Stepping slowly out of the auction house, Xiao Yan stood at the entrance and gazed up at the slightly dim sky. He let out a long breath and then turned to walk toward a reception hall. “I should first collect the items I auctioned and the ones I purchased,” he muttered to himself as he walked.
Entering the reception hall, Xiao Yan handed his second-tier VIP card to a maid, explained his purpose, and was respectfully invited inside by her. “Sir, please wait for a moment. The auction is about to end, and once it does, our manager will help you with your auctioned items.” The maid placed a cup of warm tea on the table beside him and then smiled and retreated.
Nodding slightly, Xiao Yan held the teacup in his hands, absorbing the warmth but not drinking it. In this Black-Corner Region, being cautious was always wise, especially in an auction house that seemed fair but was dark and murky beneath the surface.
Closing his eyes, Xiao Yan’s fingers gently tapped on the table. After a while, footsteps approached, and he stopped tapping. Opening his eyes, he looked toward the curtain that had been lifted. There, a short, gaunt old man led two maids, entering with a smile. “Haha, you must be the one who auctioned those three Qing Ling Pills, right? I’m the manager here; you can call me Manager Hu.”
Xiao Yan, fully cloaked in black, nodded slightly. “Yaoyan. Is the auction over, Manager Hu?”
“Haha, it ended perfectly,” Manager Hu replied with a nod, his eyes discreetly scanning Xiao Yan, though he found no clue to his identity. He waved his hand, and a maid hurriedly raised a silver tray. On the tray was a five-striped purple-gold card, with each stripe a different color.
The five-striped purple-gold card was a privilege only for Dou Ling strong practitioners. Of course, there were exceptions, and a Grade 3 Alchemist could also qualify.
“Mr. Yao, the total price for your three Qing Ling Pills was 2,700,000 gold coins. After deducting the 10% auction fee, you have 2,430,000 gold coins left. You spent 1,200,000 on the Earth Heart Fire Spirit Grass and 400,000 on the Eight Trigram Clear Fire Cauldron, so your final balance is 930,000 gold coins. The remaining money is on this purple-gold card, and the items you purchased are in this storage ring,” Manager Hu said, handing the silver tray to Xiao Yan.
On the tray was the five-striped purple-gold card and a regular storage ring.
“Quite a hefty fee,” Xiao Yan shook his head inwardly, realizing that after all his efforts, he was left with less than a million gold coins. He took the card and the storage ring, carefully checking the items inside the ring before transferring them to his own storage ring.
“By the way, Manager Hu, which faction successfully bid for the Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill at the end of the auction?” asked Xiao Yan curiously after he had sorted everything.
“Haha, the pill was bought by the Sky Serpent Mansion,” Manager Hu replied without hesitation, as many people had witnessed the auction, and the news would spread quickly.
“Sky Serpent Mansion, huh…” Xiao Yan murmured under his hood, his brow furrowing slightly.
“Since you have everything, I won’t keep you. Goodbye,” he said, bowing to Manager Hu and preparing to leave.
“Haha, Mr. Yaoyan, our door lord is quite interested in you. If you don’t mind, could you meet with him for a chat?” Manager Hu asked, smiling as he saw Xiao Yan about to leave.
Xiao Yan’s brow furrowed slightly under his hood. “Forget it. I just auctioned some items. What could possibly interest your door lord? I have other matters to attend to, so I must take my leave. If I need to auction anything in the future, I’ll come back to Manager Hu. Goodbye.”
Without waiting for Manager Hu to respond, Xiao Yan quickly walked out of the hall.
In the hall, Manager Hu watched Xiao Yan disappear from sight, his brows furrowing. “What? Did you find out his identity?”
A voice, tinged with a cold, unmasked menace, echoed in the hall. Manager Hu turned to see a burly, middle-aged man sitting in Xiao Yan’s former chair. The air in the hall seemed to grow oppressive, causing Manager Hu to bend lower.
“Door Lord…”
The middle-aged man, with slightly graying hair, spoke, “I can’t tell yet. This person is too well-hidden. Logically, someone who can provide three Qing Ling Pills is likely an alchemist, and a strong one at that. But I’ve thought of every high-grade alchemist I know, and none match this person.”
Frowning, the man ordered, “Send someone to follow him and find out his background. A high-grade alchemist who can make Qing Ling Pills is rare. Do everything to get him to serve our sect. If not, ensure his elimination. If he can’t serve us, he can’t serve anyone else; otherwise, he’ll be a threat.”
“Yes, sir,” Manager Hu responded, bowing.
“Find someone good at stealth. I need to personally handle the transfer of the Yin-Yang Profound Dragon Pill to the Sky Serpent Mansion. It’s too valuable, and if the seller wasn’t so powerful, we wouldn’t be doing this,” the man said, walking out with a smirk.
Manager Hu sighed, watching the man leave, then quietly exited the hall.
After leaving the auction house, Xiao Yan went to the “Thousand Medicine Shop” to buy the ingredients for the Replenishing Purple Spirit Pill. His 900,000 gold coins on the purple-gold card dwindled to around 200,000 after the purchases.
Playing with the card, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but chuckle bitterly. Despite all his efforts, his financial situation remained unchanged.
“Sigh, still a poor man…” he mused, recalling the extravagant spending of the others at the auction.
“Be careful, someone is following you. I think it’s the people from the Octagonal Gate,” Elder Pharmacist’s voice echoed in his mind as Xiao Yan turned a corner.
Pausing slightly, Xiao Yan continued walking, smirking inwardly. “This Black-Corner Region… With such dubious credibility, how can anyone trust them to auction their items? If this were in the Jia Ma Empire, they’d go bankrupt soon.”
“In the Black-Corner Region, few factions can host such auctions due to the chaos. But ignore them for now; we don’t need unnecessary conflicts,” Elder Pharmacist advised.
“Alright,” Xiao Yan nodded.
“Shake off the tail and find out where the Blood Sect’s Young Sect Master, Fan Ling, is staying. We can do without other things, but we must get that broken map,” Elder Pharmacist said.
Nodding again, Xiao Yan knew the map was crucial for finding the “Lotus Flame.” Glancing subtly behind him, he darted into a small alley, moving like a shadow.
Shortly after, several figures followed, searching the alley but finding no one. They dispersed, searching for their lost target.
“Is this what they call tracking?” Xiao Yan laughed to himself, changing his clothes and gathering information. Fan Ling, due to his status, made no effort to hide and stayed in the most luxurious hotel in Black Seal City. Getting information about his lodging was easy.
To monitor Fan Ling, Xiao Yan found a discreet place near his residence. The next day, after a night’s rest, Fan Ling and his group left the hotel, making a grand exit from Black Seal City.
As they left, a black figure followed them, impossible to shake off.
“Heh, sorry, but no one can take what’s mine, no matter who you are,” the black figure sneered, dashing through the forest.
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