Chapter 151: Preparations Before the Action

The auction was still in full swing, with each item being better and more expensive than the last. Starting bids now easily exceeded one hundred thousand, yet Lu Zhe sat with his head down, deep in thought.

Seeing Lu Zhe silent with his head lowered, Elder Yi nudged him with his elbow and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Lu Zhe did not answer immediately. After a moment, he said, "Master, I would like to go out and take care of something. I'll leave the procurement of the medicinal herbs to you."

"What business do you have to attend to?" Elder Yi asked.

Lu Zhe suddenly smiled mysteriously and said, "Heaven's secrets cannot be revealed."

Elder Yi gave a wry smile and waved his hand dismissively. "Being mysterious, are you? Scram, get out of here."

With a cheerful "Understood," Lu Zhe stood up and walked toward the back exit of the venue. The moment he turned around, his gaze flickered, intentionally or otherwise, toward the young master on the second floor who had snatched the 'high-grade white goji berries' from him. A mysterious and cold smile touched the corner of his lips as he strode toward the hall doors and left the venue.

After Lu Zhe departed, the young master who had contested the medicinal herbs inadvertently glanced at the seat Lu Zhe had just vacated. Seeing that it was empty, his brows furrowed slightly, but he didn't pay it much mind and returned to the bidding.

Lu Zhe arrived at the grand hall outside the venue. Aside from the receptionists, there were very few people here—sparse enough to be counted on one's fingers.

"Young master, is there anything you need?" A woman's voice suddenly came from his left. Lu Zhe turned his head to see a woman standing there, wearing a purple qipao embroidered with red peonies.

"I'd like a quiet room," Lu Zhe stated his request.

"Certainly, no problem. Please follow me this way." Upon understanding his needs, the woman took the lead to guide him.

Under her guidance, Lu Zhe quickly arrived at a quiet, small chamber. Though not large, the room felt spacious, furnished with a set of tables and chairs along with a few pots of flowers and plants. After tipping the female receptionist with a silver coin, Lu Zhe dismissed her. Closing the door, he stroked the spatial ring on the pinky finger of his left hand. A flash of white light later, a massive medicinal cauldron appeared in the center of the room. Judging by its shape and intricate patterns, it was precisely the cauldron Elder Yi had bestowed upon him: the Dragon-Singing Cauldron.

Having produced the cauldron, Lu Zhe retrieved several multicolored herbs, a few jade phials, and some mortar and pestle sets from his spatial ring. He placed an unknown red herb resembling a centipede in front of him, crushed it into powder with the pestle, and stored it in a paper wrapper. Then, he mashed a few blue leaves, mixed the red powder with the blue leaf pulp inside a ceramic jar, and added a drop of mysterious liquid. Continuing to grind, he blended the three medicinal ingredients together after a brief moment until they formed a paste-like consistency.

Satisfied upon seeing the pasty herbs, Lu Zhe nodded, scraped every bit of the mixture out of the jar with a spatula onto a sheet of paper, and picked up a few more herbs to grind in the mortar.

Time quietly slipped away. Once he had prepared all the retrieved medicinal ingredients, Lu Zhe extended his right palm, uttered a soft command, and a cluster of fiery red flames appeared in his palm. With a flick of his wrist, he shot the flame straight into the Dragon-Singing Cauldron to preheat it.

When the cauldron was sufficiently warm, Lu Zhe lifted the lid and systematically placed the prepared and crushed herbs inside. Once all the ingredients were in, he sealed the lid tightly, sat cross-legged in front of the cauldron, and stretched out both hands to touch its body. Feeling the dense, heavy weight emanating from the vessel, Lu Zhe channeled his primordial spirit and spiritual power through his arms and into the cauldron, initiating the most crucial step: alchemy!

Spiritual energy poured endlessly into the cauldron. Nourished by his power, the cluster of flames he had cast inside earlier began to expand slowly until it turned into a raging fire.

Lu Zhe's primordial spirit closely monitored the powders and liquids within the cauldron, guiding them through a sequential refinement process. Once all the herbs were fully refined, he proceeded to the most critical stage of pill-making: coagulation!

With extreme caution and delicate care, Lu Zhe controlled the fusion of the refined medicinal ingredients inside the vessel. He dared not slacken even the slightest bit, or all his previous efforts would go to waste. With no spare materials left, failure was absolute unallowable.

Finally, heaven rewards the diligent. Under his precise control, the herbs successfully merged into one. Overjoyed at the successful concoction, Lu Zhe fiercely struck the body of the cauldron. With a loud bang, the lid flew into the air. Quick-eyed and fast-handed, Lu Zhe grabbed a prepared jade bottle from his side and leaped up, catching every single grain of the airborne medicinal powder inside the phial without losing a speck.

