When Xun'er's Eyes Turned Red, When Yanran Wanted to Steal Someone Away

An Yi looked at her as if she were an idiot and rolled his eyes speechlessly.

"Miss, has your brain still not caught up? An elite disciple of your Cloud Mist Sect just died somewhere I often went to play, and the matter still hasn't been fully investigated! If I went back to the Cloud Mist Sect with you now, wouldn't I be walking straight into a trap? I haven't lived long enough yet!"

Nalan Yanran was momentarily at a loss for words. She stammered, "B-but, didn't we already deduce outside the city that Senior Brother Wang Teng's death had nothing to do with you?"

"That was only a deduction, not irrefutable evidence!"

An Yi shook his head. "The Xiao Household was willing to dump such an enormous black pot on my head for their own selfish interests. Do you think those proud elders of the Cloud Mist Sect won't still harbor suspicions? Even if they only suspect me a little, even if they just find an excuse to vent their anger and make things difficult for me, it'd be enough for me to die eight hundred times over in the Cloud Mist Sect."

"So forget it. I appreciate your goodwill, but I can't go wade into that muddy mess at the Cloud Mist Sect."

As he spoke, An Yi had already thoroughly cleaned the shabby little house.

In truth, nearly all his belongings and valuables were stored inside the Storage Ring his parents had left him.

Other than some worn daily necessities and a few changes of clothes, the room was practically bare. Naturally, it was easy to clean.

An Yi turned, his gaze landing on Xiao Xun'er's delicate, ethereal little face. He said softly,

"Little Sister Xun'er, you came at just the right time. After what happened today, I don't want to personally say goodbye to Uncle Xiao Zhan or the three elders. It would only leave everyone disgusted with each other."

"Help me pass along a message. Tell them An Yi thanks the Xiao Household for raising him all these years. From now on, the sky is high and the road is far. I won't trouble them any longer."

With that, An Yi flipped his wrist and took an ordinary gold deposit card from his Storage Ring, holding it out to Xiao Xun'er.

"There are two thousand gold coins on this card. Consider it payment and compensation for the food, clothing, and lodging I've received from the Xiao Household over the years. Consider it my way of bringing this chapter of living under another's roof to a close."

An Yi smiled. "Help me hand over the money. If I took this much money to them myself, those old fools would probably get jealous again and accuse me of murdering someone for treasure. And if I brought up leaving face-to-face at a time like this, they'd definitely say I had a guilty conscience and was fleeing punishment. They'd insist on detaining me."

"But if I stay here, we only managed to muddle through today with the help of you two. Who knows whether those old foxes will dump another load of filth on my head tomorrow or the day after?"

An Yi shrugged. "I may have no great ambitions. My lifelong dream is to loaf around until I die, but I still value my life. So, of the thirty-six stratagems, retreat is the best."

Looking at the gold deposit card before her, Xiao Xun'er bit her lower lip hard. Tears welled in her eyes, yet she stubbornly refused to reach out and take it.

"You don't need to leave! With me here, I guarantee no one in the Xiao Household will dare touch a hair on your head!"

"Even if you really have to leave, you... you should at least wait... wait until you're an adult! It's too dangerous for you to go out alone now!"

"Things have already come to this. Everyone in the Xiao Household saw how those elders stopped at nothing to pin the blame on me. Do you think I can still stay in this Xiao Household with a clear conscience, even with you protecting me?"

An Yi sighed and forcibly stuffed the gold deposit card into Xiao Xun'er's hand.

"Forget it. What's done is done. Well... if fate allows, we'll meet again."

An Yi cupped his hands with easy grace. "Farewell."

With that, he strode outside, preparing to pass by them and leave the room.

"Wait!"

Nalan Yanran suddenly reached out and tightly grabbed An Yi's arm. The young sect mistress, usually so spoiled and arrogant, was now filled with worry and reluctance. "If you leave the Xiao Household and refuse to go to the Cloud Mist Sect, then where... where can you go?"

"The world is vast. Where can't I go?"

