Chapter 56:Jia Nan Academy
For the Primer Auction House, today was definitely the busiest day in the past half a year. Inside the expansive and spacious reception lounge, many people were chattering away and moving about which made Xiao Yan’s group head hurt with all of the noise. It was as if a large buzzing insect was flying around in their ears and wouldn’t leave.
Looking at the crowd so densely packed together that even an ant couldn’t get through, Xiao Zhan shook his head helplessly. It would be for the best for the auction house security guards to help escort his group through the VIP entrance. That would be the best way to get in.
Inside the Auction House, although the number of people was definitely not too few, compared to the lounge outside, it was relatively peaceful. Xiao Zhan looked around the bustling floor as he walked along casually with Xiao Yan and some other clan members to find their seats.
Sitting on one of the edge seats, Xiao Yan looked around the hall with a bored expression while leaning back in his chair without a care in the world,
“Elder Sister, in another half a year, the enrollment period of Jia Nan Academy will start right?” Xiao Yan was leisurely sitting and almost fell asleep when his ears picked up the question Xiao Ning had asked. The mentioning of that special name caused his eyebrows to raise slightly in interest.
Jia Nan Academy, a famous Dou Qi Academy in the Dou Qi Mainland, was armed with a strength that wildly exceeds the common man’s imagination. It is said that one has to be about Da Dou Shi level to become a teacher in Jia Nan Academy. And, even the famous Misty Cloud Faction cannot match up to the might of Jia Nan Academy.
In the Dou Qi Mainland, Academies are somewhat different from clans. If one joins a clan, he would not only be restricted by the clan but would also have to watch his every action as it would reflect back on the clan. An academy was different since all ties would be cut off after graduation!
Even though that is said, humans are not unfeeling animals. In an ivory tower like the academy, students become easily attached to the academy. After graduating, these faint feelings will become the reason why graduates are willing to support the academy to the best of their abilities.
One person’s help might not make much of a difference but if there were thousands or tens of thousands of people helping, that would be quite a scary force….. and this, was the aim of every academy.
Enrolling into an academy was also the best shortcut in obtaining Dou Techniques and Qi Methods. At an academy on the level of Jia Nan, if one’s performance was stellar, he might catch the eye of a teacher, which would open up doors to high level Qi Methods and Dou Techniques. With these two in hand, the distance to becoming a strong Dou Zhe would be shortened by quite a bit.
Qi Methods, Dou Techniques and Alchemy Pills are the three most sought after commodities in the Dou Qi Mainland. Jia Nan Academy dominates in two of these fields, thus people all over the mainland believe that if one were able to enter Jia Nan Academy, one would never again need to worry about their future. Everyone who graduates from Jia Nan Academy is a highly sought after talent with bright prospects.
Therefore, every year, countless youths from all over Jia Ma Country try all sorts of ideas in hopes of somehow getting into Jia Nan Academy.
Thus, Jia Nan Academy is definitely a great place, however it’s enrolment criterias are extremely strict: To reach the 9th Duan Dou Qi before the age of 18!
These requirements bar many of the less talented people and thus only the truly gifted are left to enter Jia Nan Academy.
……
Having heard Xiao Ning’s inquiry, Xiao Yu gave a slight nod. With a quick glance at Xiao Yan, she proudly replied: “Fret not, you have already fulfilled the criteria. Furthermore the one in charge of recruitment in Wu Tan City is my teacher, who is a 5 star Da Dou Shi. Together with the fact that I am here to put in a word for you, there is definitely no problem for you at all.”
“Haha, that’s great.” Having heard her reply, Xiao Ning’s face lit up like fireworks and nodded his head in excitement. The origin of this chapter’s debut can be traced to N0v3l–B1n.
Hearing their conversation, Xiao Yan’s mouth slightly twitched. If it was before, he could only enter Jia Nan Academy in hopes of obtaining higher tier Dou Techinques and Qi Methods. But now, since he had Yao Lao, whose origins remained a mystery, as a teacher, Jia Nan Academy no longer interested him.
“Does Xiao Yan ge-ge not plan to take the entrance test for Jia Nan Academy in half a year?” Xun Er softly asked, having picked up Xiao Yan’s lack of interest.
