The next day.
The Mittal Auction House.
Amid a series of crisp footsteps, a graceful red figure entered Xiao Yu's line of sight.
"Well, this is rare. What wind blew Young Master Xiao Yu in here?" Ya Fei swayed her hips, a faintly aggrieved look on her face.
Behind her, the maid Xue Li's little mouth hung open. If she hadn't been with her miss every day, she might have suspected that the young man in front of her had done something scandalous to her.
I haven't offended this woman, have I? Xiao Yu furrowed his brows, thinking.
His gaze followed Ya Fei as she sat down in the chair beside him. She rested her chin in one hand, her eyes reflecting his image.
"Miss Ya Fei, I came today to purchase some medicinal ingredients." Xiao Yu took out a slip of paper covered in ingredient names and pushed it in front of Ya Fei, along with a card.
"Buying medicinal ingredients?" News that the Jia Lie Clan had hired an alchemist had spread throughout Wutan City, and Ya Fei naturally knew about it. Her willow-shaped brows furrowed. "Young Master Xiao Yu, has the Xiao Clan hired an alchemist too?"
Xiao Yu replied calmly, "Do you need to ask so many questions when buying things at the Mittal Auction House?"
Ya Fei paused, then smiled. "I'm just curious."
She handed the paper and card to Xue Li and sent her off to make the arrangements.
"I'm not sure how many of these ingredients we have in the warehouse. Young Master Xiao Yu, if you're not in a hurry, I can have more brought in for you. It'll probably take a few days." Ya Fei's tone was very serious when discussing business.
But her eyes kept studying Xiao Yu with undisguised curiosity.
"That's fine. Give me whatever you have now. Once the rest arrives, have someone notify me and I'll come pick it up." Xiao Yu nodded.
The Mittal Auction House's main business was auctions. Though it also bought medicinal ingredients and various items, it generally didn't keep much in stock.
That was especially true in a small city like Wutan City. The Mittal Family's headquarters in the Imperial Capital wouldn't have this problem.
The two sat quietly without speaking.
Under Ya Fei's gaze, Xiao Yu remained composed and didn't look away. Instead, he boldly let his eyes roam over her alluring figure.
With a beauty right in front of him, why not look?
What else was a man supposed to like, if not beautiful women?
This actually made Ya Fei's gaze falter slightly as she muttered to herself.
He may be young, but he sure has a lot of nerve. He's not even trying to hide where he's looking.
Gradually, Ya Fei felt her cheeks growing warm.
But she didn't want to lose, and refused to look away.
Just then, Xue Li returned. She hurried over and placed a Storage Ring on the table between them.
"Miss, all the ingredients in the warehouse that matched the requirements are inside." Xue Li panted heavily, her eyes moving between the two. She noticed her miss's flushed face, and a flicker of curiosity crossed her brows.
Taking advantage of the moment, Ya Fei looked at the Storage Ring. "Young Master Xiao Yu, your things are here. The Mittal Auction House will replenish the rest as soon as possible."
"Thank you." Xiao Yu picked up the Storage Ring and smiled faintly.
He braced his hands against the armrests and was about to stand when he suddenly leaned toward Ya Fei. Looking at her exquisite face, now tense with nerves, he lowered his voice and said something.
Then Xiao Yu left without looking back.
Ya Fei remained seated, but her face instantly turned bright red. She muttered, "You rascal. What a bold, reckless fellow."
After watching Xiao Yu leave, Xue Li turned around and saw the scene. She asked curiously what had happened, but got no answer.
Just then, an old man in a blue robe with white hair walked in.
"Uncle Gu."
"Elder Gu Ni."
Ya Fei rose from her chair.
Xue Li bowed respectfully. When the old man waved her away, she quickly left.
Gu Ni asked, "Who just came to buy medicinal ingredients?"
"Xiao Yu," Ya Fei replied.
Gu Ni narrowed his eyes. "Looks like the Xiao Clan has found an alchemist and plans to go head-to-head with the Jia Lie Clan."
Ya Fei nodded. She'd had the same suspicion, but Xiao Yu hadn't answered earlier, so she couldn't be sure.
After thinking it over, she asked, "Uncle Gu, if the medicine made from the ingredients Xiao Yu bought is refined, will it be better than the Jia Lie Clan's?"
Gu Ni paused, then chuckled. "You need a formula to go with the ingredients before you can tell if the medicine is good. You can't just look at the ingredients and work out the formula. It's not that easy."
Seeing Ya Fei's disappointment, Gu Ni added, "Still, the Rejuvenation Powder made by the Jia Lie Clan is only ordinary. As long as the Xiao Clan's alchemist isn't a novice, they should at least be evenly matched. Whether they can gain the upper hand will depend on the formula."
"Wutan City is going to get lively," Ya Fei said, the corners of her lips turning up.
Gu Ni suddenly asked, "You think you can just sit back and watch?"
Ya Fei paused, then said, "Uncle Gu, you mean the medicinal ingredients?"
The Jia Lie Clan had also bought ingredients through the Mittal Auction House, and now the Xiao Clan was doing the same.
If the medicine sold by the two clans was about equal in quality, then whichever had a steadier supply of ingredients would have the advantage.
A hint of amusement appeared in Gu Ni's eyes. "Miss, who are you planning to support?"
"Of course the Xiao Clan. The brothers Xiao Yan and Xiao Yu clearly have more potential. Their futures are limitless."
Gu Ni nodded and turned to leave.
The Mittal Family had grown so powerful by knowing how to invest and befriend talented young people with potential. Once those people matured, the rewards would be limitless.
When Xiao Yu returned home, he handed the medicinal ingredients to his third brother.
To refine medicine more effectively and avoid being disturbed, Xiao Yan found a cave in the back mountains and began refining.
After a morning of instruction from Yao Chen, Xiao Yan had completely mastered the techniques. His success rate kept rising, and he was working faster, too.
From then on, Xiao Yu was responsible for bringing Xiao Yan food.
Every so often, Xiao Zhan took over the task and checked on his progress.
During one of these visits, Xiao Zhan experienced the medicine's effects firsthand and was utterly astonished.
Compared with the Jia Lie Clan's Rejuvenation Powder, the Blood-Coagulation Powder was far more effective.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere within the Xiao Clan grew tense. Some even suggested assassinating the alchemist hired by the Jia Lie Clan.
If you couldn't solve the problem, then solve the person who created it!
But Xiao Zhan rejected the proposal.
On the other side, business at the Jia Lie Family Market was booming, thanks to the alchemist's exclusive medicines.
This gradually led to some unpleasant developments in the market.
For instance, the Jia Lie Clan members grew arrogant. The medicine was expensive, and they limited how much they sold each day.
Many mercenaries who came after hearing the news often found themselves waiting in line only to leave empty-handed.
Before long, angry complaints were being heard everywhere.
But the Jia Lie Clan members paid them no mind.
If you don't like it, don't buy it!
The Rejuvenation Powder was only available at the Jia Lie Family Market. No other market sold it!
If you wanted to buy it, you had to put up with it and follow their rules!
Before anyone knew it, more than ten days had passed. Business at the Xiao Family Market kept getting worse, with its customer base falling to less than a quarter of what it had been.
As a result, many merchants in the Xiao Family Market felt increasingly uneasy, and some started thinking about moving to the Jia Lie Family Market.
When the three elders and the clan members learned of this, they wore worried faces and grew irritable day after day.
Just as they were about to band together and propose to the clan leader that they fight the Jia Lie Clan to the death, Xiao Zhan made an announcement.
The Xiao Family Market would also begin selling the alchemist's medicine!
Before you continue