"Kid, what exactly do you want to say?"
Yan Qingshan's words cast a shadow over both Yao Lao and Xiao Yan's hearts. Yao Lao's tone lost its previous irreverence and became a little more solemn. His words about Xiao Xun'er's arrival easily attracting the Soul Hall's attention were absolutely correct.
And regarding the Soul Hall's strength, Yao Lao definitely had the right to speak, since he himself had fallen into their hands before.
Although Xiao Yan wasn't clear about what the Soul Hall was, hearing their previous conversation about a power standing at the peak of the continent, how could the small Xiao family possibly contend with that?
"Because of the Gu Clan's existence, the Soul Hall's tendrils certainly wouldn't dare to openly act against the Xiao family. But precisely today, the Xiao family and the Misty Cloud Sect have fallen out, providing an excellent reason!"
Yan Qingshan's words made Xiao Yan's face turn even paler, and just as Yao Lao was growing a little impatient, Yan Qingshan suddenly changed the subject. "However, if the Soul Hall's tendrils can be severed, then the Xiao family's crisis will resolve itself without a fight, and for that, Yao Lao, we'll need your help then."
Yao Lao suddenly realized, "Goodness, you beat around the bush so much, so you were eyeing this old man all along. Before, it was always others acting as my thugs."
Yan Qingshan shrugged indifferently, "Times are different now, aren't they? Just say whether you'll do it or not! As for me, the Soul Hall means absolutely nothing. After all, they've never had a conflict with me; at most, I just dislike them."
"Although I don't know why you're so eager, you're right. This matter, this old man accepts it. As long as it's acting against the Soul Hall, just let me know then."
Yao Lao stared at Yan Qingshan for a long time before finally agreeing, because his words were not wrong. The Soul Hall was not a current threat to Yan Qingshan, but it was different for Xiao Yan and Yao Lao.
Yao Lao had died at the hands of the Soul Hall, and the Hun Clan, to which the Soul Hall belonged, and Xiao Yan later became sworn enemies. Their conflict was inherent and unavoidable; the best approach was to take the initiative and nip the trouble in the bud.
"In that case, I will take my leave in a few days. When it's time to act, I will naturally inform you, old sir. It's getting late, so I won't disturb you from training your disciple."
Yan Qingshan pointed a finger, and a mysterious blue light left a pale blue lotus imprint on Xiao Yan's hand. Then he cupped his hands in a respectful bow, turned, and headed in the direction of the Xiao family.
After Yan Qingshan left, Yao Lao saw Xiao Yan still in a daze and chuckled strangely, "Kid, don't envy him anymore. You'd better worry about yourself first. Four stages of Dou Zhi Qi in one year, that's not a simple matter."
Xiao Yan took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart. His eyes darted around, and with a fawning expression, he chuckled, "Teacher, Teacher, your disciple knows that Teacher has vast divine abilities. May I ask how Teacher plans to help me reach seven stages of Dou Zhi Qi in one year?"
"Tch! You brat, you were so reluctant just now, and now you're so enthusiastic. You're really quite realistic!"
Yao Lao rolled his eyes. His smile faded, and he said earnestly, "Although your Dou Qi has been regressing for these past three years, it is precisely because of this that your foundation is more solid than ordinary people's. In Dou Qi cultivation, the foundation is the most important thing! In the future, you will realize how much benefit these three years of strength regression have brought you!"
Yao Lao extracting Xiao Yan's Dou Qi for three years was certainly not just for absorbing energy. He also had the intention of tempering Xiao Yan's foundation and bones. After all, this was the disciple he had chosen, so he had to be extremely cautious.
Xiao Yan was a little stunned. He really didn't know what benefits strength regression could bring him.
"Three Purple Bluegrass? Two Bone Washing Flowers? A first-grade Wood-attributed monster Core? Old man, are you mistaken? Do you take me for some prince of a royal family? These few items combined would cost at least a thousand gold coins!"
A long while later, Xiao Yan and Yao Lao's conversation finally ended. Yao Lao directly went into the storage ring. Xiao Yan held the ring, glaring and cursing loudly, "I've been frugal for so many years, and I only have a mere four hundred gold coins saved up. That's barely enough to buy a first-grade Monster Core!"
"Hehe, that's your problem. The Foundation Elixir I formulate, others can't even buy it with money. I'm only asking you to pay for some materials, and you're already acting so distressed..."
Yao Lao's playful laughter echoed in Xiao Yan's mind. This old fellow was just undignified. With the treasures in his storage ring, any single item could easily be exchanged for enough resources for Xiao Yan's early cultivation, but he wouldn't let Xiao Yan become too reliant on him.
"Damn it, things concocted by alchemists can indeed only be afforded by the rich..."
Xiao Yan smiled helplessly. Four hundred gold coins wasn't a huge difficulty for him three years ago. The Xiao family had spent countless resources on his treatment back then.
But after these three years, the entire Xiao family had almost given up on him. At this point, trying to get another four hundred gold coins would be truly difficult. Regular channels wouldn't work, and it wasn't easy to talk to his father about it, so he could only ask someone else for a loan.
"No, no, I'd better find someone else!"