Looking at the powder inside the bottle, Lu Zhe smiled with satisfaction. He tucked the phial into his tunic and swept his left hand. The spatial ring on his pinky flashed brightly, recalling the Dragon-Singing Cauldron, the remaining herbs, and the alchemical utensils.

After straightening his attire and collar, Lu Zhe pulled open the door and stepped out. Leaving the small chamber, he headed straight back to the auction hall. Pushing open the golden doors, the massive semicircling venue reappeared before his eyes, where the middle-aged man was still auctioning off a fiery red herb.

Lu Zhe walked down the steps and resumed his seat. Elder Yi turned his head and asked, "Are you done?"

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Lu Zhe nodded. "Yes, I'm done." Then he asked, "Master, did you manage to buy the materials needed to refine the 'Minor Spirit-Pattern Pill'?"

Elder Yi nodded. "I managed to get one stalk, but coupled with the 'high-grade white goji berries' that were snatched away earlier, we are still two herbs short."

"Which two are missing?" Lu Zhe asked.

Elder Yi replied, "We're missing five cauldrons' worth of low-grade herb 'Crimson-Purple Orchid' and four cauldrons' worth of high-grade herb 'Green Jade Elephant-Ear'."

As the saying goes, coincidences happen just when needed. Just as the two were speaking, the middle-aged man on stage successfully sold a herb and shouted out the exact words Lu Zhe and Elder Yi had been hoping to hear: "Impurities-free, four cauldrons' worth of high-grade herb 'Green Jade Elephant-Ear'! Starting bid, one hundred and fifty thousand gold coins!"

Lu Zhe and Elder Yi nearly spat out water. Goodness, what an incredible coincidence; it literally delivered itself to their doorstep. Since it had arrived, how could they refuse? Raising his voice, Lu Zhe immediately shouted, "Eighteen hundred thousand—eighteen thousand... eighteen hundred thousand? No, eighteen-hundred-thousand? No, eighteen-hundred... eighteen hundred thousand? No, eighteen... eighteen-hundred..." (Wait: eighteen hundred... wait, eighteen *wan* means one hundred and eighty thousand). Let's render it accurately: "Eighteen hundred thousand" -> "Eighteen hundred thousand gold coins!" (Wait, 150k start, so 180k). Let's use "One hundred and eighty thousand gold coins."

"Two hundred thousand gold coins," a bidding voice from the front row instantly drowned out Lu Zhe's.

"Damn it, fighting with your grandpa over herbs?" Lu Zhe cursed inwardly, raising his voice and his bid: "Two hundred and twenty thousand gold coins." He didn't dare raise it too high for fear of being played for a fool, nor did he want to end up unable to repay Elder Yi. He valued integrity above all else; what was borrowed must be repaid, and a promise must never be broken. In this regard, both Elder Yi and Elder Ye held him in high esteem.

"Two hundred and fifty thousand," the front row countered. Judging by the voice, it was the same person.

"Two hundred and seventy thousand," Lu Zhe raised his bid again.

"Three hundred thousand," that voice called out.

Both Lu Zhe and his opponent increased their bids in small increments, showing they were both calculating shrewdly.

"Three hundred thousand," Lu Zhe muttered softly, scratching his chin as hesitation crept over him.

Hearing the bid of three hundred thousand, the middle-aged auctioneer repeatedly chanted to see if anyone would raise it further. Confirming no higher bids, he swiftly struck his gavel three times and declared excitedly: "Impurities-free, four cauldrons' worth of high-grade herb 'Green Jade Elephant-Ear' sold for three hundred thousand gold coins!"

Once the herb was sold, Lu Zhe straightened up to look down into the audience, but after searching for a while, he couldn't spot where the higher bidder was sitting.

"How were your ears and eyes grown, anyway? The fifteenth person on the left-hand side is the one who just bid," Elder Yi said, sounding slightly exasperated as he reminded the bumbling Lu Zhe who had failed to spot his rival.

Following Elder Yi's directions, Lu Zhe looked over and saw a man in his thirties staring fixedly at the stage.

After carefully sizing up the man, Lu Zhe said, "Master, it seems I'll have to trouble you with something."

Understanding his intent, Elder Yi looked toward the man, nodded, and said, "No problem, leave it to me."

Staring at the man for a long moment, Lu Zhe withdrew his gaze, sat back down, and lowered his head in thought. He muttered softly to himself, "It seems this 'Minor Spirit-Pattern Pill' isn't so easy to refine after all."