Chapter 130: Making a Move

After Xu Yang left, the smile on the servant’s face, which had been full of obsequiousness, gradually faded, and his hunched back straightened up.

"Is he the person you mentioned?" A figure appeared behind the servant; it was the shopkeeper of this Wanbao Pavilion.

The servant nodded. "It is him. This person is cautious, does not seek the limelight, and has no background or origin. If we absorb him, there is a great possibility of success."

The shopkeeper said, "His personality seems very steady, it’s just that his cultivation is a bit low. Observe him a bit more. When he reaches the Great Completion of Gang Qi, we will truly make contact. Occasionally, you can show him some goodwill."

The servant cupped his hands. "Yes!"

Purple Sun Gate!

Although the incident at the Hundred Herb Hall happened at night, many people eventually knew about it, and now it was finally spreading in the outer sect.

Li Xu knew about this and quickly rushed to Kong Yu’s courtyard, knocking on Kong Yu’s door.

"Is Xu Yang back?" Kong Yu asked.

He had been thinking recently that Ji Jingcheng only had one enemy in the Purple Sun Gate: Xu Yang.

If the deaths of Ji Jingcheng and Han Xing were not accidents, then it was very likely the work of Xu Yang.

Of course, it was just a suspicion. He didn't think Xu Yang had the ability to kill both Han Xing and Ji Jingcheng at the same time, but he didn't rule out the possibility.

It was just that Xu Yang had not returned to the Purple Sun Gate recently, and he couldn't find him even if he wanted to.

Li Xu shook his head. "No, I received news that an accident occurred at the Hundred Herb Hall guarded by Xu Yang and Lu Ren a few days ago. Some experts broke into the warehouse to rob spiritual herbs.

It is said that Lu Ren, Gu Hao, and others were injured and were fined contribution points for failing to guard it properly. Only Xu Yang killed a Gang Qi expert and performed meritorious service, receiving a reward."

Kong Yu stood up abruptly, his eyes flashing with murderous intent. "You say Xu Yang has the strength to kill an expert who has refined Qi into Gang?"

If Xu Yang had the strength to kill a Gang Qi expert, then the deaths of Han Xing and Ji Jingcheng were very likely related to Xu Yang.

Li Xu nodded. "It is said that the Liu San he beat to death was indeed at the Gang Qi cultivation level, but the timing doesn't match. Xu Yang only broke through not long ago, while Junior Brother Ji Jingcheng and Han Xing were murdered more than two months ago. At that time, Xu Yang was still in the Qi Refining realm.

Junior Brother, you must be calm. I am not helping Xu Yang excuse himself, but I don't want to miss the real murderer."

Qi Refining killing Gang Qi—even in a place like the Purple Sun Gate, which gathered many geniuses, he had never heard of it.

"I know!"

Kong Yu nodded. "But he must die. Senior Brother Ji Jingcheng’s greatest wish before he died was to kill him and Senior Brother Zhu Yang to take revenge. I will definitely help him fulfill this wish.

Keep an eye on his whereabouts for me. If he returns to the Purple Sun Gate, tell me. It is time to end this grudge."

Li Xu frowned deeply. "Junior Brother Kong, Xu Yang has already refined Qi into Gang."

He reminded him that if he couldn't kill Xu Yang, intercepting and killing a fellow disciple was a capital crime.

Even if Kong Yu was a genius with Grade A-minus roots and was appreciated by the inner sect senior brothers of the Hero Gathering, if the matter was exposed, he would not die but would be severely punished.

Kong Yu flipped his palm and said confidently, "Senior Brother, don't worry. If I want to kill him at the same cultivation level, it will be as easy as turning over my hand."

Xu Yang casually found an inn and stayed there. Closing the door, he took out an Eight-Treasure Body-Strengthening Pill and swallowed it.

As the Vajra Skill operated, a faint silver color emerged. The Eight-Treasure Body-Strengthening Pill turned into a heat flow that swept out. Xu Yang immediately felt as if he were in a furnace, and every inch of his flesh and blood felt like it was burning.

