Soul Hall...

She paused, her voice lowering a few degrees.

"If anything truly happens to Mr. Xiao, then this game in Wutan City can no longer be played."

"This game in Wutan City?"

Xiao Chen raised a brow. "Since when has Miss Ya Fei begun caring about the board?"

"Since I met Mr. Xiao."

Ya Fei pressed her lips together and said softly, "I once saw myself as nothing more than a merchant managing an auction house. But after following Mr. Xiao for these past three years, I gradually came to understand that on this board, one wrong move means a bottomless abyss."

"Mr. Xiao is the one playing the game. Ya Fei would not dare speak rashly."

She lifted her eyes, her gaze earnest. "But Ya Fei hopes that the one playing... can remain firmly seated there."

Xiao Chen looked at her.

"Don't worry."

He said softly, "My life is a tough one. A mere Misty Cloud Sect cannot take it from me."

"Mr. Xiao!"

Ya Fei said anxiously, "I'm not joking! Though the Misty Cloud Sect Outer Sect has withdrawn its people, that is only temporary! Once Xiao Yan wins the Three-Year Agreement, it will be the entire Misty Cloud Sect's face that gets slapped! How could they possibly let it go?!"

Xiao Chen said slowly, "I know."

"Then you still..." Ya Fei was briefly at a loss for words.

"Miss Ya Fei."

Xiao Chen set down his teacup and said slowly, "You say the Misty Cloud Sect is no benevolent force. True enough. But have you considered this? Even if the Xiao Clan yields, will the Misty Cloud Sect spare them?"

Ya Fei froze.

"Three years ago, when Nalan Yanran broke off the engagement, it was the Xiao Clan's face she struck."

Xiao Chen said blandly, "Three years later, when the Misty Cloud Sect sent people to humiliate them at their door, their aim was likewise to make the Xiao Clan bow their heads. If the Xiao Clan retreats one step, they advance two. Retreat far enough, and the Xiao Clan will become nothing."

"Rather than live on in cowardly submission, it is better to defeat them fair and square!"

Ya Fei remained silent for a long while before slowly saying, "Mr. Xiao, are you... truly determined?"

"I am."

Xiao Chen smiled. "Miss Ya Fei, do you believe that on the day of the Three-Year Agreement, Xiao Yan will definitely win?"

"If you do not believe it, why not make a wager with me?"

"Wager on what?" Ya Fei was startled.

"On whether Xiao Yan will win on the day of the Three-Year Agreement."

Xiao Chen lifted his teacup. "I wager that he will win. If I lose, for the next three years, my medicinal pills will be supplied to the Mittel Auction House free of charge."

Ya Fei blinked, then suddenly smiled. "With a stake like that, Mr. Xiao, Ya Fei almost hopes to lose."

"Then it is settled." Xiao Chen smiled.

"If he wins..." Ya Fei trailed off.

"If he wins, the Xiao Clan will hold its head high. If he loses..."

Xiao Chen paused. "Then I, Xiao Chen, will win back this honor for the Xiao Clan!"

"You..."

Ya Fei cried out, "Are you going to make an enemy of the Misty Cloud Sect?!"

"Calling them enemies would be excessive." Xiao Chen said blandly, "I merely intend to let them know that the Xiao Clan is not a soft persimmon anyone can squeeze."

"Besides, the Three-Year Agreement is a duel arranged between Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran. So long as we act within the rules, the Misty Cloud Sect cannot possibly throw away even this last shred of dignity."

Ya Fei was silent for a moment before finally nodding. "Since Mr. Xiao has a plan, Ya Fei will not try to persuade you further."

"Only..."

She said solemnly, "Should you need anything in the future, Mr. Xiao, simply say the word."

"Mittel has branches in every city of the Jia Ma Empire. When it comes to gathering intelligence, no one compares to us. Should there be the slightest movement from the Misty Cloud Sect, Ya Fei will inform Mr. Xiao at once."

"If the Misty Cloud Sect dares move against the Xiao Clan after the Three-Year Agreement, Mittel will never stand by and watch!"

"Good!"

