Lifting a Rock Only to Smash His Own Foot (Please Recommend, Please Bookmark)

Xiao Meng had just arrived outside the Temir Auction House when he saw someone dressed in a black cloak entering it.

He recognized that person at a glance... Xiao Yan.

Though Xiao Yan had disguised himself well, Xiao Meng still recognized him immediately.

At that moment, Xiao Meng's head buzzed, and he felt as though a breath of air inside him was about to explode.

Fuck, I got beaten to it again.

That was the only thought in Xiao Meng's mind.

Only after a long while did he come back to his senses.

"Something's wrong. According to the original story, Fourth Brother should still have more than a month before going to the Temir Auction House to auction Foundation-Building Spiritual Liquid. Why did he go so early?"

Xiao Meng frowned. According to the original story, after Xiao Yan had an intense exchange with his old grandpa, he would advance to the fourth stage of Dou Qi in half a month, then reach the fifth stage of Dou Qi another month and a half later.

It was only then, after he had spent all the money borrowed from Xiao Xun'er, that Xiao Yan would think of refining Foundation-Building Spiritual Liquid to make money.

But now, Fourth Brother had indeed entered the Temir Auction House ahead of schedule. This made no damn sense.

Why else had he lent money to Xiao Yan? And sixty thousand gold coins at that. Did he really do it just so Xiao Yan could repay him three hundred thousand?

No! No! That definitely wasn't it. The usury was only secondary. His main goal had been to stop Xiao Yan from going to the Temir Auction House.

That way, he could cut off any chance of Ya Fei meeting Xiao Yan. Then, once he became an alchemist, wouldn't winning over Ya Fei be effortless?

Yet the result was that he had miscalculated. Xiao Yan had beaten him to it again.

"Could Fourth Brother have spent all sixty thousand gold coins?" Xiao Meng's face instantly darkened. Fuck, the original story said Xiao Xun'er gave him a little over a thousand gold coins, and that had lasted him more than two months.

Yet Xiao Meng had given him sixty thousand, and he had spent it all in just over ten days?

"Good for you, Fourth Brother. Not only did you squander my money, you even stole my chance. Just you wait," Xiao Meng snarled through gritted teeth, the hatred in his heart soaring beyond the heavens.

He could overlook Xiao Yan spending his money, but Xiao Yan could not steal his Ya Fei.

In the end, he found a hidden corner and concealed himself, intending to enter after Xiao Yan left. He refused to believe that the second-grade pill he had refined would lose to some lousy Foundation-Building Spiritual Liquid.

Besides, it was not too late to act. Xiao Yan had hidden his identity, so the Temir Auction House would not discover who he was anytime soon.

Xiao Meng still had plenty of opportunities.

He waited for more than three hours, his face turning green with rage.

Only after Xiao Yan had gone far away did he swagger into the Temir Auction House and head straight for the appraisal room.

Xiao Meng was familiar with the route as he pushed open the appraisal room door. Inside sat an elderly man in green robes whose hair had begun to turn white.

Xiao Meng was slightly startled. The last time he came, a middle-aged man had been stationed in this appraisal room. Why had he been replaced by an old man?

Xiao Meng swept his gaze over the elder, finally stopping at his chest. There were no golden stars embroidered there. Instead, there was something resembling a medicine cauldron, with two silver ripples on its surface gleaming with noble radiance.

The moment he saw that symbol, he knew the man's identity. Grandmaster Gu Ni of the Temir Auction House, a three-star Da Dou Shi and also a second-grade alchemist.

Xiao Meng was delighted. This was perfect. Gu Ni was one of the Temir Auction House's important figures and surely knew his goods better than that middle-aged man. He would not have to worry about a repeat of last time.

Hearing the door open, Grandmaster Gu Ni raised his head. The instant he saw Xiao Meng, his brows imperceptibly furrowed, but a professional smile swiftly appeared on his face. "Young man, are you here to have a treasure appraised?"

