The smile on Ya Fei's charming face froze.
Clearly, she had not expected Xun Er to be so direct.
Very quickly, she set the teapot down with her smile still in place and sat beside Xun Er.
With a face full of apology, she said:
"I am truly sorry. I usually have too many trivial matters to handle. On top of that, it was my first time meeting Lord Ye that day, and it was right after the auction ended. There were simply too many people coming and going.
"When you asked me at the time, I had not yet come back to my senses. Xun Er, you are so understanding. Surely you would not blame your sister, would you?"
As soon as Ya Fei said that final sentence, Xun Er could only tighten her delicate fists and temporarily let the matter rest.
A woman who could drive all the men of Wu Tan City mad naturally had real skill.
Xun Er had clearly overestimated herself.
And underestimated Ya Fei.
However, Xun Er would not admit defeat so easily. A sweet smile appeared on her exquisite face.
"Of course not. But I did not expect that such a stunning young man as Brother Hao would appear so insignificant in Sister Ya Fei's eyes."
Ya Fei was momentarily stunned, then immediately laughed. "Xun Er, you have it exactly backward. I was so stunned by my lord's peerless beauty that I failed to regain my composure."
"Is that so?"
Xun Er seemed startled.
She then changed the topic.
"Sister Ya Fei has spent these past years in Wu Tan City, relying on her status as a woman to navigate between the heads of the Three Great Clans and other faction leaders. It must not have been easy."
Ya Fei did not expect that the seemingly gentle Xun Er had so many layered tactics.
However, none of this was difficult for her.
She could still handle it.
"Yes. In those days, if Uncle Gu Ni had not supported me, I might have lost my innocence here. But now that I have Lord Ye backing me, I believe there will no longer be any blind flies daring to buzz around."
Ya Fei sighed softly, resting her fragrant cheek against her jade-like hand as her beautiful eyes looked toward Ye Hao.
Her gaze seemed almost to melt into silk.
Xun Er refused to be outdone. "What a pity. Brother Hao is about to leave Wu Tan City with me. Sister Ya Fei's wish will likely come to nothing."
"It does not matter. No matter where my lord goes, Ya Fei's doors will always be open for him, waiting at any time to welcome his return."
"Sister Ya Fei will be disappointed again. Brother Hao will not return, because he will go back with me."
"Is that so? But he promised to refine a pill for me to enhance my constitution."
…
The two went back and forth, trading sharp words.
They crossed dozens of rounds.
Xun Er's level was still slightly inferior to Ya Fei's.
In the end, she was defeated.
Ya Fei smiled faintly, like a little hen who had won a battle.
Thus, their first confrontation ended with Xun Er's loss.
However, Xun Er believed that she and Brother Hao were destined by fate. No matter how enchanting and seductive Ya Fei was, what of it?
Ya Fei's cultivation talent was average. Even with Brother Hao's medicinal pill assistance, her future achievements would be limited.
She would certainly be unable to remain by Brother Hao's side for long.
She was destined to be just a passerby.
Thinking of this, Xun Er became happy again.
Only then did Ye Hao come back to his senses.
He realized that both Ya Fei and Xun Er were smiling with satisfaction, as if each had won a battle.
Strange. What was going on with these two?
…
The back mountain of the Xiao Clan.
At the top of a cliff.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Xiao Yan punched the crooked-neck tree again and again.
The bark had already been beaten off.
Still feeling unsatisfied, he found an axe and began chopping at the crooked-neck tree, strike after strike.
With every chop, he shouted Ye Hao's name.
As if by felling the crooked-neck tree, he could also hack Ye Hao to death!
At the side, Yao Chen folded his arms.
Calmly, he advised:
"Boy, stop looking like your mother just died. It is only a woman. When you become an alchemist of my level, there will be plenty of women across the Dou Qi Continent throwing themselves into your arms."
"Old man! Can you stop drawing me empty promises? How long will it take before you teach me alchemy?"
"Boy, show some respect. I am your teacher."
Yao Chen gave Xiao Yan a slap.
"If you want to become an alchemist, wait until you reach the Dou Practitioner level first."
"Dou Practitioner, Dou Practitioner, Dou Practitioner…"
Xiao Yan's eyes turned bloodshot as he roared toward the sky.
