Chapter 20

A sharp whistling sound cut through the air as Xiao Yan seized an iron rod and swung it straight at Liu Xi's pale face.

With the strength of Xiao Yan's body, even without using a Dou Technique, that blow would shatter Liu Xi's head like a smashed watermelon.

Sensing the lethal intent behind the strike, Xiao Yu and Xiao Ning froze in place, their bodies stiff—Xiao Yan's swift, merciless nature completely shattered the gentle image he'd held in their minds.

Xiao Yu could never have imagined that the boy who used to tease her, throw tantrums, and take advantage of her would, when truly enraged, become so ruthless.

No mercy whatsoever!

Just as the rod was half an inch from Liu Xi's face, Xiao Yan's Soul Force Perception sensed danger approaching—he immediately abandoned the attack, sidestepped sharply, and a streak of blue lightning flashed past his forehead, slicing off two strands of hair that drifted slowly to the ground.

"Brother Xiao Yan!" Xun Er's heart leapt into her throat; only when she saw him dodge did she exhale in relief.

After evading the strike, Xiao Yan braced his left hand on the ground, pushed hard with five fingers, and executed a single-handed flip—his feet landed as he twisted his body, hurling the iron rod straight at the stunned Gai Lie Ao beside him.

Since he couldn't kill Liu Xi, he'd kill Gai Lie Ao, the foolish little heir of the Gale Clan.

With a sharp crack, an iron hand shot out from behind, gripping the flying rod tightly. Gai Lie Ao stared at the iron rod that had nearly pierced his eyeball, his legs turning weak as he collapsed onto the ground, trembling violently.

Even though Xiao Yan had unleashed Eight Extreme Shatter, the hand still caught it.

There was no way— the gap in their Cultivation Realms was simply too vast; even a perfected Xuan Jie High Grade Dou Ji couldn't bridge such a chasm.

"So young, yet so cruel!"

After crushing the iron rod, two figures stepped forward with cold smirks from behind Liu Xi and Gai Lie Ao.

Gai Lie Bi, head of the Gale Clan, and Oba Pa, head of the Oba Clan—both were Great Dou Masters!

"Whether my son is cruel or not is none of your damn business—I like my son to be just like me. Go ahead and bluster." Xiao Zhan walked forward from behind Xiao Yan, flanked by three Elders and a group of guards.

Xiao Zhan clapped Xiao Yan on the shoulder and gave him a thumbs-up. "Well done."

Xiao Yan shrugged, his expression unimpressed. "Pity I didn't turn their heads into watermelon juice."

Hearing the father and son's coordinated taunts, Gai Lie Bi's face darkened to its deepest shade—his own son had nearly just died!

Xiao Zhan looked at Gai Lie Bi's grim expression and said, "So, you want to fight? My Xiao Clan stands ready at any time."

"You—!"

Oba Pa gripped Gai Lie Bi's arm and shook his head. Though their two clans had allied, it was only an economic pact—even if their combined strength surpassed the Xiao Clan and they had more Great Dou Masters, they could never wage war against the Xiao Clan.

After all, if they truly fought to the death, this alliance would inevitably collapse into mutual betrayal—and most importantly, if they killed Xiao Zhan or wiped out the Xiao Clan, Nalan Jie would come for vengeance.

Nalan Yanran's broken engagement had been kept secret from outsiders.

Neither clan could bear the wrath of a Dou Wang.

"Fine, fine, wait and see, Xiao Zhan!" Gai Lie Bi laughed bitterly, spat a threat, and turned to leave.

As he passed Liu Xi, he stared at the man's terrified, shell-shocked face—his mind was utterly speechless. How had this man become an Alchemist, such a sacred profession?

He took a deep breath, suppressing his rage, and said coldly, "Mr. Liu Xi, let's go."

"Huh? Ah? W-what about that girl?" Liu Xi, like a lecherous fool, still stared greedily at Xun Er.

Gai Lie Bi and Oba Pa's eyelids twitched violently—they both nearly wanted to slap the idiot dead on the spot. Gai Lie Bi clenched his fist tightly, then forced himself to smile a grotesque smile. "Let's discuss this later. This place isn't safe to linger."

"Oh, oh, alright then." Liu Xi could only nod reluctantly, then reluctantly followed Gai Lie Bi out of the marketplace.

At this moment, Liu Xi didn't notice that deep within Xiao Yan's eyes lurked a sliver of hidden killing intent.

Xiao Yan watched the departing Liu Xi and asked, "Father, how did the matter go?"

Upon hearing Xiao Yan's question, Xiao Zhan and the three Elders all grew grim.

All four shook their heads in confusion. Xiao Zhan sighed. "Alas, we failed. We only received a small amount of Medicinal Material from the Mitel Auction House. The other major merchants all said they need time to consider before giving us an answer."

The Senior Elder said, "The same goes for the major Medicine Gathering Teams in Wutan City. I suspect the Gale Clan and Oba Clan have been meddling."

To everyone's surprise, Xiao Yan didn't look discouraged—his eyes brightened instead, his expression calm and confident.

"Yan'er, you anticipated this?"

"Not exactly anticipated. Let's go back and wait. The major merchants and Medicine Gathering Teams in Wutan City will come to us soon—we just need to wait." Xiao Yan spoke with quiet confidence.

As expected, that very night, the largest several merchants and Medicine Gathering Teams in Wutan City arrived together at the Xiao Clan's Hall, as if coordinated, to meet with Xiao Zhan regarding the Medicinal Material.

"Brother Xiao Zhan, I'm truly sorry, but we can't sell you the Medicinal Material."

Xiao Zhan frowned deeply and said coldly, "These aren't rare materials—they're the lowest grade. Our Xiao Clan needs large quantities, and we're offering twenty percent above market price. I simply don't understand why you refuse."

Everyone exchanged uneasy glances—none of them wanted to offend Xiao Zhan. After all, the Xiao Clan was the strongest family in Wutan City.

"Is it because you went to the Gale Clan and Oba Clan after noon and told them we're buying Medicinal Material—and they offered a higher price?" Xiao Yan said softly, scraping tea leaves with the lid of his teacup, head lowered.

The merchants swallowed hard. While their actions weren't wrong, admitting it aloud was embarrassing and risked offending someone.

Pang! Xiao Zhan slammed his fist on the table, his Spiritual Pressure flooding the entire Hall. Behind him, a faint green lion's head shimmered into view—unprovoked, yet commanding.

"No wonder you came to us tonight after visiting the Gale and Oba Clans this morning."

One merchant chuckled bitterly. "Brother Xiao Zhan, we're merchants too—it's not easy. Half a year ago, Clan Leader Gai Lie Bi and Clan Leader Oba Pa came to us. Every month we supply them with Medicinal Material, and they pay thirty percent above market price. That's why we..."

Just as Xiao Zhan was about to explode, Xiao Yan interrupted him. "No need to panic, everyone. Our Xiao Clan is also in business—we understand your difficulties. Buying is always for the highest bidder."

"Here's our new offer: fifty percent above market price, and we'll sign a contract with you—over the next three years, we'll buy all of these four Medicinal Materials you produce, and we'll pay you a ten percent deposit upfront."