"Young Master..." Yan Jiuxing saw that there were outsiders present and reined in the words that were about to escape his lips. He quickened his pace and walked forward.
"Xiao Tie, we have distinguished guests at home. Hurry and buy some good wine and dishes!" Yan Jiuxing took out a packet of silver from his chest and threw it to him.
"Yes, Uncle Jiu," Xiao Tie replied with a silly grin, taking the purse and heading out to make his purchases.
Yan Jiuxing then made a respectful gesture towards Yan Qinghuai and Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang), inviting them into the house.
The house, which looked ordinary from the outside, revealed a hidden world within. Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) said to the system in her mind, "It seems this Yan Jiuxing is not an ordinary blacksmith. And Yan Qinghuai's identity should be quite significant too!"
"Yes, it feels like Yan Jiuxing respects him a lot."
"Never mind him. I haven't done anything wrong to him, so he shouldn't do anything to me!" Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) had always acted with integrity.
After they were seated, Yan Jiuxing looked at Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) and then asked Yan Qinghuai, "And who is this?"
"Uncle Jiu, this is my good friend. She escorted me all the way here. She's one of us!" Yan Qinghuai quickly spoke up for her.
"That's good! Those two demons said you were already dead on the way, but I refused to believe it," Yan Jiuxing said casually. "So, I beat them up and sold them!"
"What!" Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) exclaimed in surprise.
"What's wrong?" Yan Jiuxing's gaze suddenly turned sharp.
"Nothing! I'm just a little surprised!" Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) quickly replied, thinking to herself, "It seems this Yan Jiuxing is also very powerful. To be able to deal with Jiao Long and Tao Yaoyao like this, one would need at least ten thousand years of cultivation."
"Although I could tell from your face, it's better to be sure and see the proof," Yan Jiuxing said to Yan Qinghuai.
"Naturally," Yan Qinghuai said as he took out the letter and the jade pendant.
Yan Jiuxing first infused the jade pendant with a trace of demonic energy. Seeing the faintly appearing characters "Qinghuai" on it, he revealed a relieved smile. Only then did he pick up Yan Nanshan's letter and begin to read...
After a long while, he put down the letter, wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes as if by accident, and then returned the jade pendant to Yan Qinghuai with both hands. "I never expected that after so many years apart, I would now receive news of her passing."
"Uncle Jiu, please accept my condolences," Yan Qinghuai said softly.
"Do they mean Yan Qinghuai's mother is the one who died? Why doesn't he seem very sad himself!" Even system 86356 noticed something was amiss.
"I feel like there's a big secret here, but it's not convenient to say with me being an outsider," Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) had also seen through it.
Yan Jiuxing quickly composed himself and smiled at them, "You are both going to study at the Spirit Communication Academy, right? Rest well today, and I will make arrangements tomorrow!"
"Uh... Uncle Jiu, about this studying... I don't really..." Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) was a little reluctant. She wanted to live a free and uninhibited life, not be confined to an academy.
"Qiushui, come with me! Uncle Jiu will handle the tuition. I heard that the Spirit Communication Academy has many powerful skills to learn, and perhaps in the future, we can even communicate with the immortals of the stars and earth!" Yan Qinghuai, hearing her refusal, quickly tried to persuade her.
Seeing Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) still hesitating, Yan Jiuxing joined the persuasion, "Yes, Miss Bai. I see your cultivation is not high, and it is very dangerous to venture out alone. Once you enter the Spirit Communication Academy, you will have identification cards, and people will not dare to bully you casually outside."
"Alright then! I'll trouble Uncle Jiu!" Since it had come to this point, it would seem out of place if she refused.
As they were chatting, Xiao Tie returned with good wine and dishes. They sat around the table and had the most sumptuous dinner Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) had experienced since arriving in this world. Guests and host were all delighted.
While the atmosphere was lively here with feasting and drinking, the situation was quite different for Jiao Long and Tao Yaoyao.
They couldn't understand why Yan Jiuxing, who had been so polite to them earlier, would become so enraged upon hearing that Yan Qinghuai was killed by a ten-thousand-year-old turtle. They had initially planned to have Yan Jiuxing send them to the Spirit Communication Academy, and then, once they became powerful, they would avenge the little rabbit and the little swallow.
But they never expected that Yan Jiuxing would suddenly attack and utterly crush them. Both of them were demons with thousands of years of cultivation, yet they were no match for him and were eventually beaten unconscious.
When they woke up, they found their hands tied behind their backs. Moreover, their captor must have known they were demons, as he had used enchanted ropes, rendering them unable to use even a shred of their demonic power, and even unable to revert to their original forms.
"Brother Jiao, why did Yan Jiuxing suddenly do this to us?" Tao Yaoyao, finding herself unable to use any demonic power, began to weep.
"Don't be sad, Yaoyao. Save your strength and let's think about how to escape!" Jiao Long's heart ached at Tao Yaoyao's tears. "I suspect Yan Nanshan might have set us up. He tricked us into sending his son to Fire Spirit City, and never intended for us to enter the Spirit Communication Academy!"
"But... we didn't safely deliver Yan Qinghuai to Fire Spirit City either!" Tao Yaoyao's reasoning was still quite clear on this point.
Jiao Long's expression faltered for a moment, then he retorted, "But we did our best! And we brought the news of Yan Qinghuai to him. Who knew we would encounter such a powerful great demon like the ten-thousand-year-old turtle on the way!"
"Yes! If we hadn't brought this news to Yan Jiuxing, he would never have known who killed Yan Qinghuai. This Yan Jiuxing is truly too much!" Tao Yaoyao, hearing Jiao Long's words, also felt justified.
In this world, there were such demons who never admitted their own mistakes. They wouldn't think about who had interfered with the old turtle in the first place, nor would they consider that if Jiao Long hadn't pushed Yan Qinghuai and the others out, the outcome might not have been like this! They only cared about their own interests, and nothing else mattered.
Unfortunately, this time they had encountered a tough opponent. Yan Jiuxing was no benevolent person. As a result, he immediately sold them to the most dangerous underground demon fighting arena.
Fire Spirit City had many wealthy and influential cultivation families. With so many rich people, there were naturally more thrill-seekers. Thus, the underground demon fighting arena business was booming, filled with demons of thousands of years who fought each other, with only the victors surviving.
Tao Yaoyao and Jiao Long were unaware of this situation and were busy cursing Yan Nanshan and Yan Jiuxing. Then they saw the door open, and the two demons were blindfolded and dragged out.
They heard the sounds of a noisy crowd, shouting and cheering, and were nervously pushed into a cage. Suddenly, the ropes binding them disappeared, and their demonic power gradually returned.
They quickly removed their blindfolds and looked around...