Chapter 16: Fei Yun Stockade

  The girl's cultivation realm was astonishing to Fang Li, as a top-notch cultivator family's son, he had only reached the third stage of Qi Refining, which would place him at the bottom even in the Fang family.

  The girl was taken aback, clearly not expecting Fang Li to suddenly say this. Her face immediately darkened, and she self-deprecatingly said: "A young woman indeed only has a cultivation of three layers of Qi refining. If it weren't for this, I wouldn't have been demoted by my family to Yanjing City for training. Unfortunately, even in a small city like Yanjing City, I still can't control it, and even the gate guards dare to speak out against me."

  A hint of melancholy floated across the girl's absolutely beautiful face.

  "Sorry, I didn't mean anything else. Everyone living in this world will have many setbacks, but actually it's nothing, just be strong." Fang Li smiled slightly, as if to comfort himself.

  The girl also smiled and obviously didn't want to talk more about this topic, so she asked: "Still don't know the young master's surname?"

  "Shouldn't you introduce yourself before asking others for their names?" Fang Li didn't answer directly, but instead said seriously.

  The girl let out a snort of laughter, "You're really petty, but it's just a name, yet you're afraid to say it first as if you'll be at a disadvantage."

  Fang Li smiled indifferently and said, "Since the young lady says so... Alright, I'm Fang Li, Fang as in square, Li as in sharp. May I ask for your name?"

  The girl smiled again, "My name is Mu Yunyan." Her voice was like a oriole's, clear and pleasant to hear.

  "Prosperity and adversity, fleeting like clouds in the eyes. Such a elegant and refined temperament, what a good name." Fang Li looked at the girl in front of him, sincerely praising her.

  The girl stared blankly, and her eyes looking at Fang Li had a different luster, "It seems that the young master is not from a poor family background. Not to mention his strong cultivation, just the connotation of his words alone is something an ordinary person can't say."

  "Family circumstances are indeed difficult, at least for now I don't have spare money to indulge in luxury." Fang Li shook his head.

  Muyun Yan gave him a deep and meaningful look, but didn't say another word. She led him towards the auction house, where many onlookers still lingered at the entrance. This was not a place for conversation.

  "I don't know, sir, whether you've come to our auction house to bid or to consign?" Passing through the hall, Mu Yunyan led Fang Li to a private room. The room was not large, with only a few animal skin chairs and a stone table filled with fruit and pastries. On the walls hung several landscape paintings.

  "Let's sell it first." Fang Li smiled and sat down on a beast skin chair, earlier when he was fighting with the tall and thin guard, it seemed easy and simple, but his internal energy had actually been consumed by more than half. If that scar-faced man hadn't been intimidated by Fang Li's aura and didn't dare to come forward again, Fang Li was afraid he would have suffered some minor injuries. Now seeing the chair, he naturally sat down to rest for a while.

  Although Zhen Qi Teng Cao is good, the consumption is too large. If you use all your strength to trigger the power of Teng Cao's entanglement array, I'm afraid it won't last for a minute.

  Fang Li silently shook his head. After the battle with the tall and thin guard just now, Fang Li had a brand new understanding of his own strength. If he were to compete with others in the future, he must end the fight quickly, otherwise it would be difficult to avoid defeat.

  "What does the young master want to consign for sale?" Mu Yunyan's beautiful eyes glanced over Fang Li's body, seemingly not finding anything of value.

  Fang Li shrugged his shoulders, and with a flicker of thought, an iron sword with intricate carvings appeared in his hand.

  "Iron Sword?" Mu Yunyan was stunned for a moment, and couldn't see the mystery on the sword body. However, he was even more curious about Fang Li, as the iron sword couldn't have appeared out of thin air, which meant that this young man in front of him must have had an artifact with storage function. Although storage artifacts were not as good as attack or defense artifacts, they still reached the level of artifacts, and if the top people in Yan City knew about it, they would probably be envious.

  He shook his head, "It's not an ordinary iron sword, I call it the Water and Fire Two Instruments Sword. The sword has the Water and Fire Two Instruments Restriction engraved on it. Although it's only a pseudo-magical artifact, its power is equivalent to that of a fifth-grade mortal artifact. In Yan City, it should attract some attention."

  "Fake Law Instrument!" Mu Yunyan was stunned for a moment, then her eyes lit up and she exclaimed in surprise: "You're an Array Master?"

  Fang Li furrowed his brow, remaining silent as he considered whether to answer the question. If Yu Ruoyan were a legitimate child of the Yu family, Fang Li would have answered her without hesitation. However, she seemed to hold a low position and was isolated in Yan City. If he revealed his true identity to her, not only would his own safety be compromised, but he also feared it might implicate her.

  Muyun Yan also felt the awkward atmosphere, and after a moment's thought, she understood the situation. She couldn't help but apologize: "Sorry, I was too impulsive earlier. However, if you have any more fake artifacts made by Array Masters in the future, I hope you can bring them here to auction."