At Xun Er’s question, Xiao Yu raised her brow and cast a gaze towards the two, she had already made up her mind that if the little bastard was going to try to go to Jia Nan Academy, she would tell her teacher to make him suffer a bit.
Xiao Yan rubbed his nose and lazily replied: “Not interested. What could I possibly learn with a bunch of wimpy kids? If I wanted Dou Techniques, jumping off cliffs in search for hidden treasures would be more exhilarating.”
“Humph, what a boastful tone. Do you really think an Academy would beg for you to join? Don’t be so arrogant just because you’re blessed with a bit of talent; there are many in Jia Nan Academy who could easily match you. In fact, not entering would be better for you, given your hateful character, all you would find there is a world of beatings.” At Xiao Yan’s belittlement of the academy she was intensely proud of, Xiao Yu interjected icily as her expression turned frosty.
Xiao Yan turned his sight to sweep over the indignant Xiao Yu, the sides of his mouth slanted downwards, yet he could not be bothered with her. His promise with Nalan Yanran would need to be fulfilled in less than two years. The only goal he had now was to surpass that woman.
There was not much time left but the difference between them was still too vast. Xiao Yan did not believe that there was anyone in Jia Nan Academy who would be able to help him surpass Nalan Yanran in the two years left.
Since they could not help him, why would he bother to enroll into that lousy academy? Unless they could instruct him in the Alchemy Arts like Yao Lao? But even if they could, could they match up to Yao Lao’s skills?
Shaking his head, Xiao Yan decided not to debate with her about academies anymore. Taking a look around, he found that two other large clan’s members had also entered the auction.
After yet another crowd had passed by, Xiao Yan suddenly felt a cold gaze. Briefly turning, he realised the owner of the gaze was the one he had clashed with in the marketplace: Jia Lie Ao.
Currently, the young master of the Jia Lie Clan was staring at him with malicious intent while occasionally sneaking lustful glances at the exquisite figure of Xun Er beside him. This caused Xiao Yan to stare back, eliciting an evil smile from the young master.
Coolly staring at Jia Lie Ao whose mouth kept opening and closing, Xiao Yan was barely able to decipher his intentions: “Little useless trash from the Yan Clan, you have finally completed your Coming of Age ritual right? Better not let the young master see you in Wu Tan City or else….. heh heh!”
Slightly squinting at Jia Lie Ao who had burst out into laughter, Xiao Yan faintly smiled as a viscous light flashed in his eyes.
Chapter 57:Advertisment
Releasing his chilly gaze, Xiao Yan did not act but rather curled all ten fingers while a strange push-and-pull force began to gather in his palm; it was if his hands were alive and breathing.
After refining “Vacuum Hand” and “Fire Palm” for more than a year, Xiao Yan, though unable to say his skills had reached perfection, could confidently say that he was able to switch between the two skills much more smoothly. If Xiao Yao sparred with someone, it was assured that he could quickly release the two Dou Techniques together and harm the other party.
Beside him, Xun Er gave a quick glance towards Jia Lie Ao, a small smile creeped onto her lips: “Xiao Yan ge-ge, that guy seems to be a lot stronger than before……”
Xiao Yan inclined his head in agreement, coolly replying: “Last time at the auction, his father managed to win a Wind-Attribute High Xuan Level Qi Method. It’s been a year and that certainly has been enough time for Jia Lie, who is of the wind attribute, to change his old Dou Qi into the new Method’s Dou Qi and thus making him stronger than before.
“Hehe, no wonder he’s become so arrogant. Does he really think that a High Level Xuan Technique is something so rare?” Xun Er was all smiles as she remarked. Within her crystal-clear eyes a light golden blaze danced wildly.
Xiao Yan smiled as he shook his head and with a hint of playfulness he replied: “To a wealthy young girl like you who can pull Qi Methods of High Level Xuan quality out of thin air, of course something like that isn’t rare.”
Hearing Xiao Yan’s teasing words, Xun Er wrinkled her lily-white nose. Rolling her eyes, she replied with some bitterness: “Even though it’s rare, didn’t Xiao Yan ge-ge still reject it?”
