Chapter 97

Before him stretched a scene of gold and azure brilliance.

Buyers and sellers in masks mingled in the same area; ahead was a spacious, clean high platform, which he guessed was the auction stage of the trade fair.

The young man watched the guests chatting and clinking cups, tilted his head, said nothing, then his gaze swept over and he saw the man from before, Li Jiang.

Not knowing the rules, each person held a glass of red wine or champagne; he summoned a waiter: 'Give me a glass of red wine.'

'Hello, red wine represents the seller, champagne the buyer. Which would you like?'

'Red wine.'

The waiter, seeing it was his first time, smiled and introduced: 'Our trade fair has its own rules, all written on the invitation; I believe you've seen them, but I still need to say: trading officially begins at ten-thirty.'

The young man gave him a deep look and nodded.

That glance made cold sweat break out on his back, yet he managed to steady himself; who knew that such a private transaction, with a person who didn't even show their face, might be some big shot.

The youth wearing a Peking opera mask lowered his eyes, glanced at the red liquid in his cup, then suddenly heard someone shout: 'Eastern Sea Azure!'

Though not loud, the remark caused a group nearby to exclaim and everyone gathered over.

In a cage half a person tall, an Eastern Sea Azure lay inside, its whole body snow-white, like finely carved white jade, its size astonishingly large and fierce.

At this moment, the Eastern Sea Azure drooped its eyes closed, bearing no trace of its former sky-overlord bearing.

Other buyers couldn't help but hesitate: 'This bird looks listless; could it be sick?'

'How can it have no spirit? Its condition is poor.'

The seller said: 'You really think this little broken cage could hold it? I drugged it!'

He said excitedly: 'To catch this big guy, I ran all the way to Everwhite Mountain! Good fellow, I almost got left there—the snow was too deep, each step sank halfway, but eventually I caught this one; I couldn't hold out, so I let it go.'

'I guarantee it's healthy; if anything happens, I'll take full responsibility!'

'Heh, look at what you're saying.'

The seller looked at the speaker, not angry, and continued: 'What's wrong with what I said? This creature is a raptor; in the Qing dynasty only the emperor could own such a supreme specimen—only one in a hundred thousand!'

He began swinging his money bag, his sole purpose being to sell at a high price!

The seller said: 'Records from the Tang dynasty document this; mine is still the rarest white‑jade claw. Don't look at it listless now—it's lightning fast, flying like an arrow! Moreover, this creature is a state‑level protected animal; I risked my life to obtain this one, the only one—you decide what to do.'

The seller spoke indifferently; obviously, he had great confidence in the bird he had caught.

In this trade, it's either the east wind overpowering the west wind, or the west wind overpowering the east wind.

In the crowd, everyone exchanged glances, then someone spoke up: 'Let's hear a bid.'

'One million!'

'Hu!' someone nearby gasped, then after reacting, gasped again and sneaked out of the circle; the circle's rule is that if you can't afford to buy, you don't even qualify to watch.

'One million? Is it made of gold?'

The seller replied: 'No way—I nearly lost my life for it; I caught this one in half a year. This is what we call "three years without opening, three years of feasting when we open."'

'I'll take the one million.'

'I bid one hundred ten thousand!'

In no time, though the trade fair hadn't started, the venue heated up; bids rose by increments of a hundred thousand, just hearing it made people envious.

The boss next door, holding a cage of emerald birds, stared agape; then he looked at his own little birds and thought, 'Good fellow, selling them might not even net a fraction—but the quality's poor, so quantity makes up for it.'

'Take a look—these are emerald birds; the palace used them to make ornaments for the ladies, and there's a whole craft of kingfisher feather inlay.'

An interested customer came over: 'I've never heard of it; it's not even as good as foreign luxury brands. My Cartier bracelet costs about a hundred thousand.'

The emerald‑bird boss almost drooled: 'Over a million for a nail? Yes, it's a nail bracelet, made of hardware materials.'

He had previously researched domestic luxury goods to sell the emerald birds, which left him dumbfounded; the nail bracelet really left a lasting impression!

Whoever buys is the sucker!

He lifted the emerald‑bird cage, chest out, head high, face full of pride: 'Not famous? Not as good as foreign Cartier? Impossible—foreign stuff is luxury, ours is art! Price without market! Passed down for hundreds of years, these little birds are nearly extinct!'

