8 Nothing Behind

"What a marvelous thing; absolutely heaven defying." The old man praised, his eyes flashing.

Huang Hao swirled the teacup in his hands, his dark pupils intent on hers. "Young Master, may I ask where you obtained these pills?" A peculiar smile graced his face, causing goosebumps to rise across Yun Da Xia's forearms.

Many curses filled her heart. She hadn't expected these bolus' to be worth much attention, especially in a world where cultivators and different masters were so abundant. Such basic pills were already seen as a treasure?

No matter how indignant she felt, her plans of laying low had been compromised.

Hoping that her facial expression hadn't exposed her thoughts, she spoke smoothly. "I don't think it's necessary for me to disclose that. So is your pavilion interested in my pills or not?"

Her window of time to be outside was already quite small, and growing shorter by the minute. If she didn't get a move on now, she doubted that she wouldn't be caught.

The old man giggled, his childish mannerism undeniably creepy.

"Of course, of course. It's not necessary to know where it's from. We'll take both bottles." In a blink, his face became solemn; a corner of his lips twitched upwards. "Unfortunately, since this pill is one we've never seen before, our establishment is taking a risk."

"So your point?" Yun Da Xia cut him off quickly.

"How does two thousand gold coins sound?"

Bai Chaun who had been spectating the exchange, was already familiar with Huang Hao's methods. As a seasoned business man, he only blinked in response to the offer, but even he was appalled by how shameless the alchemist was being.

Yun Da Xia paused, raising her brows. "Five thousand."

"Three thousand."

"Four thousand five hundred."

"Three thousand seven hundred fifty."

"Four thousand four hundred ninety nine."

Huang Hao stopped to contemplate, sighing as if the thought pained him.

In reality, even if he had accepted the first asking price, it would still be daylight robbery on Yun Da Xia's end. Four thousand would have been a reasonable price for a single bottle. He had no qualms about ripping her off and getting two at the price of one.

Yun Da Xia wasn't aware of this, as she had never needed to buy or sell pills in her life. At most she knew that a merchant would try to get the best bargain for himself. If she started with an audacious offer, then it would eventually find a reasonable balance. Unfortunately, the man she was dealing with had no qualms about taking advantage of her ignorance.

"Alright, I agree to that." He held out his hand for her to shake, but she ignored it and gave him a tight smile instead. Laughing it off, he stood. "Bai Chaun, attend to the Young Master well. I'll go and collect the money."

Bai Chaun nodded, turning to Yun Da Xia. "Would the Young Master wish for me to collect his purchases now?" He asked. At her approval, he left the room.

Outside, Huang Hao was loitering around. The old man waved him over, a crazed glint in his eye.

"Have the lad followed when he leaves." The alchemist ordered; still holding the two ceramic pill jars. Bai Chaun looked to his the man, speaking his concern. "Why would that be necessary? What if we offend the powers behind him?" Huang Hao sighed, patting him on the head.

"That boy doesn't have such powers behind him. If he did, he wouldn't be so ignorant to the worth of these here." Huang Hao shook the bottles in his hands; a wide smile still present on his face. "Plus his cultivation is so low I can't sense it. Why would a powerful sect or family lug around a piece of trash?"

"Then how would he have those in the first place?" Although Bai Chaun was curious about Yun Da Xia, he knew he could not afford to offend such powers. If he did, he would likely never live a peaceful life even if he regained his freedom from this stupid place.

Huang Hao tapped a finger by his temple, "That's the point. Who knows what kind of treasures that shrimp stumbled upon. Whatever it is, we'll start getting the good stuff straight from the source."

Bai Chaun just nodded silently and made his way over to the items Yun Da Xia had asked him to wrap up. It comprised of rare herbs, beast cores, and the poisonous wolfsbane plant. The cost of these things were a common household's income for a year. He wondered what she would use them for. She was far too young to be an alchemist, and Huang Hao's assessment was right; he too could not sense any cultivation energy within her.

However, the peculiar circumstances only added on to his conviction that she was no ordinary person. His mind would not allow him to dismiss her as someone worthless like Huang Hao had.

When he opened the door to the VIP room, he found that Yun Da Xia had remained seated; quietly sipping tea. Her shoulders were taut and her foot bounced up and down. Unbeknownst to him, she had been ready to throw her hands.

Seeing that he was carrying a wrapped bundle, she seriously contemplated just taking it and bolting. Screw the money. Although she would still need a large sum for when she inevitably left the Yuns, there was no need to risk her current identity or safety. Especially during a period in time when she could be easily rendered helpless if cornered.

Even if she did attempt to run, it would be worse if she was caught by one of the pavilion guards. By that point, she would undoubtedly be questioned.

Frustration weighed heavy on her shoulders. It seemed to be doing that a lot more often.