Coming down from the top floor of the Auction House, the sunlight outside was just right, bathing the entire Wutan City.
Daytime in Wutan City was not quiet; the distant markets were still bustling with people, and the clamor drifted over indistinctly.
Ya Fei and Lu Heng took the internal passage to the side, leading directly to the backyard.
The sunlight elongated their shadows.
Lu Heng tightly gripped those few rolls of parchment in his hand, his mind racing.
There was an iron rule on the Dou Qi Continent:
During the three foundational stages of Dou Zhi Qi, Dou Zhe, and Dou Shi, one mainly tempered the bones and muscles and widened the Meridians; one must never casually consume Medicinal Pills to increase strength.
Because the Meridians of low-level cultivators were too fragile, they simply could not withstand the impact of a Medicinal Pill’s violent medicinal power.
Once consumed, the Meridians would be damaged at best, and the Foundation would be completely destroyed at worst, making it difficult to progress even an inch in the future.
Therefore, most of the first-grade and second-grade elixirs on the market were auxiliary medicines for healing, Qi recovery, detoxification, and the like.
As for Medicinal Pills that boosted strength, most had extremely strong side effects.
This made Lu Heng increasingly want to refine those Medicinal Pills from the myriad realms pharmacopoeia that could increase the strength of Dou Zhi Qi, Dou Zhes, and Dou Shis without any side effects as soon as possible.
“Why aren’t you speaking?
Still thinking about the Pill Formula?”
Ya Fei’s voice interrupted Lu Heng’s thoughts.
She turned her head, the sunlight hitting her profile, adding a few more hints of charm to Ya Fei’s already enchanting face.
Lu Heng looked up, meeting those smiling peach blossom eyes.
“Sister Ya Fei, I was wondering why there are no Medicinal Pills on the market that directly increase a Dou Zhe’s cultivation?”
Lu Heng asked casually.
Ya Fei raised an eyebrow, seemingly not expecting him to ask such a common-sense question.
“Silly brother, do you even need to ask?”
Ya Fei reached out her finger and lightly flicked Lu Heng’s forehead.
“At the Dou Zhe stage, the Qi Cyclone has just formed, and the Meridians are as thin as a strand of hair.”
“The energy in a Medicinal Pill is a ferocious beast.
If you try to fit a flood into a hair, aren’t you just looking for death?”
“Pulling up seedlings to help them grow will only end up destroying the seedlings.”
“But if…”
Lu Heng paused, his voice lowering a bit.
“If there were a Medicinal Pill with medicinal power as gentle as water, that could merge into the Qi Cyclone as silently as a spring rain without harming the Meridians?”
Ya Fei’s footsteps came to a sudden halt.
She turned around and looked at Lu Heng somewhat seriously:
“Lu Heng, you’d better put away those strange ideas in your head.”
“Uncle Gu Ni said just now that one must avoid being too ambitious when refining medicine.”
“Something that defies the common sense of Cultivation hasn’t been created by anyone for thousands of years.
You’re just a Dou Zhe, don’t overthink it, or you might suffer a Qi Deviation.”
Lu Heng did not argue, but simply nodded obediently:
“Sister Ya Fei, I was just asking casually.”
Before long, Ya Fei stopped in front of a red-lacquered wooden door.
That was Lu Heng’s small courtyard, and Ya Fei’s own courtyard was right behind the wall.
“We’re here.”
She pushed open the door; the tea set left over from yesterday was still on the stone table in the courtyard.
“Rest well, don’t overexert yourself.”
Ya Fei stood at the door, with no intention of entering, but reached out to help Lu Heng straighten his slightly messy collar.
“What do you want to eat today?
I’ll have someone bring it to you.”
“Meat buns,” Lu Heng blurted out.
“I want them with lots of meat.”
Ya Fei burst out laughing, and the serious air from a moment ago vanished instantly.
“Fine, you’ll have plenty.”