The Eight-Treasure Body-Strengthening Pill could increase blood and qi and temper the body.

Combined with the Vajra Skill, the effect was even better.

Xu Yang’s skin gradually turned crimson, covering up the faint silver color. As his Gang Qi surged, his tendons, bones, flesh, and blood were all trembling and humming.

An hour later, he was drenched in sweat, and steaming mist rose from his body. In this deep winter, he was like a steamer.

Xu Yang stopped his cultivation, and the crimson color on his body slowly faded.

"Could this Vajra Skill be intended to refine golden Gang Qi?" Xu Yang pondered.

He had refined Gang Qi for nearly two months, but he found that his Gang Qi was constantly changing. At first, his Gang Qi was pink.

But after two months of cultivation, the color of his Gang Qi was becoming lighter and lighter, closer and closer to white.

So he speculated that the highest realm of the Vajra Skill should be to refine golden Gang Qi.

"It’s troublesome without a master to teach."

If he had a master to teach him, he wouldn't be ignorant of everything. But in the Purple Sun Gate, only by joining one of the four peaks and becoming an inner sect disciple would one have a master to teach them. Some common martial arts knowledge was not taught to anyone.

He also didn't know how precious a martial art that could refine Gang Qi into gold was, and so far, he hadn't heard any information about the Vajra Skill.

"I can only try to show my Gang Qi to others as little as possible in the future to avoid causing trouble."

In the blink of an eye, seven days passed. Xu Yang brought all his belongings to the Wanbao Pavilion.

The main entrance of the Wanbao Pavilion was already closed, and a door had been opened on the side. Several guards of the Wanbao Pavilion were guarding the door, and people were entering one after another.

Xu Yang stepped forward, and the servant who was familiar with him, named Zhou Yong, cupped his hands. "Master Xu, please follow me."

Xu Yang cupped his hands. "Sorry for the trouble!"

Zhou Yong was a bit flattered. "Master Xu, you are too polite. This is what I should do."

In front of him was a passage more than two meters wide and more than three meters long, lit with oil lamps.

Xu Yang followed Zhou Yong through the passage, and after turning a corner, a vast hall appeared before his eyes.

The hall was filled with chairs, and many places were already occupied.

Immediately afterward, many gazes were cast toward him.

Xu Yang scanned the room and found that there were quite a few acquaintances. Even if he didn't know many people, he had seen them at the Purple Sun Gate.

Besides those familiar faces whose names he couldn't recall, he saw Lu Ren, Shi Yong, Ma Jun, and Xiao Chen.

Some people didn't care when they saw it was him, while others showed confusion.

"Xu Yang, he can also come to the Wanbao Pavilion auction? What can he afford to buy?"

Chen Jiang sat in the crowd, showing surprise.

"Even if he can't afford to buy, he can broaden his horizons."

A disciple of the Heming Fist Hall beside him said.

"Master Xu, this is your seat. You sit down first; I still have to go and greet guests."

Zhou Yong led Xu Yang to a chair, pointed out his seat, and then left.

Xu Yang looked over, and it was a coincidence; sitting next to him was Yue Gui, and further over was Liu Qian.

On the other side were also acquaintances: Gu Hao and Lu Ren.

Both Liu Qian and Yue Gui showed unnatural expressions on their faces, then nodded slightly.

Xu Yang didn't intend to tear his face off either, so he nodded in response.

Gu Hao was expressionless, while Lu Ren showed a bit of a smile and nodded.

The two had guarded the Hundred Herb Hall together for more than two months. Although their relationship could not be said to be harmonious, it was not as confrontational as before, and they would greet each other when they met.

In fact, as long as Lu Ren didn't show off and step on him, he generally wouldn't target Lu Ren.

After waiting for a while, a middle-aged man walked onto the high platform in the center of the hall, and the noise of the four seats disappeared instantly.

