After Xiao Zhan left, Zhou Changqing stayed at the Mittel Auction House to recover from his injuries. After a few days of recuperation, the dull ache in his internal organs finally subsided completely.
One day, Zhou Changqing sought out Ya Fei, who had just finished presiding over an auction.
"Little brother Changqing, what brings you to see me? Did you finally come to your senses and decide to let me make a trip back to the clan?" Ya Fei asked playfully inside her room.
Zhou Changqing felt a bead of sweat roll down his temple. How has she not forgotten about that yet? He looked at Ya Fei helplessly. "What are you thinking? I already told you it's not necessary. You can stop worrying about it."
"I came to find you this time, Sister Ya Fei, because I have something else to discuss."
"What is it?" Hearing this, Ya Fei's playful smile vanished, her expression turning much more serious as she asked.
As he spoke, Zhou Changqing began taking out a number of weapons and pieces of armor from his storage ring, placing them on the floor in front of her. "Sister Ya Fei, I'm leaving Wu Tan City. I came to say goodbye, and to give you a few things."
"What?! You're leaving Wu Tan City?" Ya Fei, whose eyes had been shining as she looked at the various Monster Core Armaments on the floor, was instantly shocked by his words.
"Yes." After he finished taking everything out, Zhou Changqing finally looked up at Ya Fei and nodded.
"Why?" Ya Fei grew anxious and pressed him, "Is it because of the Jia Lie Clan?"
"If it's about that, you don't have to leave at all. As long as you stay with the Mittel Clan, they won't dare to touch you. If you're really worried, you can just do what I suggested."
"Heh, Sister Ya Fei, don't be so anxious." Zhou Changqing shook his head slightly and placed his hands on her fragrant shoulders, smiling. "I have my own plans. Even without the Jia Lie Clan incident, I would have left soon anyway. This just moved my schedule up a bit."
"So, your method is completely unnecessary. And even if you didn't say it, I know that if we really did that, your life would probably become very difficult."
"Besides, I'm not a member of the Mittel Clan. I can't just stay at the auction house forever, can I?"
It's better to rely on yourself than on others. If Zhou Changqing had wanted to latch onto the Mittel Clan and use their power to resolve this issue, he would have used his connection with Xiao Yan years ago to join the Xiao Clan, obtain their cultivation methods, and pledge his life to them.
Even a clan as united as the Xiao Clan was still divided into several factions, all fighting amongst themselves. The Mittel Clan would be no different. Although the Mittel Clan had a decent reputation in the original story, he would never completely trust every single member.
There was no guarantee that some idiot like Jia Lie Bi wouldn't pop up within the Mittel Clan someday. Zhou Changqing never believed the world was full of intelligent people; there were plenty of fools to go around.
Besides, Ya Fei was Ya Fei, and the Mittel Clan was the Mittel Clan. The two could not be equated.
"But..." Ya Fei tried to persuade him further, but Zhou Changqing cut her off with a wave of his hand.
"No buts. And it's not like I'm leaving and never coming back. I remember you telling me, Sister Ya Fei, that you were sent here on assignment and will have to return to the Imperial Capital eventually, right? Who knows, you might even see me there one day."
That's right. Although Wu Tan City was considered a major city in the Jia Ma Empire, it was at the bottom of the list. The strongest experts here were only at the Da Dou Shi level. A genius like Changqing would never remain in such a small place forever. His future belonged on a grander stage, a place where experts were as common as clouds and prodigies gathered. Only there could he truly display his brilliance...
Gazing at the handsome young man before her with a somewhat dazed expression, a trace of reluctance appeared in Ya Fei's eyes. She let out a soft sigh. "Alright. I respect your decision. But don't forget what you said. If you ever come to the Imperial Capital, you have to come see me."
"Definitely." Zhou Changqing smiled, then gently embraced her and whispered, "See you later, Sister Ya Fei." With that, he turned and left the room.
A short while later, Ya Fei was leaning against the windowsill, her chin resting in her palm, watching his figure leave the auction house and gradually disappear into the crowd.