'Your nail bracelet is just buying a brand; our kingfisher‑feather inlay jewelry can't be copied—it's a one‑of‑a‑kind craft!'

These words made the buyer's heart sway.

One‑of‑a‑kind—since she dares to spend over a million on a nail bracelet, it shows her finances are solid.

Her gaze fell on several pretty, petite emerald birds; their blue feathers were very beautiful, colors vivid, the emerald hue seeming to drip—but looking at them, one couldn't help imagining how striking they'd be as ornaments.

Moreover, given her wealth, buying these few birds costing over a hundred thousand each was no difficulty.

In the midst of her hesitation, the little birds in the cage suddenly chirped softly, trembling with fear.

'Wuu wuu wuu, big sis, why do humans pluck our feathers? I'm so scared QAQ'

'Where am I? Why is she looking at me like that? Big sis? Big sis?' This was the little sister who had just woken up and hadn't reacted yet.

'Don't be scared, don't be scared—I'm here.' The largest bird spread its wings, shielding the frightened younger siblings.

It said it wasn't afraid, but its heart was filled with gloom.

Since childhood, their parents told them: 'Hide well, stay concealed, never trust humans, never approach humans.'

It had always done that well.

But before their parents disappeared, they didn't tell them that even if they hid well, they could still be captured.

The tiny emerald‑bird siblings huddled together, closing their eyes in despair.

Over here, the emerald‑bird sellers were discussing heatedly when suddenly a voice from next door rang out: 'Five million!'

Good grief!

The boss's hand trembled, almost dropping the birdcage; he quickly turned his head, and in that instant, countless people like him looked at the young man who had spoken.

One sentence, and the whole venue fell silent.

The Eastern Sea Azure is indeed a treasure, but no matter how mighty, it's only worth a few million, five million—didn't you see the seller laughing 'ge ge ge' until his mouth couldn't close?

'All right, five million—wish you great wealth and good luck!'

The youth and the seller went together to the notary office to complete the formalities; after the auction ended, the transaction would proceed, and the sold birds would be temporarily kept at the counter.

The boss left his card number and walked away happily, and the young man left behind looked at the Eastern Goshawk in the bird cage, his pupils flickering.

The exclusive panel belonging to the Eastern Goshawk appeared before his eyes; the young man, or rather Ling Yue, curled the corner of his mouth beneath the Peking opera mask.

【Name: Falcon (Eastern Goshawk)】

【Gender: Male】

【Age: Three and a half years】

【Temperament: Ferocious, violent】

【Skills: Combat, extreme speed, hunting】

【Wish: Return home】

In an instant, she locked eyes with the Eastern Goshawk; the bird's sharp eyes gazed at her, displaying an extraordinary fighting spirit, even though its body could not move.

Ling Yue stared at it; the clash of gazes lasted more than a minute before the Eastern Goshawk finally yielded.

Impressive.

You should know that even the once‑ferocious Wild Boar King would kneel at a single glance and submit outright; the fact that it could endure this long made Ling Yue instantly look at it with new respect.

Ling Yue moved her lips; the Eastern Goshawk jerked its head up and looked at her again, this time far gentler than before.

It let out a low, harsh cry: "Do you really want to help me go home?"

Ling Yue moved her lips, but no sound came out.

"I know you don't believe me, but time will prove everything."

The Eastern Goshawk tilted its head, looked at her, then suddenly closed its eyes, appearing to be uncooperative and lazy; Ling Yue knew, however, that this creature was as cold and hard as a block of ice.

She sighed; regarding her words, the Eastern Goshawk probably didn't believe a single word.

At that moment, the system tone suddenly sounded, fulfilling the Eastern Goshawk's wish and granting a reward: Possession, Heavenly Sovereign Halo.

Accept or reject?

Ling Yue froze; at face value it seemed ordinary, but thanks to the system's input she instantly grasped its meaning—she could overlay her consciousness onto any animal with which she had achieved affinity, gaining its first‑person perspective.

Compared to that, the Heavenly Sovereign Halo paled; although it was also powerful, like the King of Beasts Halo it only targeted prey, exerting a hundred‑percent overwhelming aura.

