Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
The next morning, Xia Fei woke up very early and was dragged off by Wistview to have breakfast.
“Eh? Why does the compound seem so much quieter today?” Xia Fei asked curiously.
Old Wistview sighed. “After that haunting incident from last night got out, all of the original residents here left, including the three hundred-some employees the clan hired. Right now, I’m an officer without an army, and you’re the compound’s only resident.”
Xia Fei smiled. “A little peace and quiet is pretty good. I don’t mind, at any rate.”
Wistview said, “I think it’s best if you move into another compound. In any case, you’re not doing anything, and no. 9 is somewhat more dark and shady.”
Xia Fei nodded. “Alright, I’ll do as you say.”
As they were speaking, Little Schott urgently ran in, shouting, “Did you hear?! Something big has happened in the Laz Clan!”
Xia Fei was startled. The incident with the Spiritualist last night had left his mind in a mess, and he did not know what had happened to the Laz Clan afterward, but there was no need to worry. Even if that clan jumped into the Yellow River, there was no washing away its crimes.
“What happened?” Wistview asked hastily.
“That lot of scoundrels went to the Laz Clan after moving out of our place, but last night, more than seven thousand people died at one go! The Laz Clan wanted to keep everything under wraps, but far too many people died, so news of it eventually got out. The entire city is in an uproar about it. Everyone
is saying that the Laz Clan killed them in secret,” Little Schott shared nervously.
Wistview was so shocked that he could not close his mouth, but Little Schott looked at Xia Fei. He suspected that Xia Fei was behind it, but he did not think that it was right to ask him directly.
Looking at how indifferent Xia Fei was reacting to the news, Little Schott felt more sure of his conjecture. Someone who had kinship with the Aurora Clan but was unwilling to acknowledge it, a Spiritualist, a decisive killer, a vicious character—Xia Fei was basically an amalgamation of various mysterious
elements.
In truth, while everyone on the streets was talking about the slaughter in the Laz Clan, the big clans were most concerned about that battle between Spiritualists last night! One had sought to hurt the Aurora Clan, while the other had sought to protect the Aurora Clan, and they had battled it out! The more
they looked into the matter, the more confused they became.
There was also the intervention of Aurora Clan Patriarch Wistful Heizus, proving once again that a starving camel was still bigger than a horse, and the Aurora Clan was still far being bullied around.
Xia Fei simply smiled after he heard from Little Schott about the rumors circulating around.
In any case, the situation was pretty good. The Laz Clan probably would be unable to do anything for now, and those scoundrels who had died in the Laz Clan’s guest compound had not just come out of nowhere. They had good friends, and it would only be a matter of days before those friends from
somewhere in the universe arrived to demand an explanation from the clan.
In the Alpha Universe, one’s reputation was very important, and currently, everyone believed that the Laz Clan people had engaged in a great massacre. They could only try and keep the peace, swallowing down their shattered teeth as they thought of a way to calm the storm.
As for the Spiritualist Xia Fei fought with last night, there was no need to fear them. They got injured and would need a few years to recover, so the Aurora Clan would probably experience a peaceful spell.
After eating breakfast, Xia Fei took a stroll on the streets and just so happened to run into Wistful Northgaze coming from the opposite direction. Wistful Northgaze had a gloomy expression and did not seem well at all.
There was no avoiding the meeting, so Xia Fei decided to walk up with a smile. “Elder, are you doing well?”
Wistful Northgaze felt much better the moment he saw Xia Fei. Xia Fei looked somewhat similar to his son, Wistful Valley, so Wistful Northgaze could not help but feel some affection for him. Moreover, Xia Fei seemed very amiable, causing Wistful Northgaze to like him even more. There was nothing to
be done, for Xia Fei’s outer appearance was just too deceptive.
The two of them exchanged a few pleasantries and walked the streets together. The merchants in the area all warmly called to Wistful Northgaze as he walked by, and Wistful Northgaze politely reciprocated. It appeared that the Aurora Clan was very welcome here.
Xia Fei saw that Wistful Northgaze was worried about something and asked, “Elder, what happened today? Is something troubling you?”
Wistful Northgaze sighed. “There was a little incident in the clan last night, so this morning, the patriarch ordered me to go to the four leading trading firms to discuss whether or not they can repair some of the sealed soul weapons in our clan.”
Xia Fei replied, “Shouldn’t it be Spiritualists who repair soul weapons? Why go to these four trading firms?”
Wistful Northgaze replied, “What you don’t know is that Spiritualists all have weird personalities. While the Aurora Clan is considered big, it’s still very difficult for it to personally invite a Spiritualist. Plus, this means that we’ll owe the Spiritualist a favor. As for the trading firms, they dabble in various
fields, so not only can they repair the soul weapons, we don’t have to owe any Spiritualist a favor, too.
“This is the only way, as Spiritualists are just too valuable, and when you owe a Spiritualist a favor, you may never be able to pay it back. What if that person came to our door one day and asked us to kill a few people for them? Would we help or not help?”
Xia Fei lightly nodded. Favors owed to Spiritualists were truly difficult to repay. By now, all the Spiritualists knew how things worked, and if they had quarrels with anybody, they had no need at all to act personally. They would just find some clan that they had helped before and make them do the deed.
One of the main reasons people did not dare to provoke Spiritualists was that their connections were just too powerful.
