Chapter 31: Yafei of the Mittel Clan

Under the watchful eyes of the fully armed guards at the entrance, Xiao Yan walked straight in without stopping.

As soon as he entered the building, the scorching heat seemed to be peeled away from his body. The refreshing coolness inside made the contrast feel like stepping into another world.

Xiao Yan's gaze swept across the grand and splendid hall before he proceeded towards a room.

The door to the room bore three large, gilded characters: "Appraisal Room."

Pushing the door open, the room felt somewhat empty. There was only a middle-aged man sitting idly in a chair by the table.

Hearing the door open, the middle-aged man looked up. Seeing the figure cloaked entirely in a black robe, he furrowed his brow imperceptibly before quickly putting on a professional smile. "Sir, are you here to have something appraised?"

"Yes," an old, dry voice drifted out lightly from beneath the black robe. It was Yao Lao's voice.

Xiao Yan stepped forward and gently tapped his finger on the table. A radiant blue flower appeared on the tabletop.

The moment the flower appeared, a wave of cold spread out, causing the room's temperature to drop significantly.

"This is..." The middle-aged man blinked and carefully picked up the herb. After a moment of examination, he finally said, "Ice Hawthorn."

This was an extremely precious medicinal herb, known for its intense ice properties. For those who cultivated ice-type Dou Qi, it was an extremely beneficial aid.

What was more crucial was that this Ice Hawthorn had large petals, indicating its considerable age, which was a rare sight.

This Ice Hawthorn was one of the spoils Xiao Yan had obtained after defeating a squad from the Wolf Head Mercenary Group. It was the most valuable herb among them, worth at least three thousand gold coins at auction.

The middle-aged man was somewhat moved. He carefully placed the Ice Hawthorn back on the table and respectfully said, "Sir, may I ask you to wait for a moment? I need to invite Master Gu Ni from our auction house to come and assess the herb's age."

"Hmm, be quick." Waving his hand, Xiao Yan casually sat down on a nearby chair and closed his eyes to rest.

The middle-aged man nodded and hurriedly left the room.

Sitting in the chair, Xiao Yan muttered, "A mere seventy-six-year-old Ice Hawthorn probably isn't enough to buy what we need, right?"

"With just that little flower's value, we certainly can't afford it," Yao Lao chuckled. "However, that doesn't mean we can't buy other things. Using money to make more money is one of an alchemist's greatest abilities."

"Is Master planning to refine pills?" Xiao Yan mumbled, curious about what Yao Lao would refine first.

Yao Lao sighed. "I don't usually let others use this kind of thing, but now I have no choice but to bring out some of my treasured items. Watch carefully; this will greatly benefit your future pill refining."

Watch him... that meant the pill grade wouldn't be too high. Xiao Yan speculated, could it be the Foundation Elixir?

A moment later, the middle-aged man returned, this time bringing with him an elderly man with graying hair dressed in green robes.

"Sir, this is Master Gu Ni from our auction house. He is a one-star Da Dou Shi and a Tier 2 Alchemist," the middle-aged man introduced respectfully.

The elderly man's face was rosy, and though his green robe appeared simple, it faintly glowed, indicating that it had been enhanced with some sort of magical protection.

His seemingly ordinary face bore a hint of arrogance, a characteristic every alchemist inevitably possessed.

Upon entering, Gu Ni unobtrusively scanned Xiao Yan. Apart from his peculiar attire, the old man found nothing special about him.

The middle-aged man carefully picked up the Ice Hawthorn from the table and handed it to Gu Ni.

Taking the herb, Gu Ni examined it meticulously. Only then did he speak solemnly to the middle-aged man, "This Ice Hawthorn is crystal clear, and its veins have developed unique ice markings. It is at least seventy years old. Quite excellent."

Hearing this, the middle-aged man took the opportunity to learn from Gu Ni's assessment. He then turned to Xiao Yan with an eager smile, "Sir, are you planning to auction off this herb?"

"Arrange for the earliest possible auction time for me," Xiao Yan ordered.

"Hehe, that won't be a problem. Sir, take this to Auction Room One; they are currently conducting an auction. Your herb will be up for bid shortly!" The middle-aged man handed over a pitch-black iron plaque with a smile.

"Hmm." Xiao Yan took the plaque casually and, without lingering, left the room under the gaze of the two men.

Watching Xiao Yan disappear, the middle-aged man lowered his voice and asked, "Master Gu Ni, I remember the Ice Hawthorn is usually guarded by a pack of ice wolves. The older the herb, the stronger the guarding wolves."

"A seventy-year-old Ice Hawthorn would at least require an elite mercenary team. What strength could that person possess?"

"I couldn't discern his strength," Gu Ni frowned and shook his head in puzzlement. "Perhaps he is merely a representative sent by a mercenary group, just an ordinary person at the Dou Qi stage."

Wutan City was close to the Magic Beast Mountain Range, so such occurrences were quite common for the two of them.

Under the guidance of a maid, Xiao Yan entered the ongoing auction.

He was quite familiar with this place, having been here multiple times.

At this moment, under the spotlight in the center of the auction hall, Yafei stood in a red dress, her sultry and alluring voice introducing the functions of the item in her hand to the audience.

Under Yafei's crisp and enchanting voice, the price of the relatively common item was rapidly climbing.

Yafei was now about 1.7 meters tall, with a slender figure, jade-like skin, and peony-like beauty. Her eyes were bright and captivating, her cherry lips delicate and alluring.

Her pearly white teeth were perfectly aligned, resembling broken jade or pomegranate seeds. Her chest was high and full, forming an enticing curve. Her waist was slender like a scroll, her hips rounded, and her legs long and graceful.

A mix of charm and youthful innocence, the twenty-something-year-old Yafei was truly the epitome of a mature beauty. Every move she made was enough to stir one's heart.

It was hard to imagine how much more alluring she would become in three years under the passage of time.

Without the halo of being the young master of the Xiao Clan, Xiao Yan sat in a relatively secluded spot.

As he sat quietly, his brows suddenly furrowed. He tilted his head slightly, looking at a man hidden in the shadows not far from his seat.

At that moment, the man was staring fervently at Yafei on stage, his hands fidgeting as he tried to console himself while watching her rosy cherry lips move.

"Damn!" Xiao Yan cursed under his breath, rolling his eyes under the cloak. This guy was too bold! He'd been at it since three years ago—wasn't he afraid of getting caught and dying in the auction house?

(End of this chapter)