In the silent hall, a series of fervent gazes were fixed on the thousand small jade bottles on the table. Such a large-scale batch of elixirs was something that almost no one present had ever seen with their own eyes. A pink tongue subconsciously licked her red lips; Xiao Yu was also dazed by the sheer number of elixirs, her pretty face filled with shock. After a moment, she shook her head in amazement, and in her eyes gazing at the black-robed figure, there were stars twinkling.
The green-clothed girl sitting by the window tilted her small head slightly, glancing at the pile of small jade bottles on the table. A flicker of surprise crossed her autumn-water-like beautiful eyes, and her gaze swept over the black-robed figure beside her once more. Finding nothing suspicious, she continued to focus on the ancient book in her hands.
Looking at the hall, which was dead silent due to the elixirs on the table, the black-robed figure coughed lightly, rousing Xiao Zhan from his stupor.
“Uh…” Xiao Zhan’s face reddened slightly, and he chuckled awkwardly. The look in his eyes towards the black-robed figure held an increasing hint of reverence. Being able to casually produce over a thousand bottles of healing medicine was not something an ordinary alchemist could do.
“Old Sir, you know the current situation of the Xiao family. We need healing medicines to regain our lost popularity. Your action is truly a gift in the snow for our Xiao family,” Xiao Zhan said with gratitude. He hesitated for a moment before proposing, “How about this: the Xiao family will be responsible for selling these healing medicines, and we can offer you 90% of the profits. The remaining 10%… well, I know it’s a bit presumptuous, but we do need the money to manage some things. Old Sir, what do you think?”
After saying this, Xiao Zhan looked somewhat nervously at the black-robed figure, afraid that his conditions might make him unhappy. The Xiao family now relied entirely on this mysterious alchemist.
“Hehe.” The black-robed figure smiled lightly and slowly shook his head.
Seeing this, Xiao Zhan’s expression changed slightly, and he was about to suggest reducing the percentage further when the aged voice made him freeze in place, unsure of what to do.
“You’re being too polite, Clan Leader Xiao. Although the elixirs are mine, selling them isn’t an easy task either. How could I take such advantage of you… Let’s be fair, 50-50, hehe.”
Hearing this, the three anxious elders and the entire hall of clan members were stunned, their mouths agape. After a while, they couldn’t help but touch their ears, questioning the reality of what they had just heard. Fifty-fifty? This… Wasn’t this old man too generous to the Xiao family? In this situation, even if he asked for 100% of the profit, the Xiao family wouldn’t dare to refuse.
“Truly a blessing from the heavens…” They all thought to themselves as they exchanged glances.
Xiao Zhan stood dumbfounded for a while before finally coming to his senses. He took a deep breath and said with a bitter smile, “Old Sir, you really make the Xiao family feel overwhelmed. You helping us at this time is already more than we can ask for. How could we take any more advantage of you?”
The black-robed figure waved his hand casually and said with a faint smile, “This profit is not very attractive to me. If it weren’t for making you feel at ease, I would have been too lazy to even collect the 50%.”
Hearing this, Xiao Zhan could only nod with a bitter smile.
“These elixirs, you can sell as you see fit. I will come back to check on them when I have time.” The black-robed figure stood up and said, “I have other matters to attend to, so I won’t stay long. Clan Leader Xiao, you don’t need to see me off. Go ahead and handle the clan affairs, hehe.”
With that, he walked out of the hall under the watchful eyes of everyone.
As he reached the door, the black-robed figure paused and smiled, “Before I leave, I’ll say one more thing: Xiao Yan is indeed quite impressive. Hehe, thank you, old man.”
Hearing this, Xiao Zhan was a bit confused. Before he could respond, the black-robed figure had already left the hall and disappeared around the corner.
Looking at the disappearing black-robed figure, Xiao Zhan sighed after a long while and said with a bitter smile, “It seems that Yan’er has a special relationship with this old man. Otherwise, why would he, a stranger, help us so much?”
The three elders exchanged glances and nodded in agreement. From the praise this old man had shown towards Xiao Yan since he entered, it was clear that he favored him. His kindness to the Xiao family was probably closely related to Xiao Yan.
In the hall, the younger clan members, who were the same age as Xiao Yan, were filled with envy.
The green-clothed girl by the window tilted her small head slightly, her gaze following the corner where the black-robed figure had disappeared. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed, and a look of confusion flashed across her exquisite face.
…
After leaving the Xiao family, the black-robed figure continued to walk slowly. When there were fewer people around, a low complaint came from within the black robe, “Teacher, why did you pull me out here? If someone finds out, I can’t guarantee that I won’t give you away.”
“Hehe, I was just moved. If Xiao Zhan hadn’t treated you well from a young age, where would I find such a good disciple? So, thanking him is only right.” The old voice chuckled, “Besides, without a bit of connection, your cautious father would have trouble believing that I’m not after something from the Xiao family.”
Shaking his head in exasperation, Xiao Yan looked around and asked, “Where are we going now?”
“Let’s go to the auction house. We need to give them the refined Gathering Qi Powder, so we don’t owe any favors. I hate that the most… And you’ve used up all the herbs for practice, so we should buy some new ones,” the old man said with a slight pause.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan nodded and asked with some anticipation, “Teacher, can I be considered a Level One Alchemist now?”
“Che, do you think you’re an alchemist just because you’ve been refining medicine for a few days? Healing medicines are the simplest type of pills. There’s nothing to brag about making those.”
Flipping his eyes, Xiao Yan felt a bit dejected, “Then how do I become a true Level One Alchemist?”
“The evaluation baseline for a Level One Alchemist in the alchemy world is the ability to refine at least one type of pill, not just a simple mixture like a paste.”
“Seems I still have a way to go,” Xiao Yan said, shaking his head in resignation. He then took a step and headed towards the auction house in the city center.
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