As dusk gradually fell, Xiao Yan had unknowingly spent most of the day inside the Heavenly Cloud Auction House. However, this did not affect the three people chatting happily in the courtyard.
"Haha, what a cruel twist of fate! Who would have thought that the Four Great Clans, vying for the Dou Qi inheritance, would ultimately have it fall into the hands of that One-Horned Whale Serpent? What a waste of effort! Hahahaha..."
Inside the courtyard, Dong Chuan listened to Xiao Yan's story with a big laugh. He had a general understanding of what had happened in the Ancient Ruins a few months ago. After learning that the Dou Qi inheritance had coincidentally fallen into the One-Horned Whale Serpent, Dong Chuan couldn't help but burst into laughter.
The Heavenly Cloud Auction House had never had any goodwill towards the Four Great Sects, so seeing their people suffer a setback naturally made them feel extremely pleased, especially since the target of these people's attacks was Xiao Yan.
"However, as far as I know, very few members of the Four Great Clans returned alive from the last expedition to the Ancient Ruins. This matter has likely already spread among the Four Great Sects, and these forces will inevitably take action. Mr. Xiao Yan, you should be careful about this."
Turning his gaze back, Fang Qian looked at Xiao Yan with a slightly solemn expression. They all knew about the grudges between Xiao Yan and the Four Great Sects. Even though Xiao Yan's methods were not weak, he was facing four powerful sects that had stood in the Western Region for hundreds of years. Their strength was far beyond what ordinary forces could compare with.
As the saying goes, two fists can't beat four hands. Xiao Yan alone is ultimately no match for the Four Great Sects. Fang Qian's words were also a hope that Xiao Yan would be more cautious in his future actions.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan nodded solemnly. Although Leng Bingshuang had intervened at the crucial moment to take him away from the Ancient Ruins, he wasn't the only one who left. The sudden disappearance of the One-Horned Whale Serpent and the Northern King would inevitably arouse suspicion, especially the heir of the Zhuo Clan, Zhuo Lin. This man was quite cunning, and everything he did would be seen as unusual. Naturally, the latter wouldn't believe that Xiao Yan died in the energy storm.
"By the way, Mr. Xiao Yan, that guy you met during the day, he's also from one of the Four Great Sects, and specifically from the Four Great Sects, Battle Martial Sect is known for its physical strength."
Upon hearing the mention of the Four Great Sects, Dong Chuan seemed to suddenly remember something, his brows furrowed, and he spoke to Xiao Yan in a deep voice.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow slightly, his eyes darting around before he uttered a question:
You mean Lu Cheng?
"Indeed, Mr. Xiao Yan should have seen it during the day. That guy's physical strength is simply incomparable to that of an ordinary Dou Di expert, and this is all because he is a member of the Battle Martial Sect."
Dong Chuan looked solemn, while Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes, a look of understanding appearing on his face. No wonder Lu Cheng's physical strength was so formidable; it turned out he was from the Battle Martial Sect.
The entire Battle Martial Sect Dou Qi and physical body makes them far more powerful than ordinary experts of the same level. For example, Lu Cheng was able to suppress Jin Yao, who was of the same level, by relying on his physical strength.
Despite this, Xiao Yan felt no remorse what he had done during the day.
He already had deep grudges with the Four Great Sects, and Jin Yao had once helped him. Even without that previous connection, Xiao Yan would definitely have gone all out today!
With this thought in mind, the wrinkles that had just appeared between Xiao Yan's brows disappeared immediately. At the same time, Fang Qian, who was in front of him, spoke again.
" Lu Cheng himself is nothing special. Although he is a Two-Star Dou Di, he is probably insignificant to Mr. Xiao Yan in terms of strength. The troublesome thing is that behind this old fellow stands an elder of the Battle Martial Sect. That old fellow has a very high seniority and his strength has already reached the level of Four-Star Dou Di. Mr. Xiao Yan will have to be careful in the future."
Thank you for letting me know!
Upon hearing Fang Qian's words, Xiao Yan nodded solemnly, then clasped his hands in a deep fist salute to express his gratitude.
Seeing this, Dong Chuan and his companion quickly clasped their hands in greeting. After learning the latter's identity, they became even more respectful towards the Third-Tier Alchemist before them.
At first, they only knew that the person in front of them was a Third-Tier Alchemist, and their only goal was to refine the pills he could make. But now, they are more concerned about their relationship with him than about the pills.
