At the same time, Pier Point.
On the top floor of a certain building belonging to the Company, the atmosphere was magnificent and luxurious.
Yu Qintu sat in the VIP seat, ignoring the fawning smiles of the executives around her as she casually took out several potions and set them down.
She accepted the black card handed over by the leading executive with a bow and prepared to activate the teleportation coordinates to return to the Bamboo House.
Today was the Great Cold season of that world, and also the death anniversary of that poor Little Fellow.
Just as the teleportation light was about to glow, Yu Qintu's peripheral vision swept over the auction catalog, and her gaze suddenly froze.
"worry-forget plum blossom brew?"
Yu Qintu's slightly uncharacteristic expression made the Company executives tremble, and cold sweat almost broke out.
Everyone knew that this genius pharmacist's temperament was unpredictable and that she must not be provoked in the slightest.
The Company's Board of Directors had long issued a clear order: even if a genius from the Genius Society wanted to dismantle a branch building, they had to go along with them first.
Thus, the leading executive hurriedly stepped forward and inquired cautiously.
"Distinguished Ms. Yu Qintu, may I ask if there is something wrong with this worry-forget plum blossom brew..."
This executive was none other than Abigail Des, a descendant of the family Charlie Des belonged to.
Yu Qintu's expression softened slightly, returning to indifference.
It had been over a thousand years since Qi Zhimu passed away; to this day, only three jars of the Curio plum blossom brew remained, held by her, Black Swan, and Ruan Mei respectively.
Everyone cherished them as treasures; it was impossible for them to sell this legacy item of such special significance.
Unless Black Swan met with an accident and her legacy was divided up.
As for Ruan Mei, Nous had cast a glance toward her, meaning the Genius Society had sent her an invitation; not many people had the ability to trouble her.
Qi Zhimu hadn't named the wine back then, but the meaning of "worry-forget" was fitting for its effects.
The plum blossom brew itself wasn't extraordinary; what was extraordinary was seeing it at the Company headquarters' auction.
"Tell me, who produced that worry-forget plum blossom brew, and what is so unique about it that it could become an item in the Company's auction?"
Hearing no impatience in Yu Qintu's tone, Abigail breathed a secret sigh of relief.
"Distinguished lady, it is a consumable Curio produced by the owner of the Qingxin Residence, a hot spring resort in a certain delve of the Xianzhou Luofu of the Xianzhou Alliance."
"Drinking a single cup can soothe one's mood and make them temporarily forget their worries."
"According to that owner, only he can refine the plum blossom brew into a Curio and mass-produce it. The Company has researched it for hundreds of years and was unable to replicate it, confirming that what he said is true."
"Today's jar is the last one for this year; the Qingxin Residence only supplies a hundred jars annually."
Xianzhou Luofu... hot spring resort Qingxin Residence... Long-lived Species owner... no matter which piece of information it was, they all made Yu Qintu's brow furrow.
None of it matched.
"What is the name of the owner of the Qingxin Residence?"
"His surname is Qi, and his name is Lord Zhimu."
What?!
Yu Qintu's breath hitched.
"Which 'Qi', which 'Zhi', which 'Mu'? And what does he look like?"
Meeting Yu Qintu's gaze, which seemed capable of burning a person alive, and hearing her four consecutive questions, Abigail nearly cried from fear and slumped onto the floor.
Everyone knew that geniuses had eccentric temperaments and were extremely difficult to deal with.
Yu Qintu had a track record in the Company; there was once a blind fool who offended her for some reason and was turned into cocktail ingredients on the spot.
It was said his rank was P44, yet the Board of Directors didn't dare say a word and instead personally apologized to her.
If he provoked Yu Qintu's wrath, his death would be a small matter; he feared the entire Des family might vanish from history.
Thinking of these consequences, Abigail didn't dare delay any longer and directly pulled out the profit-sharing contracts signed over the years.
"Ple-ple-please... please see for yourself..."
Seeing the familiar name, Yu Qintu could still maintain a bit of composure.
But when that face, in which many familiar contours could be vaguely discerned, came into view, her breathing suddenly grew heavy.
He looks... so much like him!
There are countless civilizations and countless diverse worlds in the galaxy, and there is no shortage of different people whose appearances are ninety percent similar; the difference lies in their experiences.
There might be eighty or ninety million people named Qi Zhimu, but when multiple unique characteristics belonging to him overlapped, it could no longer be explained by mere coincidence.
She wanted to rush to the Xianzhou Luofu immediately to confirm if that Long-lived Species Qi Zhimu was indeed the Little Fellow she thought of day and night.
But now, there was one thing she had to do.
"Give me an entry ticket to the auction."
"O-okay..."
Abigail didn't dare ask and quickly handed over the highest-specification VIP seat credential.
Watching this great Buddha leave, he finally slumped down as if exhausted, his back already soaked with cold sweat... The items at the Company's auction were usually of extraordinary value.
Although the worry-forget plum blossom brew was a Curio, there were so many Curios in the universe; as long as something had a special effect, it could be crowned with the name of a Curio.
What truly determined value was its level of utility for life.
But there were exceptions.
This type of Curio that provided emotional value wasn't actually that expensive to the ultra-rich; it relied more on the aura of luxury created by branding and scarcity.
Wealthy people were happy to use it to entertain distinguished guests and show off their status; face was often more important than utility.
Thus, for hundreds of years, under the Company's operation, the worry-forget plum blossom brew had become a luxury item among wines.
The starting price was usually set at five million Credit Points, with the final transaction price fluctuating around ten million.
However, this time—
"One hundred million."
A certain pharmacist in the VIP seats, whose original voice couldn't be heard and whose appearance couldn't be seen, pressed the bidding button next to the seat without hesitation.
The voice was calm, yet it caused an uproar throughout the venue.
Countless gazes turned in that direction; even the experienced host was stunned for several seconds, forgetting to start the countdown.
"Are you not going to drop the gavel yet?"
Yu Qintu reminded coldly.
She was already very impatient.
"Uh, con-congratulations to this distinguished guest for winning the worry-forget plum blossom brew!"
As soon as the gavel fell, Yu Qintu immediately left her seat.
Many bidders secretly felt relieved; it seemed the other party's target was clearly that jar of wine and she would not participate in the competition for the subsequent highlights.
Just as Yu Qintu walked out of the auction venue, a Company employee respectfully presented that jar of wine, as if they knew who the winner would be.
In fact, even if she hadn't bid, the Company would have found a way to deliver the wine to her hands.
When Abigail reported, the current Dragon Crystal almost wanted to chop him up and feed him to the dogs.
When a genius takes an interest in something, what are you waiting for instead of proactively offering it?
Even if there was only a sliver of a chance to gain goodwill, any loss was negligible.
Abigail was on the verge of tears, wanting to say his brain had stalled from fear, but he knew he couldn't explain.
Yu Qintu had no mind to pay attention to these schemes; she casually tossed out a credit card and disappeared from the spot the next moment.
Inside the Bamboo House, the teleportation glow dissipated.
She hurriedly slapped open the seal of the wine jar, and a wisp of clear plum blossom fragrance wafted out, so familiar that her soul was intoxicated.
Opening the jar she had personally treasured for comparison, the fragrance was almost identical.
With trembling hands, she poured a small cup and tilted her head back to drink it all.
"It's this taste..."
It's this taste!!!
There's no mistake, it must be him!
Just as she stood up to rush to Luofu, a seductive figure in a deep purple dress silently floated in from outside the door.
Her gaze fell upon the two jars of plum blossom brew on the table, and she couldn't help but be taken aback.