"Hmph!"
A cold scoff came from beneath the black robe. Judging by that tone, it sounded almost as if Yao Lao had been angered to the point of a trembling soul by Xia Kong's remarks.
"Kid, wanting to achieve the two effects you spoke of is not something a mere fifth-grade pill can accomplish."
This voice was full of unyielding confidence, entirely dismissing fifth-grade pills, which instantly made Xia Kong certain that the speaker was none other than Yao Lao inside the ring.
Xia Kong did not show a shred of guilt. Instead, his gaze burned brightly as he feigned confusion and asked, "Can the elder not do it?"
This seemingly simple provocation seemingly harbored other meanings underneath, instantly making Yao Lao feel a mix of shock and suspicion in his heart.
What did this kid mean by that? Could it be that he had already perceived that the old man was a high-grade alchemist, but now only possessed a remnant soul?
Impossible. Even if his soul power approached the late mortal realm, and even if the old man's soul was currently severely damaged and extremely weak, he had after all been a heavenly realm soul in the past. The gap between them was more than a hundred, thousand, or ten thousand times over, so it was absolutely impossible for him to see through it.
Presumably, he must have simply sensed that the old man's soul strength far surpassed that of an ordinary fifth-grade alchemist, leading him to guess that I could refine sixth-grade pills, without seeing through the fact that I am merely a soul body.
Good kid, he guessed right by a lucky fluke. Yao Lao sighed inwardly.
"Whether a pill can be refined is the old man's business. But now, the old man doubts whether you can actually afford the price required for refining a sixth-grade pill."
Xia Kong understood in his heart. A sixth-grade pill like the Purple Spirit Recovery Pill was a breeze for Yao Lao to procure. He did not drag his feet either, immediately moving to verify that his previous words were by no means empty boasts.
He raised his hand, and spiritual fruits were successively taken out from the storage ring he had prepared beforehand. Level-one to level-three spicy jade and potatoes were displayed in order. Seeing this, Xiao Yan and Yao Lao already believed five or six tenths of Xia Kong's previous claims.
When the plump level-two and level-three strawberries were also placed on the table before them, feeling that faint spiritual attraction, the trust in their hearts had already reached eight tenths.
Upon seeing this third familiar and exotic fruit and vegetable-the strawberry-Xiao Yan's breathing beneath his hood grew somewhat hurried. The gaze he directed at Xia Kong was blazing and fervent, almost producing the illusion of encountering an old friend in a distant land.
As the saying goes, when old acquaintances meet in a distant land, tears well up in both their eyes!
Facing Xiao Yan's fiery gaze, Xia Kong merely smiled faintly and said nothing more.
He harbored no particular ill will toward Xiao Yan. Although this person occasionally acted on impulse and always liked to make grand entrances just in time, he valued loyalty and righteousness and possessed his own bottom line. In his past life, internet rumors even circulated sayings such as "Better be Xiao Yan's underling than Tang San's sworn brother" and "The Endless Fire Domain has Yao Lao, while the God Realm sees no Yu Xiaogang," which clearly showed what kind of character Xiao Yan possessed. Right now, however, was definitely not the time for the two of them to completely lay their cards on the table.
Withdrawing his chaotic thoughts, Xia Kong looked at the figure shrouded in the black robe, the corners of his lips still hanging with that poised, faint smile. "Elder, do you believe it now?"
"Today, this old man has truly witnessed the little friend's methods." Yao Lao's tone softened slightly, the change in his form of address indicating that he had already developed a degree of approval for Xia Kong. "As for the alchemy, this old man can agree to it. It's just that I do not possess a medicinal formula capable of dissolving a seal at the Dou Emperor level. At most, I can only refine a Purple Spirit Recovery Pill for you, and after your friend breaks the seal, help that friend of yours repair the cultivation they have lost over the years."
Having gained such approval from Yao Lao, a trace of inward pride quietly flashed across Xia Kong's mind. One had to know that Yao Chen in life was an eighth-grade peak alchemist and a Nine-Turn Peak Dou Zun. To win a word of approval from him was a rarity indeed, enough for one to brag about for a lifetime in the Starfall Pavilion over on the Central Plains Continent.
Xia Kong was not surprised by the fact that Yao Lao lacked the medicinal formula to break a Dou Emperor seal. A seal at the Dou Emperor level was simply not worth mentioning to Yao Lao in his prime; he could easily resolve it with any casual technique, so naturally he would not deliberately keep the corresponding pills and formulas. In the original story, Yao Lao had also relied on the Seal-Breaking Pill formula prepared by Hai Bodong to untie Medusa's seal, allowing Hai Bodong to recover his Dou Emperor cultivation.
