A Big Deal Came Knocking

How exactly had Xiao Yan known that potatoes were also commonly called spuds?

Ya Fei turned the question over and over in her mind, but could find no clue whatsoever.

"Of course, sir. Mittel was in the wrong to begin with, so this request of yours is hardly unreasonable."

Ya Fei first agreed to Xiao Yan's request, consenting to sell him a tier-two potato for sixty thousand gold coins. Then, seemingly in passing, she asked a question in a casual tone.

"I believe I heard you use the word 'spud' just now, sir. May I ask where you heard that common name for potatoes?"

A moment earlier, Xiao Yan had been secretly delighted. This private deal not only spared him the auction process, but also saved him more than ten thousand gold coins outright. The last time he had bid on a level-two potato at the auction house, it had cost him over seventy thousand-nearly eighty thousand gold coins. But Ya Fei's unexpected question instantly rooted him to the spot. Fragments of his previous life flashed uncontrollably through his mind, only to be shattered the next instant by the memories of his current life on the Dou Qi Continent.

Inside the ring, doubts also stirred in Yao Lao's heart. He knew Xiao Yan better than anyone and had heard him mention these strange fruits and vegetables before, though he had thought little of it then. Now that he knew "spud" was a common name for potatoes, he naturally deduced that "white radish" was likewise a common name for Spicy Jade. He was certain that before spuds and white radishes appeared at the auction house, no one in Wutan City-or even the entire Jia Ma Empire-had known those names. So where had Xiao Yan learned them?

It seemed this disciple still harbored secrets that even he had yet to see through.

Yao Lao's soul form stroked his beard inside the ring, sinking into deep thought.

"Ah, haha... Miss Ya Fei, you might think I'm trying to fool you if I tell you." Xiao Yan could not possibly reveal the secret of his transmigration, so he could only smooth things over with an ambiguous explanation. At the same time, he turned the question back on her, hoping to divert both her and Yao Lao's attention. "When I was young, I once had a strange dream. In it was a world completely unlike the Dou Qi Continent. The people there called potatoes spuds, and Spicy Jade white radishes. But how did you learn those names, Miss Ya Fei?"

Although Ya Fei was surprised that Xiao Yan's answer was almost identical to Xia Kong's, her expression betrayed nothing. Her reply was equally watertight, and a faint smile even blossomed at the corners of her lips. "Hehe, I heard them from the mysterious person who supplies these precious spiritual plants. I had hoped to learn something of these strange treasures' origins from you, sir."

After some joking and banter, neither lingered over the mystery of the names, and their conversation returned to business.

Xiao Yan took a deep breath and revealed the true, most important purpose of his visit.

"Miss Ya Fei, that unworthy disciple of mine has recently encountered a bottleneck in his cultivation. He urgently needs a large quantity of spiritual medicines such as tier-two potatoes or Spicy Jade. I've prepared quite a bit of Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid this time and would like to make a substantial deal with you. I wonder whether you still have enough tier-two potatoes or other similar spiritual medicines on hand?"

Upon hearing Xiao Yan's proposal, the faint smile on Ya Fei's face slowly faded, and her expression grew serious.

Judging by Xiao Yan's tone, the total value of this deal might well exceed a million gold coins. She could not afford the slightest carelessness.

Xiao Yan's idea was simple and straightforward. His Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid could no longer be sold at the auction house, and neither could Ya Fei's spiritual medicines, so they might as well barter directly. He would exchange the dozens of bottles of Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid in his possession for her spiritual plants.

The market price of Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid was normally thirty to forty thousand gold coins per bottle. When demand ran hot, it could even rise above fifty thousand, and there was never any shortage of buyers.

Likewise, demand exceeded supply for Ya Fei's tier-two crops, such as Spicy Jade and potatoes. Their auction prices generally ranged between sixty and eighty thousand gold coins apiece.

Before leaving, Xia Kong had given her twenty each of five kinds of tier-two crops, totaling one hundred, along with one hundred and twenty tier-three crops of various kinds. She intended to keep the tier-three spiritual plants for her own use, improving her cultivation so she could better help Xia Kong in the future. All proceeds from auctioning the level-two crops would become funds for procuring cultivation methods and combat skills for herself and Xia Kong.

Over the past month or so, she had sold only five Spicy Jades and five potatoes. Even if Xiao Yan bought all the remaining ones, she still had rice, strawberries, Saint Marrow-Washing Fruits, and other varieties to put up for sale in succession. There was no danger of exhausting her stock or creating competing interests.

For Mittel, this deal was certain to turn a profit with no risk of loss. The only questions were how long it would take and how much profit it would yield.

Once she had thought this through, a composed smile once again blossomed on Ya Fei's alluring face.

"You are quite right, sir. At present, I can indeed only conduct private transactions, so I would naturally be happy to arrange this deal. May I ask exactly how many bottles of Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid you have prepared, and at what price you intend to hand this batch over to Mittel?"

She deliberately emphasized the word "batch" as a tactful reminder that scarcity made things precious. Such a large quantity of Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid certainly could not be priced at the highest individual auction price of forty thousand per bottle.

Xiao Yan nodded lightly, understanding her reasoning. His hand, concealed beneath his black robe, swept gently across the table, and forty jade bottles appeared in neat rows, each filled with second-grade Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid.

Despite having already made an estimate, Ya Fei still inwardly drew a sharp breath.

But when she recalled the spiritual plant resources Xia Kong had left her, worth several times this amount, she quickly regained her calm composure. That steadiness made both Xiao Yan and Yao Lao think more highly of her.

Seeing that Ya Fei had not lost her composure at such a display, Xiao Yan felt slightly let down and quoted the price he and his master had agreed on earlier.

"Thirty-five thousand gold coins per bottle. We'll hand all of them over to Mittel, and whatever Mittel earns from auctioning them afterward will have nothing to do with us."

Ya Fei nodded slightly. "Excellent. Your sincerity is clear, sir. Forty bottles comes to one million four hundred thousand gold coins. The average auction price for tier-two Spicy Jade and potatoes is around seventy thousand gold coins apiece. One million four hundred thousand would exchange for exactly ten of each spiritual medicine. What do you think, sir?"

"Excellent."

The sixty-thousand-gold-coin price for that first potato had been Ya Fei's sincere gesture of apology. Naturally, neither Xiao Yan nor Yao Lao would treat a special concession as the standard for a bulk transaction.

And so a deal worth over a million was settled. Both sides counted and checked the goods, exchanged them, and completed the transaction.

By then, the auction in the central hall downstairs was already drawing to a close, and most guests were rising and leaving one after another.

Yet at that very moment, an arrogant young man's voice rang out beyond the private room's door, mingled with the maid Xiao Qin's desperate attempts to stop and dissuade him.

"Move aside! I want to see just what sort of honored guest is skulking around inside that room! I have the right to inspect every item auctioned today, and you dare stop me?"

Xiao Qin's voice carried a note of urgency. "Young Master Lei Le, there is an important guest inside. You absolutely must not barge in!"

Smack!

The sharp sound of a slap carried into the private room.