Chapter 579: Underground Auction: The Secret is Out?

Chongguang Cheng!

The group of four entered the underground from the surface; as the light dimmed, the clamor gradually drew near.

"Pardon us, pardon us, the caravan is coming through."

The sound of wheels grinding against the rugged road, accompanied by the cries of livestock, rushed toward them all at once, carrying an indescribable stench.

Zhou You, Pei Li, Hai Li'er, and another young girl stepped aside to the edge of the road to watch.

The long caravan passed by slowly; the livestock, the laborers, and the escorting martial artists passed by in turn.

"What they are transporting on the carts is Leak Stone, a specialty of Chongguang Cheng. Originally, no one cared for it, but now this business has been expanded."

The young girl accompanying them stared with her two large, wide eyes, looking as if she knew everything.

Zhou You and Pei Li exchanged a glance, both feeling somewhat helpless.

This young girl was the owner of the Rare Treasure Pavilion—that's right, not the Young Master, nor the successor to the Pavilion Master; she herself was the boss.

Thinking back, Zhou You had injured a Disciple of Bo Xiaolin right at the entrance of the Rare Treasure Pavilion, and she had even shouted at him.

It was a chance encounter, and he hadn't expected there to be a follow-up.

The Rare Treasure Pavilion had gotten wind of the Thousand Faces Hall purchasing Heavy Talismans through roundabout ways and insisted on taking a share.

This young girl, who held the title of 'Pavilion Master Chang', was firm in her stance; the trend of the Storage Pocket had already been missed, and the treasure known as the Heavy Talisman would surely trigger another revolution—the Rare Treasure Pavilion absolutely could not miss out.

"My Rare Treasure Pavilion is willing to provide funding, um, to account for seventy percent of this procurement."

Don't let Pavilion Master Chang's youth fool you; she was extremely bold and, without even asking for the specific figures, directly claimed 70% of the funding.

Even Zhou You was moved by her boldness and silently raised the original price of the Heavy Talismans by more than double.

For one Heavy Talisman, he had originally intended to sell it for 2 million taels; now, the price could be raised a bit.

Whether it was the Thousand Faces Hall or the Rare Treasure Pavilion, both were engaged in monopoly businesses; they were wealthy and powerful, so if he didn't fleece them, he would be a fool.

She not only provided the money but also wanted to participate, and even persuaded Chi Ri Qianli to agree.

Thus, the original trio became a group of four, two men and two women heading to Chongguang Cheng together.

"Speaking of which, the Leak Stone business in Chongguang Cheng is monopolized by a single firm."

"The owner of this firm has a rather legendary background; back then, he saw a poor old man and gave him half a bun."

"He really was a lucky one; that old man was none other than Moyunzi wandering the world, who gifted him a Storage Pocket. He transported a large amount of Leak Stone and accumulated his first pot of gold to start his business."

"Later, he apprenticed under a martial arts master, gained backing and connections, and leaped from a mud-legged laborer to a wealthy merchant."

Pavilion Master Chang spoke of this as if she knew every detail.

Zhou You suppressed the urge to retort; it wasn't half a bun, the man had treated him to a bowl of noodles. He was there at the time; he was that bowl of noodles... bah, he was the Moyunzi who ate the noodles.

He had only learned of the subsequent situation of that kind-hearted young man today.

Watching the caravan reach its end, one of the martial artists guarding the rear, with rough skin but sharp eyes, cupped his hands in a salute toward Zhou You and the others, expressing his apologies for disturbing their journey.

Zhou You recognized at a glance that this martial artist was that same young man from before, and he smiled.

... After entering the underground city, they did not linger and went straight into the underground auction house.

"Everything has been arranged. We arrived quite opportunely; the 'Buguo Wu' Auction House is just about to open."

Zhou You coughed twice, "But I heard that the Xi family is still hunting them down."

The powerhouse of Buguo Wu had brutally killed the direct descendant of the Xi family, creating a blood feud, and the Xi family was still pursuing them relentlessly to this day.

