Fusang Sword Heart Diagram

Chapter 70 Auction

Ten days later, the group arrived in Linzhou City and stayed at the Linfu Inn.

Li Yeshan, Shi Zhouyun, and Zhi Xiaocao went out to investigate news about the Jing Shui Sword.

Ning Fusang was cultivating inside the house. Since helping Zheng Xiaohui refine the wolf pill, her spiritual energy had not yet recovered.

The dozens of spirit stones quickly lost their luster, having been refined and replenishing the depleted spiritual energy in her Qi Sea.

Tuk-tuk-tuk.

There was a knock on the door.

Ning Fusang opened her eyes, got out of bed, and opened the door. Zheng Xiaohui said from outside, "Senior Sister Ning, would you like to have a meal?"

"Li Yeshan and the others are back. They may have already found out the whereabouts of the Still Water Sword."

Having a meal was just a side thing; the main purpose of everyone gathering together was to discuss the Still Water Sword. Ning Fusang nodded and went downstairs with Zheng Xiaohui.

She also wanted to know how Li Yeshan and the others had fared in their investigation of the Still Water Sword.

Seeing Ning Fusang and Zheng Xiaohui coming downstairs, Zhi Xiaocao stood up and waved, making her stand out and allowing Zheng Xiaohui to find her immediately.

The table was laden with exquisite dishes, and the atmosphere was filled with the aroma of cooking. Zhi Xiaocao gave up her seat for Ning Fusang and sat down next to Shi Zhouyun.

"Senior Sister Ning, we have news about the Still Water Sword."

Ning Fusang gestured for Li Yeshan to continue.

He said with maturity and composure, "There is a Qinglin Chamber of Commerce in Linzhou City. The president is Lin Gu, the eldest son of the city lord of Linzhou City. Lin Gu will hold an auction in three days, and the Jing Shui Sword is on the list of items to be auctioned."

Zhi Xiaocao silently peeled a crab, muttering, "The Still Water Sword has fallen into the hands of the Qinglin Merchant Guild. How can we get it back?"

"A spirit sword costs several thousand spirit stones."

Zheng Xiaohui felt her vision go black; she hadn't expected this task to be so difficult.

"Do you have any auction notices?" Ning Fusang asked calmly.

Li Yeshan nodded, took out two invitations with the words "Qinglin Chamber of Commerce" written on them from his sleeve, and handed them to her: "I only managed to get two."

Ning Fusang handed a letter to Zhi Xiaocao and said calmly, "Zhi Xiaocao and I are going to the auction. You guys meet us outside the auction house."

Li Yeshan is shrewd, Shi Zhouyun is steady, and Zheng Xiaohui is the person with the highest cultivation level besides her. She would feel more at ease leaving them outside.

Zheng Xiaohui was somewhat dissatisfied that Zhi Xiaocao could go to the auction while she couldn't. She had never been to an auction before and wanted to broaden her horizons, but when she met Ning Fusang's cold, star-like eyes, she unconsciously swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

She felt a little guilty.

Zheng Xiaohui knew that if it weren't for her help, those rampaging forces would have damaged her meridians long ago.

However, she did not thank Ning Fusang, so she always felt somewhat insecure when facing her.

"If there are no objections, then this matter is settled."

Ning Fusang glanced around, and the others shook their heads, not daring to voice their opinions.

She took the invitation, got up, and went back to her room.

……

Time flew by, and three days later...

Ning Fusang and Zhi Xiaocao went to the auction house of Qinglin Chamber of Commerce.

As soon as she entered Yaling Pavilion, Zhi Xiaocao's eyes lit up.

The pavilion had six floors. The main hall at the bottom was crowded with cultivators, mostly at the first level of cultivation. On the central ironwood platform, a woman in a light red dress maintained a polite smile at all times. Zhi Xiaocao thought that she was beautiful, but her smile seemed pasted on, lacking genuine beauty.

The two handed the invitation to the maid and were led to a private room on the second floor to sit down.