“If things are as you say, the four trading firms are a pretty decent option. They just need money to settle matters for you, and there are no loose threads,” Xia Fei commented lightly.
Wistful Northgaze slightly shook his head. “What I’m worried about is the money. While the four great trading firms don’t take favors, their prices are sky-high. They’re businessmen, so it’s not like we can make them do it for free.”
The mess last night involving Xia Fei and that mysterious Spiritualist had left the Aurora Clan Patriarch Wistful Heizus unable to get any sleep. In this universe, power was the guiding principle, so he had decided to harden his resolve and repair the clan’s soul weapon reserve at any cost.
Wistful Northgaze managed the logistics of the clan, and so Xia Fei’s great grandfather had been tasked with this mission.
Everyone understood that the clan lacked money, which was why Wistful Northgaze seemed so miserable this early in the morning.
After some thought, Xia Fei asked, “Which trading firm does sir plan to go to?”
Wistful Northgaze replied, “T’ll try the Heavenly Treasure Firm first. I have a little connection with the steward there, Kira. If it’s no good, I’ll try the others.”
Xia Fei nodded and bid him farewell. As Wistful Northgaze watched him leave, he could not help but think about his son, and he once more sighed.
Heavenly Treasure Firm, the garden.
Suzu Treasure and Zesyr Night were eating breakfast under a tree. Suzu Treasure saw that Zesyr seemed to be deeply worried about something and asked, “Are you fretting over your marriage again?”
Zesyt bit her lip and did not reply.
Suzu Treasure looked around and sighed. “There’s no other option. Marriage between the great clans is a custom that has been going on for many years, and it’s not up to us to change it. Let alone your illustrious clan, Venus of Eternal Night, even I, who have come from a mercantile family, can’t avoid the
fate of an arranged marriage. You’ll need to find an ideal husband that’s strong enough, or else.
Zesyr blinked and asked, “Sister Suzu, what do you mean by that?”
Suzu Treasure chuckled. “It’s very simple. If your clan marries you off to a second-tier clan, but if you find a boyfriend from a first-tier clan, your clan won’t make any trouble for you. After all, these transactions primarily care about status.”
Zesyr’s beautiful face suddenly reddened, and she whispered, “Do you know about that Xiao Xing incident that caused a stir not too long ago?”
Suzu Treasure asked, “You’re talking about that person who fought using the Xiao Xing model and went on a killing spree in the virtual soul battle system? What? Do you know who did it?”
Xia Fei had been in seclusion for three months, so he did not know that someone had made a video out of him fighting as Xiao Xing, and that video had gone viral. Everyone was speculating as to which expert had directed that Xiao Xing incident; alas, the Soul Battle Simulation Firm had leaked nothing,
so everyone could only keep speculating.
Zesyr’s face reddened, and she whispered into Suzu Treasure’s ear, “It’s Seventh Young Master Xiaoxiao.”
Suzu Treasure was startled, and as she examined the smug look on Zesyr’s face, she could not help but say in surprise, “Stubborn girl, have you taken a liking to Xiaoxiao?”
Zesyr neither confirmed nor denied the statement. To tell the truth, Ye Zishui hardly found anything enchanting about Xiaoxiao himself. Rather, she had been entranced by Xiao Xing’s captivating footwork and stances, and so she had taken a liking to everything associated with him. As such, Seventh
Master Xiaoxiao had swiftly taken a place in her heart.
Suzu Treasure frowned deeply. “The Xiao Clan could indeed be considered a powerful clan, but which clan did your grandfather arrange for you?”
“Hmph!” Zesyr’s face immediately chilled, and she pouted and replied, “None other than the Aurora Clan, that lot of good-for-nothings.”
Suzu Treasure chuckled and teased, “Here I was wondering why you came to find me, so you wanna know about the Wist family?”
Zesyr grabbed Suzu Treasure’s arm and said, “Sister, don’t tease me. This is a decision that will decide the rest of my life. You know of my grandfather’s temper. He’s been in poor health these last two years, and his temper has only gotten worse. If I don’t think of an idea soon, I may not be able to meet you
for the rest of my life.”
“Still, that’s no reason for you to get married to the Xiao Clan? At least, the Wist family has an excellent reputation, far better than the Xiao Clan. The Aurora Clan has so many young scions; I’m sure that you’ll take a liking to one of them,” Suzu Treasure said. “Right, the Aurora Clan has been on the decline
in the last few years. Why does your grandfather want to marry you off to that clan?”
“What’s the use of reputation?” Ye Zishui huffed. “The Aurora Clan is too weak. I prefer someone who can hold up the heavens for me. As for why that clan, how would I know? Probably another private transaction between those old rascals.”
As the two of them were sighing in melancholy, Kira came over and whispered into Suzu Treasure’s ear. Suzu Treasure was startled, and then she stood up and said, “There’s some business I need to attend to up in the front. I’ll be back soon.”
She followed Kira to a secluded room. Suzu Treasure walked in and asked Xia Fei to sit down. She was rather surprised that Xia Fei had come to find her.
Once the servants had been sent away, Xia Fei lit a cigarette and said calmly, “In a little while, the Aurora Clan’s Wistful Northgaze will be paying your shop a visit. He has a batch of soul weapons that need repair. I hope that you can take that business at the lowest price..”
