The turbulent chaos at the Mittel Auction House finally settled into dust. Ya Fei was methodically cleaning up the aftermath, forcefully suppressing unrest within the venue, pacifying the crowd, and simultaneously countering the scouts and informants rushing in from all directions to stabilize the probing from various factions in Wutan City.
Xia Kong had already hammered out a mutually beneficial cooperative trade with Xiao Yan and Yao Lao, and everything was settled.
Meanwhile, a breeze swept through the corridors and falling blossoms fluttered inside a pavilion in the most exquisite and elegant courtyard of the Xiao Clan estate.
Xiao Xun'er wore a light purple gauze long dress that accentuated her exquisite and slender figure, making her look refined and transcendent. She sat quietly beside a stone table, her fingertips gently turning the pages of a storytelling booklet. It was none other than "I Farm and Cultivate to Become an Emperor in Battle Through the Heavens", a work that had recently swept across Wutan City, written by the mysterious author Azure Emperor.
A shallow smile lingered between the young woman's gentle and serene brows, and when she read a humorous passage, the corners of her lips would lift into a melodious, soft laugh, silently marveling in her heart at how humorous and bold the author's writing style was, and how unrestrained and boundless his imagination proved to be.
Heh, farming to become an emperor?
Xiao Xun'er gently shook her head, a trace of faint and helpless amusement flashing across the depths of her eyes as she whispered softly, "How vast and arduous is the path of the Dou Di? If one could ascend to the Emperor Realm merely by farming, how could the Dou Qi Continent have produced only one Tou She Ancient God in all these ten thousand years?"
When the words fell, she lowered her eyes slightly, her brows furrowed in a slight frown as a trace of doubt arose in her heart: Could the ten thousand years without an Emperor truly be caused by the exhaustion of the world's Origin Emperor Qi, just as the booklet guessed?
Just as Xiao Xun'er fell into deep thought, a ghostly, pitch-black figure suddenly swept in from beyond the courtyard wall, landing without a sound with an aura condensed to the extreme.
The newcomer wore a fitted outfit of black battle armor, draped in a dark cloak, with a silver mask concealing the greater part of his face. His entire body exuded a heavy and dignified aura-it was none other than Xiao Xun'er's close retainer and guard, Ling Ying, whose cultivation reached a terrifying Eight-Star Dou Emperor.
Earlier, intense battles of the Da Dou Shi level had broken out at the Mittel Auction House, creating a massive commotion, and Ling Ying had sensed the anomaly immediately.
Xiao Xun'er knew that Xiao Yan had been frequenting the Mittel Auction House lately and grew concerned, so she had ordered him to secretly investigate the truth.
"Miss." Ling Ying bowed, his voice low and respectful as he meticulously reported his findings. "Young Master Xiao Yan is indeed at the Mittel Auction House. However, the fight just now was not caused by Young Master Xiao Yan, but rather internal power struggles within the Mittel branch. This subordinate surmises that the root of this internal chaos must be closely tied to those special medicinal herbs with miraculous effects that Ya Fei has been auctioning lately."
Hearing this, a slight ripple stirred in Xiao Xun'er's heart, and her mind instantly recalled the booklet she had just been reading. The booklet had bizarrely recorded that Ya Fei would eventually ascend to the realm of the Dou Di and be conferred the title of the Golden Female Emperor.
She could not help but let out a soft, dismissive chuckle-not mocking Ya Fei, but simply sighing at how over-the-top the author's imagination was, figuring he must have been captivated by Ya Fei's peerless beauty that outshone Wutan to produce such an absurd fantasy.
Xun'er hailed from an Emperor Clan, so seeing a realm like the Dou Di felt completely ordinary to her. Yet it was precisely this ordinariness that made her overlook the fact that even a Dou Emperor was a legend in this Jia Ma Empire, and a Dou Zong was practically unseen; how could anyone possibly know that the ultimate destination of cultivation would be a Dou Di?
