Chapter 25: Auction

  "Yes, it's the Dragon Bone Purple Gold Pill. Two days ago, a master of the 8th level of Qi Refining came to the auction house and said he had a Dragon Bone Purple Gold Pill that needed to be consigned for sale. However, he was afraid it wouldn't be safe in the city, so he chose a location outside the city for the handover, and required me to go there personally. But his words were full of loopholes, I'm worried that there's some kind of trap, so I'd like to ask you, sir, to accompany me to the handover."

  Fang Li thought for a moment and smiled lightly: "I think Miss doesn't need to go, this matter is probably a trap."

  "Ah! A trap? Why are you so certain, young master?" Mu Yunyan was somewhat surprised, her red lips slightly parted to reveal the pearly whites inside.

  "Miss, think about it, if he hadn't said it himself, no one would have known that he had the Dragon Bone Purple Gold Pill on him. So when he first came to the auction house, he could have brought the Dragon Bone Purple Gold Pill with him and handed it over directly without anyone suspecting a thing. Why go through the trouble of choosing to meet again outside the city?"

  Fang Li shook his head and continued, "There are many more suspicious points than these, I suppose you've also noticed them early on, but didn't want to let go of this deal, so you wanted to check the truth, right or not?"

  Muyunyan was taken aback, and her face was instantly filled with disappointment. "Young master is right, Muyunyan had long suspected that this might be a trap, but she couldn't bear to give up. If not for young master's reminder, Muyunyan fears she would have fallen into it."

  "If Miss really went there, it would be like a sheep entering the tiger's mouth. If I'm not mistaken, they set this trap for her." Fang Li reminded after thinking for a while.

  "Rushing towards me?" Mu Yunyan's face suddenly turned pale, if that was the case, then she would be in danger. Being targeted by a high-level cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refining Realm was absolutely not a good thing.

  "Don't worry, miss. He set this trap because he has some scruples and doesn't dare to take action openly. As long as you don't leave the city, there shouldn't be any danger." Fang Li comforted.

  "I hope so." Mu Yunyan's face was tinged with a hint of worry. Although she was a member of the Mu family, her innate talent was extremely poor. After taking many elixirs and cultivating, she had only reached the third realm of Qi Refining. Now, for some inexplicable reason, she had been targeted by someone, leaving her feeling very bitter.

  Fang Li smiled easily, "Miss lent me 500 crystal stones, which was a great help to me. I'll take care of this matter and eliminate the threat as a repayment."

  Muyun Yan was shocked and looked up at Fang Li, thinking she had misheard.

  "He's a master of the Eighth Realm of Qi Refining, Young Master, don't go taking risks!" reminded Mu Yunyan.

  Fang Li simply nodded lightly and didn't say another word. What he was thinking in his heart wasn't just about helping Murong Yunyan eliminate the threat, but more about confirming whether that person had Longgu Purple Gold Pill on him. If they did, taking this risk would be worth it.

  In the afternoon, the auction started on time.

  Yan City is a small city, but there are plenty of things up for auction. The only difference is that the quality of items may not be as good as those in other cities.

  "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Mu Family Auction House. I am Sun Meng, the senior auctioneer here. This time, we have over 50 items up for auction, so I'm sure there will be one or two that meet your needs. Please be patient and wait, I assure you that it will be worth your while. And as far as I know, among these 50-odd items, there is even a top-grade martial art skill, so please seize the opportunity."

  As the auctioneer's voice fell, a pretty woman with a golden inlaid wooden tray walked up, and on the tray was the first item of this auction.

  "The first item is the second-grade Dan medicine, Huo Luo Yang Xue Dan, which has a very strong therapeutic effect and can even be used to save lives in some cases. Everyone must not miss this opportunity, as this Dan medicine is extremely useful."

  "Alright, no more nonsense. The base price of this elixir is 10,000 gold, and each bid increase must be at least 1,000 gold. If you're interested, you can start bidding now."

  As the auctioneer's voice fell, a blood-red pill appeared before everyone, and the people below the stage instantly boiled up.

  "It's actually a Huo Luo Nourishing Blood Pill, this is a great thing! I'll give you 10,000 gold!"

  "I'll offer 20,000 taels of gold for this item. It's useful to me, so no one should try to take it from me. Tomorrow I'm entering the Misty Mountains, and who knows, maybe it will help me save my life."

  "Thirteen thousand gold."

  "Fourteen thousand gold."

  ……

  The price of Huoluoyangxue Dan has been rising all the way, with no signs of stopping.

  Fang Li sat in the auction seat, staring blankly, never expecting that the Huo Luo Nourishing Blood Pill would be so valuable. He had taken one yesterday and suffered a huge loss!

  It wasn't long before the price of Huoluoyangxue Dan was fixed at 20,000 to 22,000 gold, and two consecutive hammers fell without anyone bidding again.

  "Two million two thousand taels of gold for Huoluan Yangxue Dan, is there anyone who will raise the price? Is there anyone who will raise the price?"

  "Good, the first item of this auction belongs to customer number thirty-two!" The auctioneer's final hammer fell, indicating that the transaction for the first item was successful.

  Everyone looked at seat number 32 and found that it was a spirited and refreshing young girl, with snow-white skin, delicate features, and a tall stature, making her a rare beauty. However, her eyebrows were very thick, and paired with the warrior's uniform, she had an air of heroism about her that made people dare not approach her.

