Xiao Xun'er: Is She Prettier, or Am I? (Four Thousand Words)

Led by a female attendant, Xiao Yan and Xiao Xun'er passed through a long corridor and pushed open the doors to the auction hall.

The moment they stepped inside, the brightly lit surroundings abruptly darkened.

The lighting inside the auction house had been deliberately designed so that only the central platform was brightly illuminated by spotlights, while everywhere else was shrouded in hazy darkness.

The contrast of light and shadow created a mysterious, ambiguous atmosphere that made people unconsciously lower their voices and slow their steps.

Waves of clamor rushed over them, flooding their ears.

Bidding calls, chatter, laughter, and jeers tangled together like a pot of thick soup at a rolling boil, bubbling endlessly.

The air was mixed with all kinds of smells—the pungency of cheap tobacco, the cloying sweetness of low-grade perfume, the salty stink of evaporated sweat—blending into an indescribable scent unique to an auction house.

Xiao Yan's brows furrowed slightly.

Not because of the smell, but because of the noise.

It was too loud, too chaotic, like countless flies buzzing beside his ears, making his whole body uncomfortable.

Xiao Xun'er's brows also knit faintly, but soon relaxed. Without drawing attention, she moved a little closer to Xiao Yan, as though seeking a trace of peace amid the noise.

The auction house was enormous.

The space, large enough to hold hundreds or even thousands of people, spread outward in a fan shape. Rows of seats rose tier by tier, ensuring that spectators in every corner could see the items on the central platform.

The aisles between the seats were narrow; even two people walking side by side would find it difficult. Clearly, the designer had chosen capacity over comfort without hesitation.

At that moment, beneath the lights at the center of the auction house, a woman stood on the stage.

She wore a red gown, its hem trailing across the floor. Its cinched waist outlined her slender figure so perfectly that it seemed one hand could encircle it, while the neckline was cut just right—not overly revealing, yet enough to display that deep, captivating curve.

Her figure was hot and alluring, every movement seeming carefully designed. With every gesture, she radiated a charm that made it difficult for men to look away.

She was exceptionally skilled at using her advantages.

Whenever she spoke, her peach-blossom eyes naturally swept across the entire hall. Every glance seemed like a covert flirtation aimed at someone.

Her rosy lips parted and closed, revealing pearly teeth. Every word she spoke carried a faint, numbing sweetness that made people's bones go weak.

Her voice was coquettish, sweet without being cloying, like grapes wrapped in honey. One bite and juice burst forth, sweet enough to melt into the heart.

With that voice, she explained the functions of the item in her hands to everyone in the hall.

Amid her crisp, tingling voice, the price of the item—which was not particularly rare to begin with—was climbing rapidly.

From five hundred gold coins to eight hundred, from eight hundred to one thousand, from one thousand to fifteen hundred—the bids rose one after another. The bidders' enthusiasm was clearly not directed at the item itself.

Xiao Yan swept his gaze over the entire hall.

Most people's eyes were fixed on the woman in red at the center.

That was hardly surprising.

In Wutan City, almost no one had failed to hear of Ya Fei, the chief auctioneer of the Miter Auction House.

Her beauty, charm, and bearing were the favorite topics of the city's men during their idle conversations.

Her mature, seductive allure was like a cup of aged wine. Many men had become drunk beneath her skirts before even taking a sip.

Xiao Yan's gaze lingered on Ya Fei for a moment before shifting away. It was not because he lacked interest, but because he had noticed something else.

His brow furrowed more deeply.

His gaze swept across the shadowy corners, over the figures hiding where the light could not reach.

In a concealed corner at the edge of the auction house, a lecherous man stared at Ya Fei onstage with burning eyes.

His hands rested beneath him, making a certain rhythmic motion in time with the opening and closing of Ya Fei's red lips.

He was not an isolated case.

Xiao Yan saw more than one similar figure in the darkness.

Some sat in the shadows of the back row, some leaned against the walls, and some hid behind pillars.

They stared at Ya Fei onstage with the same feverish gaze, performing the same disgusting motions.

Their movements were practiced and smooth. Clearly, this was not their first time; one could even say they were thoroughly accustomed to it.

Xiao Yan's brows twisted into a knot.

What displeased him even more was something else.

The moment he and Xiao Xun'er entered, some of the gazes in the darkness shifted from Ya Fei to them.

