Minglong

Chapter 328 Conspiracy
Compared to the bustling first floor, the second floor was noticeably quieter.

The spacious hall was decorated in a rather somber tone. A musician played the zither behind a beaded curtain, while on the central platform, the manager of the Mountain and Sea Pavilion introduced various rare treasures.

"This is the sword sheath used by the Martial Ancestor in his youth, named 'Crossing the Calamity.' The city lord obtained it by chance during his travels in the desert and treasured it for a hundred years, regarding it as his most cherished possession. This is the first time it has been revealed to the world..."

The hall was a gathering of outstanding individuals.

Lu Yan from Wuling Mountain sat at the tea table, sipping his tea. Because he had accidentally given away the Huang Lin Seal yesterday, and fearing that Xie Xiao'er would come to extort money from him, he had to spend a lot of money to buy it back. He had lost a lot of his family's wealth in the process, and at the moment he was frowning and had no interest in participating in the bidding.

Several renowned cultivators were seated in the hall. Chen Yishan sat not far from Lü Yan, and nearby was a man in a black cloak who remained motionless, exuding a remarkable aura.

Long Boyuan was in the front row, next to Gu Xuanzun, the leader of the Nightmare Soul Sect and a local bigwig in Dragon Bone Beach. Although he came from the Demonic Sect, he looked no different from an ordinary cultivator, only occasionally glancing at a teahouse in the distance.

Several witches dressed in white robes stood around the tea table, while the Holy Maiden of the Northern Underworld Sect, adorned with silver ornaments, sat upright in a chair, whispering to her entourage.

Two days ago, Han Yuemei, the leader of Baihualin, was also involved in this event. Because she was good at socializing and flirting with the righteous Lao Deng, she was initially quite popular.

But with the arrival of the Holy Maiden of the Northern Underworld Sect, she was compared to a brothel madam. Unable to compete and unable to provoke the entire Zhuji Sect, Sect Leader Han simply gave up. Lacking a social butterfly to liven things up, the atmosphere on the second floor became slightly subdued, with only the sounds of bidding escalating.
"The Northern Underworld Sect has offered twenty Dragon Blood Pills. Are there any other distinguished guests who would offer a higher price?"

"The sword sheaths used by the Martial Ancestor are probably useless to the Zhuji Sect. I, Long, will offer thirty of them."

"Sect Leader Long is truly generous, worthy of being a renowned weapon-refining family in the Great Qian Dynasty. Are there any other distinguished guests who would like to make an offer?"

……

Because the second floor sells top-tier treasures, and Yanbo City itself has abundant mineral resources, it is not short of silver at all. Therefore, it is all about bartering. Common hard currencies are sect necessities such as Longyang Flower and Dragon Blood Pill.

Dragon Blood Pills can be made by collecting materials and refining them, with a cost price of around nine thousand taels. The cost would be lower if the sect grew its own medicinal herbs, but thirty Dragon Blood Pills would still be enough to make Lu Wuzhen feel the pinch for half a day. To exchange them for a sword sheath that only has collectible value is absolutely too extravagant.

Behind the high platform, Shang Mingzhen, dressed in a brocade robe, twirled two beads in his hand, observing the activity in the hall from behind the beaded curtain, and frowned as he said:

"With Long Boyuan asking for such a price, how can anyone possibly compete?"

Longyun Valley is located at the entrance of Longgu Beach. Although it belongs to the great weapon-refining family of Daqian, it has no official connection with Yanbo City. However, they have been trading with each other for many years, so they must have some relationship in secret. Long Boyuan is acting like a shill at this moment, otherwise these antique ornaments would hardly fetch such a high price.

Because they wanted to take advantage of these sect elders, they actually had a large number of analysts skilled in calculation and manipulation behind the scenes. At this moment, a manager stood beside him and respectfully said:
"Judging from the transactions of the past few days, this Holy Maiden of the Northern Underworld Sect is quite interested in the items left behind by the sages of the past, and she is generous with her money. Thirty Dragon Blood Pills should not be enough to make her back down."

"Then let's gradually increase the price, and let Gu Xuanzun participate as well. If we set the price at once and then the customers stop playing, who will buy all of Master's ornaments?"

"Yes, I'll greet Sect Leader Long later..."

……

Just as everyone's attention was focused on the auction, two figures walked in through the main door.

Even powerful figures like Lü Yan glanced at the doorway, and discovered a stunningly beautiful young female knight and her unassuming little follower.

Shang Mingzhen was Shang Lianbi's direct descendant and currently managed the entire Yanbo City. Although he acted discreetly and was not well-known, he was actually of the same generation as Lu Wuzhen and others. He was knowledgeable about cultivators from both the North and South. At this moment, his gaze was focused on the veiled heroine, and he asked with slight doubt:
"Who is this?"

"He claims to be Ye Yunchi, the master of Qingming Sword Manor. This is his first time at Shanhai Tower, but he has appeared in Baihua Forest before. He seems to have some grudge against Sect Leader Han. He was just about to buy that 'A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains' painting..."

Shang Mingzhen nodded slightly: "A rare guest. This woman has an extraordinary presence and looks somewhat like a Confucian disciple. Go and bring out Xu Sheng's original 'Jiang Yue Ling' to find out her financial situation. If the price is too low, have Long Boyuan take it back."

Xu Sheng was the ancestor of the Xu family in Jiangzhou. His historical status was similar to that of Ye Sheng. However, Ye Sheng lived too recently, and his calligraphy could not fetch high prices. Xu Sheng, on the other hand, was a sage from a thousand years ago, and his cultural relics were extremely rare. His authentic works could be described as "Confucian specializations." Even Ye Sheng would probably be unable to resist seeing them.