After speaking, he picked up the teacup on the table and took a small sip.

"I refined a second-grade pill and would like to ask you to identify it, Grandmaster," Xiao Meng said with a faint smile.

Pfft!

Before Xiao Meng had even finished speaking, Gu Ni sprayed out the tea he had not swallowed. It struck Xiao Meng squarely.

"You old bastard, are you trying to get yourself killed?!" Xiao Meng's smile froze as his expression gradually darkened.

"You little brat, you dare come to the Temir Auction House to toy with me? You're the first. Get out right now, or I don't mind making you suffer a little," Gu Ni roared before Xiao Meng could lose his temper. This little bastard had barely grown any hair and yet claimed he had refined a second-grade pill. Was Gu Ni crazy, or had the world gone mad?

"Old man, you haven't even looked at the pill I refined. How can you say I'm toying with you?" Xiao Meng said unhappily.

"Yes! You're not toying with me. You're not toying with me at all!"

Gu Ni's beard trembled, and flames of rage burned in his eyes. He suddenly roared, "You're not toying with me—you're humiliating me!"

A vast sound wave surged forth like an ocean, and Xiao Meng felt as though his eardrums were about to rupture.

That roar immediately alerted everyone nearby, and people quickly gathered around.

"Get out!"

Gu Ni flashed forward, shoved Xiao Meng out the door, then slammed it shut with a bang.

Xiao Meng: "#%#%￥@..."

Even now, Xiao Meng had no idea what had happened. He had simply been shoved out, while the people gathering around pointed at him and spoke unpleasantly. Some were even furious.

At the same time, a group of burly men in matching uniforms approached with murderous looks on their faces.

Xiao Meng's anger surged. Today was simply inexplicable.

But he did not want to cause trouble, so he immediately fled. Those burly men chased after him but failed to catch him.

Before long, news that someone had caused trouble at the Temir Auction House spread like wildfire, stirring up quite a commotion.

"Damn it, why is it so hard for me to court a girl? Am I really the protagonist?" On a crowded street, Xiao Meng's face was gloomy. Things had turned out far beyond his expectations.

Did I have some irreconcilable blood feud with the Temir Auction House in my life before last?

Last time, he had brought Blood Bodhi there, and someone had insisted it was a Fire Spirit Fruit.

Today, Xiao Yan had brought a bottle of lousy Foundation-Building Spiritual Liquid and received excellent treatment, while Xiao Meng had brought a second-grade pill only to be thrown out. Had he run any slower, he might have gotten beaten up as well.

If he had not formed a grudge with them in his life before last, he would not believe it even if beaten to death.

"Hm? Is it because I wasn't wearing a black robe and my voice wasn't raspy enough?" Xiao Meng suddenly stopped in front of a shop specializing in black robes.

At last, he understood why he had failed.

"Fine! Can't I just buy a black robe and put it on?" Since Xiao Meng had learned the reason for his failure, he would fix it and try again.

"No, that won't work! I can buy a black robe, but I can't change my voice. That old fossil Gu Ni is a three-star Da Dou Shi. My disguise definitely won't fool him." Xiao Meng stood before the shop, his brows tightly furrowed.

Xiao Yan had his old grandpa backing him up, but Xiao Meng did not.

"Do I need to drink a pot of boiling hot oil to burn my throat raspy?"

"Hehe, with my physique, I'd have to drink magma for it to work. I can endure the pain, but where the hell am I supposed to find magma?"

Xiao Meng felt like he had gone insane. Drinking magma for a woman? There had to be something wrong with his head.

In the end, he left decisively and returned straight to the Xiao Clan.

"Young Master Three..."

Now, whether they were Xiao Clan servants or direct descendants, everyone who encountered him greeted him respectfully, fear visible on their faces.

With anger burning in his heart, Xiao Meng ignored everyone who greeted him along the way and headed straight for Xiao Yan's residence.

