Buying Medicinal Ingredients, Ya Fei's Thoughts

The next day.

Mittal Auction House.

Amidst a crisp sound of footsteps, a flash of red caught Xiao Yu's sight.

"What a rarity. What wind blew young master Xiao Yu here?" Ya Fei swayed her waist, a hint of feigned grievance appearing on her face.

Xue Li, the maid following behind her, had her mouth slightly agape. If she didn't follow her mistress every day, she would have almost suspected that the youth before them had done that to her mistress.

Did I offend this woman? Xiao Yu frowned in thought.

He followed Ya Fei with his gaze, watching her sit in the chair beside him, resting her chin on one hand, her eyes reflecting his own image.

"Miss Ya Fei, I've come today to purchase some medicinal herbs." Xiao Yu pushed a slip of paper filled with herb names toward Ya Fei, along with a card.

"Buying herbs?" The news of the Jia Lie Clan hiring an alchemist had already spread throughout Wutan City, and Ya Fei was naturally aware of it. Her willow brows furrowed. "Young master Xiao Yu, has the Xiao Clan also hired an alchemist?"

Xiao Yu said calmly, "Do I need to answer such personal questions to make a purchase at the Mittal Auction House?"

Ya Fei was startled, then smiled enchantingly. "Just my own curiosity."

She then handed the paper and the card to Xue Li, sending her off to make the arrangements.

"I'm not sure exactly how much of these herbs we have in the warehouse. If you aren't in a hurry, young master Xiao Yu, I can have them shipped in, though it will take a few days." When talking business, Ya Fei's tone was very serious.

Yet, her eyes kept scanning Xiao Yu with a look of curiosity.

"That's fine. Just give me what you have now, and for the rest, notify me when they arrive and I will come to collect them." Xiao Yu nodded.

The Mittal Auction House focused primarily on auctions; while they did acquire herbs and various items, they generally didn't keep large reserves.

This was especially true in a small city like Wutan City; such a situation wouldn't occur at the Mite'er Family headquarters in the Imperial Capital.

The two sat in silence, neither speaking.

Facing Ya Fei's gaze, Xiao Yu remained indifferent. His eyes did not retreat; instead, they scanned her proud figure with an aggressive intensity.

With beauty right before him, it would be a waste not to look!

After all, if a man isn't lustful, what is he?

This actually made Ya Fei's eyes waver slightly, and she muttered to herself.

The little guy isn't very old, but he's quite bold. His gaze isn't polite at all.

Gradually, Ya Fei felt her cheeks growing warm.

But she didn't want to admit defeat and refused to look away.

Just then, Xue Li returned, trotting over to place a storage ring on the table between them.

"Miss, all the herbs in the warehouse that meet your requirements are inside." Xue Li panted heavily, her eyes darting between the two. Noticing her mistress's flushed face, a flash of curiosity crossed her eyes.

Taking this opportunity, Ya Fei looked at the storage ring. "Young master Xiao Yu, your items have arrived. Our Mittal Auction House will fulfill the rest as soon as possible."

"Many thanks." Picking up the storage ring, Xiao Yu smiled slightly.

He braced his hands on the armrests to stand, but suddenly leaned forward toward Ya Fei. Staring at her exquisite face, which was now showing signs of nervousness, he lowered his voice and whispered something.

Afterward, Xiao Yu left without looking back.

Ya Fei remained in her seat, but her face turned bright red instantly. She muttered, "Bastard, what a daring fellow."

After watching Xiao Yu leave, Xue Li turned back to see this scene and asked out of curiosity, but received no reply.

At this moment, an elderly man in green robes with graying hair walked in.

"Uncle Gu."

"Elder Gu Ni."

Ya Fei rose from her chair.

After Xue Li bowed respectfully and saw the old man wave his hand, she hurried away.

Gu Ni asked, "Who was here to purchase herbs just now?"

Ya Fei replied, "Xiao Yu."

