"Senior Brother, can you accompany me to an auction?"
"An auction?"
"Yes. Right here in Xuantian City, not far from our sect. Can you?"
"Sure! I was actually planning to head over there myself."
"Senior Brother is going too?"
"Yeah, I'm going to see if I can buy something suitable for my sister."
Hearing this, for some reason, she felt a trace of disappointment.
"Alright, it's a deal then. I'll come find Senior Brother tomorrow."
"Okay!"
The next day, Xiao Muyu arrived.
The two of them went to the auction in Xuantian City.
Security at today's auction was very strict.
It was rumored that today's auction in Xuantian City featured something good—apparently a cultivation manual accidentally obtained from a secret realm.
Xiao Muyu's goal was very simple: she had come specifically for that manual. Rumor had it that the manual helped with cultivating through medicine, and the Xiao Family specialized in the path of medicine.
"Senior Brother, if there's anything you take a fancy to, just let me know."
"Okay!" he agreed readily. Anyway, the fact that he was a good-for-nothing Senior Brother was already a laughingstock throughout the sect and even Xuantian City. However, his adoptive father's family didn't see it that way; they always felt he would eventually make something of himself and even bestowed upon him the title of heir.
This matter had also caused the Prince of Zhenbei's Estate to become quite famous all over the Great Li dynasty. It was just famous for being mocked by the entire capital.
Yet, as far as the Prince of Zhenbei's Estate was concerned, Jiang Tianlin had been there since he was seven, and now he was seventeen—ten years had passed. After raising him for ten years, how much difference could there be between him and a biological son?
"Tap, tap, tap!" Accompanied by a series of footsteps, the auction officially began.
The host slowly stepped onto the main stage of the auction.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I declare today's auction officially underway!"
"First, our opening lot is a middle-grade spirit artifact, the Dust-Heart Sword.
Starting bid: 300 low-grade spirit stones, with minimum increments of 100 low-grade spirit stones."
"A middle-grade spirit artifact? It's a bit better than my spirit sword," he thought to himself.
"I bid 400 low-grade spirit stones!"
"I bid 500!"
"600!"
"..."
"Next is the ninth lot, the Flowing Wind Hairpin, a top-grade magical tool!
Starting bid: 5,000 low-grade spirit stones, with minimum increments of no less than 1,000 low-grade spirit stones!"
"Such a crappy hairpin, and so expensive? Whoever buys it is a total sucker!"
"This is nice, it'll be perfect for my sister!" he said. "5,000 low-grade spirit stones!"
"..." The man was left speechless, never expecting there really was a sucker.
"Is there anyone else?" the host asked.
"Since there's no one, at 5,000 low-grade spirit stones, going once,
at 5,000 low-grade spirit stones, going twice,
at 5,000 low-grade spirit stones, going three times, sold!
Congratulations to this gentleman!"
The host didn't feel any regret, because the hairpin was worth roughly this much; after deducting all costs, their auction house would only make a profit of 200 low-grade spirit stones anyway.
"Congratulations, Senior Brother!"
"It's nothing. Are you waiting for that manual?"
"Yes!"
"Then it seems everyone here is waiting for that manual. Almost none of them have made a move."
"Mhm, yes!"
"Junior Sister, you're going to have to lend me 3,000 low-grade spirit stones!"
"Alright, I can, but the interest is very high."
"..."
"Hehehe, alright, alright, I'll pay for all of it for you, Junior Sister, just keep your own spirit stones for yourself," she giggled charmingly.
"Sigh!" He let out a sigh inwardly; actually, he felt quite uneasy. As a man—especially being taken care of by Xiao Muyu—he didn't know what virtue or ability he possessed that allowed her to look after him for so long. Surely she couldn't possibly like him, could she?
She was the legitimate young lady of the Xiao Family, the youngest and most favored by her family, yet she wasn't the spoiled or tyrannical sort. He couldn't figure out why she was so good to him. Even though he would offer spirit stones to his fellow junior brothers and sisters as compensation, they wouldn't take them, yet he had insisted on fawning over Shen Xiaojie instead.