The middle-aged man cupped his hands. "First of all, thank you all for coming to participate in this auction of my Wanbao Pavilion. I am Tao Huaijin, the shopkeeper of the Wanbao Pavilion, responsible for the matters of this auction.

I won't talk nonsense. Everyone knows the rules of the auction, so I won't repeat them. Now, please bring up the first auction item of the day."

As Tao Huaijin’s words fell, a servant of the Wanbao Pavilion brought a tray and placed it in front of him.

Tao Huaijin reached out and lifted the red cloth on the tray, revealing a ginseng as thick as a child’s arm.

This ginseng was blood-red all over, crystal clear, and everywhere there were patterns that looked like blood threads.

Tao Huaijin smiled. "This is a fifty-year-old blood ginseng. As everyone knows, a fifty-year-old blood ginseng is one of the main materials for refining the Profound Origin Qi-Transforming Pill.

The auction starts now. The base price is three hundred taels, and each bid must be no less than ten taels."

The Profound Origin Qi-Transforming Pill was one of the pills for the Marrow-Cleansing realm, which could enhance and refine Gang Qi. Ordinary people couldn't buy it even if they had money.

"As expected of the Wanbao Pavilion auction, the first auction item is blood ginseng."

"A fifty-year-old blood ginseng, even if it is not refined into a pill, swallowing it directly can improve the cultivation of many Gang Qi experts."

Exclamations came from all around, but no one bid.

Such things could only exert their greatest effect in the hands of an alchemist. If one really bought it to eat directly, that would be a pure fool.

"Three hundred taels!"

A crisp voice sounded. It was a woman sitting in the first row. Xu Yang looked over and could only see her back.

"Three hundred and fifty taels. Junior Sister Ye, wanting to pick up a fifty-year-old blood ginseng for three hundred taels is a bit unrealistic."

A laugh sounded. The voice was a bit familiar. Xu Yang remembered that this person was the inner sect disciple Sun Jian who had rushed over that night.

Listening to the meaning of Sun Jian’s words, the woman who bid first seemed to be an inner sect disciple as well.

"Three hundred and sixty taels. Junior Brother Sun Jian, the price you bid is not very high either."

Another voice sounded, with a smile.

Then the three of them kept bidding against each other, and finally, this fifty-year-old blood ginseng was auctioned by Sun Jian for four hundred and fifty taels.

"Inner sect disciples are really extravagant. A fifty-year-old blood ginseng usually costs about four hundred taels. To fight for breath, they spent fifty taels more."

The next few auction items were mostly medicinal herbs, which Xu Yang was not interested in, and Lu Ren and the others beside him had not bid either.

"Next is a bottle of Origin-Returning Pills, five in total. The base price is five hundred taels, and each bid must be no less than ten taels."

The Origin-Returning Pill was also one of the pills for the Marrow-Cleansing realm. One pill could be worth a month of hard work for a Gang Qi expert.

If one had good roots and absorbed the medicinal effect well, it could even be worth a month and a half.

Xu Yang’s spirit was greatly lifted. Finally, something usable appeared.

But soon he found that Lu Ren, Yue Gui, and others beside him were also like they had been injected with chicken blood, eager to move.

Others were the same. It was likely that most people participated in this auction for this bottle of Origin-Returning Pills.

"Five hundred taels!"

"Five hundred and fifty taels!"

"Six hundred taels!"

Before Xu Yang had time to bid, the price of this bottle of Origin-Returning Pills was called to six hundred and fifty taels, and soon it was called to seven hundred taels.

"There are so many rich people!" He couldn't help but exclaim.

Rich young masters from Qingyuan County like Gu Hao and Yue Gui didn't seem to have the qualifications to bid either; the premium was too high.

A normal Origin-Returning Pill was actually one hundred taels each, but now the price of one had reached one hundred and forty, and people were still bidding.

For many people, this premium was nothing; the main thing was that many times they couldn't buy pills to improve Gang Qi even if they had money.

"How about we join forces? You and I split it equally."