"Huh… selling one's self?" Hearing this, Xiao Yan was taken aback, then shook his head with a wry smile, turning to Hai Bo Dong and gesturing with his hands. "You handle it yourself. I only take care of the alchemy—everything regarding the herbs should be your responsibility." Seeing this, Hai Bo Dong sighed helplessly, stood up, and withdrew a particularly elegant purple-gold card from his storage amulet, tossing it casually onto the table. "Go now, quickly fetch the herbs for me. You're offering one million, and you expect to keep Xiao Yan here? That's truly undervaluing his worth!" Staring in astonishment at the purple-gold card now lying on the table, its surface adorned with seven silver waves, Ya Fei's face flashed with surprise. Having interacted with countless powerful individuals, she was well aware that such a purple-gold card required at least the rank of Battle King to be eligible for use. Could it be that this seemingly unimpressive elder was actually a Battle King-level powerhouse? The warm smile on her face gradually faded, and Yafu gazed at Xiao Yan, who sat idly on the chair, idly picking at his nails. This young man had clearly been doing well over the past three years—he had even managed to interact with such strong contenders. After all, a Duke-level warrior was, even within the Mitel family, always treated as a distinguished guest, never to be overlooked. Nodding slightly, Hai Bo Dong settled back into his chair, holding his teacup silently, waiting in quiet stillness. Suddenly struck by the remarkable status of this seemingly unassuming elder, Ya Fei no longer dared to tease the young man who appeared to be closely connected with the former. She sat quietly in her chair, refraining from casual remarks, occasionally casting a slightly unusual glance at the seemingly bored youth. As the three remained silent, the atmosphere in the room grew increasingly heavy. With time passing, Xiao Yan finally furrowed his brows slightly, about to speak when the serving maid, who had hurried in with evident urgency, broke the stillness. "Where are the herbs?" Hearing the hurried footsteps, Ya Fei raised her head, gazing at the serving maid who arrived empty-handed, her dark brows furrowing as she spoke in a serious tone. "Madam Yafu, the medicinal herbs... they've been forcibly taken by Elder Leiou. He claims they were already reserved by someone else and can no longer be transferred." The attendant, her face showing some慌 and hesitation, spoke. "Crack!" Upon hearing this, Madam Yafu's expression instantly darkened. With her jade hands firmly striking the table, she bit down on her silver teeth, asking, "This old man! These herbs have been stored in the warehouse for several months now. How come I've never heard they were reserved so long ago?" "What's going on?" observing this sudden turn of events, Xiao Yan slightly furrowed his brows, softly inquired. Taking a deep breath, her full, rounded chest gently rising and falling, Madam Yafu gently rubbed her temples, offering a wry smile. "Elder Leiou—your previous opponent, Lei Le, whose grandfather he is—is also a senior elder of the Miter family, wielding considerable influence." "Is this a case of personal grudges?" Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly, and he offered a quiet smile. By the side, Haibo Dong slowly sipped his tea, his silver-streaked brows slightly arched as he remained silent. Yet in that instant, the tea in his hands seemed to freeze, forming a delicate layer of frost around it. "Ah, that old man—this time he truly went too far. He did something so outrageous." Rising to her feet, Ya Fei's face grew slightly stern as she addressed the attendant. "Take me to him. I'd like to speak to him personally." Upon hearing this, the attendant nodded hesitantly, only to turn around and be met immediately by a deep, elderly sigh from outside the door: "Speak to me? Hmph. Very well. I'd like to see just who dares to injure my grandson here!" Hearing this cold snort, the ice-cold elegance on Yafei's face deepened further. With both hands resting on the table, she stared coldly at the several figures who had just entered through the doorway. Leading them was an elderly man dressed in fine robes, his face slightly pallid and ominous; behind him came the pale young man, along with several attendants. At that moment, the young man was glaring at Xiao Yan, who sat calmly in his chair, with a venomous intensity. "Senior Lei, what do you mean by this? Though you are a senior elder of the family, when exactly did you gain the right to interfere in the auction hall's affairs? And how dare you intercept the herbs that guests have specifically ordered? Are you trying to tarnish our Mitel Auction Hall's reputation?" Her face was filled with frost as she fixed her glare on the elder, then she slammed her large hat down with force. Under this heavy, almost suffocating hat, the elder named Leo saw his face subtly shift, yet soon he chuckled