The burly men beside Han Chen immediately surrounded him with vicious expressions when they heard Jia Lie Ao's words.
"Don't you dare, Jia Lie Ao! This is the Xiao Family Market. It's not your place to run wild!"
Seeing that Jia Lie Ao actually dared to lay hands on Han Chen, Xiao Yan immediately shouted sharply. Others might not know, but he knew where Han Chen came from.
The fact that Nalan Yanran had entrusted Han Chen with full authority over something as important as breaking off her engagement was enough to show that his standing was far from ordinary.
If anything happened to him, never mind the Xiao Clan—even the whole of Wutan City wouldn't be enough for the Mist Cloud Sect to tear apart.
"Xiao Yan, you really are becoming more and more useless. He's just some penniless brat. Do you really need to get so worked up?"
As Jia Lie Ao spoke, he looked at Han Chen, arrogance written all over his face.
"Brat, where did you come from? Did you ask my permission? And now you think you can just leave?"
Hearing Jia Lie Ao's words, Han Chen looked at him indifferently.
"I'm merely an ordinary person. Young Master Xiao and I are only passing acquaintances."
"Passing acquaintances? Heh, I don't care who you are. If you want to leave, kowtow to me twice first."
"Jia Lie Ao!"
Killing intent flickered in Xiao Yan's eyes. He truly wanted to kill Jia Lie Ao. Couldn't this fool read the situation? With Xiao Yan this anxious, could Han Chen possibly be an ordinary person?
"Teacher, if things turn serious, I hope you'll help me. Nothing can happen to him."
"Don't worry."
It wasn't just Xiao Yan. Even Xiao Xun'er, who was hiding behind him, moved her hand behind her back, golden flames churning in her eyes.
Looking at Jia Lie Ao, whose cerebrum was underdeveloped and whose cerebellum hadn't developed at all, Han Chen's eyes held a trace of the pity one might show an idiot.
"This is the Xiao Family Market. Isn't this a little inappropriate, Young Master Jia Lie?"
At those words, disdain appeared on Jia Lie Ao's face.
"In Wutan City, there's no one I, Jia Lie Ao, don't dare provoke!"
Seeing him act this way, Xiao Yan immediately blew a whistle. A flurry of footsteps promptly sounded in the distance.
Hearing those footsteps, Jia Lie Ao's expression visibly changed, and he shot Xiao Yan a vicious glare.
"You win this time. Let's go!"
With that, Jia Lie Ao dared not linger and hurried away with his men. Before leaving, however, he deliberately glanced at Han Chen, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes.
His little gesture naturally escaped none of the three present. Watching Jia Lie Ao leave, Xiao Yan spoke to Han Chen with a grave expression.
"Brother Han, Jia Lie Ao is no harmless fellow. He's definitely set his sights on you. Why don't you move into the Xiao Clan for a while?"
Han Chen looked at Jia Lie Ao, who had already gone far away, and shook his head at Xiao Yan.
"No need. I didn't even give him my name, and I only arrived in Wutan City yesterday. It won't be easy for him to find me.
"Brother Xiao, I'll take my leave now. Also..."
As he spoke, Han Chen glanced at the well-behaved Xiao Xun'er beside them and leaned close to Xiao Yan's ear, a playful smile curling his lips.
"Also... Brother Xiao, we're both thousand-year-old foxes. If you're interested in that thing, come find me in Liu Family Alley beside the Mittel Auction House in the eastern part of the city."
Beside them, Xiao Xun'er's lips twitched speechlessly as she watched the two whispering into each other's ears.
After speaking, Han Chen patted Xiao Yan's shoulder, turned, and left the market.
Xiao Yan watched Han Chen leave with a grave expression.
"Teacher..."
"Yes. This man is far from simple. Be careful."
After leaving the market, Han Chen took one winding turn after another. Sure enough, he discovered someone following him.
Hiding in an alley, he watched the figure still searching for him, his gaze icy.