  Muyun Yan was indeed overjoyed, to know that the Water and Fire Two Instrument Swords brought out by Fang Li, although not true artifacts, could reach the power of a fifth-grade ordinary instrument, which was also impressive. Even the elders of the four major families in Yanyang City would probably make a move to grab them.

  Fang Li looked at Mu Yunyan with a sincere face and shook his head: "I should be the one apologizing."

  Fang Li said sorry, it was because he didn't completely trust Mu Yunyan, however, even so, he still didn't plan to answer Mu Yunyan's previous question.

  Muyun Yan smiled slightly, but didn't mind it. Now her thoughts were all on the Water and Fire Two Instruments Sword. If a large batch of such weapons entered the auction house, the performance of the auction house would definitely be greatly improved. At that time, she could also complete the training requirements set by her family and return to her family early.

  Although Moyun Yan is still of low status in her family, she at least has relatives and friends who won't leave her isolated and helpless like they do here.

  "I will ask the top auctioneer in our auction house to auction this sword for you. Roughly estimated, it should be able to sell for around 20,000 gold coins, which is equivalent to 200 crystal stones. You can come to the auction house to collect the money three days later. However, our auction house will deduct a commission of 10% from the sale."

  "Two hundred crystal stones!" Fang Li was slightly surprised in his heart, much higher than he had expected. As for the 10% commission, Fang Li didn't say anything more, this was almost a standard rule of all auction houses, after all, others couldn't sell things for free unless it was some kind of rare treasure.

  "A good weapon has always been a priceless existence, and the power of this iron sword is equivalent to that of a fifth-grade ordinary artifact. In Yan City, it's already a rare find. Except for the heads of the four major families and the Supreme Elder, I'm afraid everyone else will be attracted."

  "Then it's troubling you, miss," Fang Li said, and was about to leave.

  "Wait."

  "What else can I help you with, Miss?" Fang Li turned his head around, somewhat puzzled.

  Muyun smiled lightly and asked: "Young master's surname is Fang, are you a son of the Fang family from Yan Cheng?"

  "Just a branch of the family, not worth mentioning. The young lady has good eyesight." Fang Li replied casually.

  Muyun Yan was slightly surprised, "Young Master's strength is actually just a collateral branch, it seems I underestimated the Fang family before."

  Fang Li just smiled and didn't say anything else.

  Fang Li didn't want to say more, and Muyunyan also stopped asking. He just said: "Since the young master has nothing else to do, I'll send you out."

  "Trouble you." Fang Li nodded his hands.

  When Fang Li came out of the auction house, he still had a smile on his face. It wouldn't be long before he earned two hundred crystal stones, and at that time, he could also choose a good cultivation method for his sister.

  ……

  Inside the city of Yan, in a dimly lit wooden house, two guard-like men sat facing a disheveled-haired man. The man wore a beast skin coat, with some bandit-like air about him, but his eyes were lifeless, as if he hadn't woken up yet.

  "Thin monkey, is your injury okay?" The disheveled-haired man asked one of the tall and thin guards.

  "Don't worry, sir. The Stabilizing Heart Pill you rewarded me with earlier has temporarily suppressed the injury." The tall and thin guard covered his chest with one hand, his face somewhat pale, clearly showing that the injury had not yet healed.

  This man was one of the guards wounded by Fang Li. As for the other guard-like person, it was naturally Knife Scar Face.

  "That rascal, if I ever meet him again, I'll give him a painful lesson!" Scarface chimed in, his face revealing a cruel expression, which, combined with the scars on his face, made him look rather ferocious.

  The man known as the big boss frowned, scratched his messy hair and said impatiently: "Let's talk about finding that kid to take revenge later. I arranged for you to enter the Mu family auction house, not to settle a vendetta with an unrelated kid."

  The two guards were stunned and didn't dare speak. This time they had brought trouble upon themselves.

  Seeing the two of them like this, the master nodded in satisfaction, "Now you can go back to the auction house, our business still has to continue."

  Scarface and Skinny Monkey exchanged a glance, lowered their heads, and muttered: "Master, we're afraid we won't be able to come back. That new manager has already...already fired us."

  "You're fired! Do you know how much I paid to get you in?" The master's eyes widened, looking like a fierce tiger. The two guards felt a chill run down their spines and were so scared that they began to tremble with fear.

  "Big boss, this can't be entirely our fault, brother. It's the deputy manager who wanted to make things difficult for this new main manager, and we just took advantage of the situation. Who knew that this damned woman would actually dare to fire us directly?" Skinny Monkey explained hastily, afraid that Big Boss would get angry and kill him.

  "What about that manager, why didn't he stop it?" The master's face still hadn't improved. Without these two guards as insiders at the auction house, how many deals would he lose!

