Chapter 9: Bright Flame Sword

  Green Thunder Auction House, guests filled the seats.

  The nobles wearing brocade clothes and jade clothes sat below, commenting on the stage.

  On the high platform, 7 women with thin clothes stood in a row, each face was pale as death, their eyes had no hope, and several of them were still quite good-looking.

  The auctioneer appeared, shook the bell and nodded: "These 7 Xiongnu women, each with a minimum price of 10 taels of silver, you can buy them back as maids or concubines, do whatever you want!"

  A threatening look flashed across his face, and his intention was clear.

  The people below the platform began to bid, and those who wanted to enjoy the exotic charm of foreign women were not in the minority.

  ……

  "Shasha..."

  A faint footstep came from behind, it was Ye Yang with his new sword in hand. He glanced at the women on stage, furrowed his brow, but remained silent. Although he couldn't bear to look, what could he do? This was just the way of the world in this era.

  "Ah, it's Young Master Ye, what brings you here?"

  A fat man came up to greet him. This person was one of the five managers of Qing Lei Auction House, with considerable power in his hands.

  Ye Yang held up the long sword and said: "Where is the appraiser? I want to have this blade appraised and auctioned off..."

  "Oh? Lord Ye Beichi has created another sharp blade?"

  Ye Yang didn't respond, and the fatty also knew better than to ask more questions. He turned around and called for an appraiser, shouting: "Carefully assess it, can't let Young Master Ye suffer a loss!"

  The appraiser carefully observed the edge of the iron sword, and then pressed two fingers on the edge of the sword with one hand. With a light shout, the fire god's power contained in the iron sword immediately rebounded!

  "Pffft!"

  A spark flew out of the sword's edge, and the appraiser couldn't help but laugh loudly: "Not bad, it's a good sword, with a grade of... Ninth Grade!"

  "What? Ninth-grade military sword?"

  The stout supervisor chuckled: "Not bad, not bad. This kind of soldier is already a sharp tool for the war generals to charge and break through the enemy lines. Recently, the Empire has been buying high-quality arms, this sword should also be able to sell for a good price."

  As he spoke, the fat manager grasped the sword and came to Ye Yang's side, smiling: "May I ask Young Master Ye Yang, has this sword already been given a name?"

  Ye Yang looked up and shook his head, "Do we need to name it?"

  "Of course, any superior-grade weapon should have a unique name. This is your sword, so name it!"

  Ye Yang nodded and said, "Let's just call it 'Bright Fire'!"

  "Is it Bright Fire? Good, good name. This Bright Fire sword will surely make a splash at this auction. Please ask Young Master Ye Yang to come to our gathering this afternoon. At that time, we will give nine-tenths of the auction proceeds to Young Master Ye Yang, and the remaining one-Tenth will be taken as our small commercial association's collection fee. What do you think?"

  "Okay, I'll come, but please don't make it public."

  The manager understood Ye Yang's meaning and smiled: "Please rest assured, after the transaction is completed, we will publicly transfer ownership in the back hall!"

  "Good!"

  After signing a document, Ye Yang left Qing Lei Auction House.

  ……

  Green Thunder Auction House interior.

  The fat supervisor held the Minghuo sword with both hands, saying: "Young lady, the young master of the Huoye family, this morning sent a nine-grade sword, take a look!"

  In front of the fat boss, however, was a slender and elegant woman, wearing a snow-white long gown, with round and delicate cheeks, starry eyes, and a low-necked gauze dress that barely covered her plump breasts. This was an enchanting woman who could make anyone's heart flutter with just one glance.

  "Oh?"

  The woman slowly stood up, and smiled slightly: "It seems that the Ye family is not doing well either. They actually took out a 9th-grade military knife for auction. This must be from Ye Beicheng's hand. Looking at the Ye family, only this person can forge 8th- and 9th-grade knives."

  The fat boss nodded and said, "Ye Beicheng is a well-known master of casting soldiers in Liangcheng. On average, he produces one eighth-grade weapon every two years and three ninth-grade weapons every year. However, I didn't expect them to be willing to put such good weapons up for auction at the pawnshop, which is quite rare."

  The woman giggled and said, "Isn't this easy? The Ye family is declining more and more in the Fire God Eight Divisions. Ye Nantian has been working hard for many years, but it's still difficult to reverse the decline of the Ye family. I'm afraid that in a few more years, the Fire God clan will only have seven surnames!"

  "Haha! Young Miss is wise, this isn't bad either. Ye Beicheng can still forge a few eighth-grade blades in his lifetime, which adds some popularity to our Qing Lei Auction House!"

  "Hmm, let's get started right away. This Minghuo sword will be the finale, and I won't sell it for less than 1,000 taels of silver!"

  "Miss, what if no one can afford to pay this 1000 taels of silver?"

  "Don't worry, a Ninth-Rank military officer is what every family hopes to get. In the prosperous city of Liangcheng, there are at least ten prominent families, how could there be no one buying?"

  In the hall, a charming young girl with a bright smile on her chest, her beautiful smile seemed to bring several servants more and more respectful.

  This woman was none other than the owner of Qing Lei Auction House, Lei Qing's daughter Lei Xiaodie, a woman with the title of Lang City's number one beauty, and also the de facto controller of Qing Lei Auction House. Since Lei Qing retired, the entire auction house has been under Lei Xiaodie's control.

  A woman in her early twenties was in control of Lang City's largest auction house, and Lei Xiaodie's wrist was a testament to that.

  ……

  In the afternoon, Qing Lei Auction House, after the opening of the green auction, it was time to start bidding on military equipment and armor.