Just then, someone pushed the door open and entered. "Didn't we already guess that he was planning to leave? Why do you still look so reluctant to see him go? Heh heh, to think the 'Flower of Mittel' would wear such an expression for a young man. It seems little friend Changqing's charm is far greater than those young masters in the Imperial Capital."
The day after Zhou Changqing was attacked, he had asked the Mittel Clan to gather a large quantity of supplies for him, including various materials, books, and even cultivation methods and Dou Techniques. Those things had cost him nearly everything he owned. Astute people like Ya Fei and Gu Ni had long since figured out his intentions.
"Uncle Gu Ni, please don't tease me. With Changqing gone, who knows when we'll see him again. I've just lost the source for a precious auction item like his enchanted weapons. How could I possibly be in a good mood?" Ya Fei's tone was flat, as if she hadn't been the one staring off into space just a moment ago.
Gu Ni stroked his beard and shook his head, pointing at the young woman before him with a helpless sigh. "You... I don't know what to say to you. If you truly have feelings for little friend Changqing, with his talent, the clan might not necessarily refuse."
"Uncle Gu Ni, you're oversimplifying things. So what if he's a genius? As long as he hasn't fully matured, the clan would never offend the Mu Clan for his sake. If talent alone could solve everything, wasn't the talent displayed by the Xiao Clan's third young master back then more than enough to attract the favor of the major powers in the Imperial Capital? In the end, this world is still one where strength does the talking..."
After leaving the Mittel Auction House, Zhou Changqing quickly made his way to the Xiao Clan compound. After informing the gate guards of his identity and purpose, he was led to the small courtyard where Xiao Yan lived.
"Old Zhou, what are you doing here? I heard you were attacked a few days ago. You've been staying at the Mittel place this whole time, so it wasn't convenient for me to come looking for you." Xiao Yan had already been informed of his arrival by a servant and had set out tea on the stone table in the courtyard.
"Yeah, the Jia Lie Clan rounded up a bunch of other powers to do it. They thought that by getting rid of me, they could cut off the supply of enchanted weapons and drive traffic back to their own markets." Though it was his first time visiting, Zhou Changqing made himself at home, sitting down without ceremony and pouring himself a cup of tea.
Xiao Yan sat down as well, not bothering to ask about his injuries. The fact that Old Zhou could come looking for him meant it probably wasn't a big deal. Frowning, Xiao Yan sneered, "That certainly sounds like the Jia Lie Clan's style. And they went all out, too."
"So what's your plan? Want the Xiao Clan to teach them a harsh lesson? If that's not enough, I can take care of it myself. I'll just go and wipe them out."
"You're full of it. Haven't you even broken through to the Dou Zhe stage yet? Get lost. I have my own plans," Zhou Changqing retorted with a laugh, giving him the middle finger.
Seeing this, Xiao Yan returned the gesture, boasting, "You better believe it. Even though I'm still just at the Dou Zhi Qi stage, the Jia Lie Clan is nothing to me."
How could Zhou Changqing not know what he meant? He was obviously talking about letting that old ghost Yao Lao possess him and use his power to annihilate the Jia Lie Clan.
But again, it was better to rely on yourself. He would never ask someone else to handle something he could take care of himself, lest it become a bad habit. Of course, if it were a true life-or-death crisis, he wouldn't hesitate for a second. He'd want Xiao Yan to get possessed by that ghost eight times a day.
"I'm not here to argue with you. I came to ask for a favor, and to say goodbye."
"Goodbye?"
"Yeah."
"You're not going to take the Jia Nan Academy entrance exam?"
"No. This trip isn't entirely because of the Jia Lie Clan; I have some other business to attend to. If I get the chance later, I'll just go straight to Jia Nan Academy. Besides, if I'm not mistaken, you're not planning on going right now either, are you?"
"You know me best, Old Zhou. Alright, I won't say any more then. What do you need my help with?"
"I need you to get me the whereabouts of Jia Lie Ao, Ao Ba Le, and Cheir Xu. Can you do it?"
"That's it? Of course. But are you planning to...?"
"Heh heh. They think they can get away with offending me? Since I can't get to their fathers, I can at least get to their sons, right?"
"You're a vicious one, Old Zhou. Vicious!"