The Emperor's Domineering Favor, the Evil Consort's Unparalleled Reign

Ying Li stared in astonishment at the man sitting on the second floor, her face turning pale. That day at the Wei family cemetery in Guliang City, their relationship was so tense, and now that they met again, she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

It was unclear whether to mistake the man for Yin Huan or to acknowledge his true identity as Mu Huan, the future ruler of the Mu Dynasty. But why was this man here? A crown prince shouldn't be in this desolate ancient city.

Yi Bicheng, standing to the side, subconsciously clenched his fists. Whenever he saw Mu Huan, he would think of Wei Lingyun, and a sudden pain would well up in his heart. He wished he could personally teach the other party a lesson.

But he didn't know the limits of this lesson; he couldn't very well abandon his family and injure the crown prince. Besides, his spiritual power…

Whatever his purpose in being here was none of Ying Li's concern. Thinking of the man who had shoved her so forcefully at the Wei family cemetery, Ying Li felt a pang of resentment. Being pushed so hard by a face so similar to Yin Huan's, even though she knew it wasn't Yin Huan, still bothered her.

Therefore, Ying Li chose to ignore Mu Huan.

Mu Huan took in Ying Li's expression with great interest, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. The coldness emanating from him subtly lessened. The two maids beside him changed their expressions simultaneously. When they looked at Mu Huan again, her eyes were icy, and an insurmountable chasm seemed to separate them from her.

"The one with the highest ability will receive the Qilin Pearl. Miss Ying, the Qilin Pearl is now yours, take it quickly." Just as Ying Li was in a panic, Xiao Wei, the boss of the pawnshop on the third floor, who was also the old man who had just choked Ling Xiaoxiao to death with a single sentence, said with an expression of appreciation.

Ying Li snapped out of her daze, glanced at the perfectly round, bright red Qilin Pearl brimming with spiritual energy, and then looked at the Spirit-Guiding Wolf that had just saved her. A pang of reluctance suddenly welled up in her heart, but thinking that this was the only way to wake up the alluring man, she couldn't help but stroke the wolf that had returned to its small size and was licking its fur beside her and whispered, "Something happened to a friend of mine, so I had no choice but to leave you here. From now on, listen to these people and never do anything bad."

After saying this, Ying Li stood up and took the Qilin Pearl, storing it in the Xuan Jin. The wolf looked at it for a long time, and then realized that Ying Li had given up itself for the pearl. It then revealed its ferocity and launched a fierce attack on the Xuan Jin where Ying Li had placed the pearl.

Ying Li was somewhat helpless. If there were other options, she wouldn't want to hand over the wolf hunting wolf so easily, since although it was ferocious, it was also very docile. Just as Ying Li was struggling with this dilemma, Xiao Wei suddenly laughed loudly and said, "Since this spirit guide is so close to Miss Ying, why don't I do her a favor and give the pearl to her? Let's become friends, shall we?"

His words caused an uproar in the hall.

"What a joke! This pearl is so precious, how can you just give it away like that? And he doesn't even want the Wolf Hunting Spirit Guide anymore, has Xiao Wei been scared out of his wits?!"

"If he were to accept the Wolf Hunting Spirit Guide, he could potentially exchange it for even more powerful treasures if he were to encounter a spirit mage in the future. Why would Xiao Wei miss out on something like this? Could it be that there's some powerful force behind that girl that she absolutely needs to win over?"

"Leaving aside power, just look at the spiritual cultivation techniques that girl just displayed. How could the spiritual power of a teenager possibly be possessed? There's no harm in Xiao Wei recruiting someone with such talent. Besides, Xiao Wei is in the business of digging up people's graves. Many enemies have put bounties on his head. Naturally, he'll recruit as many people as he can now. If they come looking for revenge in the future, they'll have someone to rely on."

"..."

The crowd was buzzing with discussion, and Ying Li was also somewhat confused. She immediately pushed away the wolf that was biting the black brocade at her waist and asked in bewilderment, "The pearl is so precious, and Boss Xiao is just giving it away like this. I am a little apprehensive. If you don't like this wolf spirit guide, I can find you some good things. It's really not fair to just take it for free."

Xiao Wei's eyes deepened as he looked at Ying Li's puzzled expression. He didn't mince words and said directly, "Miss Ying's talent is astonishing, and I have high hopes for her. Although I'm already halfway to the grave, I still secretly wish to live a few more years. It would be good to know some experts. I'm giving this pearl to Miss Ying in the hope that if I ever encounter trouble in the future, I'll lend her a hand. But if you're unwilling, just consider this pearl as lost; it's no big deal."

Such magnanimity impressed Ying Li greatly. He immediately accepted the pearl, cupped his hands slightly, and said, "Brother Xiao, you are too kind. I will not accept such a generous gift in vain. If I achieve something in the future, I will definitely repay you."

Boss Xiao didn't say anything, just smiled and nodded, casually making a gesture. Everyone on the third floor disappeared into the pawnshop. The maids in the hall nodded and smiled, seeing the guests off one by one. The noisy auction house returned to its quiet state in less than an hour. Looking at the empty, clean tables and chairs in the hall, Ying Li suddenly felt that yesterday's auction was like a dream. Now that the sun was out, the dream had ended.

