Chapter 12: Herbs

Inside the shop, the goods were dazzlingly varied, almost everything one could see or not see outside was available. In contrast to the bustling crowd outside, the shop was rather quiet.

Seeing someone enter, the attendant in the shop merely raised his eyelids slightly. Upon seeing the two young men, he seemed ready to drive them away, but when his gaze fell on their clothes, he couldn't help but shudder, then quickly squeezed out from behind the counter and bowed slightly, saying, "I wonder what the two gentlemen need? Are you here to buy or sell?"

Du Fei had dealt with such attendants and shops before, so he didn't hesitate. He took out the jade hairpin from his chest and gently placed it on the table, saying indifferently, "Why don't you take a look at this first and tell me how much it's worth?"

"Please wait a moment, gentlemen." The attendant frowned slightly, then took the jade hairpin and walked into the back room. A moment later, he came out with a smile, saying, "Gentlemen, our appraiser has examined it. This jade hairpin is ancient and intricately carved, and it's worth at least 500 gold coins! And since you are from the Du family, we wouldn't dare to be disrespectful, so how about 600 gold coins?"

"Six hundred!" Du Fei smiled, took the jade hairpin back, and said indifferently, "It seems your shop owner is quite bold. Let's not talk about the design and craftsmanship of this jade hairpin. Just the material itself is extremely rare, a cold jade core. Wearing it during cultivation can help focus the mind and nourish the spirit. This effect alone is worth a thousand gold coins... Even I know this, so how could your appraiser not know? It seems the Du family is still being underestimated..."

"This..." The attendant's face couldn't help but change, and he was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Ha ha ha, the Du family is indeed extraordinary, and it's my fault for not recognizing you!" At this moment, a clear laugh came from the back room, followed by a middle-aged man with a sharp and capable appearance walking out.

He walked slowly to Du Fei, bowed slightly, and said, "I am Huang Gui, the manager of this shop. I greet the young master of the Du family. Please don't be angry, young master. This item is very valuable, and without your confirmation, we wouldn't dare to speak lightly... Since that's the case, how about 5,000 gold coins?"

"Five thousand?" Du Fei thought for a moment and nodded slightly. Although the price was still a bit low, it wasn't necessary to haggle too much at this point.

Thinking this, Du Fei nodded slightly and then pulled out a yellow paper from his sleeve and placed it on the table, saying indifferently, "Then, Manager Huang, could you also help me find these items?"

Hearing this, Huang Gui slowly picked up the yellow paper. The surprise in his eyes was impossible to hide.

"What's the problem?"

Seeing Huang Gui's expression, Du Fei pursed his lips and said indifferently.

"Oh, no problem, no problem. Someone, please prepare these items for the young master of the Du family!" Huang Gui was momentarily stunned, but his face quickly returned to normal. He handed the yellow paper to a subordinate behind him and then smiled at Du Fei, bowing slightly, "To be honest, I've been in this city for over ten years and am familiar with the Du family... But this young master looks a bit unfamiliar. Please forgive my poor eyesight, but may I ask your name, young master?"

"Du Fei." After a brief moment of thought, Du Fei said indifferently. Originally, he hadn't planned to reveal his identity, but considering that if the alchemy was successful, he would need a large amount of herbs in the future, it would be hard to avoid dealing with this person. So, Du Fei straightforwardly gave his name.

"Ah, so you are Young Master Du Fei." Huang Gui's expression didn't change, and he nodded slightly, "I heard a few days ago that the Du family has a remarkable young hero. Although he is only at the fourth level of Body Tempering, he managed to fight against Young Master Du Qing, who is at the seventh level, without losing... Today, I see that it's indeed true!"

This guy is really impressive!

Du Fei couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, feeling somewhat shocked. He didn't think such news would be something anyone would pay much attention to, but Huang Gui instantly knew who he was. This ability to gather information was truly formidable!

Indeed, no one in this city is simple.

Du Fei sighed inwardly and didn't dare to be disrespectful to this person. He smiled and said indifferently, "Manager Huang, you are too kind. This small skill is nothing to boast about. It's because of my lack of strength that I have to come out to look for herbs, hoping they can assist my cultivation. I hope you can keep this confidential."

