Miss Ya Fei, Do You Still Think This Is a Joke?!

As the largest auction-house chain in the Jia Ma Empire, the Miteer Auction House was famous throughout the empire.

Xiao Yan glanced up at the signboard, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly, then strode inside.

"Sir, may I ask..."

The welcoming maid at the entrance had just started to speak when Xiao Yan casually tossed her a gold coin. "I'm here to see Miss Ya Fei. Tell her the third young master of the Xiao Family, Xiao Yan, has come to visit."

The maid caught the coin, a flash of delight in her eyes, and quickly bowed. "Please wait a moment, sir. I'll go inform her right away."

Before long, the maid hurried back and respectfully led Xiao Yan and Medicine Elder through the hall and along the corridor.

The auction house was decorated in extravagant style, with carved beams and painted rafters gleaming in gold.

The exhibition rooms they passed displayed all sorts of rare treasures: pills shimmering with flowing light, weapons that radiated bone-chilling cold, and scrolls exuding an ancient aura.

Xiao Yan glanced around and looked away. The items were decent, but compared with the collection in his system space, they were hardly worth mentioning.

Soon, the maid led the two of them to the door of an elegant office.

"Sir, Miss Ya Fei is inside." After speaking, the maid bowed and withdrew.

Xiao Yan pushed open the door and entered.

The office was tastefully furnished, with sandalwood tables and chairs, celadon tea ware, and a faint fragrance lingering in the air. Behind a broad desk sat a woman.

She looked to be in her early twenties, dressed in a red gown. A slit in the skirt revealed a glimpse of a calf as fair as jade. She was tall and willowy, her curves graceful, the full swell of her chest outlined to perfection by the red dress.

Her ink-black hair was loosely pinned behind her head, with a few strands falling across her forehead and adding to her allure. Her skin was fair as snow, her features as lovely as a painting, and her peach-blossom eyes shimmered with a naturally captivating charm. The corners of her lips turned up slightly in an enigmatic smile, as though she could steal a person's heart at any moment.

This was Ya Fei.

The chief auctioneer of Mite'er Auction House and the most renowned beauty in Wutan City.

Xiao Yan's gaze settled on her. He couldn't help but admit that Ya Fei truly was a ravishing beauty. Every frown and smile of hers radiated the distinctive charm of a mature woman, entirely different from Xiao Xun'er's youthful beauty.

Ya Fei had been sitting behind her desk, her brows slightly furrowed as if pondering something.

Hearing the door open, she raised her head. The instant she saw Xiao Yan, a distinctly complicated, puzzled look flashed across her eyes.

The third young master of the Xiao Family?

That former genius, now a... good-for-nothing?

What had he come for?

Thoughts whirled through Ya Fei's mind, but her expression remained composed.

She rose and gave a slight curtsy, her voice soft and lilting.

"So the third young master of the Xiao Family has graced us with a visit. Ya Fei failed to welcome you properly. Please forgive me."

Her manner was very polite, even tinged with deliberate flattery.

After all, the Xiao Family of today was no longer the small family that could be casually pushed around.

With ten Dou Wangs in their ranks and two major families wiped out overnight, they had the strength to make even the Mittel Family think twice.

Xiao Yan nodded slightly and, without ceremony, sat down opposite Ya Fei.

Medicine Elder stood behind Xiao Yan with his hands behind his back. He swept Ya Fei with a casual glance, then looked away.

Ya Fei studied Xiao Yan, silently wondering.

The boy looked fourteen or fifteen. His features were refined, his bearing composed; he didn't seem as dejected as the rumors claimed.

But... the information she had received said Xiao Yan was nothing more than a good-for-nothing with three segments of Dou Qi.

What could a good-for-nothing like him want with her?

Was he planning to throw around the Xiao Family's current influence and demand that she serve him?

But the reports hadn't described the third young master of the Xiao Family as a lecher, either!

"May I ask what brings the third young master to see me?"

Ya Fei smiled slightly, her voice alluring, though her manner remained somewhat distant.

Xiao Yan didn't beat around the bush. He got straight to the point.

"It's simple—"

"I need you and the Mittel Family behind you to submit to me and serve me."

Ya Fei froze.

Thinking she must have misheard, she asked instinctively, "What did you say, Third Young Master?"

"I said—"

Xiao Yan looked at her calmly and enunciated each word. "I need you and the Mittel Family behind you to submit to me and serve me."

"Of course!"

"In return, you and the Mittel Family will gain status and standing beyond anything you could imagine in the future."

"Mm... it's that simple."

???

Ya Fei stared at Xiao Yan for a long moment, then suddenly covered her mouth and laughed.

Her laughter was clear and pleasant, yet tinged with mockery.

She thought, Has this little fellow been driven mad by his declining cultivation?

He wanted the Mittel Family to serve him?

A good-for-nothing with three segments of Dou Qi dared to make such a demand?

Or did the Xiao Family think that ten Dou Wangs gave them the right to be so brazen and arrogant?

Dou Wangs were powerful, but the Mittel Family had them, too!

The more Ya Fei thought about it, the funnier it seemed. Her laughter grew louder, and she shook with mirth, the waves of her chest rising and falling.

Only after a good while did she manage to stop laughing. She waved a hand and said:

"Third Young Master Xiao, please stop joking."

"If you have something to discuss, Ya Fei will do her best to help. But what you're asking..."

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline!"

She didn't finish explaining, but her meaning was clear: Xiao Yan wasn't qualified to make such a demand.

Xiao Yan's expression didn't change. He simply watched her quietly.

"I'm not joking."

His voice was calm, but carried an unquestionable certainty.

Ya Fei's brows knitted slightly. She was about to say something—

Boom!

A terrifying pressure erupted from within Xiao Yan!

It crashed down like a mountain, turning Ya Fei deathly pale in an instant and making it difficult for her to breathe!

And what shocked her even more was—

Xiao Yan's body slowly rose from his chair, hovering in midair!

He floated three feet above the ground, a faint crimson-gold radiance flowing around him and illuminating the entire office in dazzling light.

At the same time, the space around his body began to twist!

That was something only a Dou Zong powerhouse could do—twist space!

Ya Fei's pupils abruptly widened, her lips parting as she froze like a stone statue.

She stared at Xiao Yan, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Hovering in midair...

Twisting space...

Could this... be a Dou Zong?

"Impossible..."

Ya Fei murmured, her voice trembling.

She remembered the information perfectly clearly: Xiao Yan was only fifteen years old, with a cultivation base of just three segments of Dou Qi!

A fifteen-year-old Dou Zong?

How could that be possible?!

"You... you..."

Ya Fei opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but her throat was dry and not a single word came out.

She instinctively rubbed her eyes, thinking she must be dreaming.

But the terrifying pressure, that suffocating sense of oppression, was all too real!

Xiao Yan looked down at her, the faintest smile curving his lips.

"Miss Ya Fei—"

"Do you still think I'm joking?"