The scent unique to a woman lingered at the tip of his nose.
Above his head, Tanfei’s teasing laughter rang out.
“Xiao Huaixian, I haven’t seen you in a while. You’ve gotten even more handsome, haven’t you?”
Li Huaixian was speechless when he heard this.
Sure enough, it was the same old routine.
He pushed Tanfei away and rolled his eyes at her, pretending to be angry.
“I just told you to behave, and now you’re back to being unruly. If the servants see this, how are they supposed to respect you?”
Tanfei didn’t take his words seriously.
Just as Li Huaixian understood her, she understood him just as well.
“I don’t need the others to respect me. As long as you support me, that’s enough. Besides, who else in this world could get this close to me?”
As she said this, a playful gleam flickered in her soul-stealing peach blossom eyes.
Her cherry lips moved close to Li Huaixian’s ear, her breath warm and fragrant as she spoke.
“But tell me honestly, Huaixian… are you blushing right now?”
“Get off.”
***
Meanwhile, on the mountain road leading to Langya Terrace—
The figures of Liu Ruoxi and Uncle Fu appeared one after the other, not long after suffering a setback at Li Huaixian’s hands.
“Uncle Fu, why did you stop me earlier? Are you saying that nosy guy is stronger than you?”
“Even if he really is stronger than you, once we say we’re from Dao Martial Sacred Mountain, I doubt he’d still dare to go against us.”
“Why didn’t you let me say anything? And why did you make me lower myself before someone like that?”
Dao Martial Sacred Mountain had stood tall in the Fucang Empire for hundreds of years.
Countless smaller sects clung to its influence.
Its name resounded so widely that not a single soul in the entire empire didn’t know of it!
Liu Ruoxi didn’t believe that if she had declared her background earlier, that guy would still have dared to treat her that way.
Seeing that Liu Ruoxi was still stewing over what happened, Uncle Fu’s expression grew serious.
He spoke to her earnestly.
“Miss, please don’t be impulsive. That young man is very strong for his age. I suspect he has powerful backing as well.”
“If we bring trouble to Dao Martial Sacred Mountain over something so trivial, it would be a great loss. What’s done is done—please try to let it go.”
After finishing his words, Uncle Fu recalled the pressure Li Huaixian had released.
His heart still trembled from the memory.
Liu Ruoxi, however, remained unconvinced.
As a proud genius of Dao Martial Sacred Mountain, when had she ever suffered such humiliation?
And now, even Uncle Fu considered this a small matter!
She said no more, lowering her head and walking in silence.
Before leaving, her master had told her to listen to Uncle Fu’s advice.
Since he wouldn’t speak up for her, there was nothing she could do.
But not long after, they arrived at the entrance to Langya Terrace.
***
Thinking of the promise she made a few days ago with her Brother Lin, she temporarily set aside her earlier anger.
The two of them squeezed into the crowd, and soon saw Lin Tianyou, who had arrived much earlier.
Lin Tianyou wore a dark silk robe. His face, while handsome, held an aggressive edge.
Like Liu Ruoxi, he was also a prodigious talent of Dao Martial Sacred Mountain.
At only sixteen years of age, he had already reached the late stage of the Spirit Refinement realm.
Body Tempering, Qi Induction, Vein Condensation, Spirit Refinement, Dao Palace, Destiny.
For ordinary people, it took decades to climb from Body Tempering to Qi Induction, Vein Condensation, and then Spirit Refinement.
So Lin Tianyou’s strength was undeniably impressive.
Because of that, his entire presence radiated arrogance and pride.
He acted as if no one in the world was worth his attention.
When he heard Liu Ruoxi call his name, he turned and smiled, waving at her.
***
Backstage, in the dressing room, Tanfei and Li Huaixian were still bantering playfully.
Tanfei gracefully settled back into her chair, her long, slender legs propped up on the table in front of her.