An Yi stopped and turned back with a bright smile. "Big Sister, don't underestimate me too much. I'm already fifteen, after all. Besides, I've spent these years tagging along behind Sister Ya Fei and picked up a little knowledge about doing business. She's given me plenty of spending money. I have money and skills. I won't starve."

"I'm not some oversized baby who'll starve to death outside without the protection of a family. Don't worry. Maybe in a couple of years, once I've made something of myself, I'll go to the Holy City of Jia Ma and have tea with you."

An Yi glanced down at Nalan Yanran's slender fingers clutched tightly around his arm, then helplessly patted the back of her hand.

"Alright, let go. If you keep holding onto me like this and attract the attention of those patrolling guards outside, I won't be able to escape even if I want to. You don't mean to take my life like those elders, do you?"

Nalan Yanran bit her red lip. A flicker of struggle passed through her eyes, but in the end, she weakly let go.

An Yi turned around and looked at Xiao Xun'er, whose eyes were red-rimmed. The disguise on his face completely fell away, revealing a clean, gentle smile.

"Goodbye, Little Sister Xun'er."

The young man waved, then turned and walked into the deepening night.

"I'm off to wander the world."

After completely leaving that foul, chaotic Xiao Household behind, An Yi moved through Wutan City's streets and alleys under cover of night, heading straight for the back wall of the Mittel Auction House.

The auction house had already closed for the night, and the bustle had faded away.

Ya Fei had just finished another exhausting, monotonous day of work. Dragging her tired body back to her private courtyard, she was about to take a nice hot bath and rest.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, a black shadow silently vaulted over the tall courtyard wall like a night cat, landing steadily on the stone pavement.

Ya Fei jumped at the sudden sound, nearly dropping the jeweled hairpin in her hand.

Once she recognized that conspicuous head of white hair beneath the moonlight, she immediately rolled her eyes with alluring exasperation.

"I say, little ancestor, can't you act like a normal person for once and use the front gate?"

Ya Fei patted her chest, still shaken as she scolded him sweetly. "Sneaking over the wall in the middle of the night without making a sound—do you know how frightening that is?"

An Yi dusted off his hands, stepped closer, and lowered his voice.

"The front gate is too obvious. People would notice me. Rich lady, I'm not exactly someone who can show his face openly right now."

Ya Fei froze. "What happened? Did something go wrong?"

An Yi casually sat beside the stone table and poured himself a cup of water. "With the Mittel Auction House's information network, you should have already heard about what happened at the Xiao Household today, right?"

"I heard." Ya Fei nodded, her expression turning serious. "I heard that an inner sect elite disciple brought by that Cloud Mist Sect steward named Ge Ye died in the mountains outside the city last night. Not even an intact corpse was left behind. The Xiao Household higher-ups are currently sending people everywhere to investigate whether some reckless mercenary group went outside the city last night and committed the crime."

An Yi took a sip of water. "I killed him."

Pfft—

Ya Fei had just lifted her teacup to moisten her throat. Upon hearing that, she sprayed out a mouthful of tea. Her expression instantly froze as she stared at him in shock.

"Y-you killed him?! Why?!"

An Yi shrugged helplessly. "What else could it be? Yesterday afternoon, Nalan Yanran and I sparred at the Martial Arena. That little pink-haired girl had no sense of martial ethics and tore my clothes. Later, I held her as we fell off the stage together. That guy was a complete brain-dead simp, so he held a grudge against me over that."

"Last night, he tracked me all the way to the waterfall outside the city and drew his sword to kill me. What could I do? I may be a kind person, but I couldn't exactly stand there and let him chop me. So... I could only reluctantly send him to meet King Yama."

Listening to An Yi's casual tone, Ya Fei felt her scalp go numb.

"That was an inner sect elite of the Cloud Mist Sect! You... you fool!"

Ya Fei stamped her foot anxiously and scolded him in a low voice. "Even if you couldn't beat him, you could have escaped with your movement technique, couldn't you? You shouldn't have fought him, much less killed him!"