Chapter 58: Liu Yicai’s Auction House

Chapter 58: Chapter 58: Liu Yicai’s Auction House

The moment Ji Bufan finished speaking, the other two men’s eyes narrowed, their gazes burning as they stared at him.

Liu Yicai thought for a moment, then suddenly laughed. "Impossible, isn’t it? A little over a month ago, my cultivation advanced to the Golden Core Realm. Then, not even a month later—just a few days ago, in fact—it suddenly jumped to the Nascent Soul Realm. That means the Master must have been in seclusion cultivating this whole time. How could he have run into any trouble?"

Ji Bufan shot Liu Yicai a look. "A while ago, a notice was posted in almost every major city in the Eastern Domain. You mean you don’t know about it?"

"Of course I know about it," Liu Yicai said. "I was even remarking on how much of a badass that guy must be to have all the Cultivation Sects of the Eastern Domain team up to hunt him down!"

"That person is the Master," Ji Bufan said.

Liu Yicai burst out laughing and pointed at Ji Bufan. "What nonsense are you spouting, you old coot? The Master is young and handsome. I’ve seen the portrait on that notice—how could some rough-looking brute compare to our Master? If you’ve got nothing better to do, go mind your own business. The auction downstairs is about to start."

Liu Yicai was just about to leave when Ying Xiao, who had been silent all this time, suddenly moved. Still as a mountain one moment, he sprang into action like a startled rabbit the next. In the blink of an eye, the edge of his sword was pressed against Liu Yicai’s throat.

Liu Yicai stared at Ying Xiao, utterly shocked and bewildered.

Ji Bufan hurried over and pushed Ying Xiao’s sword away with his hand. "Have you lost your mind since joining the Shadow Sect?" he said reproachfully. "All eight of us serve the Master. Why would we turn on each other?"

Ying Xiao said coldly, "I will kill anyone who dares to treat the Master’s affairs with indifference."

"Are you out of your mind?" Liu Yicai shot back, though he retreated to his original seat. "The Master’s fate is our fate! If something happens to him, I’ll be seeing the Netherworld King right alongside you, won’t I?"

Ying Xiao ignored him and sat back down, his expression impassive.

Ji Bufan said, "I’ve already confirmed it. That person on the notice is indeed the Master. In Jiangdong County, members of the Celestial Derivation Sect and the Wuji Sect found him, but he and another man joined forces and killed them instead. The Celestial Derivation Sect and the Wuji Sect are furious and have dispatched a large number of experts to Jiangdong County."

"Furthermore, according to my informant inside the Red Blood Mansion, a man named Fan Chu killed their Young Sect Leader. A little over a month ago, he also killed the Red Blood Mansion disciples sent to Zao Ying Mountain. And that Fan Chu is the Master, using a disguise and an alias. The Master is now a sworn enemy of the Red Blood Mansion. Their Sect Leader, Yan Qi, has sent thousands of disciples to hunt him down."

"In other words, the Master has offended practically every Cultivation Sect in the Eastern Domain. Ying Xiao and I are here today because of a major event happening in a little over a month—an event that will determine the fate of the Master, and all of us."

Hearing this, Liu Yicai asked with suspicion, "What event?"

"On the eighth day of the twelfth month, the Saint Heir of the Celestial Derivation Sect is set to marry Yun Xi, a disciple of the Lingyun Sect. This Yun Xi is the Master’s childhood sweetheart. If I’m not mistaken, the Master will definitely try to crash the wedding. The only thing is, the Celestial Derivation Sect and the Lingyun Sect don’t know he’s still alive, so their guard might be down. But no matter how heaven-defying his talent is, the Master is only at the Nascent Soul Realm right now. If he goes to the Celestial Derivation Sect... well, I don’t need to spell out the consequences."

"So, what’s your plan?"

