Tianjin, starting with unorthodox methods to achieve immortality

Chen Mo sat in the back row and watched those people walk forward one by one. He couldn't help but get up and follow them.

Those people will probably never guess that the Moonlight Mirror only requires a moment to handle, even if it's just taken from someone else and handed back, it's enough to reveal everything clearly.

When Qian the Cripple, who was walking in front of him, saw Chen Mo, his face darkened but he didn't say anything.

The first person to go up was an old man in a gray robe, who looked like a wandering sorcerer.

He approached Sun Tong, took the tattered book, flipped through a couple of pages, shook his head, returned the book, and left the stage without saying a word.

The second one was a woman, wearing a veil so her face couldn't be seen.

She took the booklet and glanced at it a few more times, but in the end, she shook her head and turned to leave.

The third, the fourth, the fifth...

Many people went up, but those who came down all looked disappointed.

Some shook their heads, some pursed their lips, only a thin old man's eyes lit up after flipping through two pages, but that was all; in the end, he returned the booklet without saying a word.

Chen Mo stared at the stage, waiting calmly.

There were three people ahead of him in line.

A fat man in a long robe went up, rummaged through the items, and came down with a frown.

An elderly woman with a cane went up to look at it, and her expression remained unchanged.

Then there's Qian the Cripple.

He took the manual, flipped through two pages, and then stopped.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths.

Qian the Cripple stared at the two pages of paper, then suddenly snorted. His gaze swept over the dozen or so people queuing below the stage, lingering for a moment on Chen Mo's face at the very front.

"Those who come up later don't need to."

Sun Tong was taken aback: "Mr. Qian, this..."

"If no one bids, I'll take it for ten thousand silver dollars." Qian the Cripple slapped the booklet into Sun Tong's hand. "The technique is genuine, let's start the bidding."

"It's a waste of time to show this to a bunch of clueless people."

He emphasized the words "nothing to show for it" so heavily it sounded like he was cursing.

The people queuing below the stage immediately erupted in an uproar.

"What do you mean?"

"Whom do you look down on?"

"Can we believe what Qian the Cripple says?"

"You dare not believe what the knife seller says?"

Those people, wary of the underhanded tactics of the knife-selling gang, only dared to grumble in hushed tones.

Chen Mo stood there, looking at Old Man Qian who was coming down with a gloomy expression.

The other party's actions undoubtedly thwarted his plan to obtain the cultivation technique for free.

Those nearby, seeing Chen Mo still standing there refusing to leave, couldn't help but feel a bit smug. "Didn't this guy want to go up and take a look? Well, now he can't."

"If you can't see it, then you can't see it. Didn't Qian the Cripple already say that you can't possibly see anything from the first two pages?"

"You believe everything that Crippled Qian says?"

"Then why don't you go up and try? Do you dare offend him?"

......

Sun Tong stood on the stage, somewhat annoyed by Old Man Qian's behavior. Ever since his female apprentice married into the Liu family, Old Man Qian had become increasingly domineering.

He glanced at the booklet in his hand, then at the people queuing below the stage, and chuckled dryly, "What you're saying, Mr. Qian... why don't you all come up and take a look? Just in case..."

"What if what?" Qian the Cripple, who had already walked halfway, turned back upon hearing this. "What if there's a problem? That's their own problem."

For a moment, both on and off the stage were completely silent.

The people in line behind had already dispersed; some returned to their seats grumbling, while others simply walked straight out the door.

A fat man in a long robe glanced at Chen Mo as he passed by, "What are you standing there for? Still want to go up?"

Chen Mo didn't move; his gaze remained fixed on the booklet on the stage.

Sun Tong was preparing to put the booklet back into the wooden box.

"Boss Sun." Just then, Chen Mo walked up.

He faced the curious gazes and stepped onto the auction stage.

Sun Tong's eyes held a mixture of surprise and amusement: "Brother, what's up?"

Chen Mo pointed to the booklet in his hand: "I want to take a look."

Some people in the audience laughed.

"Didn't you hear what Mr. Qian just said?"

"Is this guy out of his mind?"

"Tsk, that's just stubborn."

Qian the Cripple sat silently in the corner, staring at his back with a gaze as sharp as a knife, cutting into him again and again.

This behavior was undoubtedly a public slap in the face to him.

Sun Tong glanced at Chen Mo with surprise, her eyes subtly sweeping towards a certain direction below.

"Okay." He handed over the booklet. "Here you go, brother."

Chen Mo took the booklet. The cover didn't feel like paper; it felt more like some kind of dried animal hide.

Turning to the first page, the paper was yellowed and the edges were scorched.

Heaven and earth have yin and yang, and humans have souls and spirits; yang governs life, and yin governs death...

The general outline is written in a very mysterious and esoteric style, which looks impressive, but upon closer examination, it is all empty talk.

He lowered his eyelids, concealing the fleeting light in his eyes. Fortunately, the soul-binding technique was real.

After a few seconds, Chen Mo closed the booklet thoughtfully and handed it back to Sun Tong.

"Finished watching?"

"I've finished watching it."

"How is it?"

Chen Mo thought for a moment and honestly replied, "I don't understand."

Some people in the audience laughed again.

Sun Tong laughed too, cleverly concealing the hint of amusement in his smile: "Why are you reading it if you don't understand it?"

Chen Mo didn't respond to that, but simply turned and walked back.

As he passed by Qian the Cripple, the man was looking up at him, his eyes narrowed into slits.

"stop."

Chen Mo stopped and turned to look down at him.

Qian the Cripple didn't get up; he just sat there looking up, which somehow gave him an air of superiority.

"Young man, it's dark and the roads are slippery; the waters in Jinshi are deep."

Qian the Cripple smirked: "Some places are not for someone like you with no connections or background to navigate."

"Some things are not for someone like you to see. If you do see them, you have to be destined to see them."

He emphasized the word "fate," as if he were already calculating the days for him.

After listening, Chen Mo's expression remained unchanged. He simply smiled and looked down at Qian the Cripple's dragging foot, his tone carrying a genuine hint of confusion: "Is Mr. Qian reminding me of something?"

He paused, his gaze moving from the lame man upwards to Qian the Cripple's face.

"I have a question I'd like to ask you, Mr. Qian."

Qian the Cripple squinted.

Chen Mo said, "Was your leg broken because you were too careless with your words when you were young?"

The auction house was in an uproar.

Some people sprayed their tea all over the floor, while others almost burst out laughing but quickly covered their mouths.

Even the old lady holding the black cat had a slight smile creep onto her expressionless face.

Qian the Cripple's face froze, and his already gloomy face turned ashen.

Chen Mo continued, his tone still unhurried: "What you said just now was so well said. Jinshi is a murky place. If your legs could talk back then, wouldn't they have been broken?"

Qian the Cripple suddenly stood up.

Although he was lame, he got up very quickly.

"Are you looking for death?"