"Third Brother, you're back. I was just about to check whether you had returned so I could call you to eat," Xiao Yan said when Xiao Meng ran into him halfway there.

"Eat my ass."

Xiao Meng's face darkened. He rushed forward, grabbed Xiao Yan by the collar, and roared in a low voice, "Fourth Brother, give me back my money."

Xiao Yan: "..."

"Pay up right now, or I'll beat you to death," Xiao Meng snarled.

"Fine! Fine! Fine! Let go first. I'll pay you back, all right?" Xiao Yan felt miserable. They said the debtor was the boss while the debt collector was the grandson.

But in reality, wasn't he the one being treated like a grandson?

"There are three hundred and fifty thousand gold coins on this card. Other than repaying your usury, I'm also returning the monthly allowance of yours that I used over the years." Xiao Yan took out a gold card and rolled his eyes.

Now it was Xiao Meng's turn to be dumbfounded. Where had Xiao Yan gotten so much money? If he had that much money, why had he gone to the Temir Auction House?

"Fourth Brother, where did you get so much money?" Xiao Meng accepted the gold card and released Xiao Yan's collar, narrowing his eyes as he stared at him.

Xiao Yan seemed to think of something and chuckled. "Third Brother, let me tell you something. I'm already a first-grade alchemist."

Xiao Yan had nothing to hide from Xiao Meng, and he could not hide it anyway.

Xiao Meng looked disdainful. This second-grade alchemist hasn't even said anything. What are you so proud of?

But the next second, Xiao Meng's brows furrowed. It seemed as though the plot of Battle Through the Heavens had been put on fast-forward.

Logically speaking, Xiao Yan should still have some time before becoming an alchemist.

"So you earned all this money by selling pills?" Xiao Meng looked up at Xiao Yan and asked.

Xiao Yan immediately looked displeased and curled his lips. "Wasn't it to repay your money that I sold those pills? Sigh! I don't even have enough for myself to consume."

Xiao Meng instantly felt awful.

"So you went to the Temir Auction House today to sell pills and repay my money?" Xiao Meng asked in a trembling voice.

"Third Brother, how did you know I went to the Temir Auction House?"

Xiao Yan looked shocked. He had acted with great secrecy, yet his Third Brother had discovered it.

"Answer me first," Xiao Meng said with a dark face.

"If it wasn't to repay your money, why the hell would I go sell them? I don't even have enough for myself to consume."

Xiao Yan spoke irritably.

At that moment, Xiao Meng felt as though ten thousand bolts of heavenly lightning had struck him, leaving him charred outside and tender within.

What did it mean to lift a rock only to smash one's own foot? This was exactly what it meant.

But wasn't that supposed to exist only in legends?

"Third Brother, you still haven't answered my question. How did you know I went to the Temir Auction House?" Xiao Yan pressed.

"I'm not telling you. What can you do about it?" Xiao Meng shot him a sidelong glare and nearly roared.

Xiao Yan: "..."

"Oh? Fourth Brother, who did your makeup? It's quite a look!" Only then did Xiao Meng notice that Xiao Yan's face was bruised, and the scalp beneath his hair was faintly red and swollen.

Xiao Yan tugged at the corner of his mouth, his expression somewhat ugly.

"Fourth Brother, who beat you up? Tell me, and I'll avenge you," Xiao Meng said, suddenly feeling a little more balanced inside.

Xiao Yan gave an awkward smile. "Third Brother, you misunderstand. I got this while practicing a martial skill."

"Hehe, really?"

Xiao Meng nearly burst out laughing, but he did not expose him.

"Let's go eat first!" Xiao Yan truly did not want to dwell on this topic. Last night, someone had thrown a sack over him and beaten him senseless, yet he had not even seen who it was.

As for Yao Lao, he was busy absorbing the power of the Soul-Nourishing Wood to cultivate, worried that Xiao Meng would come demanding it back sooner or later.

Thus, who had beaten Xiao Yan last night would likely remain an eternal mystery.