133: I did it for you, brother!

The moment Bai Xiaofeng heard that the Master Alchemist in front of him was willing to listen, his words flowed continuously like a rushing river.

Jiang Donghua lightly coughed twice, feigning contemplation, tapping his finger gently on the stone table, revealing a hint of perfectly timed interest in his eyes.

“Oh? Besides Third Young Master Bai Wuchen, there is also Fifth Miss Bai Qingshuang and Eldest Young Master Bai Wuya?”

He slightly raised his eyebrow, his tone carrying a hint of probing.

“It seems the competition for the Young City Lord position is quite lively.”

When Bai Xiaofeng heard that Jiang Donghua seemed interested, he immediately perked up and started rattling off information like pouring beans from a jar.

“Exactly! Third Brother Bai Wuchen, relying on his mother being the City Lord's concubine and having won over several elders for support, acts pretentious all day long, but is actually extremely sinister!”

“Fifth Sister Bai Qingshuang, hmph, don't let her usual cold demeanor fool you; she is actually ruthless in her methods, backed by the Pill Pavilion and several merchant associations, and has far more resources than I do!”

The more he spoke, the more excited he became, even slapping the table, causing a few drops of tea to splash out.

“As for Eldest Brother Bai Wuya, that guy is a monster! His talent has crushed all of ours since childhood. He is now the Peak of Nine-Star Dou Ling, and it is said that he could break through to the Dou King realm at any moment! Moreover, he is the legitimate eldest son, making his claim rightful, and he has quite a few elders supporting him!”

Jiang Donghua nodded thoughtfully, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on his lips.

“In that case, Ninth Young Master, your opponents are certainly not simple.”

Bai Xiaofeng's expression stiffened, and then he gritted his teeth and said,

“Hmph, so what? They are just relying on being older and having more resources! If I have Master Jiang's help, I might not be unable to compete!”

Jiang Donghua chuckled inwardly; this guy sure knew how to praise himself. Despite clearly being at the bottom in strength, he still maintained the attitude that if he got help, he could definitely turn the tables.

However, this was good. The more arrogant a person was, the easier he was to control.

He pretended to ponder and said slowly.

“Since Ninth Young Master is so ambitious, I'd like to hear: if I help you, what can you give me?”

A flash of delight crossed Bai Xiaofeng's eyes, and he immediately leaned closer and whispered.

“Master Jiang, rest assured! As long as I become the Young City Lord, the Heavenly Serpent City's medicinal herb warehouse and Pill Formula pavilion are yours to choose from! I can even help you deal with those people you find displeasing!”

Jiang Donghua's eyes flashed, and he sneered inwardly. This guy was certainly good at writing bad checks; he dared to promise so much before even taking office. Did he really think he was a three-year-old child?

However, on the surface, he showed a look of satisfaction and nodded slightly.

“Good, since Ninth Young Master is so sincere, then let's have a pleasant cooperation.”

Bai Xiaofeng was overjoyed and quickly picked up his teacup.

“Master Jiang is straightforward! I'll use tea instead of wine to toast you!”

Jiang Donghua also smiled and raised his cup.

Red Silk stood on the side, coldly watching the two maidservants, Hong Yu and Bi Yao. One massaged his shoulder, the other rubbed his arm, their fingertips intentionally or unintentionally brushing lightly across Jiang Donghua's wrist, their eyes full of seductive charm, as if they couldn't wait to cling to him.

Her brows furrowed slightly, and a sense of displeasure inexplicably rose in her heart.

“Hmph, did these two girls come here to seduce Junior Brother under Bai Xiaofeng's orders, or is this their naturally loose nature?”

The more Red Silk thought about it, the more uncomfortable she felt. She finally couldn't help but cough twice, step forward, push Bi Yao aside, and stand behind Jiang Donghua herself.

“Junior Brother, is your shoulder sore? Senior Sister will help you press it.”

Her voice was clear and cold, but her movements were not sloppy at all. Her long, fair fingers rested lightly on Jiang Donghua's shoulder, kneading with moderate force.

Jiang Donghua was slightly stunned, then a playful smile curved his lips.

“Oh? Is Senior Sister jealous?”

He deliberately stayed silent, just closing his eyes slightly, pretending to enjoy it, allowing Red Silk's fingertips to gently press his shoulder.

Seeing this, Hong Yu and Bi Yao exchanged glances, a hint of embarrassment and dissatisfaction flashing in their eyes, but constrained by Red Silk's imposing presence, they dared not say anything more and could only retreat sullenly to the side.

