On the slightly spacious corridor, Xiao Yan nearly instantly pressed himself beside the young man, clenched his fists tightly, and with a gust of wind pressure, slammed them hard against the young man's face. Though the young man was pale and not particularly robust in build, his strength was no weakling—he sensed Xiao Yan's sudden movement immediately and, at that moment, his face turned cold. He crossed his arms in front of him, and a surge of fierce combat energy erupted from within, forming a shimmering aura of qi that instantly enveloped his body. Though caught off guard, the young man was confident in his own abilities and believed that, given Xiao Yan's youth and apparent power, the latter's attack would surely penetrate his defenses. "Little upstart," he declared, "even if Lady Ya is protecting you today, you won't be able to leave this auction hall without a scratch." At the very instant of resistance, a cold, sharp thought flashed through the young man's mind. Yet before that thought had fully settled, the palm pressing with overwhelming force made solid contact with the former's arm, and with a faint cracking sound, the young man's face turned pale. A gush of blood erupted from his throat, unable to be contained. Driven by the powerful force, his body was violently propelled against the wall, where he immediately spilled another mouthful of blood, his knees buckling and his form curling into a painful, hunched position. At the very moment the young man was spitting blood, Lady Yafei had just turned around, her careful exclamation barely forming when she saw the young man crumpled like a dead dog beside the corridor, his refined features now overwhelmed by astonishment and disbelief. By this time, the several attendants standing beside the young man had finally recovered from the sudden commotion, gazing at their master's惨 condition, first stunned, then furious, and swiftly advancing toward Xiao Yan. "Take your master and go!" Yafu coldly commanded, her slender finger pointing toward the staircase. "Well, Yafu, you've got guts—helping outsiders! You'll pay for that!" As her young subordinate helped her rise, the youth wobbled slightly, wiped blood from his lip, and glared fiercely at Yafu. Then, his eyes darkened with cold resolve, fixed steadily on Xiao Yan beside her, and in a breathless, sharp voice, said, "Well, well, little scamp—brave enough. All of you will watch and wait!" After delivering these words, he slapped the face of the guard beside him hard, shouting, "Idiot, move!" Standing at the staircase, Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes, watching the youth slowly make his way out, supported by several guards. His hand, resting in his sleeve, gently unfolded, and a faint blue flame began to rise from his fingertips. "For someone like him, you still held back? Shouldn't you have simply dispatched him outright—so he wouldn't keep coming back to bother you?" leaning against the stairs, Hai Bo Dong smiled lightly. "This is indeed their territory." Xiao Yan smiled, looked up at Ya Fei, and shrugged. "I'm sorry I was a bit impetuous—though that man's mouth is truly unbearable." Shaking her head, Ya Fei sighed lightly and chuckled. "I think we might do better to discuss things another time. Once he goes back, he'll surely complain to his grandfather. And with that fiercely protective old man, he'll definitely come after you." "It's all right," Xiao Yan shook his head and smiled. "We really need certain things right now—let's talk about them now. As for the troubles, we'll handle them ourselves." "Ah, you stubborn one," Ya Fei sighed, and with a resigned nod, turned toward the upper floor, leaving Xiao Yan a graceful, elegant silhouette at the corner. Xiao Yan spread his hands, exchanged a glance with Haibo Dong behind him, and then followed. He went up several floors with Yafei, and finally stopped at the entrance of a grand door. The way she moved with ease suggested this was a place she visited often. At the door, several guards stood watch, though they glanced at Xiao Yan and Haibo Dong with a look of mild curiosity—they wisely remained silent, standing still like wooden posts. Apologies...” "I know you stepped in for me—no need to apologize." She waved her hand, then moved around to sit behind the table. With a slightly pursed lips, she smiled, "That fellow's name is Leir—also a member of our Mitel family. He has quite a strong network behind him. I usually try not to offend him, so I've mostly just chosen to ignore him." "But it seems he holds some ill will toward me. The more I ignore him, the more he becomes frustrated and starts bothering me constantly. His grandfather holds a significant position