Chapter 83: Has She Fallen in Love?

Returning to the Eagle Alliance, Xu Qingshan immediately called Xiang Nan into his office alone.

“Xiang Nan, you’ve been with us at the Eagle Alliance for some time now. Are you settling in well? If there’s anything you need or anything you’re lacking, just let Uncle Xu know. You are our young master, and one day, everything in the Eagle Alliance will be yours.” Xu Qingshan began with some warm, familial words.

“Uncle Xu, you’ve been so good to me, how could I not feel at home?” Xiang Nan sweetened his tone as much as possible. “But if you ask whether I’m lacking anything, there is indeed something I could use.”

Xu Qingshan smiled faintly, as if he had anticipated this very answer.

The next moment, a small wooden box was pushed in front of Xiang Nan.

“There are two third-rank spirit pearls in here, acquired by our men during missions recently. Take them, for now. As the young master of the Eagle Alliance, you can’t afford to delay your cultivation.”

“Uncle Xu, you know me so well! Thank you, Uncle Xu!”

Xiang Nan picked up the wooden box and opened it. Sure enough, inside lay two luminous third-rank spirit pearls, and he could not help but feel delighted.

“No need for thanks. The entire Eagle Alliance is yours; I am only managing things on your behalf for now. Once you truly come into your own, I’ll officially hand the Alliance to you.”

Xu Qingshan patted Xiang Nan’s hand, the tone of a caring elder in his words.

After a pause, he suddenly changed the subject, “Of course, if by some stroke of fate you acquire something that you can’t handle yourself, something that could bring you endless trouble, you must let Uncle Xu know. Your concerns are the Alliance’s concerns. I, Xu Qingshan, will do everything in my power to protect you.”

“Alright, Uncle Xu, don’t worry. If I run into trouble like that, I’ll be sure to tell you. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be off now.” With the spirit pearls in hand, Xiang Nan prepared to leave, full of cheer.

“Hey, wait a moment!” Xu Qingshan quickly stopped him, asking with a touch of exasperation, “You’re just going to leave like this? Don’t you have anything else to say to me?”

“No? Should I?” Xiang Nan blinked innocently, feigning ignorance.

“Think carefully. Maybe something about weapons, magical treasures, things like that?”

“Ohhh…” Xiang Nan put on a look of sudden understanding and gazed at Xu Qingshan. “So even Steward Xu believes in this magical treasure business?”

“I don’t believe the rumors going around, but I am truly worried about your safety!”

Xu Qingshan stood up, taking Xiang Nan’s hand, and began to speak from the heart.

“You’re still too young to understand how cruel the world can be. The appearance of the Flower Alliance and the Shadow Alliance was all because of that thing you possess. Even though you got through this last ordeal with a decoy, who can say what’ll happen next?”

“The Seven Alliances of Jiuzhou—surely the Flower and Shadow alliances aren’t the only ones watching you? Besides these local groups, there are even more scattered gifted warriors out there. How many times do you think you can defend yourself?”

“So what are you suggesting, Uncle Xu?” Xiang Nan had already caught on to the underlying meaning. He was well aware that Xu Qingshan was an ambitious man. Ever since he became the young master, almost everything in the Eagle Alliance had come under Xu Qingshan’s control.

A congenital magical artifact—something like that would naturally be irresistible to a man of such ambition.

“Uncle Xu thinks that, compared to your strength alone, the power of the entire Eagle Alliance is far greater, don’t you agree?” Xu Qingshan asked with a beaming smile.

“If it’s just a matter of raw strength, of course. But when it comes to safeguarding the magical artifact, that’s not necessarily the case.”

Xiang Nan had been dodging the subject, but Xu Qingshan was so persistent that he finally laid his cards on the table.

“In truth, Uncle Xu, though my own strength is limited, the artifact is safest in my possession. Have you forgotten? When I awakened my ancestral power, I gained access to a space that exists in the void itself. It can only be used by me—no one else can enter or touch it.”

“This...” Xu Qingshan began to protest.

“Uncle Xu, there’s no need to worry about such trifles. I know you’re busy enough with the Alliance’s affairs. As for this trouble, I’m confident I can handle it myself. If I had to rely on you for everything, wouldn’t I just be a figurehead?”

By the end, Xiang Nan’s tone had grown subtly commanding. Though still young, he already possessed a rare courage and bearing.

Xu Qingshan was momentarily stunned, then let out a deep sigh and had no choice but to let the matter rest.

Though he managed much of the Eagle Alliance’s business as the steward, he could not afford to fall out with Xiang Nan. Otherwise, that old fox Su Mingzhe would surely seize the opportunity, and Xu Qingshan would not allow that to happen.

As for the artifact—no matter how much he coveted it, with a prodigy like Xiang Nan guarding it, he could only sigh at his own misfortune.

After bidding Xu Qingshan farewell, Xiang Nan returned to the villa.

The hall was empty, not a soul in sight.

These last few days, Su Yao and Xu Jiya had both been acting mysteriously, especially Su Yao, who had been shutting herself in her room to train, not even attending school.

If not for her concern over Xiang Nan’s safety, it would be rare to catch a glimpse of her at all.

Was this really necessary, even for intensive training?

Could it be they were hiding something from him on purpose? Remembering how he’d seen Su Yao in a long dress at the workshop earlier, Xiang Nan grew more and more suspicious.

A girl suddenly changes her image, going from a wild little tomboy to a refined lady in a dress?

There was only one explanation: she must be in love!

Outrageous!

The more Xiang Nan thought about it, the angrier he became. He strode up the stairs toward Su Yao’s room.

Reaching her door, he pressed his ear against it to listen.

Inside, there was a strange slapping sound, “pa! pa!”

“Hah! That little wildcat—could she be hiding her lover in here? Today I’ll catch this scoundrel red-handed!”

Fueled by anger, Xiang Nan gathered his internal energy and smashed the door to pieces with a single palm.

Inside the room—

Su Yao stood before a full-length mirror, her face clouded with worry.

In the mirror, her figure was flawless, clad only in underwear, and her panties had been pulled halfway down.

Behind her, a long, furry cat’s tail drooped, occasionally twitching against the floor.

“This is terrible—the tail’s getting longer. If Nan finds out, I’ll never hear the end of it!”

“No, absolutely not. I can’t let him know. But how can I hide it, or better yet, get rid of it altogether?”

“Oh, this is so weird... All I did was train a little harder, so why am I growing a tail? Who knows if anything else strange will pop up…”

Low-spirited, Su Yao was checking her body in the mirror, searching up and down for any other changes.