An ordinariness that caused Xiao Xun'er to miss the best opportunity to befriend the young Azure Emperor who had yet to grow up.
Seeing his young miss suddenly burst into laughter, Ling Ying was momentarily bewildered, the rest of his report stuck on the tip of his tongue, caught between advancing and retreating in hesitation.
Xiao Xun'er instantly reined in her emotions, fading the smile from her eyes as her expression returned to cold detachment and dignity, speaking flatly, "Continue."
"Yes." Acknowledging the order, Ling Ying resumed his deep, steady report. "The youth Xia Kong whom Miss was previously paying attention to has already returned to Wutan City today. That Tier 2 Blue Eagle that flashed across the sky just now was his mount."
At this point, a trace of undisguised astonishment tainted Ling Ying's tone. "Although this child currently possesses only the cultivation of an Eight-Star Dou Shi, he is capable of suppressing and slaying a Three-Star Great Dou Master head-on. The span of his battle prowess is utterly exaggerated, far exceeding the laws of the same tier!"
Sixteen years old, an Eight-Star Dou Shi...
Xiao Xun'er's slender fingertips lightly stroked the pages of the book, ripples washing across the depths of her eyes.
Such talent already qualified as the absolute pinnacle of peerless genius in the remote and barren Jia Ma Empire. Upon seeing such an outstanding Xia Kong, Xun'er could not help but inwardly indulge in idle fancy: if Brother Xiao Yan had not been crippled for three years and had his years wasted back then, what kind of world-shaking level would his current cultivation have reached?
In the next turn of thought, she checked her own cultivation; the realm of a Seven-Star Dou Zhe at age fifteen already made her a paragon in ordinary noble families, yet compared to a monstrosity like Xia Kong, it somehow seemed somewhat dim.
She was, after all, the cherished young lady of the Gu Clan, one of the Ancient Eight Clans, and her father was even the strongest expert in the current continent...
It seemed she really needed to read fewer idle stories and booklets from now on, applying herself wholeheartedly to cultivation without slacking off.
"How is Brother Xiao Yan's current situation?" Xiao Xun'er raised her eyes, asking softly.
"After the battle ended, that Xia Kong invited Young Master Xiao Yan into a VIP private room for a confidential discussion, seemingly wishing to enlist the soul entity behind Young Master Xiao Yan to refine pills. This subordinate was wary of that soul expert's perception and did not dare to draw close rashly, failing to overhear the specific contents of their conversation."
"I understand." Xiao Xun'er nodded slightly, giving a calm command. "You will continue to guard Brother Xiao Yan in secret. Do not stay too far away, but absolutely must not expose yourself. Brother Xiao Yan does not like being followed all the time!"
"This subordinate obeys!"
Ling Ying offered a bitter smile, bowing to accept the order before his figure flickered and once more transformed into a black shadow, slipping silently out of the courtyard.
The small courtyard where Xia Kong previously lived in Wutan City had been meticulously tended to by Ya Fei and Xiao Qin. It was swept and cleaned every few days, leaving the windows bright and spotless without a speck of dust, while the indoor furnishings and living utensils were all in complete order, always maintaining an appearance ready for occupancy at any moment.
After finalizing all trading details with Xiao Yan and Yao Lao, Xia Kong brought Xiao Yi Xian and Little Blue back to this courtyard together.
Ordinary people would find it utterly unimaginable that a Tier 2 magical beast with a notorious reputation for ferocity was currently squatting in the corner of the courtyard without the slightest bit of murderous intent, acting completely docile as it enjoyed spiritual fruits and delicacies while bathing in the warm sun. Lazily and comfortably, it retained none of the ferocity typical of magical beasts.
Xiao Yi Xian's bright and clear eyes thoroughly inspected the layout and furnishings of the entire courtyard, the more she looked, the more familiar it felt.
Many of the arrangements and structural ingenuities bore an extreme resemblance to the cabin they had built together in the Mountain Valley, and a profound, meaningful smile instantly flashed across the depths of her eyes.