Having heard what she said, Xiao Yan smiled in embarrassment. Pointing his chin towards the stage, he said: “The auction is about to start ……”
Seeing Xiao Yan feign ignorance, Xun Er could only shake her head grudgingly as she cast her gaze towards the auction stage which suddenly lit up.
Under the attention of countless eyes, Ya Fei, dressed in a red dress, stepped up onto the stage. The red dress tightly wrapped around her body, causing the audience’s gazes to blaze with passion.
Ya Fei, wearing a lovely expression, veiling her ever so slightly sensual lips behind a hand, faced the audience below and let out her lovable laugh as she said a few words to the crowd. With her charm, she easily drove the auction into a frenzy of desire.
Feeling the growing excitement in the air, even Xiao Yan could not help but smack his lips together. Ya Fei was indeed worthy of the title of Primer Auction House’s Chief Auctioneer; with just a few words, she had turned weaker willed men into beasts and filled their heads with passion. At this point, if Ya Fei were to try and auction off a pebble, many people would value the pebble as a priceless treasure to be bought.
Looking at the intense atmosphere in the hall, Ya Fei was slightly pleased with herself. Her years of training had enlightened her on how strongly her beauty effected men. Her red lips formed an inviting smile as her gaze shifted around the room taking in everything around her. When her eyes swept over a young man sitting behind Xiao Zhan, she could not help but be faintly surprised.
Though the youngster’s gaze was on the platform, those ink-black eyes which danced around let Ya Fei know that this young man was not swayed by her alluring performance which caused her black eyebrows to lift slightly in astonishment.
Moving her gaze away from Xiao Yan, Ya Fei’s red lips slightly parted as a soft laugh escaped. Clapping her hands, she smiled and said: “Ya Fei knows what has brought everyone here today, thus the usual appetisers will be left out. Instead, we will start right away with the main event.”
As she ended her speech, Ya Fei lightly waved her hands, dimming the lights on the stage. Bowing to the crowd, she took out a jade plate and at the middle of the plate laid a tiny White Jade Bottle.
At the appearance of the tiny White Jade Bottle, the audience’s gaze heated up with longing. One by one, they rubbed their hands together in anticipation of obtaining the bottle for themselves.
“Does anyone remember the Foundation Elixir from our last auction? The ones we are offering now are made by the same alchemist. Our Auction House’s grandmaster Gu Ni has assured us that the effectiveness and quality are also the same, so everyone need not worry about that.” Ya Fei said as she gently smiled. Suddenly turning towards Xiao Yan, with a charming and lovely smile, she added: “Previously, the Foundation Elixir was bought by the Xiao Clan Leader, Xiao Zhan and after this purchase, Young Master Xiao Yan managed to jump from the 3rd to the 8th Duan Dou Qi in one year, whether this was due to the Foundation Elixir….. Haha, Ya Fei can only guess.” Towards the end, within Ya Fei’s beautiful eyes, a flash of craftiness could be seen.
Hearing Ya Fei’s words, all eyes shifted to the front row until they laid upon the slightly overwhelmed figure of Xiao Yan. Gasps of surprise could be heard all around and although word of Xiao Yan’s monstrous training speed had long ago spread throughout Wu Tang City, many had not been able to personally see it. Thus having the chance to see Xiao Yan in person, many could not help but sigh in amazement. At the same time, it strengthened everyone’s conviction to obtain the Foundation Elixir for themselves.
Not far away, seeing Xiao Yan in the spotlight, the corners of Jia Lie Ao curled into a sneer as his face became filled with disdain.
Under the crowd’s attention, Xiao Yan twisted uncomfortably in his seat; in his heart he could not decide whether to cry or laugh. This woman was brilliant, she actually used Xiao Yan himself as a free advertisement. With Xiao Yan here as a living specimen, the price of the Foundation Elixir would rise by at least 20% to 30%.
“Sigh, this woman….. it’d be a waste if she weren’t a merchant.”
Sighing yet again, although Xiao Yan was disturbed by the surrounding gazes, he remembered that the items on auction were actually his and thus he could only shake his head in frustration and give a death stare to the smiling Ya Fei on stage.
Ya Fei fearlessly ignored Xiao Yan’s stare and instead brazenly replied with a mature, lovely and alluring smile, causing a few men behind Xiao Yan to swallow a mouth of saliva.