coldly, "Hey, quite a display of authority, Yaofi. Don't you think for a moment that you've now earned the status of a true elder? When will you finally drop the 'designate' title that still clings to your name and address me with the dignity of one of us?" "I suspect, however, you won't have the chance. As the Designated Elder of the Mitel Auction House, you've privately invited outsiders into our family's inner sanctum and even struck a family member unconscious—these lapses in protocol. At the next Council meeting, I'll formally request that you be removed from your position." After stepping inside, Leiyou's sharp gaze swept over Xiao Yan and Hai Bo Dong. Though Xiao Yan, though young, didn't command his particular attention, the second-rank alchemist badge on his chest caused a brief surprise—yet that was all. Given his own status, Leiyou had encountered countless second-rank alchemists, so most of his focus remained on Hai Bo Dong's composed demeanor. While he couldn't discern Hai Bo Dong's true depth, his lack of awareness naturally turned into confidence, reducing his sense of caution. If Hai Bo Dong were a Du Ling or Du Wang-level fighter, Leiyou would have sensed some energy fluctuations. But currently, in Leiyou's perception, there was not a single trace of energy flow around Hai Bo Dong. Such a phenomenon could only be explained by two possibilities: either Hai Bo Dong was a Du Huang-level powerhouse surpassing Du Wang, or he was so weak that his internal Qi was barely detectable. The publicly recognized Du Phong强者 of the Gamma Empire, although Leo hadn't been fortunate enough to meet them personally, had still seen them face to face. Unfortunately, none of those Du Phong强者 were the one standing before him now. Thus, the only remaining possibility was... "Senior Leo, perhaps you've forgotten some unstated rules of the auction hall. Certain premium clients are entitled to enter here, and as for Rayler's matter, it was entirely his own doing—there's no reason others should have stepped in to reprimand him," Yafi said coldly. "Sharp-tongued girl, premium clients? Hm. Very well, then—tell me, who exactly are these two? Let me assess their standing, determine their caliber, and see if they truly meet the qualifications mentioned." Leiyou pursed his lips and spoke in a low, cool tone. His network within the Gamma Holy City was indeed quite solid—he could identify most of the larger factions, and he also knew many of the powerful regional lords beyond the city, yet he had never met either Xiao Yan or Xiao Yan himself. Upon hearing this, Ya Fei paused slightly. She knew Xiao Yan's background only as a member of the Xiao family, which, in itself, was far from enough to command the well-known pride and assertiveness of Leiyou. As for Hai Bo Dong, she knew absolutely nothing about him. Watching Ya Fei remain silent, Leiyou's expression brightened with quiet satisfaction, and he said with a sly tone, "It seems your niece has no clear understanding of these two's backgrounds. Yet still, she dares to bring strangers to the family's central grounds. Clearly, you are not suited for this position." "Overruled by Leo's sharp rebuttal, Yafei's face instantly turned pale with indignation. She bit down on her silver teeth, saying, 'I don't need to argue further. Those herbs were already pre-purchased by them. The payment has already been made, yet you've intercepted them midway. Once this is known, the reputation of Mitel Auction House will suffer. I wonder how you'll explain this to the Senior Elder!' The moment 'Senior Elder' reached her ears, Leo's expression clearly shifted—clearly, the name carried significant weight with him. Yet, upon glancing at his beloved grandson's pale face, a surge of anger rose within him. He coldly replied, 'Those herbs were already reserved by others. I merely wanted to avoid future claims from them, but you simply can't produce any proof to back up your claim.' 'You—you're talking nonsense!' Yafei's face turned ashen, her voice rising in frustration as she was outmaneuvered by Leo's logical defense. 'If someone had reserved such a large order, how could I possibly have missed it?' Master Leiyo, the way you're handling this truly undermines your status as a senior elder! Yafei exclaimed angrily, "I'm going to personally report this matter to the Grand Elder!" As she spoke, she stood up in frustration. Observing her demeanor, the usually silent Xiao Yan finally sighed gently, rose from his seat, walked over to the table, and gently pulled Yafei back into her chair, patting her head with a warm smile. "The logic here simply won't hold. Let me handle it instead." "Don't be so dramatic—Master Li is a Du Ling-tier powerhouse. No matter how eccentric you are, you won't be able to match him." Xiao Yan's familiar gestures caused Yafei's cheeks to flush slightly. Though she tried to struggle a bit, she offered no real resistance. Staring at his serene, refined smile, she grew increasingly anxious.