Chapter 574: Meeting an Old Friend at the Time of Falling Flowers

He Lingchuan looked over and saw this man with a handsome appearance, but the words he said weren't very pleasant. His companion had a square face and big ears, and his eyes were very bright; at this time, he tugged at his sleeve: "Hey." Why tell the truth?

The servant was worthy of having seen the world, his smile unchanged: "Besides relying on eyesight, one also has to rely on luck. Playing with this display cabinet is indeed finding gold in the sand."

He Lingchuan walked past the display cabinets one by one, and the Divine Bone necklace suddenly burned him.

In this cabinet? He was about to stop, but unexpectedly, the Soul-Taking Mirror in his bosom reminded him: "Someone has been staring at you."

He Lingchuan was startled, his footsteps didn't stop, he continued forward, lowering his voice: "Who?"

"Standing by the display cabinet behind you, the one with the green belt around his waist."

He Lingchuan wasn't stupid enough to look back immediately.

"The other one is the servant." The mirror said. "He has been staring at you since you approached these unknown strange objects."

He Lingchuan circled around and slowly walked back with his hands behind his back.

What kind of eyesight did he have? With a sweep of his eyes, he looked at the two people the mirror had prompted.

The one with the green belt should have cultivation, and seeing He Lingchuan scan over, he immediately turned his head and didn't make eye contact with him.

And the servant by the display cabinet had a smile on his face and didn't avoid He Lingchuan's gaze. At this time, a guest came forward to inquire, and the servant explained to them, appearing quite professional.

"This cabinet is all cleared out by an old seller of our Dun Garden. The price is quite affordable, just to help the auction, and also to let everyone try their luck."

As soon as he opened his mouth, He Lingchuan stopped to listen.

This action wasn't abrupt, because many onlookers did the same.

The guy who complained about the low winning rate earlier also walked over, pointing to something in the cabinet:

"Take this one and let me see."

This was an object similar to a bull's horn, more than a foot and a half long, with a very sharp tip that could be used as a murder weapon. As soon as the servant took it out, the Divine Bone necklace burned He Lingchuan twice.

Twice.

Was this what it wanted? He Lingchuan examined it carefully and found that its surface had a luster like tortoiseshell, and the broken end was very uneven, as if it had been forcibly broken.

Was it the horn of some creature? Couldn't tell.

But it was oily and shiny, obviously well-maintained, and stood out from the dusty items in the other display cabinets.

The complaining guest was asked to wear gloves before he could touch the long horn.

He turned it over and looked at it twice, muttering: "Not bad, usable."

His companion wondered: "What do you want this for?"

"I happen to need a bugle." The complaining guest looked at the starting price. "Look, the price isn't expensive either, starting at three taels of silver. When is the auction?"

The servant smiled: "Two quarter-hours later, Tianyu Building, item number 1111."

He glanced at He Lingchuan casually.

Why did he feel that this was said for him to hear? He Lingchuan rubbed his nose.

His companion shook his head: "You buy a bull's horn outside, and it wouldn't cost three coins of silver, right?"

"This is an unknown strange object." The complaining guest chuckled. "What if I make a profit?"

He Lingchuan left when he heard this.

Since someone was watching, regardless of what the Divine Bone necklace wanted, it wasn't convenient for him to stay long.

Turning around a few times in between, the Soul-Taking Mirror told him:

"The two stopped by the display cabinet and didn't follow."

Were they not specifically here to watch him, but guarding the cabinet? He Lingchuan shook his head, not understanding.

Now he had to handle Li Qingge's entrustment first.

Passing by a balcony, he learned that Dun Garden also prepared exquisite masks for guests, some covering half the face and some blocking the whole face, which could be taken at will.

Some distinguished guests bid on things but didn't want others to know. Masks could solve their worries.

He Lingchuan casually took a gold-threaded half-face mask for backup, then entered the West Second Side Room.

The auction items displayed here were all weapons and armor, some flashing with treasure light, and their quality didn't seem to be below his Tenglong Spear.

There were also more than a dozen dragon-head knives and swords in the exhibition area, each marked with its origin, which should be the work of famous masters. Some were inlaid with gold and jade, more exquisite than his Fusheng.

Seeing them, He Lingchuan also understood why Fushan Yue didn't suspect the dragon-head knife he was wearing after seeing the second scene of the illusion in the Thousand Star City ruins.

Dragon heads and Yazi were the most common knife decorations.

The most exaggerated thing here was a set of mountain-pattern golden armor, each "mountain"-shaped gold piece polished to shine, blinding people from far away. He Lingchuan had read the description of this precious armor; it was connected with shark silk and also inlaid with jade beads, giant clams, and other arrays, with special effects such as lightness, cleanliness, strength, and water/fire immunity.

In other words, it had an automatic cleaning function and didn't need to be washed after wearing it a few times.

Such luxurious armor was of course not used for fighting. The effect of being golden on the outside reminded He Lingchuan of the night-shining spirit deer ridden by Bai Ziqi.

The more famous and wealthy people gathered, the more they pursued luxury and splendor in eating, living, and traveling. He Lingchuan looked at the price—well, sure enough, he couldn't afford it.

He turned his head again and saw the task assigned by the Master of Songyang Prefecture.

Li Qingge had reminded him that this was an old acquaintance, and He Lingchuan didn't lose his composure, but his heart still gave a fierce start.

