Chapter Seventy-Three: Stirring Up Trouble
After Wan Chuan finished speaking, at first everyone exchanged glances, their faces reflecting deep contemplation. Yet, before long, someone called out a bid, and the crowd could no longer sit still, each raising their placards to shout their offers.
“Six hundred and fifty spirit stones!”
“Six hundred and eighty spirit stones!”
“Seven hundred and eighty!”
...
“One thousand!”
The price soared instantly to one thousand spirit stones, and many in the audience wore fervent expressions, clearly intent on raising the stakes further.
Liang Yan watched coldly from the sidelines, inwardly sighing, “What a pity.”
He too desired the sword manual desperately, but the circumstances were exceptional. His entire fortune amounted to just over a thousand spirit stones. If he failed to obtain the “Intoxicating Fragrance,” his life would be at risk—how could he then speak of cultivation?
Still, he had underestimated the crowd’s passion for the sword manual. After reaching one thousand spirit stones, the bidding did not stop; the price was pushed even higher, finally reaching an astronomical one thousand six hundred spirit stones.
The winner of this coveted sword manual was an elderly man, garbed in coarse linen with three long strands of beard cascading over his chest, exuding a faint aura of otherworldliness. His cultivation had reached the peak of the ninth stage of Qi Refining—no one could afford to underestimate him.
“So it is Elder Li! Ha ha, this sword manual suits you perfectly. Wan Chuan congratulates Elder Li on gaining the manual and breaking through to the Great Dao!” Wan Chuan beamed with delight. That the first item could fetch such a price was beyond his expectations, and he was naturally in high spirits.
The old man’s face creased into a broad smile, nearly merging the wrinkles upon it.
“Haha, let’s hope Wan Chuan’s auspicious words help me obtain this sword manual!”
His name was Li Huayang, a reclusive cultivator from the mountains who, despite years of cultivation, had never managed to cross the third threshold of the Qi Refining stage and enter the ranks of Foundation Establishment.
Now, with only two or three years of life remaining, this sword manual represented a rare opportunity. If he could glean a hint of the Great Dao from it, perhaps he might, by chance, achieve Foundation Establishment and gain another two hundred years of life—how could he not be moved?
With his cultivation at the peak of Qi Refining, accumulated over a century, he naturally possessed considerable wealth. But spirit stones were useless after death. Now, he was staking everything for a sliver of hope, much like Liang Yan’s own predicament.
Li Huayang took the small pouch from Wan Chuan, then descended the stage to pay his spirit stones. Right then, he cast a spell and mounted a whisk, flying straight into the white mist.
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, secretly admiring the old man’s caution. Having just obtained news of the sword manual, he immediately fled by magic. Even those with ill intentions dared not pursue him so openly, especially since only the first item had been auctioned—there might still be treasures to come.
Repressing their thoughts, the crowd refocused on Wan Chuan, who did not disappoint; the subsequent offerings were just as spectacular, rivaling those at the Jade Mountain gathering hosted by Chess Star Pavilion. Many treasures incited fierce bidding.
Liang Yan, however, paid no heed, simply sitting cross-legged and meditating, indifferent to the proceedings.
When the thirteenth item was up for bidding, Wan Chuan smiled and said, “Next is the ‘Intoxicating Fragrance,’ a secret concoction of the Incense Sect, renowned throughout the land. I need not elaborate—most of you have heard of it. Even a mere whiff will bring down a peak Qi Refining cultivator, or even one half a step into Foundation Establishment, in a heartbeat.”
As Wan Chuan uttered “Intoxicating Fragrance,” Liang Yan’s eyes snapped open, lightning-bright, fixed on the black sandalwood box atop the stage.
“At last!” he thought.
Wan Chuan announced loudly, “Enough talk—starting bid for ‘Intoxicating Fragrance’ is five hundred spirit stones. Please place your bids!”
“Five hundred and thirty!”
“Five hundred and fifty!”
...
The bidding began immediately, the fame of “Intoxicating Fragrance” evident—most in the audience understood its value and started raising the price at once.
“Eight hundred spirit stones!”
A sudden voice raised the price to eight hundred, and the bidder was Liang Yan. He understood the power of seizing the initiative, pushing the price high and showing an air of inevitability.
