Chapter 12

Looking at the handsome young man with a joyful expression, Xun'er's delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed. Ignoring his shouts, she turned and walked away.

"Miss Xun'er!"

Seeing Xun'er turn around, the handsome young man's pale face immediately turned anxious. He quickened his steps and finally blocked Xun'er's path.

Blocked by the young man, Xun'er had no choice but to stop. Her long, narrow eyes, slightly narrowed with a hint of laziness, gazed at him indifferently without a word.

"Miss Xun'er..." Stared at by the girl's clear, watery eyes, the young man, who usually moved among beauties, suddenly found his breathing quickening. His usual eloquence seemed to lose its effect at this moment.

"Master Galeo, if you have nothing, please step aside. I have something to do."

Seeing the young man's face turn slightly red, Xun'er finally spoke. The girl's delicate, soft voice made the young man's pale face instantly flush with a sickly red.

"Hehe, Miss Xun'er, are you going to the market to buy something? I happen to be free. Why don't we go together?"

Taking a deep breath, Galeo's smile was bright and gentle. This kind of smile, combined with his status and appearance, had helped him win the hearts of many beauties.

"Master Galeo, I've already said I have something to do! Could you please step aside?"

Refused by Xun'er, Galeo's lips twitched, but the smile on his face remained. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bracelet. The bracelet was a light blue-gold color, made of blue-gold iron. At the connection point, a green magic crystal, shaped into a sphere, hung, emitting a faint green glow that made the bracelet look exquisite and beautiful. It was clear that this small bracelet was not cheap.

"Hehe, Miss Xun'er, it's a bit too much for me to insist if you have something to do." Galeo carefully held the bracelet and said with a courteous smile, "This is a wooden spirit bracelet I specially bought at the market. Although it's not a valuable item, it has a first-grade wood attribute magic crystal that can significantly enhance the recovery of combat qi. Miss Xun'er hasn't become a warrior yet, so this bracelet is perfect for you. Please don't refuse this small token of my affection, or I'll be embarrassed in front of my subordinates..." At the end of his words, Galeo deliberately added a bit of humor, and his subordinates laughed in response.

Seeing Galeo's actions, Xun'er's eyebrows furrowed again, feeling somewhat helpless.

Just as she was about to refuse, her gaze suddenly stopped on the green magic crystal at the connection point of the bracelet. Recalling Xiao Yan's efforts to find a wood attribute magic crystal, Xun'er's long lashes fluttered, and her cold face softened slightly...

Seeing Xun'er's seemingly interested expression, Galeo's heart leaped with joy. He quickly extended the wooden spirit bracelet and said with a smile, "Miss Xun'er, please don't be too formal. The Galeo family and the Xiao family are both among the three major families in U坦 City. No one will say anything about exchanging small gifts."

"Take the bracelet, remove the magic crystal for Brother Xiao Yan, and then... when he's not paying attention, throw it away." A playful thought flashed through her mind, and Xun'er no longer hesitated. Just as she was about to reach out, a hand grabbed her small hand first.

Startled by the hand grabbing hers, Xun'er's combat qi flowed rapidly. Just as she was about to pull free, a light hum from the young man made her stop struggling.

Her gaze shifted, and Xun'er saw Xiao Yan suddenly appear behind her. Looking up, she saw a young face with a slightly unhappy expression.

"Do you not know what kind of person this is?" Glaring at Xun'er, Xiao Yan silently blamed himself, then smiled and said, "Master Galeo, Xun'er appreciates your kindness, but I'm sorry, please take back the gift."

Seeing the ruined atmosphere, a flash of anger crossed Galeo's eyes. However, to maintain his composure in front of the beauty, he forced a smile and said, "Young Master Xiao Yan, I just noticed that Miss Xun'er wasn't wearing any jewelry, so I wanted to show my affection. Don't you want a small piece of jewelry to add to Miss Xun'er's beauty?"

Sighing, Xiao Yan glanced at the wooden spirit bracelet in Galeo's hand and then reached into his pocket to pull out a light green bracelet. He said irritably, "You like bracelets so much? Here, take it. Don't accept things from others for no reason. I've told you, when someone is overly kind, it's either to harm or to steal. You might be sold and not even know why."

Hearing Xiao Yan's sarcastic words, a cold look appeared on Galeo's face. However, when he saw the bracelet in Xiao Yan's hand, he was somewhat surprised and laughed.

The bracelet in Xiao Yan's hand, from the material, was clearly a market stall item worth no more than five gold coins. In contrast, his wooden spirit bracelet was a genuine magic crystal accessory, costing over a thousand gold coins. The two bracelets were vastly different in style, price, and practicality, making any comparison meaningless. So, Galeo couldn't help but mock Xiao Yan for giving such a cheap accessory to the beautiful Xun'er.

Ignoring Galeo's mockery, Xiao Yan waved the bracelet at the suddenly dazed girl and said impatiently, "Do you want it or not? If not, throw it away. It only cost two or three gold coins anyway."

"Ha..." Hearing Xiao Yan's words, not only did Galeo laugh, but his subordinates also laughed mockingly.

However, the mocking laughter didn't last long. It suddenly cut off, and everyone's mouths hung open in shock, looking extremely ridiculous.

The originally dazed girl was awakened by Xiao Yan's actions. Almost subconsciously, her hands quickly snatched the bracelet. After getting the bracelet, Xun'er realized she had been a bit too eager...

A light blush appeared on her fair, delicate face, but Xun'er was no ordinary person. After a brief moment of shyness, she gracefully put the bracelet on her smooth, white wrist and looked up at Xiao Yan with a graceful smile, "Thank you, Brother Xiao Yan."

Looking at Xun'er, who showed a normal girl's demeanor in front of Xiao Yan, Galeo's face was somewhat unnatural. He felt a bit jealous and laughed dryly, "Hehe, I didn't expect Miss Xun'er to have such unique tastes. I miscalculated."

Xiao Yan glanced at Galeo, his gaze sweeping over the gold star on his chest. He was somewhat surprised: "Last year, this guy was at the ninth level of combat qi. I didn't expect him to successfully condense a combat qi vortex this year. However, becoming a one-star warrior at twenty-one is only considered above average in talent..."

Seeing that this guy had no intention of leaving, Xiao Yan pursed his lips. His lazy words didn't become any more polite because of the other's strength. The relationship between the Xiao family and the Galeo family was already poor, so he didn't need to show any low posture. Rubbing his nose, Xiao Yan said indifferently, "Master Galeo, your womanizing is well-known throughout U坦 City. However, Xun'er is young and doesn't have time for early romance games. So, in the future, please go and harm other girls."

"Stay away from him."

After saying this, Xiao Yan ignored the unhappy Galeo and, using his age advantage, turned to Xun'er and lectured her in a mature manner.

"Okay."

Xun'er's lively eyes blinked, and she nodded indifferently. To her, Galeo was just a stranger she had met a few times, while Xiao Yan was irreplaceable. Since he said to stay away, she would stay away.

This choice was not difficult for Xun'er.