in the family's Elder Council, so when it comes to this particularly tenacious man, I find myself quite at a loss." As she brushed a strand of dark hair from her forehead, her voice carried a hint of weariness—clearly, the young man named Leir had indeed caused her considerable trouble. "You know, with people like this, the more you ignore them, the more they thrive." Xiang Yan shook his head, saying. "Hehe, I naturally know that, but you've been too generous in your estimation of my character. As a woman of modest stature, how could I possibly reach the lofty heights of a sage? Indeed, at present, I would rather avoid conflict with him. But in the future, once I gain the power to shape the course of events, this man will be among the first I'll expel—then, when I turn my back on him, he'll feel genuine fear. You must understand this: women are, by nature, the most tenacious and resentful creatures—otherwise, how could there be such a saying as 'the most venomous hearts belong to women'? "Yafei smiled gently, her tone calm and composed, as if her ambition and strength had quietly emerged in the most natural way. Tell me, I'll check on it for you." Xiao Yin nodded with a smile, took out a sheet of white paper from his storage ring, listing the herbs needed to prepare the Fuzi Ling Dan, and then, in front of Hai Bo Dong, handed it to Ya Fei, smiling, "Could you please check whether you can gather all these herbs here?" As he watched Xiao Yin's actions, the warmth of smiles spread across Hai Bo Dong's weathered face. Even at the moment Xiao Yin presented the paper, Hai Bo Dong had quickly scanned it with sharp eyes—seeing the names of herbs that matched those Xiao Yin had mentioned before—confirming that Xiao Yin had indeed been keeping his matters in mind all along. "I knew it—when things were going smoothly, you'd never have come all the way to an auction hall like this." Receiving the sheet of paper, Yafei shook her head slightly, then glanced over the names of the herbs listed. A look of astonishment flashed across her delicate features as she looked up at Xiao Yan. "These herbs aren't ordinary at all. Some of them, I've only heard of by name." "Indeed," Xiao Yan nodded gently. "Can we find all these herbs here?" At this, Hai Bode, standing beside her, watched Yafei thoughtfully, his eyes full of anticipation—this matter could very well determine whether he could recover his peak strength. With her hands resting on her chin, Yafeng pondered for a moment, then shook her head with a regretful expression. "I'm sorry, but it will be quite difficult to gather all of these herbs. They are truly precious—on the market, each one typically fetches at least twenty thousand, if not more—and in some cases, there's simply no supply at all." As soon as Yafeng spoke, Hai Bodo's expression fell. On the surface, Xiao Yan sighed in disappointment, yet within, he felt a surge of relief. If he were to gather all these herbs here, he would surely face a dire situation. "Indeed, gathering all of them is challenging. However, I believe we should be able to secure half of the listed herbs." Yafeng mused. "Half would be better than nothing," Xiao Yan nodded, adding with a sigh. Upon hearing this, Lady Ya's delicate face suddenly bloomed with a few playful smiles, and she gazed at him with a cheerful tone. "According to my memory, our Mitel Auction House should be able to provide these four herbs. Each batch would cost over 250,000 coins, and the total quantity required would likely amount to around one million coins. Xiao Yan, brother—do you think you can manage that amount?" "Hmm..." blinking several times, Xiao Yan shook his head. "It seems not." As soon as Xiao Yan spoke these words, Lady Ya's smile grew even more radiant. With her slender fingers, like jade onions, crossed over each other, she expressed a touch of regret. "Xiao Yan, brother, things have changed since we were in Wutan City. Even if I truly wish to assist you, I no longer have the authority here. And furthermore, such a substantial sum greatly exceeds the scope of my own responsibilities." Xiao Yan stroked his cheek thoughtfully. "Then, what should we do?" "Well, one million gold coins might not be a small sum, but Sister truly has great confidence in you. Fortunately, our Mitel family has recently been actively recruiting alchemists. If Xiao Yan is interested, this could serve as a perfect way to settle the accounts. A single second-rank pill can fetch a quite respectable price. I believe, with Xiao Yan's talent, simply producing several hundred pills should be enough to clear all these debts." Lady Yaofi's delicate, rosy eyes curved gently, her smile as alluring as that of a fox spirit.