Chapter 118: Elder Hai Is About to Blow Up, But It's Not Out of Delight
"Hai Lao, that's not fair—I practiced that technique a lot in private! I didn't just learn it at a glance!"
Xiao Yuan ignored the youth he had frozen into an ice sculpture and grinned at Hai Bodong.
Hai Bodong opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, he just sighed and fell silent.
There was nothing to say—this was too much of a blow!
He had spent over half a month developing that new Dou Technique—a variation of the Condensed Ice Mirror, designed to freeze opponents. But Xiao Yuan had watched it once and then sneakily copied it perfectly.
Throughout their journey, Hai Bodong had barely seen Xiao Yuan practicing Dou Techniques. In other words, maybe he had practiced it, but certainly not for long.
Though not the first time he'd witnessed Xiao Yuan's freakish talent, Hai Bodong still felt utterly defeated.
That's when a sharp voice rang out, trembling with fear.
"A… a Da Dou Shi?"
Because Xiao Yuan had revealed his Dou Qi, the guard looked at his youthful and handsome face, then at the purple-gold card in his hand—and realized this man, favored by Miss Ya Fei, had to be a genius young master from some powerful force. Even a Mittel Clan elder would treat him with great respect!
"Enough. Take that eyesore away. I'm not in the mood to kill him—for now. Hopefully, he's smart enough not to provoke me again."
Xiao Yuan waved dismissively.
"Thank you, young master, for showing mercy!"
The guard visibly exhaled in relief. He didn't even bother with the stairs—he and the others just vaulted over the railing and cleared the path upstairs.
"Tch, now that's a good guard."
Xiao Yuan raised his brow with a smirk, glancing at Ya Fei.
Ya Fei, meanwhile, was looking at him with both surprise and joy.
"You've reached Da Dou Shi?"
She asked in amazement.
"Hehe, just got lucky with a few breakthroughs."
Xiao Yuan nodded, smiling.
"I thought you'd still be a Dou Shi when you came to find me, but it turns out you've progressed even faster than I expected! Unbelievable!"
Ya Fei giggled as they walked. Her unintentional charm made Xiao Yuan enjoy the moment even more.
"Heh, I told you I'd come as a Da Dou Shi—and I always keep my word."
He smiled confidently.
They soon arrived at Ya Fei's office and sat down.
Everything in the Mittel Clan headquarters was top-tier—even the chairs. Just sitting down made one feel relaxed. It was a subtle, yet undeniable display of the clan's deep heritage.
"Actually… maybe we should discuss this another day," Ya Fei said as she poured tea, her tone laced with concern. "That guy will definitely complain to his grandfather. Knowing how protective that old coot is, he'll come to trouble you."
"Hmph. If that brat is still that stupid, even Elder Tengshan won't be able to save him."
Before Xiao Yuan could reply, Hai Bodong chuckled coldly.
The situation with the Mo Clan was still fresh in his mind. After seeing the talents of Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan, Hai Bodong had already grasped what kind of internal problems the Mittel Clan likely faced.
After all, Tengshan was only a Dou Wang. His control over the clan couldn't compare to Hai Bodong's former dominance as the Ice Emperor. Without his protection, the Mittel Clan could hardly afford to lose any elders easily.
He wasn't saying killing clan elders was ideal—but if they were truly that stupid, maybe they deserved to be eliminated.
If another Dou Huang had come today, the consequences for the Mittel Clan might have been catastrophic.
Now was the perfect time to shake up the foolish elements within the clan.
Ya Fei was slightly stunned by his words. She'd sensed this elder wasn't ordinary—and Xiao Yuan had hinted he was a powerful expert. But only now did she realize he was likely a Dou Wang at the very least.
And from the way he spoke about Elder Tengshan… they seemed close. A friend of Elder Tengshan?
While that thought flashed through her mind, her expression brightened. "Looks like these herbs are for this elder, aren't they, Xiao Yuan? Let me take a look."
Xiao Yuan handed over the prescription Xiao Yan had written.
"Huh? This handwriting—isn't it your brother Xiao Yan's? These herbs are rare… there are even a few I've only heard of by name. You two brothers really are full of surprises."
She smiled, recognizing the script.
"Yeah, he wrote it. Think you can find these here?"
Hai Bodong looked at her eagerly. This was about his potential breakthrough!
