Chapter 860: The Third Auction Item (1/2, please subscribe)

... Sue you for what, big-head ghost!

Fang Yue hurriedly lectured the parchment on what it meant to put on a false front, what it meant to swallow one's grievances for the greater good.

【Pah! A pack of lies — that's a player! A scumbag! Trash!!】

What on earth are you even talking about!

Where did you pick up these weird poses! Don't talk nonsense, will you!

Fang Yue felt a little sullen.

Fortunately, at that moment the clown-faced building master on the stage had already pulled back the red cloth and revealed the third auction item, drawing both his and the parchment's attention.

"After the previous two auction items, our old friends naturally understand the style of our Black Bird Auction.

Our new friends should also have gained a certain understanding of our Black Bird Auction.

Then here comes the main event. As everyone knows, our Black Bird Auction has always auctioned only ten items, and today's third auction item is... him!"

The red cloth was pulled away, revealing another iron cage, but the person locked inside was different.

It was an extraordinarily handsome, fair-featured youth, but his whole body was covered in wounds, looking as if he was at death's door.

As for his face, it was utterly unfamiliar — at least Fang Yue definitely didn't recognize him, and everyone else seemed equally blank.

Ming was no exception; after asking Fang Yue, he too wore a blank expression, unable to figure out why this fellow had earned the third auction slot.

【Eek! A panting pretty boy!】

... You're interested?

【Who wouldn't be interested in a cute, adorable pretty boy!】

I'm not!

【Who asked you... wait! Don't tell me you, you-you-you, you're into guys too... As expected — a player! A scumbag! A pervert!!】

I said I'm not!

Fang Yue's face darkened. He decided to ignore the parchment for now — there was no normal way to communicate with this thing!

On the stage, the clown-faced building master had already begun his introduction.

But the moment the first sentence came out, Fang Yue's eyes went wide and his gaze snapped toward the stage!

And many people in the audience did almost exactly the same thing at the same time.

That fair-featured youth instantly became the focus of the entire hall.

Because the clown-faced building master's introduction was...

"It seems everyone is unfamiliar with this friend, which is hardly surprising — after all, he usually wears his 'Snake-Face' mask, and is called by a certain underground organization that traffics in human medicine — Snake Seat!"

Snake Seat?!

The Snake Seat of the Phoenix Organization's Twelve Seats?!

The information was too much; the crowd was momentarily stunned.

The Black Bird Auction had indeed auctioned off special items before — certain high officials' kept boys, or the Sect Masters of some fallen sects, that sort of thing.

But for a member of the Phoenix Organization's Twelve Seats to be put up for auction by the Black Bird Auction... this shattered many people's assumptions.

Could it be... that Juan Niao Lou and the Phoenix Organization had no connection, and were even enemies?

For a moment, thoughts tangled in everyone's minds like a snarl of hemp, and looking at the man wearing that clown's smile, they couldn't read his intentions at all.

"Trafficking in human medicine... underground organization... he must be talking about the Phoenix Organization, right?"

"What a bold move by the Black Bird Auction! Putting one of the Phoenix Organization's Twelve Seats — the Snake Seat — up for public auction. That's a core-executive level figure..."

Times had changed; Fang Yue's understanding of the Phoenix Organization had grown deeper and deeper, and he now knew the weight the Twelve Seats carried within it.

Simply put, the Twelve Seats were essentially the organization's core executives; any one of them could independently oversee operations across a vast region.

Only when someone of higher rank arrived did they have the authority to gather more Twelve Seat members together for mission assignments.

Like in Heiqing Shanmai, where so many Twelve Seat members had suddenly appeared — that itself was special, because... the presence of the Ox Seat had drawn so many executives together at once.

Normally, they would be scattered far apart across the land.

As for how many Twelve Seat members were at the Phoenix Organization's headquarters here in Jingcheng, that was anyone's guess.

In any case, the Ox Seat who had taken Captain Wu away was definitely in Jingcheng.

Finding the Ox Seat was crucial for Fang Yue, and before that, finding a way to buy this Snake Seat was equally crucial!

As the Snake Seat of the Twelve Seats, he surely knew a great deal of Phoenix Organization intelligence. Buy him, extract the intel, and then find a way to rescue Captain Wu and An Dong'er and the others!

Ming beside him also showed an intrigued expression at this point.

"So it's the Snake Seat of the Phoenix Organization's Twelve Seats. I had assumed he was just some special male pet the Black Bird Auction had prepared, but it seems the rumors I'd heard were still too small — I underestimated this auction. An auction personally overseen by the building master is indeed something else."

The reactions of the audience were taken in fully by the clown-faced building master, and he was very pleased with them.

He had never dared to slack on the matters his lord assigned.

Whenever he made a move, he gave it everything he had, and this time would be no exception.

Only when he thought of the fellow who had delivered the Snake Seat over — the fellow offered as a bargaining chip — did he still feel a dark, simmering annoyance.

The head of the Phoenix Organization's Twelve Seats — the Ox Seat!

That's right, the one who had handed the Snake Seat over to the Black Bird Auction was the Ox Seat!

Though he didn't know what the Ox Seat's true purpose was, the nerve was truly enormous!

If not for his lord's order forbidding him from going after the Ox Seat, then just for this alone he had a hundred ways to leave the Ox Seat with no ground left to bury him.

"Trash who sells out their own comrades!"

The Phoenix Organization is a trash organization, and the Ox Seat who sells out his comrades is trash among trash!

Suppressing his emotions, the clown-faced building master announced the auction price.

In an instant, the bidding skyrocketed, the enthusiasm far exceeding his expectations.

The Snake Seat wasn't even the finale of this auction, but judging by the audience's reaction, this was already a finale-level bidding frenzy!

"12 silver stones! The mysterious and unfathomable Snake Bearer is worth this price!"

"15 silver stones! Setting aside the Snake Bearer's identity, that face alone is irresistible!"

The price climbed wildly, until—

"50 silver stones!"

From less than 20 silver stones, the price suddenly leapt to this level, and the room fell silent for an instant.

Every gaze snapped to one place—and the one they were looking at was… a strange man!

And beside the strange man was… the one who had been the talk of the town lately—Nian Tianjiao's new wife—Ming!

"【Gasp】 Nian Tianjiao's new favorite? She's come to this auction too?"

"The one bidding isn't that woman, but the strange man beside her—who is that guy?"

"50 silver stones—he's got some nerve throwing that out. If I really went all out, I could compete too, but later on…"

The Black Crow Auction would put ten items up for sale in total, and they had only reached the third.

As everyone knew, the finale was the best.

Spending all your wealth on the earlier lots was tantamount to giving up any chance at the final showpiece.

Although no one yet knew what the finale would be, no one was willing to lightly surrender their right to compete for this auction's grand finale.

(End of chapter)