Nie Kong’s gaze swept over the crowd, and a smile bloomed on his face. He reached into his (bosom/inner pocket) and pulled out a piece of white cloth, shaking it out gently before hanging it over the edge of the high platform.
“Auction… a top-grade Spirit Medicine?”
Upon clearly seeing the six large characters on the white cloth, the crowd exchanged bewildered glances. After all that fuss, was this fellow actually planning to auction spirit medicines inside the “Ascending Emperor Hall”?
Ye Jun instantly understood. No wonder Nie Kong hadn't agreed to refine medicine for anyone, yet he still frequented the Apothecary Hall daily. It turned out he planned to refine spirit medicines himself for auction?
Not just Ye Jun, but the surrounding inner-city disciples who had previously sought Nie Kong out also grasped the situation:
“……”
“This scoundrel, I knew why he refused to act; he was planning this whole scheme… And I even offered him too few contribution points?”
“Right, right, too shameless. Brothers, let’s not bid later; let’s see how he auctions this!”
“……”
“Auctioning a top-grade Spirit Medicine? Nie Kong, just how top-grade are your medicines?”
“Didn’t that guy casually refine a 92% fusion rate and a 93% fusion rate medicine outside the Ascending Emperor Hall last time? The ones he’s auctioning this time should surely surpass 93%?”
“……”
Curses and doubts erupted in a chorus.
Ignoring the voices clamoring for a boycott, Nie Kong flipped over a box in front of him, setting it down on the edge of the platform with a solid thud. Regardless of what the inner-city disciples below were thinking, at that moment, their eyes were involuntarily drawn to the medicine box.
“……”
“Heart-Breaking Pill… Fusion Rate 95%… 95%?”
“A Heart-Breaking Pill with 95% fusion? Did I misread that? Quick, pinch my arm…”
“Blast it all, it really is a top-grade Spirit Medicine!”
“……”
A collective gasp swept through the Ascending Emperor Hall. Among the spirit apothecaries of the inner city, many had successfully refined spirit medicines with 90% fusion rates, but reaching 95% was exceedingly rare. In the last four years, there had been only one such person.
That person was named Liu Hemin, an extraordinarily gifted spirit apothecary, rumored to have recently succeeded in refining two fifth-grade spirit medicines.
Who would have thought that Nie Kong, upon entering the inner city, could reach the level of Liu Hemin? Although 95% is only slightly higher than 93%, that tiny margin in fusion rate represented a peak that many spirit apothecaries might never surpass in their lifetime. Take Nie Xingyun, for instance; even though he was a Virtual Spirit Master, let alone refining a 95% fusion rate medicine, he couldn't easily achieve even 80%.
“Junior Brother Nie Kong, how much are you selling this Heart-Breaking Pill for?” An inner-city disciple, his eyes gleaming, couldn’t help but shout out.
A few days ago, this disciple had approached Nie Kong, asking for help in refining a 90% fusion rate "Heart-Breaking Pill." Nie Kong hadn't agreed then, and the disciple had given up hope, only to see Nie Kong now refining it, with a fusion rate far exceeding his initial requirement.
As soon as he spoke, quite a few inner-city disciples glared at him furiously.
This very disciple was one of those who had been loudest in calling for a boycott just moments ago. Now, seeing that the 95% fusion rate medicine was exactly what he needed, he immediately changed his tune to ask the price. Truly shameless! Some of them wished they could unleash a punch and shatter his excited face.
“Starting price, twenty points!” Nie Kong held up two fingers, smiling broadly. “Each subsequent bid must increase by no less than two points.”
“Junior Brother Nie Kong, forget the auction, I’ll take it for thirty points!”
The inner-city disciple rushed anxiously toward the high platform. This type of "Heart-Breaking Pill" was excellent for calming the mind, especially when preparing for a breakthrough.
Its recipe was widely circulated, but raising the medicine’s fusion rate during refinement was notoriously difficult. While perhaps not comparable to the "Thousand-Layer Pill," it was close.
Generally, reaching an 85% fusion rate was considered the limit. Nie Kong actually reached 95%; consuming it would undoubtedly be considered miraculous. Despite his earlier complaints about Nie Kong, this disciple could no longer suppress the urge to buy this spirit medicine.
Before Nie Kong could reply, a voice suddenly cut in sharply: “Thirty-two points!”
“Who’s speaking…”
The inner-city disciple blinked in surprise, then his eyes widened, and a fierce look crossed his face as he searched the surrounding crowd. He then saw a handsome young man emerge, grinning. “Xi Yue, it’s you!” As he spoke, a hint of vexation already colored his tone.
Xi Yue laughed. “Why, yes, it is me! Chu Yu, this Heart-Breaking Pill is exactly what I’ll need in a few days, so I won’t be polite. Haha.”
Nie Kong hadn’t expected Xi Yue to be here, let alone help drive up the price. However, this suited Nie Kong’s purpose perfectly, so he nodded to Xi Yue with a smile.
Chu Yu cursed, “You bastard, thirty-four points!”
“Thirty-thirty-six!”
“Forty-two!”
By this point, Xi Yue still wore a cheerful smile, but Chu Yu’s face had turned rather grim, his eyeballs nearly popping out of their sockets.
“Forty-five!”
