Chapter 47: Transaction
“Haha! I did not expect that the Pavilion Master would remember this junior.” Xiao Chen, who was wearing the cloak, had his face completely shrouded in shadows. No one could see his expression.
Nangong Yan took out a pile of silver notes. He said, as he handed them over, “This is the money from the previous auction. The total is one million silver taels.”
To think there were actually a million silver taels. This was beyond Xiao Chen’s expectations. He did not say anything as he received the money. Xiao Chen said, “Just some insignificant Fasting Pills could actually sell for a million. Linlang Pavilion’s reputation is well deserved.”
Nangong Yan smiled, “This Fasting Pill is a new pill; it had never been heard of before. Its effects are quite miraculous. With the assistance of my Linlang Pavilion, it is quite normal to obtain a price of a million.”
“If this was the Linlang Pavilion in the Imperial Capital, this price could have been doubled. I wonder if this little friend brought anything to auction today?”
When Xiao Chen heard this he took out one Blood Replenishing Pill, one Qi Returning Pill, and one Essence Nurturing Pill. He then placed them all on the table and introduced them.
“Would Pavilion Master give me a starting price for these three pills?”
Nangong Yan was thrilled to see these. These three pills were complete new pills again. Although there were other similar pills out there, he was very sure that the recipes of these three pills were different from those others.
He had carefully investigated the Fasting Pill that Xiao Chen brought the last time. Although he was not able to figure out the recipe, it was still very beneficial for him.
This caused the peak Rank 7 Alchemist, that had no progress for many years, to be very joyful. This time Xiao Chen had brought three different pills. His skill at alchemy was sure to experience a breakthrough again.
“Just one pill each?” Nangong Yan was bewildered when he noticed that Xiao Chen did not appear to intend on taking out more pills.
If there was only one pill, then it was going to be a problem. When he researched it, if he accidentally damaged the pill, it would be difficult for him to try again.
Actually, Xiao Chen’s original intent was to not take out even a single pill. He only considered that he had received some assistance here, and took out three pills to put on the auction.
He did not want to obtain large amounts of money. If it was not for some special needs, then it was best that he kept all the pills for his own use.
After thinking for a while, Xiao Chen decided to be honest, “Pavilion Master Nangong... Actually, I have no interest in taking part in the auction.. If Pavilion Master needs them, I can give these three pills to Pavilion Master.
Nangong Yan shook his head and smiled, “You misunderstood me. With my cultivation realm, these three pills do not have much of an effect on me.”
“Do you know what day today is?”
“What day?” Xiao Chen really wanted to know the answer. If it was not for Nangong Yan’s arrival, that attendant would have told him the answer already. However, it was not too late for Nangong Yan to tell him.
Nangong Yan smiled lightly, “I believe you have noticed that there is an unusually large number of people here in Linlang Pavilion today. This afternoon, Linlang Pavilion will conduct the once a year, large-scale auction ahead of time.
So this was the reason, no wonder there were so many people here, Xiao Chen thought suddenly in his heart. The large-scale auction of Linlang Pavilion was a huge event in Mohe City every year.
However, Xiao Chen remembered that the large-scale auction was always held at the end of the year. It was not even the middle of the year yet... Why are they holding the large-scale auction already?
Nangong seemed to be able to tell that Xiao Chen was feeling puzzled. He explained, “This is because I will be going to the Imperial Capital at the end of this month. Thus, I wished to hold a large-scale auction before I leave.”
Imperial Capital? This old man before him was indeed not an ordinary man, Xiao Chen thought in his heart. From the first time he met him, he could feel a pressure from him.
That pressure was much stronger than what he experienced from Liu Fenglin. In front of Nangong Yan, Xiao Chen felt like the old man was seeing straight through him..
It seemed that this person had a very special position in the Nangong Clan. Xiao Chen did not know why he was going to the Imperial Capital, but it had nothing to do with Xiao Chen. Thus, he did not think about it too much.
Unfortunately, life is very strange. It was impossible to predict what would happen next. Xiao Chen was not aware that the old man’s business in the Imperial Capital was not only related to him, but concerned him greatly.
Xiao Chen’s face was completely hidden, and Nangong Yan was not able to see his expressions. He could not help but feel disappointed as he continued, “Thus, I would like to ask if you would be willing to take out more pills for auction to become one of the highlights, so that I would be able to gain some face.
When he heard this, Xiao Chen found it funny. If it was another person saying this, that he wanted to use his pill to gain some face, he might have believed it.
However, when such an important character of the Nangong Clan actually said he wanted to use these pills to gain face, he was truly overestimating Xiao Chen. Xiao Chen knew very clearly how useful these pills were.
The Nangong Clan is one of the four great clans of the Great Qin Nation. The clan head, Nangong Lie, was an expert of the Martial Monarch realm. Out of the ten people who had the ability to suppress the nation, he ranks number two.
These pills were overrated by him. They were just equivalent to the Rank 4 pills of this world. With regards to the Nangong Clan, they would not even be worth mentioning.
