Chapter 857: Solid Recovery Weird (2/2, Request Subscription)

The Fifth Huang Nu and Sixth Prince were originally hot contenders in the Nine Dragons' Succession War, as each had secured the support of the Hong Bu's Nian Family and the Lan Shan Wu Family, respectively.

However, due to Juan Niao Lou's overwhelmingly advantageous position, their competitiveness could only rival that of the Second, Third, and Fourth Princes, falling far short of the First Prince's.

As for the Seventh Prince, he was famously detached from worldly affairs, like a transcendent hermit who preferred idle clouds and free cranes—but what he truly did in secret, no one knew.

The Eighth Huang Nu and Ninth Huang Nu had barely more competitiveness than the Seventh Prince and were at the bottom among the rest, nearly invisible in influence.

Of course, this refers only to their competitiveness within the Nine Dragons' Succession War; in Jingcheng, daring to provoke any one of these nine princes—even just one—was enough to warrant the annihilation of an entire family.

The Nine Dragons' Succession War was the greatest power in Jingcheng today.

Beneath these nine factions, smaller powers, according to their own circumstances and the prevailing situation, chose to ally with one of the princes, becoming their claws and pawns.

Even major sects like the Extreme Ice Sect and the Blazing Fire Sect could not transcend the mundane and were drawn into the struggle, becoming swords for one side, slashing enemies and covering retreats.

These nine factions engaged in open rivalry and covert scheming; Jingcheng had long been seething with hidden currents.

As for Tian Long's Blazing Fire Sect, he didn't even know which prince they followed—he was merely an Outer Sect Disciple, what qualifications did he have to know such things? But since the Blazing Fire Sect had consistently opposed the Extreme Ice Sect, the power behind the Blazing Fire Sect must harbor deep hatred toward the power behind the Extreme Ice Sect.

"Idol, this is all the information I know. But don't worry—I'll use these pills to cultivate upward, and one day, I'll surely become an Inner Sect Disciple of the Blazing Fire Sect and gather more intelligence for you!"

Tian Long declared with solemn assurance in his message.

Fang Yue felt the hope was slim.

Tian Long's talent wasn't good; to advance quickly, he needed a stroke of fortune.

And in the vision previously foreseen by the parchment… countless Wu Yu Clan Black Clouds had descended upon the entire Imperial Palace.

Though the exact timing was unknown, it likely wouldn't be far off.

After all, for the parchment, the farther into the future it foresaw, the more energy it consumed—and it had just awakened, with insufficient power to foresee distant events.

After closing his eyes and thinking for a while, Fang Yue organized Tian Long's information in his mind and roughly understood the current layout of Jingcheng.

The only thing that surprised him was that among the Four Great Families—or rather, the Four Departments—the 【Hong Bu】 and 【Lan Shan】 had both chosen princes to support.

As for the Qing Si's choice… it was the Seventh Prince, who had once been betrothed to You Sisi, though the engagement had not yet been publicly revealed; presumably, they had planned to wait until after the wedding to smoothly finalize it.

The final 【Zi Dian】 had revealed no information at all—but it was possible they secretly supported someone as well.

The complex situation in Jingcheng made Fang Yue's head ache.

Fortunately, his goal did not require him to stand in opposition to any of these princes.

First, rescue Jing Yan and the others; then find the Phoenix Organization, save An Dong'er and Captain Wu; finally, no matter what method—kidnapping her, eloping with You Sisi, or anything else—he would take You Sisi away!

As Fang Yue thought this, people began to trickle into the entrance of the Black Bird Auction.

Fang Yue wanted to ask Ming who these incoming guests were, but he couldn't bring himself to speak.

Though they had entered Juan Niao Lou together, they were in fact using each other.

But Ming merely smiled with pursed lips.

"Captain Ye, do you want this blind girl to introduce you to some of the high-ranking nobles here?"

"..."

Fang Yue snorted and ignored her.

Soon, the seats in the auction hall gradually filled up; few empty seats remained.

As the lights dimmed, the auction officially began.

"Welcome, esteemed guests! The Black Bird Auction is now officially underway!"

The stage host was a man painted with clown makeup, dressed in bizarre attire like a circus performer.

Though he was such a ridiculous figure, the audience members all showed expressions of shock; some even stood up from their seats.

"One of the Four Floor Masters of Juan Niao Lou—the Clown Master!"

"How could it be him hosting the Black Bird Auction?"

"Fascinating! Now it's getting interesting! It seems there's something extraordinary up for auction tonight!"

The atmosphere in the hall instantly heated up.

Everyone's face wore an excited expression.

Fang Yue, puzzled, glanced at Ming and whispered: "Who is this clown? And what exactly are the Four Floor Masters of Juan Niao Lou?"

Ming had only just calmed her excitement, her small hand gripping the hem of her skirt as she whispered: "Although Juan Niao Lou was founded and backed by four princes behind the scenes, they couldn't possibly appear publicly themselves, so they each assigned a trusted subordinate to form the Four Floor Masters, who manage all affairs of Juan Niao Lou."

"The Clown is the Floor Master of the Fourth Prince."

Fang Yue immediately understood.

The four princes had co-founded it, split the shares evenly, then each appointed a capable lieutenant to serve as CEO.

"So the Black Bird Auction is under the Fourth Prince's jurisdiction?"

"No, the Black Bird Auction is of a special nature—it is jointly owned by all four princes. Other domains like assassination bounties, intelligence gathering, and goods exchange are each separately managed by one prince. Only certain special assets are jointly held, such as the Black Bird Auction."

And for such jointly owned assets, any one of the four Floor Masters may represent them.

Of course, in past Black Bird Auctions, I've rarely heard of a Floor Master personally hosting on-site—this time, they must have found something extraordinary."

By the end, Ming's voice had grown excited too.

The entire Black Bird Auction hadn't even revealed its goods yet, but the atmosphere was already electric.

Fang Yue probed with his senses—and found he could not gauge the Clown's depth.

This meant the Clown Master was at least a Cloud-Level Martial Artist, possibly even… a Rain-Level Martial Artist!

The situation had become troublesome.

Fang Yue forced himself to remain calm.

Meanwhile, the Clown Master on stage seemed pleased with the audience's reaction.

He turned and waved his hand; the red cloth was pulled away, and the first auction item was carried to the stage by four burly men, lifted on a palanquin.

It was an iron cage, inside which lay a puddle of gelatinous, rotting flesh.

"Lot One: Solid Recovery Weird."

"Solid Recovery Weird has the ability to restore the body; as long as it is paired with our specially crafted Soul-Returning Pills, it can be permanently shaped into any form. Anyone you like, anything you desire—by continuously feeding it pills, you can lock it into eternal form, making your beloved things your very own."

"For example, our former top courtesan at Juan Niao Lou, Cherry Girl—if you wish, Solid Recovery Weird can take on her appearance."

As he spoke, the Joker Lord punched the iron cage—Boom—the cage shattered, revealing inside a quivering, mud-like living thing.

With one hand, the Joker Lord lifted it and forced a Soul-Returning Pill into its body, then swiftly moved both hands, leaving afterimages.

In moments, a lifelike beautiful woman was molded into existence—her clothing restored perfectly, as if the real person stood there.

"Wow! The completion is incredible!"

"No wonder the Joker Lord is so powerful!"

"So this is the Black Bird Auction? I'm in love!"

Fang Yue:???

This is just a giant action figure??

(End of Chapter)