The Mite'er Family's Great Elder

Smack.

A crisp sound rang out in the room.

Ya Fei was very happy. Although he had only kissed her on the cheek, she believed that as long as she took things step by step, Xiao Fan would definitely fall into the palm of her hand.

Ya Fei stopped keeping him in suspense and said to Xiao Fan, "Recently, the family will be sending a second-tier Alchemist to Wutan City. Though he is also second-tier, both his 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 Ya Fei, who was so virtuous and thoughtful in every matter, Xiao Fan could not resist stepping forward to kiss her again.

Only an idiot would turn down a free advantage. Besides, Xiao Fan was not losing out!

"Sister Ya Fei, isn't the Mite'er Family forbidden from participating in local family conflicts?"

Xiao Fan asked in confusion. After all, the Mite'er Family was one of the empire's three great families, and its main source of income was the Auction House. If word spread that it had intervened in local family disputes, the reputation the Mite'er Family had cultivated over the years would suffer greatly.

"Hmph, didn't I say it already? The Mite'er Family is under your sister's control now. Besides, you're my little brother. Why can't I help you?"

Ya Fei's words truly shocked Xiao Fan. "You're in charge? Of the Mite'er Family?"

"Of course. Your sister is now the Great Elder of the Mite'er Family. Don't tell me you didn't know?"

"Of course I didn't know!" Xiao Fan's expression grew excited. This differed from what had happened in his memories.

Could this be the butterfly effect? Xiao Fan secretly thought.

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

"Hehe, well, you'll know once you reach the Imperial Capital."

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

A heartwarming smile curved across Ya Fei's lips. "Because these eyes of mine can see through people's hearts."

Xiao Fan curled his lips. "Tch, forget it if you don't want to tell me. Stop trying to fool me."

Ya Fei covered her mouth and chuckled. She enjoyed teasing the current Xiao Fan. Otherwise, she feared she would not have the chance in the future.

"Oh, right, Sister Ya Fei. In a few days, I'll be taking Jia Nan Academy's entrance selection."

"Oh? Then your sister believes you'll successfully enter Jia Nan Academy."

"Sister Ya Fei, why don't you seem reluctant to let me go?" 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 afterward, right?"

Xiao Fan drew a cold breath. He had never expected Ya Fei to actually guess what he was thinking. He was starting to believe that she really could see through people's hearts.

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

"Secret." Ya Fei revealed a rare mischievous smile.

The current Ya Fei loved to smile, always letting one slip out unintentionally. She was different from 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 a Half-Emperor who had lived for so many years could still be suppressed by Ya Fei. What was this? Bloodline suppression from an older sister?

Still, 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, and Xiao Fan did not care about the Outer Academy. The cultivation techniques and combat skills there held no appeal for him whatsoever. He only wanted to go to the Inner Academy to find a certain gluttonous little ghost and cultivate. Whether he attended the Outer Academy or not made no difference.

Furthermore, the Northwest Continent possessed 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 attraction for him. A Heavenly Flame condensed from a thousand years of accumulated fire element energy—if he successfully subdued it, he might undergo a qualitative leap in strength.

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

"Medusa..."

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

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

Smack!

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

"I really am not human."

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

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

These were clearly survival supplies prepared in advance. Ya Fei had arranged everything related to wilderness training perfectly, and the concern she showed was not an act.

Ya Fei might have already guessed that Xiao Fan would leave in the future, and that she would find it difficult to keep up with his pace. Yet she had still been 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 that only made Xiao Fan feel even more guilty. In his previous life, Ya Fei seemed not to have waited for Xiao Fan... Even before she died, she had failed to wait for him...

That night, Xiao Fan rarely suffered from insomnia and could only rely on cultivation to ease the pressure on his mind.

"Pat... Patriarch!"

A guard from the Aoba Family ran anxiously into the Aoba Family's main hall. At that moment, three elderly foxes sat in the hall, raising cups and drinking together.

The Aoba Family Patriarch looked displeased, his tone full of irritation. "What is it? Why are you so flustered?"

The guard panted as he said, "Patriarch, the Mite'er Family has joined forces with the Xiao Family and even hired an Alchemist. All the business at our market has been taken away!"

"What! Why would the Mite'er Family help the Xiao Family?" Jia Liebi fiercely smashed the wine cup in his hand onto the ground, his expression filled with rage.

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

Jia Liebi did not care about that. He was so furious that his eyes were bloodshot. He directly ordered the guard, "Tell us everything about the Mite'er Family and the Xiao Family, as well as that Alchemist!"

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

After hearing it, the group slumped back in dejection. Originally, relying on the reputation of their second-tier Alchemist, they had greatly raised the prices of pills and the rent at their markets. Yet not only were the Xiao Family's prices lower, their pills were also of a higher quality.

The Alchemists hired by the two families even stood up directly 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 coming 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 keep him, he waved his hand and said, "If you want to die, don't drag me down with you. Do you think we'll still have a chance after offending the Mite'er Family?"

"That is the Mite'er Family!"