Chapter 207: Auction
Jianxuan Auction House had an impressive reputation. Among the rich and wealthy, who would refuse to attend their annual auction? The goods they offered for sale were always of the highest quality and carefully vetted. It was unknown who the head of the auction house was, but it was known that this person was extremely meticulous. They would not accept an item that brought trouble. Therefore, the appraisers not only checked the item but also its origin. If a client refused to reveal even a part of its history, they were often not accepted.
“This is…”
Xian Jue, a professional appraiser, was shocked by the item that Xie Qing wanted to sell. Although it was only useful to a limited group of people with the Yin attribute, who wouldn’t want to possess it? Such a wonderful item could easily cause a stir and fierce competition at the auction.
“Incredible… My words were too ignorant. I hope the gentleman is not angry…”
Xian Jue bowed her head without a trace of arrogance and pride that she had before. With her experience, how could she not have realized that this item was extremely valuable? Such a client should not be missed!
“Young lady, you must be joking. Why would I be angry with you? Work is work; I’m sure you get tired dealing with self-assured people all day,” Xie Qing said amicably, though he inwardly sneered: “Of course, you’ve become respectful now. This item could be sold at three times its value because of its rarity…”
Xian Jue smiled brightly, seeing Xie Qing’s calmness and nodded.
“You are very kind. Now, I would like to ask you to tell me where you got this item?” Xian Jue asked, narrowing her eyes.
“Here it comes…” Xie Qing thought.
Although the auction house’s policy was extremely unpleasant and caused much discontent… for the sake of profit, most were willing to make concessions. Xie Qing smiled. He was a pro at telling stories.
“In my youth, I found the legacy of a man. His Daoist name was Fated Sun Lord,” Xie Qing began to speak in a serious and deep voice: “You must have heard of his influential name, right?”
“Of course. This man is considered the ancestor of the Yan family, so a lot is known about him,” Xian Jue nodded and smiled: “But what about the pendant? It has the Yin attribute, not Yang.”
“Don’t jump to conclusions. Have you forgotten the origin of the Yan and Yin families?” Xie Qing said with a smile and saw the shock on Xian Jue’s face. He continued in a whisper: “In fact, this is a secret that few people know. But the Fated Moon Lady, the ancestor of the Yin family… together with the Fated Sun Lord…”
Then the young man made a gesture that anyone would understand. Xian Jue blushed, but her hands trembled when she heard Xie Qing’s story.
“D-do you mean they…?”
“Yes, they practiced Dual Cultivation,” Xie Qing said with a bright smile under his mask and added: “This pendant is a gift from Lord Sun to his beloved. Unfortunately, the Lady of the Moon disappeared after an accident, and the pendant was the only memory of her. I found it in the man’s tomb and swore that I would return it to the Yin family. Unfortunately, I need money now, and that’s why I’m here.”
“W-wait, I’m trying to process what you said…”
Xian Jue rubbed her forehead, feeling dizzy and pain. The story that Xie Qing told could cause a storm in the outside world. Who didn’t know about the ancient feud between the Yan and Yin families? It was said that their ancestors even hated each other. But in reality… they were lovers? This could rewrite history!
“I-is this true?” Xian Jue asked and took out a token from her pocket.
“Of course…” Xie Qing nodded and inwardly added: “…not. What do I know about those guys? I just made it up on the spot. Romantic stories of two lovers separated by barriers – isn’t that cool?”
As you understood, everything he said was complete nonsense. From the beginning, he lied to the poor woman, and even the lie detector didn’t help because Xie Qing made himself genuinely believe in this story.
And so, he shouldn’t be suspected. Besides, the Yin family wouldn’t start hunting him down just for selling this artifact – they weren’t that stupid.
Xian Jue was shocked into silence, looking at the token that glowed green. Who would have thought that the two ancestors… had such a story? If someone else were in her place, the Yin and Yan families would have trouble.
“This must not be spread around! As if we needed to earn the enmity of two ancient families!” Xian Jue thought, sweating, and brightly smiled, saying: “Thank you for your honesty, dear guest. Let’s move on to discussing the deal…”
Then Xian Jue explained the auction house’s methods. There were two options:
1. Direct sale of the item to the auction. You receive the full amount without commission, and the price of the item is 2% higher than the market price.
