Finally Home, an Unaccountable Chill

Wutan City, the Mittel Auction House.

After a day of hard work, Ya Fei returned to her quarters, exhaustion weighing on her.

Her maid had already prepared hot water. As she headed for the bathroom, she casually peeled off her qipao and black stockings, faintly damp with sweat, and tossed them at her feet.

By the time she reached the bathroom, the last thing concealing her had slipped away as well, leaving her fair, full-figured, curvaceous body completely exposed amid the hazy steam.

Her pale jade feet lightly tested the water, sending out a shallow ripple. The petals floating on the surface swayed gently along with it.

After confirming that the water was just right, her graceful body slowly sank into the bath.

The warm water, carrying the fragrance of flower petals, flowed over her skin and gradually dispelled the day's fatigue. A satisfied, languid smile finally surfaced on Ya Fei's face.

She lowered her head to study her perfect figure reflected in the water, but the image of that boy who had brazenly sized up her body the first time they met involuntarily came to mind.

Remembering that the rascal had vanished without a trace for a whole year after leaving, Ya Fei's expression instantly turned resentful, and she couldn't help muttering under her breath:

"That rascal. He's been gone so long, and he hasn't even sent a single letter back... And here I am, rushing around taking care of the Xiao Clan for him."

Ever since she had struck a deal with Xiao Yan, Ya Fei had dealings with the boy plenty of times.

They weren't exactly inseparable, but they could certainly be considered close friends.

She had never imagined that before leaving, the brat wouldn't even come to see her, or leave her a single letter. He had simply found someone to pass along the message, "Please help look after the Xiao Clan," then left without a second thought.

Ya Fei had secretly cursed him plenty of times over that.

But complaints aside, she had never once been careless about taking care of the Xiao Clan.

To make sure every aspect of the two families' cooperation proceeded without a hitch, she handled almost everything personally, reviewing every account and every piece of correspondence, large or small.

It was an exhausting job, and she returned almost every night feeling as though her body had fallen apart.

But she worked so hard partly to prove her abilities to her clan, and partly because of the instruction that little fellow had left her before he went.

Even if it had only been a simple message.

The Xiao Clan.

The Xiao Clan of today was utterly transformed compared with a year and a half ago.

After Xiao Yan had brought the two sides together, the Xiao Clan established an extremely close business relationship with the Mittel Auction House.

Before leaving, Xiao Yan had left his clan a considerable quantity of pills of various grades, enough to keep the two families' pill trade going without interruption.

And the cooperation that followed didn't stop at pills; it gradually expanded into other fields.

Ya Fei's exceptional business acumen had played a decisive role in this.

Without her planning and directing things behind the scenes, the Xiao Clan could never have grown so powerful in less than two years.

With the pills Xiao Yan had left behind, Xiao Zhan had also successfully advanced to Dou Ling.

From then on, the Xiao Clan had a Dou Ling powerhouse openly holding the fort, and the prying eyes lurking in the shadows had withdrawn considerably.

With Little Purple, a sixth-tier Magical Beast, also hidden in the shadows to protect them, the Xiao Clan's business in Wutan City was thriving, with its reach even extending to several nearby cities.

Not long ago, the Xiao Clan had also hired several First-Rank Alchemists at great expense.

The pills they refined were not as good as the ones Xiao Yan had personally made, but they were still enough to sustain the Xiao Clan's pill business through the year since his departure.

Back at the Xiao Clan's Training Ground.

With Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid to aid them, the younger generation of the Xiao Clan now advanced by leaps and bounds in the Dou Qi stage.

For a time, the clan's enthusiasm for cultivation soared to unprecedented heights, and every Xiao Clan disciple strove tirelessly to train.

But cultivation alone naturally wasn't enough; practical combat couldn't be neglected either.

So after their daily training, the disciples would gather at the Training Ground of their own accord, pair off, and spar with their fists and feet.

