Chapter 38

Jiang Yu

Tracking Jiang Yu, Huo Jiu, Che Xuan, and others never imagined that they themselves were also being followed, and unlike them who only had three Foundation Establishment cultivators and more than ten Qi Refinement cultivators.

This team of five, all with mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation or higher, so on the road where cultivators fly back and forth, they could follow far behind without fear of being discovered.

Several people flew leisurely on their swords, also discussing: "Huo Jiu and his group are too timid; last time they set an ambush in advance on the Thousand Bamboo Forest road, but when they arrived they didn't even dare show their heads."

Senior Brother Hao

"I estimated they would act on their return, but instead a group entered the bamboo forest, and the next day a Golden Core Elder came out."

"You wouldn't dare to act even if you lent them your courage."

"This time we give them ample opportunity; it's just a matter of whether we can catch them. Ahead we must pass through a large withered-leaf forest; if they still don't act, we'll have to wait another half day."

"To be honest, I really want to see what they look like when they're blown away by a Sword Qi Talisman in one hit. Junior Fellow Disciple Wang, you'd better watch closely."

"Senior Fellow Disciple Hao, after the previous sneak attack, Jiang Yu might not necessarily use it." Junior Fellow Disciple Wang couldn't recall the Sword Qi Talisman.

Strangely, Senior Fellow Disciple Hao insisted on betting a hundred spirit stones with him, and with the other three stirring things up, Junior Fellow Disciple Wang inexplicably placed his bet on Jiang Yu not using it.

As for the person involved, they had no idea they had become the stake, and that their movements were deliberately leaked by their fellow martial uncles.

Jiang Yu sat on her flying sword all the way, yet she was recalling that the participants in this mission numbered fewer than thirty, now divided into four teams heading to four different cities to take part in the auction.

Unaffiliated Cultivators Alliance

Grand Void Sect

This left her and her teammates constantly nervous along the way, fearing a surprise attack, especially when it was dark and they were still a hundred li from the city, prompting them to be extra vigilant.

Hundred Forging Gate

If the auction weren't held at night, Jiang Yu really would have wanted to find an inn to sleep for two hours to refresh herself.

Thousand Bamboo Forest

"If you're tired, you can take a Spirit-Congealing Pill." Little Turtle Jiang Tu couldn't help but ask when they arrived at Qu Creek City.

Spirit Beast Bag

The Grand Void Sect wants to cause trouble inside, but they'd have to spend a large sum of spirit stones to rent the venue—it's not worth it.

"I'm not tired, and I don't want to take the Concentrating Spirit Pill in front of everyone." Among the candidates, there are no direct disciples; she doesn't want to incur resentment over a high-grade pill. Jiang Yu absentmindedly ignores the city's night scenery and quickly walks with her teammates into the auction hall.

Jiang Tu looked left and right, then couldn't help but complain: 'Your mission is truly peculiar.'

It actually requires us, in the auction house, to purchase the designated item at the most suitable price, and any excess spirit stones will result in point deductions.

This isn't a joke, is it? There are plenty of people who raise bids when buying things.

"Testing eyesight," Jiang Yu could only say that.

Jiang Tu blew a breath in her face: 'What eyesight? It's basically just a test of who has more money.'

If you fancy something, buy it boldly; we have plenty of spirit stones—I'll lend you interest-free.

"Thanks," Jiang Yu replied, slipping it back into her spirit beast pouch as she surveyed the spacious hall.

At a glance, several cultivators were gathered in twos and threes at the tables, while the hall's attendants bustled back and forth.

On the high auction platform in the center of the hall, several Qi Refining cultivators were adjusting the tables.

On either side of the platform were free-seating tables, each laden with spirit fruit, spirit tea, and spirit pastries for the cultivators seated there to take freely.

It is said that some loose cultivators specifically spend fifty spirit stones to buy a ticket just to enter, not to win treasures but for the unlimited free spirit tea and pastries.

Going upward, the second, third, and fourth floors are all private boxes; it's impossible to tell if anyone is inside at the moment, and it's said that on the fifth floor, a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Treasure Gathering Pavilion holds court.

As they were walking, Ye Lian ahead suddenly turned back and sent a mental transmission: 'Jiang Yu, pay attention to the few people on the second floor.'