Those gazes were like wet, slippery tongues, licking over Xiao Xun'er's body, wandering and lingering.

Though the girl was only fifteen and her figure had not fully matured, her exquisitely beautiful face and the lively air beneath her youthful innocence were an overwhelming blow to those people, who were used to gaudy women in heavy makeup.

His expression turned cold.

Not because of those gazes themselves—there would always be such trash in this world, and one could never clean every last piece of it away.

But because that trash dared to set its sights on Xun'er.

That was something he could not tolerate.

"Get me a private room."

His voice was not loud, and his tone remained calm.

Yet the female attendant behind him inexplicably felt a chill, as though a cold wind had blown across her back.

She did not dare delay. Quickly, she led the two through the crowded aisles and up the side stairs to the second floor.

The middle-aged man had instructed her—these two were honored guests of the Miter Auction House, and they absolutely could not be offended.

A private room on the second floor.

The instant the door opened, it was as though someone had pressed pause on the noise outside. Every sound was shut beyond the door.

The room was not large, but it was arranged with refinement and comfort—soft carpets, broad sofas, tea and pastries on the table, and incense burning in a corner, its faint sandalwood fragrance filling the air.

The floor-to-ceiling window faced the platform below. Through the crystal glass, they could clearly see every corner of the auction house.

Xiao Yan walked inside and sensed Xiao Xun'er beside him visibly let out a breath.

She exhaled softly and slowly, as though she had been holding it in until now. The girl's shoulders eased slightly, and the taut lines of her face softened.

She was not afraid. Those revolting gazes and filthy thoughts were nothing more than the delusions of insects in her eyes, unworthy of her attention.

But being unworthy of attention did not mean she enjoyed being watched.

The sensation of being stripped naked by someone's eyes was something every creature instinctively rejected.

Xiao Yan walked to the edge of the private room's balcony, braced both hands against the railing, and looked down again.

On the high platform, Ya Fei was introducing the next auction item.

The lights shone upon her, outlining her figure with a hazy halo.

She turned slightly. The full curve of her chest became even more striking beneath the red dress, and as her waist swayed, the curve of her hips rippled like water.

Her figure truly was excellent.

Not the skinny, bony sort that needed clothing to fill it out, but genuinely voluptuous—every inch of her body radiating the charm of a mature woman.

Her curves were graceful and perfectly proportioned. Everything that should rise did, everything that should be rounded was, neither too much nor too little.

Xiao Yan's gaze paused on her for a moment, then lifted toward several private rooms on the other side of the second floor.

Their windows were half-open, and vague silhouettes could be seen moving inside.

He recognized several faces among them.

Xiao Zhan—his father, the Xiao Clan's patriarch.

Galie Bi—the Galie Clan's patriarch and Galie Ao's father.

Oba Pa—the Oba Clan's patriarch and the head of Wutan City's Oba Clan.

The patriarchs of the three great clans had all gathered here.

That was unusual.

The three great clans had competed against each other openly and secretly for years. Normally, when they met on the street, they would not even spare one another a pleasant look.

Anything capable of bringing all three here at once could not be an ordinary auction item.

A memory from the original story flashed through Xiao Yan's mind—the High Mystic Tier technique, the Wind Scroll Technique.

Only a technique of that level was worth the three patriarchs appearing in person.

A High Mystic Tier technique was already exceedingly precious within the Jia Ma Empire. It was enough to raise a clan's strength by an entire level in a short time.

Whoever obtained it would give their younger generation a massive head start at the starting line.

No wonder they had come.

"Brother Xiao Yan, is that woman pretty?"

Just as Xiao Yan was lost in thought, a voice thick with jealousy sounded from behind him, pulling him back.

He turned around and saw Xiao Xun'er pouting, her beautiful little face practically spelling out, "I'm very unhappy."

Her arms were crossed over her chest, chin raised slightly, and she stared at Xiao Yan with an interrogating gaze, just like a young wife catching her husband staring at another woman.

She looked adorable from every angle.

A wry smile appeared on Xiao Yan's face.

He walked back, took Xiao Xun'er's hand, and interlaced their fingers, their palms pressed together.

The girl's hand was soft and faintly cool, like warm, polished jade.

"Xun'er, I wasn't looking at her just now." He lowered his voice until only the two of them could hear. "I was thinking about something important."

"Oh, really?" Xiao Xun'er raised a brow, her dark eyes plainly saying, As if I believe that. "From what I saw, Brother Xiao Yan practically left his eyes on her, didn't he?"

