The auction hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. All eyes were fixed on Yi Mingcheng.
The elderly auctioneer who had been holding the small gavel on stage ran down, crouched beside him, and asked with ragged breaths, "Do you really have a Rejuvenation Blood Pill?"
The old man was Dan Fang, the Treasure Hunting Pavilion's Alchemy Master.
A few days ago, a top-grade Body Forging Blood Coagulation Pill had suddenly appeared with the Lin family in War Dragon City, alerting the Treasure Hunting Pavilion to a crisis.
Today, the Treasure Hunting Pavilion had not only taken the unprecedented step of auctioning two of the pills, but they also had Dan Fang, an Alchemy Master himself, personally preside over the event.
The auction had just reached its climax when it was abruptly interrupted. As an Alchemy Master, seeing the guards' brutal actions, Dan Fang felt no disgust. In fact, he even felt an impulse to charge forward and tear the fellow to shreds himself.
However, when he heard the three words that man roared out, all his displeasure vanished into thin air.
'The Rejuvenation Blood Pill… That was a medicinal pill lost for ages. If it's real and I can study it, maybe I can break through my bottleneck and advance another step!'
He was the lofty and respected Alchemy Master of the Treasure Hunting Pavilion, while Yi Mingcheng was currently slumped on the ground without a shred of dignity, like a mangy dog.
But at this moment, not only did Dan Fang not dare to look down on Yi Mingcheng, but he was crouching beside him, waiting intently for his answer with surprising patience.
Seeing that Yi Mingcheng didn't answer, Dan Fang asked again, "Sir, do you really have a Rejuvenation Blood Pill? This is the Treasure Hunting Pavilion. If you can't produce the pill, not even the City Lord of War Dragon City can protect you!"
"I've got a Rejuvenation Blood Pill! The Pavilion Master ain't shit!"
He had repeated this sentence in his mind several times, and now, Yi Mingcheng blurted it out.
Dan Fang's breath hitched, and he felt unsteady on his feet, stumbling to the ground.
"Th-this… Sir, this humble one is Dan Fang, the Treasure Hunting Pavilion's Alchemy Master. If you have this pill, might I have a look?" Dan Fang wiped away a cold sweat and whispered respectfully in Yi Mingcheng's ear.
'If this madman really has a Rejuvenation Blood Pill, forget the Pavilion Master of the Treasure Hunting Pavilion; he could even get an audience with the Hall Master of the Southern Border Prefecture's Treasure Hunting Hall. I absolutely cannot afford to offend him.'
'He dares to curse the Pavilion Master, but I don't. I'd better resolve this quickly.'
Yi Mingcheng came back to his senses and stared blankly at Dan Fang.
By this time, he was completely lucid. Hearing Dan Fang's tone, his mind immediately started turning.
'To insult the Pavilion Master in the Treasure Hunting Pavilion, right in front of so many people… that's a blatant slap in the face. If I don't play this right, my own interests will suffer, even if I really do have a Rejuvenation Blood Pill.'
With Yi Mingcheng's mind racing, he didn't reply, leaving Dan Fang as anxious as an ant on a hot griddle.
Seeing Yi Mingcheng's demeanor, Dan Fang assumed he was being dismissed as not important enough.
Gritting his teeth, he apologized, "Sir, the Rejuvenation Blood Pill is a matter of great importance. The Pavilion Master himself should be here to receive you. But we have a distinguished guest today, so…"
Dan Fang forced a smile, wringing his hands anxiously.
Yi Mingcheng's heart skipped a beat; he realized he had underestimated the importance of the Rejuvenation Blood Pill.
'Fuck it. Things have already gone this far. I might as well go all in on the arrogance!'
"This floor is quite comfortable to sit on, but the lighting isn't very good."
'He had been about to get up himself, but then a thought struck him: compared to the badass persona he had just established, that would be far too demeaning.'
"Haha, this floor is indeed not bad. Everyone, come and try it." After a moment's stun, Dan Fang forced a laugh, slapped the ground hard, and sat down next to Yi Mingcheng without any regard for his image.
His words put everyone in the auction hall in a difficult position.
'Sitting on the floor? It would be a huge loss of face, completely beneath our status.'
