"Things went smoothly, right?"
Xue Lan, holding a hot towel, wiped Yan Qingshan's forehead as she spoke, while Qing Ling held a basin of water, soaking his feet. With two beauties serving him, he felt a bit overwhelmed!
"Not bad, I suppose!"
Yan Qingshan shook his storage ring, taking out three scrolls. "Two Xuan middle-grade Dou Qi Method and Dou Qi skills, and an alchemist's inheritance notes. These three items are treasures that are hard to find even with ten thousand gold coins."
"The Mo Clan of Yan City is indeed a famous power in the eastern provinces of the empire. Two Xuan middle-grade Dou Qi Method and Dou Qi skills, and even an inheritance from a fourth-rank alchemist."
Xue Lan and Qing Ling also looked through the items Yan Qingshan brought back. Xuan middle-grade Dou Qi Method and Dou Qi skills, and the inheritance notes of a fourth-rank alchemist, were things they, coming from humble backgrounds, could only dream of.
Seeing that Qing Ling and Xue Lan's attention was almost entirely focused on the alchemist's notes he brought back, Yan Qingshan smiled and shook his head, then fiddled with his storage ring. As the most revered profession on the continent, alchemists were always admired and envied.
"This thing..."
Yan Qingshan sat on the bed, and with a flash of his storage ring, silver-gray ores fell onto the bedside. He closed his eyes and reached out, searching among the ores for a moment before picking one up.
A flash of light cyan Dou Qi, and light silver gravel fell away, revealing a faint gray light in his palm.
Yan Qingshan opened his palm, and the gray light dissipated, revealing what was hidden inside.
It was a gray stone the size of a thumb, smooth as jade, without any flaws. In the center of the stone, a faint blue glow slowly wriggled, like a firefly sealed in amber, lifelike.
"Could this... be the legendary Spirit Gathering..."
Yan Qingshan looked at the inconspicuous little stone in his palm, hardly believing his luck.
"Young Master, what is this?"
Qing Ling's little head leaned over, naturally curious about the sparkling little stone in Yan Qingshan's palm.
Xue Lan, who was reading the notes, also looked over, unable to take her eyes off it. Girls had little resistance to such sparkling things.
"This should be the legendary Spirit Gathering, an extremely rare natural treasure. It's said that only in high-grade Storage Stones can there be a tiny chance of finding it."
Yan Qingshan held the suspected Spirit Gathering gemstone in front of his eyes, examining it closely. Comparing it with the information he had recorded from ancient books, he was basically certain that it was indeed a Spirit Gathering.
"This Spirit Gathering is extremely precious, even more valuable than a fifth-grade pill, and it's a rare treasure that even high-grade alchemists crave."
Yan Qingshan remembered Yao Lao mentioning in the original work that a small Spirit Gathering was worth much more than a fifth-grade Blood Lotus Pill and the Ice Spirit Cold Fountain combined, which showed its preciousness.
Ordinary Storage Stones could be used to make low-grade storage rings, and even the lowest-grade storage ring was worth tens of thousands of gold coins, much more precious than ordinary entry-level pills, while mid-grade storage rings were worth more than ten times that, and high-grade storage rings were priceless treasures.
On the Dou Qi Continent, only some high-ranking experts or powerful figures were qualified to obtain high-grade storage rings, which showed how rare they were.
Compared to high-grade storage rings, the Spirit Gathering was undoubtedly even rarer, perhaps even more so than phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.
"What!"
"The Mo Clan actually gave away such a precious treasure!"
Qing Ling and Xue Lan were both shocked. The previous scrolls and notes were also extremely valuable, but at least they could be measured in gold coins. Fifth-grade pills were treasures that even Dou Kings coveted, and such things were probably the most precious foundation of a family!
Yan Qingshan smiled. "They didn't give it to me willingly. They were ignorant, and I picked up a bargain. Even if you have a treasure, you need someone who can recognize it!"
Xue Lan and Qing Ling both nodded, agreeing with Yan Qingshan's statement. A treasure was best left in the hands of its destined owner.
…
This year, Wutan City was especially lively. Xiao Yan, the third young master of the Xiao Clan, one of the three major families, broke through to become a Dou Zhe at the beginning of the year, becoming a famous genius in the entire empire.
But just a few months later, Xiao Yan's cultivation stagnated and even inexplicably began to decline. After this news spread, Xiao Zhan, the head of the Xiao Clan, paid a great price to invite many doctors and even official alchemists to examine Xiao Yan's condition, but all came to nothing.
The fall of a genius was something no one expected, but it was a piece of news that made many people happy. After this, the Xiao Clan's prestige in Wutan City greatly diminished.
Although they could still maintain a relative advantage over the other two families, they no longer had their former absolute power.
The three major families of Wutan City fell into a state of mutual restraint and peace. On the other side, the Miteer Auction House, another major power in Wutan City besides the City Lord's Mansion, welcomed a new manager, an extremely young but very capable beauty.
