Two Women at His Side, Galie Bi's Fury

Xiao Yan turned around and looked at Xiao Xun'er beside him.

The young girl sat quietly in her chair, her dark eyes fixed on him with a trace of inquiry.

"Let's go."

Xiao Xun'er nodded, rose to her feet, and naturally moved to his side.

Seeing this, Ya Fei hurriedly stood as well. Her movements were a little faster than usual, carrying less composure and more eagerness.

She walked around the table, came to Xiao Yan's side, and turned slightly to make an inviting gesture.

"Mr. Xiao Yan, Ya Fei will see you out."

The three of them walked out of the private room side by side.

Xiao Yan walked in the middle, with Xiao Xun'er on his left and Ya Fei on his right.

The young girl had not yet fully grown and stood half a head shorter than Ya Fei, yet her cool, lotus-like temperament did not lose in the slightest to the alluring, mature beauty beside her.

When they reached the main hall, the formerly boisterous noise abruptly died down, as though someone had pressed a mute button.

Those in the hall who had been selecting goods, haggling, chatting, and talking all raised their heads in unison, their gazes landing squarely on the three of them.

More precisely, they landed on the two women beside Xiao Yan.

The young girl on the left wore a pale green dress, as graceful and pure as a lotus.

Her features were so exquisite they seemed to have been traced stroke by stroke by an artist. Between her brows lingered the unique innocence and purity of youth. Without a speck of makeup, she surpassed all the heavy cosmetics in the world.

Her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall. A few loose strands swayed gently in the breeze, making her little face appear even fairer and more translucent.

Though she had yet to fully mature, her slender waist and long legs already hinted at the beauty that would one day topple kingdoms.

Most captivating were her eyes—dark as ink and clear as mountain springs, without a trace of impurity, as though one could see straight to the bottom at a glance.

Yet if one truly looked into them, one would find them unfathomably deep, like two ancient wells: calm on the surface, with hidden currents surging beneath.

She stood quietly beside Xiao Yan like an orchid blooming in a secluded valley. She needed no one's attention, yet no one who saw her could look away.

The woman on the right wore a light blue robe, alluring as a fox.

Her beauty was utterly different from Xiao Xun'er's—Xiao Xun'er was cool and distant, making people afraid to approach; Ya Fei was passionate and approachable, making people unable to resist drawing near.

Her features were not the most exquisite, but together they carried an indescribable charm.

Especially those eyes—when her gaze shifted, she was naturally seductive. When she looked at someone, it was as if she were smiling; when she smiled, it was as if she were speaking.

Her figure was full yet delicate, its curves as beautiful as if the creator had measured them with the most precise ruler.

Her waist was slender as a willow, so slim it seemed one hand could encircle it. Her legs were long and straight, faintly visible through the slits in her robe. Every step set off a swaying motion that dazzled the eye.

One on the left, one on the right; one cool, one warm; one pure, one alluring.

The two peerless beauties, capable of toppling kingdoms, were like two brilliant stars surrounding Xiao Yan, their sun, quietly radiating their own light.

The waves of conversation in the hall became whispers, and the whispers became silent stares.

Some people stood with their mouths hanging open, forgetting to close them. Some dropped what they held without noticing. Others stared at the three without blinking, their eyes filled with envy, jealousy, and an indescribable sourness.

The goddesses they normally did not even dare dream of were now accompanying Xiao Yan on either side. Why did he deserve this?

No one dared say it aloud.

The Miter Auction House guards in the hall had received orders from above earlier: Xiao Yan was an honored guest, and anyone who dared neglect him would be packing up and leaving immediately.

Their gazes swept over the crowds showing envy and jealousy, their hands already resting on the hilts at their waists. The warning could not have been clearer.

Xiao Yan was not unaware of those envious and jealous looks. He simply did not care.

The three crossed the hall and walked out through the gates of the Miter Auction House.

Xiao Yan was just about to say goodbye—

"Xiao Zhan!"

An angry roar exploded from one side outside the Miter Auction House, like thunder bursting through the air.