"Next is the final lot of this auction. According to the authoritative appraisal of our auction house, this is a sentient cultivation manual that chooses its own master, so it can only be temporarily classified as a Huang-grade manual. We discovered it in the Lingxiao Secret Realm. At the same time, it comes bundled with a map indicating the location of the Lingxiao Secret Realm. We are auctioning them together as a package.
Starting bid: to be honest, we aren't quite sure either, so it depends on everyone's bids. To the highest bidder!
This final lot is displayed right here, everyone is free to bid!"
"The Lingxiao Secret Realm? What's that?" he asked in bewilderment.
"Good grief, you don't even know about that? That's a secret realm left behind by the Lingxiao Holy Palace from the ancient era.
It was originally meant to be a trial realm for their own disciples, but ten thousand years ago, the Lingxiao Holy Palace suddenly vanished.
No one knows why it disappeared, and many people have been searching for the traces of the Lingxiao Holy Palace. This manual now represents hope!"
"I see, thank you, Senior!" He nodded.
"Don't mention it!" the man replied casually.
Yet not a single person in the crowd made a move, as if everyone was waiting for someone else to go first.
"System, scan it."
"Understood, Host!"
After a moment.
"Ding! Host, the scan results are as follows: the manual is the Nine-Nether Profound Yellow Art, and the secret realm information points to the Lingxiao Secret Realm. However, the secret realm has already shattered and has no exploration value!"
"Is that so? The secret realm is already shattered! Junior Sister, let's go, don't get scammed! As for the manual,..." His voice had grown very soft, but he couldn't finish his sentence because the look his Junior Sister was giving him was not right.
Everyone heard what he said. Because no one was bidding, it was unusually quiet.
Right now, the auction house was dead silent.
Realizing it belatedly, he asked, "What's wrong?"
Xiao Muyu said, "Senior Brother, what you just said about the secret realm being shattered—everyone heard it."
"..."
The crowd had wanted to erupt, but unexpectedly fell silent instead, because it was rumored that this auction house belonged to the Bai Family of Xuantian City, and they didn't dare cross them.
At that moment, the owner of the auction house walked over.
"Hello, I am the person in charge of this auction house, everyone calls me Sister Red. I heard you say that this secret realm is already shattered; could you elaborate on that?" Sister Red spoke at a leisurely pace, but the threat in her voice was heavy.
Following closely behind her were many subordinates, all of whom were at the Seventh Layer of Awakening Realm.
"Senior Brother!" Xiao Muyu was very anxious.
It was rumored that the owner of this auction house had ties to the Tang family of the capital's four major families, and the Tang family was no less powerful than her own Xiao Family. As a legitimate daughter, she could mobilize quite a few resources, but even with the other party's connection to the Tang family, she had already sent for help from the Xiao Family.
"The girl beside you is your junior sister, isn't she? She's quite a looker. If she were sent to the Pleasure Pavilion, she'd definitely fetch a high price!" Sister Red said with a beaming smile.
"..." He clenched his fists.
"You..." He found his throat bone-dry, unable to produce a sound. He lacked any backing. He had no choice but to rely on the people his adoptive father had given him.
"This matter has nothing to do with her! Let her go!" he roared, almost shouting.
"Senior Brother, I..."
"Don't worry, I'm fine!" He stroked her head.
"No, I'm not leaving!" Xiao Muyu released her aura, revealing her cultivation.
"Dao-Entering Realm!!!"
The crowd was dumbfounded—such a young Dao-Entering Realm cultivator.
Sister Red looked at Xiao Muyu with apprehension. "You can leave. I won't make things difficult for you, but he stays."
"How can that be? He is my Senior Brother, I cannot abandon him and leave."
"Then stay together, both of you."
"You..." He was reaching his absolute limit, but he was only at the First Layer of Awakening Realm. However, he had already sent out a distress signal just now.
"Ding! Detected intense emotional fluctuations from the Host, the Nine-Nether Profound Yellow Art has been activated,..." the system suddenly chimed in.