novelraw Chapter 41 : . Arriving at the Imperial Capital
Chapter 41 : . Arriving at the Imperial Capital
After bidding farewell to Yun Yun, Xiao Han didn't rush to take Gu Xun'er to the imperial capital. With more than three months left until Nalan Yanran's three-year agreement, Xiao Han decided to let Gu Xun'er consolidate her cultivation in the desert, an excellent training ground, while also guiding her in alchemy.
They left the desert two months later.
At nineteen, Gu Xun'er had nearly grown into her beauty, beginning to display her unique charm. In the sparsely populated desert, it wasn't noticeable, but once they entered the city, she became the focus of attention.
Xiao Han was also quite attractive, but her aura was too cold, with a hidden sharpness in her eyes that discouraged people from looking at her openly.
"First, accompany me to the auction house," Xiao Han said.
Gu Xun'er turned her head and asked, "Is Senior Sister going to buy something?"
Xiao Han replied, "Medicinal herbs."
In the desert, Gu Xun'er's alchemy practice had nearly exhausted all the low-grade medicinal herbs Xiao Han had brought. Now in the imperial capital, she needed to purchase a batch of herbs to stock up for Gu Xun'er.
Moreover, she wanted to see if she could find any good items at the auction house.
Understanding Xiao Han's intention, Gu Xun'er suddenly smiled charmingly. She took a couple of small jumps and affectionately linked arms with Xiao Han, pressing her entire body against her.
Startled by Gu Xun'er's sudden movement, Xiao Han turned her head in confusion, looking at her, not understanding what she meant.
Gu Xun'er leaned close to Xiao Han and whispered in her ear, "Senior Sister is so good to Xun'er. How can Xun'er ever repay you?"
Feeling Gu Xun'er's soft breath on her ear, Xiao Han suddenly felt her ears grow hot for some reason, and her heart fluttered. A flash of panic crossed her eyes, but she quickly suppressed the strange feeling.
Xiao Han turned her head to look straight ahead: "Cultivate well, and that will be repayment enough to the sect."
Catching the fleeting panic in Xiao Han's eyes and noticing her slightly reddened ear tips, Gu Xun'er narrowed her eyes slightly, her lips curling into a meaningful smile.
The system, watching Xiao Han's emotions fluctuate so unusually, couldn't understand why its host suddenly had such a strong emotional response.
Inside the auction house hall, fully armed guards were visible everywhere. These guards all wore badges of the Miteer Family on their chests, clearly the direct forces of the Miteer Family.
As Xiao Han entered the hall, she clearly felt no less than twenty sharp gazes scanning every part of her body. It took quite a while before these piercing gazes slowly receded.
The hall was filled with countless crystal counters, with a constant flow of people around them. The counters displayed various rare items, each labeled with a price. However, the price of each item was at least 30,000 gold coins, a price steep enough to deter many people.
These outer items weren't particularly precious, and Xiao Han wasn't interested. She led Gu Xun'er towards the innermost area but was stopped by a guard.
The guards of the Miteer auction house were also discerning individuals. At a glance, they could tell that the clothes worn by the two were made of high-quality fabric. Although they looked plain, the craftsmanship was first-rate. Therefore, although this person stopped them, his attitude was quite good.
"Ladies, the Miteer auction house is divided into four types of auctions: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow. The Heaven, Earth, and Profound auctions require a certain level of wealth. May I ask which auction you wish to attend?" The guard's attitude was quite polite.
Xiao Han was somewhat surprised, not expecting the auction house to have so many rules.
"For the Heaven-grade auction, what level of wealth is required?"
Xiao Han didn't lack money. She only wanted rare medicinal herbs or some valuable collectibles, so she directly inquired about the Heaven grade.
"Uh... this..." Not expecting Xiao Han to immediately ask about the Heaven grade, the guard was at a loss for words for a moment, then said somewhat helplessly, "The Heaven-grade auction is the highest level auction at the Miteer auction house. It's rarely held, maybe once every year or two. There hasn't been any news about a Heaven-grade auction being held these days."
Xiao Han pondered for a moment. It seemed they hadn't come at the right time.
"Then the Earth-grade..."
Before she could finish, she was interrupted by a commotion not far away. Xiao Han instinctively turned her head and saw a woman in red clothes surrounded by a crowd, along with a middle-aged man following behind her, and a little girl in blue-white clothes.
"Is that... Senior Hai Bo Dong and Qing Lin?" Gu Xun'er said with some surprise.
Xiao Han nodded. The woman in red was none other than Yafei of the Miteer family, wasn't she?
Calmly greeting the crowd, Yafei occasionally lowered her head to speak gently with the excited Qing Lin beside her.
At this moment, Qing Lin suddenly shifted her gaze over and opened her small mouth in surprise. Noticing Qing Lin's unusual behavior, Yafei instinctively followed her gaze, and her beautiful eyes showed a trace of disbelief.
As the center of attention in the hall, Yafei's actions undoubtedly caused everyone to shift their gaze accordingly. When they saw the two exquisite and charming young women, they all revealed looks of amazement.
Bringing Qing Lin and Hai Bo Dong to Xiao Han and Gu Xun'er, Qing Lin's eyes lit up, and she wanted to rush over and call out "Your Excellency," but was stopped by a single look from Xiao Han.
"Long time no see," Yafei said with a smile.
Xiao Han nodded: "Long time no see."
Hai Bo Dong recognized Gu Xun'er as that great person's disciple, but he hadn't met Xiao Han before, so he asked Gu Xun'er, "Didn't that great person come?"
