At Most Five Hundred Thousand

Xue Mingzhao had an innocent look on her face. “City Lord, why did you stand up?”

Zhao Yunzhou took a deep breath and sat back down. “Isn't five million high-grade spirit stones a bit too much? The City Lord's Mansion is not a spirit stone mine; we cannot produce that much on such short notice.”

“How about this—” He changed the subject. “Hand the pill over to the City Lord's Mansion for safekeeping. That way, you won't have to worry about it being stolen.”

Xue Mingzhao said with a smile, “Lord City Lord, this supreme-grade Mahayana Pill must be stored in a special jade box made by Martial Uncle Xu. If it leaves the jade box, its medicinal efficacy will dissipate. Moreover, Martial Uncle has already taken the pill into the secluded cave dwelling. It can only be taken out on the day of the auction.”

She paused and added, “Rest assured, City Lord, we will personally deliver it on the day of the auction. We definitely won't delay anything.”

Just as Zhao Yunzhou was about to speak, she continued, “Generally, special auction items only yield a ten percent commission. If City Lord Zhao is willing to protect our Grand Primordium Sect for this month, we are willing to give thirty percent to the City Lord's Mansion.”

After saying this, she turned to look at Su Mingyuan.

Su Mingyuan nodded slowly, showing his approval.

Zhao Yunzhou calculated rapidly in his mind.

Thirty percent profit...

If there really was a supreme-grade Mahayana Pill, thirty percent was no small sum.

In recent years, the spiritual energy of Dongcang Heavenly Capital had been in decline, and the market was depressed. The treasury of the City Lord's Mansion had long been emptied, making his position as City Lord quite frustrating. If he could make a fortune from this pill, the city's difficulties would be greatly alleviated.

But the question was—was this pill actually real?

He looked at Su Mingyuan again.

He knew Su Mingyuan well. The man was upright, never engaged in underhanded methods, and certainly would not lie through his teeth.

If the pill were fake, he would definitely not look so composed.

Looking at the young girl beside him, her expression was completely open and her eyes were crystal clear, not looking like she was lying at all.

The other disciple stood quietly to the side, his expression also perfectly natural.

It did not seem fake.

The scales in Zhao Yunzhou's mind slowly tipped.

He would take a gamble.

Even if it turned out to be fake in the end, the loss would not be too great.

But what if it was real? He would make a massive fortune.

He pondered for a moment, then spoke, “You also know the current situation in the Eastern Territory; the treasury of the City Lord's Mansion is indeed empty. At most... I can provide five hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones.”

“Deal,” Xue Mingzhao nodded, incredibly straightforward.

Zhao Yunzhou: “...”

The corner of his mouth twitched as he stood up. “Fine, then it's a deal. I will have someone deliver the spirit stones tomorrow. Brother Mingyuan, do not disappoint me.”

Su Mingyuan cupped his hands. “Thank you for your generosity, City Lord. We shall trouble you with the matters of the auction.”

Zhao Yunzhou took another deep look at Xue Mingzhao before turning to leave.

Once he had completely gone, Su Ye let out a long breath. “Junior Sister, you really dared to ask. Five million spirit stones—weren't you afraid he wouldn't give them?”

Xue Mingzhao looked innocent. “I was just leaving some room for negotiation. See? After bargaining down to five hundred thousand, he even feels like he got a good deal.”

Su Ye: “...”

That made sense.

Su Mingyuan lowered his voice and looked at Xue Mingzhao. “Mingzhao, tell me the truth. Can you really refine a supreme-grade Mahayana Pill? That is no Foundation Establishment Pill; this is absolutely no joking matter.”

Xue Mingzhao was highly confident.

Just now, outside the main hall, she had quietly asked Cang Jue in her mind. Only after receiving an affirmative response did she dare to agree to this troublesome matter so readily.

She grinned at Su Mingyuan and said with certainty, “Master, please rest easy. Leave this matter to me. I definitely won't let you down.”

Su Mingyuan's racing heart instantly settled. Unable to hide his inner excitement, he exhaled a long breath. “Good, good, good! Heaven truly blesses our Grand Primordium!”

His expression then turned solemn as he earnestly warned the two, “The matter of refining the pill must not be leaked to the outside world in the slightest. Also, that Hunyuan Cauldron must be kept safely hidden on ordinary days and never be shown in front of outsiders. Once news of a Spiritual Treasure gets out, it will bring a fatal disaster.”

Xue Mingzhao nodded obediently. “I understand. I will temporarily keep the refined pill safe and hand it over to Master on the eve of the auction. There won't be any mistakes.”

Within her dantian, the Chaos Spiritual Root slowly grumbled, “So confident in this broken cauldron? If the refinement fails, the entire Grand Primordium Sect will suffer along with you.”

Cang Jue replied indifferently, “As long as there are sufficient materials, refining a supreme-grade Mahayana Pill is no difficult task for me. Stop worrying blindly.”

...

Not long after sending Zhao Yunzhou off, wave after wave of guests arrived outside the hall.

First were the elders of small sects barely scraping by around the Eastern Territory, followed closely by veteran rogue cultivator seniors arriving from various places.

Even the trusted aides of the City Lord of Yunque Heavenly Capital made a special visit.

Everyone exchanged polite pleasantries, warmly calling him “Sect Master Su” as if they were old friends of many years, but in reality, every sentence was a subtle attempt to fish for information.

Su Mingyuan patiently entertained them one by one, while Xue Mingzhao stood aside to help receive them.

Seeing how young and seemingly naive Xue Mingzhao was, many elders took the opportunity to test her. “We heard that a supreme treasure appeared in your noble sect last night?”

Xue Mingzhao smiled obediently. “How could it be considered a supreme treasure? It was just my Martial Uncle refining a supreme-grade Mahayana Pill.”

Someone quickly pressed, “Where is the pill now? May we catch a glimpse of it?”

Xue Mingzhao looked grateful. “City Lord Zhao of Dongcang Heavenly Capital is very righteous. He offered of his own accord to help us auction the pill, so Master already handed it over to the City Lord to take away just now.”

Seeing this, Su Mingyuan stepped in at the right time to defuse the situation, smiling helplessly. “My disciple is still young and simple-minded, and she speaks without much tact. Please do not take offense, seniors. The pill has indeed been fully entrusted to Zhao Yunzhou. As for subsequent arrangements, we will just follow the decisions of the City Lord's Mansion.”

The smiles on the visitors' faces remained unchanged, their polite words flawless, but they all harbored their own hidden motives. Unable to fish out any useful information, they exchanged a few more pleasantries before hastily taking their leave to report back.

Once the crowd of visitors had departed one after another, the main hall finally quieted down.

Slow footsteps echoed as a figure stepped into the hall, bowing respectfully to Su Mingyuan. “Master, your disciple has returned to see you.