Ying Li didn't know when she would see Xiao Wei again, but she secretly remembered the name and was determined to repay him when she had the chance. The wolf spirit that had been lying at Ying Li's feet realized that it was not going to be abandoned, so it gave up the chance to tear the Xuan Jin and lay down at Ying Li's feet, obediently letting Ying Li seal it into the Xuan Jin. This time it didn't dare to cause any trouble, probably because it was afraid that Ying Li would change his mind and sell it again. After all, Ying Li had really thought about getting rid of it just now.

Ying Li and Yi Bicheng turned to look at the second floor. Mu Huan had disappeared at some point, as if she had never been there at all, her whereabouts uncertain.

Old Yan chuckled, looking at the bright white sky outside. He shook the bottle in his hand, took two gulps, and looked at Ying Li with admiration. Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he looked behind him. Old Cui was staring at Ying Li with a gloomy expression. Ma Yin had woken up, but he looked listless and lacked energy. When he saw Ying Li, he shuddered and became a little more energetic than before.

"Hmph, they said they would get the pearl no matter the cost, I don't know where they got the courage to talk so big, the pearl is still in my Ali's hands now!"

Old Cui's face darkened, and he was about to hurl a curse when he saw the figure behind Old Yan and his face lit up with joy. "Hmph, I won't bother with you about this. I'll settle things with you next month when the top ten spiritual masters' disciples of Feng'an Kingdom compete. I'll send my eldest disciple then. For now, you'd better pray for yourself!"

After saying that, he left with Ma Yin, looking gloating. Old Man Yan snorted coldly, shook the wine bottle, and wanted to take a couple more sips, but a familiar voice sounded behind him. Ying Li clearly saw the muscles on Old Man Yan's face twitch a few times.

"Yan Zheng! I've been looking for you for ten years, and I never thought I'd run into you here. Humph, you're not going anywhere today. Come home with me!" An old woman dressed in black with a hemp hat on her head strode up behind Yan Zheng, twisted his ear with her right hand, and began to curse loudly.

The old man's wine bottle suddenly fell to the ground with a "crash!" Wine and shards spilled all over the ground. Ying Li pursed his lips tightly, looking at his master's appearance, guessing that it might be due to some romantic entanglements from his youth. However, even if it was a romantic entanglement, it was still... Looking at the old woman's right hand, which was using all her strength, Ying Li gasped, feeling the pain for his master.

"Come on! Come with me!" The old woman pulled hard, and Old Man Yan was powerless to resist. If Ying Li hadn't known Old Man Yan's skills, she might have mistaken him for someone without any martial arts ability. Seeing that he was getting further and further away from Ying Li, Old Man Yan finally turned back for one last look at his disciple, forcing a smile and saying, "Ah Li, you must practice your kung fu diligently, don't neglect it. Master doesn't approve of Yi Bicheng, but Master will find you a good husband later. Uh! Old woman, be gentle!"

"Ah Li, remember to come to Master Yuezhen in Feng'an Kingdom on the fifth day of next month. Don't forget..."

In the end, Ying Li only heard this one sentence before Old Man Yan's voice and figure disappeared into the desolate, cold yellow earth of the ancient city. Behind the old woman was a very well-behaved and fair-skinned boy, about the same age as Yi Bicheng. As he left, he nodded to Yi Bicheng and then left with the old woman and Old Man Yan, who were still wrestling.

Ying Li looked at them, both amused and exasperated, and nudged Yi Bicheng beside her with her elbow, asking, "Do you know them?"

Yi Bicheng scratched his head with his fan, looking rather troubled, and said, "I had forgotten about that. That old woman is our master's wife and Wang Mingjing, a spiritualist from the Mo family, one of the nine great families. That boy is her apprentice, Qi Chen. Master Yan is fond of freedom and has a reclusive personality, so you know what I mean."

Ying Li initially felt some sympathy for her master, but upon hearing Yi Bicheng's words, she couldn't help but think about how much anger the old woman must feel every day facing such a reclusive old man. However, seeing how the other party was relentlessly pursuing her master, she found it rather endearing.

As for going to Laoyue Town in Feng'an Kingdom on the fifth day of next month, Yi Bicheng didn't know much about the affairs between spirit masters and couldn't give Ying Li a good answer.

Just as the two were planning where to go in the future, a figure walked towards them unhurriedly. Ying Li and Yi Bicheng turned around at the same time and saw Mu Huan behind them with a slight upturn of the corners of his mouth and an extremely indifferent gaze. A chill ran through them at the same time.

"What are you doing here?!" Yi Bicheng's tone was unfriendly; he and Mu Huan had never had anything to say to each other. Mu Huan seemed to guess what Yi Bicheng was going to say, and leaned against the door with her arms crossed, but her eyes were fixed on Ying Li.

"For her." The words were spoken very softly, but Ying Li and Yi Bicheng heard them clearly.

“There’s no grudge between you and her. I was the one who took her to see Lingyun last time. If you have any complaints, come at me!” Yi Bicheng shielded Ying Li in front of him, his eyes filled with hostility.

Mu Huan's gaze towards Ying Li deepened, and he raised an eyebrow with a cold smile, "Who told you I sought her out because of a grudge?! Does that mean that if there's no grudge, I can't stand by her side?!"