Ya Fei

Following Gu Ni's lead, they arrived on the third floor of the auction house. Compared to the bustle of the two floors below, there were practically no customers here. Aside from the guards standing watch on either side of the corridor, only Xiao Yan and his group, who had just come up, were present.

"This is the area where our Mitel Auction House receives distinguished guests. Generally, only honored guests such as the city lord and the heads of the three great families are brought here for discussions." As he spoke, Gu Ni led Xiao Yan to an exceptionally luxurious door beside the innermost room.

Knock, knock, knock. Gu Ni lightly knocked on the door.

"Come in!" A clear yet elegant voice soon sounded from within.

Pushing the door open, they saw a seductive woman in a vivid crimson form-fitting brocade robe seated behind a desk at the far right side of the room.

The seductive woman had been focused on handling the documents on the desk, but she seemed to realize that the person entering was not her usual secretary. She raised her limpid, autumn-water eyes and looked over gently.

"So it is Master Gu Ni. And this is?" Ya Fei gave Master Gu Ni a friendly yet courteous smile before turning a slightly puzzled gaze toward Xiao Yan, who stood behind him. As far as she remembered, there was no such young man among the sons and daughters of Wutan City's various families.

Yet before Gu Ni could explain, Ya Fei had already guessed the identity of the young man before her.

She rose from her seat, her nearly perfect curves swaying. As she stepped forward gracefully, her snow-white thighs appeared and vanished through the slit in her brocade robe, stirring the deepest desires in a man's heart.

"You must be Young Master Xiao Yan of the Xiao Clan?" Her clear, elegant voice rang out again, carrying a faint, fleeting trace of seduction that made one's heart itch.

Above her slender willow waist rose a pair of proud peaks, their gentle tremors with each step tugging at the pure heartbeats of young men. No wonder the men of Wutan City both loved and hated her. With just a smile or frown, she could lure the gold straight out of their purses.

What a vixen! Xiao Yan could not help sighing inwardly. He then looked at that pretty face that seemed to radiate seduction from her very bones. Master Gu Ni should, by all rights, have long passed the age of being stirred by such things, yet every time he saw Ya Fei, he immediately lowered his head, afraid of embarrassing himself by accident.

However, Xiao Yan had just enjoyed a full meal yesterday, so he was naturally not that desperate now. Years of training outside had also tempered his heart into one of steel. At the very least, when it was time to handle serious business, he would never show the expression of a lovestruck fool.

Still, Ya Fei recognizing him so quickly upon their first meeting did arouse a trace of curiosity in Xiao Yan.

"You know me?"

Seeing that Xiao Yan had not been affected by her beauty in the slightest, Ya Fei could not help but regard him more highly. Even the city lord and the heads of the other three great families in Wutan City would unconsciously avoid meeting her eyes, fearing they might embarrass themselves.

In response to Xiao Yan's question, Ya Fei chuckled softly. "Of course. Young Master Xiao Yan is a genius rarely seen in Wutan City in a hundred years. You broke through to the Dou Fighter realm at only twelve years old. Such talent is rare even in the imperial capital of the Jia Ma Empire. Naturally, Ya Fei would know of you."

It had to be said that Ya Fei's words, paired with her seductive voice and enticing gaze, truly could greatly stir a man's sense of satisfaction. Even Xiao Yan could not help feeling somewhat intoxicated. However, he would not be fooled so easily. If one wanted to win a girl's heart, one first could not let her keep wearing a mask. Otherwise, if she was always guarding against you, what kind of romance could there be?

"Well said. So what is the real reason?" Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes and asked with a smiling expression.

Ya Fei froze at his words. I know what I said wasn't all that believable, but shouldn't people normally stop there by mutual understanding? Who actually keeps digging until they reach the bottom of it? And aren't you supposed to be here to discuss business? Why are you so hung up on this?

"What do you mean, Young Master? Every word Ya Fei spoke was true." Ya Fei blinked and feigned innocence.

Xiao Yan smiled after hearing that and continued staring at Ya Fei's pretty face.

Faced with Xiao Yan's unwillingness to let the matter go, Ya Fei ultimately could not hold out. She sighed, unwilling to remain deadlocked over this issue. She was very busy, after all!

"Fine. When I was transferred to Wutan City, I had people gather portraits of figures from every force in the city. Young Master Xiao Yan's was among them. Although that was two years ago, and the portrait differs somewhat from how Young Master Xiao Yan looks now, it was not difficult to guess your identity after hearing the news yesterday that the Xiao Clan's young clan leader had returned home." Ya Fei spoke helplessly.

"Now that's more like it. I know most people like to exchange polite words that no one actually believes, but I don't particularly like that." As he spoke, Xiao Yan casually found a sofa for guests and sat down.

"So that is how it is. Young Master Xiao Yan truly is a forthright man! Still, you should have made such things clear beforehand. Forcing a girl to explain herself the moment you arrive is hardly gentlemanly!" Ya Fei said pitifully, her eyes glistening like autumn water.

"Hardly gentlemanly? That's right. I'm a rough man to begin with!" Xiao Yan replied as if it were only natural.

"You!" Ya Fei immediately grew a little irritated. Turning toward the somewhat dumbfounded Gu Ni, she asked in a low voice, "Why did you bring this person here? What exactly does he want?"

Gu Ni came back to his senses, looking somewhat embarrassed as he replied quietly, "Well... he said he had something to discuss, so I brought him here."

"What? You brought someone here without even knowing what it was about?" Ya Fei widened her eyes and stared at Gu Ni in disbelief. Her voice rose enough that even Xiao Yan heard her.

Gu Ni knew that he had indeed broken the rules somewhat, but he could not help it. Xiao Yan's Third-Rank Qi-Recovery Pill was simply too tempting. In a moment of muddled judgment, he had brought him here.

"Enough, Miss Ya Fei. Don't make things difficult for Master Gu Ni." Xiao Yan could see Gu Ni's embarrassment and felt somewhat guilty, so he spoke to ease the situation. He then tossed a jade bottle to Gu Ni and said, "All right, Master Gu Ni. Let Miss Ya Fei and me discuss the rest ourselves. Take this. It is what we agreed on earlier."

You have the nerve to say that? You're the culprit behind all this! Ya Fei cursed inwardly, though her eyes could not help drifting toward Gu Ni. She had clearly seen how nervous he looked when Xiao Yan tossed him the jade bottle, and she was extremely curious about what it contained.

Gu Ni naturally did not hide it. He turned his head and whispered into Ya Fei's ear.

"What? A Third-Rank Qi-Recovery Pill!"