Retirement begins with summoning Yuan Tiangang

The night in Yanjing, the capital of the Great Yan Dynasty, was as bright as day.

It wasn't that bright, but there were so many lights—lanterns, candles, luminous pearls, and the glowing magical artifacts used by cultivators—that the whole city looked like a giant, glowing chessboard.

Looking down from above, the streets are the lines of a chessboard, the buildings are the pieces, and the lights are the light from the pieces.

Lin Feng stood at the entrance of an alley, craning his neck to look at the sky, but actually he was looking at the things flying in the sky.

There were flying swords, whizzing by, trailing dazzling tails; there were flying boats, big and small; and there were people riding strange and wonderful mounts, such as winged horses, flying turtles, and cranes carrying people... a dazzling array that made him dizzy.

He has been in Yanjing for three days.

A little over ten days ago, he overheard someone on the road saying that the Qianbao Chamber of Commerce was holding a grand auction, and that Master Yuyuan had also encouraged him to come. He then got the idea; since he was already there, why not go and see?

But he had no money.

Forget about auctions, it's said they can't even get through the doors of an auction house.

The entrance fee to the Qianbao Chamber of Commerce's auction is a thousand taels of silver; even if you sold him, he wouldn't be worth that much.

But luck can come unexpectedly.

During his journey, he happened to meet a group that was also heading to Yanjing.

The leader was a wealthy young man in his early twenties, dressed in flamboyant clothes, with seven or eight attendants and three large carriages.

Lin Feng mustered his courage and stepped forward to ask if he could get a ride.

The young man sized him up a few times. Seeing that he was young and his clothes were plain but clean, he nodded and said, "Get in the carriage, it's on the way."

This led them to Yanjing.

During their conversation on the way, Lin Feng learned that the young man's surname was Wang and his given name was Wang Fugui. His name was simple, but his family background was anything but.

His father was a well-known wealthy merchant in Lanyue Prefecture, dealing in medicinal herbs, and had dealings with the Qianbao Chamber of Commerce.

This trip to Yanjing is to attend an auction.

"Young man," Wang Fugui said, quite talkative.

"What are you going to Yanjing for?"

"Let me see," Lin Feng said honestly.

"I heard there's an auction, and I'd like to go check it out."

Wang Fugui laughed: "What a coincidence! I'll go too. I'll take you in; I have an invitation, so I can bring two people."

Lin Feng was stunned.

Is this for real?

"However,"

Wang Fugui changed the subject.

"Once you're inside, you have to follow the rules. It's full of big shots. We small fry should just watch and not cause trouble."

Lin Feng nodded repeatedly.

And so, he followed Wang Fugui to Yanjing and moved into the Wang family's residence in Yanjing. It was not large, but it was very exquisite, with artificial hills and ponds, and more than a dozen maids and servants to serve him.

Wang Fugui treated him well, providing him with all the food and lodging, and even giving him a new set of clothes.

Lin Feng felt bad about eating and staying for free, so he offered to help with some chores. Actually, there wasn't much work; it was just running errands and fetching water.

Over the course of a few days, he became familiar with Wang Fugui and the servants in the house.

Everyone likes this hardworking boy.

The auction is tonight.

Wang Fugui left home early; he had to go to his family's chamber of commerce to take care of some business.

Lin Feng stayed in the house alone until evening, and then, as Wang Fugui had instructed, changed into clean clothes and went out.

Tonight's auction.

The auction was held at the Qianbao Chamber of Commerce headquarters in the city center.

Lin Feng asked for directions several times before finally finding the place.

Then he was dumbfounded.

That building... is too big.

Five stories high, covering at least several dozen acres, it is entirely constructed of white jade and emits a warm glow in the night.

The square in front of the gate was packed with people, so crowded that it was impossible to move.

They come from all walks of life, numbering at least several thousand.

There are guards at the entrance.

They were not ordinary guards, but cultivators, who, according to True Person Yu Yuan, were at the Innate Realm.

They stood ramrod straight, their eyes sharp, examining each person's invitation.

Lin Feng was squeezed in the crowd, feeling a little flustered.

He remembered what Wang Fugui had said, "I'll go in first, you wait at the door, and I'll have a servant come out to meet you."

With so many people, how could the servants possibly find him?

Just then, someone tapped me on the shoulder.

