[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-turns-out-i-m-in-a-villain-clan":3,"chapter-turns-out-i-m-in-a-villain-clan-turns-out-i-m-in-a-villain-clan-chapter-243":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Turns Out, I’m In A Villain Clan!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},60451,84,"Chapter 243: An Auction That Could Shake The Empire","turns-out-i-m-in-a-villain-clan-chapter-243",243,"\u003Cp>The next day dawned under a sky as clear as polished jade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By noon, the imperial capital’s main thoroughfares were choked with people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Grand Radiance Auction Hall—its towering white jade façade draped in scarlet banners—looked more like the Imperial Palace than a marketplace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every street leading to it had been cordoned off by the Empire’s Golden Armored Guard, their halberds gleaming in the sunlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time the sun’s first rays struck the golden spire of the Grand Radiance Auction Hall, the wide avenue before it was already packed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merchants abandoned their stalls, scholars set aside their scrolls, and even wandering martial artists paused their training to secure a vantage point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were not here to bid. Most of them could not even dream of entering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were here to look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To catch a glimpse of the people who would walk through those golden doors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Already, the air had buzzed with murmurs as some of the empire’s most distinguished factions had arrived—each appearance drawing gasps and hurried whispers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first to cause a stir had been the Crimson Thunder Palace, their disciples clad in crimson-black armor that seemed to spark faint arcs of lightning as they moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leading them was their Vice Palace Master, a stern man whose very presence made the weaker onlookers feel as though thunder rumbled in their chests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next came the Heaven Sword Sect, but many of their participants weren’t with them—including Bai Xueqing and Chu Ziyan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even so, Elder Qinglan was enough to cause a small commotion, especially with her beauty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many thought it was already worth it just to catch a glimpse of such heavenly grace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each new arrival was met with a fresh wave of awe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Look! It’s the Li Clan’s crest!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gasps rippled through the crowd as a black-and-gold war carriage rolled into view, pulled by eight Windhoof stallions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Li Clan Leader himself stepped down—Li Jianhong—along with the elders and participants of the Dragon and Phoenix Competition, including Li Meiying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several of the Li Clan’s top elders followed close behind, each one a walking pillar of power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had the crowd’s murmurs settled than another wave of awe swept through them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Zhao Clan Leader has come too!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Wutian, clad in white robes embroidered with silver clouds, moved with the calm dignity of a scholar—but his presence pressed down like an invisible mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their entry made it clear: this was no ordinary auction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Li and Zhao Clan Leaders rarely appeared together in public unless it was a matter that could shake the Empire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last time, it was for the war with the Bai Clan. Now, it was for the bidding war that was certain to unfold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The street suddenly parted again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A glittering escort of imperial guards rode forward, surrounding two luxurious carriages—each marked with a different imperial crest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One bore the emblem of the First Prince’s faction, the other the crest of the Fourth Princess’s court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The First Prince, Yu Zidi, emerged first, his golden crown catching the light, a smile on his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His presence alone seemed to straighten the backs of the imperial guards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Fourth Princess followed soon after, stepping gracefully from her carriage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Qingya’s attire was a masterwork of silks the color of moonlight, her every movement like ripples over still water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though her smile was warm, her eyes held the calm distance of someone used to watching the empire from a higher vantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Zidi inclined his head with a perfectly measured bow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Qingya, it has been far too long. The capital’s streets feel brighter with you here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Qingya’s lips curved faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And yet, they were already bright with the First Prince’s presence. I hear you have been... industrious these past months.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A prince must remain diligent,\" Yu Zidi replied smoothly, the barest flicker of pride in his gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Today, I hope to secure a treasure worthy of the Empire’s future.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A treasure worthy of the Empire...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She repeated softly, her eyes half-lidded as though weighing his words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let us hope the auction contains something that truly meets such lofty ambitions.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The First Prince smiled, but said nothing further, only gesturing toward the golden doors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was then that the crowd erupted again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two more carriages had entered the street, each escorted by its own detachment of imperial guards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first bore the emblem of the Third Prince’s household.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second displayed the crest of the Seventh Prince’s faction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Third Prince, Yu Wenzhao, descended first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the Seventh Prince’s carriage came Yu Longxuan—broad-shouldered, his armor gleaming under the noonday sun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the others, he did not bother with subtlety; his steps rang against the white jade pavement, every movement brimming with barely contained confidence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Zidi stepped forward with a practiced smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Third Brother, Seventh Brother, you honor us with your presence. Today, let us—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Drop the act, Zidi,\" Yu Longxuan cut in, his voice carrying clearly over the crowd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re not the Crown Prince yet!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His grin widened, a challenge in his tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let’s see who leaves here with the greatest treasure today. I’ve come for more than just the view.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without waiting for a reply, he turned on his heel and strode into the Grand Radiance Auction Hall, his entourage following like a tide of steel and silk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(That idiot!)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Zidi thought, though outwardly he maintained his polite smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Longxuan had no hint of humility and no idea how to act like a royal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Zidi, while angry, knew that showing his temper would yield nothing but a loss of face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Third Prince gave the faintest of nods to his elder brother, then moved to follow—calm where Longxuan had been fire, but no less formidable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air outside seemed to grow heavier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the auction hall’s walls could speak, they would already be whispering of the storm gathering within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But all these grand arrivals—while enough to make commoners dizzy—were merely the prelude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A hush fell without warning, as though the air itself sensed what was coming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the far end of the boulevard, a lone white carriage appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was not ostentatious—its design was clean, elegant, almost understated—but it was drawn by ten Spirit Cloud Horses, their hooves never touching the ground, drifting forward on coils of pale mist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the head of the procession rode several Bai Clan elites, their formation tight and unyielding, parting the crowd like a blade through silk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, from the white carriage at the center, a figure stepped down first—Bai Zihan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him came Chu Ziyan, her bright presence like a spark of flame in the winter air, and Bai Xueqing, cold-eyed and composed, each step matching his without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More Bai Clan elites followed, their ranks immaculate, their eyes fixed forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a silent declaration to the empire: the Bai Clan had not come with its patriarch, nor did it need to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zihan was the man who would speak for them today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s him... Bai Zihan!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Li and Zhao Clan came with their Clan Leaders, but Bai Clan sent him? Can he handle the pressure?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He’s not even twenty, but they let him lead the entire clan’s appearance?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is this the arrogance of the strongest clan of the Empire?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The murmurs swirled like storm clouds, but none dared speak too loudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Zihan did not so much as glance at the murmuring crowd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The faint smile on his lips remained unchanged, as if neither praise nor doubt could reach him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, nothing matters today except for making money!\u003C\u002Fp>",1256,"2026-05-28T18:17:14.491Z","2026-06-01T04:28:34.960Z",1,"novelbin.me","c706a07c6d3454409ba2edb0ac2613a77801cff8abf3e6cd59c7c716c9c290c0","turns-out-i-m-in-a-villain-clan-chapter-244","turns-out-i-m-in-a-villain-clan-chapter-242",580,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fturns-out-i-m-in-a-villain-clan-cover.jpg"]