187: Chapter 187 Auction

After Hun Muxiao left the teahouse, she did not return to the previous inn. She found an inconspicuous little shop in the south of the city. The moment she pushed open the door, the shopkeeper and the waiter looked up simultaneously, then froze. The aura of this young girl in red, the faint halo emitted by the scales at her waist, the sword on her back, and the bells on her wrist that seemed to glow with an indefinable material—from head to toe, she was written with the word "expensive." How could such a person come to a shop like this?

"One superior room." Hun Muxiao placed a few gold coins on the counter, paused, and added, "Stay until the auction ends."

The shopkeeper stared at the gold coins and swallowed, personally leading her to the best room in the backyard. After entering, Hun Muxiao closed the door behind her, unhooked the blood abyss sword from her back and leaned it against the corner of the bed. She sat down in front of the bronze mirror, looking at the face that was excessively eye-catching in the reflection, and muttered to herself, "This appearance is indeed a bit troublesome." She rummaged through her storage ring, found an extremely thin dark red veil, tied it behind her ears, covering half her face, leaving only her smooth forehead and those lively, cunning peach-blossom eyes exposed. She examined herself in the mirror for a moment and nodded with satisfaction—it was neither too eye-catching nor lacking in mystery. Aunt Yaoyao had said that for a woman traveling, a veil was an essential item.

For the next few days, she lived a reclusive life, meditating to regulate her breath in the room during the day, and going out to the wonton shop at the street corner for a bowl of shepherd's purse wontons in the evening. The wontons in the capital had thinner skins and fresher soup than those in Yan City, and she hadn't grown tired of them even after eating them for four days. During this time, she heard a few things. The Shangshu Mansion had been turned upside down in the past few days. Minister of Revenue Zhao Jingtang was heartbroken and offered a reward of 500,000 gold coins to capture the murderer, posting wanted posters all over the city. The wanted poster depicted the profile of a young girl in red, with a blurred face, but the clothing features were clearly written—red dress, ponytail, scales at the waist, carrying a sword. The city guards were searching the inns house by house, causing chaos. Every time Hun Muxiao saw the city guards passing by the inn entrance, she just held her wonton bowl and changed direction to continue eating. The profile on the wanted poster looked like her, but it was drawn too ugly; she felt it was far from her actual appearance.

On the day of the auction, Jia Ma Holy City was crowded. The Imperial Auction House was located on the east side of the central city square. The entire building was built of gray-white giant stones, the main entrance was several feet high, and a huge golden auction hammer was carved on the lintel. At this moment, the door was crowded with people, including dignitaries from the capital in brocade and silk, weary merchants from other places, Alchemists carrying medicine baskets, and several mysterious rogue cultivators wrapped in cloaks. Hun Muxiao stood on the outskirts of the crowd, the dark red veil covering half her face, the blood abyss sword wrapped in cloth strips on her back. She weighed the bag of gold coins in her hand and walked towards the main entrance.

"Invitation." The guard stretched out his hand to stop her.

Hun Muxiao looked up at the dignitaries holding gilded invitations beside her, and then at the guard's business-like face. She fished a gold coin out of her sleeve and stuffed it into the guard's hand, lowering her voice to ask, "Can I go in now?"

The guard looked down at the gold coin in his palm, his eyes twitched, and he stepped aside, making a gesture of invitation.

The interior of the auction house was extremely luxurious. Dozens of huge crystal chandeliers hung from the dome, illuminating the entire hall as bright as day. The circular exhibition stand in the center was carved from a single piece of white jade, surrounded by hundreds of tiered seats. Directly facing the exhibition stand were dozens of independent VIP boxes, each with bead curtains hanging at the window. Hun Muxiao found a seat in the front, with a fat merchant sitting next to her, wiping sweat with a handkerchief; in front were a few men who looked like mercenaries, whispering about what good things might be at this auction. She leaned back in her chair and looked around, suddenly feeling that this scene was not much different from the auctions in the Soul Realm—except that the Soul Realm auctioned soul origins and ancient medicinal pills, and she really couldn't imagine what rare things could be sold at this auction.

A moment later, the auctioneer walked onto the stage. He was an old man in his fifties, his hair combed meticulously, with two carefully trimmed mustaches. When he smiled, his eyes narrowed into two slits; one look and you could tell he was an old hand who had been rolling in the auction house for decades. He picked up the small hammer on the auction table and cleared his throat: "Distinguished guests, welcome to the Imperial Auction House! There are forty-seven auction items today, from 6th-grade medicinal pills to Di-rank Dou Technique, everything is available. I will give you a bottom line here—each of the final treasures today is enough to make the entire Jia Ma Empire go crazy." He deliberately paused, whetting everyone's appetite before saying loudly, "No more small talk, the auction officially begins!"

The first auction item was carefully pushed out from the backstage by two maids. It was a bronze medicine cauldron half a person tall, the body of the cauldron was carved with alchemy runes, and a lifelike three-legged golden toad crouched on the lid. The auctioneer introduced: "The first auction item, the 6th-grade medicine cauldron 'Golden Toad Cauldron'! It was personally cast by the empire's number one weapon refining master. It comes with a Samadhi True Fire formation pattern, which can significantly increase the success rate of pills below the 6th grade. The starting price is 30,000 gold coins, and each bid increase must not be less than 1,000!"

Several elderly Alchemists began to raise their placards, and the price went from 30,000 to 50,000. An old woman in a black robe in the front row raised her placard to shout 52,000, and another middle-aged Alchemist followed closely with 55,000. Hun Muxiao leaned back in her chair and yawned, not raising her placard. There were dozens of such medicine cauldrons piled up in the Soul Realm warehouse; she had used them as stools to sit on when she was a child.

