114: Zheng family

In a private room, a young girl pouted and whined to the middle-aged man beside her.

“Uncle, Lin’er wants this…”

Zheng Yaoxing looked at her helplessly, his eyes full of doting affection, and stroked her head: “I really can’t say no to you.”

“Hehe~ Uncle is the best!”

Seeing her uncle agree, the girl immediately beamed with joy.

Zheng Yaoxing glanced at the venue, then his powerful voice rang out, filling the entire hall and overpowering the other bidders.

“My Zheng Family offers three thousand five hundred Spirit Stones, and I hope everyone will give us Face!”

As soon as his voice fell, the scene immediately quieted for a moment, and everyone’s gaze converged on the private room where the speaker was located.

However, in the next instant, a clamor erupted throughout the venue, and everyone began to discuss animatedly.

“The Zheng Family? Which Zheng Family?”

“Those who can be in the private rooms on the second floor are basically Foundation Establishment Families. There seems to be only one Zheng Family near Heavenly Star Immortal City!”

“The Moon Cliff Mountain Zheng Family?”

“Nonsense, otherwise, who else would be so fearless as to impersonate the Zheng Family!”

“Even Foundation Establishment Families are participating in the bidding, who dares to compete now!”

“......”

Zheng Yaoxing was very satisfied with his bid, and it was clear he enjoyed being the center of attention.

He was the current Family Head of the Zheng Family, and the Zheng Family had a Foundation Establishment Old Ancestor.

Besides the one in Heavenly Star Immortal City, he truly didn’t put any other forces in his eyes.

But while he was enjoying himself, our Young Master Lu was very unhappy.

Where did this show-off come from!?

Listening to the discussions around him, he knew that the person who spoke was from the Moon Cliff Mountain Zheng Family.

“The Zheng Family!”

Lu Ming’s eyelids drooped slightly.

He thought of Yellow-brow Daoist, who had caused the destruction of the Green Bamboo Market due to his selfish desires.

“Truly… enemies on a narrow road!”

If it weren’t for this person from the Zheng Family interfering, he might have already successfully acquired the rare treasure by now.

“Others may fear your Zheng Family, but I do not.”

Lu Ming revealed a hint of a sarcastic smile.

He controlled Zhao Tiancheng to speak indifferently.

“Four thousand Spirit Stones!”

The venue fell silent again; no one expected someone to completely disregard the Zheng Family’s Face.

Even Zheng Yaoxing hadn’t expected it, and immediately felt his Face was somewhat lost. His expression instantly darkened, and he said in a cold voice.

“Your Excellency, this item is something I am determined to obtain. Would you be willing to give the Zheng Family some Face?”

“Face? What Face does your Zheng Family have? Is the auction house owned by your Family?”

Lu Ming’s tone was mocking, and he retorted with sharp words.

“Good, good, good! Your Excellency, you should carefully consider the consequences of offending my Zheng Family!”

Zheng Yaoxing laughed in extreme anger and said fiercely, his words full of threat!

“I am but a Loose Cultivator, with one worthless life! If you dare to bark another word, I will swear upon my Heart Demon that I will spend this life targeting and killing your Zheng Family members!”

Whoosh…

Gasps and exclamations continuously rang out…

This was naked threat!

“You!”

In the private room, Zheng Yaoxing was so furious that smoke seemed to come out of his seven orifices, but he was indeed intimidated by the other person’s ruthlessness.

Mainly, he couldn’t discern the person’s cultivation. During this time, he even used a Magical Artifact to try and probe them.

But it was as if there was a barrier around that person, blocking his prying, making him unable to grasp their true strength.

And being targeted by such an unknown enemy would truly make him restless.

This person might not dare to attack a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, but they could certainly harm the younger generations of the Zheng Family.

Moreover, they couldn’t protect every Family descendant at all times.

Furthermore, the Old Ancestor was not here now, and Zheng Yaoxing was only at the Qi Refining Stage Ninth Level. He was truly afraid of enraging the other party, who might then disregard everything and fight to the death.

But now he was in a difficult situation. The Family’s Face made it impossible for him to easily back down.

