Battle Through the Heavens: Beauties Abound Starting with Yunlan and Her Disciples

11: Section 11Nalan Yanran chuckled, her slender waist suddenly pulled in by Yun Xiancheng. Yun Xiancheng’s tongue swept away the flour from the corner of her lips, murmuring, ”It’s still Yan Ran’s handiwork...”

Before he could finish his sentence, Xiao Mei had already fed a hawthorn into his mouth. Yun Xiancheng then sat down.

”We were talking about what you liked most when you were little.”

Nalan Yanran leaned against Yun Xiancheng’s shoulder and said, ”What I liked most as a child?”

Yun Xiancheng sat in front of the young girl and pulled Xiao Mei into his arms. ”That would naturally be Yan Ran.”

Nalan Yanran’s face turned slightly red, but she was, after all, a veteran of the battlefield. She teased,

”So the things you like most now are me and Mei’er, right? Later, when Little Sister Yan joins, it’ll be three people, and so on... Yan Ran truly understands my heart.”

Yun Xiancheng tapped Nalan Yanran’s nose and then said,

”Ran, can you get me some money? I might need at least ten thousand gold coins.”

Nalan Yanran was stunned. Usually, Yun Xiancheng was a king of frugality; besides using the cultivation resources provided by the Cloud Mist Sect, he barely even looked at the gold coins he was given.

After all, he had spent most of his fourteen years at the Cloud Mist Sect and had never traveled far alone, at most going out with Yun Yun, so he had no need for money. ”Luckily, I have some prepared for you.”

Nalan Yanran took out a Black Card from her storage ring.

”Here, there’s a million gold coins inside. Spend it sparingly; this is the salary the sect has given us over the years.” ”Aren’t you going to ask what I plan to spend it on?”

Yun Xiancheng took the Black Card and asked. Nalan Yanran shook her head.

”There’s no need. How you spend it is your freedom, darling.”

”We don’t usually spend much money anyway.” ”A—A million!?”

Xiao Mei was a bit dazed when she heard this number. Her annual salary was only a few hundred gold coins.

The Xiao Family’s annual disposable profit was only around a hundred thousand gold coins.

The gap between the Xiao Family and a colossus like the Cloud Mist Sect was vividly illustrated. ”Mei’er, practice hard. I’ll send some medicinal pills to you later.”

Yun Xiancheng rubbed the girl’s head. Medicine Lady’s Foundation Establishment Elixir could also be given to Xun’er and Xiao Mei.

He didn’t know if giving gifts would increase Xun’er’s affection, but he had to try. If it didn’t work, he wouldn’t send them anymore.

”Stay for lunch before you go; we sisters will cook for you.” Just as he was about to leave, Nalan Yanran suddenly spoke.

Yun Xiancheng’s toe traced a half-arc on the ground, and his whole body slid backward into the sandalwood chair.

His black robes slipped down, revealing half of his collarbone, looking just like a dandy from a storybook listening to music in a brothel.

”Mhm! Okay!” ”Honestly...”

Nalan Yanran shook her head helplessly at Yun Xiancheng’s behavior.

At the stove, Xiao Mei was slicing bamboo shoots into thin pieces. She burst out laughing when she saw Yun Xiancheng like this.

”Sister Yan Ran’s culinary skills are also top-notch. Her cultivation doesn’t fall behind anyone, and her cooking is superb; Sister Yan Ran is truly a genius,” Xiao Mei praised.

”It’s all for the benefit of a certain bad husband.”

Hearing the praise, Yan Ran’s face lifted like a proud peacock, but her words didn’t forget to add a bit of sweet jealousy to the dishes.

Before she finished speaking, Yun Xiancheng had already sprung from the chair and hugged Xiao Mei from behind.

He held her in his arms, his chin resting on Xiao Mei’s shoulder as he gently blew into her ear.

Seeing such a scene, Yun Xiancheng wondered if he should prepare a set of naked aprons.

The tips of Xiao Mei’s ears turned red instantly, and her hand holding the bamboo shoot trembled slightly.

