Chapter 94: The Grand Auction (Please Subscribe)
Li Guanyuan turned his head to look.
Fairy Bai Wei wore a long gown of dark blue brocade, embroidered with tiny plum blossoms. A white silk sash cinched her slender waist, and her jet-black hair was arranged into an elegant, refined knot, pinned with a plum-blossom jade hair ornament. Simple, graceful, exquisite.
She had misty brows and autumnal eyes, and in her gaze lingered a scholarly clarity. Her skin was smooth and delicate as warm jade, glowing white and soft; her cherry lips needed no rouge to bloom red, vivid as if they might drip. She was like a flawless piece of jade.
Bai Wei was the first to bid, offering five thousand low-grade spirit stones. Many among the crowd who had been tempted hesitated, wondering whether they ought to show her some courtesy.
Li Guanyuan was frantic. If he spoke now and joined the bidding, he would inevitably draw the hostility of a flock of Bai Wei’s admirers.
But if he did not bid...
He would not feel at ease.
After all, he was very much tempted by that ten-foot-long fierce-toothed wood.
“Five thousand five hundred.”
At that moment, someone spoke up.
Li Guanyuan looked over and saw that it was the blade cultivator Ruan Dajiang, dressed in black fitted garments and wearing a bamboo rain hat, his face weathered and aged.
Li Guanyuan instantly felt relieved. As long as someone else was bidding, he would not be the one standing out.
“Five thousand six hundred,” Li Guanyuan said.
“Five thousand eight hundred... six thousand... six thousand three hundred...”
Very quickly, the price of the fierce-toothed wood rose to six thousand eight hundred, and many of the voices that had just been competing fell silent.
Bai Wei pressed her lips together. After a moment of hesitation, she gently lifted her jade-like hand. “Seven thousand!”
The instant she finished speaking, another voice rang out:
“Seven thousand five hundred!”
...
Hearing that price, everyone turned to look, and when they saw that it was the male cultivator with the avatar, their faces showed faint surprise.
Yesterday, this man had spent twenty-one thousand low-grade spirit stones to buy a dual-cultivation art at the peak of foundation establishment. How did he still have so many spirit stones to bid today?
Bai Wei also looked toward Li Guanyuan, her misty brows faintly knit. Yet remembering how important the three-hundred-year fierce-toothed wood was to her, she once more said:
“Seven thousand six hundred!”
“Eight thousand!”
...
This time it was the turn of Huayong Yang, seated nearby, to look stunned. He could not help asking, “Do you really have that many spirit stones?”
Yesterday he had spent twenty-one thousand low-grade spirit stones, and now he was throwing out another eight thousand? What kind of talisman master was this, rich to such a degree?
“Not much left...” Li Guanyuan said with a troubled expression. “But there’s no helping it. Three-hundred-year spirit wood is far too rare, and I’m a talisman master. At this crucial stage of advancement, I can’t possibly not spend a great deal to get it.”
Upon hearing this, Bai Wei more or less understood.
No matter how high a price she called, this avatar male cultivator before her would still buy it.
But the other party was not a fool. If she deliberately drove the price up, not only would she attract warning from the Huay family, she would also damage her own reputation. And if Li Guanyuan gave up at the crucial price, the one who would suffer the loss would be her.
After repeated hesitation, Bai Wei stopped bidding.
“Eight thousand once, eight thousand twice... eight thousand three times! Sold!”
The old man brought down the hammer decisively.
Soon after, a maid in a palace gown carried the three-hundred-year fierce-toothed wood over to Li Guanyuan.
After handing over the spirit stones, Li Guanyuan finally let out a breath of relief.
If the fierce-toothed wood were made into talisman paper, it could greatly increase the power of talismans, which would be a tremendous aid for many offensive talismans.
At eight thousand spirit stones, the price was normal and not especially expensive.
After all, this was a ten-foot-long spirit wood.
The auction continued, and the next item was a rank-two upper-grade defensive magical artifact.
Though Li Guanyuan wanted it as well, after glancing at his storage pouch, he decided to let it go.
The material for making talisman paper was now in hand, and the beast blood of rank-two demonic beasts used for talisman ink was easy enough to obtain, so the price would not be too high.
But materials for puppets were not so easy to come by, so Li Guanyuan could only wait and keep watching.
“Fellow Daoist, pardon the disturbance. I am Bai Wei, and may I ask if Fellow Daoist is a rank-two upper-grade talisman master?”
At that moment, a soft, mellow voice entered Li Guanyuan’s ears.
He paused slightly, then sent back a message: “Rank-two middle-grade.”
Upon learning that Li Guanyuan was only a rank-two middle-grade talisman master, Bai Wei felt a slight easing in her heart. Her tone even carried a trace of delight as she transmitted:
“A rank-two middle-grade talisman master? If that is so, why use three-hundred-year spirit wood? I happen to have a piece of two-hundred-and-fifty-year spirit wood. I would like to exchange it with you...
