356: rain

Moonlight was hazy, reflecting the pale light. Outside, a night wind suddenly blew, rustling the ancient trees.

Before long, a light drizzle fell, slowly changing from gentle to heavy, the pitter-patter sound incessant.

"Ah~"

A high-pitched cry pierced the night sky, only to be immediately drowned out by the sound of the driving rain.

Rain dripped along the eaves. At some point, a little wild cat seemed to have arrived in the corridor outside the room. Its cry was long and drawn out, as if accompanying the rain—sometimes long, sometimes short, sometimes slow, sometimes fast.

The cries always harmonized perfectly with the night wind, and the bed legs, long in disrepair, also emitted a creaking sound.

Long after, the wind stopped and the rain ceased. The little cat in the corridor vanished, and the creaking also stopped.

Looking at the courtyard, there was no trace of rain; the ground was dry and cool, with every grain of sand distinct. Instead, Xu Sanyan's relaxed and refreshed voice came from inside the room,

"Throw away the bedsheets."

The young girl replied in a muffled voice, "Mmm..."

At dawn the next day,

"Inhale... Exhale..."

The young girl pushed open the window and took a deep breath, slowly exhaling; the breath condensed into a white mist that slowly dissipated.

The cool morning breeze dispersed the musky scent in the room. The woman's petite figure stretched, clearly covered in hickey marks, and her originally neat long hair was pulled into a mess, showing just how intense the storm had been last night.

"Pa~"

"Ya!"

The young girl's buttocks were heavily slapped, drawing a gasp from her. She leaned into Xu Sanyan's embrace, whispering shyly, "Young Master is so ferocious."

Xu Sanyan curled his lips into a smug smile. "Heh, this is nothing. I have a friend..."

The young girl looked up. "More formidable than Young Master?"

"Much more perverted than me."

The young girl covered her mouth and gasped. "Ah, then how perverted must he be!"

"...Hmm?"

The two of them dressed. The young girl held onto Xu Sanyan's sleeve with a reluctant expression. "Is Young Master leaving?"

"Mmm."

Xu Sanyan rubbed the young girl's cheeks; they were soft and bouncy, which was quite amusing.

"Then when will Young Master come again? I can't bear for you to leave..." The young girl was reluctant to part, her mouth moving as if she had something to say, but she was too embarrassed to speak.

Xu Sanyan looked at her carefully for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "Don't worry, I will put in a good word for you."

What she sought was nothing more than this—wanting to live a little better. To Xu Sanyan, it was just a small effort; he only needed to give a word to the Head of the Yang Family.

The young girl felt a surge of joy and hugged his waist tightly. "Thank you, Young Master."

Meanwhile, at the border between the Yang Family and Xuanku Mountain, in front of a small mountain, both sides had been in a standoff for many days, neither willing to yield.

The person leading the Yang Family was the Eldest Young Master of the Yang Family, Yang An, while the leader of Xuanku Mountain was a green youth.

The youth looked young, with red lips and white teeth, and was quite handsome, but his arrogant expression ruined this aesthetic.

"Hmph!"

The youth snorted coldly, his voice somewhat feminine. He flicked his flashy white robe and held a Dragon-headed sword, looking coldly at the Yang Family members.

There were not many people from Xuanku Mountain; a small mineral vein was not worth Xuanku Mountain investing too much energy, but even so, it still put great pressure on the Yang Family.

Yang An clenched his fists, took a deep breath to suppress the anger in his heart, turned around, and sat cross-legged, out of sight and out of mind.

His second brother had gone missing a few days ago, and it was nine times out of ten the work of Xuanku Mountain. These sinister people were most adept at using underhanded tactics.

"It's one thing for the Wang Family to suppress us, but some people don't know their place and actually want to shit on the head of our Xuanku Mountain. It's truly absurd!"

The youth's tone was mocking.

Yang An remained silent, but his anger grew. This mineral vein was clearly discovered by their Yang Family first; it just happened to appear at the border between the Yang Family and Xuanku Mountain, and news had leaked out inadvertently, leading to many complications.

And there was the Wang Family. They had clearly received the news but were slow to send people, causing their pressure to grow.

If it were delayed for a few more days, their Yang Family would probably really be unable to withstand the pressure and would have to withdraw, handing over the mining rights.

The youth continued to mock, "I heard that the Second Young Master of the Yang Family went missing a few days ago. I wonder which mountain demon or wild beast dragged him away."

Someone beside him chimed in, "Senior Brother is right. With a mere Foundation Establishment cultivation, he dared to wander around Luan Yun Mountain. He probably died in some corner long ago."

"Hahahaha..."

The Yang Family members clenched their fists tightly. Anyone with eyes knew that the Second Young Master of the Yang Family had been killed by them, but now that the murderer was standing right in front of them, they were powerless.

At this moment, a clear voice came from afar. "I don't know if the Second Young Master of the Yang Family is dead or not, but I do know that you are all about to die here."

"Hmm? Who!"

The white-robed youth raised his eyebrows and looked in the direction of the voice, only to see a group of people walking towards them.

The person in the lead was wearing a black robe, with an upright posture, his long hair casually draped behind his head, and a faint smile hanging on the corners of his mouth.

"Who are you!"

The white-robed youth asked in a deep voice.

Xu Sanyan ignored him, scanning his surroundings, and finally fixed his gaze on the cave at the foot of the mountain.

"What kind of ore is this?" Xu Sanyan tilted his head and looked at Yang An.

Yang An showed hesitation, his gaze filled with inquiry as he looked at his third brother, Yang Chao.

Yang Chao introduced, "This is Young Master Lin, who is replacing the Fourth Elder and is responsible for everything here."

Yang An was shocked. So young?

But he dared not be negligent and hurriedly explained, "Replying to Young Master Lin, this is a White Stone mineral vein."

"White Stone mineral vein...?" Xu Sanyan thought carefully, but there was no impression of it in his mind.

Wang Ying, who was beside him, spoke in a low voice, "A type of Artifact Refining Materials, of average value, usually used to add toughness to Magic Treasure."

"Oh."

Xu Sanyan nodded. No wonder he hadn't heard of it; it turned out to be cheap goods.

He didn't know much about Artifact Refining. Even the Great Halberd he nurtured, he didn't know what kind of material it was cast from.

Mainly because Xu Sanyan didn't rely on Magic Treasure. To him, Magic Treasure was dispensable. With his current Physical Body strength, it wasn't much worse than ordinary Magic Treasure.

The white-robed youth in the distance heard Yang Chao's words and showed a thoughtful expression.

He had also heard that the Wang Family had suffered heavy losses a few days ago, with more than a dozen Elders and Guest Elders of the Soul Refinement Realm dead, leaving positions vacant. Someone would definitely fill them, but he didn't expect someone so young.

Could it be that the Wang Family had no one left to use?

A person beside the white-robed youth whispered in his ear, "Senior Brother, be careful. I cannot see through this person."

"Mmm."

Xu Sanyan scanned the area, paused slightly on the people from Xuanku Mountain, and finally settled his gaze on a woman in the crowd, nodding slightly.

He didn't recognize this woman, but she looked good. For beautiful women, he always held a bit of goodwill.

The woman pursed her lips and remained expressionless, seemingly uninterested in him.

The white-robed youth's tone was not as frivolous as before. He cupped his hands and said solemnly, "I am Zhao Xunkong of Xuanku Mountain. Greetings, Young Master Lin."

Xu Sanyan rolled his eyes and only then looked at him.