Teasing?

After refining the Gathering Qi Powder, there was no point keeping it, so naturally, he had to put it up for auction.

The Miteer Auction House was as lively as ever, with people coming and going through the entrance.

Ye Xiu had barely stepped inside and taken a few steps when he saw Ya Fei coming down the stairs.

The woman wore a light purple dress today, her hair loose around her shoulders. The moment she saw Ye Xiu, a smile blossomed across her face.

"Senior Ye Xiu! What a coincidence!" Ya Fei hurried over, her voice soft. "I've been looking forward to seeing you every day."

Ye Xiu glanced at her. "What for?"

Ya Fei smiled. "Why, I was hoping you'd come and do business with our auction house, of course. When you make a move, it's bound to be a big one!"

As she spoke, she edged closer to Ye Xiu, sending a bewitching fragrance drifting his way.

"What are you selling today, Senior? Shall I keep you company?"

Ye Xiu nodded indifferently. "A few pills."

Ya Fei's eyes lit up. "Refined by you again, Senior? Then they must be something special! This way, please!"

It was the same private room on the third floor.

Ya Fei poured the tea herself. Bending over, she handed the cup to Ye Xiu, her neckline hanging loose. He took it and sipped, not even glancing up this time.

A flicker of disappointment crossed Ya Fei's eyes, but she quickly composed herself. She sat beside him and smiled as she looked at Ye Xiu. "What pills are you selling today, Senior?"

Ye Xiu took two jade bottles from his Storage Ring and set them on the table.

"Six Gathering Qi Powders."

Ya Fei froze for a moment.

"Gathering Qi Powder? F-Fourth-grade?"

She hurriedly picked up one of the bottles and opened it to look inside. Four round, emerald-green pills lay within, their surfaces smooth. A rich medicinal fragrance wafted out, leaving her feeling refreshed with just one breath.

Ya Fei took a deep breath, capped the bottle, and looked up at Ye Xiu. Her expression had changed.

There was no doubt that these were Gathering Qi Powders. She had seen this kind of pill back when she was in Jia Ma Holy City.

"Senior, y-you're actually a fourth-grade Alchemist?"

Ye Xiu nodded and took a sip of tea.

Ya Fei was reeling inside.

A fourth-grade Alchemist at fifteen?

It was practically unheard of!

She had worked at the auction house for years and met plenty of Alchemists. First- and second-grade ones were common, but even third-grade Alchemists were rare. A fourth-grade Alchemist could rank among the top in the entire Jia Ma Empire.

And this young man in front of her was only fifteen, yet already a fourth-grade Alchemist?

Ya Fei took a deep breath, doing her best to calm herself.

"Senior, these Gathering Qi Powders are valuable indeed. Anyone at the Dou Qi stage who takes one can break through to Dou Zhe immediately, saving years of hard cultivation. If we put them up for auction, every influential figure in Wutan City will be fighting tooth and nail to get one."

Ye Xiu nodded. "You handle it. Set the starting price at the market rate—120,000 gold coins per pill."

Ya Fei immediately replied, without a moment's hesitation, "I'll arrange the auction as soon as possible. Please wait here for a little while, Senior!"

Ye Xiu didn't say much. He nodded. "All right."

Half a day later, all six Gathering Qi Powders had been sold.

Ye Xiu hadn't gone to watch the auction, but he soon learned the results. The most expensive pill had sold for 200,000, and the cheapest for 140,000. They brought in a total of 980,000. After the auction house took its ten-percent commission, Ye Xiu received a little over 880,000.

Ya Fei immediately broke into a smile. She took a purple card from her cleavage and offered it to Ye Xiu with both hands. "Senior, this is a Supreme VIP Card from the Miteer Auction House. With it, you'll receive priority service and discounts at any Miteer Auction House in the Jia Ma Empire. I've deposited 900,000 gold coins in it. The extra 20,000 is a small token of my appreciation."

Ye Xiu took the card and put it in his Storage Ring.

"All right. If there's nothing else, I'll be going."

Ya Fei quickly followed him. "Senior, let me see you out."

After leaving the auction house, Ye Xiu didn't hurry back. He wandered around the streets for a while.

Wutan City wasn't very big, but it wasn't small either. Both sides of the main road were lined with all kinds of shops, selling everything from medicinal ingredients and weapons to cultivation techniques. Since he had nothing else to do, Ye Xiu decided to look around and see if he could find anything worthwhile.

Xiao Yan had come across a Xuan-tier Dou Technique just by walking down the street. Maybe he'd get lucky too!

As he walked, a commotion suddenly broke out up ahead.

Ye Xiu looked up and saw a group of people approaching from the far end of the street.

At the front was a boy in black, around fifteen or sixteen, with a lively look about him. It was Xiao Yan.

Seven or eight burly men followed behind him, all dressed as Xiao Clan guards. Ye Xiu glanced at them. Golden stars were embroidered on their chests, ranging from four to six. Four- to Six-Star Dou Zhes were already considered experts in a place like Wutan City.

Xiao Yan noticed Ye Xiu too. He paused, then hurried over.

"Senior Ye Xiu!" Xiao Yan clasped his hands in greeting, his manner extremely respectful.

Seeing their young master treat the boy with such deference, the guards stopped as well and looked at Ye Xiu curiously.

Ye Xiu nodded. "Xiao Yan, where are you headed?"

Xiao Yan smiled. "My father asked me to manage a small stall in the marketplace and learn the ropes. He said it would be good practice."

At that, Ye Xiu remembered.

There had indeed been a scene like this in the original story. Xiao Zhan had sent Xiao Yan to manage a stall in the marketplace. Just a few days after taking the position, Xiao Yan had run into some fool who tried to harass Xiao Xun'er. The man was Liu Xi, and Xiao Yan had beaten him with one punch.

But now...

That idiot was already dead. Dead in a truly horrible way.

Just then, a scrawny man suddenly darted out from the side and hurried over to Xiao Yan, bowing and scraping.

"Young Master Xiao Yan! Young Master Xiao Yan!"

Xiao Yan glanced at him. "Kelu? What is it?"

The man was Kelu, a petty thief in the marketplace who made a living through little acts of theft. Wearing an ingratiating smile, he moved closer to Xiao Yan and lowered his voice.

"Young Master, I just got word that the young lady is out on the edge of the marketplace, and some man from who-knows-where is harassing her! I rushed over to report it to you!"

Xiao Yan's expression changed at once.

"What?!"

Standing beside him, Ye Xiu froze when he heard that.

What was going on?

Xiao Xun'er was being harassed?

Shouldn't it have been Liu Xi who harassed her?

Liu Xi was already dead!

Thoroughly dead—his corpse had probably rotted away by now!

He asked without thinking, "Who's harassing her?"

Kelu glanced at Ye Xiu. He didn't recognize him, but seeing how respectfully Xiao Yan treated him, he didn't dare slight him. He answered honestly, "This young master, I'm not sure. I only heard that he's a middle-aged man in his thirties, wearing an Alchemist's robe. He looks like someone important."

Ye Xiu was speechless.

An Alchemist's robe?

In his thirties?

Not Liu Xi?

Then who was this? What gave him the nerve?

Xiao Yan was already anxious. He turned to Ye Xiu and said, "Senior, I have to go check on her right away. Please excuse me!"

He turned to leave.

Ye Xiu patted Xiao Yan on the shoulder. He was curious too. "Wait. I'm coming with you."

Xiao Yan paused, then nodded. "All right, Senior. Come with me!"

The group hurried off toward the edge of the marketplace.