As expected, the crowd hesitated. While “Intoxicating Fragrance” was valuable, eight hundred spirit stones was excessive; further competition would be unwise.
Wan Chuan waited, seeing the crowd fall silent, clearly conceding. He cleared his throat and was about to announce the winner when another voice rang out:
“One thousand spirit stones! I want it!”
Liang Yan was startled—the voice was familiar. Turning, he saw a figure in green with two distinctive pigtails standing out.
“It’s you!” Liang Yan exclaimed.
The bidder was none other than Li Xiaosong, who had previously snatched his calligraphy scroll.
“Heh heh, of course it’s your auntie! Surprised? Delighted?” Li Xiaosong shook her head, her face radiant with pride.
Liang Yan’s expression darkened. “Miss, I bear you no malice; I’ve already apologized for our previous encounter. This item is vital to me—could you not make an exception?”
“Oh my!” Li Xiaosong cried out in mock alarm, burrowing back into the crowd as she called, “At the exchange, spirit stones speak for themselves. If you can’t outbid me, do you intend to resort to violence?”
Her words sounded pitiable, but her mischievous eyes darted around gleefully.
As expected, her words drew the attention of all present, even the Foundation Establishment cultivator Chu Shi, who fixed his gaze on Liang Yan. A wave of Foundation Establishment pressure washed over him, making Liang Yan break out in cold sweat.
“Miss, you jest,” Liang Yan suppressed his anger, forcing himself to remain calm. “I only wished to negotiate, not commit any shady deeds. Please keep the ‘Intoxicating Fragrance’.”
He turned away, sitting cross-legged on the boulder, silent.
It was not that he did not wish to continue bidding, but rather that he could not. The “Intoxicating Fragrance” was crafted by the Incense Sect, and the girl was a disciple—she was essentially buying her own product. No matter how high the price, she would not lose.
Behind the stage, Nangong Xiaomei glared at Li Xiaosong in reproach, clearly unaware of the plan. Although they were buying their own “Intoxicating Fragrance,” they still owed the Four Sect Alliance a twenty percent commission—two hundred spirit stones, fifty of which would return to their own coffers.
Li Xiaosong merely stuck out her tongue at Nangong Xiaomei, evidently spoiled and indifferent to her senior’s anger.
Nangong Xiaomei could only sigh helplessly, seemingly resigned to Li Xiaosong’s antics.
Liang Yan remained an observer, now thoroughly disinterested in the rest of the auction, meditating alone atop the boulder. He closed his eyes, seemingly oblivious to everything around him, lost in his own thoughts.
After this episode, the auction proceeded as usual, but everything was now irrelevant to Liang Yan. About two hours later, the event ended; Chu Shi took the stage to deliver some formal parting words, and everyone began to disperse.
Nangong Xiaomei walked up to Li Xiaosong and tapped her on the forehead, feigning anger, “You little troublemaker, who let you bid on your own? That hundred and fifty spirit stones were wasted!”
“Ow, ow!” Li Xiaosong hugged her head, her pigtails burrowing into Nangong Xiaomei’s embrace, “Sister Mei, your hit really hurts!”
Nangong Xiaomei laughed at her antics, her stern expression melting away, and she scolded with a smile, “You little spendthrift!”
“I just didn’t like the look of him,” Li Xiaosong retorted. “He ruined my plans—originally, I’d caught his three henchmen and was about to interrogate them, but he intervened and let them escape! Now I just wanted him to taste what it feels like to be thwarted.”
She burrowed her head further into Nangong Xiaomei’s arms. “I worked so hard just to help Sister Mei vent her anger. I was about to succeed, but he messed it up.”
Nangong Xiaomei’s expression softened, stroking her head affectionately, “Thank you, Xiaosong. My own business, I’ll handle myself. Even if I can’t, I still have my master.”
As they spoke, the sword-bearing woman Yue Xiaozhu joined them. The three exchanged glances, then hurried down the mountain.
Not long after they departed, Liang Yan, who had been sitting cross-legged on the boulder, suddenly opened his eyes, gazed at their retreating figures, and stood up, quietly following them down the mountain...