A purple wish!
To be honest, Zhao Ci was taken aback when he saw this wish.
He'd thought such a high-level wish would only appear for major players like Zhao Huan or Gu Xiangzhu. He never expected a minor character like Zhu Li to generate one.
But in all fairness, the reward for this wish matched its difficulty.
If becoming an Alchemist were that easy, Zhu Li wouldn't have waited until now. After all, her father was the Patriarch, and even the Zhu Clan was powerless to help with this matter.
He could use comprehension points to advance his own cultivation.
But that system only worked on himself; it was impossible to use it to help others cultivate.
"This is going to be tricky!"
Zhao Ci rubbed his head. He felt like it might be beyond his abilities, but he was reluctant to give up on such a huge wish.
After all, he couldn't bear to lose so many comprehension points, not to mention the Yu Xin Flame. He didn't know what it was, but an ordinary flame wouldn't have a name. This Yu Xin Flame had to be something special.
'No way!'
'I have to find a way to pull this damn thing off.'
As he was pondering a viable method, people were milling about the auction house. Over forty of the fifty-plus seats were already taken.
Meanwhile, a handsome but sickly-looking young man appeared on the high platform of the auction stage.
Zhao Ci recognized this young man. He was the Seventh Prince, now known as Prince Gong, Zhao Yan. He had once been a young genius, but after losing his cultivation, he took a post at the Imperial Clan Court. His specific duties were unclear, but he co-managed the auction and, as a side-duty, monitored the flow of wealth among the Householders.
'Sigh!'
'Another poor soul who had his Waizi harvested by Zhao Huan.'
"Thank you, esteemed guests, for gracing us with your presence. I will be hosting today's auction."
Zhao Yan gave a faint smile and politely cupped his hands to the crowd before launching into a series of pleasantries.
Though they were just formalities, his words were as refreshing as a spring breeze, heightening everyone's anticipation for the items to come.
Seeing that the atmosphere was right,
Zhao Yan's gaze swept over the guests, and his voice was warm as he said, "The first treasure is a Fire Manipulation Pill, accidentally refined by a Supreme Elder of the Dian Nan Yang Clan. Many of you here are Alchemists, so I'm sure you understand the importance of Fire Control Ability better than I do. This Fire Manipulation Pill is a Tier Three Elixir of superior quality. The bidding will start at one thousand taels, with each increment no less than fifty taels, and a price ceiling of five thousand taels."
As soon as he said this, the room quieted down considerably.
The Great Yu Empire had a rather strict price control system. Years ago, a group of malicious foreign merchants had used hoarding to rake in exorbitant profits, throwing the prices of everything from grain to heavy weaponry into chaos. This nearly caused unrest among the common people and even in the imperial court of Great Yu.
To prevent this from happening again, a law was established to cap prices, stipulating that no item could be sold for more than five times its officially appraised value.
This even applied to black markets and auction houses.
Of course, under normal circumstances, the price cap was merely a formality, even in an auction house. After all, no one was willing to be a sucker and pay five times the value.
For a Tier Three Elixir, one thousand taels wasn't expensive at all. However, a Fire Manipulation Pill was useless to master Alchemists and too much of a waste for novices.
For a moment, no one seemed to want to bid.
After a good while, someone raised their hand out of boredom.
It was an Alchemist from the Feng Family. "One thousand and fifty taels. I'll buy it to go admire the refining technique of a senior."
It was quiet again for a moment.
Then Zhu Li raised her hand. "One thousand one hundred taels."
She seemed to want to add something, but Kan Luotang tugged on her hand, so she didn't reveal how badly she wanted it.
The Alchemist from the Feng Family just smiled and didn't bid again. It seemed he felt the Fire Manipulation Pill wasn't worth that price.
Unexpectedly, just as her voice fell, another voice quickly chimed in.
"One thousand two hundred taels!"
The bidder was a woman in a black robe trimmed with fiery red brocade. A distinctive flame pattern was emblazoned on her chest.
Someone from the Zhu Family.
"Zhu Mei, you..."
Zhu Li clearly had a history with this person. She wanted to say more, but Kan Luotang squeezed her palm, so she could only grit her teeth and say, "One thousand three hundred taels!"
Zhu Mei shot her a sidelong glance and said flatly, "One thousand four hundred taels."
Zhu Li's expression immediately turned ugly. They hadn't gotten into the auction because they were Alchemists or because they had passed the asset verification. Instead, the Kan Mansion had received an invitation from Zhuge Xiao, so they were essentially piggybacking on the Zhuge Family's spot.
The only money they had was their own private savings.
Even if they emptied their pockets, they would only have one thousand five hundred taels.
'This...'
As she was hesitating, she felt her palm being squeezed again.
She understood the signal and took a deep breath. "One thousand five hundred taels!"
But Zhu Mei didn't hesitate at all. "One thousand six hundred taels!"
Zhu Li finally couldn't hold it in any longer. "Zhu Mei, you're doing this on purpose, aren't you? Why must you fight me for this elixir?"
"Oh? To speak like that, Young Miss, is to truly wrong me."
Zhu Mei gave a faint smile. "This Fire Manipulation Pill is a rare treasure for Alchemists. As an Alchemist myself, it's only natural that I would desire it.
