"Uncle Tong, starting today, I'll have to trouble you with handling most of the market's affairs. Once the market rating assessment is over, I intend to step down."

Xiao Yuan stopped writing and spoke gently as he looked at the bearded Xiao Tong.

Xiao Tong had originally been the market master, and he was also one of Xiao Zhan's trusted men. When Xiao Yuan first entered the market three years ago, he had followed at Xiao Tong's side.

Later, Xiao Yuan displayed exceptionally outstanding talent in management and business, so Xiao Tong had voluntarily handed the position of market master over to him.

"Third Young Master?"

Xiao Tong did not understand. The Third Young Master had been doing so well, so why did he want to leave?

"Uncle Tong, I can cultivate now, so I'll need to focus on cultivating Dou Qi in the future. You're an old hand at the market's affairs, and those methods of mine are merely minor tricks. I'm sure you've learned them all already."

Seeing this, Xiao Yuan explained with a smile.

"Really? Third Young Master, you can cultivate now?"

Xiao Tong's face immediately lit up with joy.

Those who worked under Xiao Yuan often felt regret over the fact that he could not cultivate. Now that they had heard such good news, they were sincerely happy for him.

"Mm, it happened last night. I hope Uncle Tong will keep it confidential for me."

Xiao Yuan nodded and spoke softly.

"Mm, rest assured, Young Master. Leave the market's affairs to me and focus on your cultivation. The Coming-of-Age Ceremony is drawing near, so Young Master must make the most of his time!"

Xiao Tong stood up and made the promise with a solemn expression.

"Hehe, I naturally trust Uncle Tong. I've already written the documents, so I'll leave them to you. If you encounter any difficulties later, come find me."

Xiao Yuan smiled. After arranging his current affairs, he left the market.

Everything had more or less been taken care of. It was time to go home and cultivate.

The Coming-of-Age Ceremony was one year away.

At the very least, he had to reach the Seventh Stage Dou Qi to pass.

But Xiao Yuan's goal was to advance to Dou Zhe within a year. Better yet, he hoped to have a chance to touch the threshold of Dou Master.