Led by Fang Qian, Xiao Yan and Murong Qianqian strolled past the group of Half-Emperor who were painstakingly queuing outside the auction house, amidst the envious gazes of the crowd, and arrived at the doorway with ease.
" Steward Fang!"
Upon approaching the stone gate, two soldiers in black armor bowed respectfully to Fang Qian and greeted him.
Judging from their respectful tone, Fang Qian clearly held a high position in their hearts.
This scene made Xiao Yan secretly admire it.
If Fang Qian's voice truly inspired fear in these people through sheer strength, it should have sounded strained and weak, like a stone being struck forcefully. However, the scene before Xiao Yan was entirely different.
These two soldiers were clearly expressing their admiration for Fang Qian hearts, which shows that Fang Qian won people over with virtue and made these soldiers truly respect him.
A person who can win people over with their heart is extremely rare on this chaotic continent.
"Um."
Hearing the two soldiers' respectful words, Fang Qian nodded to them with a kind smile, and then took another step, intending to lead Xiao Yan and the other into the auction house.
However, at this very moment...
" Steward Fang!"
This time, unlike before, the voice was so domineering that it was clear the owner of the voice harbored a sense of resentment.
"Um?"
A look of confusion appeared on Fang Qian's wrinkled old face. He slowly turned around, his cloudy old eyes looking towards the direction from which the voice came.
" Steward Fang, a large group of us set off for Yan City ten days ago, hoping to attend the auction. Today, the five of us finally arrived before Yan City, and we've been waiting for hours. But this kid just arrived! What right does he have to enter the auction house before us?!"
Upon seeing the speaker, Fang Qian's aged face showed a hint of surprise. The speaker was a middle-aged man with a full beard, who was already at the very front of the line.
His aura was incredibly powerful, even stronger than Xu Songming, who had been blasted away by Xiao Yan two days ago. He was clearly an Eight-Star Half-Emperor, and his strength was probably among the best even among Eight-Star Half-Emperor.
Judging from his words, he seemed to have just arrived in Yan City today, which explains why he didn't know.
At the same time, the burly man also turned his gaze to Xiao Yan. He could naturally tell that the black-robed youth in front of him was a Six-Star Half-Emperor.
Reaching the level of Six-Star Half-Emperor at such a young age is indeed enough to make him a prodigy, but it is not enough to give him priority in doing anything.
Therefore, at this moment, the middle-aged man's gaze towards Xiao Yan also revealed a hint of hostility.
"Forehead..."
Slightly taken aback, Xiao Yan could only smile wryly to himself. He hadn't expected such a small matter to be so easily resented. This burly man was clearly already ranked first; why bother doing this...?
"Hehe, sir, I understand. You've been waiting here for quite some time, all for the purpose of getting into the auction as soon as possible."
"I can understand what you're saying, but there are always exceptions. Some people have special privileges, and this gentleman's ability to enter the auction house before you has its reasons. Therefore, I hope he can understand. If you want to know the details, please ask the people behind you. I'm sure most people in Yan City know the reason."
As soon as Fang Qian finished speaking, the group behind him began to whisper among themselves, and at the same time, a look of schadenfreude appeared in their eyes when they looked at the middle-aged man.
"I don't care! We've waited so long, and this kid just walked right in. He has to give us an explanation!"
With a fierce expression, the middle-aged man roared stubbornly, unwilling to give up.
Upon hearing the middle-aged man's words, Fang Qian Qian's expression darkened slightly. He considered himself easy to talk to, but the middle-aged man's unreasonable behavior made him feel that he was deliberately looking for trouble.
"Hehe, it's alright. I'd like to know, sir, what kind of explanation do you want from me?"
Just as Fang Qian was about to speak, Xiao Yan took a step forward slowly, looking at the middle-aged man with a smile. His expression was extremely gentle, as if he were a person without any temper.
Seeing this, Fang Qian frowned slightly. He didn't think Xiao Yan was that kind of person. Although Xiao Yan seemed approachable, he was definitely not someone who could be easily bullied.
The burly man, his face showing displeasure, sized up the slender young man in black robes before him. His eyes flickered, then he let out a cold snort, a fierce glint appearing on his fleshy face, and said sharply:
"Hmph, I'm not going to waste my breath on this, lest I be branded as a Dou Qi. How about this: if you can withstand one of my punches, I'll pretend this never happened. Otherwise, let the five of us brothers go in first!"
As he said this, the burly man gave a thumbs-up and pointed sharply at the four men behind him. Immediately, the four men behind him also took a half step forward, revealing their rugged faces.
"Gentlemen..."
"Hello..."
Upon hearing the burly man's words, Fang Qian and Murong Qianqian simultaneously called out to Xiao Yan. Fang Qian, in particular, couldn't help but want to step forward, believing that once he appeared, even if these people were unwilling, they wouldn't say another word.
However, just as Fang Qian was about to take a step forward, Xiao Yan smiled faintly, raised a hand to stop the two people behind him, and at the same time, smiled at the burly man and said:
"OK."
The simple words caused everyone present to pause in surprise, their gazes sweeping over Xiao Yan and the burly man.
The two of them standing together were like a skinny monkey next to a giant bear; the difference was obvious. Yet, Xiao Yan actually agreed without hesitation.
It should be noted that even in terms of physique alone, this giant was more than twice the size of Xiao Yan. If the two of them were to clash, the scene would be unimaginable to everyone present.
In response, Xiao Yan's lips slowly curved into a mysterious smile. He tilted his head slightly, looked at the burly man, raised one hand, beckoned to him with his finger, and laughed:
"Bring it on."