Water of Life and Dou Qi Water

Xiao Han nodded slightly. Beneath the cover of his black robe, his eyes began to curiously study the extraordinary woman before him—someone who disliked cultivation and cared only for business.

While Xiao Han was observing Ya Fei, Ya Fei was also observing Xiao Han.

Yet what left Ya Fei feeling helpless was that, despite her scrutiny, she could not identify his identity from any subtle details.

Silence. As they waited, the VIP room was utterly quiet.

"Old sir!"

After a moment, Ya Fei lightly bit her red lips and asked gently, "Are you a disciple of the Yunlan Sect?"

"What, little girl? Do I need to fill out an identity form to come here?" Xiao Han's hoarse voice rang out once more from beneath the black robe.

"Hehe, please don't mind it, old sir. Ya Fei was merely curious. After all, Pill King Gu He's pills are rarely seen on the market. Ya Fei was simply wondering whether you might be a relative or friend of Pill King Gu He. Otherwise, how could you possess his pills?" Ya Fei giggled, her gaze fixed on the Black Robed Person throughout. To her disappointment, he remained silent and made no subtle movements whatsoever, leaving her unable to discern his identity.

Naturally, Xiao Han beneath the robe noticed Ya Fei's gaze. He secretly sighed to himself. Ya Fei truly was shrewd.

But no matter how shrewd you are, if I don't move at all, what can you possibly figure out about me?

From time to time, Ya Fei broke the silence with a few questions, and Xiao Han answered them coldly.

Ya Fei was certainly someone worth befriending. However, being too aggressive would only backfire, just as it had with Yao Lao. Therefore, Xiao Han wisely chose to maintain an air of mystery, just like Xiao Yan, the protagonist here.

After all, women were creatures full of curiosity.

"Old sir, this is a VIP card from the Mittel Auction House. With this card, you will receive VIP treatment at any auction house under the Mittel Family. At the same time, the tax rate charged on auctions will be reduced from five percent to two percent." Unable to draw any useful information from Xiao Han, Ya Fei had no choice but to abandon the attempt. She took out a crystal card bearing the Mittel Family crest from close against her body.

"Only a two-percent tax rate!" Xiao Han raised a brow and accepted the crystal card without ceremony. Since he had bound the Top-Up System, he would undoubtedly have many dealings with Ya Fei in the future.

"Uh..."

Ya Fei stared in astonishment at the hand extending from the loose black sleeve. It was a tender, fair, and impeccably clean hand.

His voice was hoarse and aged, yet his skin was so good.

Ya Fei became even more curious about his identity. For a moment, she even considered directly pulling off his cloak. Yet reason ultimately smothered the budding impulse.

Since the Black Robed Person had gone to such lengths to hide himself, he clearly did not want others to recognize him.

Shortly afterward, a maid entered and handed a green card to Ya Fei.

"Old sir, each Qi Gathering Powder sold for six hundred thousand Gold Coins. The three Qi Gathering Powders brought a total of one million eight hundred thousand Gold Coins. After deducting the two-percent tax, the remainder is all here." Ya Fei smiled as she handed the green card to Xiao Han.

Xiao Han glanced at the green card but did not take it. Instead, he said, "I don't want a card. I want Gold Coins. Exchange all of it into Gold Coins for me."

"Ah?" Ya Fei looked at Xiao Han in stunned silence.

"What, don't you have that many Gold Coins here?" Xiao Han frowned slightly. His system only accepted gold and silver, not gold cards. Otherwise, he would not have needed to make a trip to the bank today.

"Of course we do. It's just that, old sir, you may need to wait here a little longer. After all, this is not a small sum." Ya Fei's gaze practically wished it had x-ray vision, eager to see the true face beneath that black robe. With more than a million Gold Coins, everyone else stored their money on cards, but this man actually wanted cash.

The stranger's behavior only made Ya Fei more curious about Xiao Han.

"Mm."

Only after Xiao Han nodded did Ya Fei wave her hand and have her personal maid take the green card out to exchange it for cash.

"Little girl, there's a deal I'd like to make. I wonder whether you're interested?" While they waited, Xiao Han's hoarse voice suddenly came from beneath the black robe.

"A deal?"

Ya Fei giggled happily. "What sort of deal does old sir mean? So long as it doesn't involve meddling in conflicts between families, or murder and arson, Ya Fei would be interested!"

"It doesn't count as meddling in conflicts between families. I simply want you to refuse to let someone sell anything through your establishment." The corners of Xiao Han's lips rose slightly.

"Someone?" Ya Fei's smile froze for a moment before returning to normal.

At that moment, the maid who had left returned, followed by five burly men carrying several sacks inside.

"Old sir, these are the Gold Coins you are owed. After deducting the tax, there are one million seven hundred and sixty-four thousand Gold Coins in total. Would you like me to have someone count them on the spot?" Ya Fei pointed at the sacks on the floor, which still bore seals. They had clearly just been brought from the bank.

"No need." Xiao Han waved a hand and touched the sacks, silently ordering, Top up!

"Ding-dong!"

"Congratulations, top-up successful. Current balance: 1764000."

As Xiao Han's fingers touched the sacks one by one, the Gold Coins within were all charged into the system in the blink of an eye. In the end, Xiao Han's Points balance became one million seven hundred and sixty-four thousand.

Watching Xiao Han seemingly perform a magic trick and empty the sacks of Gold Coins, Ya Fei and Gu Ni were slightly stunned. There was no Ring on Xiao Han's fair fingers.

Some other kind of storage item.

Ya Fei thought that was the only explanation for what she had just seen.

Noticing Ya Fei's gaze, Xiao Han paused slightly, only then realizing that he was not wearing any Ring at all. He promptly composed himself, walked to the table, and swept his palm over its surface. A glass bottle filled with red liquid and another filled with blue liquid appeared on the table.

"Before we discuss the deal, take a look at these two items first!" Xiao Han looked at Ya Fei and Gu Ni.

"These are..." Ya Fei had never seen anything like them before and asked curiously.

"Red and Blue Potions. Well, they're used to heal injuries and restore Dou Qi. You may call them Water of Life and Dou Qi Water!" Xiao Han smiled faintly.

At present, the system was only Level 1 and had unlocked the Level 1 shop. Calling it a shop would be generous—it was more like a street stall. The entire Level 1 shop contained only three items: Level 1 Red Potion, Level 1 Blue Potion, and Level 1 Antidote!

Although the Red and Blue Potions were merely the lowest Level 1 items, this was the Douqi Continent, where alchemists were exceedingly rare. Even in Wutan City, the most basic healing medicines were scarce.

These Red and Blue Potions could become powerful weapons for Xiao Han to strike against Xiao Yan in the early stages.