The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

Old Zhang's smile froze slightly, then returned to normal. He chuckled, "Young brother, you jest. How could such a rare treasure as Fire Marrow Crystal possibly end up in my little manor? Have you heard the people in town talking about it?"

Xiao Fan stepped forward, took the white jade box, and examined it carefully. He saw a small scratch on it, which he had carved with the Fire of Creation.

After confirming that there were no problems, he put the jade box back and turned to ask Master Zhang.

"One of the jade slips is like this. Inside the box is a red pill, covered with intricate patterns, which you have probably already seen."

The smile on Old Zhang's face froze instantly.

He put down the walnuts, leaned back in his chair, and his eyes darkened. His gaze toward Xiao Fan had changed from friendly to scrutinizing.

"Young man, you have a good eye. However, in our business, we never care about provenance, only value. If someone sells it to me and I pay, it becomes mine. That's against the rules."

Xiao Fan chuckled and walked towards the center of the hall.

"No need. Just tell me where these things were sold to you from. What do they look like?"

Old Master Zhang pondered for a moment, then lightly tapped the armrest with his fingers. He glanced at the short sword at Xiao Fan's waist, then at Ye Ruolin, lost in thought.

After a long pause, he finally spoke: "That man was wearing a hood, so I couldn't see his face, but judging from his voice, he must have been in his thirties or forties. He always rode a gray horse westward."

Xiao Fan nodded, said no more, and turned to leave. However, he was stopped by Elder Zhang, who knew that Elder Zhang would not let him leave.

"Young man, I'll give you some advice since you're young. The peddler left masked, leaving behind a message: 'If anyone comes looking for you, just say it's in the west.'"

Xiao Fan paused, turned around, and looked at Old Zhang. The old man's expression didn't seem feigned; his eyes were calm and sincere.

"West side??"

He only said one sentence, and you'll find out later.

In the hall, Xiao Fan's smile deepened. The thief was deliberately leading him westward.

Regardless of their intentions, at least their direction and goal are very clear—to get me to follow.

After saying that, he clasped his hands in a fist salute to Old Master Zhang and turned to leave.

Ye Ruolin followed closely behind, muttering under her breath, "This guy is trying to lure us in."

"I know." Xiao Fan spurred his horse westward at breakneck speed. "It's all up to you to leap over the dragon gate."

Two tall, magnificent horses galloped out of the manor gate and headed west along a dirt road.

In the afternoon sunlight, dust drifted around like smoke.

Xiao Fan and Ye Ruolin traveled westward until they arrived at a medium-sized city, where they stopped.

This city, named "Crimson Flame City," is located in the southwest of the Great Qing Empire. It is a treasure land for cultivation, gathering a large number of merchants and independent cultivators who possess fire-attribute spiritual materials.

At the city gate, people came and went, and cultivators dressed in various clothes came and went, making it much more prosperous than a small place like Chifeng Town.

After entering the city, Xiao Fan first found an inn, settled his horses, and then headed towards the city center along the main street. Nie Tian stopped every so often to carefully sense the purplish-black dust.

This aura was faint, yet real, starting from Chifeng Town and extending into the city, eventually converging into a huge market.

This place is called "Fire Crystal Workshop". It is the largest trading place for spiritual materials in Crimson Flame City. It has three floors. The first floor is a general store, the second floor is a shop, and the third floor is an auction house and a treasure appraisal meeting.

Xiao Fan walked around the first floor but didn't find anything amiss.

As soon as he stepped onto the second floor, his pace slowed down. At the far end of the second floor, there was a shop bustling with people. The words "Bafang Huotang" were written in large characters above the door, and the shop assistant was posting notices on the wall.

The announcement stated that a treasure appraisal event will be held on the third floor of the Fire Crystal Workshop at noon today, where several alchemy masters will come to appraise and authenticate a batch of rare treasures from the Western Regions.

Below is a line of smaller print: "This product has been appraised by a renowned local alchemist and is of excellent quality. Fellow Daoists are welcome to come and appreciate it."

Xiao Fan took a closer look and was slightly taken aback, because at the very end of the last line of text, there was an extra small mark, exactly the same as the mark on the map.

This treasure appraisal event is directly related to the thief of the medicine and the guy with the Fire Marrow Crystal.

He returned to the inn, told Ye Ruolin, and the two discussed it briefly before going up to the third floor.

As noon approached, the third floor of the Fire Crystal Workshop was already full of people. In the middle, there was a small platform with several long tables. Three appraisers, all of whom were quite old and wore the emblem of the Pill Association on their chests, sat there.

Xiao Fan found a seat and sat down. After an incense stick had burned, the treasure appraisal meeting officially began.

Three appraisers took turns going on stage and each identified several antiquities from the Western Regions, including jade, bronzes, and even an old silk book. A chorus of exclamations of admiration erupted from the audience.

For the third item up for auction, Xiao Fan sat up straight.

The item being auctioned was carried on a tray covered with red silk. When the tray was opened, a bright red pill lay quietly on the ground, covered with intricate patterns, emitting a faint glow under the lights of the hall.

This white jade box is the stolen item.

An appraiser picked up the pill and examined it under the lamplight for a long time, carefully examining the patterns on it. After a moment, he put the pill down, stroked his beard, and said, "This pill has ancient patterns and its fire-attribute spiritual energy is contained. It is a high-grade pill. If it can be made, that would be the best outcome."

"I estimate that this pill is at least a hundred years old, and at least a sixth-grade pill."

The audience erupted in uproar.

Several merchants dressed in silk robes sitting in the front row had already begun to bid quietly.

High-grade Fire Essence Pills are extremely rare and hard to find on the market. Whether for personal use or resale, they are a sure-fire way to make a profit.

Xiao Fan stood up, but not immediately.

He didn't stand up until the appraiser had finished bidding on the last few items and started calling out bids.

"Excuse me," he said, stepping aside. He pushed through the crowd, ascended the platform, and bowed, saying, "Greetings, three seniors. However, I must still speak of these pills."

The three men looked at each other. The oldest man in the middle glanced at Xiao Fan, noticed that he was young and dressed plainly, and didn't pay much attention. He waved his hand and said, "Young man, the auction will take place in the auction area. You've made a mistake."