2. Classic auction. The item is displayed, and bidding takes place. After the sale, the client receives 85% of the amount, and the rest goes to the auction.
“Of course, dear guest, we will make an exception for you and take only 5% as commission!” Xian Jue said and slyly smiled: “Of course, you can simply sell the item to us. We will buy it for 15 million Spirit Stones.”
“I prefer to put it up for auction…”
“As you wish…”
Xian Jue pursed her lips. Naturally, Xie Qing wanted this option, as he could get more money this way. After making some preparations, Xian Jue summoned a beautiful young woman to accompany him to the VIP room.
There were two categories of VIP rooms, the first being a common room, and the second being private rooms. The common room was located on the second floor and offered an excellent view of the main stage.
Although Xie Qing’s item was impressive, he hadn’t bought a single item yet, so there was no special treatment for him.
“Hm? Who is that masked man? I’ve never seen him before.”
“I don’t recognize him. I don’t sense any Qi from him. Is he a mortal?”
“How can that be? A mortal couldn’t withstand our auras. Look, he doesn’t seem to care at all. He’s probably hiding his aura.”
“A mysterious guy…”
Of course, after entering the VIP room, he attracted a lot of attention. Most of the guests knew each other and had been acquainted for a long time. Naturally, these people were not curious enough to bother someone simply out of minor interest. So, Xie Qing calmly sat down in a chair on the second row.
“Hm… Four cultivators at Soul Integration and one at Spiritual Ascension… Not bad.”
It could be said with confidence that everyone gathered here was of high status. So, Xie Qing could not afford to act too softly. After five minutes, a woman in a red qipao appeared on the stage and bowed to the guests.
“Hello, esteemed guests. The annual auction of our Jianxuan Auction House is now taking place,” the woman said and smiled softly as she continued: “Before we begin, I would like to point out the rules for all newcomers. We have a very negative attitude towards people who use their power to suppress other participants. We will immediately blacklist anyone who does so. Second, the bid amount must exceed 1,000 at a time if the price reaches 10,000. If the price is equal to or exceeds 100,000, then it must be 10,000 at a time. If the price reaches one million, then bids must be in increments of 50,000.”
Among the other auction rules, it was also necessary to prove the availability of a sufficient amount of money before bidding. For this purpose, a worker was assigned to each guest.
Xie Qing frowned, hearing such strict rules. It seemed that the Jianxuan Auction House had its own atmosphere. Surprisingly, none of the VIP guests reacted – apparently, they had all been here before.
Xie Qing propped up his chin with his hand. In fact, he came here out of boredom, so he didn’t know what he wanted to buy. As he was lost in thought… voices came from the entrance to the VIP room.
“Younger Sister Lu, which lots are you interested in?”
“Younger Sister, if you want something, let me know – I will definitely buy it for you!”
“Thank you, but I have money.”
Xie Qing raised an eyebrow, hearing a familiar voice. He turned his head towards the door and frowned.
“Of course, it’s you. Always causing a commotion when you appear,” Xie Qing sighed.
At the entrance stood Lu Yin, accompanied by three men and four women. They wore the attire of the main court of the Nine Pills Sect. Unexpectedly, he saw her here. The young man touched his mask and smiled beneath it.
“Maybe I should tease her a little?”
***
Lu Yin smiled gently, listening to her sect brothers’ flattery, but in her thoughts, she cursed them.
“Stop pretending to be saints! Do you think I don’t notice your intentions?! Hmph!”
“If it weren’t for the Master’s request for me to go out and relax, I wouldn’t have come here! Who knew that these kids would tag along…”
The men blatantly flattered and tried to win her favor, while the women shook their heads, trying to find new acquaintances. Suddenly, as Lu Yin politely declined a fellow disciple’s request, she noticed a tall cultivator approaching them out of the corner of her eye.
“Hm?”
One of the men noticed his approach and stepped forward, shielding Lu Yin with his body. In a haughty voice, he said:
“Halt! What do you think you’re doing? Don’t come any closer to the young lady! She finds your presence unpleasant. Leave!”
Lu Yin was speechless.
“Kid, I haven’t even said a word!”
