Chapter Twenty: I Will Not Kill You

Hearing the surrounding whispers and feeling the curious and judgmental gazes, Nalan Yanran knew there was no way they could continue strolling through the streets. With no other choice, the group decided to return to the inn.

Just as they reached the entrance, they saw a beautiful woman standing outside. The red-dressed woman possessed enchanting, voluptuous curves, and was looking around as if searching for someone. When she noticed Lin An and his companions, her face lit up with delight and she quickly hurried over to them.

“You must be Nalan Yanran from the Cloudmist Sect. I am Yafei from the Mittel Auction House. I hope my unannounced visit has not disturbed you.”

It had to be said, the Mittel Auction House had an eye for talent—sending such a captivating woman to invite guests to an auction. With every glance and smile, she could stir the hearts of ordinary men.

“Yafei?” Lin An was slightly surprised; he hadn’t expected her to seek them out at a time like this. Then again, it made sense. The Cloudmist Sect was the most powerful in the Jia Ma Empire, and the Nalan family was itself an influential clan. It was no wonder that, upon hearing of Nalan Yanran's presence in Wutan City, countless people would want to forge a connection with her or her sect.

For the Mittel Auction House to send Yafei to invite them was only natural.

“Master Lin An, have you perhaps heard of me before?” Yafei noticed Lin An’s look of surprise.

“Ah... I’m new here, so I haven’t heard your name,” Lin An replied with a smile.

“I see. I apologize for disturbing you so abruptly. Tomorrow, our Mittel Auction House will be holding an auction featuring many rare treasures. Here is a VIP invitation. Should you be interested, you are most welcome to attend. Of course, if you have anything you wish to auction, I can arrange it for you right away.”

Yafei’s purpose was clear: she was here to invite Lin An and his group to the auction. If they could present something valuable for bidding, it would certainly attract attention.

“Sorry, we plan to leave Wutan City as soon as our business is finished. So I think we’ll have to decline,” Nalan Yanran said.

“In fact, Elder Ge Ye has agreed to postpone our departure by a day. He too intends to attend tomorrow’s auction,” Yafei replied.

“In that case, let’s go and see what the auction has to offer,” Lin An said. Truth be told, he was quite interested. In online novels from his previous life, auctions were the protagonist’s treasure trove, the perfect place to strike it rich. Lin An had never attended an auction before, and his curiosity was piqued.

Nalan Yanran nodded. Since even Elder Ge Ye had agreed, she couldn’t object.

Lin An took out a few useless pills from his possessions and handed them to Yafei for appraisal to see if they might be suitable for auction. These were all elixirs that aided in cultivation breakthroughs; he no longer needed them, and since he was running low on gold coins, it would be embarrassing if something caught his eye at the auction and he couldn’t afford it.

Yafei accepted Lin An’s items with a smile. It seemed her trip had not been in vain—some of these pills she even recognized as rare treasures seldom seen on the market.

Seeing this, Nalan Yanran also took out a few items, intending for the auction house to sell them.

After chatting a while longer, Nalan Yanran began urging Lin An to return to the inn. Yafei smiled, not lingering any further. She could tell that Nalan Yanran seemed to have feelings for Lin An—hence her reluctance to let him interact with other women, especially someone like herself.

Back in his room, Lin An finally enjoyed a rare moment of rest. To be honest, his nerves had been taut for so long, always worried that death might come at any moment. With the system currently upgrading, he felt even less secure.

As night fell, Lin An lay in bed, his mind drifting through memories of his past and present lives. So much time had passed that, in truth, he was beginning to appreciate life in this strange world.

At that moment, Lin An suddenly sensed movement on the roof above him. He remained still, pretending to sleep, curious whether the person above was simply passing by or had come for him specifically.

The intruder was extremely cautious, as if afraid to awaken him, making only the faintest of sounds. By now, Lin An was certain this person was here for him—who else would idle away so much time loitering on someone’s roof?

His mind raced, quickly deducing who was most likely to make a move against him—it had to be Xiao Xun’er. Back at the Xiao household, Xiao Yan had forbidden her from challenging him, but clearly unwilling to let the matter rest, she must have decided to find him alone under cover of night.

Lin An was speechless—he hadn’t expected Xiao Xun’er to go to such lengths for Xiao Yan.

Soon, Xiao Xun’er entered the room.

“I know you’re awake. There’s no need to pretend.”

To Lin An’s surprise, Xiao Xun’er didn’t sneak about in secrecy. Instead, she immediately guessed he was awake.

“Miss Xun’er, it’s so late at night. What brings you here?” Lin An, no longer feigning sleep, got up and faced her in the darkness.

“What else? I’m here because of the challenge I failed to finish today,” Xiao Xun’er declared. “I want to challenge you!”

“So, the wager from earlier still stands?” Lin An asked with interest.

“That’s right. If I lose, I’ll agree to be your servant for three years,” she replied, evidently having thought it through. If she lost, she would have no choice but to serve Lin An for three years.

“Very well, I accept,” Lin An said. Three years was neither long nor short, but he was confident that in that time, he could make Xiao Xun’er truly his own. Considering her identity, it was a bargain no matter how one looked at it.

“In that case, follow me!” Xiao Xun’er said, turning to leave the room.

Lin An followed close behind.

Before long, the two of them arrived outside Wutan City.

“Aren’t you afraid I might kill you here?” Xiao Xun’er asked.

“If you wanted to kill me, you wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble,” Lin An replied.

“Of course not. Since Brother Xiao Yan has said that in three years he will come to the Cloudmist Sect to seek you out and repay you for all the humiliation you’ve dealt him, I won’t kill you. But your cultivation is too advanced now—if I don’t suppress you a little, Brother Xiao Yan won’t stand a chance three years from now. That would be too unfair to him.”