“Acting so affectionately with me, using me as a shield to block that guy?” Xiao Yan stopped at the door of the hall and smiled faintly at Yaphira. “Sorry…” Yaphira’s face turned slightly red as her purpose was seen through by Xiao Yan, and she softly apologized, “I’m really afraid of him. I can’t get rid of him no matter how much I hit or scold him, so I had no choice but to do this…”
“Y-You… You’re not angry, right?” Yaphira looked at Xiao Yan timidly. Although this could help her get rid of him, it made Xiao Yan unjustly gain the resentment of Mu Zhan.
“Anyway, it’s not the first time I’ve experienced this kind of thing…” Xiao Yan shook his head with a bitter smile.
Hearing this, Yaphira pursed her red lips and laughed softly, but she didn’t dare to speak. The atmosphere between them became silent and romantic.
“Cough… You go around and walk for a bit. I need to go and help Elder Nalan Jie with today’s detoxification treatment,” After a while, Xiao Yan coughed lightly, took a cup of red wine from a passing maid, tasted it, and then casually handed it to Yaphira with a smile before heading towards the side door of the hall.
Watching Xiao Yan disappear, Yaphira gently swirled the red wine in her transparent glass. Under the reflection of the wine, her enchanting face appeared even more rosy and alluring.
Walking out of the hall with the glass in hand, Yaphira stood beside a pillar, swirling the wine and thinking about Xiao Yan’s fierce demeanor during the battle. She was somewhat lost in thought, marveling at how much he had changed in just over a year, from a naive boy to a confident young man.
“Yaphira, what are you thinking about?” The old voice of Mitel Tengshan suddenly sounded behind her, and he walked up with a smile.
“Oh? Nothing,” Startled out of her thoughts, Yaphira hastily replied.
Mitel Tengshan chuckled and walked up, saying meaningfully, “What do you think of Yan Xiao?”
“He’s pretty good,” Yaphira blurted out, but quickly stopped herself when she realized what she said, staring at Tengshan, “Elder, what do you mean by that?”
“Haha, if you like him, don’t be too shy. I have no objections,” Mitel Tengshan said with a smile.
Understanding his implication, Yaphira’s cheeks flushed with a wine-like redness, and she waved her hand, saying, “Elder, I don’t have those feelings for Yan Xiao. We’re just ordinary friends.”
“If there’s no feeling, it can be nurtured… In our great family, rarely are there any two-way engagements. The family is very practical, and if you can find someone you don’t dislike and the family agrees, it’s a very happy thing,” Mitel Tengshan continued meaningfully.
“It’s a bit sad to say, but before Yan Xiao appeared, if there was a vote among the elders of the family to choose the most suitable person for you, Mu Zhan would probably have gotten more than half of the votes. Because, for two big families, marriage is a mutually beneficial thing…”
Hearing this, Yaphira tightly gripped her wine glass.
Sighing at Yaphira’s reaction, Mitel Tengshan patted her shoulder and walked back into the hall.
Biting her red lips, Yaphira looked down at the wine in her glass, her enchanting face filled with a heartbreaking sadness.
Yaphira knew that what Tengshan said was true. Though being in a great family gave her an enviable status, she also lost many things. Unlike Nalan Yanran, who had the talent and luck to easily escape the family’s constraints due to her position in the Yun Clan, Yaphira knew she didn’t have that ability.
Cradling her chest, Yaphira sat lightly on the stone steps, the night breeze making her feel a bit cold.
Looking up at the bright moon in the sky, after a long time, Yaphira’s charming eyes suddenly curved, like a fox’s, shimmering with shrewdness and allure.
“To not be controlled by the family… I need to control the family…”
Whispering softly, Yaphira’s beautiful eyes stared at the wine in the glass, where her captivating face now held something new…
“I don’t have Nalan Yanran’s cultivation talent, but the Mitel family is a commercial one. With my abilities, reaching a controlling position doesn’t seem too difficult…”
Gently tapping the glass, a clear sound echoed. Being able to manage the headquarters auction house at such a young age, Yaphira’s talent in business and personnel management was unquestionable.
After all, there were many people in the world who, despite lacking strength, managed to gather loyal strong followers.
