Chapter 435: Killing the Chicken to Warn the Monkey

Zhou You heard the whispering by his ears and finally understood.

The young man was named Xi Junzi; he had been pestering this beauty, even following her to the auction house, acting lavishly in an attempt to win her favor.

His surname was none other than that of the Xi family, one of the five great local clans of Chongguang Cheng.

The beauty's background was far more mysterious; she came and went alone, yet no one dared to provoke her.

In all fairness, with a bid of 200,000 taels, even a heart of stone would have been melted by such passion.

However...

"Many thanks, I do not want it."

The beauty politely refused and reminded Xi Junzi, "The Blood Marrow Rhinoceros Pearl is best used for medicine; do not waste it."

Xi Junzi's smile froze on his face; the taste of being slapped in public was not pleasant, and his expression gradually turned gloomy.

Just at this moment, two women on the platform walked over carrying a jade tray, "Guest, please make payment."

The rule of the auction house was immediate settlement: take the goods with one hand, and settle the account with the other.

As long as Xi Junzi took the pearl and placed the equivalent money or goods on the jade tray, the transaction would be completed after verification.

However, Xi Junzi clearly did not want to pay.

"Pay what pay? I don't want it anymore, you take the pearl!"

Xi Junzi was extremely irritable, and since he could not vent his anger on the beauty who had rejected him, he kicked the abdomen of the woman holding the jade tray.

The woman let out a muffled groan and staggered backward; the jade tray slipped from her hands and shattered, and the pearl rolled onto the ground.

Her face turned deathly pale with terror; unable to even stand up, she knelt and begged for mercy toward the platform, "This servant deserves to die."

"Knowing that is enough; deal with it yourself!"

The dwarf said in a gentle tone.

The woman drew a dagger from her bosom and, without hesitation, plunged it into her chest, falling to the ground dead.

Most of the guests present were accustomed to this, but a few who had just arrived were shocked by this bloody and jarring scene.

The corpse was dragged away, and the dwarf bowed to the surroundings with a beaming smile, "My apologies, my apologies, I have disturbed everyone's refined mood."

"The pearl hit the ground, its value is greatly reduced; this item cannot be auctioned, we are taking it back."

Xi Junzi shouted, "Hurry up and proceed to the next round."

Upon hearing this, the dwarf looked at him, "The account for the lowly maid is settled; guest, we haven't settled your account yet!"

His expression changed abruptly, and he said, "Xi Junzi, you have broken the rules of the auction house; you went back on your word after winning the bid. If we do not punish you, our auction house might as well stop operating."

"Don't be so aggressive; so what if I went back on my word? Your item is still there, and not a single hair is missing."

Xi Junzi had not yet noticed that the guests around him were already quietly moving away, keeping further and further from him.

The atmosphere in the auction house also became heavy and oppressive!

"I am of the Xi family; for your auction house to be held in this city, you still need my family's nod."

"Shut your mouth if you know what's good for you and continue; if not, I will make your auction house close down for good."

The dwarf laughed heartily upon hearing this, "Your mouth is quite good; it would be best used as a lamp stand."

Having said that, he took a step. The dwarf's stature was originally only the height of a child, but after that one step, his body grew explosively and rapidly, turning in the blink of an eye into a burly man with bristling hair and beard, standing two people tall.

Zhou You's eyelids twitched twice; this was a skill only a Strong Martial Artist possessed.

The dwarf who had been performing diligently on stage and even kowtowing to them was actually a Strong Martial Artist.

The burly giant took a second step, covering a long distance, landing from the high platform in front of Xi Junzi, and looked down at him from above.

"You, you, you..."

Xi Junzi was so scared he stuttered, and it took a long time before he squeezed out a sentence, "If you dare to touch me, the Xi family will not spare you."

"Spare what? This is the Buwu Auction." The next moment, the burly giant pinched him as if pinching a chick, and steam and grease seeped out from between his fingers.

Xi Junzi's scream was heart-rending; by the time the giant loosened his palm, his limbs had already been crushed and melted into his torso, standing straight from top to bottom like a candle.

Swish! After returning to the high platform, the dwarf recovered his original stature and bound the screaming Xi Junzi to the side.

"I punish you to be a human-oil candle to add light to this auction."

Having said that, he rubbed his fingers together, and Xi Junzi's tongue twisted and spiraled, turning into a wick that began to burn.

Oily sweat seeped from his pores, and he began a slow and steady burn, his head tilted and mouth agape, emitting a large mass of lamplight.

Yet, this seemingly warm light looked somehow sinister and bone-chillingly cold.

Zhou You felt his throat go dry; were these the methods of a Strong Martial Artist?

Xi Junzi was, after all, an Intermediate Martial Master, yet he had no power to resist, captured in a single exchange and left to be ravaged.

The auction continued, but the atmosphere was no longer as relaxed as before.

Zhou You noticed that many guests were secretly sweating, not daring to make a sound, for fear of following in Xi Junzi's footsteps.

Come to think of it, could this auction house be an illegal underground operation? The dwarf, as a Strong Martial Artist, disregarded his status to run a business and even killed a clan scion without hesitation.

No matter how one looked at it, they did not seem like good people.

The second auction item was displayed on the platform...

"The complete volume of the 'Medicine King Canon', accompanied by the full annotations of the Lingzhi Apothecary."

Hearing this, Zhou You was even more certain that the background of this auction house was that of outlaws.

To openly auction a sect's internal classic, and the version annotated by the Lingzhi Apothecary at that—this was a rhythm intended to offend the Medicine King Sect to the death!

After Qi Fengzi joined the sect, she told Zhou You quite a bit of internal news about the Medicine King Sect.

The 'Medicine King Canon' was the sect's internal general textbook, equivalent to the official textbook for nine-year compulsory education.

Mastering this book allowed one to advance all the way from a beginner to the peak of a Lingzhi Apothecary; it was an internal secret that the sect strictly forbade from being spread.

After Qi Fengzi officially joined the sect, she could only study a portion of the content and could not access the rest.

A regular complete 'Medicine King Canon' was already worth a fortune, and with the Lingzhi Apothecary's personal annotations? A priceless treasure!

Zhou You noticed that several guests nearby were tempted, including the beautiful woman next to him.

"... The starting price is 20,000 taels of gold."

The surrounding guests bid enthusiastically, and in a few moments, it was driven up to 45,000 taels.

Zhou You felt his worries were unnecessary; the guests participating in the auction all knew the environment of this place, and their purpose in coming was to buy "contraband" not found on the market.

"47,000."

The beautiful woman next to him bid a high price again, and the surrounding area went quiet for a while; it seemed this price was nearing the limit.

The dwarf said with a smile, "Is there a higher price? If not..."

"50,000 taels."

Zhou You decisively made his bid; one of his purposes for coming to Chongguang Cheng was for the secret recipe of the Medicine King Sect.

The Medicine King Canon, especially the complete volume, was extremely rare, and the parts regarding the poisons of plants, living beings, and minerals were of great help to him in refining the Poison Dragon Saliva.

"Good!"

The dwarf clapped his hands heavily, "50,000 taels of gold, is there anyone who will bid higher?"

After three calls, no one responded, and the auction item ultimately fell into Zhou You's hands.

A woman carried the complete thirty-two volumes of the "Medicine King Canon" on a jade tray and presented them before Zhou You.

(End of chapter)