I Killed Gods and Demons in Song Dynasty

Chapter 45 Song Ke's Ambition

The voice of the middle-aged man in brocade clothes was not loud and was quite soft, but it echoed clearly in the minds of everyone in the courtyard. With its irresistible power, it immediately quieted the noisy crowd in the yard, and the chaotic scene suddenly became orderly.

"This is Du Huairen, the second in command of Xuanwu Pavilion. No one has ever seen him display his martial arts skills, but he definitely has some tricks. Anyone who has provoked him has died inexplicably."

Song Ke leaned over and introduced him to Li Qingyun softly.

This person is most likely a spiritual practitioner. Although he is not as good as Fourth Brother Lu in calming down the spirits, his realm is probably not low either. He should be at least a "dream enterer" of the second realm... Li Qingyun made an evaluation in his mind based on his guess, and then glanced at Song Ke:
"You know a lot about the underground forces in Bianliang City..."

Song Ke said slowly:

"I have received great kindness from the old gang leader. My dream since childhood has been to make the Changle Gang strong again, so I have been collecting intelligence on all the gangs in Bianliang City..."

In an instant, Li Qingyun clearly saw the unquestionable determination and firmness in Song Ke's eyes.

Even through the cold iron mask, he could feel the blazing fire in the heart of his young hall master when he said these words, the burning power and supporting the dream, and he couldn't help but be slightly moved.

Seeing that the scene had become quiet as he expected, Du Huairen smiled slightly:
"Today's trade fair will still follow the old rules. Our Xuanwu Pavilion will first put out some rare items for public auction, just to serve as a starting point for others to bid on. The highest bidder will win.

"After the first round of auctions, everyone can come up to the stage in order to buy or sell various items. Everyone has one chance.

"The last hour is a free exchange period. You can exchange what you have as you wish. All transactions will be witnessed by me personally to ensure fairness and voluntariness."

"Of course, I am not a know-it-all. All transactions here are voluntary. I can only ensure that no one forces you to buy or sell, but I cannot guarantee the authenticity of the items sold. Please keep your eyes open and be careful when trading. Once the money and goods are settled, you will bear the consequences at your own risk. I will not be responsible.

"Also, if any of you brothers like something but are short of money, you can ask me. If you are in trouble, I will definitely help you."

There is such a good thing... Li Qingyun looked at Song Ke in confusion.

Song Ke smiled lightly and said in his ear:

"This is a deal with Xuanwu Pavilion. Nine out of 13 returns, 5% of the monthly profit..."

Wow, such a high interest rate. But it’s just like a gambling house offering usury. It’s not strange when you think about it... Li Qingyun nodded, looked around privately, and found that no one raised any objection. It was obvious that this was already the old rule here.

After the introduction, the transaction will start soon.

Du Huairen led everyone present to the second courtyard. When passing between the two courtyards, a gang member gave each person a small iron plate engraved with a number to distinguish their identities and mark the order in which they would go on stage for transactions later.

Li Qingyun casually glanced at the "No. 34" in his hand, and found a place to sit with Song Ke, waiting for the start of the first round of auction.

His purpose today was very clear, firstly, to broaden his horizons, secondly, to try his luck and see if he could buy martial arts that suited him, and thirdly, to purchase a precious sword.

After all, as a master of swordsmanship, he had only used the standard weapons transformed by the gray fog in the temple and had never touched a real sword. This was really a bit unreasonable.

……

Soon, Du Huairen took out the first item in public, which was a mutton-fat white jade bottle. He introduced it:
"Everyone, here are five 'Bear Gall and Snake Blood Pills', which are made from the blood of a hundred-year-old viper and the gall of an adult black bear, mixed with dozens of rare herbs. It has miraculous effects on various internal and external injuries, and can even heal extraordinary people with injured spirits. It is a rare good medicine. The starting price is fifty taels of silver. Please make your bid."

