Part 4
Zong Ling’s face turned white. He knelt there in a daze for a long time before shaking his head. “…None.”
Not long after, Zong Ling was thrown out of the palace like trash. Little Lyman didn’t come out with him. From this moment on, he was no longer little Lyman’s adoptive father.
Having lost the Zong family’s protection and his mental power, Zong Ling truly panicked for the first time… Can someone like me survive?
Why did I insist on becoming the Family Head? If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have offended my Young Uncle. Perhaps I would still be the high and mighty successor of the Zong family with infinite prospects.
How… did it turn out like this?
But he knew very well the deep meaning behind the Crown Prince’s words. His only remaining use was his past relationship with his Young Uncle. If he could still earn his Young Uncle’s pity, he might have a chance to recover his mental power and return to the Crown Prince’s side. Otherwise… he could only live as a useless person under surveillance.
After all, the Prince could not allow someone who knew so many secrets to truly escape his control.
Ning Yunyi knew nothing of what was happening in the palace and wasn’t interested. From the moment he acted against Mu Jiayi, he had guessed what would happen to Zong Ling next.
But since Zong Ling had known Mu Jiayi killed Ning Yunyi and was still willing to cooperate with him, then everything happening now was his own doing.
The next day, Ning Yunyi stayed at the Ning house and didn’t go out. However, even without looking at the Star Network, he knew everything about the news online, mainly because someone was constantly reporting the progress to him.
Ning Yunyi heard another notification sound. He opened it, thinking Eustace had seen the latest progress and was coming to tell him. But this time, it wasn’t.
[Eustace: Are you busy tonight? I just got word that two shifters have been brought to a club in District D for a secret auction. I got an invitation. Those bastards really don’t give up.]
Because it was an unfamiliar place and he was worried it might be a trap set by the Crown Prince, Eustace didn’t dare to go alone even though he wanted to rescue them. But by the same token, with Ning Yunyi’s skills, there would be no problem.
Even if the Crown Prince wanted to catch them, he wouldn’t reveal his own strength, nor would he dare to deal with so many high-level mental power users in front of outsiders at once.
Ning Yunyi naturally saw his intention. He had intended to rescue shifters before anyway, and now that he had encountered them, there was no reason to ignore it. Furthermore, the awakened prophecy clearly stated that shifters would eventually become extinct, leading to the extinction of everyone.
[Bai Yanyu: Wait for me tonight.]
As it was getting dark, Zong Hao arrived secretly, only to see Ning Yunyi dressed up and about to head out. Ning Yunyi paused when he passed him. “Oh, you’re here? Have dinner with Xiaomiao and the others later. You can just head back after you’re done.”
The cub jogged over to hand his father his hat. He cupped his little face and looked at his exceptionally handsome father in a well-fitting suit, giving a very enthusiastic “wow.”
Ning Yunyi pinched his little face and gave him a smack of a kiss on the forehead. “Be a good boy and listen to Grandfather and Uncle. I’ll tell you a story when I get back tonight.”
The cub’s eyes sparkled. “Is it a mythological legend of the Ancient Blue Star?” Receiving an affirmative answer from Ning Yunyi, he was already looking forward to it. He waved his little hand as he watched his father walk out. “Father, have a nice date with Big Brother Eustace!”
Zong Hao was standing next to the little guy, and when he suddenly heard this, he snapped his head around. “Meow?” What? What date?
The cub squinted his crescent eyes and smiled. “Father is going out with Big Brother Eustace! He said they’re going to a restaurant and said he’d take Xiaomiao along after Ancient Blue Star food is available across the entire galaxy.”
Zong Hao’s mind was in a daze. Then he realized they were acting. Since they said they were getting engaged and acting as a couple, it was natural to go on a few dates.
But knowing was one thing; he still felt inexplicably lost. If only I didn’t have this identity, would Ning Yunyi have chosen me first? After all, we know many of each other’s secrets. Eustace is so young; how could he be as steady as me?
On the other side, Ning Yunyi used an Invisibility Talisman to leave the Ning house. Saying it was a “date” was only because he didn’t want the cub, Big Brother Ning, or Professor Ning to worry about him going to rescue shifters.
After leaving the Ning house and avoiding the surveillance, he arrived at an alley far away. Once he was sure no one was around, he revealed himself and walked toward a starship not far away.
When Ning Yunyi got on the starship and saw Eustace, his lips twitched. “What is this get-up?”
Eustace touched the wig on his head. He reached out to feel it, then looked in the rearview mirror at the black mesh hat that covered the upper half of his face, just enough to hide his eyes. His lips were painted with a thick layer of makeup to change their shape, his Adam’s apple was hidden by a silk scarf, and his clothes were loose. Although he was a bit tall, there were high-level female mental power users who were also quite tall. He was thin, too; as long as he didn’t speak, it was enough to pass for a woman.
“Is there a problem? Isn’t this a great sacrifice I made to avoid being discovered? You think I wanted to dress like this? But look, if this isn’t a trap, that’s great. If it is, the Crown Prince’s people will definitely expect a top-tier expert like you to show up. Since Chairman Rui Hu is also seriously injured, they’d expect me, the Vice-Chairman, to appear as a man. But now we’re a man and a woman; they’ll never expect it. Rui Hu and I came up with this. Clever, right?” Eustace even gave Ning Yunyi a seductive smile as Rui Hu had taught him. His fair, feminine skin did indeed give him an androgynous look.
