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Chapter 321: I'm Not Bidding For It

On the second floor, there was a row of luxurious viewing boxes—rooms for guests to view the auction in private. Important guests or those from major forces like the Divine Nine and the Terrestrial Ten all had their own exclusive boxes.

Before the auction started, the Weapons Master walked through the corridor on the second floor. He was accompanied by a tall white bear standing upright. It was wearing a full set of armor, looking like a majestic general. A wheelchair was strapped to the bear's shoulder armor, and Tantai Jing was sitting in it.

The Mount Shu Sect had entrusted these two men to carry out an important mission in Taotie City.

As they moved through the corridor, a group of people approached from the other end. The person at the front of the group was a tall and burly middle-aged Daoist with bronze-colored skin and a cold, steely expression. He was dressed in a Daoist robe, which had the yin and yang fishes embroidered inside the Eight Trigrams with a fire-red background color[1].

His gaze met the Weapon Master's, and both parties slowed down.

"Greetings, Weapons Master. It's been ages since we last met," the middle-aged Daoist said with a small smile, cupping his hands together and bowing slightly.

"I heard you were in closed-door cultivation at Fanghu for a long time. So, you've finally emerged," the Weapons Master replied, returning the smile.

The person before him was Daoist Chi Niu of the Penglai Supreme Sect.

"I didn't have a choice. I have to get the Demon-Subduing Pestle today." Daoist Chi Niu shook his head. "I don't trust anyone else to do it, so I had to come and do it myself."

"What a coincidence," the Weapons Master said. "My sect is determined to get it too."

"Hahaha." Daoist Chi Niu laughed heartily and threw his hands into the air. "In that case, let's see who will emerge victorious."

Then someone coughed behind Daoist Chi Niu.

Looking over, the Weapons Master saw a rather thin man, who wore black clothes and a jade belt.

The Weapons Master said, "I guess this must be the recently advanced Daoist Xuan Lu? The Penglai Supreme Sect is indeed full of talented people."

"Greetings, Weapons Master. Yes, that is indeed me, esteemed senior." Daoist Xuan Lu bowed in greeting as well. "No matter who gets the Demon-Subduing Pestle today, it is best for both our sects to maintain our friendly relations."

The Weapons Master chuckled. "Of course. All sects following the righteous path share the same qi; it is of utmost importance that we maintain our friendly relations."

He waved his black-iron hand, brushing off the idea that their sects' relationship would sour.

Daoist Chi Niu grinned. "That's right! Let's stay amicable!"

After the exchange of pleasantries, both parties went to their respective boxes and sat down.

"Some years ago, Mount Shu wanted my Demon-Cutting Saber, and now they want to fight me for the Demon-Subduing Pestle. They're so irritating!" Daoist Chi Niu said quietly as soon as he sat down. "If it wasn't because of their intervention, I might have already obtained the Demon-Subduing Pestle."

Before the auction, Daoist Chi Niu had contacted the Pavilion of Celestial Fate in the name of the Penglai Supreme Sect, hoping to offer a price and buy the Demon-Subduing Pestle without going through the auction.

Normally, the Penglai Supreme Sect had a significantly greater influence than Mount Shu, as it was the top immortal sect in the nine provinces. So, under normal circumstances, the Pavilion of Celestial Fate would probably have agreed.

However, Mount Shu had also made an offer to purchase the item. If the Pavilion of Celestial Fate gave it to another sect before the auction, it would be like giving the Mount Shu Sect a slap in the face. Consequently, the Pavilion of Celestial Fate decided not to sell the item to anyone before the auction. Instead, the Pavilion of Celestial Fate promised both sects that they would get a ten percent discount off the price if they won the bid.

"The six demon-eliminating treasures were in the Mount Shu Sect's possession for thousands of years, so it's normal for them to think of the treasures as their own," Daoist Xuan Lu remarked with a light laugh. "Do not be impatient later. Think twice before taking action."

Daoist Chi Niu nodded. "I know. I'll follow your orders later."

He'd brought Daoist Xuan Lu because he was quick-witted and intelligent. Daoist Xuan Lu had not been long since he became a seventh-realm cultivator, so he lacked experience as one, but he had been an important strategist in the Fanghu faction long before his advancement to the seventh realm.

Despite having ample experience as an Eminent One, Daoist Chi Niu did not have an arrogant attitude in front of Daoist Xuan Lu.

Over in the Mount Shu Sect's box...

"If I meet him in a hidden realm someday, I'll have to teach him a good lesson," the Weapons Master said, clenching his black-iron hand into a fist.

His expression was just as dark as Daoist Chi Niu's.

Fortunately, the boxes in the Pavilion of Celestial Fate were completely soundproof, unlike that room Chu Liang had used recently... Otherwise, it would only be too easy for these two groups to start fighting through the wall.

Tantai Jing's large white bear was sitting cross-legged, meditating. Its posture and aura were no different from those of a human cultivator.

As for Tantai Jing, he was seated beside it.

Tantai Jing smiled and advised the Weapons Master, "Elder, regardless of whether we succeed or fail later, please control your temper. If you make the first move in such a setting, it will just give them an excuse to retaliate."