At the west gate of Wutan City, a small convoy of more than ten carriages slowly entered the city. The curtain of the carriage in the middle of the convoy was pulled open, and several pairs of eyes looked out.
"This is Wutan City. We're not far from Young Master's hometown now, are we?"
In the carriage, Qing Ling's soft little hands massaged Yan Qingshan, smoothing out his fatigue.
"Yes, we're not far. But we won't return to Qingshan Town today. We'll go to the Miteer Auction House first, rest in Wutan City for the night, and then go back tomorrow."
Yan Qingshan replied to Qing Ling, leaning comfortably on Xue Lan, using her long legs as a pillow. He had just finished his cultivation, and he felt that he had worked hard for so long and needed to enjoy himself.
"Are you alright?"
Xue Lan carefully moved Yan Qingshan's sore limbs, helping him to circulate his blood, and together with Qing Ling, applied medicine to him.
Having witnessed Yan Qingshan's diligent cultivation, she finally understood how much this man had sacrificed to become stronger.
"It's just a little something, I'm fine!"
Yan Qingshan mumbled a reply and closed his eyes. These comfortable days of being served were truly something he cherished.
He felt that he had been spoiled, and it was all Qing Ling and Xue Lan's fault. He would have to punish them properly tonight, making one of them warm his bed.
This convoy of carriages was brought by Yan Qingshan all the way from Rock Desert City, mostly families of mercenaries, people related to Xue Lan.
After Qing Ling's mother passed away, Xue Lan and several familiar sisters played a big role in Qing Ling's survival in Rock Desert City.
Xue Lan's parents' generation, including Qing Ling's mother, basically had grudges against the snake-people. Naturally, they wouldn't have a good attitude towards Qing Ling, who had snake-people blood.
However, perhaps because Qing Ling's mother was also a familiar neighbor, they didn't give her a good face, but they wouldn't go out of their way to make trouble for the little girl.
After Qing Ling's mother died, they tacitly allowed their children and juniors to help the poor orphan within their means.
Among these people, Xue Lan's family had the best conditions. Her father's cultivation was not weak, and he was able to become a middle-level leader in a mercenary group, with some trusted brothers under him.
Yan Qingshan planned to take Xue Lan and Qing Ling away, and of course, he would also settle Xue Lan's family. So, after persuading Xue Lan's father, the convoy consisted of brothers and their families who were willing to leave with Xue Lan's family.
These people's cultivation was not very high, but there were many experienced mercenaries, and Xue Lan's father had broken through to become a seven-star Dou Zhe under Yan Qingshan's guidance.
These people also met Yan Qingshan's conditions for building his own small force, so Yan Qingshan brought them back together.
At the front of the convoy, Xue Lan's father and several key members arranged the convoy's operations. They were not very happy with Xue Lan's idea and choice of employer at first.
However, after Yan Qingshan gave a generous price, and even more so after giving them a set of Xuan Dou Qi Method, Xue Lan's father became extremely enthusiastic, wishing his daughter would stay in Yan Qingshan's carriage compartment every day.
After entering Wutan City, the convoy found a guide at the city gate. After Yan Qingshan issued his orders, the convoy quickly headed towards the Miteer Auction House on the most prosperous street in Wutan City, under the guide's direction.
The Miteer Auction House was a branch of the Miteer family's chamber of commerce, one of the three major families in the Jia Ma Empire. The current manager, Miteer Ya Fei, was a person of special status in the entire Miteer family.
"It's very lively! It seems there's an auction going on."
Yan Qingshan asked Xue Lan's father and the others to drop them off at a street near the auction house and find temporary accommodation for themselves.
Then, the three of them entered the auction house. Today, there was an auction going on, and many people had come. The beautiful Xue Lan and Qing Ling naturally attracted some attention.
Led by a female attendant, Yan Qingshan and the others entered the auction hall where the auction was taking place. The dim environment was filled with noise and clamor, pouring into their ears, which made Yan Qingshan and the others frown.
The auction hall was very large, accommodating hundreds of people was not difficult. At this time, under the spotlight in the center of the auction hall, a beautiful woman in a red dress was interpreting the functions of the items in her hand to everyone in the hall with a charming voice that made people's bones feel numb.
The woman's figure was hot and alluring. She was a great beauty who made men very willing to spend money on her. She was very good at using her advantages to show her charm.
In her crisp and numbingly sweet voice, the price of an item that was not very rare was rising at a rapid pace.
Yan Qingshan's thunder eyes flashed with blue light, and his gaze swept across the entire hall. He naturally noticed that most of the gazes were directed towards the beautiful woman in the center of the hall.
Chief auctioneer of the Wutan City Miteer Auction House: Ya Fei, the manager of the Wutan City Miteer Auction House, a well-known beauty. Her mature and charming demeanor made many men fall under her pomegranate skirt.