"Xiao Yuan, my young friend!"
Before he arrived, his voice came first.
Xiao Yuan was still nervously digging his toes into the floor when he suddenly heard that booming call.
Right after, a white-haired elder in a green robe strode into the room.
Xiao Yuan immediately stood and said respectfully,
"Elder Gu Ni."
"Oh, Xiao Yuan, my young friend! It's been so long! Come, come, sit down. There's no need to be so formal."
Master Gu Ni had met Xiao Yuan a few years earlier, when Xiao Yuan came to the Mittal Auction House to sell some surplus pills.
The quality of the pills he sold had been so perfect, so unprecedented, that he had somehow struck up a connection with Gu Ni, a Second-Rank Alchemist and Three-Star Great Dou Shi.
The two had become friends despite their difference in age.
Of course, Xiao Yuan hadn't forgotten why the old gentleman valued him so much.
"Xiao Yuan, my young friend, I've heard quite a bit about your recent exploits. A Great Dou Shi at fourteen! Your talent for cultivation is just as astonishing as your talent for alchemy."
"Uh... You flatter me, you flatter me."
Xiao Yuan awkwardly picked up Master Gu Ni's thread.
His being an alchemist and all that was entirely a misunderstanding. Back then, he had brought out so many pills, all of such perfect quality, as though they had come from the same hand.
So Gu Ni had assumed Xiao Yuan had refined them himself, or that he had an alchemy master backing him.
Xiao Yuan had no way to explain, so he had simply let the misunderstanding stand.
Looking at the final result, it had worked out pretty well.
But to keep the old man from going on, Xiao Yuan took the initiative and said,
"Elder Gu Ni, I came here this time to ask you to help me appraise a pill."
"Mm, I know. My subordinates just told me that you specifically asked for me. What pill would you like me to appraise this time, my young friend?"
Master Gu Ni was full of anticipation.
The pills Xiao Yuan had brought to sell a few years ago had been so astonishingly fine that Master Gu Ni was still looking forward to what he might see this time.
Only, unlike last time, Xiao Yuan brought out just one porcelain bottle—the same one he had first handed to the appraiser.
"My young friend, what is this...?"
"We're appraising just this one today."
Xiao Yuan smiled faintly.
Seeing that his smile seemed genuine, Master Gu Ni nodded and poured the pill from the bottle onto a tray.
At once, a rich fragrance poured from its surface, filling the small room.
Just one sniff was enough to leave a person feeling refreshed and invigorated.
"The pill's fragrance is rich, its body smooth and rounded, and its quality is still flawless, like a piece of fine jade..."
Master Gu Ni couldn't help exclaiming again and again.
By his rough estimate, the pill had already reached the fourth rank.
Then he looked up at Xiao Yuan and asked,
"What kind of pill is this?"
"Marrow Cleansing Powder."
"Marrow Cleansing Powder?"
Gu Ni furrowed his brow slightly. After mulling it over for a while, he asked,
"What does it do?"
Xiao Yuan smiled faintly and replied,
"As the name suggests, it cleanses the marrow and tempers the bones, improving one's innate talent."
At that, Gu Ni first froze, then stroked his white beard and burst into laughter.
"Xiao Yuan, my young friend, don't joke with this old man."
He had spent so many years at the Mittal Auction House. What kind of treasures and pills hadn't he seen?
Yet he had never heard of a pill that could cleanse the marrow, temper the bones, and improve one's talent.
If such a pill truly existed, wouldn't the entire Dou Qi Continent go mad fighting over it?
And yet...
Master Gu Ni hesitated.
He couldn't help looking at Xiao Yuan across from him. Xiao Yuan was still smiling, his expression unchanged.
"...Xiao Yuan, my young friend, are you telling the truth?"
"If you don't believe me, why not try it for yourself, Elder Gu Ni?"
That was arguably the best and quickest way to prove it.
At those words, Master Gu Ni's gaze burned as it fell on the pill, smooth and round as a pearl, resting on the tray.
Was he tempted?
It was impossible not to be.
He was already advanced in years. Neither his alchemy nor his cultivation could improve any further.
If the Marrow Cleansing Powder was real, wouldn't he be able to reclaim his youth?
As for whether it was poisonous...
Judging by its appearance and smell, the pill seemed harmless.
Besides, he wasn't afraid of being poisoned. In Wutan City, no one would dare harm a Second-Rank Alchemist, much less one with the Xiao Clan backing him.
So Master Gu Ni picked up the pill from the tray.
But just as he was about to put it in his mouth, Xiao Yuan's voice rang out again.
"Wait, Master Gu Ni. I haven't finished speaking."
"If it works as I've described, then please agree to do me one favor, Master Gu Ni: introduce me to your auction house's auctioneer, Miss Ya Fei."
Having said that, Xiao Yuan gestured for him to go ahead.
This time, Master Gu Ni didn't hesitate. He put the pill straight into his mouth.
In the space of a breath, the Marrow Cleansing Pill's medicinal power dissolved.
Master Gu Ni could clearly feel the pure medicinal energy flowing through his limbs and bones. It was like rain after a long drought, and every cell in his body seemed to cry out with joy!
A moment later, the energy of heaven and earth around them began surging wildly into Master Gu Ni's body.
In just a few breaths, he broke through from Three-Star Great Dou Shi to Four-Star Great Dou Shi!
"T-this is actually real!"
Even after the breakthrough, Master Gu Ni still couldn't believe it.
Just as Xiao Yuan had said, the pill really could cleanse the marrow and temper the bones. His body felt at least twenty years younger!
Most astonishingly, the cultivation level he had been stuck at for who knew how many years had finally budged, and he had broken through right then and there!
Master Gu Ni looked at the young man across from him, stunned.
"So, Master Gu Ni, can you keep your promise now?"
Xiao Yuan looked at him with the same smiling expression.
Giving Gu Ni this Marrow Cleansing Pill wasn't just about proving its effects. It was also a way of winning him over.
He planned to leave Wutan City in a little while and wander around.
He wanted to meet Xiao Yi Xian, meet Qing Lin, and take care of Nalan Yanran's engagement, while he was at it.
As for Wutan City, the Jialie Clan had already been wiped out, and the plot had changed drastically. He had no idea what would happen next.
So he would have to rely on Master Gu Ni to keep an eye on things here.
A Second-Rank Alchemist might not sound impressive, but in a place like Wutan City, no one would dare offend one lightly.
A Marrow Cleansing Powder was just the right price to win him over.
Master Gu Ni stared at Xiao Yuan for a long while, then let out a quiet sigh.
"All right. The pill works just as you said, Xiao Yuan, my young friend... But there's something I'd like to ask. Would you tell me why?"
"I want to make a deal with Miss Ya Fei."
Gu Ni fell silent.
He said nothing. He only gave Xiao Yuan a long look before standing and walking out of the Appraisal Room.
In his eyes, Xiao Yuan's words were nothing more than an excuse.
In Wutan City, there were at least eight or nine hundred people who wanted to meet Ya Fei, and plenty of them had spent lavishly just to win a smile from the beauty.
To Gu Ni, Xiao Yuan's behavior was no different.
With talent so promising, all he had to do was leave Wutan City, and he could have his pick of beautiful women.
Why tie himself to a woman with no talent for cultivation?
What's more, he had heard that the young lady of the Nalan Family had already changed the object of her engagement to Xiao Yuan...