But…
Ning Yunyi’s lips twitched. The logic was sound, but seeing Eustace making such a gesture with that male voice and stiff eyes—it just looked bizarre.
In the end, he sighed and told Eustace to wait. He took a small makeup kit from his coat and began to reapply Eustace’s makeup, ensuring all the rough skin was covered.
He changed the hair from short to a long, wavy wig. With the black mesh hat on, Eustace looked like a cold and pressing beauty as long as he stayed silent.
But as soon as Eustace opened his mouth, the atmosphere was ruined.
Ning Yunyi then took out a small circular object and handed it over. “Stick this inside the silk scarf on your neck before you speak.”
Eustace took it in confusion. Looking at the palm-sized object, he had a head full of questions but didn’t ask. He stuck it on as Ning Yunyi said, then put the scarf back on and cleared his throat. The next moment, he was stunned. “??”
He couldn’t help but say, “This…” When he was sure the voice coming out was indeed a female voice, Eustace was completely shocked.
He looked at Ning Yunyi with a complex expression, unable to stop himself from looking the other up and down, especially at the unfamiliar face that clearly hid Ning Yunyi’s true features. “I didn’t expect… you to have this kind of hobby?”
Ning Yunyi was so angry he laughed. “Instead of being grateful that I made your disguise more convincing, you’re actually teasing me?”
“No, no! I admire you, truly! I didn’t expect you to have this skill, Mr. Bai. You have so many surprises; you’re like a treasure trove. I’m really starting to want to make this act real. Why don’t you consider it?” Eustace leaned in closer. He currently looked incredibly charming, and the way he squinted at people made Ning Yunyi’s brow twitch.
Ning Yunyi pushed his face away. “Just pilot the starship. If we’re late, you won’t have a place to spend all those star coins.”
Since they could bid for the shifters in a normal way, they didn’t want to have a direct confrontation with the Crown Prince’s people at this juncture.
Soon, Ning Yunyi and Eustace appeared outside the club as husband and wife. Eustace held Ning Yunyi’s arm, wearing black mesh gloves. He pulled out an exquisite invitation and raised his chin slightly, revealing perfectly beautiful red lips. “Here.”
His exceptionally elegant and melodious voice made the manager checking the invitation widen his eyes. He almost stood there in a daze before quickly checking it and letting them through.
After they left, the manager couldn’t help but look at the noble and mysterious couple. He didn’t know their background, but their bearing definitely screamed “nobles” or “powerful families” hiding their identities. They were likely here for the two shifters being auctioned tonight.
Once inside, Ning Yunyi and Eustace were immediately led to the top-floor banquet hall, which had been turned into a temporary auction house. The surrounding lights were dim. After all, ever since the streamer “Sect’s First Blade” made it known that he was raising shifters, those auctioning shifters had to do so in secret.
Thus, the guests were also there in secret. They were used to disguises like Ning Yunyi and Eustace’s, so they didn’t attract much attention.
While waiting for the start, Ning Yunyi spread his spiritual energy and checked the mental power of everyone present. There were no 3S-level users. It seemed Eustace had indeed been lucky enough to stumble upon this, and it wasn’t a trap set by the Crown Prince.
If the Crown Prince were laying an ambush, there wouldn’t be zero 3S users. Even if they didn’t appear directly, there would certainly be some present.
Ning Yunyi patted the back of Eustace’s hand, which was still hooked around his arm. Eustace took the hint and breathed a sigh of relief before letting go.
As long as it wasn’t a trap, the night was his to dominate.
Soon, the guest seats went dark. Everyone sat in their assigned seats. A plaque was placed on each table, representing their table number; they would just need to raise it during the bidding later.
The plaques were specially treated to display numbers in the dark. This was also to make it easier for guests who didn’t want to reveal their identities to pay and take the shifters away immediately without causing any trouble.
However, because it was a secret auction, the prices were a bit higher. Still, that didn’t stop buyers who were looking for novelty or those who wanted to improve their mental power and had money to burn.
The guest seats went dark, but the stage at the front lit up completely to better display the items later.
Soon, the host came on stage. After a short speech, he got to the main topic of the night: “Tonight, we will have two shifters and several rare items up for auction. First, let us bring out our first item, which is the one everyone has been waiting for… one of the shifters. To be clear, of our two shifters tonight, one will be at the beginning and one at the end. One is a top-tier specimen among shifters, while the other is slightly inferior. As for which one is better, you’ll have to judge for yourselves.”
His intention was obvious. If the first one wasn’t as good as the last, those who spent all their money on the first might not have enough for the last. It was a way to make them choose and to pique their curiosity.
It was also to keep them waiting until the final moment, hoping they might buy other things in between.
After the host spoke, he clapped his hands. Several people immediately carried a large box covered with a red cloth onto the center of the stage. No matter how careful their movements were, with his excellent hearing, Ning Yunyi still heard a faint… sound of water?
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thank you for the chapter!