Chapter Seven: How Can One Journey Far When Family Vengeance Remains Unavenged?

The next day.

Chen Xiao unusually stopped his cultivation early, pulled out his cleanest yet still ordinary robe, and carefully tidied his appearance.

On the Dou Qi Continent, whether male or female, most people are tall and develop rapidly.

Chen Xiao was no exception. Although only eight years old, he was nearly 1.6 meters tall.

Unfortunately, his face still bore the traces of childhood innocence; no matter how much he tried to appear mature, one could still roughly tell his age at a glance.

Gazing at his reflected delicate features on the water’s surface, Chen Xiao paused slightly, then pulled a pouch of gold coins from under the bed and took some to carry with him.

As he left his residence and headed toward the Xiao family’s main gate, he coincidentally “ran into” Xiao Xun’er.

“Big Brother Chen Xiao, you look so formal. Where are you off to?” Xiao Xun’er, at least half a palm shorter than Chen Xiao, smiled brightly, looking very obedient and charming.

Chen Xiao returned a smile and replied, “I’m planning to visit the Mittel Auction House to broaden my horizons. Xun’er, do you want to come along?”

After ascending to the rank of Dou Zhe, Chen Xiao had advanced his cultivation method prematurely, meaning he couldn’t draw upon other cultivation resources for some time and had to rely solely on his own efforts.

And cultivation resources were tied to money.

Today, Chen Xiao intended to visit the auction house to get a sense of the general prices for various cultivation resources, to better target his efforts in the future.

After all, having reached Dou Zhe, even in the small town of Wutan City, he had some capital for making a living and could spare some time to earn extra income.

“Sure! Xiao Mei and the others have mentioned it many times, but I’ve never been there. Big Brother Chen Xiao, wait a moment. I’ll go change my clothes,” the girl said with a bright, straightforward smile.

Without waiting for Chen Xiao’s reply, she fluttered back toward her residence like a butterfly.

About ten minutes later, when Xiao Xun’er reappeared in Chen Xiao’s line of sight, she was dressed in a relatively low-key yet still elegant and proper cyan dress.

“Big Brother Chen Xiao, shall we go now?”

“Mm.”

...

The Mittel Auction House in Wutan City was the largest auction venue in the city and belonged to the wealthiest family in the Karma Empire—the Mittel family.

Within the Karma Empire, the Mittel family claimed to be the second richest, and absolutely no one dared to claim the top spot. Even the royal family was wary of the Mittel family’s financial power.

With such a formidable background, the auction house in Wutan City was built extraordinarily luxuriously, with decorations emphasizing grandeur and opulence, making it a landmark building in the city.

...

The Mittel Auction House in Wutan City held two auctions every month, typically at the beginning and middle of the month.

Today happened to be the start of the month.

However, because it was still early, the streets were not yet crowded.

After a smooth journey, Chen Xiao arrived at the auction house. The fully armed guards at the entrance glanced at him curiously as he explained his intention to enter and wait for the auction to begin.

Xun’er silently took out her Xiao family identity token from her storage ring and fiddled with it.

The lead guard glanced at Xun’er, hesitated briefly, then nodded slightly.

“You may enter, but you’re too early. The auction won’t start until noon. There’s no one inside now, so you can only look through the catalogues.”

The entry requirements for the Mittel Auction House were not high, but they existed.

However, one thing was certain: there was no age restriction.

Therefore, once Xun’er’s identity was confirmed, there was no need for further questioning.

The Xiao family was one of the three major families and absolutely esteemed guests here.

Even within Wutan City, Xun’er’s Xiao family token was more effective than any ancient clan’s identification—it was the value of a local powerhouse.

“I understand. Thank you,” Chen Xiao nodded in thanks.

Being able to see the catalogues was sufficient; after all, he had no capital to participate in bidding.

Passing the guards and entering the hall, as expected, there was not a single person inside, only some booklets sporadically placed on the seats below.

“Thanks to you, Xun’er. Otherwise, I’d have a hard time getting in,” Chen Xiao said with a smile as he chose a corner seat.

He even suspected that Xun’er had anticipated this scenario before they arrived, which was why she readily accepted the invitation.

Compared with others his age, Xun’er’s mind was considerably more mature.

“Big Brother Chen Xiao, you’re too polite. I really wanted to get out and about, just had no companion before,” she replied.

“Alright, then whenever you want to go out, just call me.”

“Mm, I’ll remember that. Big Brother Chen Xiao, what do you want to buy today?” Xun’er asked curiously when she saw Chen Xiao pick up a catalogue.

She knew Chen Xiao urgently needed cultivation methods, but also understood his savings were limited.

For that reason, she had prepared a small gold coin card today, ready to lend it to Chen Xiao if he asked.

“I mainly want to understand the cultivation resources. I’ve spent most of my time at the Xiao family, running errands for the elders with no chance to pay attention to these things. If I had to say something I want to buy, it would be a black robe to disguise my identity when I leave.”

His youthful face was a drawback. With such a face, others instinctively saw him as a child, which was very disadvantageous for earning extra money.

The kind-hearted might not take advantage, but the malicious could easily exploit him.

Chen Xiao was confident he wouldn’t be easily used, but he also didn’t want to invite unnecessary trouble.

Therefore, a black robe was necessary.

Affordable, practical, and praised by the Soul Hall!

Xun’er nodded knowingly, guessing Chen Xiao’s plan.

“It seems Big Brother Chen Xiao doesn’t plan to leave the Xiao family for now. That’s good news. If you left, I’d probably be much more bored.”

“I won’t leave anytime soon. Family revenge is not yet fulfilled; how can I travel far?” Chen Xiao did not hide his thoughts and spoke frankly.

His matters were never a secret within the Xiao family.

He had interacted with Xun’er quite a bit over the years. If Ling Ying had normal intelligence, she would have long since investigated his background thoroughly.

From past experiences, that was indeed the case.

So, there was no need to conceal anything.

Seeking revenge was a natural, reasonable desire for a son.

Of course, the most important reason was that he was not yet strong enough to travel far.

A mere Dou Zhe traveling alone with no support, facing a stronger villain or an unlucky encounter with a magical beast, could easily become a life-or-death battle.

According to Chen Xiao’s preliminary estimate, once he had the strength to solo the Oba family, he would have earned the right to travel independently.

Moreover, by then, his age would be more appropriate.