None of these outlaws dared to say that they had never been injured, so healing pills were always sought-after treasures at such trade fairs. Du Huairen was the first to take out the "Bear Bile Snake Blood Pill" and offered a relatively low price, also with the mentality of getting off to a good start.

His strategy really worked. Everyone in the audience raised their hands to bid, and there was a fierce competition. In the end, it was finally bought by a tall man at a high price of 220 taels.

Li Qingyun was originally tempted by this kind of elixir that can cure diseases, and wanted to buy it as a small gift to Lu Zhen as a thank you. However, after the first round of bidding, he was hit by reality and honestly gave up the idea of ​​buying it. However, when he saw everyone bidding frantically, he couldn't help but secretly gasp.

It's just that these gangsters don't take money seriously. It's really extravagant to spend more than two hundred taels of silver to buy such a thing.

He originally thought that since he had a huge sum of money, even if he was not the richest person present, he should be able to easily bid for one or two items. But now it seems that it was really his poverty that limited his imagination.

In the subsequent auctions, various types of treasures emerged one after another, including hundreds of years old ginseng, armor woven from ice silk, purple gold swords mixed with black iron, and so on. Each item was sold at a high price.

Although Du Huairen had aroused the enthusiasm of the crowd, Li Qingyun had little interest in the money he had, looking at the only two hundred taels of silver he had.

What’s the point of seeing it if you can’t buy it?
But just as he was about to find an excuse to leave and go home to sleep, the next item caught his attention.

They were a pair of strangely shaped puppets, with pale oil paint on their faces but no eyes, noses or ears. They were lying on the table in a very strange posture, exuding a gloomy and cold aura.

Li Qingyun's pupils suddenly shrank, and the blood in his body seemed to freeze and solidify, and a chill ran up his spine.

Isn't that a puppet from the Wu Shi Sect? Why does the Xuan Wu Pavilion also have one and put it up for auction?

Du Huairen just smiled and said:

"I got these two items by chance. They are said to be related to an ancient god. The aura on them can replace special energies such as dead air and foul air. They can help those who practice special skills. The starting price is 150 taels. Please make an offer."

The audience was silent for a while. Many people felt the evil aura from above, but they didn't know how to use it, so they just waited and watched.

"I'll take the 150 taels! But I want to touch it with my own hands to see if it's real."

The one who was bidding the price was Li Qingyun. He had a hoarse voice and was deliberately hiding his identity.

But such a bold move scared Song Ke who was standing beside him.

How could the gang leader spend money to buy such a thing?
But when he thought about it carefully, he vaguely remembered that his gang leader had taken a similar object yesterday morning, but he didn't know what it was used for.

Could it be that the gang leader is practicing some evil martial arts?
Song Ke immediately became alert.

Seeing that no one else was bidding higher, Du Huairen hesitated for a moment and then smiled and said:
"If it were anything else, Mr. Du would definitely not agree to it, but this puppet is the first time our Xuanwu Pavilion is auctioning it, so I will make an exception and invite this little brother to come up and express his opinion. However, after you have seen it, you have to pay for it. Otherwise, you have already touched it, so who can I sell it to?"

He called me little brother? He could see through my mask?
Li Qingyun was alert to the threat in Du Huairen's tone, but he didn't care at all. He took two steps at a time and went up to the stage. He picked up the puppet and looked at it carefully twice, then threw it on the table.
"It's fake, not worth much. I bought it for 150 taels just for fun..."

Du Huairen was extremely sensitive to all kinds of auras. He saw that Li Qingyun just touched the puppet with his hand, and the cold and strange aura on it disappeared. He understood that this guy must have used some means to absorb the power on it, and deliberately claimed that it was a fake to prevent others from raising the price. He couldn't help but become furious.

But under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Li Qingyun did not do anything out of line. He could not get angry on the spot, so he could only grit his teeth and nodded:

"Then one hundred and fifty taels, okay..."

Before the word "交" was uttered, a woman's clear voice came out from below and said:

"Three hundred taels, I bought it..."

……

(End of this chapter)