Xiao Yan immediately thought of Yan Qingshan, who had just left. Four hundred gold coins was no small sum for the Xiao family members, and ordinary people would definitely keep asking questions if they knew he wanted to borrow money. Only Yan Qingshan wouldn't.
But as soon as he thought of Yan Qingshan's mystery and the fact that they didn't have much interaction, he immediately dismissed the thought.
Aside from Yan Qingshan, the most suitable person was Xiao Yu. After all, there were only a few people in the Xiao family whose attitude towards him hadn't changed. But when he thought of Xiao Yu, Xiao Yan's mind went blank. In his reckless youth, he had indeed offended his cousin quite a bit!
"Xun'er!"
Just as Xiao Yan was distressed, a slight movement came from behind him. He turned to look at the mountain path, where a graceful figure in purple, like an fairy, lightly leaped towards him.
Xiao Xun'er's toes lightly touched the mountain rock, like a purple butterfly, her graceful figure tracing an alluring arc as she lightly leaped to the mountaintop. She tilted her head slightly, her gaze sweeping towards Xiao Yan by the cliff. Her gaze narrowed slightly. Although they had only been apart for half a day, she felt that the current Xiao Yan seemed to have something more about him than before.
Xiao Yan extended his right hand, seemingly preparing to pinch her small face under Xiao Xun'er's stunned gaze, but for some reason, he finally retracted it. He then put both hands behind his head, stretched his muscles, and let out a hearty laugh to relieve the pressure.
A hint of sadness flashed in Xiao Xun'er's eyes. When she was young, Xiao Yan always liked to pinch her chubby little face, but ever since that incident three years ago, he seemed to have built a wall in his heart, keeping everyone out.
For these three years, no matter how hard she tried to get close, his lukewarm attitude would always sting her, making her leave dejectedly. But now he seemed to be back, yet a wall seemed to have risen between them again.
Yan Qingshan's previous words still had an impact on Xiao Yan. They broadened Xiao Yan's horizons and gave him a different understanding of Xiao Xun'er. After all, Xiao Yan, combining both his lives, was already in his twenties or thirties; it was impossible for him to have no vigilance at all.
Yan Qingshan, who had left the cliff, naturally didn't know that his actions seemed to have created a subtle difference between Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Yan, and even if he did, he wouldn't care. Xiao Xun'er, this little beauty, was naturally alluring, but he was a calm and realistic person, clearly understanding that pursuing Xiao Xun'er was an endeavor where the effort and reward were disproportionate.
The biggest difference between Xiao Xun'er and Xiao Yi Xian, Qing Ling, and others was that she and Xiao Yan were childhood sweethearts, and they had already developed affection for each other. Although there's a saying that childhood sweethearts can't compare to those who appear unexpectedly, it also depends on who the other party is.
In the emotional entanglement between Xiao Yan and Xiao Xun'er, the initiative was never with Xiao Yan but with Xiao Xun'er. As long as Xiao Xun'er didn't change her mind, their entanglement would not cease. After all, this was a fantasy world, where men having several partners wouldn't... ahem…
In short, at this stage, Yan Qingshan still wouldn't bother trying to approach Xiao Xun'er. The main reason was that he was quite realistic; wasn't it more appealing to secure several other beauties instead of trying to rely on the Gu Clan's power? Besides Xiao Xun'er, Xiao Yu and Xiao Mei were also quite good.
Xiao Yu had those long legs, and though Xiao Mei hadn't fully blossomed yet, she was clearly a rare beauty in the making.
But Yan Qingshan didn't actually have too many thoughts in this regard. His actions were mostly purposeful. Among the women he had interacted with, Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Ling had great potential, while Xue Lan was half-passively clung to him, at least that's what he believed.
As for Han Yue, her background was quite good; she was from the Central Plains, and her family had a Dou ancestor, who could provide some help to Yan Qingshan in the future.
This time, his return to the Jia Ma Empire was because he needed a reason to cover his tracks, so he sought out Xiao Yu. He naturally knew that Xiao Yu had special feelings for him. He neither responded to nor resisted such matters; it could only be said to be a man's little inner thoughts.
And now, he was preparing to meet another woman, a woman who could play a certain role in his future plans: the direct descendant of the Mittel Clan, the future Queen of Gold, Ya Fei.
The Mittel Auction House was the largest and most famous commercial auction house in Wutan City. Thanks to its profound background, even the City Lord's Mansion was quite wary of their power. However, lately, the Mittel Auction House had been quite restless.
Just as the setting sun began to show in the sky, Ya Fei, the person in charge of the Mittel Auction House, along with the auction house's chief appraiser, Master Gu Ni, were preparing for a banquet.
The guests for the banquet were three mysterious individuals, and another "acquaintance" of theirs. Beautiful maids swiftly served dishes; the delicacies on the table were all rare treasures, but the three similarly-faced individuals showed little emotion and were simply waiting.
"Young Master Yan has finally arrived! Ya Fei has been waiting for you for a long time!"
As Yan Qingshan entered the room, Ya Fei enthusiastically came forward to greet him, her round, lotus-like arms embracing his right hand, allowing him to feel an unusual plumpness and tenderness. Ya Fei's demeanor made Yan Qingshan, seeing her again, a little overwhelmed. She hadn't been this enthusiastic when he left last time.