Upon entering Xianbao Pavilion, the view opened up dramatically. Ye Xuan found himself in a vast plaza capable of holding tens of thousands. At its centre stood a circular platform, dozens of metres wide and long.
On the platform, six stunning women were dancing gracefully.
These women had fiery figures, wearing minimal clothing, exposing their midriffs and thighs, draped in thin, translucent veils. Their dance revealed glimpses of their forms, utterly captivating.
Yet, it wasn’t vulgar.
The veiled woman leading them, though her face was obscured, was clearly a breathtaking beauty by her outline! Her figure was so alluring it could drive countless men to sin.
Ye Xuan couldn’t help but linger on her, though his gaze was clear, free of impure thoughts. Since immersing himself in books, his mind had grown pure, such thoughts rare.
As Ye Xuan and Xiangu Yao entered, the hall already held a few dozen people.
Their arrival drew many eyes, mostly fixed on Xiangu Yao.
Xiangu Yao remained calm, accustomed to such attention.
After all, she was beautiful!
An elder approached her, bowing slightly, “Miss Xiangu Yao, I’m Nan Qing, president of this Xianbao Pavilion branch. If you need anything, just say the word!”
Xiangu Yao nodded slightly, “Thank you!”
Nan Qing smiled, “Miss Xiangu Yao, your seat is in the front row, facing the platform. Follow me!”
He turned to lead the way.
Xiangu Yao followed but stopped after a few steps, turning to Ye Xuan, puzzled, “Why aren’t you coming?”
Ye Xuan blinked, “He said *your* seat is in the front row, not mine!”
Xiangu Yao shook her head, “Sit with me!”
She paused, then looked at Nan Qing, “No problem, right?”
Nan Qing glanced at Ye Xuan, smiling, “Of course!”
Thus, Ye Xuan and Xiangu Yao sat in the front row, drawing many curious and jealous glances.
After all, everyone knew Xiangu Yao was cold to men, yet here she was, sitting side by side with one.
More and more people studied Ye Xuan curiously.
Ye Xuan chuckled, “Like needles in my back!”
Xiangu Yao turned to him, “Are you scared?”
Ye Xuan shook his head, “Not at all!”
Xiangu Yao was silent for a moment, then said, “You’re very confident, shockingly so.”
Ye Xuan smiled faintly, saying nothing, and turned to the dancing women on the platform, particularly the veiled one. Beyond appreciation, his gaze held a hint of something else.
With the Great Dao Pen, he could see through all concealments.
Xiangu Yao glanced at the six dancers, then asked, “Are they beautiful?”
Ye Xuan was startled, then laughed, “The dance or the women?”
Xiangu Yao’s expression was calm, “Both!”
Ye Xuan smiled, “The dance is beautiful, the women more so!”
Xiangu Yao’s face remained expressionless.
Ye Xuan continued watching, pure people see purity in everything, like him.
Then Xiangu Yao suddenly asked, “Are they prettier, or am I?”
She froze after speaking.
Why did I ask that? Why compare myself to dancers?
Frowning, she was displeased with her slip, but the words couldn’t be taken back.
Ye Xuan laughed, “Miss Yao, this question… it’s hard to answer. Can I skip it?”
Xiangu Yao looked at him, “Is it that hard?”
Ye Xuan thought, then said, “Miss Yao, a beautiful body is just a shell, a noble soul is true nobility. Do you know why I like you?”
Like her?
Xiangu Yao froze. Was this a confession? Her heart raced briefly but soon calmed.
Ye Xuan laughed, “Because Miss Xiangu Yao has a noble soul!”
Xiangu Yao looked at him, “How so?”
Ye Xuan smiled, “I read in an ancient book, ‘A true strong person respects the freedom of the weak as their boundary.’”
He looked at her, smiling, “When we first met, you liked Qingqiu and wanted her as your disciple, but you respected our wishes, giving us full respect. I think that’s what a strong person should be. A strong person who reasons with the weak, respects their will, that’s a true strong person. Bullies who prey on the weak, no matter their strength, don’t deserve to be called strong.”
Xiangu Yao was silent for a long time, then said, “Young Master Ye, you’re a different kind of man!”
Ye Xuan: “…”
At that moment, a young man approached, walking straight to Xiangu Yao, smiling, “Miss Yao, long time no see!”
Xiangu Yao nodded slightly, saying nothing.
The young man, unfazed, smiled, “Miss Yao, are you here for *The Divine Dao Codex*?”
Xiangu Yao nodded, her expression calm, even cold.
The young man smiled, “Seems we share the same goal!”
Xiangu Yao glanced at him, “Young Master Yan, that’s obvious. Who here isn’t for the Codex?”
This wasn’t just cold, it was blunt!
The young man’s expression froze, embarrassed, but he quickly recovered, turning to Ye Xuan, smiling, “And this brother is?”
Ye Xuan smiled, “Ye Xuan!”
The young man laughed, “Brother Ye… where are you from?”
Where from!
Ye Xuan thought, then said, “Qingcheng.”
The young man frowned, thinking, then said, “Qingcheng?”
Ye Xuan nodded.
The young man shook his head, “Never heard of it!”
Ye Xuan smiled, “Just a small place, it’s normal you haven’t heard of it. As for me, I’m just an ordinary scholar!”
The young man laughed, “Brother Ye, you’re too modest! Favoured by Miss Xiangu Yao, how could you be ordinary?”
Xiangu Yao’s brows furrowed, clearly displeased.
Ye Xuan glanced at her, smiling, “I’m very honoured!”