Seeing the situation, a flicker of surprise crossed Bai Xiaofeng's eyes, and he immediately laughed heartily, saying.

“Miss Red Silk is quite considerate. It seems Master Jiang receives a lot of care normally!”

Red Silk glanced at him coldly and said indifferently.

“He is my own Junior Brother, so naturally I must take care of him.”

Stung by her gaze, Bai Xiaofeng immediately shut up awkwardly, muttering inwardly.

“This woman, why is she fiercer than she was during the day? Could it be that she has feelings for the Master Alchemist?”

His eyes darted around, and he suddenly showed a meaningful smile, thinking.

“If I can win over Red Silk, wouldn't it be even easier to make Jiang Donghua work for me?”

Thinking of this, he immediately put on an enthusiastic smile and said.

“Miss Red Silk, may I ask what your preferences are? My mansion has quite a few famous swords in its collection. If you are interested, why not come and take a look another day?”

Red Silk snorted coldly, not even bothering to look at him, and simply said indifferently.

“No need.”

Bai Xiaofeng was rebuffed, his smile froze on his face, and he cursed inwardly.

“This woman is impervious to flattery!”

Seeing this, Jiang Donghua almost laughed out loud, thinking.

“Senior Sister, ah, Senior Sister, your temper truly doesn't leave any face for others!”

However, he was happy to see it happen.

After all, the more Red Silk acted possessive of him, the more Bai Xiaofeng would believe their relationship was close, and thus value him more highly.

“It seems this muddy water is becoming more and more interesting!”

Jiang Donghua smiled slightly, took out a list of medicinal ingredients he had prepared earlier from his sleeve, and casually placed it on the table.

Bai Xiaofeng glanced at it casually, seeing various spiritual herbs densely listed on it. Although some were precious, they were nothing major to him, so he readily nodded and said.

“Master Jiang needs these? A small matter, I will have someone prepare them right away!”

However, Bi Yao, who was behind him, suddenly changed color. Her fingers quickly scanned the list, calculating silently in her heart, and she couldn't help but gasp softly.

“Ten portions?!”

Bai Xiaofeng was stunned and turned to look at her.

“What is it?”

Bi Yao bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, but still braced herself and said.

“Young Master, if we prepare ten portions of the medicinal ingredients on this list, it will likely cost nearly two million gold coins!”

“What?!”

Bai Xiaofeng's eyelids twitched, and he abruptly turned to look at Jiang Donghua, a hint of astonishment flashing in his eyes.

Two million gold coins was not a small amount, even for a young master of Heavenly Serpent City like him!

Moreover, he already owed the auction house no less than gold coins today!

Jiang Donghua, however, remained calm, took a small sip from his teacup, and then slowly said.

“What, does Ninth Young Master think it's expensive?”

Bai Xiaofeng's face stiffened slightly, and he cursed inwardly.

“This Jiang Donghua, his appetite is too big! Two million gold coins worth of medicinal ingredients right off the bat?!”

But then he thought, if he could use this to win over a Fourth-Grade Alchemist, the investment would be worthwhile.

Therefore, he forcefully suppressed the feeling of heartache and squeezed out a smile, saying.

“Master Jiang is joking. A mere two million gold coins is nothing! I will have someone prepare them right away!”

Jiang Donghua nodded in satisfaction, a hint of slyness flashing in his eyes.

“Heh, he really took the bait.”

He had long expected Bai Xiaofeng to agree. After all, this guy was currently desperate to win him over, and even if his heart was bleeding, he had to pretend to be generous on the surface.

Seeing her Young Master agree so readily, Bi Yao hesitated to speak, but ultimately didn't dare to say anything more, only sighing secretly.

Red Silk watched from the side with a cold eye, sneering inwardly.

“This Bai Xiaofeng is probably completely wrapped around Junior Brother's finger!”

Jiang Donghua put down his teacup, looked at Bai Xiaofeng with a half-smile, and said.

“Ninth Young Master is indeed straightforward. Since that is the case, I will await your good news.”

Bai Xiaofeng gave two dry laughs and cupped his hands, saying.

“Master Jiang, rest assured, the medicinal ingredients will definitely be delivered by tomorrow at the latest!”

Jiang Donghua nodded slightly, but his mind was already calculating.

“With this batch of medicinal ingredients, the proficiency of the fire spirit pill should increase by a few points. When the time comes, I'll conveniently refine a few other pills too. Heh heh, this will be a huge profit!”