The Weapons Master laughed softly. "Don't worry. I'm not Di Nufeng.".

...

"An auction?"

Wen Yulong was looking at the jade signboard at the entrance of the Pavilion of Celestial Fate. That's when he recalled that it was the day of the monthly auction.

The public reveal of the Demon-Subduing Pestle had caused a bit of a stir, but it wasn't enough for the news to spread all over Taotie City. Chu Liang and Wen Yulong had been focusing on the fluctuating market for the Spirit-Concentration Pills, so they hadn't paid much attention to the news related to the auction.

Chu Liang swept his gaze over the vertical signboard, moving down from the top and eventually stopping on the last item.

He muttered, "The Demon-Subduing Pestle?"

"It's one of the six demon-eliminating treasures!" Wen Yulong exclaimed excitedly. "This was one of our sect's important treasures. Our sect should have sent someone here. Why don't we go in and take a look?"

Chu Liang nodded. "Sure."

It turned out that the tickets to get auction weren't expensive. Once they were done paying for the tickets, Chu Liang and Wen Yulong received a long-handled wooden paddle that was marked with their assigned seating area and numbers. They then entered the first floor of the main hall and sat in seats near the back of the hall.

This month's auction had attracted thousands of people.

However, like Chu Liang and Wen Yulong, most of them were there just to watch; they didn't intend to buy anything. As for the rest of the people, many of them were just there to try their luck. They would only try putting in a bid for an item if they thought there was a chance they could have a winning bid. Therefore, it was unlikely there would be many people raising their signs during the auction.

Just after Chu Liang and Wen Yulong sat down, there was the loud sound of a gong, and one of the Pavilion of Celestial Fate's managers walked onto the stage.

"Fellow Daoists, I thank you all for coming to the Pavilion of Celestial Fate and attending this auction. I believe the treasures being offered tonight will not disappoint you."

A cool breeze swept through the hall, carrying the manager's voice to every corner of the hall.

"Without further ado, let's start today's auction!"

Gonnnng. The gong was struck again.

Two female servants dressed in colorful clothes stepped onto the stage, their skirts fluttering in the breeze as they walked. Each woman carried a golden tray covered with red cloth.

"Today's first treasure is a pair of ancient clam pearls from the East Sea!" the manager announced.

He lifted the red cloth of one of the trays, revealing a pair of large pearls.

One was a bright red, and the other was purple-black. Both were shining brilliantly.

The manager continued, "The light that the red pearl emits is filled with yang qi, and the light that the purple pearl emits is filled with yin qi. The red pearl can dispel all concealment techniques, making it impossible for anyone to hide or move around stealthily within the range of the red pearl's light. The purple pearl can detect ghosts, making yin qi visible as something solid."

"The starting price is two thousand Vermillion-Bird coins. The bids are to increase by no less than one hundred Vermillion-Bird coins." The manager waved his hand. "Please raise your signs!"

The Pavilion of Celestial Fate had a rule that if a person raised their sign, it meant they were participating in the bid for that item at the base price, increasing the bid by a hundred Vermillion-Bird coins. If they wanted to bid more, they had to call out their bid.

These yin and yang pearls sounded quite practical, so many people participated in the bid for them. Chu Liang, however, just enjoyed watching the bidding competition... until Wen Yulong poked him.

"Senior Brother Chu, those pearls are pretty good. They would be great embedded into an enchanted tool," Wen Yulong said excitedly as he gazed at the treasure on the stage. "Hurry up and bid for it!"

Chu Liang tactfully rejected Wen Yulong's suggestion. "Let's just wait and see."

The pearls were quickly sold for the high price of four thousand Vermillion-Bird coins.

Chu Liang did some rough calculations. The base price of two thousand Vermillion-Bird coins for the two pearls had certainly been low, but the winning bid of four thousand was very high. It seemed that more money could be earned through an auction as opposed to a private sale at a set price. Those who really wanted the items had to pay an excessive amount to get them, raising the price of the items significantly.

Lesson learned.

At this time, the second treasure on offer was brought on stage. It was a fist-sized chunk of crystalized wind spiritual qi. The crystal emitted a brilliant azure light that made objects within a ten-zhang radius float.

The manager boasted about the crystal. "This item is excellent for comprehending the Great Dao of the Heavens and the Earth or as an auxiliary material for making enchanted tools!"

"Yes!" Wen Yulong's eyes lit up in excitement again. "If I had this, I could definitely bring up the quality of an enchanted tool to a whole other level! Senior Brother Chu, hurry up and bid for it!"

Chu Liang was feeling rather regretful. He realized that coming to the auction with this guy was a mistake... Every time the auction staff brought out a new treasure, Wen Yulong would think of a great use for it and get all excited.

Who could stand that? What kind of family could afford to buy everything at an auction?

Feeling extremely annoyed, Chu Liang firmly refused to do as Wen Yulong wanted.

"If you want it, bid for it yourself. I'm not bidding for it."

1. See the translator's thoughts section for an image of this. ☜