Chapter 70: A Minor Disturbance at the Auction House

After traveling ten thousand meters down Vermilion Bird South Avenue, there stood a not particularly large residence, with a plaque above the entrance bearing only the words "Nan Yan." This was to be the temporary abode in the imperial capital for the party of more than forty, and with each person having their own room, there were even some left unoccupied.

"The Grand Celebration of the Morning will be held three days from now outside the imperial palace. At that time, His Majesty the Emperor, the civil and military officials, the great families, the major merchant guilds... all will gather to witness the event. Naturally, countless commoners, whether long-term residents or recent visitors to the capital, will also be present."

"During these three days, you are free to do as you wish, but try to avoid any conflicts with others."

"Understood!"

...

After choosing the room furthest to the outside, Gu Xiaopang headed out for a stroll with the three distinguished youths from Verdant City. Naturally, the other young talents from various cities were doing much the same.

These three were named Li Jiughe, Duan Haichao, and Sun Haochu.

Laughing and chatting as they wandered along, the group soon found themselves at the entrance of a grand and luxurious auction house, its massive signboard inscribed with the words "Five Regions Commerce Guild."

"Gentlemen, have you come for the auction? Please, come inside," greeted several striking young women lined up at the entrance, welcoming each guest as they arrived. The lady standing furthest outside, noticing the four of them pause, stepped forward and graciously invited them in.

"Let's go in and have a look. Who knows, maybe we'll spot something worth bidding on and try our luck."

"Sounds good."

...

Inside the auction house, apart from the private, shielded rooms on the second floor, all other guests were seated together in the grand hall on the first floor, numbering over a thousand.

They had barely settled when, with the resounding clang of a gong, the auction officially commenced.

"Ladies and gentlemen! I am Mu Yunming, the director of the Five Regions Commerce Guild, and as always, I will be your host for today's auction. First, allow me to thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend. I am confident that the items on offer today will not disappoint..."

"The auction begins! Please bring out the first item!"

"The first lot is a set of Meteorite Armor, personally forged by Master Mo, the renowned craftsman. Wearing it can deflect a full-powered strike from an early-stage Golden Core cultivator. The starting bid is fifty lower-grade spirit stones."

Two beautiful attendants ascended the stage, carrying a large tray. With practiced ease, they placed it on the auction stand. Elder Mu lifted the red silk cloth and began introducing the item enthusiastically to the audience.

"Sixty!"

"Eighty!"

"One hundred and ten!"

...

The bidding quickly soared to three hundred and ninety lower-grade spirit stones, a reasonable price. It was purchased by a short, elderly man, likely intended as a gift for a younger member of his family.

"The second item is a two-thousand-year-old Soul-Forging Herb. Even cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage can benefit greatly from a Soul-Forging Pill refined from this herb. According to the seller, it was harvested from the inner reaches of the Mysterious Beast Forest, at the cost of several lives. The starting bid is five hundred lower-grade spirit stones, with each increment no less than fifty stones."

"Five hundred and fifty."

"And you have the nerve to bid at that? Nine hundred!"

"One thousand."

...

"Fifteen hundred!"

At this point, Gu Xiaopang, seated near the outer edge, could no longer restrain himself. Knowing that this herb would be of great help to Elder Qin, he quickly entered the bidding.

"Boy, I am Murong Ying. You think you can compete with me? Two thousand!"

"Two thousand three hundred!"

"You insolent brat, crossing the Murong Family brings nothing but trouble! Two thousand five hundred! Try raising your bid again if you dare!"

"Are you threatening me? Three thousand!"

"Young Master Murong, this is the Five Regions Auction House, not your Murong Family’s private hall. Even if your family’s patriarch were here, he’d still show me some respect. If you dare threaten anyone again, I’ll have you escorted out immediately."

"Hmph."

"This gentleman has bid three thousand! Any higher offers?"

"Three thousand lower-grade spirit stones going once... twice... sold!"

Having successfully secured the Soul-Forging Herb, Gu Xiaopang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing Murong Ying, who had just been reprimanded by Elder Mu, shoot him a venomous glare without the slightest attempt to hide his malice, Gu Xiaopang thought to himself: The Murong Family? Hmph! I've never sought trouble, but neither do I fear it. Threats in the auction house I can overlook, but if things escalate beyond this... No matter what so-called Four Great Families you belong to in the capital, if you push me too far, I’ll make sure you regret it!

...

The three distinguished youths from Verdant City looked at Gu Xiaopang in astonishment, wondering where he had gotten so many spirit stones.

What they didn’t know was that before this journey to the grand celebration, Prefect Song Wuji had casually handed him a universal crystal card loaded with fifty thousand lower-grade spirit stones, so Gu Xiaopang was naturally flush with wealth at the moment.

...