"They're all Foundation Establishment cultivators—are they the sect's uncles, or maybe one from the Hundred Forged Gate?" There's no helping it; the sect has two or three thousand Foundation Establishment cultivators, and Jiang Yu only knows the ones she sees often.

"No, they're from the Falling Moon Sect, and just like us, they're not wearing sect robes.

"The one in the red robe is the granddaughter of their Nascent Soul elder.

"She loves to compete with others for items; you'd better not sit at the same table as Martial Uncle Xia." Ye Lian knows many people, of course, mostly through her one-sided acquaintance.

"So she likes to compete with Martial Uncle Xia for items?

"She's come to our sect's territory to vie for things." Jiang Yu glanced briefly and didn't look further.

Ye Lian gave a slight nod: "Mm, the person she likes gets along well with the uncle."

"Why are you reminding me?"

"During bidding, if she raises the price on the item you've chosen, the extra spirit stones you spend will be deducted from our team's mission points."

"You won't send a mental transmission to the whole team, will you?"

"Mm, you're the last one."

"Thanks!" Jiang Yu glanced at the stairs again; the few people from earlier were gone. She said: "You might as well tell Martial Uncle Xia to ask her to sit alone at a table.

"But it's likely useless, since when we entered earlier, it was Martial Uncle Xia who showed the admission ticket."

The people of the Falling Moon Sect, if you pay a little attention, will notice they came following Martial Uncle Xia.

Jiang Yu's words were soon proven correct.

Even if Martial Uncle Xia distances himself from their group and sits at another table in the hall, everyone is still targeted.

Not long after the auction began, a senior sister's mission target, the spirit rhino jade, was bid up to five times its price by a private box upstairs.

Teammates exchanged glances and repeatedly sent mental transmissions to Ye Lian: 'Is the voice in the private box from a Falling Moon Sect person?'

The other party obviously used a voice modulator; Ye Lian wasn't sure, and everyone discussed: 'Should we still raise the bid?'

On the platform, the auctioneer had already announced the second bid, and was about to ask for a third: 'Any fellow cultivators willing to raise the bid?'

The spirit rhino jade is truly impervious to cold and heat; with it, one can venture through ice mountains and fiery seas.

"If we buy it, we can't appear weak on our first try." Jiang Yu believed the sect valued the disciples' on-the-spot decisiveness, not spirit stones.

Seven people, four agreed; that senior sister hurriedly added five hundred spirit stones before the auctioneer's hammer fell, securing the item.

The next two items weren't their targets, but when another tray was lifted, Jiang Yu's eyes flickered.

Little turtle Jiang Tu also stared fixedly at the tray, and communicated via divine soul: "The whole Taiji fish token."

"One person can have two different pieces, right?" Jiang Yu wanted to take them for comparison; she remembered that as long as it has been acknowledged as master, even if the person dies the token is also destroyed.

Jiang Tu also didn't know, "Listen to how he says."

This jade token certainly hasn't absorbed anyone into its space after being acknowledged as master; I just don't know how it ended up at the auction.

Jiang Yu had a different thought: "Could it be that, besides the piece you gave Jiang Bai, the other Taiji fish tokens simply won't absorb the true form or divine soul?"

I'm right here among a table of jade tokens; I just grab one at random—how could it not be different?

"Buy it." Jiang Tu wants to verify it personally.

At that moment, the auctioneer said: "This is a storage jade token; its space is larger than that of a storage ring, its shape is ancient and elegant, and it can also be worn as an accessory."

The starting bid is fifteen thousand low-grade spirit stones, and each raise must be no less than one thousand spirit stones.

After her words fell, a long time passed with no one bidding.

Indeed, wearing such a large storage tool on the waist is too eye-catching; buying a storage ring costs only one or two ten thousand spirit stones.

Jiang Yu also kept her composure; only after the auctioneer called twice and the item was about to go unsold did she say: "Sixteen thousand spirit stones."

"Seventeen thousand spirit stones." Again, it was that same private box raising the bid.

Jiang Yu wasn't in a hurry: "Eighteen thousand spirit stones."

The other side: "Twenty thousand."

Jiang Yu also straightforwardly said: "Twenty-five thousand; if you go higher, I'll yield to you, fellow Daoist."