stonecrandall 334. Hardline Negotiation
334. Hardline Negotiation
Huo Yi's words seemed to reignite the tension in the shadows, which had just calmed down. Because of their identities, the people from the Starfall Pavilion and the Heavenly Phoenix Clan hadn't interrupted when the Ancient Clan and the Flame Clan were exchanging words, even though they were the true masters of this place.
The fact that the Yan Clan wanted to take Xiao Yan away was unacceptable to almost everyone present, making the atmosphere quite tense. However, Huo Yi remained unfazed by the slight hostility from those around him. He looked down on the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan just as much as he had earlier. He possessed the pride of the Yan Clan; if these people knew what was good for them, they would be fine, but if they lacked judgment and he killed them all, it wouldn't stir any emotion within him.
The reason he said that was simply to give the young lady of the ancient clan face; informing her was already a gesture of respect!
At this moment, Xun'er's beautiful face remained completely expressionless as she simply replied, "I will absolutely not hand the person over to you!"
The two elders behind Xun'er sighed inwardly. Huo Yi's status within the Yan Clan was no simple matter. Even the leaders of the renowned Pill Tower and Soul Hall in Zhongzhou would treat him with utmost respect. Yet their young lady showed him absolutely no courtesy. Despite their helplessness, the two elders remained vigilant, standing on either side of their young lady. No matter what happened, they would not question their young lady's decision. Even if they were to actually fight, they would not be afraid.
At this moment, Huo Yi looked at the person before him, a slight anger rising within him. He hadn't encountered anyone so brazenly offending him in many years. His Saint-level aura was subtly revealed, and golden flames suddenly ignited around Xun'er's body, refusing to retreat an inch! The other onlookers secretly channeled their own battle qi, preparing for any unforeseen circumstances. The Tianluan Clan and the Starfall Pavilion showed no intention of backing down; they wouldn't accept having Xiao Yan taken away, let alone with Xun'er and her group showing no sign of retreating!
"It's very unwise for the ancient clan to offend the Yan clan for someone like that," Huo Yi said slowly, his tone full of warning.
Golden flames, like molten gold, flowed through Xun'er's jade-like hands, slowly igniting the battle qi in the air: "The Yan Clan offending the Ancient Clan is inherently unwise!"
Just as tensions were about to rise, Huo Xuan stepped forward and smiled, saying, "Everyone, calm down, things don't need to come to this!"
Seeing Huo Xuan speak, Huo Yi, though unwilling to back down in front of a young girl, shook his head and concealed his aura after seeing Huo Xuan's seemingly gentle yet firm gaze. In truth, no matter what Huo Yi did today, none of these people would be his match, but by showing weakness now, it meant the Yan Clan was the first to yield.
As the oppressive aura dissipated, Xun'er's golden flames returned to her body. Huo Xuan said, "Miss Xun'er, we can leave her behind today. Since you've spoken about the strange fire, we won't question you anymore. However, my cousin disappeared while searching for the Red Lotus Karmic Fire, and now there's no news of her. The Red Lotus Karmic Fire is our only clue."
The seasoned foxes present, including Huo Yi and Mu Yaoyin, unconsciously showed their admiration for Huo Xuan. With just a few simple words, Huo Xuan ended what could have been a conflict. Moreover, by adopting a humble posture, Xun'er would find it difficult to refuse any request he made afterward.
"Now, we just need to have Elder Huo Yi investigate this person once. If we don't find anything, we'll leave immediately. If we find the aura of my sister or a member of our clan, then we should at least ask them some questions," Huo Xuan explained.
At this moment, Qinglin asked in advance, "Young Master is currently seriously injured, how are you going to ask him?"
Huo Yi looked at the girl in green before him, already knowing that she possessed the Jade Serpent Three-Flower Pupil physique, and unusually replied, "Although she was seriously injured, her soul is still fine. Just pull her out and ask her."
Huo Yi's tone was calm, but everyone who heard it knew that what he meant by "pulling it out" was no simple matter. At this moment, Xiao Yan was extremely weak, and if his body and soul were forcibly separated, Xiao Yan's body would probably die directly! However, in Huo Yi's opinion, such a thing was very common. Apart from the strange fire on his body that aroused his interest, Xiao Yan was just an ordinary person that could be seen anywhere.
Xun'er still refused, saying, "I don't trust you to do the investigation."
Despite being rejected again, Huo Xuan remained calm and unperturbed, instead asking, "Then, Miss Xun'er, what do you think we should do?"
Xun'er's furrowed brows relaxed slightly. She knew that the Yan Clan would not let the matter rest without a resolution. Most importantly, the Yan Clan had Huo Yi present, giving them the advantage. While the background of an ancient clan might intimidate others, it wasn't particularly effective against the Yan Clan; they couldn't simply dismiss the people before them with a few words.
"The detection is fine, but whatever we find, we have to wait for Brother Xiao Yan to wake up."
Huo Yi's gaze indeed settled on Xun'er again, and he secretly thought to himself, "What a clever girl! The ancient clan is really lucky!"
Huo Xuan pondered for a moment, and although Huo Yi's expression was not pleasant, he readily nodded and said, "As Miss Xun'er wishes!"
Everything had to wait until Xiao Yan woke up before asking, so even if Huo Yi discovered something, he couldn't act recklessly. More importantly, Xiao Yan was currently seriously injured, and Huo Yi needed to be extremely cautious in his investigation. If Xiao Yan didn't wake up, it would be incredibly troublesome for Huo Yi. Huo Yi was the best condition Xun'er could secure for Xiao Yan at this moment, which was why she finally relented. Regardless of whether Huo Yi could find out anything, he would ultimately have to be a pawn in Xun'er's hands.
As for whether anything might actually be discovered within Xiao Yan's body, Xun'er wasn't worried at all. After all, she knew the origin of Xiao Yan's strange fire and it definitely had nothing to do with the Yan Clan. She had also been keeping a close eye on Xiao Yan's movements after arriving in Zhongzhou, and the Yan Clan's Fire Child hadn't appeared during that time. If the Fire Child had found Xiao Yan in the Northwest Region, it certainly wouldn't have let him go; the Fire Child wouldn't travel without the protection of powerful figures. Although Xiao Yan's talent was strong, the gap between him and true masters was still vast. No matter how much Xun'er admired Xiao Yan, she didn't believe he could escape from the powerful figures protecting the Fire Child.