Chapter 9: The Back Mountain Pool
. On the hilltop behind the mountain, Xiao Yan lay bored on the grass, legs crossed, basking in the sun.
This was his secret base, where he often came alone to practice or relax. If he was lucky, he'd sometimes peek at the girls of his clan bathing.
Suddenly, Xiao Yan glanced to the side and spotted a figure not far away heading toward the back mountain pool.
He stood up and took a closer look. "Isn't this Xiao Ning's sister, Xiao Yu? She's holding a towel. Could she be going to take a bath?"
Xiao Yan perked up. It seemed Xiao Yu was going to take a bath. She usually disliked her brother, so today she came to see what kind of beauty his sister had. It seemed like she'd come to the right place.
He stood up, bent down, and tiptoed toward the pool. Finding a large rock ahead that could block his view, he rolled over and hid behind it, only his eyes fixed on Xiao Yu in the pool.
Not far away, Xiao Ling had also arrived, his soul perception spreading, quickly gazing at the situation.
"It seems like today is the day Xiao Yan, in the original novel, peeked at Xiao Yu." Xiao Ling stroked his chin and looked in Xiao Yu's direction.
Beside the pool, Xiao Yu was about to undress, seemingly about to enter the water.
Seeing this, Xiao Yan, from behind a large rock not far away, swallowed hard, staring intently at Xiao Yu, unwilling to look away.
Seeing this, Xiao Ling couldn't just stand by and watch. I, Xiao, am a gentleman and will not tolerate such a thing happening before my eyes.
With a flick of his finger, a ball of fiery red Dou Qi shot towards Xiao Yan's kidney. Although a recent Dou Zhe, Xiao Ling's exceptional soul perception made him adept at controlling Dou Qi. The Dou Qi pierced the air and struck Xiao Yan directly in the kidney.
Xiao Yan, intently watching Xiao Yu, was too distracted to pay attention to anything else. With a "whoosh," Xiao Yan felt a sudden burning sensation in his kidneys, followed by a sharp pain. He clutched his hands over his kidneys and cried out.
"Ahhh, it hurts so badly."
Xiao Yu had just unbuttoned a button when she heard a noise behind her. She quickly stopped what she was doing and turned around in panic to see Xiao Yan, half of his head sticking out from under a large rock, grinning.
Seeing this, Xiao Yu knew what was going on. Her face flushed with anger, and she rushed towards Xiao Yan with a big punch.
"You little thief, you're so naughty at such a young age. You've learned to steal from others and even learned to peek at others taking a bath."
Xiao Yu, still not satisfied, punched Xiao Yan twice more, hitting him in the kidneys. The pain made Xiao Yan cover his kidneys with one hand and run down the mountain in panic.
Xiao Ling, hiding nearby, watched this scene and swallowed hard. "This woman is truly ruthless when she gets angry. Never mess with a woman with a bad temper again."
Shaking his head, Xiao Ling stopped thinking and watched the two leave the back mountain. He then channeled his Dou Qi and rushed towards his own courtyard.
"Xiao Yu, I will crush you beneath my feet. And Xiao Ning, wait for me."
Xiao Yan, who had returned to his own courtyard, sat on his bed with a bandage wrapped around his waist, his face gloomy. He set a goal for himself and began his training for the day.
He would definitely not tell his father, the clan leader, about this matter. If Xiao Zhan knew his son had attempted to spy on Xiao Yu bathing, he would surely give him a severe lesson for the sake of the Great Elder. He could only choose to practice in silence, hoping to retaliate when he became stronger.
Although cultivation was tedious, Xiao Yan, having traveled to the Dou Qi Continent for so long, had gradually adapted.
"I'm almost there!"
Feeling the Dou Qi surging within him, Xiao Yan's face lit up with excitement. He concentrated his mind, preparing to make a single, decisive breakthrough to the sixth stage.
A week passed in a flash .
Xiao Ling, who was cultivating in his room, formed the hand seal to mark the end of his training, stood up, and felt the Dou Qi within him. He shook his head and sighed, "The low-level Huang-level techniques are truly awful. The cultivation speed is slow, and the quality is rather poor. I need to use Beast Fire to slightly improve my techniques. If I can't reach the Xuan-level, I'll have to ask Xun'er for help. After all, she's my future wife, and there's nothing shameful in living off her. I've even learned the Suction Palm technique. It's truly a Xuan-level Dou Qi technique—it's so useful." Clearing his mind, he left his room and headed for the Mitel Auction House.
As he approached the auction house, he donned his usual black robe and gloves.
Walking into the hall, Xiao Ling was greeted by the same cool feeling as before. Looking around, he saw no one familiar.
He found a maid and took out the token Gu Ni had given him last time. "I'm looking for Master Gu Ni from your auction house. Please show me the way."
The maid took the token, examined it, and with a professional smile, extended her hand. "Sir, please follow me to the VIP lounge and wait. I'll go find Master Gu Ni right away."
The two of them walked to a lounge. The maid brewed a cup of tea and left. Xiao Ling sat down and took a sip, feeling his fighting spirit perk up a bit. "As expected of the Mitel Auction House, they're truly wealthy. Even the tea they serve to their guests can slightly increase their cultivation efficiency."
A moment later, Gu Ni walked in. Seeing the black-robed man from last time, a smile crossed her face.
"Sir, the beast fires you need are already prepared. They are the Earth Fireworks from the fourth-tier Earth Rock Turtle, the Peach Blossom Fire from the fourth-tier Kui Wood Beast, and the Dry Blue Water Flame from the fourth-tier Nether Sea Dragon Beast. The first two are 100,000 gold coins, and the latter is 200,000 gold coins. The guardian beast of the Jia Ma Empire is a sixth-tier Nether Sea Dragon Beast." Gu Ni waved his hand, and three porcelain vases appeared on the table, containing three beast fires.
Xiao Ling gently activated his suction palm, and the three porcelain vases flew to Xiao Ling's hand. With a flick of his sleeve, he tucked them into his belt, leaving Gu Ni stunned.
Secretly pleased with himself, he was worthy of his impressive skills. He smiled and said, "I trust the Mitel family's reputation. I'll come back to you next time there's a trade."
With that, he turned, left the lounge, exited the Mitel Auction House, and headed towards the Xiao family.
Returning to his room, he eagerly took out the three porcelain vases and examined the three beast fires.
The Earth Fireworks was a yellowish flame with a strong earthy element.
The peach blossom fire was pink in color, emitting a light, refreshing fragrance that gave people a friendly feeling.
The dry blue water flame was dark blue, and it was the one with the most energy and the best quality among the three.
Xiao Ling cleared his mind, adjusted his breathing, and prepared to begin absorbing the beast fire.
(End of this chapter)