If that was the case, did he have to first seek out Hai Bodong to obtain the formula, and then travel far to the Tagor Desert to seek out the sand mandala? Xia Kong pondered inwardly. If there were no other shortcuts, he would simply have to copy the method and path of the original story.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Xia Kong let out a soft sigh. "A Purple Spirit Recovery Pill it is, then. Let us take half a year as our period. In about half a time, Jia Nan Academy will send people to Wutan City to recruit students, and by then I will hurry back to this place, exchanging these spiritual fruits in my hands for the pills you have refined. For both you and me, this is a mutually beneficial business."
"Wait! The little friend means that the medicinal ingredients for refining the pill must also be prepared by this old man?"
Upon hearing this, Yao Lao immediately sensed something was amiss, vaguely feeling that he had fallen into some sort of trap, yet for a moment he could not figure out where the flaw lay.
Where was there any logic of someone begging an alchemist to refine pills, only for the alchemist to prepare the ingredients themselves? Could it be that during the years he had been asleep, the rules for alchemists on the Dou Qi Continent had changed?
"Yes, is there a problem?" Xia Kong forcefully suppressed the smile bubbling up in his heart, feigning incomprehension as he asked in return.
"Does the little friend not know the rules of asking an alchemist to refine pills? Aside from offering a reward, one must also prepare the medicinal formula, along with at least two sets of ingredients required for the refinement..." Yao Lao explained with a patient demeanor, already waiting in his heart to watch Xia Kong tongue-tied and sporting an embarrassed expression.
However, Xia Kong's next words directly choked him to the point where his soul body flickered and trembled slightly.
"I naturally know the rules. But what I spoke of from the very beginning was a transaction. I use my spiritual herbs in exchange for the elder's refined pills. Since it was the elder who personally agreed to step in and refine the Purple Spirit Recovery Pill, the formula and ingredients should naturally be provided by the elder's side."
Yao Lao, along with Xiao Yan outside the ring, recalled the conversation, only then abruptly snapping to attention. From start to finish, what Xia Kong had spoken of was a fair-value exchange rather than a visit to request alchemy. Since it was a barter transaction, it was naturally not bound by the usual rules of seeking pills, and indeed did not require Xia Kong to provide the formula and ingredients.
In an instant, Yao Lao felt as though he were a fool being played for a sucker. A surge of stifling anger welled up in his chest, nearly driving him to lose his composure-as if in the next moment he would pull out that signature Black Heavy Xuan Ruler to teach this slick youth a lesson.
Seeing his agitated emotions, Xia Kong knew he should not push the old man too hard, and hurriedly backed down to smooth things over. "Elder, please restrain your anger. If I were to prepare the ingredients and formula, then the high-grade strawberries I would have to pay would naturally be reduced by a great deal. While the ingredients for the Purple Spirit Recovery Pill could eventually be found with some effort, spiritual herbs capable of nourishing the soul are something met with by chance rather than sought. The elder is making a killing here! There's no need for anger. If you anger your constitution into a bad state, who will refine pills for me?"
Hearing these words, the anger in Yao Lao's chest mostly dissipated, yet a stifled, congested feeling still blocked his chest, unable to vent.
What Xia Kong said was indeed true; Purple Spirit Recovery Pills were easy to obtain, while high-grade strawberries were hard to find, with only this single source. Yet a new dilemma presented itself: even in his storage ring, he had not gathered all the ingredients for the Purple Spirit Recovery Pill. Wanting to assemble a complete set of ingredients relying solely on the Jia Ma Empire, half a year was truly far too rushed. Thus, Yao Lao's complexion still could not be considered pleasant, and his tone carried a hint of obvious annoyance.
Xia Kong also understood that the half-year deadline was tight, and was even more aware that Yao Lao's current state was damaged. He did not wish for Xiao Yan and Yao Lao to put themselves in perilous situations gathering ingredients. After pondering briefly, he made a concession, willing to pay a portion of the transaction reward in advance by bringing out twenty level-three strawberries for immediate delivery.
Yao Lao immediately instructed Xiao Yan to take a level-three strawberry and consume it. After personally experiencing the boundless, wondrous medicinal power and spirituality contained within it, he felt quite satisfied in his heart.
After some back and forth, they discussed the specific details of the transaction-such as the requirement that the strawberries delivered by Xia Kong must be at least level three, and that if Xia Kong obtained the formula to break the seal and prepared the ingredients, Yao Lao would also have to refine pills for Xia Kong without compensation-and the deal was ultimately finalized.
Xiao Yan, wrapped in his black robe, tarried no longer. Carrying Yao Lao within his ring, he left the Mittel Auction House, where the storm had just subsided.
PS, I previously said I'd reach one hundred thousand words by the end of the month, and now I've kept my word, hehe!
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