At dawn the following day, Wang Cheng walked out of the alchemy room with a satisfied smile. He found Liu Yuexin sitting cross-legged in the middle of the shop, circulating her Qi. The gentle morning sunlight struck her form, creating a faint, shimmering silver aura that enveloped her entire body!
Fuuu...
She slowly opened her eyes and exhaled a long breath. A misty white vapor shot out from her mouth like a dragon exhaling smoke! Her eyes were bright and filled with a vigor unlike anything before.
"U-Uncle! I... I have broken through to the 7th Stage!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling with excitement and disbelief.
A single Moon Spirit Nourishing Pill had caused her power to leap from the 6th Stage to the 7th Stage overnight! Within her sect, even with arduous training, such progress would have taken at least half a year!
"Mm... Not bad," Wang Cheng nodded calmly. "Your foundation is not yet stable. Try to avoid intense combat for now."
His words, which seemed like a slight reprimand, only made her respect and revere him more. Uncle truly had such high standards! A breakthrough that others would celebrate with joy was merely "not bad" in his eyes.
"Yes, Uncle!" she accepted his words firmly.
"Very good," he continued. "Today, I will go to the Chamber of Commerce to settle the debt. You stay here and watch the shop. No need to follow me."
"But..."
"No buts," he said flatly. "This is adult business. A child like you shouldn't get involved... More importantly, while I am away, you must be careful. Do not trust anyone. Do you understand?"
His words sounded strict, but they were laced with concern, causing a strange warmth to blossom in her heart. She nodded obediently.
After instructing Liu Yuexin, Wang Cheng walked out of the shop. However, he did not bring a single "Moon Spirit Nourishing Pill" with him.
'Taking the best item out to show directly is the action of a fool,' he thought. 'To catch good prey... one must slowly lure the big fish into the trap.'
He walked straight to the Ten Thousand Treasures Chamber of Commerce. This time, he wasn't going as a debtor, but as a "customer."
Upon arrival, he was met with the same disdainful look from the front desk clerk.
"What do you want, old man?"
Wang Cheng smiled kindly. "I would like to see the appraiser of the Chamber. I happen to have some 'good stuff' I'd like to offer for sale."
The clerk looked him up and down with skepticism, but seeing that he wouldn't leave easily, he reluctantly went to report it. Not long after, Wang Cheng was led to a luxurious reception room.
A woman in a dark red, tight-fitting dress that accentuated her incredible curves sat elegantly behind a carved wooden desk. She appeared to be in her early thirties. Her face was beautiful, but her eyes were sharp and cold. She was "Su Meilan," the branch manager of this Ten Thousand Treasures Chamber of Commerce.
"I heard you have 'good stuff' to sell, Boss Wang?" she asked coolly, showing not a shred of respect for an elder.
Wang Cheng immediately activated his [Divine Diagnostic Eye].
[Su Meilan]
[Power Level: Foundation Establishment Stage - Early Level]
[Status: Exhausted from overwork, Yin energy in the body is becoming unstable.]
'Hmm... Another potential 'patient',' he smirked inwardly.
He didn't say much but slowly placed a small jade bottle on the table.
"I am not sure if it is good enough for the Chamber... I stumbled upon an old family recipe by chance, so I tried brewing it for fun."
Su Meilan looked at the jade bottle indifferently before picking it up and uncorking it casually.
Pop!
The moment the cork was removed, a pure medicinal fragrance wafted through the room! It was a scent that calmed the mind and visibly accelerated Qi circulation!
Su Meilan's cold eyes instantly turned to shock! She hurriedly poured a emerald-green pill onto her palm. The pill was perfectly round and flawless, its surface shimmering faintly like fine jade!
"This is... a High-Grade Qi Enhancing Pill! The purity level... is nearly ninety percent!" she muttered to herself in disbelief. She had only seen pills of this caliber a few times in her life, and every time, they came from Grandmaster Alchemists in the capital!
She quickly composed her shocked expression before looking up at Wang Cheng with a changed gaze.
"Boss Wang... where did you get this pill?"
Wang Cheng maintained his naive smile. "I told you, I brewed it myself following an old recipe. I don't know if it's worth anything."
Su Meilan stared deep into his innocent-looking eyes, trying to find the truth, but found no suspicion.
'Could this old man really be lucky enough to have found a legendary recipe?'
"A pill of this level... is extremely rare," she said smoothly. "Our Chamber will buy it for... fifteen gold taels per pill! How many do you have?"
Wang Cheng feigned wide-eyed joy. "Really!? I... I have four of them!"
Four pills meant sixty gold taels! Enough to pay off the debt with money to spare!
"Deal! I'll sell!" he replied with "greed."
The transaction went swiftly. His debt was cleared, leaving a heavy bag of ten gold taels in his hand.
Wang Cheng pretended to be ecstatic, about to thank her and leave. But then, he "accidentally" let slip a remark, as if just remembering something.
"Sigh... It's a real pity... If I hadn't messed up while refining the 'Silver Moon Grass'... I would have had even better pills to sell by now."
The words "Silver Moon Grass" made Su Meilan, who was about to turn back to her work, freeze in place! She whipped her head back around immediately, her previously cold eyes now burning with intensity!
"Wait a moment! What did you say? You... had Silver Moon Grass!?"
Wang Cheng put on a remorseful face. "I used to... but not anymore. My skills weren't enough; I burned it all to ash... Such a waste of a good item," he said, shaking his head in regret.
Su Meilan stared at Wang Cheng intensely... She didn't believe his words entirely! This old man... was definitely not just some lucky fool! He could brew High-Grade Qi Enhancing Pills and even had access to Silver Moon Grass, a legendary herb!
He was a walking treasure trove!
She immediately adjusted her expression into a bright, friendly smile.
"Uncle Wang... It is truly a pity that you failed the refinement... Perhaps... our Chamber of Commerce could provide some 'assistance' for your next alchemy session?"
Her tone shifted from a cold manager to a little kitten purring for attention.
Wang Cheng smiled naively, but inside, he was laughing uproariously.
'Hook, line, and sinker... The big fish has taken the bait.'