"Young Master Xiao Yan."
"Young Master Yan."
"Young Master Xiao Yan, after you."
The evening lamps had just begun to glow when Xiao Yan returned to the Xiao Clan residence with Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin in a carriage from the Mittel Auction House. Although he had brought two strangers with him, the guards at the gate did not dare stop them and let them pass straight through.
Along the way, every Xiao Clan member they encountered treated Xiao Yan respectfully, just as they had four years ago. No, their respect was even greater than it had been back then. Those who had mocked him over the years were especially terrified when they came face-to-face with him.
"You have quite a standing in your clan. Better than your average young master." Holding Qing Lin's hand, Xiao Yi Xian looked around.
"It's just fear." Xiao Yan knew perfectly well why those clan members were so afraid of him. They had seen him cripple Xiao Ning in a single exchange and were afraid he would settle accounts with them one by one when the harvest came due.
But Xiao Yan had little interest in that. Turning his fortunes around overnight certainly felt wonderful, but avenging every petty slight would only demean him.
"Really?" Xiao Yi Xian had heard a few things about Xiao Yan. A peerless genius seen only once in a century had inexplicably lost his cultivation, and his fiancée had taken it upon herself to break off their engagement. Yet, right there at the meeting, he had dismissed his fiancée, Nalan Yanran, with a written repudiation. The story was known in every household in the Jia Ma Empire.
She wondered whether that fiancée of his would regret it.
"Stay here tonight. Tomorrow, I'll arrange a separate courtyard for you, but I'll have to let my father know first." Xiao Yan brought Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin to his little courtyard. After giving it a quick cleaning, he let the two girls settle in for the time being.
There was not much to tidy up, though. Xiao Yan liked things clean, and his room was very neat. At most, he merely put away a few things he would rather not let young girls see.
"What about you?" Xiao Yi Xian asked curiously.
"Don't worry. It's my own home. Surely I can find somewhere to sleep?" Xiao Yan could not help laughing.
"All right." Xiao Yi Xian nodded.
Xiao Yan summoned two maids to bring the girls two buckets of warm water, then turned and left.
Naturally, he had no intention of sleeping.
Xiao Yan touched his Storage Ring. The Divine Crow Flame nestled in the jade box inside held an allure far greater than even Ya Fei's. He needed to refine this Beast Flame as soon as possible to test a theory of his.
He went to the mountain behind the Xiao Clan residence and entered the secret chamber Yao Lao had carved out earlier. Sitting cross-legged, Xiao Yan took the Divine Crow Flame out of his Storage Ring.
Inside the jade box, a bright yellow flame danced, radiating considerable heat.
The Divine Crow Flame came from a sixth-rank magical beast, the Divine Crow, and its power far surpassed that of the Peach Blossom Flame. In exchange, however, it was also far more violent.
Xiao Yan did not dwell on it. He took out another Pulse-Protecting Pill, swallowed it, and immediately began refining the Divine Crow Flame.
Yao Lao emerged from the Black Ring. Watching Xiao Yan diligently cultivate, he wore a look of satisfaction and silently stood guard.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Wutan City, the Jia Lie Family was in utter turmoil. Jia Lie Bi paced anxiously back and forth in the family hall, while the other elders' eyes were filled with regret.
Liu Xi had not returned.
Liu Xi had not returned!!!
"Could that damned idiot have run off with the Beast Flame?" one elder suggested through gritted teeth.
"No. That fellow may be stupid and lecherous, but he isn't that stupid. Without our Jia Lie Family, what other family would be willing to spend so much supporting that useless fool?" Jia Lie Bi shook his head, rejecting the possibility.
Indeed, Liu Xi was obstinate, greedy, lustful, and possessed little talent or learning. If not for his status as a First-Rank Alchemist, even if they dumped him among the mercenary companies, few would likely agree to take him in.
But those flaws were precisely what the Jia Lie Family wanted. Only a Liu Xi like that could be held firmly in their grasp. Only then could Jia Lie Bi stop worrying about the risk of his betrayal.
"We found him! We found him!" A family member rushed in, panic written all over his face and terror filling his eyes.
"Where is he?!" Jia Lie Bi moved before the man in an instant, his eyes flashing with an intimidating gleam.
Frightened by Jia Lie Bi's piercing gaze, the man stammered timidly, "D-dead... He's dead..."
Jia Lie Bi first staggered back two steps in disbelief, then felt that the whole thing was utterly absurd.
How was that possible?
They had split up and left ahead of him to muddy the waters, making the mysterious expert in the Heavenly Character No. 1 Private Room believe they had already taken the Beast Flame away. In reality, they had left behind Liu Xi, the weakest and least conspicuous of them, to hide the Beast Flame in his Storage Ring and leave with the crowd.
Could that mysterious expert have guessed which of them it was?
Impossible! Not even a Dou Emperor could pull off something like that!
Led by the family member, Jia Lie Bi and the others hurried to the place where Liu Xi had died. Once they clearly saw the face of the man lying on the ground, they finally confirmed that Liu Xi was dead.
Judging by his injuries, he had been killed by a sneak attack from behind.
A Xiao Clan emblem lay conspicuously on the ground.
On the other side, the name "Aoba" had been written on the ground. The flesh on the finger Liu Xi had used to write it was mangled.
"***!!!" In the stillness of the night, Jia Lie Bi's furious roar echoed throughout Wutan City.
In an instant, every force in Wutan City, great and small, was alerted.
Half an hour later, a large force composed of Dou Zhe set out from the Jia Lie Family, marching toward the Ao Ba Family in a mighty procession.
"What happened?" At the Xiao Clan residence, Xiao Zhan and several clan leaders were startled out of their cultivation. They came to the council hall one after another, exchanging suspicious looks.
The atmosphere was most awkward between Xiao Zhan and the Great Elder. Just that afternoon, Xiao Zhan's son, Xiao Yan, had crippled the Great Elder's grandson, Xiao Ning, laying the foundation for a bitter feud.
That strange atmosphere only gradually faded when a Xiao Clan scout reported what had happened in the city.
"The Ao Ba Family ambushed and killed the Alchemist the Jia Lie Family hired earlier, and stole something extremely important." After reading the confidential report, Xiao Zhan passed it to the elders to read in turn.
"This is an opportunity for us." A trace of ruthlessness flashed in the Second Elder's eyes.
"Indeed." The Third Elder tapped lightly on his armrest, directing an inquiring look toward the Great Elder.
"Whatever grievances we may have between us, we must stand united this time." The Great Elder understood his meaning. This was a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity for the Xiao Clan. If they handled it properly, bringing all of Wutan City under their rule might well be possible.
Half of Xiao Zhan's body was buried in shadow as he sat at the head of the hall. The three elders could not make out his face, but his voice was utterly resolute. "If we fail to seize this opportunity, we will be sinners against the Xiao Clan."
Dawn gradually broke.
Boom!
On the mountain behind the Xiao Clan residence, a little lotus of yellow and pink streaked across the sky, then landed on a rock and exploded with a thunderous blast.
It worked!
Just as I thought, the natural repulsion between Beast Flames could create earth-shaking power.
What should I call this move...?
Xiao Yan sank into thought.
Before you continue