'But if we don't sit, aren't we openly defying the Treasure Hunting Pavilion?'
'Damn it! Why do we have to get dragged into the Treasure Hunting Pavilion's mess? It's all that madman's fault!'
In an instant, everyone's gaze was fixed on Yi Mingcheng.
Yi Mingcheng was dumbfounded. He had just wanted them to help him up, but now the situation had escalated to the point where he was public enemy number one.
"Just kidding, just kidding. When I get agitated, I tend to spout nonsense. Everyone, please don't mind me." Yi Mingcheng laughed loudly as he stood up, pulling Dan Fang up with him.
"Of course I have the pill, but this place isn't convenient," Yi Mingcheng whispered to Dan Fang. 'It's best if we get out of here,' he thought.
"Understood, understood." Dan Fang nodded repeatedly, said a few polite words to end the auction, and then led the way, preparing to take Yi Mingcheng to the back courtyard.
THUD!
"This lowly one deserves to die, this lowly one deserves to die! Your Excellency, spare my life, spare my life!" The attendant who had dodged Yi Mingcheng's slap earlier now presented himself, kneeling at Yi Mingcheng's feet and slapping his own cheeks. SMACK! SMACK!
"I'm a customer. You shouldn't look down on people. You managed to provoke even someone as patient as me to the point of passing out—your service is truly something else. But... though I'm only a minor steward, I have at least that much magnanimity. Even if your Pavilion Master decides to punish me, I'll still forgive you. Now, go."
Yi Mingcheng waved his hand nonchalantly, though inwardly he was bursting with joy.
'He was confident that once these words got out, regardless of how the business deal went, his own neck would be safe.'
'If a Pavilion Master's magnanimity couldn't even match that of a steward, it would give people too much to talk about. Yi Mingcheng believed the Pavilion Master of the Treasure Hunting Pavilion wasn't that foolish.'
...
While things were descending into chaos outside, a courtyard in the deepest part of the Treasure Hunting Pavilion's rear area offered a completely different scene.
The Pavilion Master of the Treasure Hunting Pavilion, a man revered by everyone in War Dragon City and to whom even the City Lord showed deference, was at this moment standing respectfully behind a young woman.
Her eyebrows were like distant, mist-shrouded peaks, and her complexion was as fair and delicate as a peach blossom.
She was young, perhaps only eighteen or nineteen, but her beauty was peerless, as if she were a celestial maiden who had stepped out of a painting.
Across from the woman sat a rather handsome young man.
At the moment, the young man was holding a medicinal pill, a smug look on his face as he prattled on, showing it off.
"Miss Wenren, I wouldn't dare boast about the entire continent, but I can say with confidence that in the entire Southern Border Prefecture, this is the only Rejuvenation Blood Pill! Consider my terms. As long as you agree, I, Chu Sheng, will present this pill with both hands."
"Insolent! Chu Sheng, with just one pill, you dare to demand a ten percent stake in the Red Beauty City Treasure Hunting Pavilion! You may be the Young Master of Red Beauty City, but to our Treasure Hunting Holy Hall, that status means nothing!"
Miss Wenren had not yet spoken, but the Pavilion Master was already furious.
'To him, his Young Miss was not only peerlessly beautiful but also possessed breathtaking talent in both business and the Martial Dao. Moreover, she was from the Wenren family, one of the four great clans of the Cangnan Kingdom.'
'A mere Young Master of Red Beauty City wasn't even qualified to speak to his Young Miss, yet this punk had the audacity to bargain with her.'
"Heh heh, Pavilion Master, allow me to correct you. I'm not asking for a ten percent stake in the Treasure Hunting Pavilion, but a ten percent stake in the Treasure Hunting Holy Hall. While this is a First Grade Pill, its value is likely immeasurable. The Treasure Hunting Holy Hall is filled with talented people. If you successfully decipher the Alchemy Hand Seal for this pill, the resulting benefits... well, I don't need to spell them out, do I?"
Chu Sheng stated his case calmly, completely unfazed.
Miss Wenren, who had been silent all this while, furrowed her delicate brows slightly. Then, her vermilion lips parted, and she said, "Young Master Chu, your words have tempted even me, Yuxin. A ten percent stake isn't impossible. The Dream Red Dust wine from Red Beauty City is a masterpiece. In fact, we could cooperate."
