Chapter 35: Unexpected Situation

“Please, honored guests, proceed to this private box to wait. The auction is about to begin.”
A smiling guard led Chu Huaizhou and his companions, though his calves trembled uncontrollably.
Clearly, the commotion outside had rattled him—Ji Yifei was the General’s Mansion’s third young master!
In the Hanyuan Dynasty, short of offending the empress or a few key figures, the mansion held near-untouchable power.
For a Heavenly Origin Sword Sect Golden Core deacon to act so boldly and walk away unscathed hinted at a formidable backing.

Inside, the trio settled on plush sofas.
Xia Baiqian, like a chirpy sparrow, bounced onto the cushions, sinking into them. Her white-laced legs kicked playfully in the air.
“Master, Master, why’d you say Sister Qingqiu was your woman?”
“Cough, well, explaining you’re my disciples wouldn’t have helped in that situation.”
“So I just said Qingqiu’s my woman. You don’t mind, do you, Qingqiu?”

Leng Qingqiu, lost in thought, snapped back at his call. “No… it’s fine… Thank you, Master.”
Xia Baiqian pouted, hands on hips.
“Master’s playing favorites! Why not say I’m your woman too?”
She stomped, her white stockings flashing before Chu Huaizhou, pink hair brushing her flushed cheeks as she shook her head.
“What if a cute girl like me gets snatched by bad guys~?”
She twirled a stray hair by her temple, eyes closed, face turned aside like an angry squirrel.
“Hmph, I’m mad! Only Master’s coaxing can fix it.”

Chu Huaizhou, seeing her familiar, petulant charm, relaxed.
My Xiao Baiqian’s still the cutest, most soothing. Chatting with her melts my stress.
He’d worried all three disciples might turn yandere, but it seemed only Qingqiu was—manageable.
Relieved, he felt the future brighten, free from fears of being locked in a dark room.
“Alright, alright, Master cares about you. Name your compensation, and I’ll do my best.”

Xia Baiqian’s face lit up, scooting closer.
“Hehe, no need, Master. I’m not really mad—just want you to talk to me more~”
Unnoticed, her eyes flashed coldly as her fingers released tiny black-gold gu insects.
That guy had no taste—ignoring someone as cute as me!
Upset Master hadn’t held her, she decided Ji Yifei needed a lesson.
Her Joy-Sorrow Gu would adjust his senses: stripping them during joy, amplifying them a hundredfold in sorrow or danger.
Non-lethal, but he’d suffer.

As Chu Huaizhou and Xia Baiqian chatted, Leng Qingqiu seemed aloof, gazing elsewhere.
But her heart raced.
Master called me his woman…
Ugh, Master, why do you always break the rules like this?
In three hundred years by his side, this was the first time he’d said such a thing.
The first hug, first kiss, first… everything was with her. Hehe…
Her naive sisters couldn’t compete.
Xia Baiqian’s return and accusations changed nothing—could they erase those moments?
Lose? Impossible.
As for the General’s Mansion, they got lucky—she was in a good mood.
She’d only linger-execute the rude punk; the rest could be exiled.
She wasn’t some bloodthirsty demon cultivator, after all.

Meanwhile, Ji Yifei, freshly bandaged, entered, glaring at Chu Huaizhou’s box with venom.
“Damn it, when I get the chance, I’ll have my revenge!”

Time flew, and perhaps fearing more trouble, the auction started early.
A woman in a qipao, black stockings, and heels introduced treasures with a sultry voice.
“Welcome, esteemed guests, to this auction~”
“First item: a fourth-grade healing pill, Dragon Blood Nirvana Pill. Starting bid: 500 mid-grade spirit stones! Minimum increment: 5 mid-grade spirit stones!”
The crowd buzzed—this pill was a hot commodity anywhere, unexpected as an opener.
“500 mid-grade spirit stones!”
“Pfft, poor fool! 505!”
Chu Huaizhou glanced at his storage ring, stacked with third- and fourth-grade pills he could eat like candy.

“Second item: a high-grade artifact, Frost Sword. Starting bid: 100 mid-grade spirit stones! Minimum increment: 1 mid-grade spirit stone!”
Bidding surged—pills were common, but quality artifacts were rare, unlike treasures or legendary sentient immortal treasures.
Chu Huaizhou recalled Bai Li mentioning a top-tier immortal treasure sword in his Nine Luminaries Abyss Ring, though he couldn’t access it yet.
His current sword, a low-grade spiritual treasure Startled Swan Sword, was a gift from Qingqiu.

Several rounds passed, but nothing caught Chu Huaizhou’s interest.
He sighed, disappointed.
No classic xianxia auction bargain-hunting? Straight to having everything? Kind of a shame.

“Next item…” The auctioneer’s voice lowered, unveiling a glossy jade slip.
“This jade slip is no ordinary relic. Our top appraisers confirm it’s at least 100,000 years old, though incomplete.”
“Starting bid: 10,000 mid-grade spirit stones! Minimum increment: 100 mid-grade spirit stones!”
The crowd was lukewarm. A 100,000-year-old relic, damaged, likely held useless or outdated information, its contents possibly long gone.
The Yong’an Auction House likely priced it low, knowing this.
Normally, Upper Ancient relics tied to the era when ascension was still possible started at 500 top-grade spirit stones—50,000 mid-grade.

But as silence fell, Chu Huaizhou activated the room’s amplification array.
“I bid 10,100 mid-grade spirit stones.”
Why? The Nine Luminaries Abyss Ring grew warm, his soul sensing its faint excitement.