Chapter 54 – The Tail Is Very Slippery
The Mittel Family truly lived up to its name as a great merchant clan—their efficiency was astonishing. In no time at all, the middle-aged steward had prepared a quiet room for Yao Yan, complete with a specially built alchemy chamber designed to block out all outside noise.
The steward's attitude was extremely respectful, his face carrying a nearly fawning smile as he watched Yao Yan inspect the room. "Young Master, if you have any other requests, please feel free to instruct me. As long as it's within my authority, I'll make sure everything is arranged perfectly."
He knew this was his opportunity. A fifth-rank alchemist not yet seventeen years old—such talent was worth gambling everything on. If he could win the young man's favor, his own future within the Mittel Family would be guaranteed.
Even if that weren't the case, this guest had been personally brought by Hai Bodong. Just for the sake of currying favor with Hai Bodong, he had to serve well.
"I'm a bit hungry. Please send me some food. As for the rest, that'll be all for now."
Yao Yan withdrew his gaze and said softly.
"Does Young Master have any particular preference for taste?" the steward asked attentively.
"Something light. I'll leave the rest to you."
"Please wait a moment, Young Master."
The steward bowed and left, making sure to close the door behind him.
Once he was gone—
A faint, mosquito-like voice came from Yao Yan's arms. "Y-Young Master… c-could you put me down now…?"
Hearing the sound, he lowered his head and found Cai Die's cheeks flushed with a faint, unnatural red. Her bright peach blossom eyes had grown hazy, filled with a seductive charm. She bit her moist lips lightly, as if struggling to endure something. Her body trembled slightly, wanting to resist but powerless to move.
Her pleading gaze made Yao Yan's heart heat up, flames of desire flickering within.
Her tail is that sensitive?
Looking at Cai Die, who seemed as if she'd just taken an aphrodisiac, Yao Yan was genuinely surprised. He'd only thought her tail felt pleasant to the touch and had casually stroked the beautiful thing—but he hadn't expected such an intense reaction. Apparently, the spot he'd touched… was probably her rear. What a sin.
Feigning ignorance, he gently set her down, then removed the mask from his face, revealing his charmingly handsome features. With a look of concern, he said, "Are you alright? Why is your face so red? Did you get heatstroke?"
As he spoke, the rascal even reached out to feel her burning cheeks, as if trying to confirm his guess.
Cai Die wasn't stupid enough not to realize when she was being taken advantage of. Twisting her slender waist, her serpent tail swished, allowing her to dodge Yao Yan's wandering hand. Her hazy eyes cleared slightly, and she glared at him shyly, muttering in a low, coquettish voice, "Young Master is awful… you were touching me there just now…"
She had wanted to slip from his arms earlier, but Yao Yan's touch had left her whole body weak and her mind in chaos. Terrified that others might see, she could only bury her face in his chest like an ostrich.
"Ahem… you've misunderstood. I was only holding you, but your tail is too slippery. I just had to adjust my grip—that's all. It wasn't intentional."
Yao Yan, ever the sly one, took advantage of Cai Die's innocence, wearing an expression of pure sincerity as he defended himself.
If Queen Medusa had been there, she would probably have fought him to the death.
"...Really?"
Cai Die blinked at his seemingly innocent face—and actually believed him.
At that moment, Yao Yan felt he could probably trick Cai Die into pregnancy if he wanted to. But he wasn't that kind of man. He lightly tapped her forehead and said sternly, "What do you take me for? A lecher? You think I'd act indecently toward a snake tail?"
"Ow…" Cai Die rubbed her forehead, her eyes glistening with grievance. "I didn't think that, Young Master isn't a lecher… It's just that when you touched me, it felt a little… uncomfortable…"
"Does it still feel uncomfortable now?"
Yao Yan's expression softened, his voice filled with gentle concern.
Cai Die shook her head slightly, her elegant face still flushed pink—even her earlobes were red. Of course, she couldn't tell Yao Yan the truth: that she desperately needed to relieve herself. So embarrassing…
"Ying-ying~"
Just then, Ling'er stirred in Yao Yan's arms, poking her little head out. Her furry ears drooped as she blinked sleepily, her bright eyes dull with drowsiness. With a soft whimper, she let Yao Yan know she was hungry.
"You just woke up and want to eat again? You're not a pig!"
Yao Yan grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and lifted her out, scolding with mock irritation.
He was using the moment to cover up what had just happened. After all, he had the soul of an adult—if it had been any ordinary hot-blooded teenager, his face would've been beet red by now.
Sorry, little one, he thought.
Cai Die, seeing Yao Yan's seemingly oblivious demeanor, finally relaxed. She realized she'd misunderstood him. With his noble character, there was no way he would intentionally tease her. Yet, recalling his earlier words, she suddenly wondered if he actually disliked her tail. Her eyes dimmed a little as she glanced at it, biting her lip.
Yao Yan had no idea what she was thinking. He was currently trying to restore his dignity by playing with Ling'er. In truth, he really had only touched her tail out of curiosity. It was his first time seeing someone from the Snake-People Tribe—how could he not be curious about that tail?
If the situation were more appropriate, he'd honestly like to study it more closely.
Ling'er, on the other hand, hadn't expected Yao Yan to scold her. She puffed up angrily, waving her tiny paws in protest. She didn't even know what a "pig" was, but from his tone, she'd already figured it wasn't something nice.
Knock, knock!
There was a knock at the door.
Yao Yan tossed Ling'er to Cai Die and went to open it—he had already sensed Hai Bodong's presence. The man had vanished for a while after entering the auction hall, likely to take care of some private matters.
Cai Die caught Ling'er and comforted her softly, though the little creature still pouted, waving her paws angrily at Yao Yan.
As soon as Hai Bodong entered, he asked, "How is it, Young Master? If the room doesn't suit you, I can have that fellow arrange another."
"No need. This place is quite good."
Yao Yan shook his head and looked at him. "You're done with your business?"
"Just some trivial matters. Not worth mentioning."
Hai Bodong smiled faintly, then got straight to the point. "I've already spoken with the auction house. Any medicinal ingredients you need for refining pills can be taken from here. If they don't have them in stock, I'll have them delivered from the imperial capital."
"Wait a moment."
Yao Yan took out a blank scroll from his storage ring and pressed it to his forehead. Using his soul power, he engraved the list of required ingredients onto it. Moments later, he handed it to Hai Bodong. "These are all the materials I need."
"Understood. Rest well—I'll have everything prepared as soon as possible."
Hai Bodong grasped the scroll tightly, excitement flashing in his eyes.
Without another word, he strode off. No matter how rare or precious those ingredients were, he'd get them all. After being stuck at the five-star Dou Huang level for more than a decade, he finally had a chance to break through—and he wasn't about to waste another moment.
(End of Chapter)
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