Hong Yue Auction House, private room.
The fierce bidding war between Yang Xin and Xue Hui had ended with Yang Xin obtaining ownership of the Nightmare Demon Pot after agreeing to Xue Hui's terms and allowing him to closely inspect the item.
With the last item having been sold, Hong Loulan formally concluded the auction and wholeheartedly thanked everyone for participating.
As everyone began to leave the Hong Yue Auction House premises, Hong Loulan bowed respectfully to Xue Hui and Yang Xin, thanking them for their generous spending.
Since the Hong Yue Auction House had earned quite a lot of Demon Spirit Coins from the two of them, she went out of her way to invite them to one of their private rooms, asking them to follow her.
Hong Loulan led Yang Xin and Xue Hui to one of the private rooms in the building and let them in, knowing that Yang Xin and Xue Hui still needed to honor the agreement between them and allow Xue Hui to get a closer look at the Nightmare Demon Pot.
With careful movements, Hong Loulan placed the Nightmare Demon Pot on the table between Yang Xin and Xue Hui.
Once the pot was securely in place, Hong Loulan let out a shaky breath, happy that she hadn't ended up dropping the expensive artifact in front of the two wealthy customers.
Straightening herself, Hong Loulan gave a slight curt nod, before her gaze landed to her side.
Watching Xue Hui's side profile, a faint blush dusted Hong Loulan's face as she fidgeted in place, seemingly wanting to say something.
Steeling her nerves, Hong Loulan cleared her throat, which made Xue Hui turn in her direction and give her a puzzled look.
Now that she had Xue Hui's attention, Hong Loulan gave him a bright, charming smile, one that was different from her usual business manner. Yang Xin could only describe it as affectionate.
"Young Master Xue Hui gave Loulan such a precious elixir. If Young Master happens to visit Hong Yue's Orient Pearl Restaurant, Loulan would be happy to personally serve Young Master Xue Hui." Hong Loulan bit her lower lip, the dusting of pink on her cheeks now completely shaded crimson. "We can also visit other places if Young Master Xue Hui wants to."
If other men were to hear Hong Loulan right now, they would undoubtedly be gnashing their teeth in envy and hurling abusive curses at Xue Hui.
Hong Loulan was one of the three goddesses of the previous generation, alongside Huyan Lanruo and another renowned beauty. One could only imagine how many men would be heartbroken if they ever heard about this.
"That would be nice, Lady Hong Loulan. I heard that the Orient Pearl is one of the best restaurants in the northern part of Glory City. I think we could pay a visit there before the school break is over. I'll let my friends know. I'm sure they would all love to try the food there."
Although Hong Loulan kept the same sweet smile on her face, it was noticeable to Yang Xin that her eyebrow was slightly twitching.
Yang Xin held back the laugh that was about to escape her lips. She found it funny how dense the young man in front of her was. Hong Loulan, one of the most desired beauties in the city, had just been subtly rejected by Xue Hui.
Yang Xin was tempted to give Hong Loulan a hand, maybe even play matchmaker between the two young individuals.
But when Yang Xin remembered that Xue Hui was already engaged to Chen Linlin, she refrained from doing so. There was no need to make an enemy of the princess of the Divine Family.
After bidding them farewell, Hong Loulan excused herself and headed out of the room, leaving Yang Xin and Xue Hui to their business.
Reaching out, Yang Xin's delicate hand carefully opened the wooden case to reveal the Nightmare Demon Pot sitting inside.
While the Nightmare Demon Pot had reached an enormous price, Yang Xin was still unsure why Nie Li and Xue Hui were willing to spend such enormous amounts of money just to get their hands on the ancient-looking pot.
"Young Master Xue Hui, as per the agreement, please go ahead and inspect the Nightmare Demon Pot." Yang Xin was curious about how Xue Hui would examine it.
"Thanks, Miss Yang Xin. I'm really interested in how this thing works. Let me take a look."
Xue Hui reached out, grabbed the Nightmare Demon Pot, and pulled it closer as he began studying the treasure.
Yang Xin adjusted herself in her chair to sit comfortably, thinking that whatever Xue Hui was doing would take quite a while.
Xue Hui had paid two hundred million Demon Spirit Coins for it, so she wondered how he intended to make the inspection worth his money.
Before Yang Xin could make small talk and probe whether Xue Hui knew the uses of the Nightmare Demon Pot, a silver sphere and a green sphere, each the size of a human head, manifested in his hands. Guiding their movements, Xue Hui pushed the two orbs into the Nightmare Demon Pot, enveloping it.
Yang Xin's glistening lips parted slightly, her eyes widening as they shifted between the boy in front of her and the Nightmare Demon Pot.
Xue Hui had a dazed expression on his face. The glow within his eyes flashed with brilliant silver and green light.
What Xue Hui was doing was peering into the Nightmare Demon Pot's history, more specifically, the history of its creation.
By combining the Origin of Past and the Origin of Life, Xue Hui could see the history of anything in existence, albeit only in a fragmented manner.
This time, he could only recall the creation process of the Nightmare Demon Pot: the materials used, the inscription array, and its schematics.
This was due to the limitations of his strength.
If not, Xue Hui might even have seen who created the Nightmare Demon Pot and the purpose behind its creation.
But for now, merely knowing the process of creating a Nightmare Demon Pot was more than enough. With that knowledge, he could create its replica using the Dao Book of Forges and Manifestation.
Despite remaining in a dazed state under the effects of his power, the corners of Xue Hui's lips curled upward.
Yang Xin, whose gaze was fixed on Xue Hui, couldn't help but feel uneasy after seeing that subtle grin.
