Old Geezer, Take Out the Mysterious Heavy Ruler and Let Me Play With It

Aside from Ya Fei and Xiao Yan, probably only Yao Lao, the temporary tool, knew about this discreet transaction.

However, about half a month after leaving the Xiao Family, once she was sure suspicion would not be directed toward Xiao Yan, Ya Fei officially sold the sixteen bottles of Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid in two batches.

Eight bottles per batch, sixteen bottles in total. In just half a month, the sixteen bottles of Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid caused an enormous stir throughout Wu Tan City.

Anyone with a brain could guess that if someone could supply such a quantity of Second Grade Pills, then an Alchemist of at least the second grade must have secretly entered Wu Tan City.

Yet no matter how they searched, they could not find where this hidden Alchemist was. They could only watch as Ya Fei auctioned off bottle after bottle of Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid at prices that made their mouths water.

The sixteen bottles of Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid sold for the terrifying total of 680,000 Gold Coins. The Three Great Families openly and covertly competed over them, while other merchants and aristocratic families in Wu Tan City scrambled to buy them.

In short, on a cool night in the second month of autumn, Ya Fei sat facing Xiao Yan, unable to hide the delight in her beautiful eyes.

"Six hundred thousand Gold Coins in net profit... are you really giving me half?"

The jade cups clinked together. Ya Fei took a light sip of wine, a tempting flush spreading across her beautiful face.

The sixteen bottles of Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid had brought in a full 600,000 Gold Coins in net profit. Half of that was 300,000 Gold Coins.

That sum was comparable to nearly all the liquid assets of any one of Wu Tan City's Three Great Families.

"Since I said so, I naturally won't deceive you."

A smile rested at the corner of Xiao Yan's mouth as his gentle gaze remained fixed on Ya Fei.

Under that gaze, Ya Fei's heart gave a violent leap through the slight intoxication of the wine. Then she quickly suppressed the guilt in her heart.

He's still just a child.

Her beautiful eyes stared at Xiao Yan as she softly said, "Getting 300,000 Gold Coins so easily really feels like a dream. Sometimes, I have to wonder whether you have some other motive."

"Some other motive?"

Xiao Yan could not help laughing at that.

"I just hope you can live a little more easily. Of course, if you can't resist this young master's charm in the future, that'll be your own business."

Ya Fei seemed long accustomed to Xiao Yan's teasing. Her gaze swept over his young face, and she covered her mouth as she softly laughed. "I'll say it again: wait until you've grown all your hair first."

"Heh."

Xiao Yan merely gave an expressionless smile at Ya Fei's teasing.

Once this young master has grown all his hair, you'll really suffer!

"What are you planning to do next?"

Ya Fei set down her wine cup and stared intently at Xiao Yan.

"Refine another batch of Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid."

Looking into Ya Fei's expectant eyes, Xiao Yan said calmly, "Don't look so eager. The person behind me isn't some workhorse. He can't spend every day and night refining these low-grade pills for the two of us.

Before the New Year, there'll probably only be around twenty more bottles of Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid."

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Ya Fei felt no dissatisfaction. Instead, she felt somewhat reassured.

Meanwhile, white light flashed from the black ring on Xiao Yan's hand, and the old man who had been treated like a donkey let out several dissatisfied snorts.

In ordinary partnerships, Alchemists usually took eighty or ninety percent of the profits. That Ya Fei could receive half of Xiao Yan's profits was simply unbelievable.

If such terrifying profits continued to flow in without end, she would feel uneasy instead.

With twenty bottles of Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, she could still earn a considerable sum. At the very least, Xiao Yan alone would allow her to stand out effortlessly in the Family Assessment.

"Besides that, prepare two sets of ingredients for the Qi Gathering Pill for me."

As he was leaving, Xiao Yan casually tossed down a small note listing the various ingredients needed for the Qi Gathering Pill, then drifted away, leaving Ya Fei sitting there in a daze.

"The Qi Gathering Pill is a Fourth Grade Pill. Even Pill King Gu He probably isn't absolutely certain he can refine it successfully, is he?"

Looking in the direction Xiao Yan had left, Ya Fei's red lips curled into a helpless smile.

Surely I won't really fall into this little fellow's hands someday, will I?

Half a month later, Ya Fei returned to the Xiao Family under the pretext of paying a visit. She secretly delivered a Storage Ring and several jade cards containing a total of 300,000 Gold Coins in installments to Xiao Yan.

Thus, Xiao Yan's First Pot of Gold after his rebirth finally arrived.

Besides that, the Storage Ring contained every kind of medicinal ingredient imaginable. Nearly all the expenses had been paid by Ya Fei alone.

The cost of the Storage Ring and all those medicinal ingredients alone exceeded 200,000 Gold Coins. It could be said that Ya Fei had already returned most of the profit from auctioning the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid to Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan could do nothing about her actions except give the woman a wry glare.

Forget it. What I give you in the future won't be lacking by this little amount anyway.

Watching Ya Fei's alluring figure depart, Xiao Yan felt a faint itch in his heart. But he soon immersed himself once more in his day-after-day arduous cultivation.

As the temperature gradually fell and many weaker cultivators began putting on clothes to ward off the cold, Xiao Yan finally advanced to Dou Qi Level 9 after successfully absorbing four full bottles of Foundation Establishment Divine Liquid.

From Dou Qi Level 3 after his rebirth to Dou Qi Level 9, Xiao Yan had taken less than five months this time.

That terrifying speed was more than twice as fast as in his previous life.

And that was with Xiao Yan deliberately tempering his foundation and compressing his Dou Qi to an exceptionally solid state.

The early winter wind carried a biting chill, blowing the dry fallen leaves of the Xiao Family's Back Mountain wildly through the air. Xiao Yan stood bare-chested in the cold wind, the lines of his muscles sharp and clear.

Beside him, Yao Lao slowly appeared, a trace of displeasure on his old face.

"During this time, this old man has been tricked by you into refining more than forty bottles of Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, as well as two Qi Gathering Pills and one Lesser Earth Spirit Pill.

"But your Dou Qi is close to breaking through now, isn't it? You said you would give this old man a surprise after breaking through to Dou Zhe."

Yao Lao played with a Qi Gathering Pill in his hand, as though he might stuff it into Xiao Yan's mouth at any moment.

Although he had witnessed Xiao Yan's remarkable qualities every day over the past half year, Yao Lao still held a little doubt and some anticipation toward the surprise Xiao Yan had mentioned.

"Heh, how could it be so easy for me, Xiao Yan, to break through to Dou Zhe? Teacher, you should take out your Mysterious Heavy Ruler and let me play with it first."

Xiao Yan merely smiled and shook his head at Yao Lao's reminder, instead urging him to take out the Mysterious Heavy Ruler.

"You brat."

After carefully circling Xiao Yan with his eyes, Yao Lao casually waved a hand. A massive black ruler, slightly taller than Xiao Yan himself, fell from the sky and crashed straight into the ground before him.

Looking at the enormous black ruler before him, nearly larger than his own body, Xiao Yan's eyes brimmed with nostalgia.

"Old friend, it's been a long time."