She turned her head to look at Xia Kong beside her, asking softly with eyes brimming with curiosity, "Didn't you say before that you were just an ordinary youth from Wutan City? Where on earth did you get a Dou Emperor friend? Can that old mister really refine sixth-grade pills? Isn't that comparable to Pill King Gu He, the number one alchemist of the Jia Ma Empire? Could you have been tricked and swindled?!"
Just as her voice trailed off, a graceful figure walked slowly outside the courtyard gate.
Ya Fei had just finished handling all the tangled and complicated affairs of the Mittel Auction House when she immediately spared the time to rush over here. Hearing the questions Xiao Yi Xian had just posed, her own eyes carried a thick layer of curiosity as well.
Xia Kong was just about to clear up Xiao Yi Xian's doubts one by one, but seeing Ya Fei arrive, he temporarily cast Xiao Yi Xian's questions to the back of his mind. He planned to discuss matters concerning Xiao Yan, Yao Lao, and Hai Bodong once Ya Fei and Xiao Yi Xian had grown mutually familiar and could sit down to communicate with steady hearts.
A genuine smile of reunion bloomed across his face as he softly called out Ya Fei's name: "Ya Fei! You're done with your busywork!"
Xiao Yi Xian at the side also stood up accordingly, her brows curving into crescents with a sweet and sincere smile as she proactively offered a greeting, "Sister Ya Fei, Xia Kong often mentions you, saying your bearing is peerless and your beauty breathtaking. Seeing you today, it truly lives up to the reputation."
Standing on the Blue Eagle's back earlier, Ya Fei had naturally taken in the sight of Xia Kong and Xiao Yi Xian acting intimate and standing shoulder to shoulder, and she had roughly figured out their relationship in her heart.
At first, seeing that Xiao Yi Xian possessed peerless looks and an ethereal disposition, she had even secretly worried that a maiden like a proud daughter of heaven might prove spoiled, willful, and difficult to get along with. Yet witnessing it firsthand right now, the other party was well-behaved and gentle, spoke with poise, and possessed a pure and sincere smile that instantly allowed Ya Fei to let out a sigh of relief.
Secretly marveling in her heart at how exceptional Xia Kong's luck was to be accompanied by such a gentle and pure beauty, she then turned her gaze to Xia Kong, casting a bewitching and charming sidelong glance full of feminine allure.
"You're too polite, little sister. From now on, this place is your home, so there's no need to stand on ceremony."
Smiling, Ya Fei pulled Xiao Yi Xian's hand and drew her down to sit together beside Xia Kong, then looked at Xia Kong with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, her tone carrying a trace of playful reproach. "Little Yi Xian is still young and simple-minded, so you are not allowed to bully her."
This ambiguous and teasing remark instantly turned the atmosphere inside the courtyard subtle.
Xia Kong's ears burned instantly, looking slightly embarrassed as he picked up a tea cup with an air of nonchalant innocence and took a sip of the fragrant tea. Xiao Yi Xian's cheeks turned even more crimson, her mind uncontrollably replaying the ambiguous scenes from the past month where the two of them had lived intimately side by side in the valley, growing warm and close, several times coming dangerously close to crossing the line.
The sight of both a man and a woman turning red and embarrassed landed entirely in Ya Fei's eyes. She instantly saw through the progress of their relationship, and the bewitching smile in her eyes grew even richer.
Looks like the first bite is still mine, nobody can snatch this from me...
"All right, Ya Fei, stop teasing her. Xian'er has thin skin." Xia Kong hurriedly spoke up to smooth things over,reining in his smile as his expression turned serious. "Let's get back to business."
Once both maidens had completely reined in their banter and assumed serious expressions, Xia Kong slowly began to speak, recounting the past misfortunes of the Ice Emperor Hai Bodong, his current predicament of being sealed, and his own comprehensive plan from beginning to end.
PS. September has ended. Wishing everyone a happy National Day and a wonderful holiday!
Before you continue