"Besides, this is an auction, where the highest bidder always wins. I am using the silver coins I've saved from years of toiling for the Zhu Clan to buy an elixir that I need. What's wrong with that?
"You can't accuse me of targeting you just because you haven't saved up your monthly salary, Young Miss!"
Her words were dripping with sarcasm.
"You!"
Zhu Li could no longer suppress her explosive temper. Her True Qi suddenly spiraled out of control, and wisps of flame erupted around her body.
The flames weren't large, but they were intensely scorching. Everyone present felt a searing heat on their faces and looked at Zhu Li in astonishment, wondering how a young girl who hadn't even opened her Physical Body Divine Treasure could produce such a burning fire.
However, the flames vanished as quickly as they appeared. Zhu Li gritted her teeth and shot a resentful look at the Fire Manipulation Pill before Kan Luotang pulled her back into her seat.
"What an outrageous flame!"
Zhao Ci's heart skipped a beat. He was some distance from Zhu Li, so he wasn't greatly affected, but that flame possessed a searing heat capable of instinctively evoking fear and agitation.
'If a fire this hot could be used for Alchemy, it should be able to elevate the fundamental quality of an elixir by a fair bit, right?'
'Unfortunately, Zhu Li was born with an obstacle to Alchemy.'
'The Alchemy process has always been handled entirely by the Alchemist, and there's no such thing as borrowing a flame.'
But just then, Gu Xiangzhu's cool voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
"Get that elixir. We have a great use for it! And while you're at it, get that girl, Zhu Li, too!"
"Huh?"
Zhao Ci's heart leaped. 'Is there a chance? Can our useless Alchemists be saved?'
The auction house fell silent. No one wanted to get involved in the messy internal affairs of the Zhu Family.
A faint smile also hung on Zhu Mei's face as she looked toward Zhao Yan on the stage. "Prince Gong, can we..."
"One thousand seven hundred taels!"
"Hmm?"
Everyone followed the sound of the voice and saw that it was Zhao Ci. Their expressions immediately turned strange.
Zhu Mei's brows furrowed slightly. "One thousand eight hundred taels!"
"One thousand nine hundred taels!"
Zhao Ci countered without a second thought. His bidding style was identical to Zhu Mei's from just a moment ago, as if their roles had suddenly been reversed.
Zhu Mei's expression soured. She had just received a note from Zhu Yan telling her to acquire the elixir, and that anything up to two thousand taels would be reimbursed. But where did Zhao Ci suddenly come from?
She gritted her teeth. "Two thousand taels!"
Zhao Ci didn't hesitate in the slightest. "Two thousand one hundred taels!"
Zhu Mei couldn't help but ask, "Does the Tenth Prince also want this elixir?"
Zhao Ci shot her a sidelong glance. "Do I need to explain my actions to you?"
Zhu Mei: "..."
She was silent for a moment before forcing a smile. "This humble girl spoke out of turn."
With that, she sat back down.
Zhao Yan remained composed. After confirming there were no more bids, he announced the new owner of the Fire Manipulation Pill.
Zhao Yong chimed in sarcastically from the side, "My Imperial Brother's Pill Workshop has only been open for a day, and it's already two thousand one hundred taels in debt. To spend such a fortune cultivating your own Alchemists... your foolish elder brother is truly impressed by such boldness."
Zhao Ci couldn't be bothered with him. There would be plenty of opportunities to crush him later; no need to waste his breath now.
He just leaned back leisurely in his chair and watched Zhao Yan auction off the subsequent items.
...
"Zhu Li, stop drooling."
"But I'm really not resigned to this."
"There's nothing we can do..."
"Forget it! Let's just go. I refuse to believe I can't become an Alchemist without this elixir."
The two of them exchanged a glance and prepared to get up and leave through the back door. After all, they had come specifically for the Fire Manipulation Pill.
Since they didn't get it, they had no interest in watching the rest of the excitement.
But just then,
an attendant from the auction house handed Zhu Li a slip of paper.
Kan Luotang asked curiously, "Who's it from?"
Zhu Li's expression was a little strange. "Zhao Ci!"
"What does it say?"
"He told me not to leave after school."
Zhu Li glanced in Zhao Ci's direction. The fragrant aroma of the elixir seemed to linger in the air, making her mouth water.
Her expression was conflicted. She felt that Zhao Ci might want to "get" her too.
'Wait a minute!'
'Both?'
The two of them exchanged a look and, one after the other, sat back down in their seats.
The auction grew livelier.
Item after item was sold for no small price, from rare Alchemy materials to various precious Pill Formulas.
The whole auction remained lively, but it never quite reached a fever pitch.
That is, until seven Pill Furnaces of ancient design and arcane patterns were carried onto the stage. The entire hall fell silent for a moment.
Zhao Ci had been about to doze off, but the sound of the Pill Furnaces being set down made him snap his eyes open.
He glanced at Zhao Yong, who had also straightened up, and couldn't suppress the smirk forming on his lips.
'Yongzi!'
'I've been preparing this Seven Injuries Fist for a long time.'
'You'd better be ready to taste it!'