On the Flight

"Brother Liang, is that Guni?" one burly man asked another.

"That's right, it's Guni. The woman in the purple dress beside him should be Ya Fei, the target of our mission," the burly man called Brother Liang replied.

"I wonder what deal Ya Fei made with the clan head for him to actually let that bitch return to manage the auction house in the Imperial Capital."

"Who knows? It's none of our business. We only need to carry out the clan head's orders. The rest has nothing to do with us," Brother Liang said indifferently.

"Hmph, that bitch is always flirting with men wherever she goes. Shameless." The man stared at Ya Fei, who was being lovey-dovey with Xiao Jin, his eyes filled with fury as though Ya Fei had cheated on him.

"Shut up, Xiao Wang. How Ya Fei conducts herself is not for outsiders like us to discuss. No matter what, she is still a young lady of the Mite'er Family, while we are merely guards. Know your place. Don't say things you shouldn't, or you'll bring trouble upon yourself." Brother Liang loudly rebuked the guard named Xiao Wang.

He then walked toward Xiao Jin and the others. Behind him, Xiao Wang curled his lip disdainfully, clearly not taking Brother Liang's words to heart.

"Miss Ya Fei, sorry, we're late." Brother Liang stepped forward to greet Ya Fei.

Ya Fei put away her smile and said calmly, "It's fine. It's good that you're here. These two are my friends, and they'll be returning to the Imperial Capital with us."

"Miss Ya Fei, that may not be appropriate. Our mission is only to escort you back to the family. It doesn't include outsiders." Before Brother Liang could reply, Xiao Wang stepped forward and rejected Ya Fei's request.

"What? I've only been away from the family for a few years. Do my words no longer carry any weight?" Ya Fei's pretty face turned cold as she looked at Xiao Wang with a dark expression.

"Miss Ya Fei, please calm down. This fellow is new, so he doesn't understand proper etiquette. Don't take it to heart. It's only two extra people—no problem. We're heading the same way anyway. Let the two friends come along with us." Brother Liang hurriedly stepped in to soothe Ya Fei and agreed to her request.

Only then did Ya Fei's expression improve slightly. She shot Xiao Wang a displeased glare before turning to Xiao Jin. "Little brother, shall we go buy the tickets?" With that, she led the group off to purchase them.

Brother Liang and Xiao Wang did not follow immediately. Brother Liang yanked Xiao Wang into an empty corner and quietly reprimanded him. "What's wrong with you? Why are you being so insolent?" Brother Liang could not understand his younger companion. Though Xiao Wang usually looked down somewhat on ordinary people, he had always been very respectful toward members of the Mite'er Family. Yet today, he seemed to have something against Ya Fei. Not only had he refused her request, but there had been little respect in his words.

"Brother Liang, I won't hide it from you. Before I left for this mission, Elder Lei spoke with me. He promised that as long as I kill Ya Fei on the way back to the Imperial Capital, he'll give me a Xuan Class Intermediate Dou Technique when we return. And from then on, I'll be one of his men. He'll look after me in the family. That's why I took this mission. Brother Liang, I see you as my own brother. As long as you do this with me, I'll definitely put in a good word for you before Elder Lei after we return. I'll get you into Elder Lei's faction too."

Brother Liang fell silent. He and Xiao Wang had both once been mercenaries in the same mercenary group. Only because they had grown tired of living with their lives on the line had they come to the Mite'er Auction House to become guards. A Xuan Class Intermediate Dou Technique was still greatly tempting to guards like them, who had neither money nor influence. Moreover, joining Elder Lei's faction would give them someone to rely on at the Mite'er Auction House in the future.

For him, killing a woman who was only a Dou Zhe and a Second-grade Alchemist who was not skilled in combat would be easy. But asking him to kill two people who bore him no grudge made his conscience uneasy.

"I'll think about it." Brother Liang neither refused nor agreed. He released Xiao Wang and went after Xiao Jin and the others.

Xiao Wang hurried after him as well, a triumphant smile flashing across his lips. Based on his understanding of Brother Liang, even if Brother Liang did not agree, he would not betray his brother. Even if Brother Liang refused in the end, it would not matter as long as he did not side with Ya Fei. Xiao Wang had confidence that he could easily deal with Xiao Jin's group.

Bitch, just wait. Before I kill you, I'll make sure you enjoy yourself properly. And that woman beside you has a nice body too. Even though I haven't seen her face, with that voluptuous figure, she can't be ugly. I'll have plenty of fun then. Xiao Wang thought viciously.

Before long, the group had bought their tickets and boarded a Thick-winged Bird behind the main hall. Soon afterward, the Thick-winged Bird took flight.

Ten thousand meters in the air, a giant bird carried a small building on its back, yet it flew as if nothing weighed on it at all.

"This Thick-winged Bird really is remarkable. It's carrying such a large pavilion, yet the flight doesn't feel unsteady in the slightest." Xiao Jin clicked his tongue as he looked at the giant bird beneath his feet.

"Impressive, isn't it? Thick-winged Birds are important transport tools of the Empire. Most of them have been through war. Only when the Empire is at peace are they used as civilian transportation. If war breaks out, they will all be recalled by the military." Ya Fei smiled at Xiao Jin.

"Brother, how long will it take to reach the Imperial Capital?" Xiao Jin asked a young man standing atop the giant bird's head.

"It's still a long way to the Imperial Capital. We'll need at least another two days to get there." The young man focused on controlling the Thick-winged Bird as he replied casually.

"That long?" Xiao Jin felt somewhat helpless. If he flew with Ya Fei and Xiao Yi Xian himself, it probably would not take much time. Yet riding the Thick-winged Bird required two whole days. They could only stay in their rooms for those two days—it was unbearably boring.

"What? Is little sister Xiao Yi Xian not keeping you company?" Ya Fei stepped closer and whispered in Xiao Jin's ear, the warm breath from her lips making him shiver.

Xiao Jin directly opened his arms and pulled Ya Fei into his embrace, chuckling. "I want big sister Ya Fei to keep me company. Is that alright?" As he spoke, Xiao Jin planted a kiss on Ya Fei's little lips.

Ya Fei's face reddened. She immediately pushed Xiao Jin away and ran toward her room. Xiao Jin's eyes lit up, and he was about to follow, but Ya Fei locked the door from inside as soon as she entered, leaving him shut out.

"You should go find little sister Xiao Yi Xian to keep you company. Big sister needs to rest." Ya Fei's silvery laughter drifted out from the room.

Xiao Jin shook his head helplessly. It seemed he would be sleeping alone tonight.

Ever since boarding the Thick-winged Bird, Xiao Yi Xian had found herself a room and begun cultivating the cultivation technique Xiao Jin had given her.

This left Xiao Jin rather helpless. He had originally thought that with Ya Fei around, even if they could not take the final step, he could at least enjoy a little sweetness. Instead, he had been turned away at the door.

Just then, Xiao Jin sensed someone watching him. That gaze was brimming with malice.

Xiao Jin immediately spread out his soul perception, wanting to find out who that gaze belonged to.