The auction at the Ghost Tower Market was filled with shifting figures.
Guests of noble status came and went, seated according to different ranks. The more distinguished the guest, the closer they could sit to the inner ring. The circles of seats looked casual, but in fact the hierarchy was strictly arranged. The first floor was an open grand platform; the second floor had tables and chairs for small gatherings of two or three, and most of those seated there were guests of some standing within the Three Realms.
The top-floor private rooms were tightly curtained, luxurious and extravagant, and usually only the most exalted of guests could sit there.
At this moment, inside the most prestigious private room, a certain little grass was trembling.
The tender green little jade-dumpling spirit felt extremely guilty. Its powerful survival instinct made it shake its head under Ye Jisheng’s gaze, woo woo, please stop looking at it already!!
Only then did Ye Jisheng move his eyes away, idly playing with the cup and saucer on the table: “That’s true as well. You’re a little grass personally raised by this venerable, how could you have the chance to know such hypocritical, pretentious people.”
Jian Zhen: “……”
In the Three Realms, probably only this one dared to say something like that.
But it didn’t need to feel guilty either.
After all, even if it recognized the Immortal Venerable, the Immortal Venerable wouldn’t recognize its current self.
Just as it was thinking this.
A powerful, penetrating voice suddenly came from outside: “Welcome, everyone, for gracing us with your presence at our once-every-three-years Ghost City Auction. All treasures from the four seas and five lakes can be found here. I, Jin Manting, wish all our guests to obtain what they love and return satisfied!!”
Jian Zhen lifted its little head, drawn by the voice, and looked outside.
Brilliant light shone beyond the door. The large stones on either side of the private room slowly moved, projecting the live scene of the auction outside. The images projected by the spirit stones were incomparably clear, as if the auction platform were right before their eyes. The unsophisticated plant spirit was a bit astonished, it hadn’t expected the cultivation world to have its own black technology!
Jin Manting, dressed in red, called out loudly: “Alright, let us unveil tonight’s first auction item, and that is…”
Everyone held their breath.
“The Sea Demon Clan’s lost supreme treasure, the Luminous Glazed Tile Stone!!!”
As soon as the words fell, the entire hall erupted in noise.
A supreme treasure beneficial to the cultivation of the demon race, countless people rushed toward it.
For a time, bidders were innumerable, and the scene was extremely lively.
Watching the excitement, Jian Zhen froze entirely, staring dumbfounded at the water-blue Luminous Glazed Tile Stone placed inside a box on the display stand. If that was a glazed tile stone, then what was its flowerpot?
Ye Jisheng’s voice fell: “No need to look. It’s fake.”
The little plant dumpling sitting on his shoulder looked at him in surprise.
Ye Jisheng’s handsome face was covered by a silver mask, cold and distant, the corner of his mouth hooking into a sneer: “A place like this is inherently a mix of fish and dragons. The items auctioned are even more a mix of real and fake. Idiots who can’t recognize goods have only one fate here, being slaughtered.”
Jian Zhen, who had almost believed it just now: “……”
Wuwu, the waters outside are too deep.
It wants to go back to the flowerpot!
In the end, that fake Luminous Glazed Tile Stone was auctioned off by someone on the first floor for twenty million spirit stones.
Standing at the center, Jin Manting beamed with joy: “Thank you all for your support, and congratulations to that young hero for obtaining the spirit treasure. Now, let us unveil the next precious item!”
What was presented on the stage was an exquisite white jade bottle.
Jin Manting introduced it: “Inside this bottle is the Great Achievement Pill newly refined by the Poison Immortal Baili Hongtu. After consuming it, one can instantly increase one’s cultivation by a hundred years and become immune to all poisons!”
As the words fell, it once again stirred up towering waves.
The auction numbers instantly began to climb.
Jian Zhen was curiously looking at the bottle.
Ye Jisheng sat elegantly in his chair, as if appreciating a farce, and said lightly: “This is fake as well.”
Jian Zhen was shocked and looked at him abruptly. Even though the little spirit couldn’t speak, the round little dumpling was enough to express its astonishment, how was it fake again?
Ye Jisheng said lazily: “Seven hundred years ago, this venerable one passed through a desolate ancient place and encountered Baili Hongtu. He attempted to poison me and failed, and was killed by this venerable, his cave dwelling destroyed in the flames along with him. There is no way any poison could still be circulating.”
The little plant spirit: “……”
It sounded a bit outrageous, yet very reasonable.
Jian Zhen listened very earnestly to these secrets of the Three Realms. Over the hundred years it had followed the Demon Venerable and the Immortal Venerable, it had heard quite a few strange tales of the Three Realms. These two big shots were the supreme kings of their respective races, existences no one in the Three Realms dared provoke, but strong people had no friends, so this little grass became their sole source of amusement.