“For the first bottle of Foundation Elixir, the auction price starts at 15 000!” The initial posting of this chapter occurred via Ñøv€l-B!n.
On stage, Ya Fei was all smiles as she asked for such a huge amount; she had pushed the price of the Foundation Elixir to twice the original value.
“What viciousness……” Below the stage, having heard the price, Xiao Yan’s mouth split open in amazement as he inwardly shook his head. As expected, women were the most vicious beings there were.
Chapter 58:A High Price
Even though everyone in the hall quieted down after Ya Fei announced the starting price, soon, a young man who had been distracted by Ya Fei hurriedly yelled: “16,000!”
Immediately after calling out his price, the slightly pale faced young man tried to act gracefully by faking a bow towards Ya Fei. However, he missed the fact that his eyes were giving conspicuous lust-filled looks at her well formed chest.
Internally sneering at the young man, whose thoughts were obviously fixed on her body, Ya Fei continued to keep her smiling expression and asked the rest of the crowd, “Do we have any other offers?Are there any other takers?”
“17,000!”
“19,000!”
The crowd under the stage erupted with people calling out their prices after that initial offer. The first buyer looked embarrassed after his initial price had been beaten by two or three other people and promptly sat down.
Hearing the nonstop stream of prices, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but feel shocked and could only let out a gasp in his surprise. The buyers wanted the Foundation Elixir to a degree that was far greater than he had anticipated. It would appear that letting the Primer’s Auction House spread word of the Foundation Elixir had been a wise decision after all.
The three major clans held an spectator stance in regards of this Foundation Elixirs and thus weaker parties seized the opportunity and began to scramble to name whatever they would pay. They all wanted to snatch a Foundation Elixirs because, after all, something, such as a Foundation Elixir, that could increase one’s Dou Qi was rare even within the whole of the Jia Ma Empire.
After half an hour of prices being called , the first Foundation Elixir was sold after the bids began to stall at around 47,000.
Looking at the happy look on the fat buyer’s face, Xiao Yan was truly speechless. He didn’t think that anyone would want a Foundation Elixir more crazily than his father had… It costed around 1000 gold coins to make just one Foundation Elixir, but here one just sold for ten times that amount. At such large profit margins, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but salivate.
Xiao Yan took a moment to ponder, scratching his chin and blinking: if he had never met Yao Lao, would he ever have had the luxury of being able to use the Foundation Elixir every day?
Seeing that the first Foundation Elixir had been sold for such a large price, Ya Fei could only let out a sigh of relief and think to herself, “With such a price, will the mysterious alchemist be satisfied? It would be great if the mysterious alchemist had even a slightly better impression of the Primer Auction House!”
Ya Fei turned back to look at all the people who filled the auction house, after shaking her head out of her thoughts. With a laugh, she stared at the white jade bottles in her hands, “The last 6 Foundation Elixirs will be divided and sold as 3 groups of 2. Each group will have a starting price of 30,000 gold!”
Eyeing each of the two bottles of Foundation Elixir, the people all became strangely quiet. They looked at the 3 major clans standing a distance away for only a moment. But that short moment was all they needed to know that the 3 clans were about to make their move.
“31,000.” The Jia Lie clan leader Jia Lie Bi was silent for a second after the price was announced, and then slowly called out his bid.
“Hehe, Jia Lie Bi, did the Qi Method you buy last time empty your clan treasury? How is it that you’re so stingy now? Can you even spare 1,000 gold now?” Ao Ba Pa suddenly jeered after hearing Jia Lie Bi’s price.
His face twitching slightly, Jia Lei Bi glared at Ao Ba Pa with a single eye. Instead of firing back an insult, he turned his cold gaze back to the white jade bottles onstage.
“35,000.” Yelled out Ao Ba Pa. He mockingly looked at Jia Lei Bi as he gave his bid.
“38,000.” Jia Lei Bi followed suit.
“45,000.” Ao Ba Pa continued to provoke the other clan leader.