Gu Xun'er glanced at Xiao Han and smiled, "Teacher had matters to attend to and left. This is my Senior Sister, also Teacher's senior disciple, Xiao Han."
"Hello, Senior Hai Bo Dong," Xiao Han said, looking at Hai Bo Dong with a composed gaze.
After returning the greeting, Hai Bo Dong started to wonder inwardly. Was it his imagination, or did this girl give him a feeling very similar to that great person?
"What brings you to the imperial capital this time?" Yafei asked curiously.
"Bringing my dis... ahem, Junior Sister to participate in the Alchemist Grand Meeting," Xiao Han said.
"Oh, the Alchemist Grand Meeting?" Yafei naturally knew of this grand event. She was just surprised that Gu Xun'er had actually become an alchemist and dared to participate in the meeting. She must be at least a third-grade alchemist. "So you've come to the auction house to buy something?"
"Medicinal herbs," Xiao Han pondered for a moment, then said, "And to see if there are any good items."
"That's not difficult at all. Just tell me directly what you need," Yafei said.
Having connections is indeed convenient. Even Xiao Han, who had always advocated for lone wolf tactics, had to admit this point.
Scanning the hall, Yafei said, "This isn't the place to talk. Follow me."
Yafei led the group to a staircase guarded by several sentries.
Looking at Xiao Han and Gu Xun'er following behind Yafei, the guards exchanged glances. According to the rules, non-family members were generally not allowed to enter, except for Miss Qing Lin, who had become an adopted daughter of the Miteer family, and Ice Emperor Hai Bo Dong, an honorary elder of the family.
However, Yafei now held the position of Acting Supervisory Elder, wielding considerable authority. At the moment, none of them dared to step forward to obstruct. As the three were about to enter, one guard had to steel himself to take a step forward. However, before he could speak, a casual glance from Yafei made him swallow his words and retreat with a bitter smile.
"They are my friends. I will take responsibility if anything happens," Yafei said casually before leading the two up the stairs.
Following Yafei up several floors, they finally stopped in front of a large door. Judging by her familiarity, this was clearly a place she frequented.
There were still several guards at the door. Although their eyes scanned Xiao Han and Gu Xun'er with curiosity, they were sensible enough not to speak up, standing quietly to the side like wooden posts.
Pushing open the door revealed a spacious room. The room was lined with neatly arranged bookshelves filled with various thick books. Yafei walked past the bookshelves and finally came to a desk. Turning around, she smiled at Xiao Han and the others, pointing to nearby chairs, and said with a smile, "Please, have a seat."
Everyone pulled up a chair to sit down, except for Qing Lin, who obediently sat beside Yafei.
After everyone was seated, Yafei called a maid to brew tea for everyone. She also instructed the maid to bring a small piece of cake for Qing Lin.
Eating her special cake, Qing Lin happily narrowed her eyes: "Delicious!"
Yafei smiled, taking out a handkerchief to gently wipe the cake crumbs stuck to Qing Lin's mouth. "This is a new dessert recently introduced in the imperial capital. If you like it, I'll have people buy more to bring back."
Qing Lin blinked, then revealed a bright and clean smile: "Thank you, Sister Yafei!"
Taking a sip of tea, Gu Xun'er whispered to Xiao Han: "Miss Yafei and Qing Lin seem to have a very good relationship."
Before Xiao Han could say anything, Hai Bo Dong spoke calmly from the side: "This is nothing. You should see how lovey-dovey these two usually are. Tsk tsk, it's really hard to watch."
Hai Bo Dong's voice wasn't low, and he didn't deliberately lower his voice, so his words were naturally heard by the two who were being affectionate.
Qing Lin's small face turned slightly red, and she lowered her head to poke at the cake, looking very embarrassed.
Yafei smiled slightly, as if she hadn't heard anything, and said, "Let's get down to business. Xiao Han, what medicinal herbs do you need?"
Xiao Han very calmly pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Yafei: "Just these."
Yafei took it and glanced at it: "Hmm, indeed, these aren't particularly valuable herbs." Just the quantity is quite large.
"Also, please help me look for a high-quality medicine cauldron," Xiao Han thought for a moment and added, "The higher the quality, the better."
Yafei pondered for a moment, extracting relevant information from her memory, and said, "The auction house does have a cauldron recently, but its quality is unclear. Do you want to take a look?"
Quality unclear?
Xiao Han and Gu Xun'er exchanged a glance, then said, "Alright, let's take a look."
Yafei nodded, then lightly clapped her hands. A pretty maid quickly walked in from outside.
"Go fetch the medicinal herbs listed here, pack them carefully in a storage ring, and bring them over. Also, bring that medicine cauldron of unclear grade from the inventory," Yafei instructed, handing the paper slip to the maid.
"Yes," the maid responded respectfully, then quickly retreated.
"Alright, please wait a moment," Yafei smiled. "However, not to mention the medicine cauldron, these herbs alone are worth over a million gold coins. Little Xiao Han, can you afford so much?"
Gu Xun'er looked somewhat helpless. Over a million gold coins was nothing to her as the young miss of the Gu family.
Xiao Han chuckled lightly, taking out a card from her system space and placing it on the table.
Looking somewhat stunned at the purple-gold card on the table surface with eight silver wave patterns, Yafei's face flashed with surprise. Having dealt with numerous powerhouses, she was well aware that this type of purple-gold card could only be used by those with at least Dou Huang level strength.
"Is this... your teacher's card?" Although knowing that Xiao Han's teacher was extraordinary, Yafei hadn't expected them to be at least a Dou Huang powerhouse.
Teacher...
Gu Xun'er glanced at the composed Xiao Han and revealed a meaningful smile.
It was indeed "Teacher's" card.