At the entrance to the Miteer Auction House.
As soon as Xiao Yan arrived, he saw Ya Fei standing on the steps.
Her red dress stood out brilliantly beneath the sunlight.
Suppressing her shock, Ya Fei took the initiative to greet him.
"Young Master Xiao Yan, long time no see."
A smile rested on her face, but she couldn't hide the surprise in her eyes.
She didn't dare slight someone who could kill an elder steward of the Misty Cloud Sect.
"Miss Ya Fei."
Xiao Yan nodded.
He skipped the small talk and got straight to the point.
"I need some Fifth-grade medicinal ingredients."
He handed her the list.
It named seven or eight medicinal ingredients, each of them used in the refinement of Fifth-grade Pills.
Ya Fei glanced over the list, then raised her head.
"Young Master Xiao Yan, what do you need these ingredients for?"
Her tone carried a hint of probing.
Was he refining pills, or buying them for someone else?
The young man before her looked no more than fifteen or sixteen.
Across the entire Jia Ma Empire, only a handful of people could make use of Fifth-grade medicinal ingredients.
Xiao Yan didn't answer. He simply looked at her.
Silence worked better than any answer.
Ya Fei wisely stopped asking.
"Please, follow me."
Miteer Auction House, warehouse district.
As the heavy wooden door swung open, the scents of all kinds of medicinal ingredients washed over them.
Ya Fei walked ahead, with Xiao Yan following behind.
"Three Snow Spirit Ginseng roots."
She took a jade box from the shelf and opened it to inspect the contents.
They were in good condition, and the roots were old enough.
"Two Purple Spirit Ganoderma mushrooms as well."
She took down another box.
Xiao Yan glanced at them and nodded.
Under ordinary circumstances, he couldn't have afforded even a fingernail-sized piece of Fifth-grade medicinal ingredient.
But things were different now.
He had the strength of a One-Star Dou Wang. Gold coins meant little to him.
Ya Fei laid the ingredients out on the table.
"Young Master Xiao Yan, we have all these ingredients in stock."
"But we don't have the last one, Thousand Spirit Grass, in our warehouse."
Xiao Yan's brow furrowed slightly.
Thousand Spirit Grass was the most important ingredient in Spirit Speed Pills.
Without it, the other ingredients were useless.
"However..."
Ya Fei changed tack. "There happens to be one at today's auction."
Xiao Yan looked at her.
"When does it start?"
"In an hour."
"Take me there."
VIP room.
The finest seats in the Miteer Auction House.
From here, he could clearly see the entire auction stage, while no one outside could see inside.
Ya Fei personally showed him in and poured him a cup of tea.
She didn't leave right away after sitting down.
Lifting her teacup for a sip, she asked casually, as if it were an afterthought:
"Young Master Xiao Yan, have you heard about what happened with the Misty Cloud Sect?"
Xiao Yan looked at her but said nothing.
"I heard Elder Ge Ye was killed."
She set down her teacup and looked at Xiao Yan.
"Young Master Xiao Yan, do you know anything about it?"
"I killed him."
Xiao Yan spoke blandly.
Ya Fei's hand froze in midair.
She hadn't expected him to admit it outright.
A few seconds of silence passed.
Ya Fei drew her hand back, a smile returning to her face.
"Young Master Xiao Yan, you really are... full of surprises."
Her tone was far more courteous than before.
He'd killed someone from the Misty Cloud Sect and still dared to swagger into the auction house to buy things.
Either he was a fool, or he had nothing to fear.
Xiao Yan was clearly no fool.
That left only one answer: he wasn't afraid of the Misty Cloud Sect.
Fifteen years old, and unafraid of the Misty Cloud Sect.
What did that even mean?
A storm surged in Ya Fei's heart, but she let none of it show.
After spending so many years in Wutan City, she knew exactly what to say—and what not to say.
"The auction is about to begin. I should go make preparations."
Ya Fei stood up.
"Call for someone if you need anything, Young Master Xiao Yan."
Ya Fei left the VIP room.
The moment the door closed, she leaned against the wall and let out a long breath.
A fifteen-year-old Da Dou Shi? No, if he could kill a Seven-Star Great Dou Master, he had to be at least a Dou Ling, or perhaps...
Ya Fei didn't dare follow that thought any further.
Shaking her head, she headed for the auction stage.
Inside the VIP room.
Xiao Yan picked up his teacup.
He had to get the Thousand Spirit Grass.
Spirit Speed Pills doubled the speed of cultivation. Three months would be enough for him to raise his strength by a great deal.
