The Boy in Black! Origin-Nourishing Spirit Liquid!

"You want to make money?"

After hearing Xiao Yan's plans, Bodhi set down his teacup.

"Those bottles of body-tempering liquid could fetch you some money."

Xiao Yan shook his head.

The Azure Origin Body-Tempering Liquid was meant to complement his current training. If he simply brewed it using the existing formula and sold it, anyone who bought it might pour it over themselves, and it would not necessarily suit them.

"I want to refine a medicine ordinary Dou Zhe can use. As long as it's good, I can keep doing this business for years to come."

Bodhi smiled faintly and said:

"You've thought this through well."

He calculated on his fingers, and a formula entered Xiao Yan's mind: Origin-Nourishing Spirit Liquid.

Its gentle medicinal power nourished the meridians and helped people absorb Heaven and Earth Qi. It benefited both Dou Zhe and those who had just become Dou Shi. To use it, they needed only to dilute it with water in separate doses, then slowly assimilate it after cultivating.

The refining process was more intricate than that of the body-tempering liquid.

But it did not need to be condensed into pills.

After reviewing it, Xiao Yan immediately felt confident.

He had already refined the Origin-Restoring Meridian-Nourishing Pill under his master's supervision. Refining this medicine would be the perfect chance to sharpen the skills he had learned.

But when he saw the required ingredients, he silently felt his money pouch again.

Empty!!!

He had made his bold declarations too soon last night. Today, he did not even have enough capital to get started.

Watching him rummage through his money pouch, Bodhi said leisurely:

"Didn't you say you would earn it yourself?"

Xiao Yan put the pouch away and said with a thoroughly earnest expression, "Borrowing some starting capital and paying it back once I make money still counts as earning it myself."

That day, he went to his father's study again.

When Xiao Zhan heard that his son planned to sell medicine, he neither laughed at him nor took the whole matter into his own hands. He merely instructed the dispensary to provide a batch of ingredients according to the list and put the expense under his name.

"Take them and try. Whether you succeed or not, make sure you understand how it all works."

Holding the boxes of herbs, Xiao Yan let out a deep sigh of relief. Having a father really was wonderful.

When the ingredients arrived, Xiao Zhan also had someone bring a few Gold Coins, saying that anyone heading out on business ought to have some spending money.

Xiao Yan recorded those on paper as well, intending to repay all the starting capital once he sold the medicine.

Over the next few days, the fire in the little Cauldron scarcely went out.

Xiao Yan trained as usual during the day, then sat before the Cauldron in the afternoon, studying how to blend the various medicinal extracts. His first two attempts produced spirit liquid, but a little fine foam still floated in the otherwise clear liquid, and its medicinal properties were uneven.

Bodhi had him save a little of each batch and compare the differences himself.

After examining them for a long time, Xiao Yan finally realized that he had not completely removed the impurities from one of the supplementary herbs. When the ingredients were blended at the end, those impurities compromised the quality of the entire bottle.

On his third attempt, he deliberately devoted more effort to that step.

The liquid that emerged from the Cauldron finally resembled melted green jade. A gentle swirl left a clear, lustrous film along the bottle's walls.

After inspecting it, the Patriarch nodded.

Only then did Xiao Yan use up the remaining ingredients, selecting the three bottles of the best quality and arranging them neatly on the table.

These were second-tier medicines too, and they aided cultivation. Surely buyers would not be hard to find.

As for where to sell them, he had already decided.

The Mittel Auction House.

The original Xiao Yan had relied on Yao Lao to lend weight to his identity when he went there. Now, Yao Lao was still asleep in the Soul-Nurturing Lamp, yet he had already embarked on the medicine-selling path ahead of time.

Only now, the person backing him was Patriarch Bodhi.

At that thought, Xiao Yan could not help glancing at his ring. My current lineup seems even more reassuring.

"Master, I plan to go with my face covered."

Bodhi asked in puzzlement:

"Why?"

Xiao Yan explained:

"If an eleven-year-old young master of the Xiao Clan goes around selling bottles of second-tier spirit liquid, a crowd of people asking questions will probably gather outside our gates before I've made any money."

He packed the medicine bottles away and spoke earnestly.

"The fewer complications, the better."

Bodhi did not object and replied:

"Then go that way."

