Chapter 16

When Wang Yulou learned that the clan chief and Wang Rong were taking him to the legendary Ghost Market Auction, he was still very excited.

The Ghost Market Auction—just the name sounded extraordinary.

Having read countless online novels in his past life, Wang Yulou was intimately familiar with the auction histories of Immortal Han, Emperor Lin, and God-King Wang.

So now, is it finally my turn to attend an auction?

But things did not unfold as Wang Yulou had expected.

“Uncle Rongwen, don’t we need to conceal our faces?”

“What? Conceal our faces?”

“For an auction like this, shouldn’t we hide our identities? Isn’t the Wang clan always cautious?”

“No need. For someone at your Qi Refining stage, hiding your face does nothing—you can’t afford anything good anyway.”

Whether Qi Refining cultivators conceal themselves is up to them.

As for us, there’s absolutely no need—this auction was organized by the clan chief and the Garrison Cultivator Jiang Bao.”

Okay, okay, so this is how you play it?

So I’m just a disciple of the big player?

“Even the Garrison Cultivator is involved in this?” Wang Yulou asked.

He couldn’t imagine how greedy Jiang Bao had become—collecting Qi Heart Fees, running the Ghost Market Auction, he wanted a cut of every coin.

The income from Qingxi Fang goes to Hongdengzhao. For a Garrison Cultivator like him, the only ways to acquire more spirit stones are these few options.

“Do you know where this Ghost Market Auction is held?”

Wang Rongwen, walking ahead of them, asked without turning back—he assumed Wang Yulou couldn’t guess.

“Could it be… the Garrison Cultivator’s residence?”

“Good kid, hahaha, yes—it’s the Garrison Cultivator’s residence!”

Wang Rongwen explained.

“Smaller Ghost Market Auctions can be held privately, but larger ones must take place at the Garrison Cultivator’s residence.”

No matter their conduct, they’re still Hongdengzhao’s Garrison Cultivator—they have the right to take a cut.”

“Also, it prevents some fool from selling things they shouldn’t.”

Wang Yulou looked at the crowds streaming through the streets and felt a faint absurdity.

If Qingxi Fang were a city, then Hongdengzhao’s Garrison Cultivator would be like its mayor.

But now, the mayor himself is running black-market operations…

What is this?

Deep exploitation of the grassroots combined with grassroots management?

Hard to judge—in a world where power resides in the individual, organizational and managerial structures must differ from the modern mortal world Wang Yulou once knew.

“What do you mean by ‘things that shouldn’t be sold’?”

Xiang Yuan asked beside him.

“Things banned by the Immortal Alliance—like spirit items above sixth rank, young ones of Demon Kings, unverified cultivation techniques, and so on—all are prohibited.”

Wang Rongwen listed examples with ease.

“Young ones of Demon Kings? People actually sell those?”

In the cultivation novels Wang Yulou had read, buying spirit beast eggs or younglings was common among cultivators.

Some protagonists would buy a divine beast cub, then the cub’s parents would come hunting them down—only for the protagonist to kill them, then more assassins would keep coming.

Those authors were quite creative—using such plots to pad word count.

“You don’t know, over ten years ago, a disciple of the Tian She Sect bought an egg of the Western Sea’s great demon, Fanshan Jiao.”

Fanshan Jiao slaughtered its way from the Western Sea all the way to Tian She Sect—it caused chaos; even the sect’s True Persons were mobilized.”

At the entrance to the Garrison Cultivator’s residence, Wang Rongwen didn’t even need to speak—he simply flashed his face, and the junior cultivator at the gate hurriedly ushered him in.

The two boys, never having seen such grandeur, followed inside the lavish residence of the Garrison Cultivator.

Wang Yulou observed the furnishings and arrays within the Garrison Residence, as well as the participants already present at the auction.

But Xiang Yuan couldn’t stop thinking about his father’s story.

“If True Persons were mobilized, that Fanshan Jiao couldn’t have escaped, right?”

“You don’t understand. Tian She Sect ranks among the Upper Sects among the Ten Sects of Wunan because they venerate a Heavenly Snake.”

“That Heavenly Snake is deeply cultivated and closely related to Fanshan Jiao—it intervened and made Fanshan Jiao an honored guest elder of Tian She Sect.”

A cultivation sect was attacked by a Demon King—and instead of resisting, it chose to make the demon its elder.

Wang Yulou was taken aback.

This is the cultivation world where strength reigns supreme?

Here, as long as one is powerful enough, even a Demon King can become a honored guest among human cultivators.

“How powerful must Fanshan Jiao and the Heavenly Snake be…”

Xiang Yuan gazed dreamily.

The spiritual materials from such a beast must be incredibly valuable!

Its hide could carry top-tier talismans, its spirit bones could be forged into magic treasures, and even its flesh and blood would be a potent tonic.

“Alright, sit behind the clan chief. I have other matters to attend to.”

After settling the two boys in place, Wang Rongwen vanished into the crowd.

Today’s event had the Wang clan as one of the organizers—he had many arrangements to make.

——————

“Brother, look—Master is over there!”

Sitting behind the clan chief, Xiang Yuan, attending such a grand gathering for the first time, was no longer nervous—he scanned the crowd and suddenly spotted Hongmei.

“But it seems Sister didn’t come,” Xiang Yuan said with regret.

“You can tell her about today’s experience when you return.”

Wang Yulou’s suggestion lit up Xiang Yuan’s eyes.

Hearing the brothers’ conversation, Wang Xianmao, seated in front of them, smiled faintly.

He recalled his own days of training and fighting alongside Wang Xianhe.

How wonderful.

A Qi Refining cultivator, completely shrouded in concealment, stepped into the center of the Garrison Cultivator’s front hall.

“Dong~”

He struck a gong, then bowed to all the guests.

“No need for words—the exchange begins!

Let the Foundation Establishment elders go first!”

Brothers, the Foundation Establishment elders will bear the sky—feel free to spend.

As the host announced, Garrison Cultivator Jiang Bao slowly rose from his seat.

Only then did Wang Yulou notice him.

Though Jiang Bao had been sitting there all along, Wang Yulou had completely overlooked him—even forgotten him.

Yet before arriving, Wang Yulou had been intensely curious about this Garrison Cultivator, whose appetite for profit was so refined!

“Hidden in stillness—Jiang Bao’s ability, don’t be surprised.”

The clan chief’s voice reached them; Wang Xianmao did not turn, transmitting his explanation to the two boys behind him.

Bringing them here was meant to show them the vastness of the world, to witness the extraordinary abilities of other cultivators, so they’d be more alert when encountering such power in the future.

“You don’t need to answer—just watch. If anything puzzles you, blink your eyes, and I’ll transmit an explanation.”

Xiang Yuan immediately widened his eyes, no longer daring to blink.

It was just like middle school students—their teacher says, “Ask if you don’t understand,” but few students ever do—Xiang Yuan was one of those who never asked.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am Jiang Bao, the Garrison Cultivator of Qingxi Fang under Hongdengzhao.

“You may have heard my name, but you don’t know me well.”

“I love making friends. Your presence here today is a great honor to me.”

“Eighth-rank spirit material: Shuixu. Highest bidder takes it.”

“Gentlemen, bidding may begin.”

Though the distance was close, Wang Yulou still could not make out Jiang Bao’s face.

So… this Garrison Cultivator was truly powerful?

But the clamor of the auction hall interrupted his thoughts.

Jiang Bao had merely auctioned an eighth-rank Shuixu, yet every cultivator present seemed to erupt in excitement.