Tianjin, starting with unorthodox methods to achieve immortality

More and more people arrived.

Dark figures kept entering through the doorway, some wrapped in cloaks, others wearing masks, silently scattering across the seats throughout the hall.

Chen Mo roughly counted, and there were already fifty or sixty people.

Among those who weren't masked, besides the previous groups, there were a few more new faces.

An old Taoist priest, dressed in a moon-white robe, with white hair and beard, leaned on a black cane. At the top of the cane was a dark red object that looked like amber or congealed blood.

Two young Taoist boys followed behind him, one carrying a sword box and the other carrying an incense burner.

The old Taoist priest paused as he passed by the monks.

The middle-aged monk opened his eyes, and the two looked at each other for a moment without saying a word before looking away.

In the corner sat an old woman dressed in black, her face so wrinkled it could trap a fly, holding a black cat in her arms.

She didn't look at anyone, but just stroked the cat's back repeatedly while muttering something to herself.

Chen Mo noticed that the three chairs around the spot where the old woman was sitting were empty; no one dared to approach.

A while later, a middle-aged man in a gray robe walked in through the door.

This person was nothing special; he had an ordinary appearance, ordinary clothes, and an ordinary way of walking.

But when Chen Mo's gaze fell on him, his heart suddenly skipped a beat; this person walked without making a sound.

It wasn't the kind of silence where footsteps are light, but complete and utter silence.

He found a seat in the front row and sat down quietly without talking to anyone.

Chen Mo withdrew his gaze, silently counting in his mind: a monk from the Western Regions, a foreigner from the Truth Society, the Ding family of the Yin Clan, and now a Taoist priest whose strength is hard to discern, an old woman who keeps cats, and a gray-robed man who walks silently...

Tonight's auction is likely to be very murky.

The waiter began refilling the tea for the first guests.

Chen Mo looked down at the slip of paper with the auction items printed on it. It only had a dozen or so simple lines of text, without any specific explanation, just a list of serial numbers.

There are a total of twenty-three items.

His gaze swept over the lines of text:

The first item was the remains of a body-refining master.

The second item is a map showing the distribution of ancient tombs in the Western Regions.

The third item is the Blood Jade Skull.

The fourth item is the Soul-Suppressing Bell.

The fifth item is a ghost-raising jar.

The sixth item is the incense for longevity.

The seventh item is a horizontal blade belonging to the Yin category.

Chen Mo's gaze lingered on the seventh item for a moment; he also lacked a good knife for self-defense.

......

As you look around, you'll find elixirs, magical artifacts, scriptures, and strange objects of unknown purpose.

The further you go, the stranger the things become.

Just then, a lamp suddenly lit up on the high platform directly in front of the hall.

A middle-aged man in a blue long gown walked onto the stage from the side door.

He was in his early forties, with an ordinary face, and was holding a folding fan, looking like a private tutor.

He walked to the center of the stage and bowed deeply to the audience.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

The sound wasn't loud, but it was clear enough to reach everyone's ears.

Chen Mo understood that this person possessed cultivation.

"My surname is Sun, and my given name is Tong. I am in charge of tonight's auction." The middle-aged man opened his folding fan and gently shook it twice. "Thank you all for your presence. I am deeply grateful."

No one responded; dozens of eyes were fixed on him, each with a different expression.

Sun Tong didn't mind and continued, "Tonight's auction has different rules than others. Let me make this clear upfront: once an item is sold, it cannot be returned or exchanged."

"If you lack the discernment to make a purchase at a loss, that's your own problem. But if you regret your purchase or try to seek recourse later..."

He closed his folding fan and tapped it lightly on his palm. "Then all I can say is, take care of yourself."

That's a polite way of putting it, but the underlying meaning is anything but.

The audience remained silent.

Sun Tong nodded: "In that case, I won't waste any more words. Bring out the first item for auction."

The curtain at the side door was lifted, and two men carried a wooden box up.

The box was not large, about three feet long and one foot wide, painted black, and covered with yellow paper talismans.

The box was placed on the table in the center of the counter, and the two waiters withdrew.

Sun Tong wasn't in a hurry to open the box; he just stood there, waiting for the people below the stage to see it clearly.

Chen Mo's gaze fell on the box.

The cinnabar on the talisman was still very bright, as if it had just been applied recently.

However, the wood of the box itself had turned black, and the edges were badly worn, indicating that it was quite old.

"The first item up for auction," Sun Tong said slowly, "is a corpse."

A slight commotion arose in the audience.

"Please don't be anxious, everyone." Sun Tong raised his hand to calm them down. "This is no ordinary corpse. The owner of this corpse was a master of body refinement in life."

"Everyone knows that those who cultivate their bodies have all their skills in their muscles, bones, skin and flesh. True masters have bodies that do not decay and bones that do not rot after death, making them rare treasures."

He walked to the box and reached out to remove the first talisman.

"This body was found in an ancient tomb. The identity of the tomb owner is unknown, but judging from the burial objects, he was at least a hundred years ago."

"It won't decay for a hundred years. Just think about it, what kind of quality is that?"

One by one, the talismans were peeled off, and after the last one was removed, Sun Tong reached out and lifted the lid of the box.

A chill emanated from the box.

A few people in the audience who were close by couldn't help but lean back a little.

Chen Mo looked closely and saw a corpse lying in the box, naked from the waist up and wearing a pair of tattered burlap trousers.

The body was bronze in color, with clearly visible muscle texture, as if the person was simply asleep rather than having been dead for a century.

The most striking thing was that face.

His features were distinct, his eyes were closed, his lips were slightly pursed, and there seemed to be a faint smile at the corners of his mouth.

If it weren't for the unusual skin color, Chen Mo would almost have thought it was a living person.

"Please take a look, everyone." Sun Tong picked up a thin iron skewer and gently tapped it on the corpse's arm.

Clang—a crisp sound, like striking metal.

"A body of copper and iron," Sun Tong said. "This is a level that can only be achieved by mastering body-refining techniques."

"The bones of this corpse are harder than ordinary steel. When ground into powder, they can be used in medicine; when boiled into oil, they can be used for lamps; and if one knows the proper methods, the corpse can even be refined into a guardian..."

He didn't continue, but some people in the audience had already sat up straight.

"Starting bid: one thousand silver dollars." Sun Tong stepped back. "Gentlemen, please."

The audience fell silent for a moment.

"One thousand and ten." Someone spoke from the corner, their voice muffled by a cloak, making it impossible to tell their age.

"One thousand twenty."

"One thousand fifty."

More and more people started bidding, but they were all cloaked and their faces were obscured.

None of the prominent figures in the front row moved.

Chen Mo watched coldly from the sidelines.

That corpse was indeed rare, but rarity and usefulness are two different things.

Copper skin and iron bones, ground into powder for medicine, boiled into oil for lamps...

It sounds mysterious, but probably no more than ten people here truly know how to use it.

Most people buy them and treat them as rare objects to be treasured.