Xiao Yan stopped in his tracks.

Following the sound, he looked past the entrance toward two groups confronting each other twenty meters away.

The Xiao Clan and the Galie Clan faced one another, each occupying one side outside the Miter Auction House. About ten paces separated them, like two packs of wolves in a standoff, neither willing to retreat even half a step.

At the front of the Xiao Clan's group stood Xiao Zhan. Behind him were several clan stewards and guards, their expressions grave and solemn, their hands already resting on their weapons.

At the front of the Galie Clan's group stood Galie Bi. Behind him was likewise a group of fully armed guards, their blades drawn and gleaming coldly.

The owner of that voice was Galie Bi. He was glaring at Xiao Zhan, the fury in his eyes nearly tangible enough to burn through the air before him.

His face was ashen, and veins bulged one after another at his temples, writhing beneath his skin like earthworms.

The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, not from fear but from rage—the kind of rage suppressed to its limit, ready to erupt at any moment.

Xiao Zhan frowned slightly. His gaze paused on Galie Bi's face for a moment before sweeping over the Galie Clan guards, several thoughts racing through his mind.

He had initially thought Galie Bi had blocked the entrance because Xiao Zhan had deliberately driven up the price at the auction, making Galie Bi spend more than a hundred thousand additional gold coins. Anyone who suffered such a huge loss would not be pleased.

But Galie Bi looked absolutely furious. The muscles in his face twitched, the bloodshot veins in his eyes spread like a spiderweb, and he resembled an enraged lion ready to pounce at any moment.

This did not look like the anger of someone who had been tricked. It looked more like the heart-rending pain of someone whose father had died.

Spending an extra hundred thousand gold coins at the auction was not enough to make the head of a clan lose his mind to this extent.

"Galie Bi, what madness are you spouting?"

Xiao Zhan's voice was not loud, but it carried a steady strength, like a massive boulder standing in a rushing river, unmoved no matter how fiercely the water struck it.

"Xiao Zhan!"

Galie Bi forced the words out through clenched teeth. "Xiao Yan crippled my son's cultivation. If you do not give me an explanation for this, the Galie Clan will declare war on the Xiao Clan!"

Xiao Zhan's frown deepened.

Yan'er crippled Galie Ao?

His eyes flickered as he rapidly recalled everything that had happened that day.

Xiao Yan had indeed gone out today, but he had not yet heard anything about Galie Ao being crippled.

Even if he had heard, he would not have been surprised. He knew a little about that boy Galie Ao.

Relying on the Galie Clan's influence, he had run rampant through Wutan City, bullying men and women alike, for far more than a day or two.

For someone like that to provoke Yan'er and have his cultivation crippled was hardly impossible.

"Galie Bi, don't spit blood at others."

Xiao Zhan's voice turned cold, like a winter wind blowing down from the north, without the slightest warmth.

"My son Xiao Yan is usually mild-mannered and courteous to everyone. How could he possibly cripple your son for no reason? In my view, Galie Ao must have provoked Yan'er first. Yan'er could no longer endure it and only then crippled him."

Not far away, Steward Xiao, standing behind Xiao Zhan, heard those words and the corner of his mouth twitched.

Xiao Yan was usually mild-mannered and courteous to everyone?

He subconsciously touched his empty chest. A badge representing his status as an elder had once been pinned there, but it was gone now.

He then remembered Xiao Ning's dazed, despondent appearance when he had been driven out of the main Household, as well as the humiliation when he and the other two elders had been dismissed in public.

Xiao Yan was mild-mannered? Xiao Yan was courteous?

Steward Xiao snorted heavily in his heart.

He admitted that Xiao Yan was indeed mild-mannered—so mild-mannered that if he did not strike, that was one thing, but once he did, he went for lives.

Stripping people of their positions and expelling people from the main Household, he did every single thing cleanly and decisively, leaving not the slightest room for mercy.

This was mild-mannered? This was courteous?

But he did not dare utter a single word of those thoughts aloud.