“50,000.” By the time this price was called, Jia Lie Bi’s hand had started to tremble. Although it was hard for him to admit it, as Ao Ba Pa had said before, the Jia Lie Clan had used several years of savings to buy the High Level Xuan Qi Method. Thus recently, Jia Lie Clan’s income had already shrunk by more than 20% to 30%.
“55,000.”
“56,000…”
The rest of the audience members could only sigh regretfully at the sight of the two, even if they had enough funds, they still lacked the might to challenge the three great clans. After all, each of the three great clans of Wu Tang City had at least three strong Da Dou Shi level practitioners!
Though economic power was an important pillar that supported a clan, if there was no military might to protect this economic power, with the riches of the world, they would still not be powerful.
Therefore, the rest of the audience tactfully avoided entering the auction battle between these two clans, while occasionally glancing towards the Xiao Clan, who were still sitting on the fence.
When the Foundation Elixir price raised to 73,000, an ashen-faced Jia Lie Bi finally withdrew. With his clan’s current circumstances he could not afford to continue squandering money.
At the sight of the ashen faced Jia Lie Bi, Ao Ba Pa joyfully pulled back his body, a splendid smile lighting up his face.
While the two were battling, Ya Fei observed from the stage while maintaining her alluring smile. Her gaze was similar to that of a wolf eyeing a fat sheep. It was only when the final auction price had been settled that Ya Fei reluctantly let the smaller hammer in her hand smash downwards.
When Ya Fei once again pushed forward another set of two Foundation Elixirs, the silent Xiao Zhan finally made his move. His indifferent tone sounded out before anyone else, causing the already crestfallen Jia Lie Bi to fall further into depression.
“70,500!” A voice filled with the determination to win flatly resounded throughout the hall.
On the stage, even Ya Fei was taken aback by Xiao Zhan’s drive, taking a little while to recover from her daze, she finally smiled and asked: “Is there anyone else?”
Sitting on his chair, Jia Lie Bi fiercely glared at the smiling Xiao Zhan, cursing in fury to himself: “Bastard, if it was not for him, how would my Jia Lie Clan have fallen to this embarrassing state?”
Flames of rage flickered within his eyes as Jia Lie Bi grinded his teeth and he abruptly shouted with a voice full of bitterness: “85,000!”
“95 000!” Not even bothering to glance at Jia Lie Bi, Xiao Zhan waved his hand, giving the impression that he would be more than able to keep up with any amount Jia Lie Bi could bid.
Seeing that Xiao Zhan was determined to win at all costs, the corners of Jia Lie Bi’s mouth twitched, yet one could see that deep within his eyes, he was happily sneering. It was though he had a bit of hesitation as he clenched his jaw: “100,000!”
Hearing Jia Lie Bi’s bid, the entire hall erupted, using 100,000 gold coins to buy two bottle of Foundation Elixir is insane. It was clearly a big loss.
Carefully scrutinizing Jia Lie Bi who looked like he was ready to fight to the death, Xiao Yan lightly smiled. Shaking his head, he spoke to Xun Er in a low voice: “I bet that if father bids once again, that guy would wash his hands clean of this money loser transaction.”
Xun Er blinked her long eyelashes, she had not payed close attention to the struggle between the two and somewhat startled, she said: “But he looks like he wants it a lot.”
“Hehe” Xiao Yan smiled, he did not need to say another word.
Xiao Zhan sat silently in the front row after having heard Jie Lie Bi’s latest bid. Abruptly standing up, he gave Jia Lie Bi a funny look. At the next instant, the suddenly grinning, Xiao Zhan’s next words stupefied Jia Lie Bi: “You win… ”
Chapter 59:End of the Auction
As the words left Xiao Zhan’s mouth, the whole hall fell silent. A while later, one by one, everyone’s gazes turned towards the ashen faced Jia Lie Bi, gleeful at the calamity that had befallen him.
“Haha, 100,000 gold coins for two bottles of Foundation Elixir… this guy is truly extravagant.” Watching as Jia Lie Bi’s face cramped up, Xiao Yan bowed his head in an effort to hide a cheeky smile and muttered.
Seeing the gloating Xiao Yan, Xun Er smiled and, softly laughing, she said: “Normally, a second rank pill would have a market value of at most 30,000 gold. The Foundation Elixir is a wonder drug that is able to increase the speed of Dou Zi Qi training and is relatively rare, thus it’s price should be much higher than a second rank pill. However… using 100,000 gold to buy it, this Jie Lie Bi is seriously “extravagant”.”
