Ya Fei's Thoughts!

"Master Gu Ni, was that just now..."

"A Dou Wang expert?"

Her beautiful eyes fixed on the direction Flowing Cloud had left, and only after a long while did Ya Fei gradually come to her senses. Her alluring face was filled with utter shock.

"Dou Wang..."

"No, even a Dou Wang would not be this terrifying!"

Master Gu Ni's voice trembled slightly. Thinking of what had just unfolded before his eyes, he felt as though he were dreaming.

Back in the imperial capital, he had once witnessed the might of a Dou Wang expert, and he had never forgotten it.

But what shocked Master Gu Ni beyond measure was that the aura emitted by that black shadow had been far more terrifying than the Dou Wang he had encountered that day.

What did that mean?

That black shadow had been a Dou Huang expert!

"Not a Dou Wang expert? Then could it be..." Hearing Master Gu Ni's words, Ya Fei's exquisite face froze slightly as an unbelievable thought flashed through her mind.

"Could that black shadow just now have been a Dou Huang expert?" Her red lips parted slightly, and Ya Fei covered her little mouth with one jade-like hand, her beautiful eyes full of disbelief.

"Most likely!" Master Gu Ni nodded in shock, his turbulent emotions difficult to calm.

"It seems the Young Master has an extremely terrifying force behind him." Thinking of the high-grade alchemist master Flowing Cloud had mentioned before, Master Gu Ni's eyes flashed with excitement.

It had to be the Young Master's master!

That Dou Huang expert was either the Young Master's master himself or someone sent by his master.

Either way, the Young Master had a Dou Huang expert backing him.

With that alone, the Young Master would be able to run rampant throughout the Jia Ma Empire in the future.

At this thought, Master Gu Ni's face showed excitement, and a trace of relief flashed through his eyes.

Being able to pledge himself to the Young Master had truly been an extremely wise choice.

Beside him, Ya Fei was no less shocked than Master Gu Ni.

Within the Jia Ma Empire, Dou Huang experts existed only within the imperial family and the lofty Misty Cloud Sect.

Now that the Young Master also had a Dou Huang expert behind him, did that not mean he could stand on equal footing with the Misty Cloud Sect?

In the past, whenever the words "Misty Cloud Sect" were mentioned, Ya Fei had felt it was impossibly out of reach.

She had never imagined that she could reach such heights in this lifetime.

Now, with Flowing Cloud's appearance and the force behind him, Ya Fei felt that the Misty Cloud Sect no longer seemed quite so unattainable.

At this thought, light shimmered in Ya Fei's beautiful eyes. She felt as though she had found a clear path forward.

As long as she followed the Young Master with unwavering loyalty, perhaps she too could become an influential figure in the Jia Ma Empire someday.

"Ya Fei, do not let word of today's events leak out." After recovering, Master Gu Ni spoke to Ya Fei with a grave expression.

Since the Young Master had not openly revealed the force behind him, he clearly intended to keep a low profile.

As his subordinates, they naturally could not ruin the Young Master's plans.

Master Gu Ni looked forward to the day when the Young Master had grown strong enough to reveal the terrifying power behind him.

When that time came, the entire Jia Ma Empire would likely be thrown into upheaval.

Master Gu Ni felt incomparably fortunate that he had already pledged himself to the Young Master.

Now, the Young Master's wings had yet to fully grow, and he was in need of people. That was the only reason a Second-grade Alchemist like himself had caught his eye.

If he waited until the Young Master's power had fully taken shape, then a Second-grade Alchemist like him would likely no longer be worthy of notice.

Thinking of this, a sense of urgency rose within Master Gu Ni.

He had to break through to become a Third-grade Alchemist as soon as possible!

The Young Master was destined for extraordinary achievements. If he remained a Second-grade Alchemist forever, stagnating in place, he would eventually be cast aside.

Fortunately, he had the Fifth-grade Alchemist's Experience Manual bestowed by the Young Master.

After studying it carefully over this period, he had already found the key to breaking through to Third-grade Alchemist.

Master Gu Ni was confident that, given a little more time, he would be able to break through to the realm of Third-grade Alchemist.

Hearing Master Gu Ni's reminder, Ya Fei nodded deeply in agreement. "Ya Fei understands!"

With her intelligence, she actually did not need Master Gu Ni's reminder to know how she should act.

Since she had decided to follow the Young Master, she would wholeheartedly consider his interests.

Thinking of the task the Young Master had assigned her, determination flashed through Ya Fei's beautiful eyes.

She had to make the next auction a resounding success.

Ya Fei knew herself well. She had no strength, nor was she an alchemist.

The Young Master valued her for no reason other than her ability to host auctions.

Other than that, the only thing she had to offer was this body of hers.

Thinking of how Flowing Cloud had looked at her in the past, Ya Fei's heart stirred, and a rosy blush appeared on her exquisite face.

Could the Young Master perhaps...

Ya Fei felt somewhat conflicted. If the Young Master really made some excessive demand of her...

Would she refuse him then, or not?

Honestly, Ya Fei did not dislike Flowing Cloud. She even had a faint affection for him.

Although Flowing Cloud looked at her the same way as other filthy men did,

at least he had never abused his authority or relied on his status as the Young Master of the Mite'er Family to make those lewd demands of her.

Perhaps following the Young Master would not be such a bad thing...

Flowing Cloud's handsome face flashed through her mind as Ya Fei murmured to herself inwardly.

"Ya Fei, immediately help me prepare several portions of ingredients for the Second-grade Pill Qi Gathering Powder. We must accomplish what the Young Master has instructed us to do," Master Gu Ni ordered.

"Alright, Master." Ya Fei nodded and immediately turned to make the arrangements.

"Wait..."

Master Gu Ni hesitated for a moment before suddenly adding, "Also prepare a portion of ingredients for refining the Third-grade Pill Bone Protecting Pill."

"A Third-grade Pill!"

Hearing this, Ya Fei stopped in her tracks, turned around, and looked at Master Gu Ni in surprise. "Master, have you broken through to the realm of Third-grade Alchemist?"

"Not yet..."

"But I am close."

"Ever since reading the Fifth-grade Alchemist's Experience Manual bestowed by the Young Master, I feel that I have improved greatly. I am only one step away from becoming a Third-grade Alchemist."

Master Gu Ni shook his head, but his expression remained resolute. "Perhaps attempting to refine a Third-grade Pill once will help me break through to Third-grade Alchemist."

"I believe you can do it, Master Gu Ni." Though Ya Fei felt slightly disappointed, she still encouraged him.

Master Gu Ni had helped her greatly over the years, and she sincerely hoped he could advance further.

Moreover, if Master Gu Ni truly broke through to become a Third-grade Alchemist, would the Mittel Auction House not have an endless supply of Third-grade Pills to auction in the future?

By then, she believed the Mittel Auction House's influence would rise to an even greater level.

"Hehe, thank you for your kind words. This old man will certainly do his utmost to break through to Third-grade Alchemist," Master Gu Ni said with a smile.

"Then Ya Fei will take her leave first." With that, Ya Fei slowly departed.

There were only a dozen or so days left until the next auction, and many matters still required her attention.