Ya Fei rested her cheek on one hand, thinking. Then she shook her head apologetically. "Sorry. These herbs are incredibly rare. Most of them go for at least 200,000 gold each at auction—and that's if you can even find them."
Hai Bodong slumped in disappointment, but Xiao Yuan waited calmly—he knew Ya Fei wasn't finished.
"It'll be difficult to get them all, but I think we can gather about half."
"Half is better than nothing," Xiao Yuan said, smiling.
Ya Fei suddenly gave a playful grin. "From what I remember, our auction house has four of the herbs you need. Each one is worth more than 250,000. So you'll need about a million gold total. Xiao Yuan… didn't you run out of money?"
"Then how about you lend me some, dear Ya Fei-jie?"
Xiao Yuan smiled sweetly.
Her smile deepened. "But if I give you that much, there goes all of my dowry, you know?"
"No worries—Hai Lao here will repay you double. Right, Elder Hai?"
Xiao Yuan turned to him with a smirk.
"Alright, alright, stop it. Enough flirting—why are you dragging me into this?"
Hai Bodong grumbled, then tossed a beautiful purple-gold card onto the table. "Girl, go fetch the herbs. A million gold isn't enough to break me. As for that dowry—let's not jump ahead. If I recall, this brat hasn't even officially broken off his engagement."
He was clearly teasing Xiao Yuan about the whole Nalan Yanran situation.
"Haha, no wonder you seem so extraordinary, Elder Hai. I guess I don't have to worry about earlier matters anymore."
Ya Fei's gaze fell on the card, adorned with seven silver wave patterns—a type only Dou Wang experts or higher could own. That confirmed her guess about Hai Bodong's identity.
He must be very close with Xiao Yuan—and possibly willing to help her too.
She carefully picked up the card and stroked it to verify its authenticity. Then she clapped her hands, and a pretty maid rushed in.
"Pack these four herbs and bring them here quickly."
The maid accepted the list and left.
"Please be patient, Elder. The herbs will be here shortly."
"No need to be so formal—just treat me like a regular old man. You're a good girl."
Hai Bodong smiled, clearly approving of Ya Fei. Whether for her efficiency or her ties to Xiao Yuan, she'd earned his respect.
"See? Elder Hai is one of our own."
Xiao Yuan chimed in, smiling.
Ya Fei's eyes widened slightly. That meant Hai Bodong wasn't just Xiao Yuan's supporter—he was also, by extension, on her side. She suddenly remembered some old intelligence…
"So it really is Elder Hai. I apologize—I didn't recognize you sooner!"
She bowed slightly.
"Now you see why I didn't want to reveal myself."
Hai Bodong sighed, waving her off casually.
"Elder Hai, please take this card back. Without you, the Mittel Clan wouldn't be what it is today. I absolutely can't accept your money."
Seeing her firm stance, Hai Bodong reluctantly reclaimed the card and tucked it into his ring. Then he asked:
"Tell me—who was that brat earlier, and who's backing him? Looks like your clan has developed a few parasites over the years."
Ya Fei nodded respectfully and answered him like a dutiful granddaughter.
"Hmph. The elders' council really fell that far? Tengshan's lost control, it seems. Don't reveal my identity yet—I want to see what these old fools are really like."
Hai Bodong scoffed coldly.
He already suspected the herbs wouldn't arrive smoothly.
Sure enough, moments later, hurried footsteps echoed. All eyes turned toward the panicked maid.
"The herbs?" Ya Fei asked with a frown.
"Miss Ya Fei… the herbs… Elder Leo intercepted them. He said they'd been reserved long ago and couldn't be transferred."
Ya Fei's expression darkened instantly. Her hand slammed the table.
"That old bastard! Those herbs have sat untouched in storage for months! Since when were they 'reserved'?!"
"Heh. Elder Hai, your predictions are on point," Xiao Yuan teased.
"No worries. After being missing so long, killing a few people should be enough to earn me a quiet retirement. Might as well make room for this girl."
Hai Bodong said calmly—his tone icy at first, only turning playful at the end. Xiao Yuan and Ya Fei could only shake their heads helplessly.
This old man was not someone to mess with.
Just then, a loud, imperious voice echoed from outside the room:
"Hmph! Ya Fei, how dare a mere acting elder act with such arrogance! You allowed someone to injure my grandson! At the next elders' council, I'll formally propose stripping you of your title!"
The three inside the room all shared a strange smile.
(END CHAPTER)
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