Gazing at the handsome young man brimming with joy, Xun'er's slim brows knitted in a faint frown. Ignoring his calling, she turned and made to leave.
"Young Miss Xun'er!"
Seeing Xun'er turn away, the distress on the pale face of that handsome young man deepened. He quickened his steps, and at last threw himself across her path to block her way.
Held in check by the youth, Xun'er had no choice but to halt. Her long, dreamlike eyes held a hint of laziness as they narrowed, regarding him coolly, yet saying nothing at all.
"Young Miss Xun'er…" Stared at by the girl's limpid, autumn-water eyes, the youth — one who had long moved among the land's beauties — found his breath turning short, his glib tongue deserting him at that very moment.
"Young Master Jie Lie'ao, if there is nothing important, please step aside. I still have matters to attend to."
Watching the youth whose face had flushed crimson, Xun'er finally spoke. Her soft voice sent a morbid, ruddy warmth rushing onto the pale face before her.
"Heh heh, Young Miss Xun'er, have you come to the trading market hoping to buy something? As it happens, I have nothing better to do. Why don't we wander together for a while?" Drawing a deep breath, Jie Lie'ao let his smile shine bright and warm — a smile that, coupled with his standing and looks, had several times carried off a beauty into his arms.
"Young Master Jie Lie'ao, I have already told you — I have matters to attend to. Would you kindly step aside?" Xun'er's small lips pressed together slightly, and her voice was flat, with not the slightest tremor.
Rebuffed so abruptly, the corners of Jie Lie'ao's mouth twitched, yet his smile remained intact. He reached into his bosom and drew out a bracelet of pale blue and gold, its chain forged from gold-blue iron, at its junction hung a green magic crystal ground into a round bead, seeping a faint emerald radiance. Plainly, such a delicate bracelet must have come at no small price.
"Heh heh, if Young Miss Xun'er has matters to attend to, then for Jie Lie'ao to keep hindering her would indeed be to impose." Cupping the bracelet carefully, he added, "This is a Wood-Spirit Bracelet I purchased specially in the market. Though hardly a thing of great value, it is set with a first-grade wood magic crystal, which augments the recovery of Dou Qi most helpfully. Since Young Miss Xun'er has yet to become a Dou Fighter, it is, for you, the most fitting of adornments. A small token of my regard — please do not refuse it, or I should look ridiculous before my own subordinates…" As he finished he threw in a little humor, and his subordinates burst into an obliging chorus of laughter.
Watching Jie Lie'ao's display, Xun'er's slender brows knitted once again. At heart she found this sticky-sweet fellow simply exasperating. She had been about to refuse when her gaze came to rest upon that green magic crystal. Remembering Xiao Yan laboriously searching for a wood magic crystal earlier, Xun'er's long lashes blinked softly, and her cold, clear face seemed to soften a little…
Perceiving her indecision, Jie Lie'ao's heart leapt with joy. Hastily he pressed the Wood-Spirit Bracelet closer and laughed, "Young Miss Xun'er must not stand on ceremony. The Jia Lie Clan and the Xiao Clan stand side by side as two of Wutan City's three great families. For us to exchange small gifts, no one would say a word against it."
"Take the bracelet, and pass the crystal along to Xiao Yan-gege… as for the bracelet itself… while he isn't looking, toss it away." Xun'er hesitated no longer and had just reached out when a palm seized her, grabbing far sooner.
Her hand thus caught, Xun'er froze. Within her, Dou Qi surged, and her wrist was about to struggle free when a light snort from the young man made her obediently give up.
Her gaze shifted to one side, and Xun'er caught sight of Xiao Yan, who had appeared behind her. Raising her eyes, she caught a glimpse of a childish young face whose expression was somewhat difficult to look upon.
"Do you still not know what sort of goods this fellow is?" Shooting Xun'er a fierce glare, Xiao Yan reproached her to himself, then raised his head with a smile. "Young Master Jie Lie'ao, Xun'er understands your good intentions, and I thank you. Forgive me, but please take your gift back."