Little did Bai Xiaofeng know that he had already been treated as a fat sheep by Jiang Donghua, and he was secretly congratulating himself.

“As long as I can win over Jiang Donghua, these two million gold coins are well spent!”

Bai Xiaofeng was originally still feeling the pain over the two million gold coins worth of medicinal ingredients, calculating whether the deal was truly worth it.

Seeing this guy's pained expression.

“Ninth Young Master, think carefully. If you don't give me the medicinal ingredients, how can I help you refine the fire spirit pill?”

“Without the fire spirit pill, what will you use to win over Dou Ling Experts?”

“I didn't ask for these things for myself; I asked for them to help you win over subordinates.”

But the moment Jiang Donghua spoke these words, he was stunned, and then his eyes suddenly lit up!

That's right! The fire spirit pill!

That was a fourth-grade pill, which held immense attraction even for Dou Ling Experts!

If he could refine them in batches, let alone winning over a few Dou Ling Experts, it would be more than enough to bribe the family elders!

He had just been preoccupied with regretting the money, forgetting the most crucial point: Jiang Donghua wanted these medicinal ingredients not for himself, but to pave the way for him, Bai Xiaofeng!

Thinking of this, Bai Xiaofeng suddenly felt enlightened. The pained expression on his face vanished, replaced by undisguised excitement.

He slapped his thigh abruptly and said excitedly.

“Master Jiang is right! I was confused! What is a mere two million gold coins? As long as I can refine the fire spirit pill, even if the cost doubles, I won't frown once!”

Seeing his appearance, Jiang Donghua chuckled inwardly, but maintained a righteous expression on his face, and spoke earnestly.

“It's good that Ninth Young Master understands. Since I, Jiang Donghua, have agreed to help you, I naturally have to show my true capabilities.”

“Although this fire spirit pill is difficult to refine, as long as I have enough medicinal ingredients to practice with, I am confident in mastering it within a short period. When that time comes, with a steady stream of pills, will you still worry about lacking support?”

Bai Xiaofeng listened with boiling excitement, as if he could already see the scene of himself holding large batches of fire spirit pills, Dou Ling Experts gathering under his command, sweeping away all opposition in the competition for the Young City Lord position!

He immediately stood up, solemnly cupped his hands in a bow toward Jiang Donghua, and said sincerely.

“Master Jiang is highly righteous! Bai Xiaofeng will engrave this in his heart! If I achieve success in the future, I will never forget the Master's kindness today!”

Jiang Donghua smiled slightly and raised his hand in a gesture to help him up.

“Ninth Young Master is too polite. It's merely mutual benefit.”

Red Silk, watching this scene from the side, couldn't help but twitch the corner of her mouth.

“Junior Brother's mouth can truly talk the dead back to life!”

He clearly needed the medicinal ingredients himself to boost his proficiency, yet after just a few words, it had turned into him being selfless and painstakingly working for Bai Xiaofeng!

However, she naturally wouldn't expose him, merely watching with a cold eye, thinking inwardly.

“This Bai Xiaofeng will probably help Junior Brother count the money even after being sold by him.”

Bi Yao stood behind Bai Xiaofeng, hesitant to speak.

She always felt that something was wrong, but she couldn't quite place her finger on it.

After all, Jiang Donghua's words sounded reasonable, and she couldn't possibly question the sincerity of a Fourth-Grade Alchemist, could she?

Bai Xiaofeng was now completely captivated by the grand vision painted by Jiang Donghua, and he said impatiently.

“Master Jiang, rest assured, I will personally go to the storage house to gather the medicinal ingredients! They will definitely be delivered by tonight at the latest!”

After speaking, he excitedly led Hong Yu and Bi Yao out of the courtyard, his retreating figure radiating an air of self-satisfaction.

After they walked far away, Red Silk finally couldn't help but let out a soft snort.

“Junior Brother, your skill at deceiving people is truly becoming increasingly masterful.”

Jiang Donghua laughed heartily, leaning lazily back against the chair, and said with narrowed eyes.

“Senior Sister, how can you call this deceiving? I am genuinely helping him, it's just that I'm helping myself on the side.”

Red Silk rolled her eyes at him, too lazy to say anything more.

Jiang Donghua didn't mind, his gaze sweeping toward the distance, a deep light flashing in his eyes.

“It's time to boost the proficiency of the fire spirit pill!”