Chapter 32: Hidden Dangers

Li Tan did not reply immediately, instead he carefully weighed his options in his mind.

There were only two choices now: to accept the other party’s kindness or to politely decline. If he chose the former, this inner beast core would bring enormous profit, but in return, he would owe the auction house a favor. The latter choice would mean forgoing the profit but avoiding any debt.

“Tell me, how much higher can you go?”

“How about fifty purple gold coins, what do you think?”

As soon as Meng Tianhua finished speaking, Qi Haodang opened his mouth in astonishment. That amount of money was enough to buy two beast cores in the black market—it was no small sum. Judging from Meng Tianhua’s expression, he clearly struggled with the offer, indicating it wasn’t something he could casually promise.

Fifty pieces indeed was a tempting price, but it seemed of little use to me, Li Tan thought.

What Li Tan needed now was not money, but the medicinal herbs required to concoct the Jiuzhuan Qingling Pill. Selling the inner beast core was only for that purpose.

After hesitating briefly between the two choices, Li Tan smiled lightly and said, “My good sir, mundane wealth is nothing but rusted iron. How about we try a different form of transaction?”

“I’d like to hear more.”

Meng Tianhua said, showing clear interest.

Li Tan slowly explained, “I’m currently in urgent need of some medicinal herbs. All you need to do is find them for me. If the price is under fifty purple gold coins, I won’t charge you anything extra. If it exceeds fifty, I will cover the difference. How does that sound?”

Meng Tianhua was taken aback. According to Li Tan’s proposal, he absolutely wouldn’t suffer any loss. But from this, it was also clear that Li Tan was in a real hurry for those herbs.

“Dare I ask, are these herbs you’re gathering for making pills?”

Li Tan nodded without trying to hide it. “Exactly.”

As soon as those words came out, joy immediately showed on Meng Tianhua’s face, and he excitedly asked, “Then you must be a pill master?”

Li Tan nodded again. Although his skills in alchemy weren’t extremely advanced, he had still reached a level that ranked among the best of the entire human race.

“Heavens above! What rank are you? Look at me, asking such an impolite question.”

Once Meng Tianhua confirmed Li Tan’s identity as a pill master, his attitude became even more respectful than before.

This was a normal reaction. The requirements for becoming a pill master were extremely strict, and their numbers were few. Wherever they went, they were treated like treasures. For example, in Linjiang, Liu Clan—the most powerful among the three major families—was able to establish its dominance thanks to the reputation of a mere second-tier pill master.

Meng Tianhua boldly estimated in his mind that Li Tan might have surpassed the entry level and was a genuine first-tier pill master. From every perspective, this would be extremely beneficial for Meng Tianhua, who was in the middle of advancing his career.

Thus, Li Tan’s importance in his mind rose another notch.

“Skip all the formalities. Bring me some paper.”

Li Tan took the rice paper and wolf-hair brush handed over by Qi Haodang, and with a few swift strokes, wrote down a list of medicinal herbs.

Some of the herbs listed weren’t actually needed. This was to ensure the secrecy of the pill formula, a precaution every pill master would take, and Li Tan was no exception.

As the chief appraiser, Meng Tianhua was a man of knowledge and insight. At first glance, he realized the formula on the paper was extraordinary. He thought in astonishment, “These herbs definitely aren’t for making a first-tier pill. Could this man already be a second-tier pill master?”

“How soon can you gather all the herbs? Give me a definite time.”

Li Tan pursed his lips.

“Three days—not, two days. I’ll get back to you in two days.”

Meng Tianhua solemnly promised.

Li Tan thought for a moment and, with a few sidelong glances at Meng Tianhua, slowly said, “Some of these herbs might be quite expensive, and I’m a bit short on cash. How about this: if the cost exceeds fifty purple gold coins, I’ll repay the difference by auctioning off the resulting pills?”

Meng Tianhua smiled happily. “As you wish.”

Besides the usual intention of befriending and gaining favor, Meng Tianhua had another motive for courting Li Tan—one that had arisen after learning of Li Tan’s identity as a pill master.

He hoped Li Tan could concoct pills for him to auction. The tremendous value brought by pills could fulfill his regular business needs for several months with just a few deals. This was the main reason Meng Tianhua sought to befriend Li Tan. Li Tan’s proactive suggestion of repaying debts with pill sales was precisely a response to Meng Tianhua’s unspoken thoughts.

Transactions between smart people are always easy and pleasant.

“Pleased to cooperate. I’ll come again in two days. Goodbye.”

“Xiao Qi, see him out.”

“Yes!”

Qi Haodang opened the door and made a gesture of invitation. Li Tan lowered his hat brim to ensure his face was completely hidden before stepping out.

Right now, he couldn’t afford to expose his identity as the discarded heir of the Li Clan. A tall tree attracts strong winds, and the Li family was far too weak to withstand the kind of gale that the Norland Auction House could bring.

“Master Qi, long time no see. How are you today?”

On the first floor of the auction house, Qi Haodang respectfully escorted Li Tan out when suddenly a young man dressed neatly, exuding noble demeanor, blocked their path.

Noticing the mysterious Li Tan wrapped in a black robe, Qi Haodang gave him a sidelong glance and then looked at the person in front with slight displeasure. “Lin Ge, what’s up?”

From his cold tone, it was obvious the two weren’t on good terms.

Under the shadow of his black robe, Li Tan raised his eyebrows slightly and glanced at Lin Ge with mild curiosity, wondering, “Could this Lin Ge be from the Lin family?”

At the same time, Lin Ge couldn’t help but notice the oddly dressed Li Tan and asked in confusion, “Who is this?”

“A valued guest of our auction house.”

Qi Haodang’s tone dropped slightly as he added, “He’s a highly skilled pill master.”

“A pill master!”

Lin Ge exclaimed in surprise, his attitude doing a complete 180-degree turn. He stepped forward eagerly and extended his hand. “Respected pill master, I’m Lin Ge from the Lin family. It’s a great honor to meet you.”

Li Tan, however, clearly wasn’t pleased to meet him. Keeping his head slightly lowered, he made no response at all, worried about revealing his identity.

Qi Haodang reacted a bit slowly but swiftly pulled Lin Ge aside and asked in a hushed tone, “What do you want, Young Master Lin?”

Seeing that Li Tan had no intention of acknowledging him, Lin Ge realized that a noble existence like a pill master was beyond his reach. Disappointed, he took a couple of steps back. “I’m looking for the Yu Jin Xu Mai Pill. The Pill Tower doesn’t have it.”

“The kind used to heal broken limbs? I remember we have some in stock. Go see Xiao Lan.”

After Qi Haodang finished speaking, Lin Ge left.

“Old sir, please excuse us. We look forward to your return in two days.”

Qi Haodang bowed respectfully.

Li Tan didn’t respond. He simply walked away, leaving behind a lonely figure.

“Master Lin, someone must have hurt your younger brother, right? Who dares to provoke you in Linjiang? I can’t imagine who would be so bold?”

Inside the reception room, a girl wearing a black short skirt, puffed out by multiple layers of ruffled lace, and a white apron with lace trim smiled as she asked Lin Ge.

Lin Ge’s hand slammed hard on the table. “If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me. The bastard who did it was…”