She paused, her tone carrying a trace of sourness. "Well, it is no wonder. Miss Ya Fei truly has an alluring and captivating figure. She has made many young masters from the city's clans fall head over heels, spending fortunes just to win a beauty's smile."

Xiao Yan understood—on the surface, she was praising Ya Fei, but every word was actually aimed at him.

When had this little girl's tongue become so sharp?

His thoughts raced as he searched for the right wording.

Ya Fei was indeed beautiful. He could not deny that, nor did he care to.

But beauty was one thing, and being moved by someone was another.

If a man saw a beautiful flower by the roadside and looked at it twice, that was not fickleness. That was appreciation.

But if he wanted to pluck that flower and bring it home, that was an entirely different matter.

He had no such thoughts about Ya Fei. At least, he truly did not at this moment.

"Although Miss Ya Fei is indeed impressive, with a graceful figure and beautiful curves."

Xiao Yan spoke seriously, as though making an objective evaluation. "But I already have a lovely girl by my side. Why would I covet anyone else?"

Those words were clever—he did not belittle Ya Fei, because putting others down to elevate oneself was the lowest sort of tactic. Nor did he deny Ya Fei's beauty, because that would have sounded hypocritical.

He merely shifted the subject naturally in another direction: no matter how wonderful Ya Fei was, what did that have to do with him? He already had Xun'er beside him.

Xiao Xun'er's expression softened slightly, but the scrutiny in her eyes had not entirely faded. She looked at Xiao Yan as though judging whether he was sincere or merely humoring her.

Xiao Yan admitted that he was rather greedy.

He could not live by the ideal of "may I gain one heart and stay with that person until our hair turns white"—not because he was fickle, but because in his previous life, the ending between Little Doctor Fairy and Xiao Yan had always troubled him.

Little Doctor Fairy could be said to be the person who had accompanied Xiao Yan the longest, aside from Xiao Xun'er and Medusa.

From their first meeting in Green Mountain Town to their later reunion in the Poison Sect, she had accompanied him all the way to the Central Plains, sharing life and death, relying on each other through hardship.

He could not bear to miss a woman like that.

Of course, he was even less willing to give up Xun'er.

So he could only be greedy.

"Is that so?"

Xiao Xun'er finally withdrew her scrutinizing gaze. The jealousy in her voice faded somewhat, though it did not vanish completely.

She changed her question, and this one was even more tricky than the last—far more troublesome for a man to answer.

"Then, Brother Xiao Yan, what do you like about me?"

She asked seriously, her dark eyes fixed on Xiao Yan as she waited for his answer.

Xiao Yan was slightly stunned.

What did he like about her?

He had never seriously considered that question.

It was not that he had not wanted to, but that feeling was too complicated, too profound. Like the roots of a great tree buried deep in the soil, when he tried to pull them out and examine them clearly, he found every root connected to his heart.

He looked at her. Sunlight filtered through the curtains of the private room, casting a gentle warmth over her face and making her already exquisite features seem even more vivid and defined.

Because of her young age, her figure still carried the distinctive innocence and slenderness of a girl. She had not yet fully matured.

Yet even in that slenderness, one could already see the outline of what she would become—a long, graceful neck, smooth shoulders, a waist so slender it could barely be held in one hand, and straight, long legs.

In a few more years, once she had fully blossomed, she would surely become a peerless beauty capable of toppling nations.

But none of that was what mattered most.

What he liked about her was the gentle fragrance beneath her pure, elegant beauty.

She did not fight or compete, did not fuss or make trouble. Quiet as an orchid, she bloomed when it was time to bloom and withered when it was time to wither, never disturbing anyone.

But once she had chosen someone, she would give that person all her trust and sincerity, without defenses and without leaving herself a way out.

That kind of presence could not be summed up by beauty alone.

Beauty would wither with time, but bearing would only grow richer as the years settled upon it.

Ten years from now, twenty years from now, thirty years from now, she would still be the Xun'er who made his heart race.

He reached out and pulled Xiao Xun'er into his arms.

The girl's body trembled lightly, like a mimosa touched by the wind. She instinctively tried to shrink back, but the instant she touched Xiao Yan's chest, she relaxed.

Her face rested against Xiao Yan's chest, and she could clearly feel his powerful heartbeat—thump, thump, thump, steady and strong.