After several rounds of conversation and laughter, it grew late. Before they knew it, it was almost midnight. The moon rose above the treetops, casting a thin, silvery glow over the entire Yan City.
Laughter filled the courtyard as the three chatted merrily. The two elders subtly probed Xiao Yan's background from time to time, but Xiao Yan always answered with a smile and ease, leaving the two elders secretly astonished. Even more surprisingly, they almost fell into Xiao Yan's trap of words themselves, and embarrassed smiles appeared on their faces.
This amusing atmosphere lasted for quite some time. If no one had disturbed them, the three of them would probably have been able to chat until dawn. Just then, outside the Heavenly Cloud Auction House, a woman in a red dress arrived, exuding a fierce aura.
" Dong Chuan, Fang Qian! You two get out here right now!"
With a furious roar that shook the entire Yan City, the dimly Yan City instantly burst into flames, as if on fire. Patches of light quickly spread throughout the city, abruptly waking the once-silent city.
One after another, figures shot into the sky, their gazes filled with either impatience or curiosity as they looked in the direction from which the sound came. In the end, all that appeared in everyone's eyes was a beautiful woman in a red dress.
At the same time, the three people who were chatting in the courtyard were suddenly jolted back to their senses by the thunderous roar. All three looked up at the sky. Xiao Yan, Third-Tier Alchemist, naturally recognized the woman's identity first.
The woman in the red dress was undoubtedly Jin Yao.
Immediately, Xiao Yan, who had been sitting in the chair, stood up abruptly, as if waking from a dream. Only then did he recall what Jin Yao had said to him when she left earlier that day, telling him to return to the Thousand Medicine Pavilion to find her after he finished his business. He never expected that their conversation would lead to this moment.
"This is..."
" Jin Yao, I almost forgot about her."
Meanwhile, Dong Chuan and his companion, who were sitting next to Xiao Yan, suddenly recalled the look Jin Yao had given them during the day. Immediately, they felt a subtle sense of unease, like a wife trying to drag her husband home.
However, although the two almost couldn't help but tease Xiao Yan, they immediately remembered how Xiao Yan had been angry with them before, and how cold his eyes were.
The two old men looked at each other, smiled, and swallowed back the words that were about to come out. At the same time, they stood up and turned their gaze to Xiao Yan beside them.
"Mr. Xiao Yan, I'm so sorry, we were so busy talking that we seem to have forgotten about Master Jin, this..."
At the end of his sentence, Dong Chuan paused slightly, glanced at Fang Qian beside him, and remained silent.
"Sigh... I'll go. It's my fault too, I completely forgot what we agreed on. She probably thinks something happened to me here."
Xiao Yan felt apologetic. It was his fault, really. If he hadn't failed to tell Jin Yao the reason beforehand, he wouldn't be in this situation now.
With a helpless sigh, Xiao Yan moved, his black-robed figure transforming into a streak of light in the darkness, leaving no trace. In a short while, Xiao Yan was already standing high in the sky, his eyes turning to the red-dressed woman above the Heavenly Cloud Auction House.
Immediately following behind Xiao Yan, Dong Chuan and the other two followed closely behind.
At the same time, a chilling killing intent surged across Jin Yao's pretty face. For nearly half a day, since Xiao Yan entered the Heavenly Cloud Auction House, she had not seen him at all, which made Jin Yao extremely worried.
The terrifying aura and oppressive force were like a giant mountain towering over everyone in the city. At this moment, apart from those powerful individuals who had reached the Dou Di level, everyone else in the entire Yan City turned deathly pale. Some of those who were not strong enough were even forced to vomit blood and retreat on the spot by this oppressive force.
The aura and pressure of a Dou Di powerhouse are not something that ordinary Half-Emperor like them can easily withstand. Of course, Xiao Yan is not among these Half-Emperor.
Upon seeing Dong Chuan and the other person appear in the void, Jin Yao's beautiful eyes grew even colder, and her entire face was filled with endless icy killing intent. If Xiao Yan really got into trouble today, she would make sure to severely damage Heavenly Cloud Auction House, no matter how great the price she paid!
" Dong Chuan! Where is Xiao Yan? Hand him over to me!"
Jin Yao's tone was icy, and the temperature of the entire area seemed to drop eerily.
When Dong Chuan and his companion heard this, they exchanged embarrassed glances. Indeed, once a woman gets angry, she doesn't care about the other person's strength!