He was a middle-aged man dressed as a servant of the Wang family; he was the one who had come to Yanjing with Wang Fugui.

"Brother Lin,"

The man grinned.

"Young master sent me to pick you up. Come with me."

Lin Feng breathed a sigh of relief and followed the man toward the side door.

There are fewer people at the side gate, but there are still guards.

The man handed over the invitation. The guard glanced at it, then at Lin Feng, and nodded: "Go in."

Upon entering, one finds a large hall.

Bigger, taller, brighter.

Dozens of crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, making it as bright as day.

The hall was already full of people, gathered in twos and threes, talking in hushed tones.

The sound wasn't loud, but there were so many people that it buzzed like countless bees flying around.

Wang Fugui waved to him from the crowd.

They were in the lobby on the first floor; there were no private rooms.

He looked up.

There are three more floors above. The first floor is the lobby, which is full of people, a dark mass. The second floor is the private seating area, with well-dressed people sitting around the railing. The third floor has ordinary private rooms, about a dozen, but smaller than those on the fourth floor.

On the fourth floor, there are only three private rooms, and they are all dark now; it's unclear whether anyone is inside.

"Those three private rooms?" Lin Feng successfully relayed the message amidst the noise.

Wang Fugui lowered his voice, "One was reserved by the Qianbao Chamber of Commerce itself, and the other two... I heard they were reserved by a big shot. I don't know who it is."

As they were talking, the lights suddenly went out.

The entire venue instantly went from bright to dim.

Only a single beam of light remained on the auction stage, a stark white light shining on the empty platform.

The crowd quieted down.

Then, a woman came out from behind the stage.

The woman was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, wearing a bright red cheongsam. She had a slender figure and a beautiful face.

She walked to the center of the beam of light, bowed slightly to the surroundings, and smiled politely.

"Welcome everyone to take time out of your busy schedules to attend this auction hosted by the Qianbao Chamber of Commerce..."

The sound was clearly transmitted to every corner of the venue through a certain amplification array.

Lin Feng stared at the woman.

It wasn't because she was pretty, although she was indeed pretty, but because there was someone standing behind her.

An old man, dressed in a gray robe, stood in the shadows with his eyes closed and his hands behind his back.

He looked ordinary, but Lin Feng could sense—no, it was Yu Yuan Zhenren reminding him in his mind:

"Kid, watch out for that old man. He's at least at the third level of the Celestial Realm."

Lin Feng felt a chill run down his spine.

A bodyguard in the Celestial Realm?

Qianbao Chamber of Commerce is indeed wealthy and powerful.

The woman exchanged a series of polite words, then abruptly changed the subject: "Without further ado, let our auction officially begin!"

"boom--"

Applause, cheers, and whistles erupted instantly, making the entire venue buzz.

The lights came back on, but not all of them; instead, they were focused on the auction stage.

A maid came up carrying a tray covered with red silk.

The woman lifted the red silk.

There was a jade box on the tray.

The jade box was opened, revealing a fist-sized fruit, entirely emerald green with faint golden lines on its surface, radiating a soft glow and a rich fragrance.

"The first item," the woman's voice was clear and bright.

"Millennial Bodhi Fruit".

She paused, waiting for the murmurs below to subside before continuing, "It is one of the main ingredients for refining the sixth-grade elixir, the Rejuvenation Pill. The Rejuvenation Pill is a sacred medicine for healing injuries. As long as one has a breath left, taking it will heal injuries completely within ten breaths, leaving one as good as new."

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd below.

"Starting price: 100,000 taels of silver. Each bid must be at least 1,000 taels higher."

After he finished speaking, there was a brief silence.

then,

"One hundred thousand taels!" someone shouted from the first floor.

"One hundred and five thousand taels!"

"One hundred and ten thousand taels!"

Prices are rising steadily.

Lin Feng was astonished.

One hundred thousand taels... all his possessions combined wouldn't even amount to a fraction of that, and he didn't even dare to think about it.

"Tsk tsk," Wang Fugui shook his head.

"This is just the first one. What follows is even more terrifying."

Ultimately, the thousand-year-old Bodhi fruit was auctioned off for 140,000 taels of silver in a private room on the third floor.

The woman struck the gavel: "Sold!"

The second item came up quickly.

It's a reel.