Quentin Newman could no longer read Adrian at all. He only knew one thing—he didn’t want to die.“I’m Mythical Tier. If you really kill me, Lord Buddha will never let you go!”“Lord Buddha?”Adrian paused. Just as Quentin dared to hope, a sharp light flickered in Adrian’s eyes, and Quentin’s heart sank.“Is Lord Buddha formidable?”Quentin’s instincts screamed that Adrian’s line of questioning boded ill.Before he could answer, Otto Nelson’s temper snapped.“What kind of question is that? Who in Skyline City doesn’t know Lord Buddha’s name?”“Then I won’t kill you.”Every taut nerve in the room loosened at once. Thank heavens—their lives were spared.“I’ll simply defeat Lord Buddha. No need to waste time on the rest of you.”Decision made, Adrian rose without a care for the shock his words detonated around the hall.What did he just say?Defeat Lord Buddha?Quentin found his voice at last. “Do you have any idea what you’re saying?”Adrian looked down at him with a smile that wasn’t a

"It’s not that simple."Freya wasn’t trying to throw cold water on the plan. She knew Adrian well enough, but when it came to company affairs, she was always cautious."The lifeblood of any company comes down to two things: the product itself, and the sales that follow. No business escapes that."She sighed, looking increasingly troubled."No revenue means no cash flow. That’s fatal for us. Even the best product is useless without a way to sell it."Daisy agreed with Freya, though with Adrian around she was far steadier than before."Our retreat has been cut off. If we can’t sell, we’ll keep bleeding out. At this rate, we won’t last long."Adrian understood their concerns, but he wasn’t worried."By your logic, we’ve at least secured a foothold."He had absolute confidence in his formula."Fretting won’t help. Once we develop the Empress’s Rejuvenation Elixir Formula and bring it to market, it’ll cause a sensation.""I don’t believe there’s a woman alive who could resist the Empress’s

As they spoke, something in the catalog caught Adrian’s eye.Following his gaze, Serena Hill saw the image—a medicinal herb, by the look of it."Seven-Leaf One-Flower?"She wasn’t well-versed in traditional remedies, but the name was familiar. Seven-Leaf One-Flower—Paris polyphylla."You’re not only a physician—you know your botanicals too?"Adrian nodded. "This isn’t an ordinary herb. Its medicinal value is exceptionally high.""And this specimen is wild. Given how rare Seven-Leaf One-Flower is, finding one in the wild is pure luck. But an item like this will only electrify the medical community; it’s a different beast from the other lots."Serena nodded, satisfied. So he truly was a healer—unmoved by antiques and objets d’art, yet riveted by a single herb.In that case, they would bid on it.Adrian closed the booklet, the image of the Seven-Leaf One-Flower lingering in his mind.He hadn’t expected to find it here.The car pulled up at the entrance of the Skyline City Convention Cent

On the second floor, the auction hall.After Serena and Adrian found their seats, they spotted Archie Nolan and Kendall Mitchell not far away.Adrian gave them a needling smile, then looked away, leaving the pair glowering, faces tight with resentment.Quietly, Serena said, "Aside from that herb, if anything else catches your eye, just buy it.""That would be spending your money rather recklessly."Serena only smiled. "Money is external. We don’t take it with us when we go.""When I was ill, I used to think—if I died with my accounts still full, what a waste that would be.""Now that I’m well, I intend to enjoy life properly. Money is trivial. Happiness isn’t."In her darkest moments, she had turned life and death over and over in her mind, only to find that no amount of brooding changed a thing.So why not live as comfortably as possible?Now that she had time, she wouldn’t shortchange herself.Adrian paused at her openness. Even he couldn’t claim such ease with the world.Perhaps on

“Yeah—and he spent a woman’s money to do it.”Kendall Mitchell chimed in at once, and Archie Nolan’s spirits lifted.“A kept, penniless brat. Trying to go toe-to-toe with me? Laughable.”Kendall nodded, letting his disdain show. “Hmph. Couldn’t even put up two million.”Serena Hill rarely cared what outsiders thought, but this was too much.“Adrian is not some pretty freeloader.”Her gaze cut coldly across Archie Nolan and Kendall Mitchell. “I promised Adrian a gift. I chose to pay for it. It has nothing to do with anyone else.”Seeing Serena angered, Archie’s tone turned instantly ingratiating. “Please don’t misunderstand, Miss Hill. I didn’t mean you. I just think this young gigolo is playing you. No herb is worth two million. And Paris polyphylla isn’t rare.”“That’s right, Miss Hill,” Kendall added, full of righteous indignation on her behalf. “It’s clearly something he wants, yet he made you foot the bill. If it were anything else, fine—but Paris polyphylla is just a weed. He’s m