The Yunlan Sect's campaign against the Mitel family ultimately concluded with heavy losses. Yet, when everyone expected the empire's strongest force to erupt in furious retaliation, the Yunlan Sect instead remained unusually quiet—an unexpected development that left many bewildered. Though Xuao Yan and his companions were also surprised by this unusual calm, they did not dwell on it deeply, for if the opponent wished to grant them time to connect with other factions, then that was precisely what they had hoped for. Meanwhile, Haibo Dong demonstrated exceptional efficiency, successfully reaching out to all the major powers in the capital within just one day. With Xuao Yan's triumphant return and his astonishing display of strength before countless witnesses, no faction dared to overlook Haibo Dong's proposal. Thus, the coordination efforts were smoothly and seamlessly completed. The meeting venue was the Herbalist's Guild, a body that had long maintained neutrality within the Empire. As a gathering point for nearly half of the Empire's foremost herbalists, the Guild naturally commanded immense influence. Although its chairman, Fama, was slightly less accomplished in herbal crafting than the renowned Dan King, Goho, in terms of historical standing, Fama far surpassed him. Consequently, even Goho had to show deference before Fama. Thus, choosing the Herbalist's Guild as the site for negotiations was entirely appropriate. "Hehe, you kid..." Hai Bode saw Xiao Yan and immediately smiled. As he was about to greet him, his gaze fell upon the slightly eerie, beautiful face behind Xiao Yan. His cheeks flushed slightly, and he cleared his throat, saying, "I was just about to send someone to find you. I've already made contact with the royal family, the Mu family, and the Na Lan clan. We're discussing potential collaborations at the Herbalist's Guild today." Xiao Yan nodded with a smile, gently patting the head of Zi Yan, who was busy looking around. To prevent this young lady from being snatched away by Medusa to steal herbs from others, he had to keep her close—though he found himself somewhat puzzled by Medusa's persistent presence. It seemed she had a strong interest in Zi Yan. "Xiao Yan, this is—" The graceful Lady Ya, who had been smiling softly throughout, paused slightly upon seeing Medusa stepping closely behind Xiao Yan. She then smiled gently, subtly. "A friend. Just call her Cai Lin." Under the gaze of Yafeng's fresh, rosy eyes, Xiao Yan seemed to sense something was off, and could only respond vaguely. "Ah, so it's Lady Cailing," Yafeng said, her dark brows lifting slightly as she stepped forward two paces, her delicate, peach-blossom eyes fixed on Medusa's refined and flawless face, which even she found astonishing. "Lady Cailing truly is beautiful—no wonder she has been so close to Xiao Yan's younger brother." Hearing this, Xiao Yan was momentarily stunned. The way she phrased it sounded as though he himself were merely after the beauty of others. How had Yafeng changed so much from yesterday? Although Xiao Yan, as a man, might not easily perceive certain subtle thoughts of women, Medusa clearly sensed a faint sense of hostility and alertness in the words of the woman before her—someone equally striking in appearance and demeanor. Her long lashes fluttered gently as she lazily scanned Xiao Yan and Ya Fei. She could vaguely sense that this beautiful woman held a special feeling toward Xiao Yan. With this thought in mind, Medusa unexpectedly furrowed her delicate brows, a sense of unfamiliar emotion stirring within her—something that made her feel slightly restless. Turning her graceful face toward Xiao Yan, her tone grew colder: "We haven't even addressed the main matter—what's the point of all this delay?" Upon seeing Medusa's suddenly chilled expression, Xiao Yan was momentarily taken aback. He then glanced between her and Ya Fei, puzzled. Something was clearly off with these two women today. "Cough…." Sea Bo Dong, being more seasoned, immediately noticed the slightly unfriendly atmosphere between Ya Fei and Medusa. He promptly cleared his throat and quickly drew Ya Fei to his side, in case the fierce female serpent suddenly launched an attack—given Ya Fei's strength, she might not even manage a single move. "Yafei, today all the family's auction halls will be reopening once again. This will be quite a task—please go ahead and take charge of it. I and Xiao Yan will need to head over to the Herbalist's Guild shortly." Hearing Hai Bodo's instructions, Yafei, though reluctant, could only nod. However, before she departed, she paused and slowly approached Xiao Yan. Noticing that the latter's robe was slightly disheveled, she gently extended her snowy, delicate hands to smooth it out, speaking softly, "Little one, don't let your emotions carry you away during this negotiation. Try to secure even one ally—preferably one who can be used as a backup. Even if they end up being the expendable ones, that would still be a good outcome. Right now, your fate