"If I had known, I should never have agreed to let you absorb my Dou Qi back then. Otherwise, how would Xun Er have become so cold toward me?"
Yao Chen rolled his eyes.
"Heh. Have you forgotten? Back then, it was precisely because she ignored you that you made the deal with me."
"You…"
Struck at his sore spot, Xiao Yan grew furious out of embarrassment.
"Enough. Someone is coming!"
Yao Chen turned into a wisp of black smoke and slipped into the ring.
Before long,
Xiao Zhan walked out of the forest.
He glanced at the crooked-neck tree lying on the ground.
He sighed softly.
Then he sat beside Xiao Yan.
"Yan Er, I know you really like Xun Er. I also wish she could be my daughter-in-law. But… sigh."
The moment Xiao Zhan thought about the terrifying background behind Xun Er, all the words he wanted to say ultimately turned into a long sigh.
Xiao Yan clenched his fists. "Father, do not worry. I will marry Xun Er and bring her home. I definitely will."
Xiao Zhan turned to look at Xiao Yan, who was brimming with mysterious confidence. His lips moved, but in the end he said nothing.
Although Xiao Yan was his son, with his current ability, catching up to Xun Er was nothing more than a daydream.
A few days later, Xiao Yan stood in a corner of Wu Tan City, watching with tearful eyes as Ye Hao and Xun Er boarded a carriage and left the city together.
With tears in his eyes once more, he swore that what was his could never be taken by anyone else.
…
The Yun Lan Sect.
After returning to Jia Ma Sacred City, Nalan Yanran did not immediately return to the Nalan Clan to seek her grandfather's and father's help in finding Ye Hao.
Instead, she went directly to the Yun Lan Hall to find Yun Yun.
Because her strength was greater, and the Yun Lan Sect's influence was larger.
Finding someone would also be relatively easier.
"Teacher, Teacher, are you there?"
Nalan Yanran called out as she walked, her voice extremely urgent.
At this moment,
inside the Yun Lan Hall,
Yun Yun stared at the floor with flickering eyes, as though her soul had wandered away.
Even when Nalan Yanran walked up to her, she showed no reaction.
"Teacher, Teacher, what is wrong? Teacher?" Nalan Yanran kept calling.
Finally,
Yun Yun came back to her senses. "Ah? Yanran, you are back. Did the matter of breaking off the engagement go smoothly?"
Nalan Yanran nodded and said anxiously, "Teacher, I have something extremely urgent that requires your help. You must help me, please?"
Yun Yun smiled gently. "Oh? What is it? Let your teacher hear it."
"It is like this. I saw my…"
Nalan Yanran suddenly got stuck.
She did not know how to say it.
Say that she had been reborn?
That was simply too unbelievable.
No one would believe it.
But if she did not say it that way, she might not be able to persuade her teacher to help her find her Brother Hao.
Yun Yun looked at Nalan Yanran with gentle eyes and did not rush her.
After a while,
having organized her thoughts, Nalan Yanran took a deep breath.
Only then did she say, "Teacher, it is like this…"
Afterward, Nalan Yanran spent half an hour telling the story she had prepared.
In her narration, on the night before she went to break off the engagement, she had a very long dream.
In the dream, she and Ye Hao had been childhood sweethearts with a very deep bond.
Then she skipped over some unpleasant matters.
And fast-forwarded directly to the two of them growing old together.
As Nalan Yanran spoke,
the gentle look in Yun Yun's eyes gradually turned into shock.
The smile on her face slowly faded.
Ye Hao?
She was far too familiar with that name.
Was that not the name of her former lover?
It was only because of the Medusa Queen that she had failed to remain together with him for life.
At that thought, Yun Yun clenched her fists tightly and secretly swore that she would definitely find the Medusa Queen, strip every scale from her body one by one, and make a suit of scale armor for Ye Hao.
(TL/N: A wild Yun Yun appears. I will upload her images in a moment. But my patreon has them all and many more to come.)
(TL/N: I apologise if im not being able to upload a lot. Webnovel doesn't accept large/sensitive images. But like i said, you can find them all in my patreon in-between chapter. :D )
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