Upon hearing this, a sudden chill flashed in Xun Er's beautiful eyes. After a moment of silence, she spoke softly, "After tonight, I don't want to see Jia Lie Ao again. You know what to do, right?"
"Miss, this matter doesn't need to go that far," Ling Ying responded with a bitter smile.
"Oh? Are you defying my orders?" Xun Er's face grew cold, and two golden flames flickered within her dark, beautiful eyes.
"Your servant wouldn't dare. It's just that right now, Jia Lie Ao is better off dead than alive. Killing him would be doing him a favor." Ling Ying wiped his non-existent sweat and replied respectfully.
"Better off dead than alive?" Xun Er was taken aback, her beautiful eyes showing a hint of surprise. "Explain."
"Not long after you left, Jia Lie Ao was attacked and lost his manhood," Ling Ying straightened up a bit and spoke respectfully to Xun Er.
"Lost his manhood?" Xun Er's pretty face flushed slightly as the coldness on her face dissipated. She couldn't help but ask, "Do you know who did it?"
Ling Ying replied, "I'm not sure. At the time, I was concerned about your safety, so I followed you. But there is someone I suspect."
"Who is it?" Xun Er's interest was clearly piqued.
"Xiao Se," Ling Ying answered.
"Cousin Xiao Se? Was he at the market as well?" Xun Er had a decent impression of Xiao Se. His temperament and talent were excellent. If given the right opportunities, he could undoubtedly become a renowned figure across the continent.
Ling Ying nodded and said, "Yes, Miss. I saw him hiding among the crowd. After Young Master Xiao Yan and you left, he was the only one in the market with both the motive and the guts. I've always found that kid a bit strange. Should I keep an eye on him?"
"No need. Today, Cousin Xiao Se acted in secret because he didn't want to see members of the Xiao family bullied. You don't need to worry about him," Xun Er said calmly.
"Understood." Ling Ying bowed slightly, then turned into a black mist and vanished.
The next day, mid-morning.
Xiao Se, clad in a large black cloak, arrived at the entrance of the Miteer Auction House.
"Wow! Brother, this building is so luxurious! It's even more grand than the palace we had in Jiang Country," Long Kui's surprised voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
Xiao Se smiled and said, "Really? I'll build you an even bigger one in the future."
"Hehe..." In the magic sword space, Long Kui's beautiful eyes curved into crescent moons, and she laughed playfully. "Then I'll thank Brother in advance! But why are we here?"
"To auction off the Foundation-Nurturing Spiritual Liquid," Xiao Se replied.
"Foundation-Nurturing Spiritual Liquid? Isn't that something you need, Brother? You only managed to make two bottles, and one of them is of inferior quality due to material issues. If you auction it off, what will you do?" Long Kui asked in surprise.
"Both bottles will eventually be used up. We'll sell the inferior one, get some gold coins, and buy more herbs to make more. Most importantly, I need herbs to refine the third-tier pill, Ice Spirit Pill, which will help me refine the beast fire from the fifth-tier magical beast, the Flame-Swallowing Serpent. With the help of the beast fire, I believe I'll be able to refine Foundation-Nurturing Spiritual Liquid without relying on your power," Xiao Se explained.
"Without relying on Long Kui's power?" Hearing this, Long Kui became anxious. Her beautiful eyes filled with tears as she urgently said, "Brother, did I do something wrong? I'll change, I promise."
Xiao Se smiled helplessly and explained, "Long Kui, you've done nothing wrong. It's just that every time I borrow your power to refine pills, it drains your soul force. Though you don't feel it now, over time, your soul could grow weak and fall into a deep sleep. You don't want me to be unable to see you, do you?"
Xiao Se, being familiar with the original story, knew that Xiao Yan became overly reliant on Yao Lao's power, which severely drained Yao Lao's soul force. In the end, Yao Lao even fell into a deep sleep to protect Xiao Yan.
Xiao Se wasn't sure if Long Kui's soul, which had cultivated for a thousand years, was as strong as Yao Lao's.
But since Yao Lao, whose soul had reached the mid-Heaven realm, could suffer from overuse, Xiao Se didn't want the same fate for Long Kui.
"I understand, but Brother, you're not allowed to see me as a burden," Long Kui said, relieved. Her biggest fear was that Xiao Se would grow tired of her.
"Of course," Xiao Se smiled. Under the watchful eyes of the guards, he entered the auction house.
As soon as he stepped into the hall, he felt a cool sensation. His gaze swept across the luxurious space before landing on a room labeled "Appraisal Room."
Entering the room, he saw a middle-aged man sitting idly at a table. Upon hearing footsteps, the man lazily raised his head and glanced at the cloaked figure. His brow furrowed slightly before he quickly replaced it with a professional smile. "Sir, are you here to appraise something?"
"Yes." A raspy voice came from beneath the cloak, courtesy of Long Kui altering his voice with soul power.
Xiao Se casually pulled out a jade-green bottle from his waist and placed it on the table.
"This is..." The middle-aged man's expression changed slightly. He carefully picked up the bottle and sniffed it gently. After a moment, he looked back at Xiao Se with newfound respect in his eyes. "Sir, are you an alchemist?"
"Yes," the raspy voice answered again.
Hearing this, the middle-aged man's face showed obvious awe. He respectfully asked, "May I ask, Sir, what is this elixir, and what is its effect?"
"Foundation-Nurturing Spiritual Liquid, a second-tier elixir. It can be consumed or used in medicinal baths to enhance the cultivation speed of a Dou Disciples. It's only effective for Dou Disciples."
"Enhances the cultivation speed of Dou Disciples?" The middle-aged man exclaimed. Although Dou Disciples didn't have the limitations of Dou Qi, their meridians were still relatively weak. Elixirs that could boost their cultivation speed were rare, and using them carelessly could result in serious injuries or even becoming crippled.
"Don't worry. The liquid's effects are mild, with no side effects. Even Dou Qi cultivators can take it, but their bodies would simply expel the excess energy," the raspy voice explained, sensing the man's doubts.
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man's expression changed again. He carefully returned the jade bottle to the table and respectfully said, "Sir, may I ask you to wait a moment? I need to fetch Master Gu Ni to personally appraise this."
"Don't take too long," Xiao Se waved dismissively and sat down to rest.
The middle-aged man nodded respectfully and hurried out of the room.
In the quiet room, Xiao Se thought to himself, "I wonder if Ya Fei has arrived yet."