Rich Woman Hungry Hungry! Qi Gathering Bead!

At the Mittal Auction House, Ya Fei dragged her exhausted body back to her private room.

However, despite her fatigue, her pace quickened at the thought of the person she was about to meet.

Opening the door, the youth's face appeared as if it were only yesterday, though it now held a hint of maturity and the weathered look of someone who had undergone rigorous training.

Who would have thought that his nearly month-long training would yield such results?

"Sister Ya Fei, I came to see you without stopping the moment I returned."

Xiao Ze stood up and said with a smile.

Hearing this, Ya Fei rolled her beautiful eyes at Xiao Ze and replied in a chiding tone, "Do you really take me for nothing more than an auctioneer?"

"Wasn't the first thing you did upon returning to bring a young girl back to the Xiao Clan?"

"I imagine you spent quite a while catching up with your childhood sweetheart before you even remembered me, right?"

"Ah, this... Sister Ya Fei, have you planted spies at the gates of the Xiao Clan? You know everything."

Xiao Ze felt a bit awkward; his previous remark had just been a polite pleasantry, much like saying "It's nice to see you."

"But, were you really looking forward to my return that much, Sister Ya Fei? Enough to specifically send spies to watch the Xiao Clan?"

A trace of unnaturalness flashed across Ya Fei's face. She sat down in her chair and tossed her fur scarf aside.

"Ah, I've been busy all day, I'm so tired! I wonder if anyone could come and give me a massage?"

Xiao Ze chuckled inwardly; what a clumsy change of subject.

Seeing that Ya Fei did not want to dwell on the matter, Xiao Ze did not tactlessly press the issue.

"You've truly worked hard, Sister Ya Fei. Let your little brother help you with a massage."

Ya Fei relaxed her body and closed her eyes slightly, making it clear she was ready to let Xiao Ze work his magic.

Seeing this, Xiao Ze did not stand on ceremony and moved decisively behind her.

As Xiao Ze looked down, he was met with a breathtaking view of her figure!

The few girls he had been close to were basically his own age or only a few years older.

None of them could compare to the scale of Ya Fei!

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Ze placed his hands on Ya Fei's shoulders.

He controlled his strength, massaging her until she looked completely content, her expression relaxing as she involuntarily let out soft, humming sounds of pleasure.

Once Xiao Ze finished the session, he sat back down in his chair.

Ya Fei's face was still flushed, her eyes half-closed in comfort, and she spoke in a languid tone.

"I never expected little brother Xiao Ze to have such a skill."

"If I told you this was my first time giving a massage, would you believe me?"

Ya Fei took a moment to recover before sitting up comfortably, her expression still lazy.

She felt the Qi and blood in her body were much more active; did Xiao Ze's massage actually have the effect of relaxing tendons and invigorating blood circulation?

Ya Fei suddenly felt that this "little brother" she had recognized was truly like a person holding countless treasures, capable of surprising her every now and then.

"These are the Monster Cores I obtained while training in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Please, Sister Ya Fei, help me estimate their total value."

With a wave of Xiao Ze's hand, a pile of Monster Cores appeared on the table.

He had been gathering herbs on the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range while accompanied by Xiao Yi Xian.

Generally, useful herbs were guarded by magical beasts, so encounters were inevitable.

Once, they had accidentally run into a small beast tide, and Xiao Ze had killed dozens of them, striking fear into the rest.

From that single encounter alone, Xiao Ze had harvested nearly twenty Monster Cores.

Although they were all Rank 1, at five hundred gold coins each, that was an instant harvest of nearly ten thousand gold coins!

Added to his other miscellaneous gains, he had earned tens of thousands of gold coins on this trip!

Once the Jia Nan Academy recruitment ended, he would be leaving Wutan City.

When traveling abroad, one can only feel at ease with a thick wallet.

Ya Fei looked at the pile of cores covering the table, her mouth forming an 'O' shape as she stammered.

"Did you hunt all of these yourself?"

Receiving Xiao Ze's affirmative nod, Ya Fei couldn't help but exclaim.