Upon seeing this, the manager quickly nodded and turned to go to the Treasure Pavilion. Meanwhile, at the main entrance...

Xie Jinhuan followed Senior Sister Ye into the hall. Even though she had expected a gathering of heroes, she was still quite surprised by the scene inside.

The second-floor hall was rather dimly lit, with over a hundred people seated in various places. Xie Jinhuan glanced around and didn't see any cultivators below the third rank. Among them were many powerful figures, including Lü Yan, Long Boyuan, and Zhang Jiwu, whom he had seen before.

Before Xie Jinhuan arrived, he knew he would encounter Lü Yan. His disguise was very convincing, and his demeanor was flawless. He looked just like a little apprentice following his female master. He originally intended to go inside and let A Piao investigate carefully.

But Ye Yunchi, who was walking in front, stopped after glancing around the hall:
"Let's go, take me to meet that master of calligraphy and painting."

"Ok?"

Xie Jinhuan had just arrived and hadn't even had time to analyze the enemy situation when he saw Senior Sister Naigua turn around and leave again, which puzzled him:

"Is Senior Ye looking for someone?"

"just looking around."

Seeing that Xie Jinhuan didn't want to leave, Ye Yunchi asked:

"You want to broaden your horizons? You probably can't afford the prices here, and looking at them might corrupt your Daoist heart."

Ye Yunchi's words were not an exaggeration. After all, it's like a poor man earning a monthly salary of three thousand coins going to a billionaire's auction to join in the fun. Seeing that he has worked hard for thirty years and still can't afford a teacup that the billionaire uses casually, his worldview is easily shattered and he loses his motivation to work hard.

However, Xie Jinhuan was clearly not worried about this, and simply responded with a smile:
"Since we're already here, there's no harm in broadening our horizons. Senior Ye, would you like to take another look around? My friend is always available, so there's no rush."

Seeing the young man's curiosity, Ye Yunchi didn't say much. With the help of a maid, he sat down at the tea table at the back of the hall. Because the environment was dark and surrounded by music, it did feel a bit like entering a private club.

However, in this setting, Ye Yunchi was the patron, while Xie Jinhuan could only act as a male model, helping to pour tea and serve customers, while also observing the layout of the hall.

Aside from the area in front of the auction stage, there were also treasure shelves around the hall, with thousands of black boxes neatly arranged on them. Each box had a dragon-patterned relief and a price tag, and it was unclear what was inside. There were also quite a few mid-level cultivators with insufficient funds examining the blind boxes.

Ye Yunchi wasn't particularly interested in the items being auctioned; he merely held his teacup and observed the many fellow Daoists in front of him. Seeing Xie Jinhuan curiously looking at the outer boxes, he reminded him:

"These are all the work of the shop owner. Even with my level of cultivation, I can't figure out the details. Just take a look and don't think you can just hand over your money just because you found a flaw. This box is designed to swindle smart people. Yesterday, Master Lü Yan learned his lesson."

The maid who brought tea and snacks, perhaps also having a task for her master, thoughtfully brought over a black box with dragon patterns and handed it to Xie Jinhuan upon hearing the commotion.
"You are mistaken, heroine. Our city lord is renowned throughout the land. How could he deceive a junior who has come from afar? These boxes not only contain rare treasures from mountains and seas, but also a celestial artifact. However, whether you can find it depends on your own abilities."

Xie Jinhuan didn't believe the hype at all. He took the box and examined it. It was heavy and he couldn't tell what material it was made of. It wasn't impossible to explore the inside. He could clearly feel that it contained the Extreme Yang Treasure, but upon closer inspection, there seemed to be something unusual. He couldn't quite put his finger on what the problem was.

Ye Hongshang also appeared behind the chair at this moment, and to match the environment, she had changed into a bright red gauze dress. Underneath the dress, her waist, abdomen, and shoulders were faintly visible, and her white breasts, almost spilling out, were close to Xie Jinhuan's ear:
"Shang Lianbi has indeed made progress. This box looks simple, but it is actually a seal made up of the essence of a hundred schools of thought. Everyone can only decipher the mystery from their own area of ​​expertise. Even if the Twin Saints Ye Ci came, they might not be able to figure it out."

The Twin Saints Shrine specializes in martial arts, and in terms of sheer strength, no one dares to underestimate them after the chaos of the Witch Cult.

Shang Lianbi's terror lies in his breadth of influence, encompassing immortals, Buddhas, martial artists, witches, and demons—achieving the feat of uniting all forces into a single, unified force! Moreover, he has always served as the head of the power structure on the surface, as Ye Sheng had long since retired and was widely recognized as the number one figure on the surface. Even with the hidden presence of Xian Deng, Shang Lianbi only truly fears Ye Sheng; he doesn't even have the confidence to suppress the White-Haired Fairy.

Now, Shang Lianbi has used all his knowledge to seal this box, which is like using the most advanced technologies in physics, chemistry, mathematics, astronomy, biology and other disciplines to encrypt it. No matter how high one's expertise in a single discipline is, one would be at a loss if faced with it. To open it, one would either have to gather a group of experts to discuss it together, or forcibly dismantle it, but this is obviously not allowed.

Xie Jinhuan's martial arts skills were far inferior to Shang Laomo's, not to mention other schools. Hearing what A Piao said, he knew that ordinary people could not see through this thing and could only rely on A Piao.

The ghost bride did not disappoint. After carefully sensing for a moment, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes as she turned to look at a box in an inconspicuous position on the side shelf:
"Heh~ Old Demon Shang really dared to put a fire-controlling immortal artifact in here, but I'm afraid you wouldn't dare to take this great deal."

(End of this chapter)