“Of course, I will slowly make up the difference in spirit stones. Consider it a favor I owe you. What do you say?”
Hearing the latter part, Li Guanyuan could not help but inwardly grumble.
Slowly make it up?
By the time she did, who knew how many years and months would have passed?
In other words, Bai Wei still very much wanted that three-hundred-year fierce-toothed wood, but was short on funds and could only use the two-hundred-and-fifty-year spirit wood as the initial exchange.
As for the remaining spirit stones, she would sign her name, put her seal to it, and slowly repay them in the future...
Li Guanyuan politely refused. “Forgive me, but I wish to raise my talisman arts to rank two upper-grade. I’m afraid I cannot part with it.”
“Rank two upper-grade is not so easy to reach... How about this? If you are free, I can point out a few things to you, and we can take it as making up the missing spirit stones.”
“I appreciate Fairy Bai Wei’s kindness, but I still wish to rely on my own strength to step into rank two upper-grade.”
...
Sensing that Li Guanyuan was utterly unmoved, neither swayed by softness nor by force, Bai Wei could not help but knit her brows slightly and turn to look at him.
Li Guanyuan noticed it as well, but in order to avoid attracting the hostility of the other admirers, he simply pretended not to see and kept his eyes fixed on the auction platform.
Joking aside, he was not a fool. Exchanging a three-hundred-year fierce-toothed wood for a two-hundred-and-fifty-year spirit wood? If he really agreed to that, he would truly be a fool.
“Fellow Daoist, make a condition then, but try not to go too far...” Bai Wei continued, still unwilling to give up, sending another message.
If you could make me a rank-two upper-grade talisman master in a single day, I might consider an exchange... Li Guanyuan sighed inwardly. Did Bai Wei really think he was foolish enough to agree?
Others called her a fairy out of respect, but in Li Guanyuan’s view, she was no different from any ordinary female cultivator.
He transmitted back, “I am sorry. This concerns my path of advancement, and I cannot part with it. Fairy, you may continue to watch. Perhaps there will be other spirit woods of more than three hundred years.”
After being refused again and again, Bai Wei’s brows locked tightly, though she did not continue sending messages.
Once the auction ended, she planned to have a proper talk with him.
“What is it? Someone looking for you?” Huayong Yang lowered his voice, noticing that Li Guanyuan’s expression was rather strange.
Li Guanyuan merely smiled and gave no answer.
But Huayong Yang could more or less guess that the only person who would be looking for Li Guanyuan was probably the Fairy Bai Wei of the Inkwater Pavilion.
“You’re in trouble now.”
Huayong Yang said with some delight at his misfortune, “There are plenty of admirers of the Four Fairies. Even I wouldn’t dare strike up a conversation with them so casually. Now that she seems to want that three-hundred-year spirit wood as well, in my opinion, you’d better just give it up.”
Li Guanyuan glanced at him and could not be bothered to respond.
If he could not beat them, could he not run?
Besides, later there would still be a beautiful matron at the peak of foundation establishment coming to meet him. At worst, he would simply abandon this avatar.
He had plenty of immortal energy, and could easily condense a new one whenever he wished.
By afternoon, the auction was still in progress.
This time, the item had Li Guanyuan holding his breath little by little.
“Dark Essence of Heavy Iron, the primary material for refining rank-two upper-grade puppets. Starting bid: seven thousand low-grade spirit stones...”
The old man had barely finished speaking when Yan Mingyao of the Thunderfire Sect, a mid-stage foundation-establishment cultivator, immediately said:
“Eight thousand spirit stones!”
It was clear he was determined to obtain the Dark Essence of Heavy Iron.
Li Guanyuan also bid. “Nine thousand spirit stones!”
“Ten thousand spirit stones!”
Another rank-two upper-grade puppeteer joined in.
Yan Mingyao glanced at the two of them and, upon realizing that one of them was that avatar, narrowed his eyes and said, “Fellow Daoist still has spirit stones to bid?”
Li Guanyuan put on a bitter expression. “Not much left...”
...
Hearing that familiar phrase, Yan Mingyao could not be bothered to say more and simply called out, “Eleven thousand spirit stones.”
Talismans were consumables, so their materials were relatively cheaper.
But puppets were not consumables. If the materials were of good quality, the power they could unleash was comparable to that of a cultivator, so the materials were far more expensive than those for talismans.
When Huayong Yang and Bai Wei saw Li Guanyuan bid again, both wore astonished expressions.
Just how many spirit stones had this fellow brought?
A talisman master and puppeteer combined—when had that become so profitable?
Not only them, but many of the surrounding cultivators were also secretly guessing how many spirit stones Li Guanyuan still had.
