Chapter 97

At the medicinal pill auction, Yin Hun withdrew from the bidding.

The Bone Shaping Pill went to Lin Xie. Despite his calm exterior, he had secretly cursed Yin Hun a thousand times over, as this guy had made him spend several tens of thousands more.

"Ten thousand taels!"

There were many tsk-tsk sounds. A small pill, with a base price lower than the golden knife, ended up surpassing the golden knife in the final price. Indeed, the rarer the item, the more valuable it becomes.

"Silence."

On the stage, Huang Yan had already collected a Bone Shaping Pill and placed the third item on display.

It was an ancient book.

Or rather, a secret manual, specifically a sword technique manual, which was not of low grade.

The auction house always offered high-quality items.

The bidding for the secret manual was quite heated, with bidders shouting and turning red in the face, almost turning the scene into a collective cursing session.

"It's far from the Thunder Sword Technique."

Zhao Yun opened his eyes for a moment, then closed them again. He didn't lack sword techniques or secret manuals; in his mind, there was a divine being with all kinds of powers, so he didn't need to buy them with money.

The secret manual found its owner, selling for seventy thousand taels.

The buyer was Yin Hun, the young master of the Black Flame, with Lin Xie causing quite a bit of trouble.

Next was a spirit fruit, a material needed for alchemy.

Despite this, the bidding was still quite heated. The fruit could be used for alchemy and to nourish the body. The price was neither too high nor too low, and it sold for thirty thousand taels.

"Do you think Hong Yuan can defeat the master of the Luo Sheng Gate?"

The fat old man, hands in his sleeves, whispered to Zhuge Xuandao.

"No one has seen the master of the Luo Sheng Gate, so who knows?"

Zhuge Xuandao shrugged. Hearing that name made him feel a chill. As long as they had enough money, the Luo Sheng Gate would dare to assassinate even the Great Emperor of the Xia Dynasty. This showed how crazy and mysterious the Luo Sheng Gate was. There might even be Luo Sheng Gate members among the people present, making assassins hard to guard against.

"Eighty thousand."

As he spoke, Zhuge Xuandao suddenly raised his paddle and bid for a Jing Yuan Pill.

"Do you really need Jing Yuan Pills?"

The fat old man glanced at him. This old Zhuge seemed to be very fond of Jing Yuan Pills.

"I do, I really do."

Zhuge Xuandao's words were full of meaning. Zhao Yun needed Jing Yuan Pills, and he was waiting for this pill to exchange for a technique. Once his cultivation realm returned to its peak, he would deal with the fat old man first, who dared to stuff stinky socks into his mouth.

"Another one."

Zhao Yun chuckled inwardly. Once back, Zhuge Xuandao would come to him to exchange for a technique.

Looking at the purple-haired child and Chi Yan was quite amusing.

These two seemed more interested in Zhao Yun. One was on his left, the other on his right, with her left hand supporting her cheek and his right hand supporting his face, watching him with great interest. This guy hadn't spoken since he arrived and mostly closed his eyes to rest, making people highly suspect that he wasn't there for the auction.

Zhao Yun remained silent, continuing to pretend to be asleep.

If there were any empty seats, he would definitely change places; it was better than being stared at.

"Silence."

Huang Yan, the old man, said calmly, and with a wave of his hand, another item was displayed.

The item was placed there, and the bidders' expressions were somewhat strange.

"Isn't that a monk's robe?"

"Yeah, the abbot of a temple would love such an item."

"Old man, your forehead is shiny. Are you a monk?"

"Amitabha, get lost, get lost."

The bidders, hands in their sleeves, chatted amiably. Most people were looking around the hall, and there were many bald heads, but it was hard to say if they were monks.

"What can this monk's robe do?" someone asked.

Huang Yan took a deep breath and said, "Wear it to ward off evil."

"Warding off evil is good, it's safe."

"The base price is three thousand taels. Bidding starts now."

Embarrassingly, after Huang Yan spoke, no one responded. Some were drinking tea, others were flirting, treating his words as if they were nonsense. Their expressions clearly said: Don't try to fool us with this. We are martial cultivators; we don't fear ghosts and demons. Warding off evil? Ward off your sister's evil. We are not monks or hermits; why would we wear a monk's robe?

Huang Yan coughed dryly.

Indeed, if not a monk, who would buy this thing? If not for the auction house owner insisting on including this monk's robe, no one would want to auction it.

The reality proved to be quite awkward.

The auction house had never had an item fail to sell, and this monk's robe would likely be the first.

"Hurry up, change to another item."

"Change to a pill, one that can extend life. I don't have many years left."

"Techniques are fine too; we are not picky."

Many people were banging on the table, their voices chaotic, clearly not interested in the monk's robe.

Huang Yan laughed dryly and raised his hand slightly.

To be honest, he didn't like this monk's robe either, or rather, he didn't like monks.

"Three thousand taels, I'll take it."

Suddenly, a hoarse voice came from the corner, drawing many people's attention.

The bidder was Zhao Yun.

He had taken a voice-changing pill, making people think he was an old man.

"This must be a monk."

"Monks don't lie, keep it down."

"Is he bald?"

The few people at the same table were sizing Zhao Yun up, but unfortunately, he was well hidden. Even the peak-level Dizang like the fat old man couldn't detect anything.

