It turned out that after Ya Fei left Utan City and returned to the Mittel headquarters in the Imperial Capital, she was proposed for a promotion to Supervising Elder by the Elder's Council. Her successful management of the Utan City auction house had generated significant profits, rivaling those of some of the largest cities.
However, with more than half the council members voicing their opposition and the clan head remaining silent, the matter was quietly dropped. As a compromise, Ya Fei's supporters on the council settled for the next best thing, appointing her as the Acting Supervising Elder. This time, the others could not easily object, and so the matter was settled.
As for everything Ya Fei had done in Utan City, the clan had already thoroughly investigated it all before her promotion. Through this, the Mittel upper echelons learned that Ya Fei's incredible success was due to an alchemist of unknown rank and, more importantly, a young blacksmith capable of forging exceptionally fine weapons. This blacksmith was the primary reason for her achievements.
The Mittel higher-ups had some knowledge of the Iron-Slicing Treasure Weapons and Magical Core Armaments he forged. Some were intrigued, while others thought them to be nothing special. As it happened, Lei Le's grandfather was among those most interested in these unique weapons. In an effort to replicate the forging techniques, the headquarters' warehouse now held several sample armaments transferred from Utan City.
But even after studying these weapons exhaustively, they were unable to fully replicate them. The weapons they managed to produce were only slightly better than ordinary magic core-inlaid weapons, and they couldn't reproduce the Treasure Weapons at all. Anyone with a functioning brain could understand the immense value of these creations. Even the lowest-grade Treasure Weapon, if mass-produced and equipped to an army, would dramatically increase its combat effectiveness. The imperial family would surely be happy to foot the bill.
As for the Magical Core Armaments, although the samples only used tier-two magic cores, there was potential for future development. They might one day be able to forge armaments inlaid with tier-three or even tier-four magic cores. A tier-four Magical Core Armament was a weapon comparable in power to a Dou Ling! The enormous profits at stake made these higher-ups salivate.
Of course, they didn't believe a young man could elevate his craft to such a level in a short time. But if he could forge a tier-three Magical Core Armament within ten years, that would still be a remarkable feat. To control such a resource—rarer than even medicinal pills and, in some ways, more precious—would bring unimaginable benefits.
Thus, the faction led by Lei Le's grandfather began to pressure Ya Fei, subtly at first, then more overtly, trying to make her reveal the blacksmith's whereabouts. They even sent people to search the cities near Utan City and the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts. Their intentions were obvious.
Unfortunately for them, they failed. After meeting Zhou Changqing and recognizing the terrifying value of his creations, Ya Fei had intentionally withheld this information from the clan. By the time Zhou Changqing left Utan City, nearly a year had passed since Ya Fei's return to the Imperial Capital. With such a long interval, the trail had gone cold. Finding a single person in the vast Jia Ma Empire was like searching for a needle in a haystack; it was a fool's errand.
As a result, Lei Le and the other higher-ups were furious and held a deep-seated grudge against Ya Fei. If she weren't a member of the Mittel clan, she might have already met an "accidental" and tragic end. Even so, Ya Fei's life was not easy. Not only were her powers as an Acting Elder curtailed, but she was also frequently harassed by the younger generation of the clan.
Lei Le was the most enthusiastic of her tormentors. On one occasion, he had even tried to drug her. If not for Ya Fei's quick wits, the consequences would have been dire.
Now, with Zhou Changqing's arrival at the Mittel Auction House and Ya Fei personally receiving him, the news had naturally reached the ears of Lei Le, who was always watching her with his undying obsession. Upon hearing the name Zhou Changqing, he immediately knew it was the blacksmith. Otherwise, no matter how brainless Lei Le was or how infatuated he was with Ya Fei's beauty, he would never have attacked a guest in a reception hall. At most, he would have resorted to verbal insults.
After listening to Ya Fei's brief explanation, Zhou Changqing felt a sense of relief. His decision not to join the Mittel clan back then had been the right one. Otherwise, his life would likely have been no better than his time with the Snake-People Tribe before he met Medusa. Judging by Lei Le's actions, his grandfather was probably no better. He even suspected that if he had joined the clan, certain higher-ups would have conspired behind the backs of others to bleed him dry, completely indifferent to his cultivation talent. The outcome would have been predictable.
It just went to show that not everyone could recognize true potential. There were always selfish, petty individuals who would do despicable things for their own gain, even if it meant throwing away a treasure for a pittance. In comparison, being captured by the Snake-People Tribe had been far better. At least Yue Mei and the others had never mistreated him, and Medusa had treated him with courtesy because of his lightning affinity.
They chatted for a while longer, with Zhou Changqing comforting the frightened and worried Ya Fei.
Just then, Zhou Changqing's gaze suddenly shifted to the doorway. He sensed an aura approaching, one stronger than a Da Dou Shi.
"They're here."
Ya Fei was no fool. She instantly understood what Zhou Changqing meant and looked toward the door, her beautiful eyes filled with a mixture of worry and a flicker of grim determination. If Changqing couldn't handle this, she would risk her position as Acting Supervising Elder to protect him!
Bang!
"Tsk, like grandfather, like grandson. They both love kicking down doors. Such a lack of manners."
Zhou Changqing clicked his tongue as he watched a grim-faced, richly dressed old man storm in, his eyes blazing with fury. Following behind him were several guards and Lei Le, who still hadn't recovered from having his Dou Qi Vortex crippled.
The old man's eyes swept the room. Hearing the voice, his gaze locked onto Zhou Changqing, and his eyes narrowed. "Was it you who destroyed my grandson's Dou Qi?" he asked coldly.
"Elder Lei Ou, Lei Le attacked Changqing first! Changqing was only defending himself. The fault does not lie with him!" Before Zhou Changqing could speak, Ya Fei stood up and declared in a firm voice. "As an elder, you should know the consequences of attacking a guest within the auction house. Lei Le brought this upon himself!"
"Elder Lei Ou, if you leave now, I can pretend this never happened and won't report it to the Elder's Council. Otherwise, when the crime of damaging the reputation of our Mittel Auction House falls upon you, not even your status as an elder will save you from the repercussions!"
Zhou Changqing did not stop Ya Fei as she stood protectively in front of him. He knew that she must feel responsible for bringing this trouble upon him. It was better to let her try, even if she failed. It would ease the guilt in her heart.
Faced with such a heavy accusation, Lei Ou's expression flickered, but he showed no signs of panic.
Behind him, Lei Le immediately started shouting, "Ya Fei! You bitch, you're lying! It was these two who stole something from the auction house! I was just following the rules!"
"Did you hear that, Ya Fei? My grandson was merely protecting the interests of the auction house," Lei Ou sneered. "Trying to pin a crime on me to scare me off? Save your breath."
He had already learned what had happened before coming here and had instructed his grandson to insist that the other party was a thief. Whether it was true or not was irrelevant. He had a hundred ways to make it true. As long as they stuck to that story, even if Ya Fei reported it to the clan head, the clan would be forced to treat it as the truth for the sake of its reputation and interests.
Seeing the shamelessness of the grandfather and grandson, Ya Fei's chest heaved with fury. Her face turned ashen as she gritted her teeth and spat, "You're despicable!"