The twenty-nine thousand low-grade spirit stones from before, plus the ten thousand now... could it be that he had prepared fifty thousand low-grade spirit stones in that storage pouch?
That was quite a sum.
“Thirteen thousand,” Li Guanyuan said.
Yan Mingyao glanced at him again. “Fifteen thousand!”
Li Guanyuan sighed. “...Sixteen thousand.”
Yan Mingyao thought he was in pain, that the spirit stones in his storage pouch were nearly exhausted, so he immediately said, “Seventeen thousand.”
The rank-two upper-grade puppeteer, who had originally still been bidding, also fell silent.
Seventeen thousand low-grade spirit stones...
He did not have that many.
The old man was also watching Li Guanyuan. Seeing his furrowed brows and hesitant manner, as if he wanted to bid but also did not want to, the old man waited a moment, then said:
“Seventeen thousand once, seventeen thousand twice...”
Yan Mingyao already had a victorious smile on his face.
This price was already the limit for many great foundation-establishment cultivators.
“Seventeen thousand five hundred!” Li Guanyuan gritted out.
“???”
Yan Mingyao instantly turned toward the source of the voice.
When he saw that it was Li Guanyuan again, he nearly lost his temper on the spot.
Didn’t you say you were out of spirit stones?
The old man, who had already raised the hammer and was about to bring it down, also froze. After giving Li Guanyuan a long look, he made no further movement.
“Eighteen thousand!”
Yan Mingyao bid again, his teeth almost grinding to dust.
“Nineteen thousand.”
Li Guanyuan continued calmly, no longer bothering to act.
By now, with the price this high, no one else was foolish. Everyone more or less understood that Li Guanyuan was a wealthy mark.
A similar piece of Dark Essence of Heavy Iron had once been sold before, and the final price had been twenty-one thousand low-grade spirit stones, equivalent to two hundred ten middle-grade spirit stones.
But Dark Essence of Heavy Iron was no ordinary material. Aside from being used to refine puppets, it could also be used in the forging of magical artifacts.
Once a puppet was successfully made, its combat strength could reach the peak of foundation establishment.
So for Li Guanyuan, even if the price rose to around twenty-three thousand low-grade spirit stones, he still felt it would be worthwhile.
After all, there was still a city lord in Shangu City, in closed-door seclusion while attempting to form a core, watching him covetously from the shadows.
“Twenty thousand!”
Those two words seemed to be squeezed out from between Yan Mingyao’s teeth.
“Twenty-one thousand.”
Li Guanyuan remained composed and no longer bothered to pretend.
At this price, everyone else could see the truth. He was rich.
“Twenty-one thousand five hundred...”
Yan Mingyao stared fixedly at Li Guanyuan and said in a low voice, “Fellow Daoist...”
The old man timely reminded him, “At an auction, every man relies on his own skill. The highest bidder wins. If you have no spirit stones, there is no need to continue bidding. Do not threaten others into raising their offers.”
At those words, Yan Mingyao hurriedly suppressed the anger in his heart, cupped his fists toward Li Guanyuan, and then sent the old man an apologetic look.
“Twenty-two thousand.”
Hearing Li Guanyuan bid again, many great foundation-establishment cultivators erupted into an uproar.
This price had already surpassed the earlier sale price of that piece of Dark Essence of Heavy Iron.
Everyone turned their eyes to Yan Mingyao, wanting to see whether he would continue bidding.
Yan Mingyao opened his mouth, as if he wanted to speak, but his fists were clenched tightly, veins bulging, and after a long internal struggle, he finally let out a long sigh and shook his head helplessly.
He did not have that many spirit stones.
If he raised the price without the means to pay, he would only bring down the suppression of the Huay family’s experts upon himself, while also losing the Thunderfire Sect’s face.
“Twenty-two thousand once... sold!”
The old man was also somewhat excited, even skipping the customary second and third calls.
Dark Essence of Heavy Iron had once again fetched an exceptional price.
When the maid in the palace gown brought over the Dark Essence of Heavy Iron, everyone was staring at Li Guanyuan.
They wanted to see whether he truly had that many spirit stones.
Li Guanyuan smiled faintly. After confirming that it was indeed Dark Essence of Heavy Iron, he handed over a spirit stone pouch.
The maid checked it over and gave the old man a slight nod, indicating that it contained exactly twenty-two thousand low-grade spirit stones.
“Congratulations to Fellow Daoist on obtaining the Dark Essence of Heavy Iron. May your immortal path remain evergreen.”
After offering a few words of congratulations, the old man moved on to the next item.
...
Seeing that Li Guanyuan had spent a total of fifty-one thousand spirit stones in the span of a single auction, Huayong Yang beside him was already staring at him in utter disbelief.
With a foundation-establishment cultivation at the early stage, to possess such wealth...
