On the other side, Xiao Yan had just stripped off the identity-concealing black robe and stepped back to the entrance of the Xiao Clan estate when he was caught right in the act by Xiao Xun'er, who had been waiting there for a long time.
"Brother Xiao Yan."
Xiao Xun'er wore that familiar, calm, and faint smile on her face, as if she never took anything to heart, yet her tone was laced with a trace of faint resentment. "Is that Miss Ya Fei truly so enchanting? Otherwise, why do you always run off to the Mittel Auction House every two or three days?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Xiao Yan's entire body instantly stiffened, and cold sweat quietly seeped down the back of his neck.
"There's no such thing! With Xun'er younger sister right here, how could Ya Fei ever be called the number one beauty of Wutan City? Every time I go to the auction house, I have legitimate business to handle, and absolutely not to go see her." Xiao Yan hurriedly opened his mouth to defend himself.
"Hmph."
Xiao Xun'er let out a soft, cold snort, clearly not believing half of this explanation of his. Xiao Xun'er also possessed a good deal of self-awareness; she had met Ya Fei many times and knew that Ya Fei's stunning brilliance was definitely peerless throughout the entire Wutan City and even the entire Jia Ma Empire. Although she was confident that she was definitely no worse than Ya Fei, she also understood the gap between herself and Ya Fei. Even though she prided herself on an ethereal and peerless appearance, she was still young in years, and she truly could not match Ya Fei's mature, peach-like, plump, and moving charm.
Xiao Yan was completely helpless. To coax Xiao Xun'er, who was throwing a little temper tantrum, he could only take out the Level-Two Potatoes and white radish he had just traded from Ya Fei.
"Look, these are the level-two spiritual herbs and vegetables I purchased from the auction house. They are not only delicious, but consuming them is also of great benefit to cultivation. Xun'er younger sister, wait a moment; I'll go cook them right now and let you taste their wondrous effects."
"Brother Xiao Yan actually knows how to cook? Then Xun'er must properly evaluate and appreciate it today."
As Xiao Xun'er spoke, she was about to follow Xiao Yan to the kitchen. Although she had never touched the work of the world in her life, if the person cooking was Xiao Yan, she did not mind stepping forward to lend a hand.
However, the plan in Xiao Yan's mind was precisely to use cooking as an excuse to escape her gaze, which carried a hint of oppressive pressure.
After much persuasion, he finally managed to make Xiao Xun'er stay in the courtyard to be seated and wait, while he oiled the soles of his feet and darted swiftly into the kitchen.
Finally avoiding Xiao Xun'er's gaze, which harbored hidden sharpness, for the time being, Xiao Yan let out a long breath and set about processing the ingredients on the table.
Hehe, brat, you really don't know how blessed you are to be in this blessing. To be the object of this little girl Xun'er's affection-who knows what kind of good fortune you cultivated over several lifetimes? From now on, you better prepare yourself to suffer and enjoy it at the same time.
Within the storage ring, Yao Lao watched Xiao Yan's panicked and dodging appearance just now and could not help but let out a few teasing, light laughs.
Teased by his own unprincipled teacher, Xiao Yan could only smile wryly in helplessness, though he also heard the subtext in Yao Lao's words-Xun'er's identity was definitely not simple.
"Teacher, do you know Xun'er's true origins?" Xiao Yan fiddled with the ingredients while casually asking the question.
"I can't say for sure, nor can I say. All in all, if you truly wish to walk the path together with her, there are countless hardships left for you to suffer in the future. The road ahead is long..."
Yao Lao's teasing tone grew increasingly heavy.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan only felt a splitting headache.
At that moment, Yao Lao inside the ring sneezed several times in succession without any warning.
"Hehe, Teacher, this sneeze came quite suspiciously. Could it be that some martial aunt is thinking of you?"
Xiao Yan was not one to let a grievance go unrequited; one might even say he was somewhat vindictive. How could he possibly let go of such a good opportunity to counterattack? He immediately seized the chance to banter back.
" insolent brat, how dare you make fun of your teacher! I have never married in all my life, so where would you get any martial aunts from?"