Watching the ruined atmosphere, a glint of anger flickered in Jie Lie'ao's eyes. Yet before the beauty he had to keep up appearances. Forcing a smile that did not reach his eyes, he said, "Young Master Xiao Yan, I merely observed that Young Miss Xun'er wears not a single ornament. Might you not wish some small adornments to add yet more charm to her?"
Releasing a helpless sigh, Xiao Yan shot a sidelong glance at the Wood-Spirit Bracelet, then drew out a light green bracelet of his own. "Very fond of bracelets, are we? Here, take this. Don't go accepting other people's things for no reason at all. Haven't I told you, 'when foxes celebrate by flattering the hen, they mean her no good'? With that foolish, trusting look of yours, who knows how you might be sold off and never even know why."
Hearing the insult disguised in Xiao Yan's words, a coldness spread across Jie Lie'ao's face. Yet when his gaze swept over the bracelet in Xiao Yan's hand, he was caught up in a burst of disbelieving laughter.
The bracelet in Xiao Yan's hand, by its material, was plainly a roadside trinket that would not cost five gold coins, whereas his own Wood-Spirit Bracelet was genuine magic-crystal jewelry, priced at over a thousand gold coins. So Jie Lie'ao could not help but sneer: "Young Master Xiao Yan, though I long ago knew your standing within your own clan to be low, yet… yet do you truly have to degrade Young Miss Xun'er so?"
Paying no heed to Jie Lie'ao's mockery, Xiao Yan waved the bracelet at the girl, who had fallen into a stare, and said with some impatience, "Do you want it or not? If not, then toss it away. I paid only two or three gold coins for it, after all."
"Pfft…" At Xiao Yan's words, not only Jie Lie'ao but even the cluster of subordinates at his side burst into derisive laughter.
Yet the mockery did not last long — as though their necks had been wrung, the laughter stuck fast in their throats. A comical, startled look froze on the crowd's faces.
The girl, who had been somewhat dazed, was jolted awake by Xiao Yan's gesture. Almost subconsciously, both her hands darted out and snatched the bracelet over. Only once it was in her hand did she come back to herself, realizing she had been a trifle too eager…
A faint blush stole across her fair face. Yet Xun'er was no ordinary girl, and after a brief shyness she slipped the bracelet onto her snow-white wrist with easy grace, casting a clear, elegant smile at Xiao Yan. "Thank you, Xiao Yan-gege."
"Heh heh, I never imagined Young Miss Xun'er's tastes to be so peculiar. I confess I rather miscalculated," said Jie Lie'ao with a forced, awkward laugh, envy creeping into his face as he watched Xun'er take on the airs of an ordinary girl before Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan cast a glance at the Jie Lie'ao before him, and his gaze swept over a single golden star upon the other's breast. "When I met this fellow last year, he should have been at the ninth stage of Dou Qi. I never expected this year he would actually condense a Dou Qi whirlpool. Still, to become a one-star Dou Fighter at the age of twenty-one — such talent barely counts as a cut above average…"
Seeing that this fellow still showed no sign of leaving, Xiao Yan curled his lip. His lazy words made no attempt at courtesy on account of the other's strength, for relations between the Xiao Clan and the Jia Lie Clan had never been good. Rubbing his nose, he said flatly, "Young Master Jie Lie'ao, your habit of philandering is known throughout Wutan City. But Xun'er is still young and has no time to play at puppy love with you. So in future, kindly go and trouble some other family's daughter instead."
"Stay away from him from now on."
With that, Xiao Yan paid no regard to the livid Jie Lie'ao. Relying on his advantage of age, he turned to Xun'er and lectured her with the solemnity of an old man.
"Oh."
Xun'er's lively eyes blinked lightly, giving an indifferent nod. To her, Jie Lie'ao was nothing but a stranger; to her, Xiao Yan was utterly irreplaceable. Since he said keep her distance, then she would. For Xun'er, this was no difficult choice.