"You're pretty clever. That's right, this old man really did have that in mind!"
Yao Chen hadn't hidden his intentions. As an Eighth-Tier Alchemist, he had countless pill formulas at his disposal; any one of them would be worth a fortune. Thinking of this, Yao Chen hurriedly reminded him, "Kid, you'd better disguise yourself. If you go around selling pill formulas so openly, you may invite trouble!"
"I was thinking the same thing!"
Xiao Chen nodded. Even if Yao Lao hadn't said anything, he would have disguised himself. That was more in keeping with Xiao Yan's personality.
At the Mittal Auction House, a mysterious man cloaked from head to toe in black robes sat at a tea table. His aged, hoarse voice, laced with a hint of anger, came from behind his black veil. "Is this how the Mittal Auction House treats its honored guests?"
Xiao Chen and Yao Lao had been inside the Mittal Auction House for half an hour, yet they had been left sitting there the whole time. Yao Lao was starting to lose his patience.
Which alchemist wasn't proud and arrogant? And Yao Chen was an Eighth-Tier Alchemist, no less. When he was alive, wherever he went, he had been treated as an honored guest.
Yet here he was, neglected in this remote little city—and worst of all, in front of his own disciple.
Before they came here, he had boasted to Xiao Chen that as soon as he presented a pill formula, the Mittal Auction House would surely treat him like an honored guest. Now, he was getting slapped in the face again and again.
"I'm truly, terribly sorry. Master Gu Ni is currently appraising some pills!"
Just as Yao Lao was about to blow his top, a voice brimming with charm sounded behind him. "If you have urgent business, you can discuss it with Ya Fei. I can make all the decisions here!"
In fact, Ya Fei had received word as soon as Xiao Chen entered the auction house and asked to see Gu Ni. She had simply been busy handling the auction house's affairs at the time, so she hadn't come over.
In Ya Fei's eyes, the man in black robes was most likely hoping to ask Gu Ni to refine some pills, so she hadn't paid him much attention.
But by the time she finished dealing with her work and was ready to receive the man in black, the scene before her had already unfolded.
In that instant, Ya Fei keenly sensed that this black-robed man wasn't here to ask Gu Ni to refine pills, as she had imagined. Otherwise, he wouldn't have acted this way.
Thinking this, Ya Fei immediately softened her attitude. She poured Xiao Chen a cup of tea herself, then sat down in the chair beside him with a bright smile.
"Master? Since when did a mere Second-Rank Alchemist deserve to be called a master?"
An aged, hoarse snicker came from Xiao Chen's mouth. Before Ya Fei could react, a large hand clad in a black glove reached out from the wide sleeve.
"Boom!!"
A bone-white, cold flame flared across his palm, and the temperature around them began to plummet. The steaming tea from a moment ago was already forming tiny ice crystals, while a thick layer of white frost had covered the floor and tabletop.
Ya Fei's pupils abruptly contracted. Though she didn't recognize Heavenly Flames, she wasn't ignorant. A flame revealed outside the body was clearly a characteristic of a Fourth-Rank Alchemist.
As for that flame, Ya Fei assumed it was a special kind of fire and didn't even consider the possibility that it might be a Heavenly Flame.
After all, Heavenly Flames were far too rare. How could one possibly appear in this tiny Wutan City?
After putting on quite a show, Yao Lao contentedly put away the Bone Spirit Cold Flame and waved impatiently. "I won't make things difficult for you, little girl. Go get Gu Ni at once and tell him I'm prepared to sell him a pill formula!"
"Please wait a moment, sir. I'll go invite Master Gu Ni right away!"
Hearing this, Ya Fei didn't have time to worry about appearances. She quickly got to her feet and ran toward the back hall.
Before long, Gu Ni hurried out in the robe signifying his rank as a Second-Rank Alchemist. "Gu Ni pays his respects to sir. I'm terribly sorry to have kept you waiting. Gu Ni is truly ashamed. Please forgive me!"
As soon as they met, Gu Ni bowed deeply. When he learned that a Fourth-Rank Alchemist wanted to see him—and had been waiting for half an hour—he had nearly fainted on the spot.
If he hadn't carried some weight at the Mittal Auction House, he would have wanted to drop dead right there. There was no helping it; as an alchemist, he understood alchemists best.
If he offended a Fourth-Rank Alchemist, his future would be utterly bleak. If the alchemist held a grudge, the Mittal Auction House might not even be able to protect him.
"Enough. I'm not here to cause trouble!"
Yao Chen wasn't petty, either. He had just felt a little displeased after losing face in front of his disciple. Now that he had gotten it back, he didn't want to dwell on the matter. With a flip of his hand, a pill formula appeared. "This is my improved Bone Growth Pill formula. It can increase the medicinal efficacy by thirty percent. Take a look!"
Gu Ni breathed a sigh of relief. But when he heard the rest, his body jolted, and his breathing grew rapid.
An improved pill formula? Thirty percent greater efficacy? Those two phrases were like a pair of giant hammers, crashing into Gu Ni's mind and knocking his thoughts into disarray.
By the time he came to, the pill formula was already in his hands. He could only force down his complicated feelings and begin reading it.
"Brilliant! Brilliant!! Truly brilliant!"
After only a quick glance, Gu Ni's eyes lit up. He praised it without end. "Replacing Bone Growth Grass with Warm Bone Flower makes the medicinal properties gentler and greatly improves the effect, while actually lowering the cost!"
Gu Ni's alchemy skills were among the best even among Second-Rank Alchemists. He had spotted the formula's extraordinary qualities at a glance.
"Not bad. You do have a discerning eye. What do you think this pill formula is worth?"
Yao Lao nodded in satisfaction, then got straight to the point and stated why he had come.
Ya Fei had already told Gu Ni about the mysterious alchemist's purpose. After a brief moment of thought, he named the price he had in mind. "Sir, how does five thousand gold sound for this formula?"
In truth, though the formula was ingenious, it wasn't worth five thousand gold. Gu Ni had thought it was worth three thousand.
He offered such a high price for two reasons. First, the Mittal Auction House had indeed neglected the mysterious alchemist. Second, he hoped to build a good relationship with him. After all, one more friend meant one more road. It would be a good thing both for the Mittal Auction House and for himself.
"Fine."
Yao Chen was an old fox. How could he fail to see what Gu Ni was thinking? But he didn't mind. He'd received more than enough preferential treatment in his time. What was a small favor like this?
Seeing Yao Chen nod, Gu Ni finally breathed a sigh of relief. Only then did Ya Fei step forward and hand Xiao Chen the storage card she had prepared earlier. "Sir, this card has exactly five thousand gold coins on it. Please keep it safe!"
"This is the Mittal Auction House's VIP card. It gives you a thirty percent discount!"
After handing the storage card to Xiao Chen, Ya Fei took out another card and respectfully offered it to him.
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