A Little Shock for Ya Fei

Early the next morning, Xiao Yan got up and headed straight to Hai Bodong's residence, taking him along to the Mittel Auction House.

Ya Fei had learned the day before that Xiao Yan had returned to the city, and an inexplicable, uncontrollable excitement surged in her heart.

However, when she heard that Xiao Yan hadn't come to see her after returning, but had instead spent the entire day wandering around Wutan City with two girls, that excitement quietly turned into an indescribable sense of disappointment.

Although she knew full well that there was nothing substantial between her and Xiao Yan, that gloomy feeling still lingered in her heart, impossible to shake.

Because of it, she had been distracted all evening, not even hearing her maid call her several times.

That gloomy mood had lasted until this morning.

Only when a servant came to report that Xiao Yan had arrived at the Mittel Auction House did Ya Fei's spirits suddenly lift.

She hurried to the mirror and carefully tidied her appearance. Only after confirming that she looked impeccable from head to toe did she nod in satisfaction, sway her supple waist, and make her way gracefully toward the lounge.

Inside the lounge, Xiao Yan and Hai Bodong were leisurely savoring the fragrant tea the servants had brought them.

"Elder Hai, Ya Fei, the person in charge here, has helped me quite a bit..." Xiao Yan said slowly to Hai Bodong as he drank his tea.

Hai Bodong listened closely from the side, and the more he heard, the more delighted he became.

He truly hadn't expected that his junior clanswoman, Ya Fei, would be so capable, having already earned such a deep measure of goodwill from Xiao Yan.

He secretly resolved that once he returned, he would make Mittel Tengshan, that good-for-nothing, give Ya Fei a generous reward.

The crisp clatter of high heels drew closer, and the lounge door slowly swung open.

"Little brother Xiao Yan, you're such a busy man, and yet you've actually come in person today. Your big sister is truly flattered."

Before she appeared, her seductive, alluring voice, tinged with just a hint of jealousy, drifted into Xiao Yan and Hai Bodong's ears.

As soon as she finished speaking, Ya Fei's long, beautiful legs, wrapped in black stockings, stepped into the room first. Next came her perfectly tailored qipao, and finally her charming, bewitching face, brimming with allure.

It had been some time since they last met, and the mature, seductive charm about Ya Fei seemed even more pronounced than before.

Every frown and smile came with a naturally alluring air. She was simply bewitching beyond measure.

If Xiao Yan hadn't had enough self-control, this little fox would probably have had him firmly wrapped around her finger from the moment they first met.

"Sister Ya Fei, don't tease me," Xiao Yan replied with a smile, setting down his teacup.

Faced with a natural beauty like her, he had no better way to deal with her. He could only do his best to keep from looking too flustered.

After entering, Ya Fei's gaze shifted and settled on Hai Bodong, seated beside Xiao Yan.

At just one glance, she felt an especially strong intuition that this elderly man was no ordinary person.

It wasn't any definite judgment, but pure intuition—a special knack she had honed from her years of experience in business and dealing with countless people since childhood.

"Sister Ya Fei, let me introduce you. This is Elder Hai, a Dou Huang expert," Xiao Yan said with a smile at the right moment when he saw her gaze linger on Hai Bodong.

A Dou Huang expert! At those four words, Ya Fei was so startled that she covered her little mouth.

A Dou Huang ranked among the top experts in the entire Jia Ma Empire.

Such a major figure was sitting right in front of her, as real as could be. How could she not be shocked?

Moreover, the name "Elder Hai" stirred a strange sense of familiarity in her. She felt as though she had heard it somewhere before.

Coming back to her senses, Ya Fei hurriedly curtsied and said respectfully, "Ya Fei pays her respects to Elder Hai."

"Not bad. You've managed this Auction House very well. With your abilities, managing the entire family in the future wouldn't be difficult either," Hai Bodong said, giving Ya Fei the highest praise without holding back.

He had been quietly considering how to further strengthen his relationship with Xiao Yan, and Ya Fei's arrival suddenly made his eyes light up.

From observing Xiao Yan's opinion of Ya Fei and the way the two interacted, the old fox Hai Bodong had already come up with a brilliant plan.

And Ya Fei was the most crucial part of it.

Ya Fei felt that there might be a deeper meaning behind Hai Bodong's words, but she didn't think much of it. She simply smiled modestly. "Thank you for your praise, Elder Hai. I'm still young, and there's a lot I still need to learn."

Seeing how modest Ya Fei was, Xiao Yan spoke up at just the right moment. "There's no need to be modest, Sister Ya Fei. If Elder Hai says you're capable, then you definitely are."

He paused briefly, then added offhandedly, "After all, Elder Hai is the Supreme Elder of your Mittel Family."

"Supreme Elder!" Ya Fei's beautiful eyes widened in disbelief as she stared straight at Hai Bodong.

At the same time, the fog in her mind finally cleared, and she understood why the name "Elder Hai" had seemed so familiar.

Wasn't the Mittel Family's Supreme Elder, who had disappeared for who knew how many years, called Hai Bodong?

Ya Fei had never imagined that the great figure who had existed only in family rumors would be sitting right in front of her, and would think so highly of her.

What made her even more curious was what sort of relationship Xiao Yan and Elder Hai had.

It wasn't long before Ya Fei learned the answer-master and servant.

Hai Bodong openly acknowledged his master-servant relationship with Xiao Yan, then solemnly told Ya Fei that from then on, throughout the entire Mittel Family, Xiao Yan's orders ranked above his.

One astonishing revelation after another crashed into Ya Fei's mind, leaving it completely blank. For a moment, she could hardly tell whether everything before her was a dream or reality.

After they finished talking, Xiao Yan took out a Medicinal Herb List he had prepared earlier and handed it to Hai Bodong.

"Elder Hai, please return to the Imperial Capital and explain Ya Fei's situation here to the family. At the same time, help me gather the Medicinal Herbs on this list."

Hai Bodong accepted the list with both hands and solemnly nodded his agreement.

Xiao Yan then added with a smile, "The main ingredients needed to refine an Emperor's Extreme Pill are on this list. Once you've gathered them all, I'll personally refine it for you and help you advance further."

An Emperor's Extreme Pill! As a Dou Huang expert, how could Hai Bodong not know the fame of the Emperor's Extreme Pill?

It was a peak sixth-grade Pill. After a Dou Huang took it, it could not only raise their strength by one or two stars, but also greatly strengthen their Physique and consolidate their foundations.

Such remarkable effects were enough to make any Dou Huang expert green with envy.

Hai Bodong was no exception.

A bright glint flashed in his eyes, and barely contained excitement appeared on his old face. He immediately and carefully put away the list, then swiftly turned and went off to make preparations.

Watching Hai Bodong leave in high spirits, Xiao Yan picked up his teacup and took another light sip.

He had already decided what to do next: stay with the Xiao Clan to improve his Alchemy, wait for enrollment at Jia Nan Academy to begin, and secretly help the family build up its strength.

If he could help Little Purple break through to Dou Zong before enrolling, that would be all the better.

With a Dou Zong guarding the Xiao Clan, he would be able to truly put his mind at ease after heading to Jia Nan Academy.