As soon as the maid left, Zhi Xiaocao couldn't help but ask, "Senior Sister Ning, we don't have any money, so we can't buy the Jing Shui Sword at the auction."

Ning Fusang smirked: "Who said we were going to buy it?"

She said seriously, "We're robbing them."

Zhi Xiaocao: ...

He glanced outside guiltily, tugged at Ning Fusang's sleeve, and lowered his voice, saying, "Senior Sister Ning, the Qinglin Chamber of Commerce is backed by the City Lord of Linzhou City. We can't afford to offend them."

"The city lord of Linzhou City is said to have reached the seventh level of the cultivation realm!"

He feared that he would be hacked to death before he even left Yaling Pavilion.

Ning Fusang casually flicked his sleeve, his tone unchanged: "We're not robbing the Qinglin Chamber of Commerce, we're robbing that unlucky guy who bought the Jing Shui Sword."

"Once we leave Linzhou City, the Qinglin Chamber of Commerce won't care where the goods go."

Zhi Xiaocao's eyes widened. "Is that even possible?"
He looked conflicted: "Wouldn't this be a bit inappropriate...?"

Ning Fusang looked at him and said, "You can also take out four or five thousand spirit stones to buy back the Still Water Sword."

Zhi Xiaocao shut her mouth in a huff.

How could he possibly have so many spirit stones? Even if he did, he wouldn't be willing to part with them.

The auction has already begun below.

The first item up for auction was a piece of spirit jade, with a starting bid of five spirit stones. Zhi Xiaocao's eyebrows twitched when she heard this.

The key point is that the price of this spirit jade continued to rise, and it was eventually bought by a masked female cultivator at the first level of cultivation for thirty spirit stones.

Zhi Xiaocao sat back down on the stool and muttered to herself, "If someone drives up the price of something at an auction like this, the buyer will lose a fortune."

"Otherwise, how will the Chamber of Commerce make money?" Ning Fusang said casually.

Her gaze swept over the people in the lobby, memorizing each person's features. Second-tier spirit swords weren't considered rare in the merchant guild, and the guests in the private rooms wouldn't be interested, so the Still Water Sword was most likely bought by one of the rogue cultivators in the lobby.

Among those who would buy the sword, sword cultivators were the most likely candidates, so Ning Fusang narrowed it down to a few specific individuals.

In a corner of the hall, a monk dressed in black robes raised his hand and pulled at his cloak. There was a thin callus on the knuckle of his right index finger.

Ning Fusang noticed that the female cultivator at the second level of the cultivation realm in the back row, who was leaning against the door, looked somewhat unnatural. She kept raising her hand to touch the back of her earlobe, probably because she was wearing a disguise and the mask wasn't attached properly, or the material was of poor quality, causing itching.

After observing the clothing, appearance, and behavior of several people, Jing Shui Jian finally appeared.

The female cultivator on the high platform smiled and introduced, "The next item for auction is a second-tier spirit sword named 'Still Water.' The starting price is two thousand spirit stones, and each bid must be at least two hundred spirit stones higher."

There seemed to be few sword cultivators on the field, with only three or four people bidding. After two rounds, the price of the Still Water Sword reached four thousand two hundred.

Suddenly, a sweet, delicate female voice came from a private room on the second floor: "Four thousand five."

Ning Fusang looked in the direction of the sound, but the door blocked her view, making it impossible to see the buyer's identity.

The voices in the hall indicated that the bidders had withdrawn, and the Still Water Sword was handed to the buyer by a maid. The buyer showed no intention of leaving and seemed to want to participate in the rest of the auction.

Ning Fusang remembered the location of the room and sent Zhi Xiaocao back to report and keep watch.

The auction finally came to an end as night fell. Ning Fusang walked out of Yalin Pavilion, and Shi Zhouyun followed her, lowering his voice to say, "Senior Sister Ning, they are staying at Laiyi Inn, which is just across the street. Li Yeshan asked me to come and tell you that he has already moved in."

(End of this chapter)