"And what does Miss Wenren have in mind?"
A slight curve touched Wenren Yuxin's lips. "Our Treasure Hunting Holy Hall will become the exclusive agent for Dream Red Dust, responsible for all sales. Your Chu family will only be responsible for production, and you'll keep ninety percent of the profits. Of course, for the benefit of my Treasure Hunting Holy Hall, the Chu family will need to provide the complete recipe. In the interest of fairness, after we decipher the Rejuvenation Blood Pill's hand seal, we will also provide it to the Chu family unconditionally."
"Hahaha, Miss Wenren, what a brilliant scheme. It seems we can't reach an agreement. Alas, it looks like I'll have to take this pill to the Hundred Treasures Hall instead."
After speaking, Chu Sheng stood up, making a show of leaving.
Although she knew he was just playing hard to get, Wenren Yuxin still raised an eyebrow.
The Hundred Treasures Hall was a newly emerged organization and not yet a force to be reckoned with, but just as Chu Sheng said, the value of the Rejuvenation Blood Pill was immense.
'Another question worried her: since Chu Sheng could produce one Rejuvenation Blood Pill, did that mean the Chu family had an unfathomably powerful Alchemy Master in their service?'
As she was weighing her options, the door was suddenly knocked upon.
The Pavilion Master had already given orders not to be disturbed unless it was something important. A knock on the door now meant there was an urgent matter.
"Ninety-Five, go open the door. Young Master Chu, why not sit a while longer before you leave?"
The Pavilion Masters of the Treasure Hunting Pavilion branches across the continent were all direct retainers of the Holy Hall. They were all orphans adopted by the Wenren family, given codenames instead of names to ensure absolute loyalty.
Besides having excellent business acumen, their innate constitutions could not be lacking; they had to be Spirit Bodies!
This Ninety-Five of War Dragon City was a Spirit Body, and a powerhouse at the Elemental Realm on top of that!
After Ninety-Five opened the door and saw Dan Fang standing respectfully outside with an outsider in tow, his face darkened, and he was clearly displeased.
However, after Dan Fang quietly explained the situation in his ear, his expression changed.
"Miss…" Returning to the room, Ninety-Five glanced at Chu Sheng and hesitated to speak.
"What is it?"
"Miss, it's about the Rejuvenation Blood Pill," Ninety-Five answered respectfully.
"Oh? In that case, Young Master Chu isn't an outsider here. Speak freely."
"Miss, there is someone outside who says he also has Rejuvenation Blood Pills, and more than one."
Chu Sheng had been feeling rather smug after hearing Wenren Yuxin say he wasn't an outsider, but now, as soon as Ninety-Five spoke, his face changed drastically.
'That's not right. The old man said he'd found the pill in some ancient ruins, and there was only one!'
Remembering the old man from a few days ago who had traded the Rejuvenation Blood Pill for wine, Chu Sheng calmly sat back down, his face impassive.
'Not long after I got the Rejuvenation Blood Pill, Wenren Yuxin arrived from the distant capital. That proves how much importance the Treasure Hunting Holy Hall places on this pill.'
'How could such a pill exist in a small place like War Dragon City?'
'I'd like to see who's audacious enough to try and swindle the Treasure Hunting Holy Hall!'
'Especially right in front of Wenren Yuxin.'
'Although Wenren Yuxin was stunningly beautiful, and he, Chu Sheng, would love to win her affections, he didn't dare entertain any improper thoughts.'
'This woman's background was profound—she was from the Wenren family, one of the four great clans of the Cangnan Kingdom. Not only that, but her Martial Dao Cultivation was unfathomable. Based on the clues he'd gathered, her innate constitution was far beyond a mere Spirit Body!'
'What's more, she was a master of alchemy, already an Earth-rank Pill Master at such a young age!'
'The real reason he, Chu Sheng, had pursued her from Red Beauty City all the way to War Dragon City wasn't for some ten percent stake. It was to put on a good show before gifting her the pill.'
'Using a single pill to build a connection with the Wenren family—that was a trade where he couldn't possibly lose.'
'But now... it seemed there was a complication.'