With two thuds, Yao Lao struck Xiao Yan twice on top of the head right through the storage ring as punishment.
"Yet your bearing is peerless, and you are a high-ranking alchemist to boot. Logically speaking, there should be quite a few people enamored with you."
This joke of Xiao Yan's inadvertently stirred up long-sealed fragments of memory at the bottom of Yao Lao's heart. He felt in a daze as though he had forgotten an incomparably important person, yet when he carefully retraced his entire life, he could not remember precisely who was missing.
After this interruption, the mood for horseplay instantly dissipated completely. Yao Lao retreated straight back into the depths of the Ancient Flame Ring, leaving only a sentence that fell into Xiao Yan's ear, making his heart both apprehensive and faintly stirred with a sense of anticipation.
"You should bid a proper farewell to your family tonight. Tomorrow, we set out for the Black-Corner Region."
On the way back, the master and disciple had already discussed gathering all the medicinal materials required to refine the Purple Spirit Recovery Pill. The place closest to the Jia Ma Empire where rare treasures could be found was none other than the Black-Corner Region, where the Jia Nan Academy was located. Along the way, Yao Lao had also briefly explained the various chaotic phenomena of the Black-Corner Region to Xiao Yan, giving him a preliminary understanding of that dark land brimming with plunder and slaughter.
Xia Kong did not yet know that the transaction he and Yao Lao had reached had completely reversed Xiao Yan's original growth trajectory.
In the small courtyard of the Mittel Auction House.
Xia Kong, Xiao Yi Xian, and Ya Fei finished dinner together and sat idly in the courtyard, chatting leisurely about all sorts of trivial matters and their respective experiences under the bright, clear moon.
Ya Fei was quite interested in Xiao Yi Xian's companion, the second-rank Blue Eagle Little Blue. Thus, Xia Kong and Xiao Yi Xian brought Ya Fei along, leaping up onto Little Blue's broad back and taking a giant eagle flight in a wide circle around the entirety of Wutan City.
This was Ya Fei's first time standing at a great height, overlooking the ten thousand household lights of the entire city and gazing into the distance at the undulating night scenery of the Magical Beast Mountain Range. The evening breeze brushed past her temples, simply making one's chest open up with boundless ease.
The bright moon hung in the air, and the starry sky scattered clear radiance. After enjoying themselves to the full, the three returned to the courtyard to rest.
Ya Fei called the maid Xiao Qin, instructing her to lead Xiao Yi Xian to the guest room where she had previously stayed so she could settle in and rest.
Over the past month in the mountain valley, Xiao Yi Xian had slept side by side with Xia Kong every single night. To be abruptly separated from him, she naturally felt somewhat unaccustomed to it in her heart. Yet if she were to follow Xia Kong straight into the same room right in front of Ya Fei, she would truly feel too bashful and mortified. After several rounds of hesitation, compared to being publicly embarrassed, that slight sense of unaccustomedness was nothing at all, so she bit her lip and followed Xiao Qin to her dwelling for the night.
Watching Xiao Yi Xian's departing figure, a trace of regret flashed through the bottom of Xia Kong's heart-tonight, he was missing that fragrant, soft hugging pillow.
He turned his head to look at Ya Fei, a hint of confusion in his eyes. In the past at this hour, Ya Fei would have returned to her own dwelling by herself. Now that Xiao Yi Xian had been properly settled, where was she planning to sleep herself? Could it be that tonight she intended to share the same room and sleep on the same pillow as Xiao Yi Xian, whispering about maidenly secrets?
An improper thought flashed across Xia Kong's mind: wouldn't it be better to secretly eavesdrop on what on earth they were talking about, and then come in for a shared sleep under a single quilt? However, this idea was quickly suppressed by him once more.
"Sister Ya Fei, the night is deep; you should rest early as well."
Dropping those words, Xia Kong turned and walked toward his own room.
Having drifted outside for a month, sleeping exposed to the wind and dew, sleeping on wild mountain stones, and sleeping in crude wooden huts, it was only until he lay down upon his own family bed that he truly and tangibly felt that the bed at home was the most comfortable and the most reassuring.
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