The Mitel Auction House was the largest auctioning establishment in Wutan City, and it belonged to the wealthiest family in the entire Jia Ma Empire: the Mitel Family.
Possessing a long and enduring history that had stretched across centuries, the Mitel Family commanded an intricate web of connections and, according to certain rumors, shared faint ties with the Jia Ma imperial household. Alongside the Nalan Clan and the Entel Family, it was known as one of the Three Giants of Jia Ma, its reach extending into the commercial sphere, the military sphere, and every field besides.
And so, with the formidable backing of the Mitel Family as its shield, however appetizing the auction house's profits might be, no one dared cast covetous eyes upon it.
...
Gazing at the vast venue at the end of the street, Xiao Yan slipped into a secluded alley and quickly threw on the black cloak he had purchased earlier. The great cloak shrouded him down and over, concealing his features and swelling his slender build into something bulky and bloated. In his present appearance, even Xun'er herself, standing right before him, would have found it hard to recognize him at a glance.
With his appearance concealed, Xiao Yan at last let out a sigh of relief. A thing like the Foundation Liquid held far too much allure for the various clan powers — if anyone could manufacture it on a grand scale, the younger generation of that family would grow in strength at a breathtaking pace. To avoid bringing needless troubles upon himself, Xiao Yan had no choice but to act in secrecy.
His hand stroking the slightly cool white jade vial against his chest, Xiao Yan slowly emerged from the alley and made his way toward the auction venue at the end of the street.
Passing beneath the wary gazes of the fully-armed guards at the entrance, Xiao Yan walked straight in without pausing. The moment he stepped inside, the oppressive heat seemed peeled away from his body, giving the strange impression of being caught between two entirely different worlds.
His gaze sweeping across the spacious, opulently gilded hall, Xiao Yan headed for a room on one side, upon whose door three gleaming golden characters were printed: the Appraisal Room. Pushing open the door, he found the room rather empty, occupied only by a middle-aged man sitting listlessly in a chair beside a table. At the sound of the door, the man raised his head, looked at the figure wrapped entirely in a black robe, and furrowed his brow almost imperceptibly before layering his face with a professional smile. "Sir, are you here to have a treasure appraised?"
"Mhm." From beneath the black robe came an oddly hoarse, aged voice, drifting out faintly — Yao Lao's voice. Xiao Yan stepped forward two paces and casually drew the white jade vial from his bosom, setting it gently upon the table.
"And this is?" Blinking in confusion, the middle-aged man carefully picked up the white jade vial, sniffed lightly at its mouth, and, a moment later, his expression shifted subtly. When he turned his gaze back on Xiao Yan, a measure of awe had crept into it. "Are you an alchemist, sir?"
"Mhm." The aged voice sounded again.
"Might I ask... what pill is this? What is its use?" Hearing this, the man asked again in a respectful tone.
"The Foundation Liquid. It can accelerate the rate of Dou Qi cultivation, though it only proves effective when used by those who have yet to reach the rank of Dou Fighter."
"Oh? It can accelerate the rate of Dou Qi cultivation?" At these words, the man's countenance stirred. That Dou Qi could only be cultivated in a steady, plodding manner had become common knowledge, and moreover, the meridians of a cultivator at this stage were extremely fragile. If the potency of a medicine proved too fierce, it could only end in the wretched fate of shattered meridians and a lost life...
"My elixir carries no side effects at all, and its potency is extremely gentle. It will not bring about such a result, so you may rest easy." As if understanding the man's thoughts, the aged voice explained slowly.
His expression shifting once more, the middle-aged man carefully returned the white jade vial to the table and said respectfully, "Sir, might you wait a moment? I must fetch Master Gu Ni to appraise the elixir!"
"Mhm, be quick about it." Waving a hand, Xiao Yan settled into a chair to one side and closed his eyes.
The middle-aged man nodded hurriedly, then scurried anxiously out of the room.
Sitting in the chair, Xiao Yan kept his silence and did not speak with Yao Lao. This was another's territory, after all — who could guarantee the place was not fitted with devices for spying or eavesdropping?
After Xiao Yan had waited in the room for quite some time, the middle-aged man returned at last — though this time he brought with him an old man with greying hair, dressed in blue robes.
Xiao Yan's gaze swept over the old man before coming to rest at last upon his chest. There, no golden star had been embroidered; instead, something resembling a medicine cauldron was depicted, and upon the cauldron's surface, two silver ripples shimmered with a noble, radiant gleam.
"Sir, this is Master Gu Ni of our auction house. He is a three-star Great Dou Master and a second-rank alchemist!" the middle-aged man introduced him respectfully.
Hearing this, the tip of Xiao Yan's brow beneath his cloak twitched upward. This was the first time he had met an alchemist other than Yao Lao, and so he studied the man with careful scrutiny.
The old man's face was ruddy with health, and a faint luster seemed to flow through the fabric of his plain blue robes — clearly enchanted with magic crystal protection. Upon his ordinary-looking face rested a pride hard to conceal, the badge worn without exception by every alchemist.
Even as Xiao Yan was studying him, Gu Ni, too, was sweeping his gaze over the former in a passing, unobtrusive way. An alchemist was not a Dou Fighter — any one appearing out of nowhere would be fought over in a fierce rush by every power around — so Gu Ni was silently guessing at the identity of this mysterious figure the whole while.
The middle-aged man carefully lifted the jade vial from the table and handed it to Gu Ni.
Taking the white jade vial, Gu Ni sniffed lightly at its faint, refreshing fragrance, half-closing his aged eyes. He tilted the vial's mouth, and a small droplet of greenish liquid rolled out, hovering above his palm. Bringing two fingers together, he produced a fine silver needle; a faint wisp of Dou Qi fluctuation shimmered along it as he plunged it, unobtrusively, into the liquid and stirred it gently...
As the needle stirred, Gu Ni's expression shifted gradually from calm to grave. After a moment, he drew the greenish liquid back into the jade vial, then cast his gaze once more upon Xiao Yan — upon that haughty face there was now a touch of genuine respect. Turning to the middle-aged man, he said in a low, deliberate voice, "The elixir has already reached the level of a second-rank pill. What this gentleman said earlier was entirely true!"
Hearing this, the middle-aged man let out a relieved breath and turned a warm smile upon Xiao Yan. "Sir, do you intend to auction this elixir?"
"Mhm. Can you arrange the earliest possible auction for me?"
"Heh, naturally no trouble at all. Take this with you to Auction Room Number One — an auction is in full swing there, and your elixir will be sold off in no time!" Smiling, he handed over a dark iron token.
"Mhm." Taking the token, Xiao Yan did not linger and, under the gazes of the two men, stepped straight out of the room.
"Master Gu Ni, is he truly an alchemist?" Only after Xiao Yan had vanished did the middle-aged man ask in a low voice.
"Mhm, he is indeed an alchemist. That keen soul-sense of his leaves no room for error..." Gu Ni nodded, then furrowed his brow, muttering in some perplexity, "But which power does he belong to? I had no idea Wutan City had an alchemist who could refine second-rank pills."
"Shall we look into his origins?" the middle-aged man asked softly.
Gu Ni gave the matter some consideration, then slowly shook his head. "Not for now. Alchemists are all of an eccentric temperament; if an investigation caught his notice, it would sour his impression of the auction house, and lightly offending an alchemist of unknown rank is hardly wise. You know well enough how to make him look kindly upon us, don't you?"
"Heh, understood."
"Remember — even if we cannot win his friendship, we must on no account offend him. Otherwise..." Gu Ni drifted away.