Great Elder of the Mittel Family

Smack.

A crisp sound rang out in the room.

Ya Fei was delighted. Though he had only kissed her cheek, she believed that as long as she took things step by step, Xiao Fan would surely fall into the palm of her hand.

Ya Fei stopped keeping him in suspense and said to Xiao Fan, "A Second-Grade Alchemist from the family will be coming to Wutan City soon. Though they are both second-grade, this one's talent and pill-refining quality are far superior to that one from the Aoba Family."

Xiao Fan understood as well. This was Ya Fei's countermeasure, and she had likely prepared it long ago. That Alchemist would probably appear before long.

Faced with such a virtuous Ya Fei, who had considered everything so thoroughly, Xiao Fan could not resist stepping forward and kissing her again.

A fool was one who refused a free advantage. Besides, Xiao Fan was not losing out!

"Sister Ya Fei, isn't the Mittel Family forbidden from getting involved in conflicts between local families?"

Xiao Fan asked in confusion. After all, the Mittel Family was one of the empire's three great families, and its primary source of income was the Auction House. If word got out that it had interfered in disputes between local families, the reputation the Mittel Family had built over many years would suffer greatly.

"Hmph, didn't I say so? The current Mittel Family is under my control. Besides, you're my little brother, so why can't I help you?"

Ya Fei's words truly astonished Xiao Fan. "You're in charge? Of the Mittel Family?"

"Of course. I'm now the Great Elder of the Mittel Family. Didn't you know?"

"Of course I didn't!" Xiao Fan's expression turned excited. This was different from what had happened in his memories.

Could this be the butterfly effect? Xiao Fan wondered inwardly.

"Then why did you become the Great Elder?" Xiao Fan could not help asking.

"Hehe. Well, you'll find out once you reach the Imperial Capital."

"Huh? Sister, how did you know I was going to the Imperial Capital?"

A smile that soothed the heart curled across Ya Fei's lips. "Because these eyes of mine can see through people's hearts."

Xiao Fan curled his lip. "Tch. Fine, if you don't want to tell me, forget it. Stop fooling me."

Ya Fei covered her mouth and chuckled. She enjoyed teasing Xiao Fan as he was now; otherwise, she might never get another chance in the future.

"Oh, right, Sister Ya Fei. In a few days, I'm going to take Jia Nan Academy's entrance selection."

"Oh? Then I believe you'll successfully enter Jia Nan Academy."

"Sister Ya Fei, why don't you seem reluctant to part with me at all?" Xiao Fan had wanted to provoke the woman before him, but he had not expected her to remain so calm.

"Let me guess. You definitely won't head straight to Jia Nan Academy, right?"

Xiao Fan sucked in a breath. He had never expected Ya Fei to truly guess what he was thinking. Now, he was starting to believe that she could see through people's hearts.

"Sister Ya Fei, can you really hear my thoughts?"

"Secret." Ya Fei revealed a rare, playful smile.

Ya Fei smiled a lot now, and smiles often appeared on her face without warning. This was unlike the Ya Fei in Xiao Fan's memories, who had always forced herself to smile.

"Ahhh! Sister Ya Fei, if you won't tell me, I'm staying here!"

"Suit yourself."

Xiao Fan had no answer. Sure enough, even as a Half-Emperor who had lived for many years, he was still suppressed by Ya Fei. What was this? Bloodline suppression from an older sister?

But Ya Fei was right. Even if Xiao Fan went to Jia Nan Academy now, it would be useless. Jia Nan Academy was divided into the Inner Academy and Outer Academy. What Xiao Fan cared about was not the Outer Academy; the cultivation methods and Dou Techniques there held no attraction for him at all. He merely wanted to go to the Inner Academy to find a certain gluttonous little imp and cultivate. Whether he went to the Outer Academy or not made no difference.

Furthermore, the Northwest Continent held countless treasures. If Xiao Fan wanted to advance quickly, he could not do without the support of heavenly treasures.

The Green Lotus Core Flame in the Tagor Desert held the same fatal allure for him. A Heavenly Flame condensed from a thousand years of accumulated fire element—if he successfully subdued it, he would likely undergo a qualitative advancement.

At that moment, a figure even more bewitching and seductive than Ya Fei appeared in Xiao Fan's mind...

"Medusa..."

After bidding Ya Fei farewell, Xiao Fan was filled with complicated emotions.

After returning to his room, he looked at his reflection in the water inside the bathing tub.

Smack!

Xiao Fan gave himself a loud slap. "Damn it. So many people care about me, yet I keep breaking their hearts again and again."

"I'm really not human."

Xiao Fan's thoughts were a mess. Only after shifting his gaze away from Gu Xun'er did he realize that so much of what he had done in the past had truly been inhuman.

He thought of the Storage Ring Ya Fei had handed him once more before he left. "Healing medicine, insect-repellent water, flint..."

These were clearly wilderness survival supplies she had prepared long ago. Ya Fei had arranged everything related to outdoor training perfectly, and the concern she revealed was never false.

Ya Fei might have long guessed that Xiao Fan would leave in the future, and that it would be difficult for her to catch up to him again. Yet Ya Fei was still willing to prepare everything for him.

Just as Ya Fei had once said, "She would wait. She would wait for Xiao Fan to return..."

But this filled Xiao Fan with boundless guilt. In his previous life, Ya Fei seemed not to have waited until Xiao Fan returned... Even before she died, she had not been able to wait for Xiao Fan...

That night, Xiao Fan suffered from insomnia for the first time in a long while and could only rely on cultivation to ease the pressure on his mind.

"Patriarch... Patriarch!"

A guard from the Aoba Family rushed anxiously into the Aoba Family's main hall. At that moment, three aged foxes sat in the hall, raising their cups in a toast.

The Aoba Family Patriarch's expression darkened, and displeasure seeped into his voice. "What is it? Why are you so flustered?"

The guard panted as he said, "Patriarch, the Mittel Family has joined forces with the Xiao Family and even hired an Alchemist. The business at our market has all been stolen away!"

"What?! Why would the Mittel Family help the Xiao Family?" Jia Liebi smashed the wine cup in his hand onto the floor, his expression filled with rage.

The Aoba Family Patriarch glanced at Jia Liebi and thought, This isn't your house. Why are you smashing my floor?

Jia Liebi did not care about any of that. Rage had gone to his head, and his eyes were bloodshot. He directly ordered the guard, "Tell us everything about the Mittel Family and Xiao Family's intelligence, along with that Alchemist!"

The guard awkwardly glanced at his own patriarch. Only after receiving a signal from him did he reveal the information he had gathered.

After hearing it, the few of them all slumped back in despondence. They had originally relied on the reputation of their Second-Grade Alchemist to raise both the prices of their pills and the rent in their markets. Yet not only were the Xiao Family's prices lower, their pills were also of even higher quality.

The Alchemists hired by the two families immediately stood up and said to Jia Liebi and the Aoba Family Patriarch, "Gentlemen, I just remembered that I need to return to the Imperial Capital in the next few days. There is no need to see me off."

"What?! Master, you're leaving?"

The Alchemist looked agitated. Ignoring the two men's attempts to stop him, he waved his hand and said, "If you want to die, don't drag me down with you! Do you know whether we'll still have a chance after offending the Mittel Family?"

"That's the Mittel Family!"