  In the grand hall, there were no less than three hundred people gathered, among them were warriors carrying swords and young nobles wearing silk and satin. Liang City was originally a territory of Chu State, and now many Chu nobles have been left behind, these people became the upper-class nobility of Liang City, and those who were good at martial arts were not in the minority.

  Generally speaking, a 9th-grade sword is already a rare treasure that everyone can't get, and swords of the 8th, 7th, and 6th grades have become objects of collection for the nobility. The Ye family's 3rd-grade divine sword Yao Yang is even more coveted by everyone, but no one dares to touch it. It's not because of Ye Nantian's strong strength, but because of Peng Feng, the patriarch of the Huo Shen clan behind the Ye family, who has been shaking the city with his earth-shaking 9th-grade strength for a long time. Who would still dare to covet the heirloom of the Huo Shen clan?

  Ye Yang arrived at the auction house on time, found a seat in the corner and sat down. His expression was calm and collected, as if he had nothing to do with this auction. He wore a deep blue robe that made him look cold and reserved.

  Not far away, a group of noble ladies kept throwing surprised glances, apparently attracted by Ye Yang's attire. No one knew what this young man, wearing a blue shirt and carrying a rusty sword on his back, was all about.

  Since crossing into Ye Ba Tian's body, Ye Yang has been cultivating both internally and externally for over a month, causing the entire person's aura and demeanor to undergo a drastic change. People who knew the young master of the Ye family before would feel that this person had transformed beyond recognition when they saw Ye Yang again.

  On the high platform, more than a dozen blades and armor were arranged in a row on the table.

  The pearl curtain swayed gently, and everyone's eyes lit up instantly.

  A beautiful woman appeared on the stage, wearing a white dress, her tall and proud figure wrapped in clothes, outlining a beautiful curve. Her lovely face had a charming smile, and she walked slowly to the stage, curtsied and smiled: "Ladies and gentlemen, Lei Xiaodie has arrived!"

  The crowd cheered, and a bare-chested big man shouted loudly: "Miss Xiaodie, what good treasures does Qing Lei Auction House have today?"

  Lei Xiaodie's autumn waves flowed and turned, just a glance, that captivating gaze made Da Han unbearable.

  "You'll know soon."

  Lei Xiaodie didn't respond and announced loudly: "The market is open!"

  On one side, the auctioneer bowed his head respectfully and struck a copper gong.

  Lei Xiaodie rolled up her sleeves, revealing a section of jade-like arm, stretched out to grasp the hilt of a long knife. The long knife that looked exceptionally heavy in Lei Xiaodie's hand seemed as light as a feather, and was lifted with a gentle stroke. Lei Xiaodie smiled softly, swung the long knife, and a fierce aura spread out.

  "Spring and Autumn War Sword, made by a famous craftsman using cold iron, hard and sharp, weighing 64 catties, no grade, starting price 50 taels of silver, gentlemen, you can start bidding!"

  Lei Xiaodie's moving voice echoed in the field, and immediately someone raised his arm and shouted: "60 taels!"

  Then someone else bid: "65 taels!"

  "70 taels!"

  In the end, the price settled at 70 taels of silver. Lei Xiaodie smiled and invited the winner to come backstage to pay for the silver and take away the Spring and Autumn War Sword.

  A faint smile flashed at the corner of Ye Yang's mouth, he saw it clearly, that Spring and Autumn war knife was only relatively sharp, but inside there wasn't a single thread of power, this was just an inanimate object. To put it bluntly, taking it to the battlefield to charge forward would be fine, but if they were to encounter a true master, then this Spring and Autumn war knife would likely become a burden.

  The second item sold at auction was a golden silk chain mail, which was bought by a young nobleman for 90 taels of silver.

  Next were some inferior armor and blades.

  Until the second-to-last item, it was actually a martial arts manual with a crimson cover!

  Lei Xiaodie picked up the martial arts book and held it in front of her chest, smiling as she said: "Mystic Stage Riding Martial Arts - Heart Splitting Palm Technique, starting bid 100 taels of silver!"

  Everyone was shocked and exclaimed in a flurry of whispers.

  "Could it be the Xuanjie Wugui?! Heaven, Qing Lei Auction House is indeed worthy of being the largest merchant guild in Lang City, to actually obtain such a profound martial art..."

  "If I had to say it, this high-level martial art must have already been reserved by someone, and even if we offer a higher price, it's useless!"

  "Who says so? I, young master, must fight for it, even if it's just to win a smile from the beauty!"

  ……

  Lei Xiaodie stood on the stage with a faint smile, looking at the people below, her voice not loud but piercing through everyone's ears: "Begin, let the bidding start!"

  "250 taels of silver!" a red-clad warrior shouted loudly.

  "350 taels of silver!" another weak-looking scholar cried out.

  "400 taels!"

  "Four hundred and fifty taels!"

  ……

  In the end, the price stayed at 770 taels of silver, and a noble young lady bought the Heart-Rending Palm manual.

  Lei Xiaodie handed over the Wujue book, then patted her hands together and smiled: "Next up, the final treasure of this auction, hmm, is a sword!"

  As she spoke, Lei Xiaodie suddenly shifted her position, changing it with a butterfly-like movement. In her hand, a sharp long sword appeared out of thin air - the Minghuo Sword that Ye Yang had sold!

  Lei Xiaodie let out a loud cry, channeling her true energy into the long sword. Instantly, flames burst forth, revealing the power hidden within the Minghuo Sword!

  Everyone was shocked and frightened: "This... this is a Tiered Soldier's Spear, heavens! Qing Lei Auction House has gone crazy, where did they get such a great treasure?!"