The sound of Jin Manting’s hammer striking rang out: “Five million, congratulations to this young hero for happily obtaining the treasure at the price of five million spirit stones!”
Sounds of regret rose throughout the hall.
Jian Zhen thought, don’t be regretful, you all should be glad. If you’d tried a bit harder, the ones getting slaughtered would be you!
The other treasures were brought up one after another, some real, some fake. Not every fake item was pointed out by Ye Jisheng, but after spending enough time together, Jian Zhen could tell the value of an item from the mockery in his eyes.
After another round passed.
Finally…
When another beam of white light fell, Jin Manting lifted the red cloth: “This is a Warm Jade Gemstone Flowerpot, crafted by the Mengxi Clan through countless processes, a treasure hard to find in the world. Spiritual herbs planted in this flowerpot can be preserved for tens of millions of years without decay, and it is also an excellent spiritual tool that aids the cultivation of spirit plants. The bidding starts now at 500 spirit stones!”
This was Jian Zhen’s flowerpot, and also the purpose of their trip.
Spiritual treasures for cultivating spirit plants were naturally not as expensive as those high-tier spiritual artifacts from before.
But there were still scattered bids:
“I bid 100,000 spirit stones.”
“200,000.”
“I bid 500,000!”
Just as everyone was competing through another round.
Suddenly, a streak of red light flashed across the bidding panel, and a number appeared on the large screen.
Jin Manting was also slightly surprised, but it didn’t affect the upward curve of his lips. After looking toward the largest private room on the top floor, belonging to the Demon Venerable Ye Jisheng, he struck the hammer and announced: “Private Room No. 1 bids ten million spirit stones!”
As soon as the words fell, the crowd erupted.
Although the Mengxi Clan’s flowerpots for nurturing spirit plants were indeed rare, few were willing to spend such a huge sum to buy one. Even Jin Manting himself was somewhat surprised, he had not expected that big shot would be willing to offer such a high price to buy a flowerpot. But surprise aside, money not earned would be money wasted.
Jin Manting was just about to continue hammering.
Suddenly…
The red light in the center of the big screen flashed again, and a new bid refreshed the display.
Jin Manting froze for a moment, disbelief and trembling hands gripping the hammer as he brought it down, excitedly shouting: “Private Room No. 2 bids, twenty million spirit stones!”
If the entire venue had merely been shocked just now, at this moment everyone in the venue could no longer sit still.
One had to know the rules of the ghost market: tiers were divided according to status and ability. Especially at a large auction like this, anyone who could sit on the top floor had to be a rare great power within the Three Realms to even qualify. And now, such formidable figures were not only bidding on a flowerpot, but two big shots from the top-floor private rooms had both stepped in, they were actually competing against each other!!!
Heavens, what kind of flowerpot could be so precious?
Could it be…
That this was not an ordinary flowerpot at all, but some rare spiritual artifact?
This thought instantly flashed through everyone’s mind.
The people below looked at one another. Some gritted their teeth and decided to gamble their entire fortunes: “I’ll bid too, twenty-one million spirit stones!”
One stone stirred up a thousand waves.
Originally, some people had only been suspicious and were still watching. Seeing others willing to bid over twenty million to buy it, they assumed those people had obtained some insider information. Thus, those who had been hesitating also made up their minds.
For a time:
“Twenty-two million spirit stones.”
“Twenty-five million.”
“And us too…”
Watching the chaotic crowd below frantically driving up the price, the white-robed immortal in Private Room No. 2 helplessly raised a hand to his forehead. Fu Changhuan had always been rational and clear-minded, yet at this moment he had not expected things to develop into the very situation he least wished to see.
The little attendant was somewhat worried: “Immortal Venerable?”
Fu Changhuan, after all, was an immortal lord with tens of millions of years of cultivation. He raised his hand slightly and said: “It’s fine. Perhaps the person next door is only acting on a whim. Now that the price has been hyped up and has long exceeded the flowerpot’s true value, they will no longer continue bidding…”
Before the words had finished falling,
A streak of red light swept across, updating the bid on the screen, and the entire venue suddenly fell silent.
Jin Manting trembled for a moment, then slammed the hammer down heavily: “Private Room No. 1 adds another bid, one hundred million spirit stones! Is there anyone else who wishes to continue bidding?”
The entire venue fell into instant silence.
Even those who had been joining in the excitement retreated. Such an astronomical number made people shy away.
Even the little attendant was shocked at the sight, never having expected things to develop this way. He looked at the Immortal Venerable in surprise and confusion, only to find that the Immortal Venerable’s expression had also turned cold and solemn; he had not seen the Immortal Venerable look like this for a very long time.