Just what kind of background did this man have?
Huayong Yang lowered his voice and asked, “I have twelve concubines. How many do you have, Fellow Daoist?”
“No more than five.”
...
Huayong Yang fell silent.
Such a wealthy and distinguished man, and only no more than five?
How could that be?
In his view, even if Li Guanyuan had fifty concubines, it would not be excessive.
“For the next little while, Fellow Daoist had best hide away. I’m afraid many people have their eyes on you now.”
Huayong Yang sighed. “In Huajing Immortal City, no one dares make a move against you, but once you leave the city... then you’ll need to fend for yourself.”
Li Guanyuan smiled and gave a slight nod; he already understood.
As the saying goes, wealth should not be flaunted.
Once it is exposed, others will inevitably covet it. That is unavoidable.
Time slowly passed.
By evening, Li Guanyuan was still waiting for the item called Purple Feather Tear Gold.
The materials he needed were now all in hand. What remained was to bid on the Purple Feather Tear Gold for Liu Xiaoxian.
“Tomorrow will be the final day of the auction. I hope all fellow Daoists will arrive on time, for there will be many fine treasures appearing then.”
The old man cupped his hands and said with a smile, dangling the crowd’s anticipation to its fullest.
The moment Li Guanyuan rose to his feet, he discovered that numerous divine senses had locked onto him. He could only shake his head with a helpless smile and leave the auction hall openly and aboveboard.
He would have to inform his master to prepare...
At the same time, the true body of Li Guanyuan, far away in Silver Maple City, had already headed for the Ten Thousand Phenomena Pavilion in the number-one market district.
...
That night, many great foundation-establishment cultivators were keeping watch over the inn where Li Guanyuan was staying.
The innkeeper was so frightened that he trembled all over.
Huayong Yang was also sensible enough not to come looking for Li Guanyuan that night. He did not want to bring such trouble upon himself.
Besides, he had only known Li Guanyuan for two days. They were nowhere near the kind of relationship that would make him exhaust himself on his behalf.
It was not until morning, when the final day’s grand auction began, that Li Guanyuan left the inn.
The great foundation-establishment cultivators followed after him.
On the final day, the auction would most likely feature heavenly materials and earthly treasures older than three hundred years, along with some items of the third rank...
They were very curious whether Li Guanyuan, this wealthy mark, would bid again.
After all, this avatar had only the combat strength of the peak of Qi Refinement, and by estimation his true body was either at the early stage or mid-stage of foundation establishment, hardly anything remarkable.
When the old man presiding over the auction saw Li Guanyuan, surprise flashed across his face.
He had thought Li Guanyuan would find a place to hide and lay low for a while, but he had not expected him to come again.
After a few polite greetings, the old man went straight to the point:
“Today’s first item is a three-hundred-thirty-year-old Azure Void Profound Origin Stone. Starting bid: ten thousand low-grade spirit stones...”
Many people were paying close attention to Li Guanyuan and discovered that he had no intention of bidding.
“What exactly is this person’s background? Do any of you know?”
Bai Wei looked toward the three fairies beside her and asked.
The other two fairies turned their gaze to Hua Luyao.
As the daughter of the Huay family head, she should know more than the rest.
However, Hua Luyao only shook her head and said, “There is no information at all. This person seems to have appeared out of thin air.”
Even the Huay family had no information on him?
Bai Wei, Zi Xi, and Yun Li all showed looks of surprise.
“So this person’s identity really is mysterious...” Zi Xi murmured. She was quite curious about Li Guanyuan.
After all, a great foundation-establishment cultivator who could bring out more than fifty thousand spirit stones was rare indeed, and from the way Li Guanyuan looked, he did not seem especially distressed by it either.
Yun Li gave Li Guanyuan a deep look.
She had heard that Li Guanyuan had once come to Ruyi City, within the territory of the Bright Moon Sword Sect, and that he had even had a small grievance with Murong Li.
Murong Li was the rank-two middle-grade alchemist who had been slain outside Huajing Immortal City by Yan Mingyao.
But Yun Li did not say so. Before his identity was made clear, revealing such information would only invite his hostility.
“The eighth item, Purple Feather Tear Gold...”
Li Guanyuan’s spirits lifted at once, his gaze burning as he looked toward the auction platform.
The many great foundation-establishment cultivators also noticed the change in his expression and inwardly sighed that this wealthy mark was about to make his move again.
Only they did not know what price he would use this time.
“Twenty-three thousand!”
“Twenty-five thousand... twenty-seven thousand...”
“Thirty thousand!”
Li Guanyuan called out the bid without the slightest hesitation.
The entire venue drew in a sharp breath.
Quite a few great foundation-establishment cultivators at the peak level turned their heads to look.
Among them was even an old acquaintance... the sect master of Joy Mountain!