Xiao Yan laughed as he nodded in agreement. He licked his lips in yearning before he smiled and said: “If a bottle of second grade Foundation Elixir could be sold for tens of thousands of gold, doesn’t this mean that those great alchemists would be able to swim in gold?”
“Alchemy is the continent’s most wealthy profession, this is a fact, every Alchemist owns a generous amount of property.” Xun Er was all smiles as she nodded her head. Shifting her gaze towards the Foundation Elixirs on stage, she continued: “As an Alchemist’s rank rises, they don’t auction off their products often. Instead they would rather choose to engage in bartering, as money no longer has value to them…”
“Bartering?” Xiao Yan’s eyebrows perked up and realized that he gained a little insight as to why Yao Lao had such an abundant secret treasure stash.
“Yeah, they use things like Dou Techniques, Qi Methods, rare alchemy ingredients or high level Monster Cores to trade for such pills.” The corners of her rosy lips tilted upwards, forming a smile as Xun Er continued her lecture, “As a result, it is often said that the Alchemist is the most envied profession in the continent. All people dream to become an alchemist but those dreams are often shattered by the harsh and unreachable requirements.”
Eyeing the somewhat regretful Xun Er, Xiao Yan rubbed his nose, grateful for the mutation in his soul.
Deciding not to further the conversation, Xiao Yan turned his sight towards the ashen faced Jia Lie Bi.
Similarly, Jia Lie Bi was shocked into a daze by Xiao Zhan’s words, he stared stupidly at Xiao Zhan who had so easily given up on the bidding war as the corners of his eye’s twitched in disbelief. It felt like half a day had passed before it finally dawned upon him. Jia Lie Bi hoarsely croaked: “Bastard, you tricked me again! It was all an act!”
“Hehe, weren’t you trying to do the same, except that recently your mind was a tad distracted and your acting, it’s…… too fake.” Xiao Zhan smugly laughed, his tone full of mockery.
“Good, good, very good, extremely good, the best, Xiao Zhan, I, Jia Lie Bi will remember those words!” Jia Lie Bi continued to gasp out a few breathes in fury, his gaze cold and venomous.
Xiao Zhan ignored his threat, with a final sneer he turned to face Ya Fei and said: “Mistress Ya Fei, let us start the last auction.” The debut release of this chapter happened at Ñøv€l-B1n.
Nodding her head, Ya Fei smiled as she maintained her impartial expression. Yet inside, she was giddy with laughter at this turn of events. This auction had exceeded her wildest expectations and the better the profits, the more the mysterious alchemist would favor the auction house.
Gracing the ashen faced Jia Lie Bi with a consoling smile, Ya Fei once again bent to retrieve the last two bottles of Foundation Elixir. Complementing her rosy lips with a dazzling smile, she announced: “Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the last batch of elixirs, likewise, the starting bid is 30 000.”
At the sight of the final batch of elixirs, the few elders in Xiao Zhan’s vicinity trembled and hurriedly gazed at Xiao Zhan with obvious intentions.
Calmly sitting in his chair, Xiao Zhan took no notice of the elders signals. Instead his gaze looped around the auction house, coming around full circle before he finally announced in an icy tone: “50 000.”
Having heard Xiao Zhan’s bid, Jia Lie Bi’s face tightened as his mouth instinctively started to open, yet at the thought of his current financial crisis, he could only shut it regretfully.
In another corner Ao Ba Pa kept eying the stoic Xiao Zhan. Furrowing his brow and thrumming his fingers against the back of his hand, Ao Ba Pa’s eyes faintly flickering in movement of revelation. In a moment, he faintly smiled and said “55,000”
The three great clans of Wu Tang City had a strange relationship, each wanted to consume the other two’s businesses, yet each feared to act out against the other clan, for the neutral clan would gain from them doing so. Yet even if two of them joined hands, they could not avoid suspecting their ‘partner’. Thus unless they were assured of completely wiping out one party, all three sides could only continue in this complicated and brittle stalemate that had formed between them.
