When Xiao Yan awoke from his slumber, the sky was already bright. Warm sunlight streamed through the gaps in the window, leaving specks of light on the floor and illuminating the room. Sitting up, Xiao Yan, still half-asleep, sat on the bed for a long while, only then dispelling the remnants of sleepiness. Shaking his head to clear it, he lazily got out of bed and washed up.
Just as he finished washing, a gentle knock on the door and the soft, sweet voice of a girl came: “Brother Xiao Yan, are you still asleep?”
Hearing this, Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, quickly wiping the water from his face and walking to the door. With a creak, he slowly opened it. The slightly glaring sunlight shot in, causing Xiao Yan to instinctively close his eyes. After a moment, he slowly opened them, shifting his gaze to the graceful, green-clad girl standing at the door.
Today, Xuner was still dressed in a simple, elegant green dress, which complemented her ethereal and otherworldly aura, making the young man in the room silently admire her. His eyes casually swept over Xuner’s slender, delicate figure, finally settling on her somewhat pale, pretty face. Frowning, he asked, “What happened?”
Xuner’s big, sparkling eyes closely watched Xiao Yan’s expression, but found nothing but concern. She smiled sweetly, “I’m just a little unwell, nothing serious.”
“Unwell?” Raising an eyebrow, Xiao Yan stepped out of the room and closed the door. He then gently took Xuner’s small hand, and under the control of his soul perception, a thread of gentle, mild battle qi slowly circled her body.
After a moment, Xiao Yan withdrew the battle qi, his face expressionless, but sighed inwardly. It seemed that the secret technique Xuner used last night had indeed drained her energy. There were only a few faint strands of battle qi circulating in her body, clearly a side effect of that technique.
At this early morning, many members of the clan were up for morning exercises. Seeing Xuner and Xiao Yan standing affectionately by the door, they all couldn’t help but envy them.
“Brother Xiao Yan.” Xuner’s face turned slightly red as she gently pulled her hand away, chiding softly, “Really, I don’t know what you did. You’re so weak now.”
Releasing Xuner’s hand, Xiao Yan put on a stern face and said in a low, scolding tone, “What exactly did you do to make yourself so weak?”
Her large, expressive eyes scanned Xiao Yan’s stern face, but found nothing else. Xuner breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, “I overtrained some battle techniques yesterday, so I ended up like this. I’ll be fine after a few days of rest, Brother Xiao Yan. Don’t worry.”
Rolling his eyes, Xiao Yan shook his head helplessly. After having breakfast with Xuner, he found an excuse and quietly left the clan.
…
Wandering around Utan City and inquiring about news related to the Galley family, Xiao Yan discovered that the disappearance of Liu Xi would definitely cause a stir in the Galley family. However, much to his surprise, there was nothing unusual about the Galley family today. The market was open as usual, and the medicinal pills were still being sold, with no difference from any other day.
“Heh, Gally Bi really lives up to his reputation as the head of the clan, managing to keep this under wraps. But can you keep it hidden for a month? When your remaining healing medicine is sold out, let’s see what you will do,” Xiao Yan sneered. After a moment of thought, he headed towards the Mittel Auction House in the city center.
In a secluded area outside the auction house, Xiao Yan, as usual, put on a large black cloak, completely concealing his figure before entering the bustling auction house.
As soon as he entered, Xiao Yan was politely escorted to the waiting hall by a charming maid. A moment later, Yaphira, with her graceful figure, appeared in front of him with a smile.
“Haha, a distinguished guest indeed. Brother Xiao Yan, what brings you to the auction house today?” Picking up the teapot, Yaphira leaned down to pour Xiao Yan a cup of tea, smiling enchantingly.
Whether intentionally or not, Yaphira, dressed in a cheongsam, bent down to pour the tea, revealing a tempting expanse of snow-white skin, drawing the eye irresistibly.
“Cough…” His gaze nearly trapped in the deep cleavage, Xiao Yan coughed and forced himself to look away, fixing his eyes on the faintly green tea. He then took out a dark red storage ring from his pocket and retrieved five small jade bottles, saying, “Here, I’m here to fulfill our agreement.”
Since Yaphira already knew his identity, Xiao Yan no longer needed Pharmacist Elder to speak for him, and directly responded in his clear, youthful voice.
Yaphira’s gaze fixed on the small jade bottles as soon as they appeared, and her charming face filled with joy. Gracefully sitting down beside Xiao Yan, she carefully picked up one of the small jade bottles, examining it closely, then tilted it slightly, and a round, smooth pill with a hint of emerald luster rolled out playfully.
Taking a deep breath of the medicinal fragrance, Yaphira’s beautiful eyes narrowed, and her full chest rose, creating an alluring silhouette. After a moment, she carefully returned the pill to the bottle and gave Xiao Yan a seductive smile, “It seems Brother Xiao Yan is planning to take action against the Galley family, right? Otherwise, why would you come to fulfill our agreement early?”
Hearing this, Xiao Yan nonchalantly shrugged. Pulling out a scroll from his pocket, he showed it to Yaphira. The scroll listed several medicinal herbs, all of which had the effect of nourishing qi. Of course, these were prepared for Xuner, whose pale, weak face made Xiao Yan feel a pang of concern.
Taking the scroll, Yaphira, who had experience with such requests, immediately called a maid and instructed her to prepare the herbs without further ado.
Sitting in the quiet waiting hall, Xiao Yan, slightly silent, suddenly asked softly, “The Galley family seems to have found a source of herbs in another city?”
“Yes, the Galley family is currently cooperating with a herb family in Temir City. However, the herbs they buy from there are four times more expensive than those in Utan City,” Yaphira nodded and smiled.
“Quite generous.” Xiao Yan chuckled, “Can you give me some information about their herb transportation routes?”
Hearing this, Yaphira’s hand holding the teacup trembled slightly, and her beautiful eyes stared at the young man in surprise, “What are you planning to do?”
“To plunder.” Yaphira sighed, “The Galley family has really met a bad fate crossing you, Xiao Yan.”
Shaking her head, Yaphira fell into a brief silence, then stood up and went into the back. After a while, she emerged with a scroll, handing it to Xiao Yan. “I received some information from the auction house in Temir City. Two days ago, the Galley family purchased a batch of herbs worth 400,000 gold coins. This batch of herbs should arrive in Utan City this afternoon.”
“These herbs, the Galley family only paid a deposit of 100,000 gold coins. The remaining 300,000 is on credit. The escort team for the herbs is from the Galley family, consisting of three battle masters, one great battle master, and several dozen guards at the battle fighter level.”
“400,000? Quite a big move.” Smiling lightly, Xiao Yan put the scroll into his storage ring, his laughter turning cold. “If these herbs go missing, I wonder how they will explain to the herb family. The Galley family is already on the brink of bankruptcy, and this 300,000 on credit is the last straw that will break the camel’s back!”
Lifting his head, Xiao Yan saw a maid bringing in the herbs. He bowed to Yaphira in gratitude, took the herbs, and left the hall without looking back.
Watching Xiao Yan’s decisive and efficient departure, Yaphira shook her head and sighed, “This young man’s actions are so out of proportion to his age. Old Gally Bi might really fall this time…”
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