To think that a dignified Five-Star Dou Di would be so reprimanded by a Two-Star Dou Di —if it weren't for the fact that the other party had some connection with Xiao Yan, an ordinary person would probably have already taken action.
"Cough cough... I'm fine."
At that moment, Xiao Yan, clad in a black robe, slowly raised his head, tore off his robe, and looked at Jin Yao opposite him with a sheepish grin.
Seeing that Xiao Yan was unharmed, the huge weight that had been lifted from Jin Yao's heart finally lifted. In the blink of an eye, her delicate body flashed and she appeared in front of Xiao Yan.
Jin Yao's beautiful eyes swept over Xiao Yan, and only after confirming that he was unharmed did she breathe a sigh of relief. However, when she looked at Dong Chuan and the other man, her gaze was also filled with vigilance, which made the two of them feel rather helpless.
Given their strength, if they truly wanted to do something to the person before them, why would they have waited until now? Could it be solely because of Jin Yao?
A mere Two-Star Dou Di is nothing compared to Five-Star Dou Di expert.
"Hehe, don't worry, I'm fine. I had a very pleasant chat with you two gentlemen today, so we talked for a while longer, and then, on a whim, I..."
Xiao Yan smiled faintly, but at the end of his sentence, he couldn't help but reveal a hint of embarrassment.
Upon seeing this, Jin Yao's bright, beautiful eyes flickered slightly. Then, she immediately understood. It seemed the person before her had indeed not been harmed by the two behind her; they had simply ignored her words and forgotten them...
"Snort."
With a fierce sneer, Jin Yao's pretty face revealed a hint of anger. Then, she turned her delicate body around and her beautiful eyes swept hatefully over the people who had been attracted from the distant void. Instantly, wherever her beautiful eyes fell, everyone was shocked and retreated. Then, with a swift movement, Jin Yao left the place, carrying a lingering resentment in her heart.
Behind him, Xiao Yan stared in astonishment at Jin Yao as she turned to leave. He turned around, and at the same time, the two old men behind him cast pitying glances at Xiao Yan.
"Sigh, fine, but to say it so honestly, doesn't she know women are all fragile and easily hurt?"
The two elders exchanged glances, a bitter smile creeping onto their faces. From now on, they could only hope that Xiao Yan would have to fend for himself.
"Mr. Xiao Yan, you'd better hurry and go after them. If you're too late, you might not be able to get back home."
Although he didn't want to joke about Xiao Yan, Fang Qian couldn't help but tease him at the end of his sentence.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan frowned, but did not dwell on the matter. He cupped his hands in greeting to the two elders before turning around and quickly chasing after them.
After Xiao Yan left, Dong Chuan and Xiao Yan's eyes met once more. Then, Dong Chuan shook his head and sighed helplessly, turning around and heading back down to the small courtyard below.
"You haven't told me anything about the Fire Plume Flower, have you?"
Upon landing in the courtyard, Dong Chuan couldn't help but ask with a puzzled expression.
If Fang Qian hadn't spoken up today, he really wouldn't have known that the latter would have information about the Fire Plume Flower.
"Sigh, that's not really true. I have indeed heard people mention the Fire Plume Flower, but that was just a coincidence. There's no way to be sure if the Fire Plume Flower actually exists. I haven't mentioned it today just as a delaying tactic. Hopefully, we can really find the Fire Plume Flower!"
Upon hearing Dong Chuan's words, Fang Qian shook his head helplessly, a solemn expression appearing on his aged face. The latter couldn't help but raise an eyebrow slightly, his heart filled with shock. He hadn't expected Fang Qian's words to be used to undermine Xiao Yan; this was truly insane!
"You idiot, didn't you even consider how we'd explain ourselves to him if we couldn't find the Fire Plume Flower Fire Plume Flower? Xiao Yan clearly values it highly; if we can't find it..."
"If we can't find him, then our relationship with him is completely over."
Before Dong Chuan could finish speaking, Fang Qian immediately followed, his expression becoming even more grave.
"Tomorrow I will send people out to search for the Fire Plume Flower in all the major cities of the Western Lin Region. Let's try, no matter what, we can't let him down."
Dong Chuan frowned and said.
Upon hearing this, Fang Qian first nodded, then shook his head slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then said in a deep voice.
"No, we can't wait until tomorrow. Send someone right now!"