She didn't know what Xue Hui was doing or what he was thinking, but one thing Yang Xin was certain of was that Xue Hui was even more mysterious than Nie Li.
---
"Look how small he is! He's so small! Look at him! LOOK AT HIM!"
"Mei Lin, put him down!"
Jing Ya tried her best to stop Mei Lin from manhandling Xue Hui. The blonde girl was carrying him by his armpits like a small child while frantically shoving him in front of everyone's faces.
Besides Xiao Ning'er and Chen Linlin, the trio of girls was in a frenzy. In front of them stood a de-aged Xue Hui, who looked like a three-year-old child.
After studying the inner workings of the Nightmare Demon Pot, Xue Hui hurriedly wrote a message for Nie Li and stepped out of the private room in the Hong Yue Auction House to find a secluded area.
The moment he did, the backlash from using the Origin of Past hit him and reverted him to his younger physique.
So it wasn't surprising that Jing Ya, Mei Lin, and Yue Ling reacted so animatedly when they laid eyes on him.
"Xue Hui, are you okay? You look exhausted."
Concerned, Xiao Ning'er snatched Xue Hui from Mei Lin, causing the blonde girl to lose her balance and fall face-first onto the ground.
"I'm fine, Ning'er. I just used up all my soul force again. I'll be back in good shape in no time."
Hearing Xue Hui's words, Chen Linlin let out a snort and walked over, ruffling his hair with a nostalgic expression on her face.
"Nah! This is nothing for Hui-Hui. This isn't even the worst state he's been in. You should've seen him when he was making those spheres of his. Oh boy, those times were the worst. There was even a time when we thought he died. We were already preparing his burial when he suddenly woke up."
Chen Linlin recounted the story nonchalantly, earning a deadpan look from Xue Hui.
Instead of feeling comforted, Xiao Ning'er's face went pale, and her hold on Xue Hui's small body tightened as if she were afraid he would suddenly disappear.
The trio of girls reacted similarly. Their faces turned ashen as they stared at Xue Hui with horrified looks.
Seeing everyone's reactions, Xue Hui let out a tired sigh and tried to dispel their worries.
"I'm here with all of you, so obviously I'm alive. There's nothing to be concerned about. That's all in the past. Instead, we should head back to the Yue Clan mansion and get some rest. I'm tired and hungry."
Hearing him, Chen Linlin let out a mischievous laugh. She bent her knees until her face was level with his.
"Ah~ Baby Hui-Hui is feeling grumpy. Do I need to feed the baby and tuck him into bed afterward?"
Chen Linlin teased him as she reached out and pinched his cheeks, stretching the chubby flesh in an adorable manner.
"But not gonna lie, I enjoy seeing you like this from time to time. It brings back so many great memories."
Chen Linlin leaned forward and gave Xue Hui a peck on the cheek, earning a chorus of teasing from her friends.
Eventually, the group climbed into their carriage and headed back toward the Yue Clan's territory.
Meanwhile, back in the private room of the Hong Yue Auction House,
Yang Xin and Nie Li sat in awkward silence after Yang Xin recounted her experience with Xue Hui.
Nie Li's brows were knitted together as he processed all the information he had just received.
Xue Hui possessed some unknown power, and despite having two lifetimes' worth of experience and having spent years inside the Temporal Demon Spirit Book, Nie Li couldn't figure out what kind of technique Xue Hui was using.
Nie Li grabbed the Nightmare Demon Pot and examined every part of it to see if Xue Hui had done anything during his inspection. To his relief, the Nightmare Demon Pot seemed perfectly normal.
"Oh, by the way, Nie Li, Young Master Xue Hui wanted me to pass this letter to you."
Yang Xin handed the letter to Nie Li, causing his eyebrow to rise slightly.
Placing down the Nightmare Demon Pot, Nie Li opened the letter and began reading.
As he went through its contents, his expression shifted several times before settling into annoyance.
"Bastard! Does he really think I'm that easy to bully? If a random person can just order me around, then the world really is that simple."
Nie Li snarled and threw the letter onto the table, where it slid toward Yang Xin.
Yang Xin's eyes landed on the piece of paper. Curious, she picked it up and read the contents.
The letter contained a list of names along with their soul realm attributes.
Essentially, Xue Hui was asking for Nie Li's assistance in finding suitable Demon Spirits for his friends, preferably ones with God-level growth rates. The letter also stated that if Nie Li required additional funds, he could simply request money from the Divine Medicine Pavilion.
After reading the letter, Yang Xin wore a complicated expression.
She was now certain that Xue Hui and Nie Li shared a rather complicated relationship.
She asked Nie Li what he intended to do about Xue Hui's request and even offered to help purchase the Demon Spirits, considering the exorbitant amount Xue Hui had paid for the Nightmare Demon Pot.
In response, Nie Li merely shook his head and told her not to worry about it.
At first, Nie Li had been tempted to ignore the request. He didn't feel like being Xue Hui's errand boy.
But after giving it some thought, he decided to do it.
Helping them acquire suitable Demon Spirits with God-level growth rates would help strengthen Glory City and create more powerful protectors.
That was the only reason Nie Li was considering helping them.
Furthermore, Xue Hui's request was for his companions, not for himself.
"Whatever. I'll do it if I have free time," Nie Li answered dismissively, though he couldn't help wondering why Xue Hui hadn't requested a Demon Spirit for himself.
Nie Li groaned inwardly. The thought of Xue Hui already having integrated with some powerful Demon Spirit made a headache begin creeping through his head.
"Either that, or he's extremely confident that he doesn't need one to begin with."
Nie Li grunted in annoyance.
End of Chapter 67
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