"Little brother Xiao Ze, what is your actual strength now? I can't seem to see through you anymore."

"Uh... Sister Ya Fei, have you ever really seen through my strength?"

Xiao Ze looked her up and down. Having just been in physical contact with her, he knew that Ya Fei hadn't even reached the level of a Dou Practitioner yet!

Seeing Ya Fei's slightly indignant expression, Xiao Ze quickly raised his hands in a gesture of appeasement.

"Alright, alright. I was a Dou Master before I left, and now I am a Dou Grandmaster."

"Hiss!"

Ya Fei's almond-shaped eyes widened in astonishment, her expression losing its composure as she drew in a sharp breath!

A Dou Grandmaster under the age of twelve!

I fear not a single one could be found in the entire Jia Ma Empire!

Only now did Ya Fei truly realize just how fortunate she was to have acknowledged this younger brother.

In the future, Xiao Ze would undoubtedly soar into the sky and stand at the very pinnacle of the Jia Ma Empire!

After a while, Ya Fei finally calmed her shocked heart and began to tally the magical beast cores on the table.

"Magical beast cores are always in high demand and easy to sell. Do you want the gold coins now, or shall I give them to you after they've been sold?"

"I'll take them now. Just give me a rough estimate; there's no need to be so precise," Xiao Ze said nonchalantly.

"That simply won't do. How could I let my own brother suffer a loss?"

Ya Fei pondered for a moment, then rose and walked into her bedroom, returning shortly with a pale gold card.

"There are one hundred thousand gold coins on this card. You are a Dou Grandmaster now, so your cultivation will surely consume even more resources."

Ya Fei handed over the card with a beaming smile, her eyes carrying a hint of indisputable resolve.

Xiao Ze fell silent for a moment before accepting it with a heart full of gratitude.

"Sister Ya Fei, I will certainly repay your kindness tenfold in the future!"

The pile of magical beast cores on the table was worth fifty thousand gold coins at most, yet Ya Fei had given him a Gold Deposit Card worth one hundred thousand!

"By the sound of it, you're planning to go on a long journey again?"

Ya Fei caught the subtext in Xiao Ze's words.

"Yes, I intend to apply for Jia Nan Academy to see a much broader world."

"I see."

Ya Fei said thoughtfully, a trace of imperceptible disappointment flashing through her eyes.

"Oh, right, Sister Ya Fei, I'd like to buy some things from you to give to my family."

"Very well, wait a moment while I get the inventory list for you."

Ya Fei rummaged through the table to find the list and handed it to Xiao Ze.

The two fell into a brief silence; Xiao Ze lowered his head to browse the items, while Ya Fei watched him quietly.

For this long journey, Xiao Ze intended to prepare a gift for everyone he was close to.

He had already selected gifts for the others, but he felt hesitant regarding a gift for his third brother.

Suddenly, Xiao Ze spotted an item called a Qi Gathering Bead in the section for slow-moving inventory.

"Sister Ya Fei, what is this Qi Gathering Bead?"

"That? It's said to have been found by mercenaries while exploring ruins in the Magical Beast Mountain Range."

Ya Fei wore a pensive look as she quickly recalled the origin of the Qi Gathering Bead.

"The person wanted to put it up for auction to see if anyone recognized its value, but after it failed to sell three times in a row, he sold it to the auction house at a low price."

Xiao Ze continued to listen. If it failed to sell three times in a row, its effects must be quite disappointing.

Yet, the description on it claimed it could automatically absorb Dou Qi!

This was truly baffling.

"It became a slow-moving item for a reason, naturally."

"Although this strange object can automatically absorb Dou Qi, it is as difficult as ascending to heaven for anyone else to extract the Dou Qi stored within!"

"Dou Grandmasters from the auction house have tried, but they could only extract a sliver of Dou Qi, making it seem completely useless!"

Upon hearing Ya Fei's explanation, Xiao Ze's eyes lit up.

Isn't this exactly what Xiao Yan needs right now!

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