Various herbs, although their effects are much better after being refined into a pill, can still have some effect when taken directly. So, Du Fei's words were reasonable.

Huang Gui's expression didn't change much, and he nodded, saying, "Young Master Du Fei, please rest assured. Our shop never discloses any information about our customers. If you need anything in the future, feel free to come to our shop."

"Of course!" Du Fei smiled.

As they were exchanging pleasantries, the attendant brought out a jade box from the inner room and placed it respectfully in front of Du Fei.

Seeing this, Huang Gui chuckled, "Young Master Du Fei, this box contains the four herbs you requested, each in the quantity you specified. I'll give you a good price, 1,500 gold coins. How about that?"

Although he knew the price wasn't cheap, Du Fei didn't want to haggle over this. He casually took the jade box, opened it, and glanced inside. After the cold electronic voice in his mind disappeared, Du Fei smiled, "Manager Huang, you are indeed generous. These herbs are not only complete but also fresh, maintaining their effectiveness. In this case, I, Du Fei, am the one who benefits."

"Ha ha, I'm glad Young Master Du Fei likes them." Huang Gui's expression remained unchanged, and he patted his hand. This time, someone from the back room brought out a palm-sized white crystal card.

Huang Gui handed the crystal card to Du Fei, who placed it in front of him, and then smiled, "Our shop doesn't have 3,500 gold coins in cash, but this crystal card has 3,500 gold coins stored in it. Consider this a gift from me, Young Master Du Fei. How about that?"

Du Fei knew about these crystal cards. They were extremely popular on the Xuanwu Continent, and different colors indicated different storage capacities. For example, this white crystal card was the lowest level and could store up to 100,000 gold coins.

However, even such a low-level item required a Ninth Rank Martial Master or someone of equal status to use. For Huang Gui to have obtained this for him was quite a show of respect.

Du Fei didn't hesitate, took the crystal card and the jade box, and handed them to Xiao Ai behind him. He then smiled, "Thank you, Manager Huang. If I need anything in the future, I will definitely come to your shop again."

"Ha ha, Young Master Du Fei, you are too kind. We are delighted to have such a distinguished guest. How could we feel bothered?" Huang Gui spoke tactfully, and after a brief exchange of pleasantries, he escorted Du Fei and Xiao Ai out of the shop.

Watching Du Fei and Xiao Ai's figures gradually disappear, Huang Gui's smile slowly faded. He walked to the table in front of the counter, sat down, and tapped the table, his expression strange.

"Manager, is there something wrong with that young man?" The attendant, standing to the side, hesitated for a moment before speaking in a low voice.

"What could be wrong?" Huang Gui was silent for a moment before saying in a low voice, "But he is a bit strange..."

"Strange?" The attendant looked puzzled, "I don't understand, what's strange about him?"

"Indeed, it's strange. The four herbs and their quantities he requested are exactly the same as those needed by the Ninth Rank Alchemist who came to our shop last time. If I'm not mistaken, Du Fei is likely trying to refine a pill... But when did the Du family have an alchemist?" Huang Gui squinted his eyes and thought for a moment before speaking in a low voice.

"Could it be that the young man himself is trying to refine a pill?" The attendant hesitated.

"Refine a pill himself?" Hearing this, Huang Gui's face changed, and after a moment, he said in a low voice, "Don't joke! Do you know how rare alchemists are? Even our guild, despite all our efforts, hasn't been able to connect with an alchemist. Apart from the top forces, who can afford to hire an alchemist to refine a pill? And for Du Fei to refine a pill at his young age? How is that possible? Without a master's guidance, it's absolutely impossible to learn alchemy! Compared to your suggestion, I'd rather believe that the Du family has hired an alchemist from somewhere... But even if the Du family has hired an alchemist, why would they need to look for herbs outside? They should have these things themselves... Could it be that Du Fei really intends to take them directly..."

At this point, the strange expression on Huang Gui's face became even more pronounced. After a moment, he frowned and said in a low voice, "Tell the spies we have in the Du family to pay more attention to this Du Fei..."

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