Staring fiercely at Xi Yue, Chu Yu squeezed out those three syllables from between his gritted teeth. Xi Yue laughed heartily, “Such a high price, I might not be able to afford it. Chu Yu, this Heart-Breaking Pill is yours. Forty-five points barely does justice to this 'Heart-Breaking Pill.'”
“You… Fine!”
Chu Yu gritted his teeth in response.
Even a fool could tell now that Xi Yue wasn't actually in need of a "Heart-Breaking Pill"; he was clearly there to intentionally inflate the price. Without Xi Yue, thirty points might not have secured the pill, but the price certainly wouldn't have soared to forty-five!
Seeing his state, some inner-city disciples secretly felt a measure of satisfaction.
This guy deserved it. He was the one loudly advocating for a boycott, yet he was the first to bid. Forty-five points was practically a bargain! A few of them even felt tempted to place one or two bids just to mess with this guy a bit more.
However, they reconsidered. If Chu Yu followed Xi Yue’s lead and suddenly dropped out of the bidding, wouldn't they be the ones stuck with the bitter fruit? While a 95% fusion rate "Heart-Breaking Pill" was indeed worth over fifty points, actually having to buy it now would cause real heartache.
“Senior Brother Chu Yu, it seems no one else is raising the bid. This Heart-Breaking Pill is yours.”
Nie Kong smiled faintly, reaching into a side pocket of his bag and pulling out a jade tablet capable of transferring points. He held up the wooden box toward Chu Yu. Refining the ingredients for the "Heart-Breaking Pill" at the inner-city Apothecary Hall cost Nie Kong thirteen points. Now, turning it over for forty-five—a handsome profit indeed.
“Fine!”
Chu Yu walked sullenly toward the high platform, feeling the sting of the loss. Forty-five points gone just like that! A thought flickered in his eyes, and the identity plaque he had already extended halfway was retracted. “Nie Kong, I haven't even seen the Heart-Breaking Pill. You say it’s 95% fusion, but what if it isn't?”
This fellow wanted the good medicine but didn't want to pay the full price. Nie Kong sneered internally but remained outwardly calm. “Senior Brother Chu Yu, what do you propose?”
Although Nie Kong couldn't precisely verify the fusion rate of his refined medicines, the inner city housed people like Miao Ge and Tai Ji. They had been involved in alchemy for over a decade and were indeed much better at judging these matters than Nie Kong, a self-taught spirit apothecary. Nie Kong had made a point of consulting them the previous night.
“There are plenty of spirit apothecaries here in the Ascending Emperor Hall. I’ll find one to verify it,” Chu Yu said, coughing lightly, a flash of cunning in his eyes.
“No need for such trouble.”
Nie Kong smiled. “Senior Brother Chu Yu, since you are so worried that my Heart-Breaking Pill might not have a 95% fusion rate, I happen to have a method to completely dispel your concerns.”
Just as Chu Yu looked stunned, Nie Kong suddenly raised his voice, “Everyone, the previous auction is void! This Heart-Breaking Pill, thirty-nine points—does anyone want it?”
As he said this, Nie Kong played a little trick. He set the price at thirty-nine points instead of forty. This created a psychological suggestion: the spirit medicine had dropped into the thirties; it wasn't expensive! It truly wasn't! In reality, it was only one point less than forty.
Such tactics were frequently used by merchants in his previous life during promotions.
“I want it!”
“I want it!”
“……”
At the last moment, the 95% fusion rate "Heart-Breaking Pill" dropped to the low thirties! The crowd had completely not expected such a turn of events. After a moment of stunned silence, several inner-city disciples, who were close to a breakthrough, couldn't help but show looks of wild elation and responded loudly.
Nie Kong’s maneuver left Chu Yu extremely flustered. It wasn't until several inner-city disciples began moving forward that he suddenly snapped back to reality, shouting in enraged frustration, “Who dares snatch my spirit medicine?!”
“Hmph!”
A few sneers echoed—Who do you think you are? We are all inner-city disciples; why should we fear you? However, as those disciples continued to advance, they noticed someone had silently slipped onto the platform and, without saying a word, inserted his identity plaque into one of the jade tablet’s four slots.
In a flash, the transaction was complete!
Watching the fellow disciple happily take the medicine box from Nie Kong’s hand, not only those few inner-city disciples but even Chu Yu were dumbfounded. This scoundrel moved too fast! He completed the purchase of the "Heart-Breaking Pill" without a single warning, giving no one a chance—truly insidious!
“Everyone, the second spirit medicine auction begins now!”
With thirty-nine points secured, Nie Kong was beaming. He then placed the second box upright. On the face of that box, written in vivid vermilion ink, were the characters:
Yangchun Shuangyun Dew (Spring Frost Cloud Dew), Medicine Potency Fusion Rate 96%!
96%!
As these three words were revealed, the area around the high platform erupted into an uproar.
“……”
“96%? That’s terrifying. Did this guy perhaps write the last character wrong?”
“The Yangchun Shuangyun Dew is a medicine used for healing. With 96% fusion, if applied to a wound, wouldn’t it heal in just a day or two?”
“Tsk tsk, if that’s true, the medicinal effect would be divine!”
“I heard that spirit medicines with this fusion rate can only be refined by those who are Medicine Kings. If he’s already at this level now, what will he be like in the future? Will our Spirit Imperial City see the emergence of another Medicine King?”
“A future Medicine King…”
“……”