Chapter 91: The Person Behind Mr. Hong

Chapter 91: Chapter 91: The Person Behind Mr. Hong

"What? Are you trying to scare me with your auction house’s backing? Cut the crap. I want to buy a Celestial Grade Treasure Sword. Am I qualified to see your shopkeeper or not?" Chu Fan said, feigning annoyance.

"Very well. In that case, please follow me, you two." The female manager began to lead Chu Fan and Yun Xi toward the back courtyard.

As he was leaving, Chu Fan gave a provocative shrug to the man who had mocked him earlier.

"Kid, are you looking to die?" the man roared.

Chu Fan turned, gave a dismissive wave behind him, and followed the female manager to the back courtyard.

They passed through a gallery and arrived at a pavilion. The female manager didn’t say another word the entire way.

At the pavilion entrance, she asked Chu Fan and Yun Xi to wait. She pushed the door open and entered, returning shortly after to invite them inside.

Inside, Chu Fan saw a man in his fifties. He was dressed in a brown, silk brocade long-robe, and his half-foot-long beard was neatly groomed.

He looked like a Confucian Scholar, but Chu Fan could tell he was a Golden Core Realm Cultivator.

While Chu Fan was still wondering, the female manager introduced him. "This is the shopkeeper of our Mr. Hong’s Auction House Nanling Branch. You may call him Mr. Lin, or Shopkeeper Lin."

As Chu Fan was sizing him up, Shopkeeper Lin was also sizing up Chu Fan and Yun Xi. However, his expression gradually turned a few shades colder.

He was the first to speak. "You’re the ones who want a Celestial Grade Treasure Sword?"

Chu Fan glanced at the female manager. She hesitated for a moment, but after the shopkeeper nodded, she withdrew and closed the door.

As soon as the door was shut, Chu Fan helped Yun Xi to a nearby chair before sitting down beside her.

"You’re the shopkeeper of this branch? Then where is Liu Yicai? Hmm, I should have figured a new shopkeeper would have taken over by now."

Hearing Chu Fan’s words, Shopkeeper Lin’s attitude shifted slightly. He asked tentatively, "You know our Shopkeeper Liu?"

Chu Fan nodded and asked, "Where is your Shopkeeper Liu now? How far is he? If this branch ran into an emergency, how would you contact him?"

Shopkeeper Lin’s expression changed again at this. This time, he grew much more vigilant. His face darkened as he asked, "Who exactly are you? No matter who you are, the affairs of Mr. Hong’s Auction House are not for you to pry into. Take my advice. While our auction house is always polite to its guests, if you have other intentions, you’d best give them up."

Yun Xi, at his side, covered her mouth and chuckled.

Chu Fan rubbed his nose in slight embarrassment. "Liu Yicai and I are old acquaintances. He’ll know who I am when he sees me."

"And what might your name be, sir?"

"It’s inconvenient for me to reveal my name. You just need to tell him an old friend wants to see him and has some questions. If he asks for my name, tell him these eight words: ’Heaven, Earth, Mystic, Yellow, Universe, Space, Boundless, Desolate.’ He’ll know what to do."

Shopkeeper Lin frowned, stood up, and said, "Please wait here for a moment, sir."

With that, he went straight upstairs.

About a quarter of an hour later, he came back downstairs. His attitude toward Chu Fan and Yun Xi had done a complete one-eighty.

He personally steeped them some highest-class tea.

"Young Master, please forgive my previous disrespect. Our Shopkeeper Liu is currently in the National Capital of the Celestial Qi Kingdom. After seeing the message I sent, he asks that you please wait here for three days. He is setting out immediately."

’Are you kidding me? After hearing those eight words, Head Shopkeeper Liu ordered me to receive them with the highest etiquette while he rushed back immediately. Doesn’t that mean the identity of these two people is someone even Head Shopkeeper Liu must revere?’

’I was personally promoted by Head Shopkeeper Liu. Although rumors outside say that Mr. Hong’s Auction House has an incredible backer, I’ve never had any contact with that level of existence.’