"Heh, Jia Lie Ao, you really are courting death. I'm short of money right now, too. Since you've delivered yourself to my doorstep, I won't hold back."
Han Chen then took the pair of Blood Jade Spiders out of the system.
"Go on, Xiao Bai, Xiao Yu. Have a little appetizer."
Both Blood Jade Spiders were in the early first rank, with strength comparable to one- or two-star Dou Zhe. Dealing with someone who wasn't even a Dou Zhe would be a piece of cake.
After the two palm-sized spiders landed, they first stared at Han Chen with their large, glossy black eyes, then crawled toward the man at the alley entrance.
The alley was piled with clutter. Little White and Little Jade were small, and the man couldn't spot them at all.
The two spiders hid behind a basket and watched the man, his figure reflected in their large eyes.
"Strange. Where did that brat go? He was right here."
The man was utterly puzzled by how Han Chen had vanished after turning into the alley. If he lost his target, there was no telling what would happen to him when he returned.
Thud!
Just then, a noise suddenly rang through the silent alley, startling the man and making him scan his surroundings warily.
"Who's there? Come out!"
After exchanging a glance in the corner, Little White and Little Jade split up. One ran in front of him to draw his attention, while the other ran behind him and spat silk at his head.
"Mmph! Help! Mmph!"
Amid the alley's light and shadows, a web engulfed the man. Then the two spiders rushed forward, pulled him down, and dragged him deeper into the alley. A scream followed.
A little while later, Little White and Little Jade came over carrying a tattered cloth pouch in their mouths.
Taking the pouch, Han Chen glanced at the alley entrance, then turned to leave.
"Xiao Bai, Xiao Yu, we're leaving."
After returning to the courtyard, Han Chen took the gold coins out of the cloth pouch and tossed everything else straight into the stove.
Then he sat in the courtyard, studying the iron fragment in his hand several times over.
"Ah, I wonder whether Yao Lao will still give Xiao Yan the Fire-Blowing Palm. If not, what should I ask him for?"
Han Chen naturally hadn't told Xiao Yan his address just to have a heart-to-heart.
The Suction Palm could only achieve its greatest effect when paired with the Fire-Blowing Palm. Since the Fire-Blowing Palm was in Xiao Xun'er's hands, his only way to obtain it was through Xiao Yan.
That was his reason for approaching Xiao Yan: to trade the Suction Palm with him and obtain the Fire-Blowing Palm.
In other words, even if he couldn't obtain the Fire-Blowing Palm, he could use this opportunity to trade with Yao Lao for some useful pill formulas.
With the iron fragment resting in his hand, Han Chen slowly closed his eyes. His soul perception traveled along his arm and soon entered the fragment, and he began circulating his Dou Qi according to the instructions within.
Over the next two months, Han Chen practiced the Suction Palm while cultivating medicinal herbs. Since he could only begin refining pills after becoming a Dou Zhe, he merely studied pill formulas.
With the support of the Yellow Dragon Pills, Han Chen's cultivation advanced rapidly. In just two short months, he had reached the peak of the Ninth Stage of Dou Qi, needing only the slightest opportunity to break through.
Inside his room, Han Chen finished cultivating and raised his eyes toward the darkening sky outside. Looking at the special gift list on the table, he knew the main event was about to begin.
Because of Han Chen's fourth-tier pill, the Mittel Auction House had canceled all its small auctions for nearly two months. Everything of value had been saved for the medium-sized auction two months later.
Looking at the "Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid" and "Wind Scroll Technique" circled in red on the list, Han Chen draped himself in a black robe and walked out of his room.
He arrived in the back courtyard. It had already become Xiao Bai and Xiao Yu's nest. Beneath the dappled moonlight, dense masses of snowy-white spider silk covered the bamboo grove around the courtyard's perimeter, with Xiao Bai and Xiao Yu swinging back and forth within it.
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