Next were a few 6th-grade medicinal pills, including the healing Guiyuan Pill, the Julqi Pill that assists cultivation, and a Baoxue Pill that can boost combat power in a short time. The starting prices ranged from 10,000 to 50,000, and there was an endless stream of bidders. The Alchemists in the front row raised their placards frequently, and several mercenary leaders also fought until their faces were red and their necks were thick for that Baoxue Pill. Hun Muxiao still didn't raise her placard. 6th-grade medicinal pills—the snacks she had eaten since she was a child were higher grade than this. She casually took a 9th-grade Soul Origin Pill from her sleeve and stuffed it into her mouth to chew. The fat merchant next to her thought she was eating candy and didn't pay much attention.

"The next auction item is a 7th-grade medicinal pill—Qingming Pulse Protection Pill!" The auctioneer raised his voice and uncovered the jade box in the maid's hand. A bright green medicinal pill lay quietly on the red velvet, emitting a very faint herbal fragrance, "This pill was personally refined by the empire's chief Alchemist. After taking it, it can protect the heart pulse from damage for three days. It can save a life at a critical moment! Starting price 80,000 gold coins!"

The eyes of the Alchemists in the front row lit up. A white-haired old man took the lead and shouted 100,000, a middle-aged woman followed with 120,000, and a mercenary group leader in the back row shouted 150,000 in a rough voice. Hun Muxiao finally sat up straight, not because the pill was precious, but because she suddenly had an idea. She raised the number plate in her hand, her voice crisp and decisive: "200,000."

The whole place was quiet for a moment. The white-haired old man looked back at her, his eyes looking like he was looking at a prodigal who didn't understand the market. The middle-aged woman raised her placard to shout 210,000, and Hun Muxiao raised her placard again: "300,000." The middle-aged woman's face changed slightly, and she hesitated for a moment before putting down the placard. The white-haired old man also shook his head unwillingly. The auctioneer was beaming and hammered the gavel after shouting three times. Hun Muxiao put down the placard and leaned back in her chair again.

The next few auction items were 7th-grade medicinal pills—7th-grade Marrow Cleansing Pill, 7th-grade Spirit Condensing Pill, 7th-grade Fire Spirit Pill. Each one attracted fierce bidding from Alchemists, but every time the bidding reached the end, it would be intercepted by the red-veiled young girl in red in the back row at a price nearly double the previous one. The Marrow Cleansing Pill went from 60,000 to 100,000, she raised her placard—150,000. The Spirit Condensing Pill went from 50,000 to 80,000, she raised her placard—120,000. The Fire Spirit Pill had the most intense bidding, rising from 100,000 to 180,000, with several Alchemists arguing until their faces were red, and she raised her placard and said lightly, "300,000." The whole place was silent. Several Alchemists turned back to look at her, their eyes no longer confused, but naked shock and anger. Who is this woman? Why doesn't she treat money as money at all?

"Congratulations to this young lady, sold again!" The auctioneer's voice was already shaking with excitement.

The fat merchant next to her finally couldn't help but lean over and ask in a low voice: "Young lady, do you have a gold mine at home?" Hun Muxiao tilted her head to look at him and replied with two words: "Guess." The fat merchant sat back awkwardly and wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief.

The mercenaries in the front row also began to whisper. "Which young lady could have such a big hand?" "Could it be someone from the Xiao Family?" "How is that possible, the Xiao Family hasn't been out of the Jia Ma Empire for a long time." "Don't guess, anyway, she's richer than the Shangshu Mansion."

The auction went to the intermission, and the maids served tea and snacks. Hun Muxiao picked up the teacup and took a sip, it was still that bland taste, but better than the pot of Cloud Mist Tea in the teahouse. She was boredly flipping through the auction catalog, when she suddenly sensed something, raised her head and looked towards the main entrance of the auction house. A rhythmic and heavy sound of footsteps came from outside the main entrance, which was the noise that only hundreds of fully armed soldiers could make when they stepped at the same time.

The main door of the auction house was slammed open from the outside. A middle-aged man in purple official robes strode across the threshold, his face thin, cheekbones high, a pair of sinister eyes red and swollen, his lips pressed into a line, his whole body exuding undisguised murderous aura. Behind him were hundreds of armored soldiers, and there were five exceptionally powerful auras in the ranks—five strong men in strong clothes, whose cultivation was at the level of Dou Wang, their eyes flashing with essence, and the weapons in their hands flickering with cold light.

The whole place was quiet again, this time not shock, but fear. The auctioneer's smile froze on his face, and the auction hammer in his hand stopped in mid-air. Several dignitaries in the front row recognized the brocade patch on the official robe and gasped—the Minister of Revenue, Zhao Huan's father, Zhao Jingtang. Zhao Jingtang's eyes swept across the audience like a poisonous snake, his voice hoarse and cold: "Everyone, don't move. This official has received intelligence that the murderer who killed my son is in this auction house. No one is allowed to leave until the murderer is found today." The five Dou Wangs behind him stepped forward at the same time, and the five pressures spread out without reservation, enveloping the entire auction hall. A few timid merchants in the corner had already started to tremble, and even the bead curtains of the VIP boxes were quietly lowered.

Hun Muxiao leaned back in her chair, put the half-eaten snack on the plate, and sighed softly. She said silently in her heart—Dad, your daughter is going to cause trouble again. Then she stood up unhurriedly.