"You may leave. I'll handle things here."
After dismissing the maid, Ya Fei gracefully approached Zhou Changqing, her beautiful eyes scanning him up and down as if searching for something.
Zhou Changqing stood there openly, letting Ya Fei size him up.
After a moment, Ya Fei leaned forward, her charming face close to his, a smile in her eyes. "It seems little Changqing has been doing well for himself these past few years. You've gotten much stronger!"
"But you've become a little heartless, not even visiting your big sister once. Could it be that little Changqing has already forgotten me?"
"How could I? I'm here now, aren't I? I've always remembered Sister Ya Fei's past kindness. Besides, back in Wu Tan City, Sister Ya Fei was the dream lover of countless men. How could I ever forget such a great beauty?"
"Such a smooth-talker. You wouldn't just show up for no reason. I think you need something from me. Otherwise, you probably would have come to the Mitteer clan and not even bothered to tell me."
Ya Fei rolled her eyes charmingly before standing up straight again, her slender arms naturally linking with his.
Seeing this, the nearby Medusa's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of an unreadable emotion crossing them.
Pulling Zhou Changqing down to sit, Ya Fei finally noticed the still-standing Medusa.
"Changqing, and this is?"
Lost in the reunion, Zhou Changqing had almost forgotten about Her Majesty the Queen. He immediately stood up again and introduced them with a smile. "A friend of mine. Sister Ya Fei, you can call her Miss Dusha."
"Miss Dusha, a pleasure to meet you. Any friend of Changqing's is a friend of mine. Please, have a seat."
Hearing Zhou Changqing's introduction, Ya Fei's eyes blinked, a strange emotion hidden in their depths. It was unclear what she was thinking, but she didn't lose her composure, her voice lilting with a smile.
Medusa glanced at Ya Fei but didn't reply, simply taking a seat on her own.
Ya Fei didn't seem to mind and pulled Zhou Changqing back down to sit.
"Sister Ya Fei, don't mind her. That's just how she is with everyone," Zhou Changqing said, leaning close to Ya Fei's ear and speaking via voice transmission.
"By the way, my friend is not to be underestimated. If she offends you in any way, please bear with it. Don't provoke her, or it will be very troublesome."
Ya Fei's eyes showed a hint of surprise, and she gave an almost imperceptible nod.
This little brother of hers was a formidable character. Back when he was only a Dou Shi, he had dared to make mortal enemies of two top-tier factions and one first-rate faction in Wu Tan City, all of which had Da Dou Shi experts.
He had been forced to leave Wu Tan City because of it.
Two years had passed, and while Ya Fei couldn't be certain, with Zhou Changqing's talent, he was surely a Da Dou Shi by now.
Yet he was saying this veiled woman was not to be trifled with.
Her strength must be at least at the Dou Ling level.
She didn't dare to imagine anything higher.
Even so, a Dou Ling was not someone she could easily offend.
In the Mitteer family, a Dou Ling expert was, at the very least, guaranteed an elder's position.
"So, tell me. You didn't suddenly come to the Mitteer headquarters in the imperial capital just to see me. You must need to buy something." Ya Fei looked at Zhou Changqing and smiled.
Zhou Changqing was far more thick-skinned than before. Facing Ya Fei's teasing, he put on a serious expression. "What are you talking about, Sister Ya Fei? Can't I come see you just because?"
"While it's true I need the Mitteer clan's help finding a few things, that's just secondary. The main reason is that I haven't seen you in too long, and I missed you."
Hearing this, Ya Fei simply smiled at him, her beautiful eyes shimmering like water, making it hard for one to bear her gaze.
"Is that so? In that case, I suppose I won't help. Since you said it was just secondary, you can keep me company for a while before we talk business."
"Ahem... even if it's secondary, I am in a bit of a hurry..."
"Alright, I'll stop teasing you. What is it?"
Watching the two of them flirt as if no one else was there, Medusa's eye twitched. Her smooth forehead seemed to darken, and her hands began to itch.
She shot a sideways glance at Zhou Changqing, suddenly feeling that he was asking for a beating.
A sudden chill ran down Zhou Changqing's spine, as if he was being watched by some terrifying entity.
His gaze happened to meet Medusa's, and he immediately stopped his sweet-talking.
This woman was probably getting impatient.
Zhou Changqing immediately handed a Storage Ring to Ya Fei. "What else could it be? The usual. I'll have to trouble you with these, Sister Ya Fei. And if you could, help me find some rare materials as well."
"Is this... a Magic Core Armament?"
Taking the ring, Ya Fei instantly guessed its contents.
Zhou Changqing nodded. "That's right. But not the Tier 2 ones from before. These are Tier 3 and Tier 4. There are three sets of high-grade Tier 3 and one set of low-grade Tier 4."
"Tier 3? And even Tier 4?" Ya Fei was stunned, her hand instinctively tightening around the Storage Ring.
As one of the first people besides Zhou Changqing to come into contact with Magic Core Armaments, she understood the value of the items in the ring better than anyone.
The combined worth of its contents was at least several million gold coins!
At that thought, a fire ignited in Ya Fei's heart.
The money was a secondary concern. The auction house only took a small percentage as a commission, so how large could the profit be?
What was truly important was the stream of customers and the sensation these items would create when auctioned off by the Mitteer clan.
If this was handled well, her chances of having the "acting" removed from her title of Acting Supervisory Elder would increase significantly.
Looking at Zhou Changqing, her beautiful eyes glistening, Ya Fei sighed with emotion. "Changqing, you truly never cease to amaze me."
"I understand your intentions, and I won't refuse. I already owe you so much, what's one more debt?"
"What are you talking about, Sister Ya Fei? This is mutually beneficial. Besides, haven't you helped me a great deal? Don't say such things again!"
"Alright, alright, I'll listen to you. I'll be back in a little while. I need to take care of these things first, then I'll come back and keep you company."
"Go on, Sister Ya Fei. Come back soon."
She patted Zhou Changqing's shoulder with a delicate hand and nodded with a smile before leaving the reception room.
Outside the door, she instructed a maid to serve Zhou Changqing and his companion well before she left, her mind at ease.
In the reception room, Zhou Changqing and Medusa waited while drinking tea, neither of them speaking.
But after a moment, Zhou Changqing's brow furrowed.
He sensed an unfamiliar aura approaching the room.
The aura was weak, probably at the Dou Shi level, and unstable. It was clear its owner's foundation was weak, their strength boosted by pills.
Normally, Zhou Changqing wouldn't have paid it any mind, but the person was clearly heading for their reception room.
They were most likely coming for the two of them.
He just didn't know if their intentions were good or ill.
CRASH!
The door was kicked open.
Alright, so their intentions weren't friendly.
Zhou Changqing shook his head slightly. It seemed more trouble had found him. And this was his first time in the imperial capital.
He hadn't provoked anyone, had he?
"You're Zhou Changqing?"
A young man strode in from outside, his unremarkable and slightly pale face coming into Zhou Changqing's view.
The youth carried himself with arrogance, looking Zhou Changqing up and down before sneering. "I was expecting some brilliant talent, but you're just a pretty boy."
Zhou Changqing could clearly sense the blatant jealousy in the other man's eyes as he looked at him.
It made Zhou Changqing want to laugh.
Some people were always like this when faced with someone more handsome than themselves.
They were clearly jealous, yet they had to feign disdain and call him a pretty boy.
"And you are?"
This was Mitteer territory, after all. As long as the other party didn't push things too far, Zhou Changqing didn't want to cause trouble for Ya Fei. He asked calmly.