Listening to the clear sound, Yaphira’s lips curled into a slight, bewitching smile. She looked even more beautiful now than before.
As something inexplicable began to grow in Yaphira’s heart, a black robe gently covered her from behind. The familiar, gentle voice touched her sensitively.
“It’s cold; don’t get sick…”
Turning around, Yaphira looked at the extremely ordinary face after the disguise, her nose tingling with emotion.
Sniffling, Yaphira pulled the black robe, her body snuggling into it, a warm feeling surrounding her heart, which had been chilled by Mitel Tengshan’s words.
Blinking her long lashes, Yaphira smiled, “Done?”
Xiao Yan nodded with a smile, looking at her captivating face. He felt a little surprised, noticing that Yaphira seemed to have something new about her, and it was even more captivating.
“Are you okay?” Xiao Yan asked, puzzled.
“I’m fine…” Yaphira winked at Xiao Yan, smiling.
“Okay.” Nodding, Xiao Yan yawned lazily, glancing at the still bustling hall, and couldn’t help shaking his head. These people were quite something…
“Let’s go. I can’t take it anymore. Coming with me?” Yawning again, Xiao Yan asked Yaphira casually.
“Uh…” Hearing this, Yaphira was about to shake her head, but as she felt the black robe, she hesitated and nodded in agreement.
Standing up, they were about to leave when Xiao Yan’s face suddenly changed, and he turned abruptly to look toward the northwest of the imperial city, where two terrifying auras suddenly surged into the sky.
“Haibo Dong? This old guy disappeared for two days, why is he fighting? The other aura is not weaker than his…”
Having fought with Haibo Dong before, Xiao Yan recognized his aura, and what surprised him even more was the other aura, equally powerful.
As Xiao Yan murmured, two figures suddenly shot out of the hall, appearing in front of Xiao Yan and Yaphira. It was Nalan Jie and Mitel Tengshan, who also sensed the auras.
Behind Nalan Jie, Mu Zhan, Nalan Yanran, and others followed, their faces showing surprise as they looked toward the northwest.
“Battle Emperor level experts?” Looking at each other, Nalan Jie and Mitel Tengshan’s faces were serious.
Hearing their voices, Nalan Yanran and the others were shocked. Battle Emperor level experts were top-tier in the empire, and two of them appearing tonight was unexpected.
“Let’s go see…” Nalan Jie and Mitel Tengshan simultaneously shot into the air, their colorful Dou Qi wings forming rapidly, turning into two streams of light, rushing toward the source of the auras. The sudden appearance of such powerful figures in the capital could not be ignored.
“Hehe, let’s go and see, Battle Emperor level experts…” Excited, Mu Zhan stomped his foot, his body shooting towards the roof, and started leaping across the city’s rooftops like a grasshopper. Behind him, Nalan Yanran, Liu Ling, and others followed, each displaying their skills.
The battle of Battle Emperor level experts was not something to be missed…
Frowning, Xiao Yan knew Haibo Dong was his safeguard to the Yunlan Sect, so he couldn’t let anything happen to him before that. Otherwise, facing the monstrous Yunlan Sect alone would be a headache.
“Stay here and be careful. I’ll go and check it out…” After a moment’s thought, Xiao Yan turned to Yaphira, who understood the seriousness and nodded without objection.
Lightly touching the ground, Xiao Yan leaped onto the roof. His back trembled, and under the astonished gazes, he summoned the Purple Cloud Wings.
Staring at Xiao Yan, who flew away with his wings, Yaphira’s eyes were filled with disbelief…
With a slight flutter of his wings, Xiao Yan’s figure instantly turned into a stream of light, shooting towards the northwest like a comet.
“Damn! Dou Qi wings?” Seeing the wind rush behind him, Mu Zhan, who was leaping on the roof, turned around and saw Xiao Yan flying past with his wings.
“Damn, this guy is a Dou Wang level expert? How is this possible?!” Standing like a fool on the roof, Mu Zhan watched Xiao Yan disappear, and then turned to see Nalan Yanran and the others, also stunned.
“Ghost alive…” In the dark night sky, the young people cursed in confusion and frustration.
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