Chapter 44: The Underground Auction
The location of the auction was very hidden. Lin Qingyue and the group, carrying the iron entry passes they had prepared in advance, arrived at an alley entrance where there were still a fair number of people.
Stepping into the alley, the number of people gradually decreased, and the surrounding vision grew dim. A cultivator in a black robe stood deep within the alley.
He signaled for everyone to take out their iron passes and whispered a warning that noise was prohibited here. Then, he pressed his hand lightly on a brick. A door opened, and he signaled for the group to enter.
There were people coming behind Lin Qingyue and his group. The four of them exchanged silent glances and stepped inside.
This was obviously a formation entrance; the auction felt more like an underground black market.
Lin Qingyue really wanted to speak along the way, his face full of curiosity and internal complaints.
Suddenly, a bamboo hat with a veil was placed on his head. The force on his head vanished, and the hand quickly left his neck.
[Little Junior Brother, wear this. To prevent prying eyes.] Ye Jingxian transmitted his voice as he put the hat on him.
Simple and clear words, without a hint of sloppiness.
Lin Qingyue realized this was to block those assessing gazes.
He seemed to lack a clear understanding of his current appearance.
Red lips and white teeth, a coldness that carried an inadvertently revealed fragility. His eyes were like crystal-clear gems—hard, transparent, yet carrying a very obvious flamboyance.
Especially in his red clothes, which made his skin look even paler. This appearance, full of character and contrast, really attracted attention. Yet, he didn’t seem to realize it, or perhaps he was just used to it.
Ye Jingxian stood in front of him and put on a mask for himself as well. Seeing this, Lin Qingyue asked, “Eldest Senior Brother, why didn’t I get a mask?”
He just felt a bamboo hat would be more comfortable, but Ye Jingxian asked, “You want a mask too?”
“Not really,” Lin Qingyue said. “I was just asking casually.”
“En.” Ye Jingxian nodded imperceptibly and continued walking forward.
The group arrived at their reserved private room, finally escaping the gazes directed at them.
“This auction is a bit too shabby. Of all places to choose, they picked such a hidden and hard-to-find spot.”
Li Jing complained, then suddenly paused. “We didn’t…” enter some black market illegal arena, did we?
What if we get targeted later?
He covered his mouth, looking fearfully at Luo Wuhen, and scooted closer to him.
“Why are you so cowardly? We’re already here; it’s too late now.”
Lin Qingyue was a bit speechless. Realizing it only now—wasn’t his reflex arc a bit too long?
When they arrived, the place was already packed with people. Most of the cultivation bases weren’t very high; the highest was at the Nascent Soul stage.
Lin Qingyue leaned close to Ye Jingxian. “Eldest Senior Brother, what is the highest cultivation level among the people here?” Is it higher than yours?
Hearing the answer, Lin Qingyue felt relieved. His Eldest Senior Brother was at the Spirit Transformation stage. Although there were many people here, they wouldn’t be easily manipulated. Escaping shouldn’t be a problem.
While they were speaking, a seductive woman walked onto the center stage of the auction. She had red lips and an excellent figure; every movement was full of charm and temptation.
The originally noisy place boiled over with cheers.
Lin Qingyue looked at those people; everyone was acting like they had been injected with chicken blood. Some even had lecherous glints in their eyes. He frowned slightly, his expression turning cold.
Li Jing was puzzled. “What are they cheering for? Everyone is so excited, but it hasn’t even started yet.”
Lin Qingyue tilted his head. “They are looking at that woman.”
Li Jing came to a realization but still didn’t understand. “What’s there to cheer about? Even if she came out, the treasures haven’t been displayed yet.”
Not wanting to talk to him, Lin Qingyue withdrew his gaze. “As long as you’re happy.”
“Why do you always say such baffling things?”
Before Li Jing could finish, the woman’s voice rang out, interrupting everyone’s conversation.
“Everyone.” The woman, dressed in purple clothes that revealed just enough to be teasing, spoke with great charm. “Next, we will begin today’s auction. First, the first auction item.”
Speaking to this point, the corners of her lips hooked up into a smile.
“What is it? Hurry up and say it!”
“Right, right, right, hurry up!”
“It can’t be yourself, can it!”
Someone shouted this, and the crowd instantly burst into laughter.
Amidst the mixed whispers, the woman only smiled more seductively, her red lips moving lightly. “You will know in a moment whether it is or not.”
She pulled off the black cloth on the table, revealing a wooden box. “The first item is a thousand-year-old Brahma Leaf Grass. Starting price: five hundred spirit stones.”
“Here, I need to clarify something. Each person can win at most one item, so please consider carefully before bidding.”
As soon as she finished, someone immediately bid. “One thousand spirit stones.”
Lin Qingyue looked at the color and shape of the spirit grass displayed above; it was indeed Brahma Leaf Grass.
“This starting price is a bit low. Isn’t she afraid that the people below will deliberately avoid bidding high, adding little by little, causing her a loss?”
Seeing the people below bidding incessantly, Lin Qingyue instantly understood. She wasn’t afraid at all because she wouldn’t suffer a loss.
“She calculated it in advance.”
Ye Jingxian: “She likely knows quite a lot.”
Soon, the first item was snatched up. The subsequent items followed suit; everyone competed to bid, and unsurprisingly, all were sold. Some prices were even slightly lower than the market price outside.
After bidding for a long time, the treasure everyone had been thinking about still hadn’t appeared.
Some people got anxious and asked about it. The woman spoke unhurriedly, “What is everyone rushing for?”
The woman raised her hand and scattered a pile of gold powder. It carried a charming fragrance, a scent that made people intoxicated. Many were dazed by it.
When she waved her hand, Ye Jingxian and Luo Wuhen had already blocked it. Lin Qingyue only seemed to smell an extremely tiny bit at the very beginning. Their movements were too fast; he hadn’t had time to identify the scent.
“Eldest Senior Brother, let me smell it?” he asked, looking at the woman.
Ye Jingxian didn’t ask why, simply saying, “We aren’t sure what it is. It’s better to be cautious.”
Seeing that he wouldn’t allow it, Lin Qingyue said, “It’s precisely because we don’t know that I need to smell it. Eldest Senior Brother, trust me, I can identify it.”
He spoke with certainty. This thing was somewhat familiar; he seemed to have smelled it somewhere before.
Ye Jingxian looked at him and paused for quite a while. Lin Qingyue thought he was hesitating and would agree, but in the end, he still didn’t agree. “No.”
Lin Qingyue: “…”
If it’s a no, then it’s a no. He wouldn’t force it.
The crowd below was in an uproar, and the few private rooms began to lose patience, urging along with the others.
The woman lowered her eyes and smiled. “Alright. Since everyone is so anxious, let’s auction something interesting first, then we will show everyone today’s treasure.”
These words attracted everyone’s attention, and they asked one after another.
“What interesting thing?”
“Right, what is it? Hurry, hurry, hurry.”
“Stop dawdling, bring it out quickly!”
“I can’t wait anymore!”
“Hurry up, hurry up!”
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