From the slanted angle, her skirt hung low, revealing a fair stretch of smooth legs and delicate ankles.
With her arms crossed under her chest, her curves were even more pronounced and dramatic.
She took the silver hairpin from Li Huaixian’s hand—the same one she had thrown earlier—and pinned it back into her hair.
Her expression turned serious.
“Go on, what brings you to me this time?”
Li Huaixian calmly walked over and took a seat across from her.
He poured himself a cup of water to moisten his throat before speaking.
“I did come for something important.”
“Langya Terrace has been operating for years now. Have you ever heard of the ‘Immaculate Dao Heart’?”
“‘Immaculate Dao Heart’?”
Tanfei’s elegant brows furrowed slightly.
She absentmindedly twirled a calligraphy brush in her hand, thinking for a moment before responding carefully.
“Immaculate Dao Heart… If I remember correctly, I did see that name in an ancient text once. But as for the details, I’m not too sure…”
“However, since Huaixian is interested, I’ll have Langya Terrace’s intelligence network look into it right away.”
Li Huaixian knew well just how rare the Immaculate Dao Heart was.
So when he heard that even Tanfei wasn’t familiar with it, he wasn’t too disappointed.
He nodded slightly, expressing his approval of her plan.
Just then, the steward who had led Li Huaixian in earlier returned and knocked gently on the door.
“Master, the auction is about to begin. Please proceed to the auction hall to host the event.”
“I have other matters to attend to today. Let Lan’er take over as host.”
Tanfei gave the order, and the steward respectfully withdrew.
She turned to Li Huaixian.
“Well? Want to come along and take a look?”
Li Huaixian had nothing urgent at the moment, so the two of them headed together to the front hall.
The steward arranged for them to sit on the second floor, in a quiet, left-side private booth.
It was a peaceful spot with a full view of the auction hall.
Just as they sat down, the auction officially began.
The moment Lan’er—Tanfei’s substitute—took the stage, the crowd erupted in disappointed sighs.
Though Lan’er was certainly not lacking in beauty, compared to Tanfei, she still fell short.
Many of those attending the auction came not just to bid on items they needed, but also for the chance to catch a glimpse of the famously stunning Tanfei.
Originally, Tanfei had indeed been scheduled to host the auction.
But due to Li Huaixian’s arrival, the plan had changed at the last minute.
This sudden switch naturally left the guests disappointed.
Still, Lan’er remained composed as she took the stage.
She gave a charming smile and began the opening remarks with steady confidence.
Since the auction items hadn’t been brought out yet, Li Huaixian wasn’t particularly interested in the small talk.
***
Inside the private room—
Considering that her young master had traveled a long distance and must be tired, Tanfei, with practiced ease, lifted her skirt slightly, revealing a stretch of smooth, pale thigh.
Then, boldly, she reached out and pulled Li Huaixian down beside her to lie on her lap.
“Young Master, take a little rest.”
“Don’t you think you’re getting bolder these days?”
“I’m only showing concern for you, Huaixian~!”
Li Huaixian curled his lip in disbelief, clearly not buying the vixen’s words—but he still enjoyed the comfort of Tanfei’s lap pillow.
Seeing this, Tanfei’s eyes softened further.
She picked a plump purple grape, carefully peeled the skin, and gently fed it into Li Huaixian’s mouth.
This kind of behavior didn’t faze Li Huaixian anymore.
After all, when he first took her in as one of his subordinates, it was largely because of her figure.
He had always been honest about what he liked.
And honestly, nothing was more relaxing than these soft, springy thighs.
At that moment—
Tanfei continued peeling grapes, feeding them one by one to her handsome and charming young master, while her gaze never left his face.
A tender, affectionate smile lingered on her lips.
His brows, his features, his refined, otherworldly aura—
Everything about him was just so perfect.
So perfect that every time they met, she couldn’t help but feel inferior.
As she gazed at him, Tanfei’s thoughts slowly drifted into distant memories from long ago.