Gu Ni narrowed his eyes. "It seems the Xiao Clan has found an alchemist and is preparing to challenge the Jia Lie Clan."

Ya Fei nodded. That was her guess as well, though it was a pity Xiao Yu hadn't taken the bait earlier, or she could have confirmed it.

She thought for a moment and asked, "Uncle Gu, if the medicine refined from the herbs Xiao Yu purchased is better than what the Jia Lie Clan produces, will it be superior?"

Gu Ni was stunned, then laughed. "Herbs must be paired with a formula to determine quality. It isn't easy to deduce a formula just from the herbs."

Seeing Ya Fei's disappointed expression, Gu Ni added, "However, the Rejuvenation Powder refined by the Jia Lie Clan can only be considered average. As long as the Xiao Clan's alchemist isn't a complete beginner, they should be evenly matched. Whether they can suppress them depends on the formula."

"Wutan City is about to get lively." The corners of Ya Fei's mouth curled upward slightly.

Gu Ni suddenly said, "Do you think you can just watch from the sidelines?"

Ya Fei paused, then asked, "Uncle Gu, are you talking about the herbs?"

Previously, the Jia Lie Clan had also purchased herbs through their Mittal Auction House, and now the Xiao Clan was doing the same.

If the quality of the medicine sold by both families was on par, then whoever had the more stable source of herbs would ultimately be the one to prevail.

Gu Ni's eyes revealed a hint of a smile as he asked, "Miss, who do you intend to support?"

Ya Fei replied without hesitation, "The Xiao Clan, of course. The two brothers, Xiao Yan and Xiao Yu, clearly possess greater potential; their future prospects are limitless."

Gu Ni nodded and turned to leave.

The Mite'er Family had grown so large precisely because they excelled at investing and befriending various talented prodigies; once these individuals matured, the returns they brought would be infinite.

Returning home, Xiao Yu handed the medicinal herbs to his third brother.

To refine medicine more effectively and without being disturbed, Xiao Yan found a cave in the back mountains and began the process.

After a morning of guidance from Yao Chen, Xiao Yan had thoroughly mastered the refining techniques, resulting in an increasingly higher success rate and faster speed.

For the time that followed, Xiao Yu was responsible for delivering food to Xiao Yan.

Occasionally, Xiao Zhan would also take on this task, taking the opportunity to observe the progress.

During this time, Xiao Zhan personally experienced the effects of the medicine and was immediately astonished.

Compared to the Rejuvenation Powder from the Jialie family, the effects of the Blood-Coagulation Powder were far superior.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere within the Xiao Clan was oppressive, with some even suggesting the assassination of the alchemist hired by the Jialie family.

If you cannot solve the problem, then solve the person who creates the problem!

However, this was vetoed by Xiao Zhan.

On the other side, the Jialie family's marketplace was doing excellent business in Wutan City due to the sale of medicine from their uniquely gifted alchemist.

This also led to some unfavorable situations gradually appearing in the marketplace.

For instance, the members of the Jialie family were arrogant, and not only were the medicines expensive, but they were also limited in quantity every day.

Many mercenaries who came upon hearing the news often found themselves queuing only to be unable to purchase anything.

For a time, many angry remarks were spread.

But the members of the Jialie family did not take them to heart in the slightest.

If you have the guts, then don't buy it!

Aside from their Jialie family marketplace, Rejuvenation Powder was not available in any other marketplace!

If you want to buy it, you have to endure it and follow their rules!

Unknowingly, ten days passed, and business in the Xiao Clan's marketplace grew worse and worse, with customer traffic falling to less than a quarter of what it used to be.

This caused many merchants in the Xiao Clan's marketplace to feel insecure, with some even harboring thoughts of moving into the Jialie family's marketplace.

The three elders of the Xiao Clan and the family members, upon learning this news, were miserable and short-tempered every day.

Just as they were uniting and preparing to propose a fight to the death with the Jialie family to the Clan Head, Xiao Zhan made an announcement.

The Xiao Clan's marketplace would also begin selling medicine from an alchemist!