That's right, it was an old acquaintance, a battlefield acquaintance—

Nian Zanli! He Lingchuan never expected to run into him here.

This damn unexpected encounter!

Fushan Yue also recognized this person and was surprised: "General Hong, when did you return to Lingxu City?"

"Last month." This person's gaze was burning, staring at He Lingchuan the whole time, as if he wanted to burn a hole in him. He had thought he saw wrong when he first entered the hall, and only confirmed it after rubbing his eyes repeatedly.

Fushan Yue asked immediately: "Do you know each other?"

He Lingchuan didn't make a sound, clenching his fists in his sleeves, his back stiffening due to the unexpected crisis. This person, however, said: "Don't know, won't you introduce us?"

"He Xiao, this is General Qingwu, Hong Chenglue, a famous general of my Beijia."

"General Hong, this is my special envoy for the case, He Xiao."

At this very moment, He Lingchuan's mind raced, flashing countless thoughts.

Hong Chenglue knew his background! Hong Chenglue also had a blood feud with him! What to do now, turn and run or draw his blade and kill him?

Should he remain calm? Hong Chenglue would never be as blind as Nian Zanli; how would he treat him?

"Envoy?" Hong Chenglue seemed to be adjusting his breath too. "What case?"

"The Anti-Aging Pill case, have you heard of it?"

Hong Chenglue nodded slowly: "So it was handled by He Xiao! Young and promising, where did the Crown Prince find such talent?"

He emphasized the two words "He Xiao."

"He is from the Fu State."

Hong Chenglue said a long "oh": "Fu State."

It was late autumn, and He Lingchuan only felt that all the cold air he inhaled was cold, but he pulled a smile at Hong Chenglue: "Why did General Hong come to stroll in Dun Garden?"

Hong Chenglue had seen him first, and the initial excitement had calmed down: "I heard that there is Boundless Gold in this Dun Garden auction, and I wanted to come and see the fun even if I couldn't buy it."

Fushan Yue also remembered such a treasure: "Yes, the auction of Boundless Gold is worth seeing. Has it started yet?"

"Starting soon, in Hanxiang Hall." Hong Chenglue could actually smile. "Want to go see it together?"

No one had any objections, so they stepped down the stairs and headed toward Hanxiang Hall.

Along the way, Hong Chenglue asked about the Anti-Aging Pill case.

This was Fushan Yue's proud work, answering every question.

After all, having survived several life-and-death situations in reality and the Soul Township, He Lingchuan also quickly recovered from the caught-off-guard tension, even interjecting two sentences when Fushan Yue introduced it.

Hong Chenglue didn't call out his identity the first time, or draw his gun, so there was room for maneuver.

The conversation between the three was eerily harmonious.

Fushan Yue asked again: "The war on the eastern front is tense, what are General Hong's plans recently?"

"Not yet." Hong Chenglue's smile was a bit stiff. "I haven't been back long, and such a good job as going out to fight might not necessarily fall to me."

Just like what Fushan Yue said, Beijia had many famous generals but had been at peace for too long. There weren't many opportunities to earn military merit, so who didn't want to go east to lead troops? He Lingchuan's thoughts turned rapidly upon hearing this.

Celebrities gathered in Hanxiang Hall.

He Lingchuan looked up; the previous batch of auction items had been withdrawn, and new ones were placed on the stage. It seemed that a few people had spoken a few words to the auctioneer on the stage, and the auctioneer nodded repeatedly.

Before everyone was seated, the auctioneer said loudly:

"Item number 1111, an unknown strange object shaped like a bull's horn, now open for bidding!"

He Lingchuan was startled: "Why is it still this item?"

Before he was pulled away by Hong Chenglue for a private conversation, the auction was already bidding on this bull's horn; how could it be that after he finished talking to Hong Chenglue, chatted with the gibbon Lao Ge, and walked back, this item still hadn't been sold! The auctioneer on the stage was indeed displaying the strange object that looked like a bull's horn, and even the luster was exactly the same.

Such a small thing couldn't sell for much, and the auction time it occupied should be very short. For a big-name auctioneer like the one on the stage, giving it twenty breaths could be considered a favor.

Fushan Yue rolled his eyes, also a bit impatient. He was waiting to see the competition for Boundless Gold, but was delayed by this little broken thing: "Just as this thing was about to be auctioned, the auctioneer found that the description given by the organizer was wrong, so he auctioned others first."

He Lingchuan raised his eyebrows, firmly controlling his hands, just not paying attention to the Divine Bone necklace that kept heating up.

There were too many strange things happening around these unknown strange objects; first, the display cabinet was monitored, then the bull's horn was suddenly changed from Tianyu Building to Hanxiang Hall for auction, and the first time it was auctioned, it claimed to have taken the wrong information...

It was simply as if it was waiting for him!

As soon as this thought arose, He Lingchuan felt a bit creepy.

As a newcomer to Lingxu City, the Star-Plucking Tower wanted to arrest him, and he was full of vigilance toward everything around him now.

Regardless of what the Divine Bone necklace wanted, it wasn't worth him taking the risk to get it now.

So he simply ignored the auction of the bull's horn, just ordered a glass of wine, and whispered to Fushan Yue under the stage.

Unknown strange objects weren't that easy to sell, and the auctioneer shouted twice, but no one responded.

Seeing the strange object was about to be unsold, he was about to hit the hammer and shout "next item," when someone under the stage raised a plaque: