Chapter 35: A Section of Withered Vine

Qin Ming was momentarily startled.

He knew the Jiexuan Pavilion was backed by a powerful force, but he never expected its owner to be so young.

And yet, a woman.

“Mm.”

The pavilion owner merely replied softly, her voice clear and cold.

Then she prepared to continue downward.

“Brother Qin? What are you doing here?”

At that moment.

Su Yuqing beside her suddenly spoke.

“Brother Su, I’m handling some business here,” Qin Ming said with a smile.

The Jiexuan Pavilion owner asked Su Yuqing in confusion, “Master Su, do you know each other?”

Su Yuqing nodded and introduced him: “This is my friend, Qin Ming, Brother Qin.”

Then she turned to Qin Ming and said, “This is the Jiexuan Pavilion owner, Gu Qingzhao.”

Qin Ming bowed slightly. “Madam Gu.”

“Since Brother Qin is Master Su’s friend, there’s no need for formalities—call me Brother Gu.”

For Master Su to use the words “friend” spoke volumes about her approval.

Compared to earlier, Gu Qingzhao’s attitude had shifted.

“By the way, some of the three Cleansing Pills I entrusted to your pavilion for auction came from Brother Qin’s efforts.”

At these words from Su Yuqing.

Gu Qingzhao was genuinely surprised. “Is that so?”

She turned to Qin Ming. “Could Brother Qin also be an alchemist?”

“No,” Su Yuqing smiled. “The key spirit herb used to brew these Cleansing Pills was cultivated by Brother Qin at my request.”

“Your Excellency, Brother Qin is a First-Rank Spirit Planter. He came here today to discuss the Beast Fang Rice—he and I have just finalized the agreement.”

Liao the Shopkeeper was also greatly astonished—he never imagined Brother Qin had any connection to Master Su.

And the bond seemed deep.

After all, the pavilion owner had repeatedly tried to invite this Master Su to serve as a guest advisor, yet he had refused every time.

“Ah, I see,” Gu Qingzhao gave Qin Ming a faint smile.

Qin Ming bowed to both. “I’ll leave you two to your business—I’ll take my leave.”

“Brother Qin, we’re heading to the auction now—if you have nothing else to do, why not come along for the spectacle?” Su Yuqing suddenly invited.

“Auction?” Qin Ming was taken aback.

He hesitated briefly, then decided to go.

Qin Ming had been in Qingyang Bazaar long enough, yet had never once visited an auction house.

Thus.

The three of them left the shop as Liao the Shopkeeper bowed them out.

Liao the Shopkeeper carefully wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead.

“I’ll need to cultivate a better relationship with Brother Qin from now on.”

“So unassuming, yet he’s connected to someone like this.”

…

Outside the Jiexuan Pavilion.

Half a stick of incense later.

The three arrived at the auction house entrance.

Zhenbao Auction House—one of the Jiexuan Pavilion’s subsidiaries.

“Madam Gu.”

“Master Su.”

Several auction house staff stood respectfully at the entrance, clearly there to welcome Gu Qingzhao.

Then.

Qin Ming followed the two inside without hindrance.

The interior featured a vast circular arena.

At its center stood a stage for displaying auction items.

Gu Qingzhao led them to a private booth with an excellent view.

She ordered servants to bring premium spirit tea and pastries.

Qin Ming and Su Yuqing sipped their tea.

“Brother Qin, do you have anything to auction? You can entrust it to Brother Gu,” Su Yuqing said after sipping his tea.

Qin Ming smiled. “I’ve got nothing worth auctioning—just here to watch.”

Soon after.

The auction house gradually filled with cultivators.

Most were mid- to late-stage Qi Refining, with four or five at the peak of Qi Refining.

Quickly.

The auction began.

A golden-robed elder stepped onto the stage and delivered a brief opening speech.

The first auction item was brought onto the display platform.

The golden-robed elder lifted the red cloth.

A delicate silver magic sword appeared before the crowd.

“High-grade magic treasure: Bishui Sword, crafted by the alchemy master Fang Yezi.”

“No need for me to elaborate further.”

“Starting bid: eight hundred spirit stones.”

Whew! The first item instantly ignited the crowd’s enthusiasm.

“It’s crafted by Master Fang Yezi—I must have it! I bid one thousand spirit stones!”

A voice rang out.

“Whoa, are you a shill? How are we supposed to bid higher?”

“One thousand five!”

“!!!”

“Two thousand!”

“Two thousand five!”

“.”

Qin Ming stared at the heated auction scene, dumbfounded.

He still had two thousand spirit stones in his storage pouch, thinking he was wealthy—only now did he realize.

He was far behind.

In the end, the high-grade magic sword was won by a burly late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

For two thousand eight hundred spirit stones.

The golden-robed elder smiled warmly. “Congratulations, Brother. Please proceed to the back for settlement.”

He was pleased with the crowd’s reaction.

One must start with quality items to spark a spending frenzy.

“Next, the second auction item.”

“High-grade talisman: Chiyang Talisman.”

“Starting bid: five hundred spirit stones.”

“I bid six hundred!”

“Eight hundred!”

“Eight hundred five!”

“One thousand!”

…

Qin Ming watched the talisman on the central stage, deeply tempted—but his resources wouldn’t allow it.

As time passed.

One item after another was sold at high prices.

Qin Ming sighed inwardly.

No wonder it’s called Zhenbao Auction House—everything auctioned here was a treasure.

“The next item has me uncertain as well.”

“It was brought out from a secret realm by a cultivator.”

“Please take a look.”

The golden-robed elder lifted the red cloth.

A segment of black, withered vine, as thick as a thumb, appeared before them.

Unfortunately, it was very short—only two inches long.

The cultivators present exchanged glances, clearly unfamiliar with the object.

“I’ve tested it myself—it’s strange and miraculous, impervious to water and fire, and not even a single scratch can be made by magical tools or axes and knives.”

“I thought someone might find it useful in crafting, so I brought it out.”

“Starting bid: one hundred spirit stones.”

After the golden-robed elder finished speaking, there was no response below.

The atmosphere grew awkward.

“No one bidding? Then it’s unsold.”

Before he could finish speaking, someone began to bid.

“One hundred fifty!”

“Two hundred!”

“Two hundred fifty!”

“Any more bids?”

“Two hundred fifty once!”

“Two hundred fifty twice!”

Just as the golden-robed elder was about to call it the third time.

“Three hundred!” Qin Ming called out from his private booth.

Su Yuqing looked at Qin Ming in surprise and asked, “Does Qin Daoist recognize this object?”

Qin Ming gave an awkward smile: “I don’t recognize it either—I just found it curious and wanted to bid on it for study.”

In truth, he was already calculating in his mind.

He intended to use the 【Regenerative Spirit Seed】 entry to revive this segment of withered vine.

Of course, if the price exceeded his expectations, he’d let it go.

“Three hundred once!”

“Three hundred twice!”

“Three hundred thrice!”

“Sold! Congratulations to this Daoist!”

Qin Ming’s face lit up—he hadn’t expected to win it so easily.

Perhaps the cultivators present thought the withered vine was too short to be useful in alchemy or weapon crafting.

“Next is the final, climactic item of this auction.”

The golden-robed elder lifted the red cloth, revealing three exquisite porcelain vials before them.

“Breakthrough Elixir—Xixi Dan!”

“Crafted by the top-tier alchemist, Su Yuqing, Su Danshi.”

(End of Chapter)