Hearing the frivolous voice from behind her, Ya Fei frowned deeply. The smile that had been on her face instantly vanished, replaced by an undisguised look of disgust.
She turned around and saw a pale-faced, unsteady young man flanked by several guards. He was staring at Ya Fei with a look of blatant covetous desire.
"I'm busy. I don't have time for you," Ya Fei said coldly, glancing at the young man as if he were trash, and continued to lead Xiao Tian by the hand toward the doorway.
The young man watched Ya Fei holding Xiao Tian's hand and saw the look in her eyes. His face instantly darkened, filled with jealousy.
Ya Fei usually wore a perpetual smile, appearing approachable, but those who knew her understood that she harbored a certain aversion to men. Not only did she never proactively hold a man's hand, but it was also extremely rare for any man to even touch her body.
"I thought you were naturally averse to men, Ya Fei. So it turns out you like these young, pretty boys. You'd be better off with me than with him. He might not be able to satisfy you, hehehehe."
The young man's eyes burned with desire and lewdness as he ceaselessly ogled Ya Fei's body.
He turned to look at Xiao Tian. Seeing Xiao Tian's ethereal and refined appearance, his eyes filled with jealousy, and he sneered, "Pretty boy, do you know who this young master is? I call the shots here. If you kneel and kowtow a few times, I might consider not killing you. Otherwise, this young master has a hundred ways to make your life unbearable."
Just as the young man finished speaking and was about to order his guards to seize Xiao Tian, he suddenly found the area around him turning dim. Space became sluggish, and only his two eyes could barely move.
When the world returned to normal, Xiao Tian was holding a heart wrapped in Dou Qi, faintly pulsating in his hand.
The young man looked at the heart in Xiao Tian's hand, then lowered his gaze to the bloody hole in his own chest.
"My people are not for you to insult, and I especially hate being called a pretty boy."
Xiao Tian crushed the heart directly in front of him. Under the violent force of the flame-attributed Dou Qi, the heart instantly turned to dust.
"You… you… you—"
The young man's eyes were filled with terror and horror. How did his heart end up in this person's hand? He pointed at Xiao Tian, trying to say something, but before he could finish, his breath ceased, and he collapsed to the ground.
"Young Master Leile!" The guards behind him rushed over to check on the young man, touching his neck, only to find that he had already passed away.
"Brothers, kill him, or we'll all die!"
One of the guards, seeing that Leile was dead, knew that his failure to protect him meant he couldn't escape the young master's grandfather's punishment. He shouted at the other guards.
"Wind Severing Blade!"
"Crimson Flame Slash!"
…
Several guards surged with Dou Qi, raised their blades, and unleashed their Dou Techniques, slashing toward Xiao Tian.
Xiao Tian waved his hand, and the several Dou Master-level guards were directly sent flying, spitting blood.
"What, are you scared?" Xiao Tian clapped his hands indifferently and asked the dumbfounded Ya Fei.
Ya Fei recovered, came to Xiao Tian's side with a worried expression, grabbed his hand, and pulled him toward the exit of the auction house.
"Xiao Tian, hurry and leave! His grandfather is a powerful Dou Ling expert; he'll definitely seek revenge on you."
"Are you worried about me? What will you do if I leave?" Xiao Tian looked at the jade-like hand holding his, a smile on his face.
"You're still smiling! Hurry and come with me. I'll take you out. I'll be fine; he's an elder of the family, after all, he wouldn't dare lay a hand on me. I know you acted for my sake. I can't just watch something happen to you."
Ya Fei, seeing that she couldn't pull him, glared at him exasperatedly.
"It's fine. I can handle him. Don't worry."
Xiao Tian gently patted Ya Fei's hand that was gripping his.
"Really? You're not lying to me?" Ya Fei looked earnestly into Xiao Tian's eyes, seeing only confidence there.
Xiao Tian nodded.
"Let's go. Let's talk about the main business first. You can show me the way shortly."
"Then if there's any trouble, I'll take the blame for you. You must leave immediately and not worry about me."
Ya Fei, feeling uneasy, held Xiao Tian's hand and walked toward the internal staircase.
After Xiao Tian and the others left, the other guards of the auction house quickly cleaned up the scene and maintained order.
One of the guards walked toward the depths of the auction house.
Led by Ya Fei, Xiao Tian arrived in a spacious room. Inside the room, several bookshelves stood, filled with books.
Ya Fei went around the desk and sat down, while Xiao Tian and Hai Bodong sat on chairs in front of the desk.
"That person was Leile. His grandfather is an elder of the auction house, a two-star Dou Ling. He often uses his backing to cause trouble for me, and he also harbors some disgusting thoughts about me," Ya Fei said, pouring a cup of tea for Xiao Tian and Hai Bodong, simply explaining the details of the young man Xiao Tian had just killed and his grandfather.
"Then I didn't kill the wrong person. People always have to pay for their actions," Xiao Tian said indifferently, picking up his teacup and taking a sip.
"I remember all his actions. If you hadn't killed him, when I take power in the future, he would be among the first trash I'd expel. Then I'd let him know what fear truly means."
Ya Fei said with a faint smile, her words revealing a hint of ambition.
Hai Bodong looked at Ya Fei in surprise, not expecting the woman before him to possess such forbearance.
Ya Fei tidied the table, pretending to ask casually, "Do you think I'm very vengeful and petty?"
Xiao Tian shook his head and said with a smile, "Compared to your other expressions, I prefer the real you now."
"Enough about him. What do you two need? Tell me."
Ya Fei's lips curved into a genuine smile upon hearing Xiao Tian's words, which then quickly faded.
Xiao Tian produced a blank sheet of paper, placing it on the table. The paper was densely covered with names of medicinal herbs. "See if you can gather the medicinal ingredients listed here."
Xiao Tian proactively presented this paper, of course, to win over Hai Bodong, making him feel that he was very attentive to his needs.
Hai Bodong recognized at a glance that these were the medicinal herbs required for his Spirit Recovery Purple Pill.
Ya Fei picked up the paper, quickly scanned it, and frowned.
"Many of these medicinal ingredients are very rare, and some are priceless. These…"
Bang.
Before Ya Fei could finish speaking, the study door was forcefully broken open by a surge of Dou Qi.
Xiao Tian and the two others stood up, looking at the broken door.
A grim-faced old man in luxurious robes, emanating the aura of a two-star Dou Ling, walked into the study, his eyes filled with hatred and venom.
"Are you the murderers who killed my grandson?"
"If you're referring to the trash downstairs, then yes, I killed him."
"You dog! Then you shall pay with your life for my grandson!"