is not just tied to the Xiao family. Also, you still owe me a promise—don't forget it, please." Sniffing the faint fragrance drifting from ahead, and feeling the soft, comforting sensation as Yafu's snowy, delicate hands brushed over his body, Xiao Yan was slightly moved, and smiled, revealing a bright row of white teeth. "Of course I won't forget. When I left back then, I had already said that, no matter what title Yafu sister eventually took—whether as Queen or not—I would do everything in my power to support you." Yafu smiled gently,掩嘴, her voice sweet and tender. "I have no interest in becoming Queen at all..." Seeing the two of them flirting and being affectionate, Haibo Dong could only clear his throat with a dry chuckle. He could sense that the beauty behind Xiao Yan—the Medusa—was growing increasingly cold in demeanor. "Alright, I'll be off now. You two should head over to the Herbalist's Guild as well. My network has been closely monitoring Yunlan Sect lately. As soon as I hear anything, I'll let you know." Gently patting Xiao Yan on the head, Yafu didn't linger. As she turned, her gaze lingered subtly on Medusa, her rosy lips curling slightly with a quiet sense of delight Staring at the graceful figure, swaying like a vision and gradually fading from sight, Xiao Yan finally turned to smile at Medusa. "Let's go," he said. "If you're not satisfied, feel free to follow me and keep looking." Medusa glanced at Xiao Yan with a sideways look, then gave a cold chuckle before turning and walking toward the estate's outer courtyard. "This woman has been unusually chilly today," Xiao Yan remarked, shaking his head as he watched her retreating back, visibly surprised. "She's just jealous—don't many women act this way?" Hai Bo Dong chuckled, then gave Xiao Yan a solid thumbs-up. "Kid, you're really something! You've managed to tame this former queen of the Galma Empire, the very woman who once made the entire empire tremble—strong, truly!" "Jealous?" "Heard that, Xiao Yan merely smiled faintly and shook his head. He never thought Medusa would feel this way—especially after being so easily tamed. Honestly, by the time the agreement expired, she might just turn on him and wipe him out altogether. 'Hmm, this little girl... seems a bit different,' remarked Haibo Dong, his gaze suddenly fixed on the young girl in white who was holding Xiao Yan's hand. He found himself unexpectedly unable to fully grasp her presence, despite his own strength. 'Old man, stop staring! Or I'll have Cai Lin flatten you!' As Haibo Dong's eyes kept scanning her, Zi Yan grew increasingly uncomfortable, pouting slightly and saying so. " Xiao Yan smiled, patting Zi Yan's head and addressing Hai Bo Dong with a smile, "Don't underestimate Zi Yan. Among those at the Duke-Warrior level, few would be able to match her—some even Duke-Emperors would find themselves sore after taking just a single punch from her." Hearing this, Hai Bo Dong's eyes instantly flashed with astonishment—this young girl possessed such formidable strength? Xiao Yan only smiled at Hai Bo Dong's expression of surprise, choosing not to elaborate on Zi Yan's background. He knew well that Zi Yan held exceptional potential. Once he perfected the Dan of Transformation, her strength would likely rival that of Medusa. Moreover, her astonishing power—so potent that even Xiao Yan himself found it difficult to ignore. It's certain that in the future, Xiao Ziyan will become an indispensable asset to Xiao Yan, though that day might still be a bit distant. "Come on, let's head to the Pharmacy Guild." Stretching lazily, Xiao Yan didn't dwell on the topic anymore, his gaze shifting toward the direction of the Pharmacy Guild. With a gentle smile, he said, "Let's go and see those old acquaintances. I'm not sure whether we'll feel a sense of change—some things unchanged, others transformed—by now." "A mere Grand Combatant back then, now he's a powerhouse capable of easily defeating Grand Pharaohs. Isn't that itself a case of 'things unchanged, people changed'? Take Jia Xingtian, for instance—he's still hovering at the peak of Grand Pharaoh status after three years, yet you've transformed so much." Hai Bo Dong chuckled. "So, when you meet them this time, I'm certain their expressions will be far more lively and expressive than they were three years ago." Hearing the condescending tone in Hai Bo Dong's words, Xiao Yan smiled slightly and took Zǐ Yán by the arm, turning and walking out of the Miter family's estate toward the direction of the Medicinal Artisan Guild. "The royal family, the Medicinal Artisan Guild, the Mu family... and the Na Lan family. It truly has been a long time. I wonder if, over the past three years, you still remember the name Xiao Yan?" After passing through one after another of the intersecting streets, it was half an hour later when Xiao Yan and his companions arrived at the grand entrance of the Medicinal Artisan Guild. Gazing at this familiar guild entrance, Xiao Yan slowly exhaled, softly murmuring to himself.