Ling Yue instantly became excited; possession is definitely a great skill! Although she had originally intended to release the Eastern Goshawk, having a reward is even better.

"Sir?"

Ling Yue came to her senses and saw the waiter looking at her respectfully; she blinked, still using a male voice, or rather, due to the transformation talisman, everyone who saw her would assume she was a boy rather than a girl.

It is precisely because of this that, while others merely change their appearance, Ling Yue directly pulls off a heaven‑switching earth‑covering ruse and passes the checkpoint smoothly.

"What's up?"

The waiter gave an embarrassed smile: "Hello, a guest wishes to see you."

She followed the direction indicated by his gaze and saw Li Jiang, with a few friends beside him.

Ling Yue walked over and exchanged greetings.

As Ling Yue expected, they still talked about the three tigers she had brought out as bait; this person had reserved one and brought another friend, saying, "My friend heard you have prime‑age tigers and also wants to reserve one; as for the price…"

They exchanged a glance: "Five million per head!"

Ling Yue seemed stunned by the price, her voice turning sharp: "Five million?!"

Seeing this reaction, the several people felt even more confident about securing the tigers.

But to their surprise, he shook his head and smiled: "I'm a man who keeps his promises; aside from the one head I sold to you, sir, I plan to auction the remaining two."

"I'm really sorry, sorry."

Having hit a dead end, the two men immediately fell silent, their heavy anger making the atmosphere stagnate, turning the whole area into a vacuum.

But not long after, someone approached, eyes glittering as they looked at Ling Yue, the cup in their hand trembling slightly as the liquor swayed: "Do you really have tigers?"

"They are descendants of Dongbei tigers, two adult males, and I'm not ready to sell them yet."

The meaning is clear: they want to wait for the auction to fetch a high price.

Seeing this greedy demeanor, the two fuming men gritted their teeth in hatred, yet forced a smile and said, "You're just young and hot‑headed."

Tigers that should have been obtainable for five million now cost at least several million more; who let these people, who are especially fond of the so‑called Dongbei tiger, believe that tiger‑bone liquor and tiger‑penis liquor are extremely potent, nourishing the kidneys.

Highlight the latter half of that sentence—this effect is worth a fortune and hard to buy.

Li Jiang further announced that he owned a brown bear, whose gallbladder and paws are excellent goods; the guests inwardly exclaimed that the trip was truly worthwhile, all good things.

As for the upcoming auction, they were even more eagerly anticipating it.

Ling Yue smiled faintly, swirled her wine glass, and let her gaze fall toward the back of the crowd, where the storage area for the animals should be.

"Click—"

The large lock fell with a clang; the three tiger brothers in the cage jerked their heads up alertly, catching a strange, powerful animal scent, their eyes fixed ferociously.

The tightly shut doors suddenly swung open on their own!

The three tiger brothers: "!!!"

"Holy shit, what the hell is this? Ghosts?!"

"Shh, don't talk!"

In front of the several tigers, a small monkey suddenly appeared—none other than Man Man the monkey.

It peeled off the invisibility talisman stuck to its body, then reapplied it, appearing and disappearing intermittently; the three tiger brothers stared wide‑eyed, and the little third tiger launched a "social‑cow tiger tiger" attack: "Water, water monkey!"

Man Man: "???"

Having realized what was happening, it flew into a rage, and then another voice sounded: "Stop playing around, the real business is important."

Man Man nodded, yet couldn't help glaring at them: "What 'water monkey'? I'm alive! Alive!"

Removing the invisibility talisman, the lioness Lily stepped lightly into the cage, looking at the three simple‑minded big tigers: "Hello, I'm Lily; Ling Yue sent us to find you."

The animals Ling Yue brought have a clear division of labor.

Man Man unlocks the lock, Lily handles the persuasion, and she chooses to first meet the undercover agent tiger provided by Ling Yue, then apply a combined force‑and‑wisdom approach to the remaining wild animals.

Hearing Ling Yue, several dazed tigers reacted instantly, lowering their voices: "She is our director!"

"Did the director send you? Boo-hoo-hoo, she's great!"

Old Two stood up, shook his glossy golden fur, and asked: "Does the director have any new plans?"