Just as he was in a dilemma, Kang Hongci’s voice sounded at the opportune moment…

“In an auction, regardless of identity or status, the highest bidder wins! It would be best if the two of you do not violate the auction rules. Let’s end it here!”

Seemingly mediating, he was actually subtly warning the Zheng Family not to bully others by relying on their identity and status.

And accompanying his words, countless Restriction runes flashed throughout the venue, and beams of light intertwined!

Clearly, it was a Formation warning!

Seeing that Kang Hongci had spoken, Lu Ming no longer bickered with the Zheng Family member and cupped his hands in Kang Hongci’s direction.

Although Zheng Yaoxing was unwilling, he could only reluctantly shut up.

He snorted coldly, forcibly suppressing the anger in his heart. This time, he had completely lost Face.

Meanwhile, the young girl beside him was so scared by Zheng Yaoxing’s fierce appearance that she dared not speak.

Although she was young and had been spoiled by her elders at home, she also knew that she seemed to have caused trouble.

After all, this matter started because of her, and seeing her uncle’s gloomy Face, she was extremely frightened.

Zheng Yaoxing looked at the young girl, and his expression softened slightly. After comforting her for a few words, he took out a Jade Slip and reported the events here to the Family in detail.

This matter could be big or small, depending on how the Family decided to handle it. If the Family also felt they had lost Face and wanted to deal with that person, then it would be just right…

Zheng Yaoxing had already thought of hundreds of ways to torment people in his mind.

However, he did not plan to participate in the bidding for the rare treasure that followed. There were other items he needed later, so there was no need to spend a large amount of Spirit Stones on this one.

And with the Zheng Family no longer interfering, Lu Ming successfully acquired the rare treasure ‘Five Elements Misty Shield’ for four thousand five hundred Spirit Stones.

......

“Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!”

“It truly is wonderful!”

After completing the transaction with the auction house and settling the payment, the item was delivered to Zhao Tiancheng.

Lu Ming, through Zhao Tiancheng’s vision, examined the miniature shield in his hand, his Face filled with joy, and he praised it repeatedly.

He saw the miniature shield in his hand suddenly transform into a thin wisp of smoke, instantly enveloping his entire body.

It then gradually became formless and traceless, truly extraordinary!

Lu Ming used the Puppet’s powerful physique to test the rare treasure’s strength.

He found that the invisible smoke only subtly fluctuated, like a layer of water curtain, invisibly dissolving the force.

This was only a temporary activation using the Puppet; who knows what would be different once it was completely refined.

The smoke was inherently formless, and the miniature shield was merely its external manifestation, allowing it to move as desired. Wearing it provided a huge increase in security!

Having obtained the desired item, Lu Ming felt a bit more anticipation for the upcoming auction items.

Finally, the highlight of the first auction session appeared.

It was also the item that many Cultivators had long awaited — the Foundation Establishment Pill!

On the stage, the auctioneer unveiled a red cloth, revealing a jade box, inside which lay a purplish-blue Medicinal Pill the size of a longan, with three swirling pill patterns on its surface, looking very mysterious.

“Next up is the final item of this auction — one High Grade Foundation Establishment Pill!”

“I don’t need to elaborate too much on the function of the Foundation Establishment Pill, do I? This is the best Medicinal Pill for Breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Realm, capable of increasing the chance of Breakthrough by a full thirty percent. Even if it fails, it can protect the Meridians and preserve one’s Dao path.”

“I presume all Fellow Daoists have been eagerly awaiting this, so I won’t waste any more words. The starting bid is one thousand Spirit Stones, and each increment must not be less than one hundred Spirit Stones.”

Although the starting bid was not high, Kang Hongci was not at all worried that the final selling price would be too low.

Looking at the excited Faces below the stage, he suppressed the corners of his mouth that were about to curl up.

Bids quickly began to ring out.

Lu Ming had originally planned to observe for a while, thinking of finding an entry point to make a decisive bid.

However, he underestimated the competitive spirit of those Cultivators trapped at Qi Refining Perfection.

The price continued to climb.

It quickly surpassed four thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones, and there was no sign of it stopping.