"Miss Li is mistaken. This item can indeed only be found in the possession of the Sixth Miss of the Gu family. Others, I'm afraid, truly do not have it—otherwise, I would not be so easily swayed."
Half of Mr. Tian's figure remained shrouded in darkness, hiding the faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Fear not, my dear child. Grandfather will never allow you to lose to her!"
The Li family patriarch, ever doting toward Li Ke'er, immediately offered his reassurance upon seeing his precious granddaughter so distraught. Only then did Li Ke'er's expression begin to ease.
On the other side, Gu Qingli had achieved her primary objective in attending the auction—thwarting Li Ke'er's acquisition of the strength-enhancing pill.
Indeed, as she had said to Mr. Tian, even if Li Ke'er had managed to obtain the pill, she was confident of her own victory. However, it would have made matters unnecessarily troublesome.
Gu Qingli was not one to take unnecessary risks.
Now, the rest of her evening was simply for observation and insight.
"Heh, our little Li always has her ways. Remarkable!"
Sikong Ran chuckled.
"The Sixth Miss is indeed astute and far-sighted," Elder Shui added with admiration, wondering if this might be considered a victory won without a single drop of blood spilled.
Yet he couldn't recall the Gu family possessing any prescription capable of restoring youth. Glancing at Gu Qingli, he noted her calm demeanor, wholly unaffected by her earlier manipulation—truly, grace under pressure.
A girl like her would never speak idly; if she claimed to have such a formula, then it must be real.
The more Elder Shui pondered, the more unsettled he became. Could it be that she had developed the formula herself?
Such a notion bordered on the unbelievable—many alchemists spent their entire lives unable to create a single new pill formula. Gu Qingli had only been refining pills for a few days.
And yet, coming from Gu Qingli, it somehow felt… inevitable. After all, she was a prodigy—at twelve years old already a Nine-Star Martial Warrior. Her first attempt at alchemy had succeeded, and within days she had become a Grade-Two alchemist.
With this in mind, Elder Shui found himself oddly composed. For Gu Qingli, the extraordinary was simply the norm.
No sooner had Mr. Tian obtained the pill than he rushed with fervor to the City Lord's VIP chamber. Upon entering, he tossed the pill toward Gu Qingli without ceremony.
"Little girl, I've brought you the pill. Now, isn't it time you explained what you meant just now?"
His eyes, gleaming with a sharp brilliance, fixed intently on her.
Gu Qingli smiled faintly. In truth, from the very first moment she saw Mr. Tian, she had felt a strange sense—though his form was stooped and his face marked by the ravages of time, his eyes brimmed with vigor and life.
They were not the eyes of an old man.
So, she had quietly employed her Phoenix Fire Art to scan his body—and discovered something strange within him, an unknown force steadily draining the vitality from his flesh.
Though Mr. Tian himself was an alchemist, and the force had not yet become life-threatening, its influence was undeniable. It was this that had slowly aged him.
"With my current capabilities, this pill can restore roughly ten years of youth. While it cannot preserve one's appearance indefinitely, it can sustain it for two or three years before aging resumes. However, for someone like you…"
Gu Qingli's articulation was clear and composed. Mr. Tian's eyes sparkled with excitement—until her final words froze the smile on his face, deepening the wrinkles etched upon it.
"What is it?" he asked nervously.
Even Sikong Ran and the others were now curious, their gazes fixed on her.
Gu Qingli, however, did not respond directly, instead offering something cryptic.
"From the moment I first saw you, I sensed a presence within your body, something… unusual."
Her enigmatic words captured everyone's attention. All eyes turned to Mr. Tian—what could it be?
Mr. Tian stiffened. He hadn't expected anyone to notice.
Even before arriving in Loulan City, he had encountered individuals far stronger or more skilled than himself, yet none had ever detected the anomaly within him.
Yet now, a twelve-year-old girl had seen through it.
How could he not be utterly astounded?
"So, Mr. Tian… you are not truly an old man at all, are you?"
Gu Qingli's gaze confirmed her inner conviction.
"What! Xiao Li, did you just say Old Man Tian isn't actually old? Then what is he? A woman in disguise?!"
Sikong Ran blurted out, his voice laced with disbelief, his expression bordering on absurd.
Whatever frustration Mr. Tian had still been clinging to, Sikong Ran's remark completely shattered. With a sharp smack to Sikong Ran's head, he barked:
"You little brat! Who are you calling an old lady?!"
Gu Qingli was speechless. She now realized that Sikong Ran was a rare blend of buffoon and clown.
There he sat, slouched lazily, one leg crossed over the other.
Meanwhile, in the Li family's VIP suite, the patriarch's expression turned cold.
"So, Mr. Tian, is your decision final?"
Worthy of his status as a great clan leader, though his tone was chilled and his voice subdued, he remained composed.
"What's there to discuss? The pill is mine—I'll give it to whomever I please."
Mr. Tian replied flippantly, with not the slightest trace of courtesy.
"Very well. I only hope Mr. Tian does not come to regret this."
Despite his fury, the Li patriarch dared not truly provoke Mr. Tian, a royal-grade alchemist whose connections—especially to the City Lord's manor—made him untouchable.
The City Lord's manor was no force to be trifled with.
"In that case, we shall return the item to its owner. This auction is now officially concluded."
Chen Yihan's smile remained gentle, unaffected by the loss of commission.
Ordinarily, auction houses would collect a fee for facilitating sales. But once an item returned to its seller, any subsequent transaction fell outside the house's jurisdiction.
Nevertheless, Wanxing Auction Hall prided itself on its flexibility. So long as the item had not exchanged hands, the seller retained the right to withdraw it at any time.
"Grandfather! Are you just going to let that little tramp Gu Qingli get her way?!"
Li Ke'er's face was ashen, her eyes filled with venom.
Only moments ago, she had been reveling in imagined triumph—conjuring fantasies of how she would torment Gu Qingli. Yet now, everything had changed.
She had come tonight for this very pill—without it, she held no confidence in defeating Gu Qingli in the upcoming Youth Tournament.
And if Gu Qingli herself obtained it—if her strength were temporarily enhanced—then Li Ke'er's defeat would be all but certain.
"Do not despair, Ke'er. We will find another way."