"On the eighth day of the twelfth month, Mr. Hong’s Auction House will have its grand opening in Nanling County. I want you to spread the word in advance that on that day, your auction house will be selling a Celestial Grade Top Class Treasure Sword, a Celestial Level Lower Class Sword Manual, three Earth Level Sword Manuals, three Sixth-Grade Muddled Heaven Pills, over ten types of Fifth-Grade Elixirs, as well as rare Spirit Medicines like Star Spirit Grass, Celestial Heart Flower, and Nine-tailed Dragon Sunflower."

Liu Yicai’s face fell. ’But those are all my most valuable treasures!’

Seeing Liu Yicai’s expression, Ji Bufan said, "Don’t worry, the eight of us brothers will cover the cost of these items. And of course, we’ll split the profits from the auction evenly. After all, getting started is tough, the Master has given us a heavy burden, and none of us are exactly rolling in cash."

"You mean you want to use this auction to draw the attention of the entire Cultivation Realm? To attract as many people as possible and reduce the pressure on the Master when he crashes the wedding?" Liu Yicai finally understood the plan.

"It’s the only way," said Ji Bufan. "Our Cultivation is too limited. If we were to go to the Celestial Derivation Sect ourselves, not only would we be no help to the Master, we would likely just drag him down."

"But have you thought this through? With treasures like these up for grabs, greed will take over. How am I supposed to protect them with my abilities alone? Do you have any idea how many threats I’ve received, both open and hidden, just since opening the Mr. Hong’s Auction House here in Lu Yang City?"

"Relax. The other seven of us will help you, some openly, some from the shadows. This is a mission for all eight of us, not just you. Why would we let you face the danger alone?"

The three of them discussed the new auction house branch for a long time. Of course, it was mainly a discussion between Ji Bufan and Liu Yicai; Ying Xiao merely listened from the sidelines.

They had just finished hammering out the details when a maid rushed up to their room.

Ji Bufan couldn’t help but tease, "You sure know how to live, Old Seven. Every woman in this auction house is more beautiful than the last."

Liu Yicai shot him a glare before asking the maid, "What’s happened?"

"A Cultivator hit Xin Yue."

Hearing this, Liu Yicai slammed the table and shot to his feet. "What do they think Mr. Hong’s Auction House is?"

"Wait here. I’ll go take care of this."

With that, Liu Yicai strode out of the private room.

Over the past few months, Liu Yicai had dealt with this sort of thing many times. Previously, operating under the merchant’s principle that harmony is good for business, he would at most have the troublemakers beaten and thrown out. This time, however, Liu Yicai intended to make an example of these hooligans.

In the auction hall, the floor was in chaos. The Cultivator who had thrown the punch and his companions were acting utterly lawless. There were plenty of Cultivators from other Sects present, but they were all sitting leisurely in their private rooms, enjoying the spectacle.

The main hall was also filled with wealthy merchants and Noble Youth from Lu Yang City, all of whom had already moved to the side to stay out of the way.

On the auction dais, Xin Yue clutched her face, glaring furiously at the group of Cultivators.

A line of the auction house’s enforcers stood protectively in front of her.

As Liu Yicai entered, his eyes fell upon the arrogant Cultivators. A wicked smile spread across his face as he began to applaud slowly, walking further into the hall.

"Incredible. Truly incredible," he said. "To come to Mr. Hong’s Auction House, ignore our rules, and on top of that, strike one of our people."

"Where did this dog come from, yapping and whining?" the lead Cultivator asked with a sneer.

Liu Yicai ignored him. Instead, his cold gaze swept across the room as he declared in a loud voice, "Mr. Hong’s Auction House exists to facilitate trade and provide a service to the world. We may serve the public, but that does not make us inferior to anyone. If you encounter injustice within our walls or feel you have been wronged, you may take it up with the Shopkeeper afterward. However, if anyone resorts to violence in our auction house—I don’t care who you are, whether you’re royalty or the Sect Leader of one of the Six Sects and Eight Gates of the Eastern Domain—there is only one outcome: Death!" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

"No one challenges the rules in Mr. Hong’s Auction House. No one!"

The words had barely left Liu Yicai’s mouth, and before he could even act, Ying Xiao appeared as if from nowhere. By the time anyone else registered his presence, his sword had already separated a Cultivator’s head from his shoulders.