Ya Fei

Seeing Gu He curiously watching the direction Kyle had left in, Teng Shan smiled. "He's a distant nephew of mine. He has decent talent and reached Dou Shi Nine Stars before twenty, so I kept him by my side."

"As for Ya Fei, she has a head for numbers. She can quickly sort all kinds of goods into categories and remember their order. At the same time, she possesses superb auctioneering skills, capable of selling even worthless junk as premium merchandise. She's quite a talented person."

"Haha, then I must see what sort of talent could earn such praise from you, and just how outstanding she is," Gu He said, feigning interest.

How could Gu He not know Ya Fei? As one of his rival's future confidantes, she could be said to have the lowest cultivation among all of Xiao Yan's women, yet the help she gave Xiao Yan was no less than any of theirs. Knowing he was about to meet someone like that, Gu He could not help thinking of the man who would bring him humiliation. His mood grew somewhat restless, and he wanted to quickly buy the Ice Silkworm Mask and leave, then carefully sort through his plans for what came next.

Gu He barely maintained his smile as he continued speaking with Teng Shan. Before long, Kyle's respectful voice sounded from outside. "Great Elder, Ya Fei has arrived."

"You may leave. Ya Fei, come in. I have something to ask you." Before his subordinates, Teng Shan was nothing like the amiable man he had been before Gu He. His voice was stern and imposing.

Kyle immediately withdrew, then vanished in a flash, no one knew where.

A beautiful woman dressed in a red gown entered soon after. In a soft, seductive voice that seemed capable of making one's bones go weak, she said to Gu He and Teng Shan, "Greetings, Master Gu He, Great Elder. May I ask why you summoned me?"

"Does our Imperial Capital auction house have an item called the Ice Silkworm Mask, something that can conceal one's appearance?" Teng Shan asked seriously, completely immune to Ya Fei's voice. This concerned whether he could swiftly fulfill the Pill King's request, so he could not afford to be careless.

Hearing Ya Fei's voice, Gu He's mouth twitched. No wonder Xiao Yan had seen men below the stage pitching tents when he first attended an auction hosted by Ya Fei. That voice was indeed alluring enough, not to mention that its owner was such a bewitching, enchanting beauty.

"Our auction house does indeed have one such item in stock. It is on the second level of the second shelf after entering Warehouse Number Two. It matches the Great Elder's description: a special item made from the ice silkworm thread spun by an Ice Mountain Snow Silkworm, capable of altering one's appearance." Ya Fei explained clearly and methodically.

"Good. Have someone fetch it immediately." Teng Shan happily slapped the table, then turned to Gu He. "Old Gu, it seems you won't have to wait after all. I have not failed you—I found what you wanted."

"Haha, Mittel's efficiency truly lives up to its reputation. I've learned something again today. Brother Teng Shan, take a look at how many gold coins this mask costs. Or, if you don't want gold, I can exchange some medicinal pills for it." Although he knew from the original story that Xiao Yan's Ice Silkworm Mask had been obtained from the Miter Auction House, who knew whether Mittel still had that mask now? Thus, Gu He was quite pleased to obtain this identity-concealing mask so quickly. Even if Mittel named an exorbitant price or demanded a fourth-grade medicinal pill in exchange, Gu He would accept.

Teng Shan's expression immediately darkened. "It's just a trifling little thing. If I took money from you, Gu He, wouldn't the others in the Imperial Capital laugh their teeth out? Consider this a gift from me to my old brother. I hope you find what you seek on this journey."

"Brother Teng Shan, if you put it that way, how could I have the face to come here again next time? You must accept payment." Gu He hurriedly refused.

Ya Fei did not personally go to the warehouse to retrieve the Ice Silkworm Mask. After Teng Shan gave the order, she stepped outside, summoned Kyle not far from the door, and sent him to retrieve it. Then Ya Fei returned to the small courtyard. Seeing Teng Shan and Gu He arguing, she understood the crux of the matter after listening briefly. She swayed gracefully to the center of the courtyard and said, "Since Master Gu He is unwilling to take it directly from the Miter Auction House, how about we sell it to you for seventy percent of its auction price?"

Teng Shan frowned and glanced at her. However, knowing that Ya Fei was too clever to do something foolish and pointless, he swallowed the words of doubt that had nearly left his mouth.

Watching Teng Shan's reaction, Gu He realized after a moment's thought that his actions were vastly different from Gu He's usual behavior. With Gu He's temperament, he would simply accept something worth a few hundred thousand gold coins. But at his core, he was still the person from his previous life who had lived at the bottom of society. He wanted to avoid owing favors whenever possible, which had led to this verbal conflict with Teng Shan.

With that thought, Gu He laughed heartily. "Haha, as expected of someone honed in the auction house. Let's go with that plan!"

After Kyle returned with the Ice Silkworm Mask, Gu He and Teng Shan quickly settled the payment. Then, accompanied by Teng Shan, Gu He left the Miter Auction House.

"Brother Teng Shan, I'll have to trouble you to apologize to my old acquaintances in the Imperial Capital on my behalf. I have urgent matters and must leave as soon as possible, so I cannot visit them now. I will definitely call on them personally to apologize later." Gu He turned and said to Teng Shan beside him.

Teng Shan hesitated, as if he wanted to speak but held back. In the end, for some unknown reason, he simply nodded.

"If it's urgent, then there's nothing to be done. Go ahead. I'll explain it clearly to those old friends. But the next time you come, you must treat everyone to drinks and punish yourself with three cups first!"

"Of course. When the time comes, forget three cups—even thirty would be fine."

As he spoke, Gu He unfurled his Dou Qi Wings and flew straight out of the Imperial Capital.

Teng Shan returned to the small courtyard, where Ya Fei was indeed standing respectfully inside.

"Hmph. It's fortunate that your interruption led to a decent outcome. Otherwise, this would not have ended so simply."

"Please forgive me, Great Elder. I was only standing nearby and saw the irritation in the Pill King's eyes. I guessed that he did not wish to obtain the mask for free, so I hastily spoke up with the suggestion. I had no intention of showing disrespect toward the Great Elder." Ya Fei dropped to one knee and pleaded pitifully.

"Get up. I'm not blaming you, but you were far too bold. You must understand that if you had offended the Pill King then, you would have been ruined." Teng Shan waved a hand as he spoke to Ya Fei.

"I was simply confident in my ability to judge people, so I spoke my mind at the time."

"Then tell me, what state was the Pill King in at the time? Given the Pill King's character, he would not be so particular over such a cheap item."

"The Pill King seemed rather pessimistic about this journey, so he did not wish to owe another favor."

"Oh? You mean this journey is very dangerous, but with the Pill King's status and influence, who could force him to do something so dangerous? Could it be related to his advancement to a Sixth-grade Alchemist?" Given Gu He's strange attitude, Teng Shan could only explain it away with this relatively reasonable conclusion.

"Do not speak of today's matter to anyone. Otherwise, do not blame me for being merciless." Realizing the implications of the matter, Teng Shan sternly warned Ya Fei.

"Of course, Great Elder. I would never spread something like this around."