Yun Xiancheng’s fingertips climbed up her spine section by section, while his other hand gently caressed her waist.

A small, cat-like whimper escaped the girl’s throat, and her whole body slumped backward. Her jade hairpin almost fell into the clay pot of boiling fish soup. ”Are you trying to kill me!” Nalan Yanran picked up a spatula and made a move to strike Yun Xiancheng.

Yun Xiancheng dodged the spatula strike. His fingers had already untied the girl’s waistband, seemingly about to do something. Xiao Mei bit her lip and giggled, suddenly leaning very close.

Her warm body knocked over the bamboo shoots on the celadon plate, and a few tender yellow pieces fell onto her snowy chest, rising and falling with her breath.

Her eyes were shimmering with water, carrying lingering laughter and attachment. ”This is really...”

Nalan Yanran stomped her foot and huffed, squeezing between the two while holding her skirt.

She snatched the silver knife from Xiao Mei’s hand, and the sound of rapid chopping like a storm immediately rang out on the cutting board. For some reason, after she stopped the knife, the chopping sound continued, accompanied by the sound of water.

By the time milky white steam rose from the clay pot, Xiao Mei was already red-faced, her eyes dodging and extremely shy.

Yun Xiancheng leaned lazily against a pillar, watching the girl blush as she tidied her clothes. ”Brother Cheng, really...”

Xiao Mei said coquettishly, ”It’s time to switch.”

Xiao Mei poked his chest with her fingertip: ”If you keep fooling around, Sister Nalan is really going to tear this carriage apart.”

Nalan Yanran’s hand shook at those words, and the kitchen knife slammed heavily onto the cutting board. When she turned around, a visible flush spread from her ears to her neck.

Yun Xiancheng approached with a smile, but he only felt a gust of fragrant wind. It turned out Nalan Yanran had proactively hugged him. Their reflections merged as their lips pressed tightly together. The sweet scent of honey-glazed plums and the unique fragrance of the Epiphyllum flower lingered between Yun Xiancheng’s teeth.

018 Ya Fei’s work is very unsatisfactory

The plaque of the Wutan City auction house gleamed with a dull light under the sun. The copper bells on the eaves were stirred by the wind, clashing with scattered low chimes.

Ya Fei rested her chin on her hand, sitting before a Huanghuali wood desk. The tip of her brush left a blot of ink on the ledger, looking much like the dejected wisteria outside the window. ”Another failed auction.”

This auctioneer from the Mittel Family now looked as if she had been hit by frost, her brow full of weariness.

She had been sent to Wutan City due to poor performance, but this place was inherently poor; how could performance be improved? Returning to the main family in the Imperial Capital was an even more distant and unattainable dream.

Those old geezers always advised her to dress more provocatively, saying it would attract customers. But Ya Fei didn’t like that.

”Are they here for the auction, or to see the auctioneer?” The thought of such a scene filled Ya Fei with disgust.

She wanted to run the auction house fairly and squarely with her own strength, but the reality was—last month’s total profit was only one or two thousand gold coins. This result almost meant she would spend the rest of her life in this backwater.

She pressed her aching forehead in frustration: ”Am I really going to retire here? I still need to gather money to go to the Cloud Mist Sect!” In the midst of her frustration, a Communication Talisman lit up.

”A disciple from the Cloud Mist Sect has come to Wutan City to buy things?”

Hearing this, Ya Fei crossed her arms, her sleeves accentuating the curves of her chest.

She was puzzled: How was this news so strange? In the logic of the Fighting Qi Continent, shouldn’t the weak migrate to the lands of the strong? The Cloud Mist Sect possessed rich resources far beyond what this place could compare to. Why would its disciple specifically come to this remote small city? Unless... there was a reason.

”Did he come to find me?”

As this thought flashed by, Ya Fei’s fingertips trembled. The ripples in the teacup broke the reflection of her beautiful face. She stood up abruptly, her mind flashing back to that banquet ten years ago, to that small figure beside the Cloud Mist Sect Leader. ”Quickly, invite him in!” Ya Fei urged.