Xiao Chen clapped his hands and laughed. "With those words from Miss Ya Fei, I have gained wings like a tiger!"

"However..."

His tone shifted as he cautioned her, "Miss Ya Fei, it is best that only you and I know of this matter. Do not spread it around, lest it alert the Misty Cloud Sect."

"Ya Fei understands."

Ya Fei nodded solemnly. "Then, Mr. Xiao... Ya Fei will take her leave."

"Take care."

Xiao Chen smiled as he escorted her to the door. "The roads are dark late at night. Miss Ya Fei, be careful on your way."

"Mr. Xiao should rest early as well."

"Uncle, Xun'er has recently noticed an unknown force secretly investigating the Xiao Clan's background. They act furtively, their tracks are elusive. They are suspected to be outer members of the Soul Hall."

"Uncle and Brother Yan must be careful. Xun'er is also investigating within the clan."

Xiao Chen looked at the elegant handwriting, warmth flashing through his eyes. "That girl is thoughtful indeed."

"Soul Hall..."

Xiao Chen slowly spoke the two words.

No one knew better than he did what those two words meant on the Dou Qi Continent.

"The Soul Hall never leaves survivors when it acts. Yet they are merely 'investigating their background' instead of striking directly. That means they only harbor suspicions and have not yet locked onto their target."

In the original story, the Soul Hall did not set its sights on the Xiao Clan until much, much later.

"Investigating the Xiao Clan's background..."

Xiao Chen leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes in thought.

"What background could the Xiao Clan possibly have that was worth the Soul Hall investigating?"

"Either they noticed the Xiao Clan's abnormal rise over the past three years. Or..."

He opened his eyes, a cold gleam flashing through them. "They discovered that the ring on Xiao Yan has a problem!"

Yao Lao!

The instant that thought arose, Xiao Chen's back tensed slightly.

Within the ring in Xiao Yan's possession lived that powerful expert who had once dominated the continent. If the Soul Hall had already discovered Yao Lao's existence, then the Xiao Clan's situation was a hundred times more dangerous than he had imagined.

"However, given the Soul Hall's usual methods, if they had truly confirmed that person's whereabouts, they would likely have struck immediately rather than merely investigating their background."

Xiao Chen slowly shook his head and temporarily suppressed the thought.

"At present, they should only be suspicious and have not yet locked onto their target."

"So long as they are merely suspicious, there is room to maneuver."

"What the Soul Hall has its eye on is the Xiao Clan's background. Yet the deeper they investigate, the sooner they will discover that the Xiao Clan has far more problems than they imagine."

"And Little Yan's growth must not be noticed by them, especially that person inside his ring."

He paused. "My own cultivation should be raised as well."

As he was thinking, a cold notification suddenly sounded in his mind:

"Ding! Detected that the host gifted Xun'er [Clear-Mind Jade Dew] ×1. The merit of the gift has been fulfilled, triggering a return: [Illuminating Perception Pill] ×1 returned!"

Xiao Chen was slightly stunned.

He had sent that bottle of Clear-Mind Jade Dew along with the letter.

Xun'er was cultivating in the Gu Clan and faced no small amount of pressure. The Clear-Mind Jade Dew could help her calm her mind.

It had merely been a spur-of-the-moment gesture, yet it had unexpectedly triggered a return as well.

"Illuminating Perception Pill... After taking it, one can greatly enhance one's perception for a short time. It has remarkable effects when identifying herbs or probing auras."

Two days later.

Inside a tavern.

"A pot of strong liquor and two liang of braised beef."

Xiao Chen tossed several copper coins toward the counter, his voice hoarse.

"Coming right up!"

The waiter answered and quickly brought over the wine and meat.

About an hour later, he finally heard what he had been waiting for.

"Have you heard? Some unfamiliar faces have come to the city recently, asking specifically about the Xiao Clan."

"The Xiao Clan? They have been in the limelight lately. Could they have offended someone?"

"Who knows? In any case, those people do not seem to be locals. They spend lavishly, but their voices turn sinister when they ask questions. Just looking at them gives me the chills."

"There's something even stranger—"