After hesitating, the little attendant spoke: “Immortal Venerable, the price is truly too high. Why don’t we look for other spiritual treasures to use as a pot for the immortal grass?”
Fu Changhuan said: “It has been dormant for far too long. It cannot wait any longer.”
Just as the little attendant was about to speak again, Fu Changhuan had already injected spiritual power and placed another bid.
Outside, Jin Manting nearly fainted again when he saw the number across the screen: “Private Room No. 2 bids, one hundred and twenty million spirit stones!!!”
Everyone had thought this was already the highest it could go. The two big shots upstairs were probably just indulging in a momentary contest, playing around over a flowerpot, and would stop once they had had their fun.
But unexpectedly, the red light flashed.
Another new price appeared, the highest price since the auction began flashing on the screen.
Jin Manting’s eyes widened, nearly unable to catch his breath, as he slammed the hammer on the table and shouted: “The guest in Private Room No. 1 directly bids two hundred million spirit stones!”
The entire venue was in uproar.
It had doubled again!
Even Jian Zhen, sitting in Ye Jisheng’s arms inside Private Room No. 1, was somewhat taken aback. It was just a little grass and did not understand the prices of spirit stones. It was not clever, but it was not stupid either, it knew this price was very, very high.
The little plant spirit hesitated for a moment, then gently rubbed against Ye Jisheng’s hand.
Ye Jisheng lowered his gaze to look at it: “What?”
The jade-dumpling-sized spirit in his arms gently shook its little head, its tender, soft branches swaying along with it. Though it could not speak, the meaning was clearly expressed: it knew the flowerpot was very good, but it was too expensive, don’t buy it. It could manage with an ordinary flowerpot; it really wasn’t picky.
Ye Jisheng’s red eyes reflected the little grass’s foolishly cute appearance. He curled his lips into a smile; eyes that always held a mischievous grin were, for once, tinged with a few traces of softness.
And yet, right at this moment…
A voice transmission entered the room. Fu Changhuan from the neighboring private room spoke in a voice only those in the two rooms could hear: “May I ask which great power the immortal friend next door might be. Being able to meet here today is fate. Though this Mengxi Clan spiritual artifact is precious, it is not worth a price of two hundred million spirit stones. I hope this immortal friend will not waste money on this.”
As the words fell, Jian Zhen clearly saw a flash of coldness pass through Ye Jisheng’s eyes.
But it lasted only a moment.
A cold laugh sounded in the room. Ye Jisheng did not even raise his eyes, saying indifferently: “They are merely external possessions. This venerable has plenty of them. If Immortal Lord Wangchen is reluctant to bid, then there is no need to trouble yourself with this matter.”
As the words fell, the atmosphere in both rooms suddenly congealed.
Both sides’ identities were abruptly laid bare, or rather, Ye Jisheng had never deigned to conceal his.
Fu Changhuan fell silent for a moment, then said: “To be frank, today’s bidding for this flowerpot is also because the spirit plant I nurture has recently achieved a breakthrough in cultivation and urgently requires this spiritual treasure to protect its soul. If the Demon Venerable is unwilling to make concessions, then this venerable can only accompany you to the very end.”
When the two supreme beings of the realms exchanged words, invisible authority spread across the top floor.
Ordinary people would have long since been frightened into retreat, unable to utter a word.
Ye Jisheng merely let his finger slide across the immortal grass’s soft leaves, his handsome and cold face carrying a light, indifferent tone: “You may bid as you please. The spirit plant this venerable raises has also happened to need this flowerpot recently. However, for the sake of the Immortal Lord’s sincerity, this venerable can also advise you, this spiritual artifact only has nurturing effects on spirit grasses of exceptional aptitude. This venerable’s spirit plant took less than a hundred years to take form; taking the Mengxi artifact would be putting it to its best use.”
The implication being…
That whatever unknown spirit plant you have shouldn’t come waste a good thing.
From next door, the usually good-tempered Fu Changhuan let out a cold laugh: “The Demon Venerable is joking. This one’s spirit plant has always been personally cared for. It developed spiritual intelligence in under a hundred years and is a rare spirit plant in the world.”
Ye Jisheng: “This venerable’s spirit plant dared to take form in under a hundred years.”
Fu Changhuan: “This venerable’s spirit plant understands human nature and dares to speak human words.”
Two top-tier giants of the Three Realms clashed across space, the atmosphere drawn taut like a drawn sword.
Only Jian Zhen: “……”
No, what are they even talking about?!
Isn’t anyone going to come manage this, ah, it, it doesn’t dare!