  "Big boss, you're not unaware of that old guy's nature. He only knows how to collect money and wouldn't care about us at all? At the time, I went with Scarface Brother to ask for his help, hoping he could stop that little girl from firing us. But that old guy said, 'The master is a member of the Mu family after all, can't openly go against her wishes.' Then he sent us away." Thin Monkey's face was full of indignation.

  "Old matchmaker, very good! You accepted 50,000 gold from me and then had the people I arranged to be dismissed. My Flying Cloud Inn is not so easily bullied!" The master of the house was furious, this time it wasn't just about losing business, but more about being looked down upon. That deputy manager's actions clearly didn't put my Flying Cloud Inn in his eyes.

  One of them, a scar-faced man with a glint in his eye, suggested, "Head of the household, you're at least an eighth-level Qi-refining expert. Why take this loss? We can gather our brothers and wipe out the auction house in one go. I have some knowledge of the auction house's defensive strength. Since the old master left, the strongest is now the deputy manager, that old scoundrel, who has only reached seventh-level Qi-refining." The scar-faced man's words were always laced with a chill.

  "Shut up, Knife Scar. You're one of the brothers I value more, but when did you start thinking with your butt? Let's not mention how we, Flying Cloud Fort, openly charged into the auction house. The City Lord and the four major families might not agree to it either. Just offending the Mu family alone would make our lives difficult. Even if the Mu family only sends a single early-stage Foundation Establishment elder, they can wipe us out completely." The Big Master waved his hand to interrupt Knife Scar's words, with some displeasure on his face.

  The scar-faced man let out a heavy breath, gritted his teeth and said: "No matter what, this vendetta must be avenged. Since we can't touch the auction house, let's take care of that new manager first. He's just a waste with only three layers of Qi refinement!"

  "That's right, it was that little girl with the surname Mu who fired us and Knife Scar. This grudge must be avenged," Skinny Monkey chimed in, a hint of lust flashing in his eyes. "Besides, that little girl is quite good-looking, tender and delicate. Isn't Master Yin's progress in cultivating the Furnace of the Abyss stalled? Who knows, maybe she can help him break through."

  "You scoundrels, you've really eaten the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard! The young master of the Mu family dares to make decisions!" The patriarch thundered. It seems that they didn't listen to what he just said. Robbing the young master of the Mu family is no different from ending the auction house.

  The thin monkey sneered, "The master of the house, it's just a matter of catching one person, we can do it without anyone noticing. Moreover, this woman is clearly not in a high position in the Mu family, even if she dies, I'm sure no one will come to investigate."

  "Oh?" The head of the household rubbed his somewhat sleepy eyes, and did not scold the two again. After all, he now urgently needed a furnace to practice his skills. If he didn't have a good furnace, he would always be in this listless state, which was a side effect of cultivating the Yin Yuan Furnace Skill.

  The cultivation speed of the Xuan Yuan Furnace is incredibly fast, but it's a true demonic art. Not only does the cultivation method harm the heavens and the earth, but it also has an impact on the cultivator themselves. Once cultivated, there's no turning back unless one can bear to abolish all their own powers.

  The thin monkey also saw that the master of the house was somewhat moved, and couldn't help but continue to persuade: "Master of the house, what are you hesitating about? That Miss Mu is a rare beauty, at least in this Yan City, no one can compare with her. It's likely that her body's yin yuan is thick and pure."

  The master patted his forehead, suddenly stood up, with a hint of ferocity on his face. "Alright, let's take care of her first. I've never had the pleasure of dealing with a top-tier family's young lady before. Who knows, maybe this will be an opportunity to break through to the 9th level of Qi refinement. After we're done with her, we'll go find that unlucky vice manager and make sure to recover all of Flying Cloud Village's losses!"

  The master of the house eats meat, and he can always drink some soup. Thinking of Miss Mu's delicate skin, the thin monkey suddenly became excited. "The master said that we must make up for the loss of our Flying Cloud Fort," he said. "I'll go gather my brothers to catch that little girl for you."

  "Wait," the Big Master called out to Skinny Monkey, then coldly laughed and said: "This matter still needs careful consideration. I not only want to capture that little girl, but also frame our old rival Black Wind Fortress."

  "What a great plan!" The thin monkey and the scar-faced man were both stunned, and then admiration flashed in their eyes. This way, it's killing two birds with one stone.

  Scarface was relatively calm and said lightly: "If you want to frame someone, it's a bit difficult to make a move in the city, and it's easy to be discovered by the people of the four major families. Why not wait until that girl leaves the city before making a move?"

  "Oh, what's your proposal?" The head of the household looked at Scarface with interest, wanting to hear his plan.

  The scar-faced man's mouth corners slightly curled up, smiling somewhat coldly, "If there was a rare treasure that needed to be sold, and it had to be handed over outside the city, would the young girl come?"

  The thin monkey frowned and said ahead of time: "But what kind of rare treasure does our mountain stronghold have?"

  Scarface sneered coldly: "As long as we say so, it's settled."