Each of the three great clans had their own set of grudges; each could not stand the sight of another. Even though before, Ao Ba Pa had mocked and ridiculed Jia Lie Bi and now that Xiao Zhan was bidding, Ao Ba Pa was more than willing to compete with Xiao Zhan so that Xiao Clan would lose a bit more money.
Ao Ba Pa’s bid didn’t make Xiao Zhan face change expression. With a casual glance, Xiao Zhan called out, “65,000.”
65,000 was a bit too much for the regular market price for a Foundation Elixir but Xiao Zhan was also knew in deep down that in this 3 way struggle between the clans, it would be impossible to buy a Foundation Elixir for a low or even fair price.
“Hehe, the Xiao Clan Leader sure is extravagant but I’m afraid of being be tricked by you. I already have Foundation Elixir, so I’ll give this one to you.” After Xiao Zhan’s bid, Ao Bo Pa had started to hesitate. It would seem that after the Jia Lei Bi’s huge loss, he had become even more cautious.
Xiao Zhan gazed at Ao Ba Pa and relaxed in his chair while giving out a laugh. The smile, or whatever Ao Ba Pa had plastered on his face was obviously not what the man was feeling. Regardless, Xiao Zhan still let out a grumble afterward: “Dammit, I had to pay an extra 10,000. This bastard is nothing good.”
Hearing those words, Xiao Yan thought that it was comical. In this kind of battle, were there any good men? If the other party did not fear of ending up in a predicament like Jia Lie Bi, he would have definitely continued to raise the bid even more before finally letting the matter drop.
Tapping his fingers, Xiao Yan directed his gaze upon the stage at Ya Fei, who had just brought down the small hammer, signalling the end of the auction. Inwardly, he let out a sigh of relief, this sum of money would be enough for a period of time. Now, all that was left were the alchemy ingredients and for Yao Lao to refine the Qi Gathering Powder…
“Soon, I’ll be a Dou Zhe…”
Xiao Yan licked his lips and let out a long sigh, the first obstacle in his training journey was about to be overcome!
Chapter 60:Ingredients Obtained
Seeing that the auction was about to end, Xiao Yan found an excuse to sneak away.
After carefully leaving the auction floor, Xiao Yan walked along a nearby street for a little bit. He made his way towards a secluded corner and donned the big, black cloak he had previously purchased. Wrapping himself up in the bulky cloak inhibited his movements, so he could only slowly return to the auction floor.
Ever since Ya Fei had identified him as a 4th tier alchemist, she had stationed an informant on the auction floor to watch for any signs of the mysterious man… Consequently, as soon as Xiao Yan arrived, there was already a delicate and pretty maiden that had been waiting who led him to the back and carefully waited on him.
Silently sitting in his chair, Xiao Yan lifted the teacup on the table to his lips and took a sip. He took a quick glimpse at the timid maiden next to him and faintly nodded his head. The voice of an old man could be heard even though Xiao Yan’s lips never moved: “How much longer until the auction ends?”
“Ah!” The sudden question made the maiden jump. Xiao Yan, enshrouded behind a large black cloak, was given a concealed look by the girl. She then, with a pale face, tightly clenched her small hands and nervously replied., “Sir, the auction has already ended; Ya Fei is handling the transfer procedure.”
Xiao Yan couldn’t help but feel puzzled when he saw the maiden; she looked like a startled hare. He wasn’t that scary, was he? Reluctant to accept that possibility, he shook his head and continued in silence.
Standing to the side with her head bowed, the girl looked at the once again silent Xiao Yan and secretly let out a breath. She had been warned by Master Gu Ni, when she had taken on this task, to never hesitate to satisfy any request this mysterious person may have –even if that request was to do something ‘extra’.
Having worked at the auction floor for a year, the young girl obviously understood what these ‘extra tasks’ would require. This was why, everytime Xiao Yan spoke, she would shiver from head to toe. She was afraid that this mysterious man might request one of those… ‘extra tasks’.
The girl stood trembling for about 10 minutes, after which footsteps could be heard outside the door. She was finally able to relax a little bit.
“Oh, sir, you arrived really early. Xue Li should’ve entertained you properly right?” Ya Fei’s serpentine waist swayed and she released an alluring demeanor as she slowly walked into the room. Her curvy figure could make men with little self-control feel fiery impulses.