When Xun'er arrived that afternoon, Xiao Yan was lining a cloth bag with soft fabric, separating the three medicine bottles so they would not knock against one another as he walked.

One glance told the girl that he was preparing to go out.

"Buying herbs again?"

"This time, I'm selling medicine." Xiao Yan smiled as he tied the bag shut, then added with a faint smile, "Let's see if I can earn back the money I spent."

Curiosity brightened Xun'er's eyes.

"Would you like me to come along?"

Xiao Yan considered it, but shook his head.

"I have some business to take care of today, and there might be a long wait. Once I've sold it, I'll come back and tell you."

Xun'er did not insist. She simply placed a thin booklet on the table. "This lists the prices of common herbs at several herb shops. Keep it. It might be useful when you restock after you get back."

Xiao Yan took it and flipped through two pages.

The handwriting was delicate, and some herb names had their origins and quality noted beside them. Clearly, this was not some ready-made booklet she had casually bought.

His movements slowed a little, and he looked up.

"Thanks, Xun'er."

The girl's lips curved.

"If you really want to thank me, come back early. Don't get so busy that you forget to eat again."

"I'll remember."

After leaving the Xiao Clan, Xiao Yan first went to a clothing shop and bought a loose black robe.

Once he draped it over himself, not only his face but even both hands could disappear inside the sleeves.

He changed in a quiet alley, but the moment he took a step, the hem caught on the toe of his shoe and nearly tripped him.

A soft chuckle came from the ring.

Bracing himself against the wall, Xiao Yan looked down expressionlessly and tightened the cloth sash around his waist another turn. After all, before an expert made his entrance, he had to get his clothes in order.

After a moment's thought, he lowered his voice and tried speaking:

"This old man has come today..."

His voice caught in his throat, sounding as though he had caught a chill.

Bodhi finally laughed aloud.

"Have you come to sell medicine or seek treatment?"

Rubbing his neck, Xiao Yan said helplessly, "Master, could you help change my voice?"

"That's easy enough."

A wisp of pure energy flowed from the ring and brushed across Xiao Yan's collar.

When he spoke again, his voice had aged considerably, carrying a slightly deep rasp. Even he was startled by the sound.

At the same time, the faint traces of Dou Qi that had been leaking out were concealed by that wisp of pure energy.

To anyone else, he was merely a figure shrouded in a black robe. His cultivation level was difficult to judge from his aura.

Xiao Yan felt his face and could not resist asking:

"Has my appearance changed too?"

"It's hidden beneath your hood. Why change it?"

"True."

Xiao Yan pulled his hood lower, checked the medicine bottles one last time, and stepped out of the alley. This time, he deliberately walked more slowly, finally carrying himself with a measure of unhurried composure.

But when he passed a stall selling baked flatbread, his feet still instinctively paused for a moment.

"Business first."

The Patriarch's voice reached him.

Xiao Yan silently turned his head back, thinking that he really had not quite mastered playing the venerable elder yet.

Before long, a spacious, luxurious building appeared beside the street.

The Mittel Auction House.

The guards at the entrance wore tidy uniforms and armor. The visitors coming and going were dressed in all sorts of styles, from mercenaries to merchants from the city.

Xiao Yan looked up at the sign, tucked the cloth bag farther into his sleeve, and walked straight into the hall.

An attendant approached with a respectful smile.

"Sir, are you here to attend the auction or consign an item?"

"To consign."

An aged voice emerged from beneath the hood.

Xiao Yan first felt a flicker of inward satisfaction, but his face was hidden so completely that no one else could see a thing.

The attendant led him into the appraisal room and invited him to sit at the table. The middle-aged man receiving him set down his ledger and asked politely:

"What would you like to consign, sir?"

Without elaborating, Xiao Yan placed a small bottle on the table.

"Medicine."

The middle-aged man picked up the bottle, but when he smelled the faint, fresh fragrance escaping from its mouth, his previously composed movements briefly halted.

Rather than making a hasty judgment, he carefully examined the liquid inside, his expression gradually growing solemn.

A moment later, he gently set the small bottle back down.

"Sir, please wait a moment. This requires Master Gu Ni's appraisal."

Xiao Yan leaned back in his chair, his fingers secretly relaxing inside his sleeve. He nodded slowly and replied with just one word.

"Very well."