Yao Lao Gets Something for Nothing at the Auction House

A few days later, Xiao Yan converted the Dou Qi within his body into fire-attributed Dou Qi.

Then, while Yao Lao was resting within the ring, he fused with the Myriad Flame Emperor Body.

During the half year Xiao Yan had spent cultivating bitterly, the Jia Lie Clan's counterattack began.

The Jia Lie Clan had somehow hired an alchemist and refined a large quantity of the healing medicine, Rejuvenation Powder.

Affected by the Rejuvenation Powder, the Xiao Clan's customer traffic was cut in half.

The middlemen from those markets also directly moved to the Jia Lie Clan's markets.

In less than half a month, the Xiao Clan suffered considerable financial losses.

If this continued, the merchants in the Xiao Clan's markets would surely all leave. Once the Xiao Clan lost the commissions from the markets, such a large clan would no longer be able to sustain itself.

Having become a one-star Dou Zhe and fused with the Myriad Flame Emperor Body, Xiao Yan had originally planned to venture into the Magic Beast Mountains to seek out and devour Heavenly Flames.

But now that this had happened, Xiao Yan had no choice but to put his plans on hold. He had to solve this problem for his father, Xiao Zhan, before he could leave with peace of mind.

After telling Yao Lao about it, the latter nodded in agreement and decided to teach Xiao Yan to become an alchemist.

Yao Lao stroked his beard and said in a deep voice:

"If you want to refine medicine, you must first buy a medicinal cauldron, along with a large quantity of basic medicinal ingredients. At the beginning, an alchemist gains experience by burning through herbs."

Xiao Yan scratched his head and asked:

"Teacher, roughly how many gold coins would all that cost?"

Yao Lao rolled his eyes. "You'll need two or three hundred thousand gold coins. With your pitiful savings, it's nowhere near enough."

"This time, I'll show you why alchemists hold such noble status. Money is the one thing alchemists never lack."

Xiao Yan gave an embarrassed chuckle and rubbed his nose.

At the Mittel Auction House, Xiao Yan appeared dressed in a black cloak.

"I need to purchase medicinal ingredients worth one hundred thousand gold coins, as well as a high-quality medicinal cauldron. Take me to the person in charge."

Yao Lao's aged voice came from beneath the cloak.

Hearing Yao Lao's voice, the auction house maid did not dare neglect him. She led Xiao Yan to a secluded reception room.

Then she whispered a few words into another maid's ear. After the second maid glanced at Xiao Yan in the black cloak, she hurried away.

Xiao Yan waved off the tea the maid brought over, telling her to set it aside. He simply sat there in silence.

Before long, two figures entered the room.

One was an elderly man dressed in an alchemist's robe. He was Gu Ni, the auction house's alchemist and a second-tier alchemist.

The other was Ya Fei, Mittel Auction House's chief auctioneer.

Xiao Yan had seen Ya Fei from afar during the clan's coming-of-age ceremony. Only now, seeing her up close, did he realize that she truly was a stunning beauty.

From beneath his cloak, Xiao Yan's eyes swept over Ya Fei. She wore a scarlet, form-fitting brocade robe that traced out a breathtaking curve over her upper body. A silver belt cinched her waist, making it seem slender enough to grasp in one hand and accentuating her shapely hips. Beneath the hem of the robe, a stretch of snow-white, round, long jade-like legs was exposed, irresistibly alluring.

Her face was oval, with long, narrow peach blossom eyes full of charm. Below her high nose bridge were full, fiery red lips, and beneath her delicate chin was a fair, swan-like neck.

"Cough..."

Yao Lao's aged voice sounded.

"I presume you already know why I am here."

Ya Fei happened to be at the auction house today, discussing alchemy matters with Gu Ni. Upon hearing that someone wanted to purchase a large quantity of basic medicinal ingredients and a medicinal cauldron, she guessed that the person was an alchemist and personally came over.

"Hehe, you came at just the right time, sir. Today, the auction received a medicinal cauldron forged from Flame Essence. It was crafted by the famous Master Hoer. Not only can it amplify Dou Qi flames, but it can also improve the success rate of refining medicine. It is a little expensive, though—two hundred thousand gold coins."

Ya Fei spoke with a smile, her eyes so captivating that they could stir one's soul. She stared unblinkingly at Xiao Yan in his black cloak.

Yao Lao's voice did not waver in the slightest. "That is not expensive. I also want a low-grade storage ring to hold five hundred Blood Coagulation Grass plants, six hundred Bone Growth Flowers, five hundred Poppy Flowers, and five hundred Vitality Fruits."

