Chapter 25: Preparing to Depart

Chapter 25: Preparing to Depart

In the VIP room, Xiao Se sipped his fragrant tea delicately.

Suddenly, the crisp sound of footsteps approached from afar, and a graceful figure with enchanting curves slowly pushed the door open and entered.

Xiao Se looked up to see a beautiful woman dressed in a red gown, exuding a seductive charm, her figure possessing exquisite, undulating curves.

"Hehe, Master Pu, you haven't visited our Mittel Auction House for nearly a month." A soft, tingling, and melodious voice reached Xiao Se’s ears, causing his heart to flutter slightly.

Ya Fei walked toward Xiao Se with elegant, measured steps, bringing a faint trail of fragrance with her.

Being this close once again allowed Xiao Se to fully appreciate the woman's mature allure. On her beautiful, delicate face, a pair of bright, almond-shaped eyes seemed to radiate temptation at every moment. His gaze subtly swept over her snow-white, swan-like neck, only to be drawn into the deep valley between her breasts—an abyss that had driven countless men to madness—and he nearly found himself unable to look away. Her willow-like waist was so slender it seemed as though it could be circled with one hand, and as she moved, a glimpse of her jade-like, snow-white leg was revealed, stirring a wave of heat in any man's chest.

Silently cursing her as a vixen, Xiao Se set down his teacup and said in a hoarse voice, "I have been busy refining pill formulas lately and could not get away. Now, can you hand over the money for the auctioned pills?"

"Hehe, of course. Our Mittel Auction House has always valued its reputation." Ya Fei covered her red lips with a light laugh. With a wave of her jade hand, a maid entered and handed a gold card to her.

"Master Pu, for the auction of ten bottles of Foundation-Building Spirit Liquid, one hundred and eighty bottles of Hemostatic Powder, and one hundred bottles of Injury-Healing Pills, the total comes to seven hundred and thirty-five thousand gold coins. As you are a VIP of our Mittel Auction House, you are entitled to a discount; after deducting the two percent service fee, the remaining balance is all here." Ya Fei smiled as she handed the gold card over.

Xiao Se frowned and did not take the card, asking in his hoarse voice, "The three scrolls of Mysterious-tier low-grade Dou Techniques—it seems you did not deduct the cost for those."

"Hehe, Master Pu, you joke. Last time, out of curiosity, I may have offended you. Those few Mysterious-tier low-grade Dou Techniques are merely a gesture of apology," Ya Fei replied with a charming smile.

Xiao Se shook his head, took the gold card, and with a flash of faint light, ten more bottles of Foundation-Building Spirit Liquid appeared on the table between them.

Looking at the hand encased in a standard glove, a flash of surprise crossed Ya Fei's eyes; she even momentarily ignored the ten bottles of spirit liquid that had just appeared.

The voice that spoke was clearly that of an old man, yet the skin of the wrist exposed between the glove and the sleeve of the black robe was as fair and delicate as a youth's. A faint purple totem, resembling a long sword, was tattooed on the skin, though only a small part was visible, making it impossible to see clearly.

Is this person really an elderly man?

"These are ten bottles of Foundation-Building Spirit Liquid. I do not like owing others anything, and you did not offend me last time. I have accepted the money, but for those three Dou Technique scrolls, deduct the proper amount from the proceeds of this auction," the hoarse voice sounded from beneath the black robe.

"This..." Hearing this, Ya Fei snapped out of her thoughts. She was, after all, still new to the business and not as polished as she would be three years later. Seeing Xiao Se bring out more pills to auction, a flicker of emotion crossed her beautiful eyes.

No one knew that Ya Fei had paid for those three Dou Technique scrolls out of her own pocket, solely to leave a good impression on Xiao Se for future cultivation of their relationship.

"Enough, do not decline. I know a thing or two about your Mittel Clan. You are clever, but you still need tempering. Here is a list of items I need to purchase. Please have them prepared for me." As the hoarse voice spoke again, Xiao Se produced a list.

"Thank you for your consideration, Master." Ya Fei nodded slightly and took the list. A look of surprise appeared in her eyes again, for in addition to ingredients for Grade 3 pills, the list contained many survival tools for the wilderness.

"What, is there a problem?" Xiao Se asked calmly.

"No problem at all. We will promote your Foundation-Building Spirit Liquid today, and the auction can proceed tomorrow. The herbs and wilderness tools may take some time to prepare. To avoid wasting your time, I suggest you come back to collect everything after the auction concludes tomorrow," Ya Fei smiled.

"Very well. If there is nothing else, I shall take my leave." Xiao Se stood up, ready to depart.

"Let me see you out." Seeing him prepare to leave, Ya Fei put away the spirit liquid and rose elegantly, bringing another trail of fragrance with her.

Xiao Se nodded slowly and did not refuse.

The two walked to the entrance of the Mittel Auction House before parting ways.

Standing at the entrance, Ya Fei watched Xiao Se’s retreating figure from afar, whispering to herself, "What an interesting person."

Just then, that familiar hoarse voice suddenly echoed in Ya Fei's mind: "Did you forget to verify the authenticity of the Foundation-Building Spirit Liquid?"

Upon hearing this, Ya Fei hurried to find Gu Ni to verify the items. After learning they were genuine, she let out a sigh of relief, though she couldn't help but pout, feeling resentful of Xiao Se's mischievous sense of humor.

After leaving the Mittel Auction House, Xiao Se found a secluded corner to remove his black robe. For once, he didn't return to cultivate but wandered aimlessly through the streets.

He was in a good mood; in a few days, he would be leaving the Xiao Clan to venture out into the world.

"Brother, you seem to be in a very good mood," Long Kui's clear, melodious voice sounded in Xiao Se's heart.

"I suppose so!" Xiao Se responded with a smile.

"Is it because of that woman named Ya Fei?" Long Kui asked.

"Uh..." Xiao Se’s mouth twitched. "Long Kui, what makes you think that?"

"Because when Brother was with that woman, your heartbeat was very fast, just like..." Long Kui’s voice trailed off to a whisper.

"Just like what?" Xiao Se asked, intrigued.

"Just like when Brother holds Long Kui," she whispered, her face blushing within the Demon Sword space, her teeth biting her lower lip.

"Ahem..." Xiao Se coughed guiltily and changed the subject. "Brother is happy not because of that, but because in a few days, I will be able to leave Wutan City to travel, and by the way, show you the world."

"Heehee, thank you, Brother." Xiao Se’s answer clearly satisfied Long Kui.

After wandering through Wutan City for another hour and buying two half-face masks, Xiao Se realized there was nothing else he needed and prepared to return to the back mountains of the Xiao Clan to cultivate.

Bypassing the bluestone square of the Xiao Clan, he ran into an unexpected person at a crossroads on the mountain path.

"Xiao Yan!"

"Xiao Se!"

The two looked at each other in surprise, calling out each other's names.

Seeing the dejected look in Xiao Yan's eyes, Xiao Se nodded slightly. Just as he was about to continue on his way, he suddenly sensed a powerful soul force scanning the area. He hurriedly activated the Guiyuan Soul Method and the Breath-Concealing Technique to hide himself.

The Breath-Concealing Technique could hide one's cultivation level by an entire stage.

The Guiyuan Soul Method, in addition to tempering the soul, possessed the unique ability to conceal one's soul presence.