Yun Xiancheng stepped into the Mittel Family auction house. The furnishings here were quite similar to what he had seen at the main family in the Imperial Capital as a child. As he walked, he thought to himself:

”Ya Fei and I met when we were young... I just don’t know if she still remembers that past.”

After all, it was only a single night’s interaction. He couldn’t be sure how deep the friendship between two children could be.

However, there should be some base affection, right? With base affection, it would always be much easier to win her over. The moment he pushed open the door, a prompt for [Side Quest: Merchant Friendship] popped up before his eyes.

Yun Xiancheng entered the inner room and saw the Beauty leaning over to pick up a paperweight. Dressed in a moon-white satin robe, she looked elegant and proper, yet it couldn’t hide her curvaceous figure. Only when she bent over did a section of her neck, like congealed fat, show, appearing even more lustrous than the mutton-fat jade Pi Xiu on the desk.

He lightly tapped on the ebony doorframe to announce his arrival. ”Is that Little Brother Xiancheng?”

Ya Fei turned around, her wide sleeves carrying a faint scent of sandalwood. The weariness in her eyes instantly transformed into shimmering spring water. The young man before her had changed greatly, yet that sense of familiarity seemed to cross time and space.

She sighed inwardly. The little kid who had tugged at her skirt ten years ago and said in a milky voice that he wanted to marry her had now grown into such an extraordinary young man. [Ya Fei]

Level: Nine-Star Douzhe

Affection: 20/100 (A single meeting in childhood has stayed in Ya Fei’s memory until now. Back then, at four years old, you took the hand of the ten-year-old her and said with utmost seriousness that you would marry her when you grew up. She has remembered it to this day.)

Intimacy: 5/100 (Childhood contact has faded in the flowing light of memory.)

[Ya Fei changed because of your childhood words. She believes her body can only be seen by you. Therefore, she is reserved in her dress and behavior, which resulted in her not relying on]

[Beauty, but only on her words to be an auctioneer. As a result, she became mediocre and failed to become the chief auctioneer of the Mittel Family, instead being discarded in Wutan City in a semi-retired state. This situation needs you to break it.]

Various pieces of information about Ya Fei flooded into Yun Xiancheng’s consciousness. ”Mhm, Ya Fei is really a good person.”

Yun Xiancheng thought to himself that he would marry her.

However, the affection level was currently only 20, which was roughly the level of ordinary friends. 50 was the upper limit for friends; only above 50 would it be considered confirmed secret feelings.

But with a base affection of 20, winning her over should be very easy. To him, winning over girls was much more important than buying medicinal materials. So, he immediately threw the Medicine Lady’s instructions to the back of his mind.

”Mhm! Sister Ya Fei, I came specifically to find you,” Yun Xiancheng replied.

”Since you came to Wutan City, why didn’t you send me a letter? I’ve missed you so much these years on the mountain. I’ve been waiting and waiting, just for you to come find me.”

The tips of Ya Fei’s ears were suddenly dyed with the color of sunset, but she forced herself to stay calm, reaching out to brush away non-existent dust from his shoulder: ”The little brother has grown up and learned how to use sweet words.”

Her fingertips touched the firm muscles under his brocade, and she suddenly remembered the child hugging her neck and saying in a milky voice, ”I’ll build a golden house to hide Sister in.” She felt her cheeks burn slightly.

[Ya Fei Affection +10, Current Affection 30/100] The prompt in his consciousness made Yun Xiancheng extremely satisfied. He took the opportunity to grab that fair wrist that was about to pull back.

The Ice Silkworm Silk Bracelet on her wrist felt cool, but it couldn’t suppress the sparks rising where their skin touched.

With a red face, Ya Fei finally explained slowly why she hadn’t written: ”Mhm... I was also worried about affecting your cultivation.”

”Then you really made me wait.” Yun Xiancheng followed her words:

”I didn’t get to see Sister until today.”