Female lion Lily couldn't help but look up at it; when it truly stood up, it realized how strong these few tigers were. In the circus, it was basically only fed to seventy percent full, because any more and humans could easily lose control of it.

But chronically underfed, how could it grow and develop? Even though lionesses aren't known for their height, animals instinctively admire strength!

Female lion Lily composed herself, nodded, and said: "Yes, she wants us to cooperate and give humanity a big surprise!"

"A big surprise?" A flash of light passed through the tiger's eyes; it had truly had enough of these days' ordeal, not physical discomfort but mental.

Oh, the male tiger doesn't know these terms of psychology and physiology; it only knows it feels awful, seeing those sickly animals around, which should be living freely in the mountains and forests, flying in the sky, not like this, becoming prisoners in cages!

It wanted to vent.

Just then, Monkey Manman's voice suddenly rang out: "Qian Qian! How are you here?"

All the animals' gazes were drawn to it; in the corner, a brown bear lay on the ground. Seeing its old friend, its eyes flashed bright and then quickly dimmed: 'You, you how are you here?'

"You were captured too?" Because it had been injected with anesthetic, the brown bear Qian Qian's whole body was weak, it said softly.

Before Monkey Manman could answer, a figure suddenly appeared beside it; Bear West looked at it and said: "No, no, Qian Qian, hello, we're here to rescue you!"

It gripped the iron cage, without waiting for Monkey Manman to pick the lock, suddenly let out a low roar, exerted force with its claws, and the supposedly unbreakable iron cage was bent straight open, revealing a huge gap.

Clack—

Manman's wire fell to the ground, as if meeting Bear West for the first time, it extended a thumb: "Brother, awesome!"

Bear West gazed enthusiastically at the distressed beautiful brown bear, its voice involuntarily softening: "Beautiful lady, do you need my help?"

It called for a goat, saying it was the team's bodyguard; the cautious goat carried a potent medicine to restore strength.

With a patter-patter-patter of footsteps, Qian Qian nodded, bit open the small capsule, and quietly waited for the medicine to take effect.

Meanwhile, Female lion Lily and the three tigers exerted force together, persuading all the small animals present.

The beautiful white crane stretched its body, lightly flapped its wings: "I am willing to cooperate, and together with you, make these hateful humans pay the price!"

Other animals chimed in, Monkey Manman wielding the wire to pick the iron lock, almost unable to keep up, while also feeling relieved that these people thought drugging them was a foolproof plan, not using password or fingerprint locks, otherwise they'd have to catch a person!

That would be awful.

"Clack!"

"Oh hey, let me do all the dirty and tiring work, pushing this heavy animal cage by myself——"

The voice cut off abruptly, the complaining man looked in terror at what lay before him.

The pitch-black warehouse suddenly blazed with light; the lock-picking Monkey Manman, the gathering male tiger, the white crane pushing out the door… all the animals stared at him.

Pairs of beastly eyes made the chubby employee's spine tingle; the employee in charge of taking the goods instinctively exclaimed: "What are you doing?!"

Bang, he swayed; bang, he fainted to the ground.

Behind him, the brown bear Bear West had somehow reached the back, gripping a plank, and gave a hehe laugh.

The opened door was seized by a black claw and shut again. Bear West looked at everyone: "How about that, I did a good job, right?"

Monkey Manman: "Great hero! Truly impressive!"

Female lion Lily waited a moment, then spoke: "Alright, let's begin the plan."

Several tigers sat back in the cage, along with Lily and the other beasts; Bear West gripped the ajar cage door, still appearing as tight as ever.

At that moment, a piece of sky-blue cloth covered the animal cage, tightly concealing everything inside.

The brown bear Bear West, dressed in human clothes, gave a hehe laugh: "Don't worry, I'm experienced; I'll definitely give them a huge huge huge surprise!"

At that moment, amid the auction front desk under the gaze of countless spectators, the rolling animal cage was pushed onto the stage by a sturdy worker.

The host beamed, looking at the covered cage, and enthusiastically introduced: "Next, let's take a look together. The offspring of the Dongbei tiger, in the prime of youth, a single male tiger, supposedly still a virgin tiger, with a pure body, the effect is even stronger!"

He said, then violently pulled open the cage cloth! ：，，.