He set down his teacup and leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed.
An hour wasn't that long.
After he'd rested with his eyes closed for a while, commotion rose from below.
The auction had begun.
Looking down through the glass, he saw that the hall was already packed.
Wutan City wasn't large, but it had no shortage of wealthy people.
Ya Fei stood on the auction stage, more dazzling than usual.
She'd changed from her red dress into a purple one, and her hair had been restyled as well.
"Welcome, everyone, to today's auction."
Her voice was clear, with its distinctive, alluring softness.
"Our first item is a Third-grade Pill, a Qi Recovery Pill."
"After taking it, you can recover a large amount of Dou Qi in a short time. At a critical moment, it's practically like gaining an extra life."
"The starting bid is fifty thousand gold coins."
Bidders immediately raised their signs.
"Fifty-five thousand."
"Sixty thousand."
"Seventy thousand."
Xiao Yan watched the lively scene below, completely uninterested.
Third-grade Pills were no use to him now.
He had come for one thing only: the Thousand Spirit Grass.
The auction continued.
A second-grade cultivation method—no interest.
A Fourth-grade Dou Technique—still no interest.
Rare ore—even less interest.
Each time Ya Fei announced an item, she glanced toward the VIP room.
She knew what Xiao Yan was waiting for.
One auction item after another was sold, and time ticked by.
"Next, I'm sure some of you will be interested in this item."
Ya Fei took a jade box from an attendant and opened it.
A vivid green herb lay inside, giving off a faint glow.
"Fifth-grade medicinal ingredient, Thousand Spirit Grass."
"There's no need for me to say more about its effects. Those who know, know."
"The starting bid is two hundred thousand gold coins."
The hall fell quiet for a moment, then someone raised a sign.
"Two hundred and ten thousand."
"Two hundred and twenty thousand."
"Two hundred and fifty thousand."
Xiao Yan watched from above, in no hurry to bid.
When the price reached three hundred thousand, there were noticeably fewer bidders.
"Three hundred and ten thousand."
A middle-aged man in fine clothes called out.
"Three hundred and twenty thousand."
Another voice followed.
"Three hundred and fifty thousand."
The middle-aged man gritted his teeth.
"Three hundred and sixty thousand."
Xiao Yan raised his sign.
The hall fell silent for a moment.
Someone in the VIP room had made a bid.
Ya Fei glanced toward the VIP room, her expression unchanged.
"The guest in the VIP room bids three hundred and sixty thousand."
"Does anyone have a higher bid?"
The middle-aged man looked troubled. After hesitating for a long while, he didn't raise his sign again.
"Three hundred and sixty thousand, once."
"Three hundred and sixty thousand, twice."
"Three hundred and sixty thousand, three times."
The gavel fell.
"Sold!"
Xiao Yan lowered his sign.
The Thousand Spirit Grass was his.
Behind the auction house.
By the time Xiao Yan walked in, the Thousand Spirit Grass had already been packed.
Ya Fei personally handed him the jade box.
"Second Young Master Xiao Yan, this is your Thousand Spirit Grass."
Xiao Yan took it and opened it for a look.
It was in excellent condition, even better than he had expected.
"How much?"
"Three hundred and sixty thousand."
He took out his card and held it out.
Ya Fei didn't take it. She looked at him, as if she were weighing a decision.
A moment later, she spoke.
"This Thousand Spirit Grass is a gift from the Miteer Auction House to Second Young Master Xiao Yan."
She wasn't charging him.
It was free.
Xiao Yan looked at her without saying anything.
"Second Young Master Xiao Yan, there's no need to overthink it."
Ya Fei smiled.
"Just consider it a chance for us to become friends."
"All right."
Without standing on ceremony, Xiao Yan took the jade box and turned to leave.
Watching him walk away, Ya Fei remained where she stood.
Over three hundred thousand gold coins, given away just like that.
Normally, she would never have done such a thing.
But Xiao Yan was different.
A boy who could kill an elder of the Misty Cloud Sect at just fifteen had limitless potential.
Was three hundred thousand gold coins worth the chance to make a connection with him?
It was.
As he left the auction house, Xiao Yan glanced back.
The Miteer Auction House.
Ya Fei.
He knew perfectly well that woman wasn't running a charity.
She'd given him the Thousand Spirit Grass for free because she saw his potential.
But it didn't matter.
He'd accepted it, and if he got the chance, he'd return the favor someday.
Putting the jade box away, Xiao Yan headed for the Xiao Clan.
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