Zhao Yun remained calm, showing no change in expression.

He wasn't a monk, but the monk's robe was indeed a good item.

The robe was tattered.

This was what the Moon Goddess wanted to say, but the swastika symbol on the robe was a genuine treasure. In the realms of immortals and deities, it was called the Heavenly Script of the Duanjia, whose origin was unknown but whose mystic power was significant.

"Three thousand taels, any higher bids?"

Huang Yan smiled, glancing at Zhao Yun.

"Master likes it, just give it to him."

The little black fat man patted his belly, not knowing it was Zhao Yun. He was just trying to be funny, having already eaten his fill and feeling bloated. He needed to practice his voice.

No one needed to say it; no one was bidding.

For martial cultivators, a monk's robe to ward off evil was a useless item, not worth much. It would be fine to buy it for a few taels, but three thousand was too much. Money was a good thing.

"Since no one is bidding, this monk's robe..."

"Three thousand one hundred taels, I'll take it."

Before Huang Yan could finish, he was interrupted. The voice came from the third floor, specifically from the Blood Eagle Clan's private room. The speaker was Yan Kang, lounging on a couch, looking relaxed. His words were casual, as if the monk's robe was already his.

However, from the bidders' perspective, even if it wasn't a sure thing, it was almost certain. Who would be foolish enough to compete with a major clan for a treasure, especially when they couldn't match the financial power?

Indeed, there were some who were restless.

Zhao Yun coughed dryly. He hadn't bid before, but now that he did, you came out to snatch it. You jumped out to find trouble before I could trick you.

"Three thousand five hundred taels." Zhao Yun said calmly.

"Interesting." Yan Kang smiled, "Five thousand taels."

"Ten thousand."

Zhao Yun picked up his teacup and took a sip. Since his Xiu'er said it was a treasure, he would do whatever it took to get the monk's robe, even if it meant going bankrupt.

Even if he couldn't get it, he wouldn't let Yan Kang have an easy time.

"Good, very good." Yan Kang's lips curled, "I'll offer twenty thousand taels."

"Thirty thousand."

"Forty thousand."

"Fifty thousand."

"Sixty thousand."

The scene from earlier with Lin Xie and Yin Hun was repeating. Zhao Yun bid, and Yan Kang immediately followed; Yan Kang raised the bid, and Zhao Yun followed right after. The rapid bidding left no time for reaction.

"Is this monk's robe really a treasure?"

Hearing the price, the bidders couldn't help but raise their eyebrows. No one wanted it earlier, but now the two were bidding fiercely, reaching sixty thousand taels.

However, after examining the robe for a long time, no one could see its mystic power.

Not just the bidders, even Huang Yan glanced at the robe several times, but his limited knowledge couldn't reveal anything special. It was just a slightly worn monk's robe. If one had to say it was special, it was the fabric, made from a special silk, but it wasn't worth sixty thousand taels.

"Too much money to burn."

The bidders stroked their chins, glancing at Zhao Yun and the third floor.

"Maybe they are both monks."

Many people muttered, finding it strange that both were so interested in the monk's robe.

"Keep bidding, keep bidding!"

Yan Kang sneered, thinking, "You think you can compete with the Blood Eagle Clan's financial power? You're just a nobody."

"Does this fellow want to bid higher?"

Huang Yan smiled, looking at Zhao Yun in the corner.

"Eighty thousand."

"Ten thousand more, ninety thousand."

Yan Kang snorted, already quite angry. Since arriving in the Ancient City, things hadn't gone smoothly, and he was looking for an outlet. Now, even the auction had a troublemaker. He would use money to crush this guy.

"One hundred thousand." Zhao Yun finally opened his eyes.

When he spoke, everyone turned to look, even the families on the second and third floors. This guy was really rich! He dared to compete with a major clan, and the monk's robe, was it really worth one hundred thousand taels? You two are really getting heated up.

"Surprising, truly surprising."

The people at the same table as Zhuge Xuandao were amazed. They hadn't expected this guy to be such a big tycoon, shouting out one hundred thousand taels so easily.

"Does the young master of the Yan family want to bid higher?"

Huang Yan laughed, the price of the monk's robe far exceeding expectations.

"Damn old man."

Yan Kang was intimidated, gritting his teeth. He thought he could easily win, but the other party also treated money as nothing. As the young master of a major clan, he was being outbid. One hundred thousand taels was already beyond his budget, and he couldn't afford to lose face.

"Yan Kang, this isn't like you!"

"A major family, do you lack money? If you don't have enough, I can lend you some?"

"Don't back down, use money to crush him."

Sarcastic remarks echoed, mostly from the third floor, from the children of major families who were enemies of the Blood Eagle Clan. They seized this opportunity to mock him. If he was so cool, he should keep spending money.

Yan Kang's face turned fierce.

The onlookers were enjoying the show, and he seemed to have become a laughingstock.

"Young master, don't forget our purpose here."

The Blood Eagle Clan's elder hurriedly said, cursing in his heart. "You damn fool, you're not a monk. What use do you have for a monk's robe? Are you really disillusioned with the world? Even if you want to show off, there are limits. Our money doesn't grow on trees."

"Does anyone want to bid higher?" Huang Yan looked at the third floor.