Xiao Yan turned his palm over, returning the Black Iron to his Storage Ring, then stepped half a pace back, his gaze indifferent.
"Grandmaster Gute, what is the meaning of this?"
Gute's hand froze in midair before he awkwardly withdrew it, giving two dry chuckles. "Heh... don't take offense, young friend. I got carried away."
He sat back down in his chair. The fierce expression on his aged face softened a little, but his gaze never left Xiao Yan's Storage Ring, and the greed in his triangular eyes only grew stronger.
"Flamefall Black Iron... this is a superb material for forging high-grade weapons. Rumor has it that it can even withstand the burning of Heavenly Flames!"
He licked his lips, his voice brimming with barely concealed longing. "Where did you obtain this, young friend?"
"I came across it by chance," Xiao Yan replied evenly.
Rumor had it that this old fellow had no interest in anything, yet harbored a perverse fondness for rare curiosities like these. It was much like a tyrannical, lustful king's fondness for peerless beauties.
Seeing Gute's infatuated expression, Xiao Yan felt a faint chill of revulsion. He forced it down and spoke slowly.
"Grandmaster Gute, what do you say to exchanging this piece of Flamefall Black Iron for the ice spirit cold spring in your possession?"
At those words, the smile slowly faded from Gute's face.
He narrowed his eyes, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest with a steady knocking sound.
"That old bastard Otto told you I had ice spirit cold spring... didn't he?"
Gute's eyes shifted. He threw his head back with a laugh, then asked smilingly, "Little brother, I still don't know your name."
"Yao Yan," Xiao Yan answered with a smile.
"Hehe, little brother Yao Yan, well... since you're looking for ice spirit cold spring, you must know how rare it is, right?" Gute asked, a smile on his aged face.
"Heh, of course I do. If I didn't, why would I bring out a rarity like Flamefall Black Iron?"
Xiao Yan's expression remained pleasant, but inwardly he sneered. Did this old fellow really take him for a child?
"I paid an agonizing price to obtain this little bit of cold spring! As for that piece of Flamefall Black Iron of yours..."
He curled his lip, his tone full of disdain.
"Precious though it may be, it's only a forging material in the end. Its value falls far short of ice spirit cold spring."
Xiao Yan's gaze darkened slightly. "What are you saying, Grandmaster Gute?"
"What I'm saying is..." Gute slowly rose, his withered frame advancing step by step, a dangerous light flashing in his eyes.
"This piece of Flamefall Black Iron is worth no more than two drops of ice spirit cold spring."
"Two drops? Surely you're not making sport of me, Grandmaster Gute?"
At Gute's words, Xiao Yan first paused in surprise, then his expression gradually turned cold, his brows knitting tightly.
Did this man truly have no eye for quality? Or... was he brazenly using his power to bully me?
"In that case, there is no need for a trade. Farewell!"
"Wait!"
Seeing Xiao Yan turn to leave, Gute abruptly raised a hand, hastily trying to stop him.
Whoosh!
With his back to Gute, Xiao Yan's expression sharpened, and crimson flames suddenly surged from his hand!
"What? Have you changed your mind and decided to trade with me in good faith?"
"Divine Iron, beast flame..."
At the sight, Gute froze for a moment, then could not help licking the corner of his mouth. The glib words he had been preparing were swallowed back down.
Unable to conceal the greed and cunning in his eyes any longer, he suddenly reached for Xiao Yan's Storage Ring.
"Since you've had the good fortune to obtain so many precious things, you must have quite a few other treasures on you, young friend. I'm afraid you can't handle them. Why not take them all out and let me have a look?"
Xiao Yan darted aside, evading Gute's hand, and his gaze beneath his black robe abruptly turned icy.
"Grandmaster Gute, are you trying to force a trade?"
"Force a trade?" Gute sneered, a vicious expression surfacing on his plump face.
"In this Jia Ma Empire, my younger brother Gu He's name is the law!"
"Boy, if you know what's good for you, hand over the Flamefall Black Iron and every treasure you have."
Gute stood with his hands behind his back, his tone carrying a lofty arrogance. "Otherwise... I'm afraid you'll suffer a little today."
Xiao Yan fell silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed.
His laughter was hoarse and low, carrying a chill that made the heart tremble.
"Grandmaster Gute, are you sure you want to do this?"
"What?" Gute raised a brow. "You dare resist?"
"My younger brother Gu He is now a high-grade sixth-tier alchemist who has obtained a 'bloodline inheritance'! Across the entire Jia Ma Empire, who would dare deny him respect?"
The more he spoke, the smugger he grew, his withered frame trembling slightly. "If you know better, leave your things and get out of Black Rock City! Otherwise, even if you want to leave, you won't be able to!"
He clapped his hands, and more than a dozen figures immediately emerged from around the secret chamber. All were at least Dou Shi, and they surrounded Xiao Yan completely.
At the sight, Xiao Yan's face beneath his mask turned exceedingly grim. He had only heard that this man was eccentric, never imagining him to be so sinister and arrogant!
Just as he was about to circulate his Dou Qi and strike without hesitation, Yao Lao's voice suddenly sounded in his mind.
"Enough. Leave this to your master."
Yao Chen's voice held a note of mockery. "Trash like this thinks he's worthy of coveting Flamefall Black Iron?"
Hearing that, Xiao Yan sighed, a trace of pity flashing in his eyes beneath his black robe.
The next instant, the aura around Xiao Yan surged explosively!
Vast soul force poured forth like a tide, becoming an invisible pressure that instantly sent all dozen or so Dou Shi flying!
Smack! Smack! Smack!
Dull impacts rang out one after another. In the blink of an eye, they all slammed into the walls, coughing up blood and instantly losing their ability to fight.
Gute's pupils shrank sharply. His plump body staggered backward, his face filled with terror. "You... you..."
"A Dou Ling?! No... could this be soul force..."
He seemed to have felt something like this in Gu He's presence before, but that pressure had been nowhere near this crushing!
Before he could finish speaking, the phantom of an aged hand descended toward Gute's head! The soul projection was as solid as a real body, radiating suffocating pressure.
Bang!
A dull sound rang out within Gute's mind, as though his soul had instantly been crushed and mangled between a pair of merciless hands. His expression immediately went blank, blood flowing from all seven orifices.
"A worthless wretch who throws his weight around under another man's name dares covet my treasure?"
Yao Chen's voice exploded like thunder, his aged face bearing a trace of mockery and coldness.
"You... who exactly are you?!"
That thunderous voice jolted Gute's scattered consciousness awake. His face instantly turned ashen with fright, his legs going weak until he nearly collapsed to the floor.
"You aren't worthy of knowing who I am."
Yao Chen swept his sleeve, and an eerie white flame appeared out of thin air. It transformed into a fiery serpent and instantly coiled around Gute's neck.
"Hand over the ice spirit cold spring."
"Or would you rather die right now?"
Before you continue