Chapter 54

Of course, saying that Xiao Yan treats Qi Gathering Powder like beans is a bit exaggerated. However, with Old Medicine’s abilities, as long as the materials are sufficient, making dozens of Qi Gathering Powder pills for Xiao Yan is not too difficult a task.

However, before Xiao Yan could be happy after hearing Old Medicine’s boast, he was struck down by the materials that Old Medicine listed, one by one.

"Tomorrow, prepare four fifty-year-old Ink Leaf Lotus, two mature Snake Saliva Fruits, one twenty-year-old Spirit Gathering Herb, and a second-grade Water Attribute Magic Core." Old Medicine said indifferently, but when he turned his head and saw Xiao Yan’s stiff face, he was taken aback and asked, "What’s wrong?"

"Fifty-year-old Ink Leaf Lotus? This kind of age-grade medicinal material seems to cost more than three thousand gold coins per plant, right? Mature Snake Saliva Fruit? This is already considered the best among low-grade medicinal materials; some medicinal shops can’t even buy it. Even if you’re lucky enough to find it, it would cost at least eight thousand gold coins. A twenty-year-old Spirit Gathering Herb? Oh my god, I only saw it once at an auction, and the auction price was a full fifteen thousand. And a second-grade Water Attribute Magic Core, that would cost at least two thousand gold coins." Xiao Yan slapped his forehead and groaned in pain, "Just the cost of these materials adds up to more than fifty thousand gold coins. Where do I have that much money?"

"Uh…" Hearing this, Old Medicine rolled his eyes and spread his hands, jesting, "Those are your problems, not mine. I’m only responsible for refining the medicine."

"Damn, the cost is too high. If we really treat this thing like beans, even the Xiao Family’s wealth can’t afford it." Xiao Yan cursed bitterly in his heart, then he fished out a green card from under his pillow, caressed it painfully, and said helplessly, "The money from selling the Foundation Building Spirit Liquid last time is already down to ten thousand points, which is not enough to buy the materials you mentioned."

Old Medicine chuckled and sat leisurely in a chair, looking indifferent.

Rubbing his forehead, Xiao Yan gritted his teeth and said, "Let’s use this money to buy the materials for the Foundation Building Spirit Liquid first. Then, refine some more spirit liquid to sell at the auction. Otherwise, the money definitely won’t be enough."

Old Medicine nodded indifferently; refining Foundation Building Spirit Liquid, a low-grade spirit medicine, was not difficult for him.

Seeing Old Medicine nod, Xiao Yan let out a sigh of relief and fell heavily back onto the bed, smiling bitterly and muttering, "Being poor is really troublesome…"

…

The next morning, Xiao Yan quietly slipped out of the family compound. After purchasing all the materials needed for the Foundation Building Spirit Liquid from some medicinal shops in U坦 City, he found a secluded inn and went inside.

Since he was selling it to others, Xiao Yan didn’t have the leisure to let Old Medicine carefully prepare the materials, so he bought the cheapest and lowest-quality materials, just like last time.

Because he urgently needed money, Xiao Yan bought seven sets of materials, and at the same time, spent all the money in his card.

While waiting for Old Medicine to refine the medicine, Xiao Yan tossed the green card in his hand and shook his head helplessly, now back to his penniless state.

This time, Old Medicine spent about an hour to complete the refining. Looking at the seven neatly arranged white jade bottles on the table, Xiao Yan smiled and carefully wrapped them in a cloth, then placed them in his chest.

Patted the spirit liquid in his chest, Xiao Yan wrapped himself in the black cloak, and after covering his body tightly, he chuckled and walked out of the inn.

…

In the appraisal room of the Miter Auction House.

Yafei, the chief auctioneer of the Miter Auction House, was now surprised, her sensuous red lips slightly open, her eyes staring blankly at the seven bottles of Foundation Building Spirit Liquid in front of her. Her ample chest, with its visually striking curves, gently rose and fell in a breathtaking arc.

"Cough…" The man in the black cloak sitting not far from Yafei coughed dryly, waking her up.

Gently caressing the cool white jade bottle, Yafei picked it up and sniffed it, then passed it to Gu Ni beside her.

Taking the white jade bottle, Gu Ni carefully examined it and said, somewhat surprised, "They are all Foundation Building Spirit Liquid…"

Hearing Gu Ni’s confirmation, Yafei’s eyebrows lifted slightly, and her charming eyes swept over the man in the black cloak. Her smiling face was filled with alluring charm, "I didn’t expect that after half a year, Sir would bring us such a big business."

"When can it be auctioned?" The old voice came from under the black cloak.

"Is Sir in urgent need of money? If it’s not too urgent, Yafei suggests waiting a day or two. It’s rare to see seven bottles of Foundation Building Spirit Liquid appear at once. If we can promote it, the profit you will get will be greater…" Yafei smiled and asked tentatively.

Under the black cloak, there was a brief silence, then a light "Mm" came out.

Seeing him agree, Yafei’s smile became even brighter. She picked up the teacup beside her and personally handed it over. She was now almost certain that the man in the black cloak was definitely a second-grade, or even a third-grade alchemist!

Holding the teacup and taking a sip, the black cloak suddenly moved, and the old voice came out, "I wonder if your auction house can help me get some medicinal materials?"

Yafei’s beautiful eyes lit up slightly, and she sat in the chair beside her, her alluring curves prominent. She smiled and asked, "What medicinal materials does Sir need?"

"Four fifty-year-old Ink Leaf Lotus, two mature Snake Saliva Fruits, one twenty-year-old Spirit Gathering Herb, and a second-grade Water Attribute Magic Core…"

Gu Ni, who was standing beside her, immediately changed his expression when he heard these materials, his eyes filled with surprise and doubt as he looked at the man in the black cloak.

"Ha ha, Yafei will help Sir keep an eye out for these materials. Once there’s news, we will notify Sir promptly. Where does Sir reside? How can we contact you?" Yafei glanced at Gu Ni’s changed expression and asked with a smile, her heart racing.

"No need to contact me. If you have these materials, just deduct them from the Foundation Building Spirit Liquid. I will come to collect them at any time." The old voice under the black cloak said indifferently.

"I have some matters to attend to, so I won’t stay long. I’ll come back in two days." Saying this casually, the man in the black cloak stood up and left the appraisal room.

Watching the figure disappear around the corner, Yafei’s long, beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, and she asked softly, "Is there something wrong with those materials, Uncle Gu Ni?"

Gu Ni nodded slightly, sighed, and smiled bitterly, "If I’m not mistaken, these are the materials needed to refine Qi Gathering Powder."

Hearing this, Yafei’s face also changed, and she exclaimed, "Isn’t Qi Gathering Powder supposed to be refined by at least a fourth-grade alchemist?"

Nodding, Gu Ni sighed, "It seems we really misjudged this time. However, there are only a few dozen fourth-grade alchemists in the Jia Ma Empire, and I’ve never heard of this man in black before."

Yafei shook her head slightly, her beautiful eyes sparkling, and she murmured softly, "Fourth-grade alchemist… if there’s a chance, we must recruit him!"

(Praying for Sichuan, a year ago at this time, Potato, who was in Sichuan, also experienced a heart-stopping escape. Haha, I hope that was the last time!)