Amid the noisy shouts, two young girls walking hand in hand stood out in particular.

Everyone who passed them couldn't help turning their heads for another look.

One of the girls was Xun'er, and the other was Xiao Yi Xian, who had followed Little Purple to the Xiao Clan.

Because Xiao Yan had suppressed her Woeful Poison Body, Xiao Yi Xian could now touch other people as freely as anyone else, without worrying that her constitution would harm the innocent.

After spending all this time together day and night, the two had already become very close friends.

Their first meeting, however, had not exactly been harmonious.

Back then, when Xun'er learned from Ling Ying that Xiao Yan had met a girl while away, she hadn't been in the best of moods.

If she hadn't been on a mission from her clan, and if she hadn't been so young, she would have wanted to stay by Brother Xiao Yan's side every moment. She would never have given another woman a chance to take advantage of his absence.

For that very reason, when Xiao Yi Xian first arrived at the Xiao Clan, the two inevitably kept running into each other, and their time together was awkward in ways neither could quite explain.

But as time passed and they got to know each other, they gradually discovered the good qualities in one another.

They had more and more to talk about, and before long they had become exceptionally close friends.

Later, Xun'er had come to terms with it, too. Sooner or later, she would have to return to the Gu Clan, and in the end, she couldn't stay by Xiao Yan's side forever.

If a good girl like Xiao Yi Xian could look after Brother Xiao Yan, she would feel more at ease.

Today, however, Xun'er was in a less-than-pleasant mood because of something concerning Xiao Yan.

She was only eleven years old, and Xiao Yan had pampered her since she was little. Around people she knew well, she didn't deliberately hide her feelings.

"Is something bothering you, Xun'er?" Xiao Yi Xian noticed the gloom between the girl's brows and gently asked, tilting her head.

"It's because of Brother Xiao Yan again." Xun'er gave a faint, resentful snort.

"Xiao Yan? What happened to him? Is he in danger?" The moment Xiao Yi Xian heard Xiao Yan's name, her heart tightened, and she hurriedly pressed for answers.

"No, it's like this..." Xun'er slowly told Xiao Yi Xian what she had just learned.

She had only just learned from Ling Ying that Xiao Yan had taken in another mother-and-daughter pair, along with a Snake-Person maid.

When she first heard this, she had almost thought she'd misheard.

Since when had her Brother Xiao Yan gotten so wild? A mother-and-daughter pair? And a Snake-Person maid?

After confirming it again and again, Xun'er finally had to admit it really was her own Brother Xiao Yan.

That left her feeling stifled for quite a while.

She had sent Ling Ying out originally to secretly protect Brother Xiao Yan. Who would have thought he'd bring back one piece of outrageous news after another?

Later, she simply decided that out of sight was out of mind and called Ling Ying back.

"Don't worry, Xun'er. When Xiao Yan comes back, we'll ask him about it!" Xiao Yi Xian clenched her fists and puffed out her little cheeks.

Xiao Yi Xian had only just finished speaking when a sudden cry of alarm rang out across the Training Ground.

"Look at the sky! Th-that's a huge Magical Beast!" one of the Xiao Clan disciples shouted, pointing toward the horizon.

At the sound of his voice, everyone looked up in unison. Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian did the same.

Ling Ying's voice quietly reached Xun'er's ear, and she immediately knew Brother Xiao Yan had returned.

First, joy rose in her heart. Then she remembered the maddening news from just moments ago, and her eyes turned resentful again.

Standing with his hands behind his back beside the railing of the Flying Magical Beast, Xiao Yan looked down at Wutan City, where he had lived for more than ten years.

It should have been a heartwarming homecoming, but for some reason, an inexplicable chill suddenly crept up his back.

The chill came from nowhere.

He turned around suspiciously and looked at Ice Emperor Hai Bodong, who stood respectfully behind him, then couldn't help asking:

"Elder Hai, did you just fart?"