"Young Master, our branch does have a Celestial Grade Middle Class Treasure Sword, but it’s used as a showpiece for the shop. If you truly wish to buy it, I’m sure Shopkeeper Liu would approve." Shopkeeper Lin was now clearly trying to curry favor.

Chu Fan smiled and said, "I only mentioned buying a Sword to get a meeting with this branch’s shopkeeper. You don’t need to worry. Since your Shopkeeper Liu says he can be here in three days, I’ll wait for three days."

After speaking, Chu Fan stood up.

"Young Master, our auction house also has guest courtyards out back. Several of them have never even been occupied. Shopkeeper Liu instructed me to be sure to provide you two with the best hospitality," Shopkeeper Lin said.

"Oh? Very well. Staying at an inn would indeed be inconvenient for certain things."

With that, Shopkeeper Lin led Chu Fan and Yun Xi to one of the guest courtyards.

Mr. Hong’s Auction House was a complex that integrated a storefront, an auction hall, a restaurant, and an inn. The restaurant’s prices were outrageously expensive, but its service was second to none.

All who could stay at the auction house’s inn were distinguished guests of Mr. Hong’s Auction House, but staying in a guest courtyard was a privilege reserved for even more honored guests.

As a result, though this branch had been open for over two months, the guest courtyards had never once hosted anyone.

Upon arriving, Chu Fan realized this was no ordinary guest courtyard. It was a completely independent, three-section courtyard, much larger than the homes of some middle-class wealthy families.

And while the decor wasn’t the absolute finest, it was still exceptionally luxurious.

Once inside, Shopkeeper Lin personally gave them a tour. He then offered to arrange for several servants and Maids to attend to them, but Chu Fan declined, only asking him to have someone send over some food ingredients.

"Is this auction house really yours?" After Shopkeeper Lin left and the two of them were alone in the courtyard, Yun Xi asked Chu Fan, still finding it hard to believe.

"Not exactly mine, no. It’s just that their Head Shopkeeper is one of my people—one of the eight I told you I met at Dingfeng Slope."

The two of them settled into the courtyard. They cooked their meals together, just as they once had at the Lingyun Sect, both of them enjoying the simple pleasure.

For three days, they didn’t take a single step outside the guest courtyard.

At dusk on the fourth day, a travel-worn Liu Yicai arrived at the guest courtyard. However, the moment he saw Chu Fan, he was somewhat taken aback.

"And you are, sir?" There was a hint of anger on his face. He had thought his Lord was summoning him, so he had rushed here, barely resting along the way.

’To arrive and find it wasn’t my Lord, how could I be in a good mood?’

’In this world, only my Lord could command me like this. Not even Jing’an and Lan Bing have that right.’

Hearing this, Chu Fan’s form flickered, and he returned to his original appearance.

Liu Yicai was startled by Chu Fan’s technique. "You... you really are the Lord?"

"The one and only," Chu Fan said with a smile.

"I heard that you and the Lady were forced past the restricted line of Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain. I knew that a blessed man like you, my Lord, would be protected by providence," Liu Yicai said.

But when he looked at Yun Xi, a trace of disappointment was unavoidable in his eyes.

’A face like that is worth the Lord risking everything for?’

Chu Fan saw the question in his eyes and laughed. He said to Yun Xi, "Change back to your original appearance so he can get a proper look at you."

Yun Xi shot Chu Fan a glance but restored her original appearance nonetheless.

And with that transformation, Liu Yicai was instantly stunned, as if he were looking at a goddess.

"Your subordinate, Liu Yicai, greets the Lady." Liu Yicai bowed deeply to Yun Xi in a grand salute.

"Alright, we are peers. There’s no need for such formalities in the future."

"My Lord, etiquette cannot be abolished. One day, when you reach the Peak of the Cultivation Realm with hundreds of millions serving under you, etiquette will become a form of law. Without propriety, how can one govern one’s subordinates?"

Chu Fan waved his hand dismissively. "You’ve done an excellent job with this auction house. It’s much better than I expected."

"Thank you for your praise, my Lord."

"By the way, how did Shopkeeper Lin send you that message three days ago?"