A Few Incidents at the Marketplace

Once they left the clan grounds, Xun'er grew much livelier, tugging a somewhat helpless Xiao Yan along as she darted from stall to stall.

Xun'er's clear, lilting laughter seemed to cool even the streets baking beneath the blazing sun.

Only after Xun'er tired of playing did Xiao Yan take her to a nearby medicinal herb shop, where she spent over nine hundred gold coins on all the other ingredients except the magic core.

These were all low-grade ingredients. Any ordinary medicine shop stocked them if one had the money; they were nothing rare.

As for magic cores and the like, the herb shop had none. They would have to try their luck elsewhere...

"Sure enough, you can't get anywhere without money..." Xiao Yan sighed softly and led Xun'er toward the Xiao Clan's marketplace.

Wutan City ranked among the larger cities in the Jia Ma Empire. Though it fell short of the best, it stood well above the rest, and it lacked neither basic marketplaces nor auction houses, nor did it lack visitors.

Rather than calling it "the Xiao Clan's marketplace," it was more accurate to say that the Xiao Clan maintained order and security there. In return, mercenaries and merchants who set up stalls to trade had to pay the Xiao Clan a commission.

This had always been the rule across the continent, so people rarely came to stir up trouble.

As they entered through the marketplace gates, the two Xiao Clan guards stationed there clearly recognized both Xiao Yan and Xun'er.

At the sight of them, both guards paused, then bowed slightly.

Xiao Yan nodded casually and was just about to head into the marketplace with Xun'er when a respectful voice sounded behind her:

"Third Young Miss, Miss Xun'er, have you come to the marketplace to buy something?"

Xiao Yan turned at the voice, a sunny smile spreading across her face. "Uncle Payne, hello."

"Third Young Miss, you recognize me!" the honest-looking, burly man named Payne replied, instantly growing excited.

"Mm-I was bored back at the clan, so I came out for a stroll. Go about your work, Uncle. If anything comes up, I'll call you," Xiao Yan said.

The respectful address of "Uncle" immediately deepened the smile on Payne's face and made him all the more eager:

"Ah, certainly! Please look around as you like, Third Young Miss. Our people are all over the marketplace. If anything happens, just give us a shout."

Nodding politely, Xiao Yan took Xun'er by the hand and slipped into the crowd.

"Pari, take two men and follow the Third Young Miss... If anyone dares set their sights on her or Miss Xun'er, they can forget about ever getting by here again."

"Yes, Captain!" A burly man nodded solemnly, waved a hand, and disappeared into the crowd with two others.

"Ah." Payne shook his head regretfully. "Such a good girl. What a shame she had to suffer something like this."

To him, the loss of the Third Young Miss's talent was nothing less than the extinguishing of the flame that had held the greatest hope in the clan's history of making the Xiao Clan powerful.

Yet the three elders felt no sorrow. Instead, they felt that the pressure hanging over their heads had vanished, and they no longer needed to worry about "the clan leader's branch growing too powerful."

That alone was bad enough, but they were always tearing at one another over the flyspeck profits right in front of their eyes...

The Xiao Clan would likely find it difficult to ever venture beyond this little Wutan City...

Walking beside Xiao Yan as she strolled idly along, Xun'er glanced imperceptibly at the crowd behind them and smiled. "Sister Xiao Yan, that Payne is quite decent."

Xiao Yan gave a quiet hum of agreement. Her soul perception was far stronger than an ordinary person's, so she was perfectly aware of the guards following them.

Tilting her head toward Xun'er, Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow and teased, "Ninth stage dou qi, yet you can sense three guards skilled at concealing themselves. You're quite something, Xun'er..."

Xiao Xun'er's steps abruptly faltered. Then she clasped her hands behind her back, tilted her head, smiled, and played dumb, all in one seamless motion.

"Let's go, Xun'er." Xiao Yan did not pry. After all, she knew this girl was far from ordinary.

That so-called "ninth stage dou qi" was probably nothing more than a disguise. Xun'er might already have broken through to Dou Zhe...

Still, if Xun'er did not tell her, she would not press.

News of the "broken engagement" seemed to have spread already.

If only the Xiao Clan's higher-ups had known, the news could have been kept under wraps. But even the younger generation knew, and there were always some who would trumpet these "glorious deeds" of the Xiao Clan far and wide.

Who knew how the Xiao Clan raised its children?

And the broken engagement between Xiao Yan, who had been reduced to a cripple, and heaven's favored son, Nalan Yan, was the sort of explosive gossip that always drew particular interest.

Thus, whenever Xiao Yan passed by, the surrounding chatter grew a little louder...

Xiao Yan ignored it all. Though Xiao Xun'er was somewhat displeased, she could not stop everyone's appetite for gossip and could only stay beside Xiao Yan.

Of course, those passersby only dared gossip in hushed voices.

While making their rounds through the marketplace, Xiao Yan and Xun'er also happened upon the Jia Lie Family's wastrel young master, Jia Lie Ao.

Jia Lie Ao and Xiao Yan were both "celebrities" in Wutan City. Xiao Yan was known as the "useless beauty," while Jia Lie Ao was notorious for his womanizing, seducing women only to abandon them.

However, this "young master" had once pursued Xiao Yan without success, and when her cultivation regressed, he had mocked her as well.

So-he had taken a beating.

The incident had caused quite a stir at the time. After all, Xiao Yan had ordered the Xiao Clan guards to do it, so Jia Lie Ao had been beaten rather badly.

He had nearly lost both his cock and his eggs.

When Jia Lie Ao's father saw that his son had been beaten, he was furious. He brought his men straight to the Xiao Clan to demand an explanation.

But Xiao Yan had yet to undergo her coming-of-age ceremony even now, so she had been younger still back then. Once Xiao Zhan learned the whole story, he was even angrier than Jia Lie Ao's father.

The two families had truly come close to fighting.

In the end, for some unknown reason, the Jia Lie Family soon gave up on "holding them accountable" and even came to apologize with lavish gifts.

Xiao Yan felt that Xun'er probably had something to do with it.

But again, if Xun'er did not say anything, she would not ask unnecessary questions.

Thus, nothing dramatic happened during this "chance encounter." Jia Lie Ao, already a Dou Zhe, could not get away from the two girls fast enough.

Ignoring that sorry fool, Xiao Yan made a few more rounds through the marketplace before finally finding a first-rank Wood-Type Magic Core, still streaked with traces of blood, at one of the stalls.

She also happened to discover an unusual Black Iron Piece.

"Hey, little girl, buy that Black Iron Piece. It's good stuff..." Apothecary's voice suddenly rang out in Xiao Yan's mind.

Xiao Yan shifted her gaze away without a trace, showing no interest in the iron piece-even if she had money, she could not just waste it.

After a round of haggling, Xiao Yan successfully purchased the magic core, the iron piece, and some "junk" to muddy the waters for four hundred and seventy gold coins.

"Heh, little girl, not bad. You're this cautious even when buying something." The instant she turned away, Apothecary chuckled teasingly in her mind.

"Can't help it. It isn't my own money I'm spending, so I wouldn't dare squander it..."

"...Why do I feel like you're taking a jab at me?"

"Huh? Am I? I dunno..."