“Succubus…” His heart once again cried out. Xiao Yan withdrew backwards, and lightly nodded.
Watching Xiao Yan nod, the maiden standing to the side once again released a breath. She respectfully bowed and quickly left.
Seeing that Xiao Yan’s appearance had no trace of dissatisfaction, Ya Fei felt relieved. She gave him a smile that contained heaven’s charm.
Her smile gave Xiao Yan an electrifying jolt. When interacting with this enchantress, Xiao Yan didn’t dare let down his guard. Under the cloak, he stroked the unadorned black ring, hurriedly handing over the responsibility of speaking to Yao Lao.
“Has the auction ended?”
“Yes.” Ya Fei wore a smiling expression as she nodded her snow white chin. Ya Fei waved her hand and a light blue jade card appeared in her hand. She laughed, “Sir, these 7 foundation elixirs, all together auctioned off for 285,000 gold coins. After deducting taxes, the rest of the money is on this card.”
Xiao Yan reached forward and took the card. It rested comfortably in his hand and was clearly expensive to make. He lightly caressed the jade card and nodded.
Looking at the pair of young and fair palms, Ya Fei once again had a strange feeling.
“This price is beyond my expectations. I am very satisfied…”
Yao Lao’s voice made Ya Fei feel pleased. She quickly discarded any strange thoughts. Staring with her alluring eyes, she pursed her rosy lips and laughed, “If you still want to auction medicine later, please come to the Primer Auction House; we will definitely strive to get you the best price.”
Nodding his head, Xiao Yan put away the jade card. After a slight hesitation, Yao Lao’s voiced inquired, “The ingredients I requested, did you find them?”
Her long and narrow eyebrows bent in a beautiful arc, Ya Fei lightly laughed. The lovable tone made Xiao Yan feel somewhat pleasantly surprised.
“Yes, our auction house naturally fulfilled your request.”
Ya Fei clapped her hands, and Gu Ni personally stepped forward holding a jade plate. Then he stopped by Xiao Yan’s side and bowed. He carefully placed the jade plate onto the table and laughed, “Sir, the ingredients you have requested are all here.”
Xiao Yan’s eyes lit up in happiness when he looked at the plate full of ingredients beside him. This auction house’s power was nothing small. If he were to try and buy these ingredients himself, he would have wasted a lot of time and energy. But here, this auction house was able to gather everything in a single day. This left Xiao Yan overjoyed at his unexpected fortune.
“Hmm, sorry for the trouble…” Seeing all the materials for Qi Refining Powder gathered, even Yao Lao’s indifferent voice grew a little soft.
Having interacted with many people at the auction floor for many years, Ya Fei was naturally able to distinguish Yao Lao’s softer tone. She was pleasantly surprised. This transaction was the right decision!
“I don’t want to take advantage of you. The money for these ingredients; subtract it from this card.”
Seeing that Xiao Yan was about to bring out the card again, Ya Fei immediately laughed, “Sir, we obtained these ingredients internally. The price is much cheaper compared to what you would find outside. Your two auctions gained a lot of reputation for our auction house. How could we dare take money for these things?”
“Fine, let’s do it your way. If I need more ingredients in the future, I will exchange pills with you.” Nodding his head, the astute Yao Lao understood that she wanted to create a good relationship. Not wanting to argue with her, Xiao Yan carefully picked up the jade plate and stored its contents away.
“Okay, I have other business to attend to and will not stay any longer.”
Seeing that everything had been stored, Xiao Yan stood up. He shook his hands and headed directly outside.
“Sir, Ya Fei will accompany you.” Ya Fei winked at Gu Ni. The two of them stepped forward to lead the way. The origin of this chapter’s debut can be traced to N0v3l–B1n.
Xiao Yan followed these two auction managers who graciously led the way and walked out of the back room. He raised his head and slowed down.
As they were leaving the back room, a group of three people across the auction floor also emerged. Sweeping his eyes over the three people, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but nervously tug on his cloak. He realized that the person in the middle was his father Xiao Zhan.
“Please don’t let him see me…” Prayed Xiao Yan.
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