The other party must be an alchemist. Only alchemists would not lack money.

Ya Fei's heart stirred. Her lovely brows rose slightly as she silently calculated the value of everything Yao Lao had requested.

A low-grade storage ring alone cost eighty thousand gold coins, while the large quantity of basic medicinal ingredients would cost roughly one hundred thousand gold coins.

Three hundred and eighty thousand gold coins—this was a substantial deal.

Ya Fei parted her red lips and said in a gentle voice, "Sir, the total comes to three hundred and eighty thousand gold coins. How would you like to pay?"

"Hehe, I have no money."

Yao Lao answered shamelessly.

Ya Fei's brows furrowed slightly, but she did not show any anger.

She still smiled. "Sir, surely you are joking?"

"Enough, I won't tease you anymore."

Yao Lao's teasing voice came from beneath the black cloak. "Prepare the ingredients for two batches of Qi Gathering Powder for me."

Gu Ni abruptly raised his lowered head and asked in astonishment, "Sir, do you intend to refine Qi Gathering Powder to cover the three hundred and eighty thousand gold coins?"

Qi Gathering Powder was a fourth-tier medicinal pill. If the old man beneath the black cloak could refine Qi Gathering Powder, then he was a fourth-tier alchemist.

Since when had the Jia Ma Empire gained another high-tier alchemist?

Shock also filled Ya Fei's peach blossom eyes as she considered how to befriend him.

However, Gu Ni frowned and said, "The value of one Qi Gathering Powder pill would still not be enough to cover goods worth three hundred and eighty thousand gold coins."

Although this might offend a high-tier alchemist, more than one hundred thousand gold coins was not a small sum.

"Then what about two?"

Yao Lao's disdainful voice rang out.

One Qi Gathering Powder pill was worth more than two hundred thousand gold coins. Two pills would be worth over four hundred thousand gold coins, while the cost of the ingredients could be ignored.

It was not that the ingredients were worthless. Rather, if they could use this opportunity to befriend a high-tier alchemist, haggling over the cost of a few ingredients would only make the loss outweigh the gain.

"Two?"

Gu Ni's heart stirred. Two batches of ingredients could produce two Qi Gathering Powder pills. Clearly, the other party was not merely a fourth-tier alchemist. He might be fifth-tier, perhaps even sixth-tier.

"Fine. Prepare two batches of ingredients for Qi Gathering Powder."

Gu Ni immediately made the decision.

Very soon, two maids brought over the required ingredients.

"Find a quiet place. Without my permission, no one is allowed to approach."

"If your negligence causes the refinement to fail, the responsibility will rest entirely on you. And you will have completely offended me."

Yao Lao's icy voice rang out.

Gu Ni hurriedly nodded in agreement. He was an alchemist himself, so he naturally knew that one could not be disturbed while refining medicine. At best, the medicine would be ruined; at worst, one would suffer a backlash to the soul.

Furthermore, every alchemist had their own unique refining methods. Being watched was a great taboo, practically an irreconcilable blood feud.

And offending a high-tier alchemist was something even a Dou Emperor would not dare do.

In the secluded room, after using his soul perception to confirm that no one was nearby, Yao Lao began refining the Qi Gathering Powder.

As the foremost alchemist on the Dou Qi Continent, Yao Lao did not need a medicinal cauldron to refine medicine. He could form pills with his bare hands.

Since he would soon be learning alchemy, Xiao Yan watched with great concentration.

Under his powerful soul perception, he was able to make out some of the principles involved.

Yao Lao used his left hand as a cauldron, raising a white Bone Chilling Flame. With his right hand, he picked up an Ink Leaf Lotus and gently tossed it into the flames.

The moment the Ink Leaf Lotus touched the flames, it was instantly refined into a mass of pitch-black liquid. Under Yao Lao's precise temperature control, the liquid did not vaporize. Instead, it bubbled faintly as yellow impurities separated out and dripped onto the floor.

This process lasted around ten minutes. The black liquid gradually shrank and deepened in color, resembling a jet-black pearl that reflected a faint, ghostly gleam.

Then Yao Lao repeated the process, refining the other medicinal ingredients into liquid.

An hour later, two emerald-green pills floated in the air, giving off a strange medicinal fragrance.

The quality of these two Qi Gathering Powder pills was clearly much higher than the compensation Nalan Yanran had offered that day.

When Xiao Yan, cloaked in black, walked out of the room holding two jade bottles, Gu Ni, standing in the distance, was deeply shaken.