"It doesn't matter. Those who know of the Buguo Wu Auction House and are qualified to enter it would certainly not do anything to spoil the mood."

Pavilion Master Chang's tone was flat, clearly dismissive of the Xi family's threat.

She whispered to Zhuang Li and Hai Li'er, "If even Buguo Wu cannot get Heavy Talismans, then the hope is slim." The next day, the four of them, led by Pavilion Master Chang, entered a hidden Underground Cave.

This type of terrain was everywhere in Chongguang Cheng and was extremely hidden; even having a map was useless, because a powerhouse could create something Out of Nothing, carving out an Underground Cave that guaranteed you wouldn't find it.

Clearly, the Underground Cave where this Buguo Wu auction was located was newly excavated; there were still palm prints and finger marks on the walls.

"Hmm?"

This was Zhou You's second time here, and he was very familiar with the process, so he stayed silent and observed quietly.

Suddenly, he noticed something wrong.

At a seat not far away, a guest was short in stature; although his appearance and hairstyle were completely unfamiliar, his Qi and blood were very familiar.

This dwarf was, shockingly, the powerhouse who had presided over the auction last time.

In the blink of an eye, this auction had changed its face, and he had become a guest again—what kind of role-playing was this?

Zhou You took a few extra looks; the dwarf was disguised very well, deliberately suppressing his strength to the level of a martial arts master, and apart from his height being somewhat shocking, he did not attract much attention.

He fell into deep thought; this Buguo Wu Auction House looked strange no matter how he viewed it.

"Everyone, welcome to this auction."

A clear female voice rang out, and when Zhou You saw the source of the voice, his heart felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer.

On the high platform where numerous gazes intersected, a tall beauty walked out with a smile; she was the host for this session.

Her appearance was outstanding, her figure tall, and her legs were long enough to make one's heart race; Zhou You couldn't help but want to put her in a high-slit cheongsam.

Without a doubt, whether in temperament or aura, she was a well-deserved powerhouse.

Zhou You recognized her; when they met last time, she was still a customer at the auction house.

It was this woman who had caused Xi Junzi to fight out of jealousy and disrupt the auction, which led to that tragedy.

Originally, Zhou You thought she was just a female martial artist with a mysterious background, but meeting her this time, he realized she was actually one of the shareholders of the Buguo Wu Auction House.

Although the auction house strictly controlled the customers who attended each time, trying their best to keep their secrets.

However, they hadn't encountered a situation like Zhou You's; last time it was Lu Zhigang, and this time he had come in his original body.

The things he had seen and heard across these two experiences allowed Zhou You to immediately judge the operating style of the Buguo Wu Auction House.

Every time there was an auction, one person would host on stage, while another would pose as a customer off-stage, working from the inside and out, leaving no gaps.

As for the following segments, Zhou You no longer had the heart to pay attention.

All that is known is that Pavilion Master Chang has deep pockets and bid for one of the items, and Hai Li'er also bid for one.

They accounted for two of the five auction items, attracting quite a bit of attention.

Zhou You and Pei Li felt somewhat awkward amidst the many gazes; their female companions were spending money like water, while they stood there empty-handed.

There was nothing to be done about it; their purses were shy! Pavilion Master Chang and Hai Li'er bid on the items not only because they truly needed them, but also to build connections.

After the auction ended, their group asked the host to stay behind to humbly inquire about the whereabouts of the "Heavy Talisman."

"We truly do not have any Heavy Talismans on hand; we expect to be able to acquire some in a few years."

"If you are in urgent need, you might as well ask the Golden Immortal Dao."

The beautiful, strong martial artist was very polite and pointed out the locations of several Golden Immortal Dao members in the city to them.

After she finished speaking, she asked a question that nearly made Zhou You break out in a cold sweat: "You glanced at me a few times just now, there was something in your gaze, and you quickly looked away, unlike the others; have we met before?"

(End of this chapter)