"I've never formally studied it, but I used to buy these herbs often, and over time, I memorized their properties."
Huo Yuhao shook his head and then casually asked, "The person you mentioned earlier, could it be a child about my age?"
Buying them often? If an ordinary person took these herbs regularly, they'd likely end up as a fool.
The middle-aged man silently cursed in his mind but didn't expose Huo Yuhao's little lie. Instead, he simply shook his head in response to the boy's question.
"Our clinic protects the privacy of all our patients, so I cannot answer that. Now, follow me, I'll prepare your medicine."
Honestly, the man was starting to doubt his own life choices. How could a child so young have such knowledge of medicinal herbs? It made him feel like he'd wasted half his life. However, remembering the apprentice from earlier, his mood improved a bit.
It wasn't that he was particularly useless—some children were simply freakishly talented.
The new phoenix sings louder than the old one.
Having earned a decent amount of money from selling grilled fish, Huo Yuhao decided to buy plenty of herbs to avoid multiple trips. In the end, he bought dozens of different packets, spending not only the five gold soul coins he earned today but also an additional two.
However, for Huo Yuhao, the expense was entirely worth it. With these herbs, not only would Huo Yun'er's hidden illness be cured, but his own physical strength would also improve. At his age, building a solid foundation was crucial, and he wasn't one to cut corners.
As they stepped outside, Huo Yuhao noticed Tang Ya staring at him and couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing..."
Tang Ya pouted, hesitating for a long time before finally muttering, "I'm just wondering… Are you really only six years old?"
"Why? Do I not look like it? Should I grab a lollipop and let some snot drip from my nose to prove it?"
Huo Yuhao chuckled and brushed off the topic. "Xiao Ya-jie, now that we've bought the herbs, how about showing me some rare metals?"
Tang Ya rolled her eyes and huffed, "I'm starting to feel like you're calling me Xiao Ya-jie just to tease me..."
Though she complained, she led the way without any delay. Having grown up in Heaven Dou City, Tang Ya was quite familiar with the place. After winding through several alleys, she finally brought Huo Yuhao to a shop selling rare ores.
"This is the place."
The shop wasn't large, and the selection of ores and metals inside wasn't vast. Thanks to his Spirit Eyes' enhanced vision, Huo Yuhao could see the price tags from outside. Sure enough, they were as ridiculously expensive as Tang Ya had mentioned.
In the Heavenly Soul Empire, rare metals were typically controlled by the royal family. Some of the especially rare ones were only accessible to major forces or academies. The ones sold here were likely smuggled out by officials, with each middleman taking a hefty cut, driving up the price by at least threefold.
But Huo Yuhao had no choice. He needed these rare metals, and even at such inflated prices, the profits from crafting soul tools were still astronomical. Other soul engineers might face the risk of failure and wasted materials, but Huo Yuhao had no such concerns. His only limitation was his soul power level. After all, it had only been a month since his martial soul awakened, and his soul power hadn't improved much. No matter how skilled he was, there was only so much he could craft at this stage.
With a stronger foundation in soul power, he could craft higher-level soul tools. Still, even though his current soul power wasn't enough, he could rely on his Sin of Pride to temporarily boost it.
While the boost only raised his soul power to about the level of a one-ring Soul Master, with his previous life's experience, it was enough for him to craft any third-tier soul tool. Of course, doing so would come at a great cost to his energy.
In terms of profit, the time and effort needed to craft a third-tier soul tool were much greater than for a second-tier one, while the price difference wasn't that significant. Clearly, making the lower-tier tools was more lucrative.
After experimenting along the way, Huo Yuhao had gained a deeper understanding of the effects of his Sin of Pride. While the power boost was immense, it left him weak for a while afterward. After using it for the first time at the Duke's mansion, he estimated the recovery period to be around three days.
Though it seemed long, Huo Yuhao suspected it was because his current physical and soul power levels were too low. As his strength grew, the recovery time should shorten, and the burst of power should become even more potent.
Tang Ya, meanwhile, had also noticed the high prices and couldn't help but grimace. She had never really looked closely at the prices here before. Now, she glanced at Huo Yuhao with a hint of hesitation.
"Maybe we should check out some other stores. There might be cheaper options elsewhere."
"We're already here, might as well take a look."
With that, Huo Yuhao walked into the store first, and Tang Ya followed without saying another word.
"Welcome. What can I help you with today?"
A female shop attendant greeted them with a polite smile. From their appearances, she could tell they weren't likely to be big spenders, but she wasn't about to tarnish the shop's reputation by treating them poorly. After all, who knew if these two youngsters might become renowned soul engineers one day?
"We're just browsing," Huo Yuhao replied politely before pulling Tang Ya along to explore the store.
"Iron Essence, five silver coins per pound."
"Refined Gold, two hundred gold soul coins per pound."
"Titanium, six hundred gold soul coins per pound."
Reciting the prices of the metals in his mind, Tang Ya couldn't help but gasp. After looking around, she realized that only the common Iron Essence, which was often used for soul tool casings, was reasonably priced. The rare metals were outrageously expensive. Some of them were so dense that a pound of metal might be no bigger than a thumb.
"Xiao Yuhao."
Hearing Tang Ya call him, Huo Yuhao turned and saw her lean in close, lowering her voice.
"The metals here are way too expensive. If you really want rare metals, I know some people who can probably get them for cheaper."
After all, the Tang Sect used to deal in hidden weapons, so they still had some rare metal reserves. Though the stock wasn't much, Tang Ya intended to ask her parents if they could sell some to Huo Yuhao at a lower price.
After eating his grilled fish and having some fun earlier, Tang Ya had come to see this younger boy as a friend. She didn't want him to get ripped off.
Huo Yuhao immediately understood her intent. He smiled and nodded.
"Alright, then from now on, grilled fish is free for you at my stall."
"Really? You promise? I'll come every day and eat two!"
Huo Yuhao was surprised. "Only two?"
"I don't want to eat you out of business!"
Tang Ya shook her head playfully. "Besides, eating too much might make me gain weight."
"Next time, I'll treat you to something else."
(End of Chapter)