Chapter 137 - 112: A Lucrative Deal, Stunned Crowd

Chapter 137: Chapter 112: A Lucrative Deal, Stunned Crowd

As the group conversed, Tang Xin Yi led Jiang Hao into Booth Five.

Outside the booth, not only were there layers of barriers isolating it from the outside world, but an Array had also been set up. However, this Array seemed to be manually controlled and didn’t block Jiang Hao from entering.

"Grandpa." The moment Tang Xin Yi stepped inside, she offered a sweet smile to the old man seated at the head of the booth.

Tang Cheng’s face was full of kindness. "You silly girl, you can’t judge people by their appearances anymore. Based solely on his status as a Pill Master, this young gentleman’s position is already far higher than yours."

The moment the grandfather and granddaughter met, Tang Cheng immediately began to lecture her. Even though Leng Tianlin and the others had intentionally or unintentionally belittled the youth in white earlier, Tang Cheng still harbored a trace of respect when facing a Tier Three Quasi-Pill Master of this age.

"I know, Grandpa," Tang Xin Yi argued playfully. "I didn’t judge him by his appearance."

Hearing this, Tang Cheng didn’t scold his granddaughter any further. Instead, he turned his gaze to Jiang Hao. Earlier, sensing him through the barriers and the Array, he had only vaguely estimated Jiang Hao’s age. He hadn’t expected that, upon seeing him in person, the youth would be even younger than he had guessed.

"Young friend, please, take a seat," Tang Cheng said with a smile, pointing to a wooden chair in front of the counter.

Jiang Hao’s pupils narrowed slightly. The moment he stepped into the booth, he had already surveyed its layout.

From the main hall outside, each booth looked like nothing more than a small, barrier-sealed door. He hadn’t expected there to be more than met the eye inside; the space was far larger than he had imagined. Not only that, but aside from the trading area in front of the old man, there was also a lounge area. And at this moment, a young man radiating a truly terrifying aura was seated there.

With just a single glance, Jiang Hao saw through Leng Tianlin’s cultivation—the Eight Veins Fifth Transformation in the Realm of Spirit Transformation Nine Changes. Meanwhile, the cultivation base Jiang Hao was currently revealing to the other party was merely that of an ordinary Cultivator in the Nine Spirit Transformations.

Noticing Jiang Hao looking at Leng Tianlin’s group, Tang Cheng couldn’t help but speak up. "Rest assured, young friend, these young lords and ladies are absolutely trustworthy. The Tiancheng Auction House has always kept the identities of our traders strictly confidential. Anyone untrustworthy would never be allowed into our private trading booths."

This was also one of the ways the Tiancheng Auction House cultivated its underground network. Any Cultivator qualified to appear inside was no ordinary figure. Not only would they abide by the auction house’s unspoken rules of confidentiality, but they could also use the establishment to network with equally formidable individuals.

As the old man finished speaking, Leng Tianlin picked up his teacup and gave Jiang Hao a slight nod of greeting, though there wasn’t much regard in his eyes.

Jiang Hao saw this and didn’t say anything more. His main reason for staying silent was that he wasn’t afraid of exposing the items he had brought to trade today. They were all things he had plundered from the Eighteen Peaks of the Ancient Emperor Sect ruins.

These items weren’t a secret to begin with. The countless young prodigies who had entered the ancient ruins alongside him all knew he was the first to breach the site. It went without saying that many were aware he, Jiang Hao, must have scavenged quite a few good things. Keeping these items on him would undoubtedly act as bait to attract enemies. It was better to sell them openly to the auction house, which would also alleviate some of the danger from greedy coveters.

Wrapping up his thoughts, Jiang Hao gave a polite bow and said, "Greetings, Senior." He then sat down across from Tang Cheng.

Tang Cheng gently waved his hand.

Instantly, a steaming cup of tea floated over slowly, eventually landing right in front of Jiang Hao.

"There’s no need to be formal, young friend. I am deeply grateful that you graced my booth with your presence. Since this is your first time at the Tiancheng Auction House, I assume you have some pills you’d like to put up for auction?"

Tang Cheng got straight to the point. Putting everything else aside, as long as they completed this first transaction, everything else would naturally fall into place.

Unexpectedly, the white-clad youth sitting across from him shook his head slightly.

"Forgive me, Senior, but I don’t have any pills to auction."

"Oh?" Tang Cheng continued. "Could it be that you wish to trade the pills directly?"

Direct trading would inevitably lower the price; usually, any Cultivator possessing a treasure-tier item would choose to auction it. Since the other party didn’t want the auction house to help auction the pills, it meant he must want to sell them outright.

However, when Tang Cheng finished speaking, the youth shook his head again.

"That’s not it, either."

WHOOSH!!!

As soon as those words were spoken, Tang Cheng immediately raised his eyes, two sharp gleams erupting from his gaze. Not only him, but even Leng Tianlin and the others nearby subconsciously looked over.

If he wasn’t trading pills, then he was trading something else—or perhaps asking the auction house to help auction a treasure he had on hand. Tang Xin Yi was also deeply surprised, a trace of bewilderment flickering in her beautiful eyes. She wondered if he was really here to trade a treasure. He was clearly an Alchemy Master!

"Could it be that you wish to trade other items, young friend?" Tang Cheng asked, a hint of surprise in his voice. An Alchemy Master coming to the auction house to trade things other than pills—the underlying message behind this was quite significant.

Jiang Hao seemingly casually glanced at Leng Tianlin’s group before replying with a question of his own. "Does your esteemed establishment trade in absolutely anything?"

"Of course. Our Tiancheng Auction House is the largest auction house in the Sword Dynasty, bar none. As long as the items in your hands have a clear origin, it’s fine.

"As for what we accept, there are no limits. Cultivation Techniques, martial skills, pill recipes, Secret Techniques, Array manuals, and even Pill Furnaces, Magical Artifacts, mounts, spirit beasts, and the like—the Tiancheng Auction House accepts everything and auctions everything."

When mentioning this, Tang Cheng brimmed with confidence. As long as an item was related to cultivation, the auction house could put it up at their auction events, regardless of how diverse, bizarre, or rare it was. Of course, the prerequisite was that the item had to pass the appraisal of a Trade Master or a Treasure Evaluator first, and evaluating treasures often took place simultaneously with the trading negotiations.