Tianjin, starting with unorthodox methods to achieve immortality

The box made a dull thud the moment it hit the ground.

Sun Tong walked to the box, but instead of reaching out to knock on it as before, he first bowed to the audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I must say a few more words about this third item." His voice was much more solemn than before. "Inside the box is a complete skeleton."

Someone in the audience scoffed, "What's so special about a skeleton?"

Sun Tong was not annoyed, but smiled slightly: "This is a good question, sir. Skeletons are not unusual, but please take a look."

He reached out and gently lifted the talisman from the center of the box lid.

The moment the talisman was removed, a very faint sound suddenly came from the box.

Click.

It was as if the bones had shifted slightly.

The audience immediately fell silent.

Sun Tong did not continue to remove the talisman, but stepped back and gestured for the shop assistant to come forward.

The four men worked together to carefully lift the lid of the box.

Chen Mo looked closely and saw a complete skeleton lying in the box.

It is dark red all over, so red that it looks like it has been soaked in blood for thousands of years.

Every bone was completely red, even the teeth were red, gleaming eerily under the light.

Sun Tong slowly began to speak: "The Blood Jade Skull is a treasure of the Yuan Dynasty's Esoteric Buddhism. You have all seen the Blood Jade and know how rare it is."

"But this one is a complete skeleton, its entire body transformed into blood jade."

"Some experts have studied this and said that the owner of this skeleton practiced an extremely unorthodox secret technique during his lifetime, which can even seal one's memories and cultivation within the bones."

"What do you mean?" the old Taoist priest in the front row asked, frowning.

Sun Tong looked at him and slowly said, "It means that the skeleton may contain the cultivation techniques that the master practiced during his lifetime."

These words immediately caused an uproar in the audience.

The crowd's gazes became even more complex, a mixture of apprehension, curiosity, greed, and calculation.

After the Red Moon descended, those once glorious cultivation sects either disappeared in the catastrophe or suffered heavy losses. What remained were only fragmented chapters, and those who could ascend to the heavens in one step with incomplete cultivation techniques were extremely rare.

Such a skeleton, which may contain the memories and cultivation of its original owner, is something I've never even heard of, let alone seen.

Sun Tong stepped back: "The starting bid is ten thousand. Please proceed."

"Ten thousand."

Ding Lao Er was the first to speak.

"Twelve thousand."

The foreign woman from the Truth Society picked up the notebook and quickly wrote down a number.

"Fifteen thousand."

"Twenty thousand."

Prices have skyrocketed.

"Twenty-five thousand."

Thirty thousand.

Thirty-five thousand.

As Chen Mo sat there, listening to the rising and falling bids around him, a self-deprecating thought suddenly welled up in his mind.

I was nineteen that year, and I sat like a lackey in the auction hall.

……

Many big spenders added five thousand at a time, and the price quickly reached 150,000.

"150,000!"

Sun Tong's voice rose several decibels, filled with obvious excitement.

"Master Huihai from another land has offered 150,000. Is there anyone else bidding?"

He glanced down at the audience, waiting for someone to add another move.

The audience was completely silent.

150,000 silver dollars is enough to buy three courtyard houses in Beiping, enough for an ordinary family to live comfortably for several lifetimes.

Even if everyone here is rich and powerful, at this point, they still have to consider whether it's worth the money.

The middle-aged monk in the front row slowly rose, clasped his hands in prayer to the surroundings, and moved unhurriedly, as if the 150,000 taels of silver were just a casual donation.

After waiting for half a minute and no one raised the price, the staff closed the lid of the box. The moment the dark red luster was covered, many people breathed a sigh of relief.

Sun Tong, on stage, took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, and his smile deepened even more than at the beginning of the performance.

The Blood Jade Skull sold for 150,000; his commission tonight would be enough to live on for three years.

. . . . .

The following lots, while not as groundbreaking as the Blood Jade Skull, are still rare and precious items.

Soon, they arrived at the seventh item, the Yin-attribute horizontal sword.

"This next item is the seventh lot tonight."

Sun Tong beckoned, and a waiter brought over a long, rectangular wooden box.

The wooden box was made of ordinary rosewood, with no carvings, and looked unremarkable.

Sun Tong took the wooden box but didn't open it immediately. "This knife is no ordinary weapon either."

He reached out and pulled open the latch on the wooden box, taking out a knife from inside.

The blade was entirely black, and when the light shone on it, it looked as if it had been sucked into the light.

It is over three feet long, half a palm longer than an ordinary single-edged sword. The blade is slender and upright, with the widest part being about two fingers held together, gradually tapering to a sharp angle at the tip.

The thickest part of the blade is about half a finger's width, which shows that it is a genuine blade that has been sharpened.

There were some faint dark patterns on the blade, but it was impossible to tell whether they were patterns or rust.

"A Tang Dynasty horizontal sword, made of meteorite iron and steel, was unearthed in the coffin of a Taoist priest." Sun Tong held the sword horizontally in front of him. "Everyone, take a closer look."

He gently turned the blade so that it was aligned with an oil lamp nearby.

The flame was burning steadily, but the moment the blade approached, the flame suddenly contracted, as if it had been violently suppressed by something.

The bright yellow flames were suddenly shortened by half an inch, and their color turned slightly greenish.

A low gasp immediately rose from the audience.

"Things with heavy yin energy suppress yang fire." The old Taoist priest in the front row squinted and tapped the ground lightly with his cane. "Good stuff, but it's too heavy to handle."

"Master Dao has a good eye." Sun Tong gave a thumbs up. "This knife has been suppressed in the coffin for over a thousand years. The coffin owner was a Taoist, and over time, an extremely heavy Yin energy has been cultivated in the knife."

"If an ordinary person takes it, at best they will have nightmares every night, and at worst they will have their lifespan shortened and their fortune diminished."

He then changed the subject: "However, if a skilled master were to take it, it would be a first-class magical artifact, capable of slaying evil spirits and breaking through all obstacles."

Starting bid: three thousand.

Three thousand isn't cheap, but compared to the previous 150,000, it's practically free.

"Three thousand five." A fat man in a long robe raised his hand.

"Four thousand," someone in the corner chimed in.

"Four thousand five."

"Five thousand."

The bidding proceeded at a leisurely pace, with the increments decreasing, increasing by five hundred at a time.

Chen Mo sat in the back row, his gaze fixed on the knife, unable to look away.

This Yin-attribute horizontal sword is indeed suitable for his current physique.

There were just too many wealthy people present, and with his net worth of over ten thousand, he might not be able to compete with them.

Now we can only pin our hopes on those big shots looking down on us.

Chen Mo subconsciously tapped the coffee table with his left hand, suppressing the urge to bid.

Now is not the time; it would be safer to just call it a day.

"Five thousand five."

In the front row, an old man with his face covered raised his hand.

Once the price reached this point, the venue became much quieter.

After a few seconds, no one made a bid.

Chen Mo took a deep breath and slowly raised his right hand.

"Seven thousand."

Several people around him turned around curiously and glanced at him.

Seeing him wearing a worn-out blue cotton robe and sitting in the corner of the back row, he didn't look like a wealthy person.

"Who is this person? He looks unfamiliar."

"Never seen him before, he looks unfamiliar."

"He looks to be about forty, right? This is the first time I've seen him like this."