Xiangu Yao shot him a glance, full of charm, unnoticed even by herself.
Everyone in the hall saw it!
In that moment, they froze.
Something’s off!
Their relationship was definitely not normal!
Young Master Yan, seeing this, froze, then his face turned grim with jealousy!
His pursuit of Xiangu Yao was no secret, and many saw them as a perfect match, both from great families, a talented man and a beautiful woman.
But only he knew Xiangu Yao felt nothing for him, which he accepted, as she was like that with all men. Now, he saw she treated this man differently.
Ambiguous!
It was ambiguous!
Yan Bianyue’s face was terrifyingly dark, unmasked.
Seeing his expression, Xiangu Yao frowned, regretting her glance, which had caused a misunderstanding and might bring Ye Xuan endless trouble.
Yan Bianyue glanced at Ye Xuan, then turned and left.
He wasn’t foolish enough to act out here, offending both Xianbao Pavilion and Xiangu Yao.
But he wasn’t in a rush, there’d be plenty of chances.
After Yan Bianyue left, the crowd’s gazes on Ye Xuan and Xiangu Yao grew strange.
Yan Bianyue suddenly said, “After this, we leave together!”
Ye Xuan blinked, “Protecting me forever?”
Yan Bianyue looked at him, silent. This man was a bit cheeky, yet why didn’t she mind?
Ye Xuan laughed, “It’s fine!”
Xiangu Yao said softly, “Young Master Ye, you’re so mysterious. I’ve been underestimating you, haven’t I?”
Ye Xuan smiled, “In what way? Strength or background?”
Xiangu Yao looked at him, “Both!”
Ye Xuan met her gaze, smiling, “Want to know? If you do, I’ll tell you.”
Xiangu Yao stared, “Are you willing?”
Ye Xuan laughed, “For others, no, but for you, I am.”
Xiangu Yao frowned, “Why?”
Ye Xuan smiled, “Because you treat me with sincerity, so I do the same.”
Xiangu Yao was silent, then said, “I want to know!”
Ye Xuan leaned close, whispering, “In this universe, no one you see can withstand my sword.”
Xiangu Yao froze.
Ye Xuan smiled, looking back at the dancers on the platform.
After a pause, Xiangu Yao asked, “And your background?”
Ye Xuan’s expression was calm, a faint smile on his face, “A three-foot sword reigns supreme, the greatest clan in all realms!”
Xiangu Yao stared, silent.
Is he lying?
Her eyes closed slowly, unable to tell if Ye Xuan was truthful or not.
At that moment, Nan Qing, the branch president, stepped onto the platform. The six dancers stopped, and as they left, the veiled leader glanced at Ye Xuan, her eyes smiling.
Nan Qing addressed the crowd, now over a hundred strong.
Quite a turnout!
He smiled, “Thank you all for attending. Today, we auction one divine item, our Pavilion Master’s *Divine Dao Codex*. I haven’t seen it, but the Master said anyone cultivating it can be invincible in their realm, challenging higher realms as easily as drinking water, even two realms above…”
He paused, then continued, “No more talk, let’s begin! Starting bid, five million cosmic veins.”
Five million cosmic veins!
Ye Xuan sighed softly.
Qin Guan!
What a filthy-rich woman!
If this Codex were auctioned across universes… he couldn’t imagine!
He now understood why Qin Guan was called “Qin Guan.”
Qin Guan = Money Jar.
Pavilion Master?
No, he thought “Jar Master” suited her better.
Soon, the price hit fifteen million cosmic veins.
Ye Xuan was sweating.
When Dongli Nan left, he gave him some cosmic veins, plus those from the Demon Heaven Clan and Xianling, totalling less than seven million. After spending some, he had about six million left!
Clearly, the Codex was out of reach!
Of course, under normal circumstances.
But abnormally…
Qin Guan wrote the Codex, did he need to buy it? Really?
Naive!
Soon, the Codex reached twenty million cosmic veins!
A staggering price.
Fewer people bid in the hall.
The highest bidder was Yan Bianyue, whose family, second only to Xianbao Pavilion in business, was filthy rich.
At twenty-eight million cosmic veins, no one dared bid higher!
As Nan Qing prepared to drop the hammer, Yan Bianyue stood, looking at Ye Xuan, smiling, “Young Master Ye, I noticed you haven’t bid once… You didn’t come here just to freeload, right? Just kidding, don’t take it to heart!”
Seeing Yan Bianyue target Ye Xuan, Xiangu Yao frowned, about to speak, when Ye Xuan laughed, “Young Master Yan, are you targeting me because of Miss Xiangu Yao?”
Yan Bianyue froze.
He hadn’t expected Ye Xuan to be so direct!
The crowd froze too, stunned by Ye Xuan’s bluntness. Everyone could see Yan Bianyue was targeting him over Xiangu Yao, but usually, such things went unsaid!
Ye Xuan smiled, looking at Xiangu Yao earnestly, “Miss Yao is a wonderful woman, any man would be moved, including me, after all, who doesn’t love beauty? I understand! But, Young Master Yan, if you think such crude tactics will get her attention or affection, you’re gravely mistaken! Miss Yao isn’t ordinary, she’s a woman of conviction, with a noble soul and character. Your actions are low, and low actions often reflect low character!”
He smiled, “I’ll be honest, I’m not as rich as you, nor as strong, nor do I have your grand background. If stepping on me gives you a sense of superiority or lets you show off in front of Miss Yao… then you’ve won!”
The crowd: “…”
