Gu Ni

The Mittel Auction House was the largest and only auction house in Wutan City, as well as one of the businesses operated by the Mittel Family, one of the Jia Ma Empire's three great families.

The Mittel Family was the wealthiest of the three great families of the Jia Ma Empire. They primarily engaged in trade, but they also had a presence in other fields. Their wealth could be described as rivaling that of a nation. The relationship between the Mittel Family and the imperial family was deeply intertwined, and with the imperial family's support, they had been able to grow stronger and more influential within the Jia Ma Empire.

The other two great families were the Nalan Clan and the Mu Clan. The Mu Clan held great influence in the military, while the Nalan Clan was more evenly spread across various fields. Although they had a hand in everything, their overall strength was not as great as that of the other two families.

With the Mittel Family as his backer and his own status as a respected alchemist, it was only natural for him to be arrogant.

"Young Master Xiao Jie, allow me to introduce you. This is Miss Ya Fei, the person in charge of our Wutan City auction house. And this is Master Gu Ni, who is also a Second-grade Alchemist."

Xiao Jie rose to his feet and cupped his hands.

"Greetings, Miss Ya Fei. Greetings, Master Gu Ni."

"Young Master Xiao Jie is too polite. This is the first time I've seen such a young Second-grade Alchemist," Ya Fei said. Her soft, alluring voice rang beside his ear, making even Xiao Jie shudder inwardly.

She really is a beauty. I never felt much when reading about her before, but face-to-face, I can see that her reputation is well deserved. Luckily, my self-control is good enough—and I'm only a little over eight years old now. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't do anything.

"You flatter me, Miss Ya Fei. Xiao Jie merely has a good teacher, so I am not worth mentioning. It is all thanks to my master's excellent teachings."

During the conversation, Xiao Jie revealed that he had a master. The Mittal family might not wish to harm him, but it was always better to be cautious. Even if they wanted to make a move, they would have to think twice. After all, who would believe that a boy barely over eight years old could become a Second-grade Alchemist in just over a month? Talent alone was not enough; a famous master was equally important.

"May I ask whom young friend Xiao Jie studied under? Could you introduce me to him? I have been stuck at the peak of the second grade for more than ten years now. I truly am becoming anxious."

"That's right, little brother Xiao Jie. Who is your master? Could you introduce him to your big sister? I will certainly treat your master as an honored guest."

"Ha ha, my teacher prefers peace and quiet. Most of the time, he comes to find me, while I cannot find him. There is nothing I can do about that. However, if the opportunity arises, I will certainly introduce him to Sister Ya Fei and Master Gu Ni."

"So that's how it is. Very well, but little brother Xiao Jie, don't forget."

"Don't worry. Next time, for sure," Xiao Jie said with a smile.

"Alright, back to the main matter. These first-grade Qi Recovery Pills and first-grade Rejuvenation Pills are both top quality in appearance and medicinal properties. Your refining technique must be quite skilled. However, the quality of these second-grade Bone-Growing Pills is rather average. That should be due to unfamiliarity with the process. Judging from this, young friend Xiao Jie, you only recently learned how to refine Bone-Growing Pills, correct?"

"Ha ha, Master Gu Ni has a keen eye. I did indeed only begin refining these Bone-Growing Pills recently. After all, it was my first time refining second-grade pills, so I was inevitably unfamiliar with the process. I failed several times before successfully refining these three bottles of Bone-Growing Pills."

"No wonder. Still, young friend, your talent on the path of alchemy is truly extraordinary. To be able to refine Bone-Growing Pills in just over a month—given time, you could at least become a Fifth-grade Alchemist, perhaps even a Sixth-grade Alchemist. In this regard, you make me feel somewhat ashamed."

"Ha ha, Master Gu Ni overpraises me. My master is very strict with me. I have only barely met his requirements."

"Very well. We will offer thirty thousand gold coins per bottle for these three bottles of Bone-Growing Pills, five thousand per bottle for the ten bottles of Qi Recovery Pills, and seven thousand per bottle for the ten bottles of Rejuvenation Pills. That comes to a total of two hundred and ten thousand gold coins. What do you think?"

"Very well. The price is fair. Then I must thank Master Gu Ni and Miss Ya Fei."

Very soon, a maidservant brought over the gold card and medicinal ingredients. After accepting them, Xiao Jie said to Ya Fei and Gu Ni,

"Then Xiao Jie will take his leave. Once I have refined more pills, I will come again."

"Little brother Xiao Jie, make sure you come back soon. Your big sister will miss you."

Xiao Jie nodded, then turned and left.