Shopping, Jialie Ao's Mockery

After testing the power of the Great River Sword Qi, Xiao Tianci returned to the Xiao Clan. His next step was to refine the Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill.

However, as soon as he arrived at his somewhat rundown house, Xiao Tianci noticed that his door was open.

A familiar figure flashed past his eyes.

Xiao Yu was sitting boredly in a chair by the window, holding a novel and reading it with great interest.

"Why are you here?" Xiao Tianci asked, letting out a breath of relief.

He had thought a thief had broken into his home.

But aside from a few books, there did not seem to be anything valuable here.

Only upon hearing Xiao Tianci's voice did Xiao Yu reluctantly close the book.

"This book is pretty good. I'll borrow it first and return it once I'm done reading," Xiao Yu said, holding the book against her chest.

Looking at the copy of Domineering Dou Emperor Falls in Love with Me in Xiao Yu's arms, Xiao Tianci could not help wondering whether it would carry a faint milky scent by the time she returned it.

"All right, stop spacing out." Xiao Yu stood up, grabbed Xiao Tianci's arm, and pulled him outside.

"What are you doing?" Xiao Tianci asked doubtfully.

"The weather's nice for once, so let's take a walk. Come to think of it, it's been a while since I last strolled around Wutan City."

Xiao Yu said it as though it were only natural.

Xiao Tianci pondered for a moment.

He happened to need to refine the Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill. If he had the chance today, he could visit the Mite'er Auction House and trade for the ingredients through Ya Fei.

Come to think of it, he also needed a better-quality pill furnace...

Lost in thought, Xiao Tianci was pulled all the way out of the Xiao Clan by Xiao Yu.

This time, Xiao Yu brought Xiao Tianci to a medium-sized marketplace in the city, one managed by the Xiao Clan.

Xiao Tianci had come here once before when buying magic cores, so he could be considered somewhat familiar with the place.

With Xiao Yu beside him, Xiao Tianci's treatment this time was vastly different from when he had entered before.

As they passed through the marketplace gates, the two Xiao Clan guards at the entrance froze slightly upon seeing Xiao Yu, then hurriedly bowed.

Xiao Yu was clearly used to this. She nodded casually and walked straight inside.

Seeing the endless stream of people, Xiao Tianci could not help clicking his tongue.

With such terrifying popularity, a large portion of the Xiao Clan's profits likely came from this marketplace.

Xiao Yu clearly had no particular destination in mind, so she wandered along with the crowd, stopping now and then to chat with Xiao Tianci.

Perhaps because the crowd was so packed, Xiao Yu's hand inadvertently looped around Xiao Tianci's arm, and the two stood extremely close together.

After weaving around for some time, the two gradually made their way into the depths of the marketplace.

Along the way, Xiao Tianci kept an eye on vendors selling medicinal herbs.

But unfortunately, perhaps because the herbs needed for the Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill were uncommon, he found nothing.

Xiao Tianci caught a whiff of the faint fragrance coming from Xiao Yu, who had the bearing of a mature beauty, then suddenly took out an exquisitely crafted bracelet.

"This is for me?"

Xiao Yu raised her brows, her delight plain to see.

"Yeah. I thought it looked nice when I saw it, so I bought it."

Xiao Yu accepted the bracelet without ceremony, then carefully put it around her slender, fair wrist.

It was obvious that Xiao Yu's mood had improved considerably.

She even moved a little closer to Xiao Tianci.

"Well, if it isn't Miss Xiao Yu. I heard a few days ago that you had returned from Jia Nan Academy, but I never had the chance to see you. Now that I do, Miss Xiao Yu is even more beautiful than before."

Just then, a somewhat discordant voice sounded from nearby.

Xiao Yu frowned and instinctively turned toward the speaker.

Amid the crowd stood a luxuriously dressed young man, surrounded like the moon by a host of stars.

The young man looked to be around twenty and was rather handsome.

Yet his face carried a sickly pallor.

In stark contrast to that pallor were his eyes, which burned with heat as they fixed firmly on Xiao Yu not far away.

More accurately, his gaze had never once left Xiao Yu's pair of perfect, long legs.

A trace of lewdness slipped from his eyes as well.

Clearly, Xiao Yu's long legs held an immense attraction for him. He looked as though he wanted nothing more than to reach out and grab them himself.

Disgust appeared on Xiao Yu's face. She then quietly said to Xiao Tianci, "That guy is the young clan leader of the Jialie Clan. His name is Jialie Ao. Whenever I come back, he clings to me like a ghost. He's incredibly annoying!"

"Is that so?" Xiao Tianci nodded. He did remember this fellow.

When Xiao Yu had been away, this guy seemed to have pestered Xun'er for a while too. It had eventually come to nothing, yet now he had set his sights on Xiao Yu.

He truly was impossible to shake off.

"Whether Xiao Yu comes back or not has nothing to do with you," Xiao Tianci said coldly. "If you don't want a beating, get lost right now!"

Only then did Jialie Ao notice Xiao Tianci beside her, as well as Xiao Yu's arm linked around Xiao Tianci's.

At once, an unhappy look appeared on Jialie Ao's face.

"Who did I think it was? So it's Xiao Tianci, the Xiao Clan's famously useless trash. What right do you have to speak to me like that? Because after cultivating for five years, you're still stuck at the third stage of Dou Qi?"

After saying this, not only Jialie Ao but even the guards beside him burst into laughter. Their unrestrained mockery drew the attention of many onlookers.

Before Xiao Tianci could say anything, Xiao Yu's expression darkened.

She directly drew the longsword at her waist, and the pressure of a three-star Dou Zhe erupted from her.

The next moment, Xiao Yu strode forward on her long legs and appeared before Jialie Ao!

The Jialie Clan guards' expressions changed, and they hurriedly moved to shield Jialie Ao.

However, their strength was still a step below Xiao Yu's.

Not to mention that Xiao Yu was a student of Jia Nan Academy.

A flash of sword light swept through the air, and the guards screamed as they were sent flying.

Jialie Ao himself let out a miserable cry and was flung backward. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and his chest caved in slightly.

Clearly, Xiao Yu's strike had directly broken several of his ribs!

Jialie Ao lay helplessly on the ground, clutching his chest with both hands in utter misery!

Seeing this, several guards endured their pain and struggled to their feet. They picked up Jialie Ao and fled in disgrace.

Xiao Yu did not pursue them. She merely watched Jialie Ao and the others leave before turning back to Xiao Tianci. A smile appeared on her face as she teased, "Since when did you start playing the hero? If I hadn't been here today, those guys would probably have beaten you up."

Although Xiao Yu's words were rather indirect, Xiao Tianci still understood that she was implying his strength was insufficient.

Xiao Tianci merely smiled and offered no further explanation.

Because of that small incident, Xiao Yu's mood had been spoiled, and her desire to keep shopping had clearly faded.

Before long, the two returned to the Xiao Clan and went their separate ways.

Night fell.

Several dark figures quietly climbed over the Xiao Clan walls, carefully avoiding the guards as they headed toward the clan's interior under cover of darkness.