The old man in front of him clearly had an extraordinary position in the Nangong Clan. There should be countless treasures at his disposal. How could he be lacking such Rank 4 pills?
It was obvious that he wanted these pills for himself. The old man in front of him should be an alchemist as well. This was Xiao Chen’s intuition as an alchemist.
Furthermore, his rank should be very high. Nangong Yan was able to tell that the pills Xiao Chen refined were refined by methods different from the traditional refining method. That was why he wanted a few more for himself to research.
This was why when Xiao Chen gave him the three pills, he was not satisfied. It was also very possible that the pills he auctioned the last time had all been purchased by himself.
Xiao Chen did not say any more. He placed his hands into his pockets and then took out three porcelain bottles. Following that, he removed the cap of the bottles.
The fragrance of the Blood Replenishing Pill, the Qi Returning Pill, and the Essence Nurturing Pill diffused through the whole room. Xiao Chen said, “Pavilion Master Nangong, let’s just be frank here. You want these pills for yourself right?”
“In each of these porcelain bottles, there are twenty pills. Why don’t you tell me what you are willing to swap for them?”
Xiao Chen was not lacking in money, but he believed that Nangong Yan would definitely have some treasures that could move him. He might as well take this opportunity to rip him off.
Nangong Yan’s previously brimming face suddenly changed. There was an expression of shock in his eyes. His gaze was as sharp as a knife when he looked at Xiao Chen.
Although he did not use any force or release any of his aura, just this gaze of his made Xiao Chen feel very uncomfortable.
Underneath the cloak, Xiao Chen did his best to maintain his calm. He focused and stabilized his trembling body, but sweat still continued to pour out from his back.
“Haha! The courage of youth is great. You're not afraid that I would kill you and snatch all these away?” Nangong Yan suddenly smiled and the pressure on Xiao Chen disappeared.
“You won’t. I don’t feel any killing intent coming from you. Furthermore, the last time I left this place you did not send anyone to follow me. That was the reason why I dared to come back here,” Xiao Chen, who had calmed down, said while taking his time.
When Nangong Yan heard this, he smiled, “You are very brave and smart too. You are right. This old man wants these pills. Your straightforward personality is quite compatible with my temperament.”
After Nangong Yan said this, he stopped. He got up and paced around for a few steps before saying, “It is hard to say how much these pills of yours are worth. To someone who understands alchemy, it would be extremely expensive. However, to someone who does not understand alchemy, it is just a Rank 4 pill.”
Xiao Chen nodded his head and did not deny it. He smiled as he said, “Pavilion Master Nangong clearly belongs to the group of people who understands alchemy. I wonder what kind of sky-high price you would offer.”
Nangong Yan smiled, “You brat, don't play word games with me. Although I do need these pills, I cannot guarantee that I would be able to gain anything by researching them. They might not be useful to me.”
“My little friend, would you be willing to introduce your master to me?”
Seeing Nangong Yan suddenly changing the topic, Xiao Chen’s face turned sullen. He said, “My master enjoys peace and quiet. He would not meet any outsiders. I already said this the last time.”
“If Pavilion Master does not require these pills, then I shall be taking my leave.”
After Xiao Chen said that, he got up and headed towards the door. This was Xiao Chen’s bottom line. He did not have any master. All the pills were refined by himself. If this fact was exposed, then Nangong Yan would definitely be amongst the first to come and capture him.
Nangong Yan quickly got up and stopped Xiao Chen, pulling him back, “It was just a casual remark. Don’t worry, I definitely want these pills.”
“How about this? I will not offer too much, but I won’t let you suffer a disadvantage either. You may choose any three items from this afternoon’s auction. Regardless of the price, Linlang Pavilion will pay for it.”
Nangong Yan said this because he guessed that Xiao Chen was not interested in a monetary transaction. Or else he would have just taken out the pills to be placed in the auction.
However, Nangong Yan was not willing to take out some valuable treasures. After all, these pills were just Rank 4 pills.
Finally, he managed to think of a clever method. It would satisfy Xiao Chen’s wishes, and he would not suffer any disadvantage. It would just be some money.
Furthermore, he already knew what goods were present in this auction. Although there were many good items, they were not able to move his heart, so it could be said that he would not suffer any disadvantage.
Xiao Chen quickly analyzed Nangong Yan’s words. Very soon, he realized what was Nangong Yan’s intentions. He could not help but call him a crafty fox in his heart.
However, he immediately came up with a counter measure. He said, “Can I take a look at the list of goods to be auctioned first?”
This was not an unreasonable request. Most auctions would release the list before the auction. They would even list out the chief item and the highlights. The main reason was to attract people to attend the auction.
Although Nangong Yan felt unwilling in his heart, he still took out a copy of the catalog and passed it to Xiao Chen, “In this large-scale auction, there are many good items. They will definitely not disappoint you.”
Xiao Chen took the catalog and looked at it carefully. After he finished looking at it, he made a decision. He smiled and said, “It’s a deal then. I will choose three auction items and these pills will belong to the Pavilion Master.”