  "It's Wang Jia's third miss, Wang Lingqing! I didn't expect her to attend this auction as well."

  Many people recognized the girl's identity, and they were all shocked. The Wang family was also one of the four major families in Yan City, not to mention that in terms of current strength, the Wang family should be the number one family in Yan City. There were more than 30 elders who had reached the seventh level of Qi Refining Realm, whereas the Fang family only had a dozen or so, almost half as many.

  Wang Lingqing was the third daughter of the Wang family's master, and her status in Yan City was not ordinary.

  "It's just a small auction, I didn't expect her to join in the excitement." Many people were whispering to each other.

  Fang Li, however, was nonchalant about these things and didn't know much about other family matters either, so he naturally didn't recognize the third young lady of the Wang family.

  Then several more items were auctioned off, but none of them were what Fang Li wanted, so he didn't bid on any of them.

  Among them, a pellet of Tong Jing Dan appeared, which was one of the elixirs that enhanced the foundation. Fang Li thought about making a move and buying it down, but after thinking about it, he endured it. This pellet of medicine would cost at least 20,000 gold coins, or 200 crystal stones. If he bought it, he would be struggling to bid for the Ling She Sword Technique later.

  The auction lasted for two hours and finally came to the last item.

  At this time, the auctioneer came out again and mobilized his emotions: "I'm sure everyone has been waiting for a while, but this last item will not disappoint anyone. At the beginning of the auction, I said that there would be a top-grade skill to be auctioned off, and it's indeed this last item."

  The auctioneer walked forward and lifted the silk off the gold-inlaid wooden tray, revealing a crystal-clear jade pendant inside.

  An old man stood up on the auction seat, angrily saying: "It turned out to be just a piece of jade plaque with a kung fu pattern, and I've been waiting for two hours in vain. Hmph, what nonsense!"

  The old man finished speaking and left the table in a huff.

  "This person seems to be the master of the Wu family." Some insightful people recognized the old man.

  "Wu family? The small family that is inferior to the four major families, haha, I reckon he originally thought this superior technique was a classic, wanting to buy it back as an heirloom for his clan's inheritance. Now seeing it's just a jade plate of techniques, only suitable for one person to learn, no wonder he got angry and embarrassed."

  When he said that, many people couldn't help but laugh. Only news from a small family would be so isolated, it's likely that the big families already knew that what was being auctioned off wasn't a martial arts manual, otherwise they wouldn't all be absent.

  The host of the Wu family's sudden departure made the auctioneer somewhat embarrassed, but he continued to introduce: "This time, the auction is indeed a jade card for Gongfa, not a classic. It can only be cultivated by one person. However, even so, this is still an unattainable thing, especially for those who have not yet cultivated advanced Gongfa. You must seize this opportunity. Who knows, after cultivating this Gongfa, your cultivation realm will also break through."

  "This set of skills is called the Ling She Jian Fa, with a cultivation speed that is among the top. Its advantages lie in its speed, ferocity, and accuracy, and its moves are extremely tricky, making it hard for others to defend against. If cultivated to perfection, one can even create illusions and attack multiple enemies at once. However, this skill set is more suitable for female cultivators, so everyone should take note. Alright, the starting price for the Ling She Jian Fa is 200 crystal stones, with each bid increase being no less than 20 crystal stones. Those who are interested can start bidding now."

  The people on the auction seat were originally full of enthusiasm, but when they heard that it was more suitable for women to practice, many people became depressed, and some even scolded loudly. But thinking about it, others had waited for two hours, only to wait for a book that was only suitable for women's cultivation, which made the male cultivators present feel unbearable. Many people began to leave one after another, making the auctioneer's eyes turn green with anger.

  "I'll pay two hundred crystal stones." At this time, a clear voice rang out.

  Fang Li turned his head and found it was actually Wang Jia's third miss who had bid for the Huo Luo Yang Xue Dan.

  "Was she waiting for so long just to buy this skill?" Fang Li furrowed his brow, fearing that buying this skill would still require some trouble.

  "Two hundred and twenty crystal stones." At this time, another person made a bid, and judging from the voice, it was also a woman.

  Wang Ling's expression remained unchanged, and he said coldly: "Three hundred crystal stones!"

  The price was quoted, and it made everyone present stunned. Directly from 220 crystal stones to 300 crystal stones, it's really domineering. Many people who also intended to buy this skill immediately gave up the idea, not daring to compete with the third miss of the royal family.

  "Three hundred and twenty crystal stones." The woman in front bid again, but was not intimidated by Wang Lingqing.

  Fang Li sat in his own seat, never making a sound, but he was somewhat curious about the woman who dared to compete with Wang Lingqing, and couldn't help but look in the direction of the voice.

  All that was seen was the woman in red, twenty-three or four years old, with a sharp and thin chin, also very strange. The big eyes were rippling with autumn waves, and every time she looked at her, there was a feeling of capturing people's hearts.

  The woman in red seemed to have noticed Fang Li's gaze and turned her head to give him a gentle smile, that smile seemed to have magic power, Fang Li only felt his mind filled with endless spring colors.

  Fang Li's whole body shook, and he struggled to break free, not daring to look at her again. He hastily withdrew his gaze. Moreover, due to the girl's single glance, the Bodhi Dharma image inside the Mud Ball Palace was also stirred up, until a refreshing feeling arrived, only then did it calm down.

  "Seduction technique!" Fang Li reacted, instantly widening his eyes in shock.