Chapter 88: I’ll Give You Your Life!

Chapter 88: I'll Give You Your Life!

Master Liu returned quickly.

Not long after, he re-entered the private room holding a small porcelain bottle filled with liquid medicine.

"Guest, your medicine," he said, handing it over to Luo Qingtong.

As soon as the porcelain bottle touched her hand, Luo Qingtong's brows arched slightly, a flicker of something dangerous crossing her gaze.

"I'm sorry, guest," Master Liu began with a tone of feigned regret, "but there is a discrepancy between the efficacy you described and the actual effect of this liquid. While this is indeed a top-grade medicinal solution, and it does possess some ability to repair meridians, it's far from being as extraordinary as you claimed. It cannot counteract the backlash of the forbidden law to any significant degree—it can only provide minor alleviation."

Master Liu sighed, shaking his head as though lamenting her situation. "I don't know where you obtained this formula, guest, but it seems you've been deceived. However, this top-grade medicinal solution still holds value. How you choose to handle it is up to you."

Luo Qingtong looked at him with a half-smile that did not reach her eyes.

"Are you saying that I was deceived?" she asked, her voice calm but with an undercurrent of something sharp. "That the liquid medicine I brought doesn't match the effects I described?"

"That's correct," Master Liu replied earnestly, though his eyes betrayed his greed. "My appraisal skills are beyond reproach! If you don't believe me, you can consult another alchemist, but I assure you, the results will be the same."

Of course the results would match—the liquid in the bottle had been replaced.

Luo Qingtong didn't need to open the bottle to know this. The medicinal solution she had painstakingly refined was gone, replaced by a generic high-grade liquid. Master Liu's words only confirmed what she already suspected: her medicine had been stolen.

Interesting.

Someone dared to covet her things?

A slow smile spread across her lips, but it was hidden behind the ferocious Rakshasa ghost mask she wore. No one could see the bloodthirsty beauty of that smile—a deadly allure as intoxicating as a blooming poppy.

"If that's the case," she said, her voice laced with mockery, "I don't want this liquid. Are you suggesting I should accept rubbish?"

Her words were sharp and pointed, like blades cutting through Master Liu's composure. His expression faltered for a brief moment before he recovered.

Before he could respond, Luo Qingtong tossed the porcelain bottle onto the table with casual disdain.

"I'll leave it to you, the Black Domain Auction House. I just hope you sell it for a good price." She turned to leave but paused at the doorway, her voice dropping to a chilling tone. "After all, you paid for it… with your life."

The room fell silent as her ominous words lingered in the air.

She glanced briefly at Master Liu's hands, her smile deepening into something almost feral, before exiting the Black Domain Auction House without looking back.

The chief steward, who had been observing from the sidelines, frowned. Something was amiss.

He picked up the bottle Luo Qingtong had discarded and turned to Master Liu, his voice stern. "Master Liu, what's going on here? Is this customer's medicinal solution truly inconsistent with her claims?"

His sharp gaze bore into Master Liu, who bristled under the scrutiny.

The steward was no fool. His position as the auction house's chief steward demanded keen insight and intuition. Luo Qingtong's unexpected behavior had immediately raised his suspicions.

Still, he found it hard to believe. Master Liu was an earth-level alchemist. Why would someone of such stature stoop to tampering with a client's goods?

Master Liu's face darkened with anger. "How should I know what's going on?" he snapped. "Are you accusing me of something?"

The steward's silence was damning, and Master Liu's temper flared.

"Ridiculous!" he spat. "I am a great alchemist. Why would I covet her medicine? I have no need for such petty tricks!"

He stormed out of the room, his indignation masking the guilt that simmered just beneath the surface.

The steward remained behind, holding the porcelain bottle and frowning deeply. Something wasn't adding up, and the chief steward intended to uncover the truth.