Later, he won't ask if I didn't work hard enough, will he?
"Is yours really a hundred-year-old one? It's clearly only fifty years old. Do you think we're young and can't identify medicinal ingredients properly? Although a fifty-year-old Violet Royal Ganoderma looks very similar to a hundred-year-old one, the real hundred-year-old version has an extremely tiny dark purple mark in its center."
The stall owner realized he had met an expert and been exposed. An embarrassed expression appeared on his face.
"This is worth at most one-third-rank alchemist's pill. Here is a third-rank White Dew Pill. I see you have many old injuries from alchemy. This pill can heal most of them."
"Alright, it's yours."
The stall owner's gaze wavered repeatedly between the Violet Royal Ganoderma and the jade bottle containing the White Dew Pill. Finally, he gritted his teeth and made his choice. His life was more important — the old injuries on his body had tormented him for far too long.
Xiao Tian picked up the Violet Royal Ganoderma and examined it carefully. After confirming it contained what he needed, he stored it in his system space and continued walking through the market with Xiao Yan.
The stall owner immediately took out the White Dew Pill to examine it. After confirming there were no issues, he swallowed it directly. Soon, a joyful expression spread across his face.
He clearly felt that four-fifths of his internal injuries had healed, and even his body felt more coordinated and comfortable.
Suddenly, a certain area in the trading zone became lively as many people gathered around one particular stall.
Xiao Tian looked over from afar and realized it was the stall selling the Peach Blossom Flame. The Peach Blossom Flame came from the five-tiered wood-element magical beast, the Kui Wood Beast. A good flame was extremely helpful for alchemists, and the Peach Blossom Flame was famously docile and easy to tame.
Occasionally, a few people in the crowd who considered themselves wealthy went up to inquire about the price, but they all returned empty-handed.
Suddenly, the crowd parted, and a silver figure quickly walked forward, approaching the stall.
When he saw the figure clearly, Xiao Yan blurted out, "It's her? Xue Mei."
Xiao Tian, seeing the scene, shook his head and sighed, "She's going to squander her wealth again."
However, Xiao Tian had no intention of intervening. It wasn't that he and Xiao Yan were heartless.
Because Xue Mei, clutching the Peach Blossom Flame so tightly, had already been firmly caught by the stall owner and could only be at his mercy.
After watching their transaction complete, Xiao Yan said, "Frank is probably going to be fuming. A fourth-grade pill formula, and one with clear soul imprints at that."
The two looked at each other and both shook their heads, silently mourning for Master Frank.
A pill formula was not something that could be casually written down with a pen. It required a great deal of soul power and time to complete.
After walking around, Xiao Tian didn't find anything he particularly liked, but Xiao Yan bought some necessary medicinal ingredients.
Finally, they reached a stall at the very end of the row. Yao Lao suddenly called out to Xiao Yan and told him there was something good there.
Xiao Tian saw Xiao Yan stop and looked up at the stall owner — a scrawny middle-aged man with a slightly lecherous face. On the stall lay a black, incomplete jade slip.
"Secret Technique: Heavenly Flame Three Mysterious Transformations, huh?" Xiao Tian knew about this jade slip and felt a strong desire to obtain it. Although the technique was excellent, the first time Xiao Yan used it, he was able to unleash strength comparable to a Dou Ling as a four-star Great Dou Master.
The Heavenly Flame Three Mysterious Transformations had also been created by Xiao Xuan, an ancestor of the Xiao Family.
After some bargaining, Xiao Yan finally acquired the black, incomplete jade slip for three third-rank Vitality Recovery Pills.
Leaving the trading area, Xiao Tian took Xiao Yan to the west hall.
"Are Master Frank and Master Otto from Blackrock City inside?" Xiao Tian asked a guard.
"Yes, sir. They are in the fourth room down the hall," the guard replied. Seeing Xiao Tian's fourth-rank alchemist badge and his youthful appearance, the guard's attitude was much warmer. He smiled, nodded, and pointed to the room.
"Can I bring him in?" Xiao Tian pointed at Xiao Yan beside him. Although Xiao Yan was only second-rank, he was still a rare young genius.
"Yes, sir. Please go in."
The guard stepped aside, allowing Xiao Tian and Xiao Yan to enter.
The two arrived at the indicated room. As they got closer, they heard Frank's loud curses and the sound of tables being slapped.
They pushed the door open directly. The moment they entered, they saw Frank spitting curses at Xue Mei, who stood with her head bowed silently, tightly gripping the jade bottle containing the Peach Blossom Flame.
"Who are you? Did you come to the wrong place?"
The four people inside were all attracted by the sound of the door opening. They turned their heads and saw two unfamiliar young men standing at the doorway. Otto asked in surprise.
"Master Frank, Master Otto," Xiao Tian and Xiao Yan called out immediately.
"Your voices… Are you Xiao Tian and Xiao Yan?" Master Otto recognized the very familiar voices, thought for a moment, and asked.
"How did you two end up like this?"
Xiao Tian reached up and removed the Ice Silkworm Mask from his face, revealing his original handsome and ethereal appearance. (If you can't imagine it, you can refer to white-haired Wang Lin / Wang Mazi, except the protagonist has black hair.)
Xiao Yan also took a pill and reverted to his clear and fair face.
"Xiao Tian? Xiao Yan?"
Looking at the two who had returned to their original appearances, Frank, Otto, Xue Mei, and Lin Fei exclaimed in unison.
"How did you two end up like this? Did you encounter some problem?"
And Xiao Tian, when did you become a fourth-rank alchemist?
He had met Xiao Tian just a few months ago, and now he was already fourth-rank.
"Yes, I became fourth-rank some time ago," Xiao Tian replied.
Master Otto, thinking the two had hidden their original appearances because they had run into trouble, looked at them questioningly.
"No, it's just some private matters, so we're temporarily hiding our identities. Master Frank, Master Otto, it's been a long time. You both still look so hale and hearty. Xue Mei and Lin Fei have also become even more beautiful. I don't know how many boys they'll charm."
Xiao Tian shook his head with a smile, responding to Master Otto's concern and greeting the other three.
All four smiled and nodded at Xiao Tian. Especially Xue Mei and Lin Fei. Even with Xue Mei's cool personality, being praised for her beauty by such a handsome young man made it difficult to suppress the smile at the corner of her mouth.
Afterward, Xiao Yan spoke up to intercede for Xue Mei and explained the situation. Frank finally stopped scolding her.
After arranging seats for the two newcomers, Otto looked at them and asked, "So you two know each other? Wait… Xiao Tian and Xiao Yan, both surnamed Xiao. We were confused earlier. May I ask what your relationship is?"
Otto repeated their names a few times, then looked up, staring directly at the two brothers.
"We are biological brothers. To be precise, we share the same mother," Xiao Tian said with a smile.
"What?"
The four of them stood up immediately, looking at each other with eyes filled with disbelief.
"You're not joking, are you?" The liveliest one, Lin Fei, broke the silence. Her tone was hesitant as she scrutinized the two brothers.
"That's the truth."
Xiao Tian and Xiao Yan chuckled softly and stated with certainty.
"No wonder your talents are both so terrifying. I didn't expect you to be biological brothers."
Lin Fei muttered to herself, her eyes sparkling with shock.
The others deeply agreed.