He walked closer to Ya Fei and opened his arms, requesting a hug with a bit of seriousness:

”But, being able to see you is better than not. Long time no see, Sister Ya Fei.” Ya Fei was stunned for a moment, then she also hugged him back.

A faint fragrance of sunlight, Epiphyllum, and roses drifted into Ya Fei’s nose, causing her anxious mood from poor business to miraculously settle down.

A long-lost sense of ease washed through her heart like a warm current. ”Little Brother Xiancheng smells so good,” Ya Fei thought to herself.

After a while, Ya Fei asked softly: ”Besides seeing me, what else do you want to do this time?” ”Buy medicinal materials.”

As Yun Xiancheng spoke, he handed over a list of medicines written by the Medicine Lady, along with a Black Card. ”There’s a million gold coins inside; use it as you see fit.”

”Since it’s for my brother, I’ll give a discount...” Ya Fei was about to speak when she suddenly felt her waist tighten as a warm palm appeared there. Through her silk clothes came a heart-pounding pressure.

The memory of the toddler tugging at her skirt ten years ago overlapped with the present. She actually reached out as if possessed and caressed Yun Xiancheng’s cheek. The youth’s expression was serious: ”Business is business. Sister’s auction house is already quiet; how can I let you spend more because of me?”

”Then I owe you a bit of a favor,” Ya Fei whispered. [Ya Fei Affection +10, Current Affection 40/100]

Ya Fei’s hand gently caressed his face. Just as she wanted to pull it back, her fingertips were caught by the youth and lightly bitten. A numbing sensation surged from her knuckles to her heart.

[Ya Fei Intimacy +10, Current Intimacy 15/100] Author’s Note

Building a divine bridge when the road ends.

I don’t like female characters dressing provocatively for strangers, so I changed the setting.

019 Physical contact with Ya Fei

”If we are to gather all these materials, it might take some time...”

She was suddenly pulled by the waist by the youth, her sachet pendant pressed between their clothes. ”Little brother is so impatient, it’s as if you want to pick them and use them right now.”

Yun Xiancheng pulled her closer into his arms, his nose brushing against her chest: ”In truth, a heavenly treasure like Sister is what truly makes my mouth water.”

While speaking, his palm had already moved to her lower back, measuring that piece of soft jade and warm fragrance through the moon-white satin robe. To deal with a sister like this, one naturally had to take the initiative and be assertive.

”Back to business. It will take half a month at the shortest, or a month at the longest. Can Little Brother Xiancheng still wait?” ”Naturally, I can wait. I’ll be staying in Wutan City for half a year or a year.” Yun Xiancheng proactively held Ya Fei in his arms. They leaned against each other while talking about business. ”Will this affect your cultivation?”

Ya Fei frowned and pinched Yun Xiancheng’s ear.

”It won’t.” ”Nonsense.”

The strength of Ya Fei pinching his earlobe felt like a tickle: ”The spiritual energy in Wutan City is thin; how can it compare to the territory of the Cloud Mist Sect...”

Before she finished her sentence, she was suddenly buried in a warm chest. The fragrance of sun-baked fur in the youth’s hair mixed with his vigorous blood energy, making her fingertips tremble.

Her face finally turned slightly red for a moment, then she slowly raised her head and looked into the youth’s clear eyes. Then,

Yun Xiancheng buried his head in Ya Fei’s full peaks, experiencing the Beauty of ”peaks gathering like clouds, waves raging like fury, the Tongguan Road between mountains and rivers” that he couldn’t experience with Xiao Mei and Yan Ran.

Inside the red silk curtains, the candle wick crackled as it burned. Ya Fei’s body froze for a moment, but she soon relaxed. Ya Fei’s fingertips brushed across the youth’s spine, just like stroking a newly acquired emerald abacus from the auction house.

”Don’t fool around, cultivation is the priority,” Ya Fei instructed like an older sister.

Knowing that Ya Fei truly cared about his cultivation, Yun Xiancheng felt another surge of sweetness. He pressed his nose against the Red Coral Necklace between her collarbones, and his warm breath startled the beads into a chaotic tremble.