She leaned in closer, and her pleasant, faint fragrance once again surrounded Lu Heng.
Ya Fei hesitated for a moment, then leaned down slightly and gave Lu Heng a light peck on the cheek.
It was like a dragonfly skimming the water, a touch and then gone.
“Brother, don’t be too tired.”
After saying that, Ya Fei turned and left, her red skirt tracing a graceful arc in the sunlight, her footsteps even lighter.
Lu Heng touched his slightly damp cheek and stood at the door dazed for several seconds.
This soft rice was becoming more and more flavorful.
Watching Ya Fei’s figure disappear around the corner of the corridor, the childishness and shyness on Lu Heng’s face instantly vanished.
He closed the courtyard door, slid the bolt, and walked quickly into the house…
In the backstage corridor of the Mite’er Auction House, the light was a bit dimmer than in the front hall, and the air was filled with a faint scent of incense.
Ya Fei walked ahead, her high heels clicking on the marble floor in a crisp and rhythmic “da-da” sound.
In the past, this sound always carried a sense of resolute urgency, making the Auction House attendants subconsciously straighten their backs for fear of doing something wrong and incurring the wrath of the chief auctioneer.
But today, the sound of her footsteps was so light it was as if she were about to skip.
Several maidservants carrying a stack of account books hurried past, and upon seeing Ya Fei, they quickly lowered their heads to salute:
“Miss Ya Fei.”
“Mhm, go on with your work.”
Ya Fei replied casually, the usual sense of distance in her voice completely gone, replaced by a hint of sweetness.
The fragrant breeze she carried as she passed made several young male attendants unable to resist stealing a glance, only to quickly lower their heads as if burned, their ears turning red.
Today’s Miss Ya Fei was truly different.
On that pretty face, which usually wore a professional fake smile, there was now an undisguised brightness.
Ya Fei even stopped when passing a bronze mirror at a corner, slightly tidying the stray hairs at her temples and winking at herself in the mirror.
“That little troublemaker Lu Heng…”
Ya Fei’s red lips parted as she murmured softly, then she couldn’t help but let out a “puchi” laugh.
In that moment, her charm was such that even the oil paintings hanging on the corridor walls seemed to pale in comparison.
Whenever Ya Fei thought of Uncle Gu Ni’s shocked expression just now, the feeling of satisfaction in her heart couldn’t stop welling up.
It had been so many years.
Ever since she was “exiled” to this remote Wutan City by those old fogies of the Family, although she appeared glamorous on the surface and held the power of the Auction House, there were those behind her back waiting to see her fail, waiting for her to return to the Imperial Capital so they could use Ya Fei for a political marriage.
Ya Fei had always been betting.
Betting on her own ability, betting that she could gain a firm foothold in this chaotic world even without any Fighting Qi talent.
And Lu Heng, whom she had picked up on a snowy day three years ago, was her biggest gamble and her most irrational act of stubbornness.
For this, Ya Fei had received no shortage of scolding from the clan, and even Gu Ni, who had always supported her, had privately advised her many times to make other plans and not to raise a burden.
But now?
Nine years old, a One-star Dou Zhe.
Nine years old, a first-grade Alchemist.
How was this a burden?
This was clearly a miracle sent down by the heavens because they took pity on her!
Humming an unknown tune, Ya Fei pushed open the door to the Appraisal Room.
Inside, Gu Ni was sitting at a long table piled with miscellaneous items, holding a magnifying glass and turning a Medicinal Pill over and over to examine it.
Hearing the door, Gu Ni looked up abruptly.
“Is that kid back to rest?”
He put down the magnifying glass; the first thing he asked about was not business, but Lu Heng.
“Sent him back to his room to sleep.”
Ya Fei walked to the table, poured herself a cup of tea, and drank it in one gulp.
“He just had a Breakthrough to Dou Zhe and then exerted himself so much; how could his small frame handle it?”