In the afternoon, Zhu Changyang and Jun Shu went to Huayan Auction House with Jie Li.
Huayan Auction House is located on the main road of East City. It mainly does restaurant business on weekdays and holds an auction in the lobby every month.
The restaurant covers a vast area and is magnificent. It can be seen that it is quite old, but its luxury has not diminished at all.
On the day of the auction, the lobby would suspend daily business and be used for the auction. The main door was only for guests with invitations, and ordinary guests had to go back to their rooms through the side door.
Jie Li showed them the invitation, and a waiter led them to a private room on the second floor.
The box was very elegant, with a round table and soft chairs, and cakes and tea on the table. The table was next to a carved wooden window, and when the window was opened, it faced the lobby on the first floor.
The lobby is deep and wide. There is a platform on the side opposite the window, which is usually where singers perform and is used as a booth during auctions.
There were dozens of eight-immortal tables in the hall, each of which had several guests, some dressed in brocade and jade belts, looking elegant and wealthy, and some with extraordinary aura and high levels of attainment.
"The items auctioned at Huayan include everything, including ordinary items and immortal artifacts. So in addition to the nobles in the mortal realm, many cultivators will also come to watch. If you are lucky, you may come across a magic weapon that suits your needs." Jie Li explained, "Ten of the precious swords found in the Gupeng Secret Realm in the past were auctioned at Huayan."
Zhu Changyang was slightly surprised when he heard this. Yin Kanwei once said that a total of sixteen swords taken out of the Sword Hidden Land had been auctioned on the market, and the Huayan family actually bid for ten of them. It can be seen that the strength of this auction house is indeed extraordinary.
Jie Li sighed, "It's a pity that no one knows who has the Dingjing treasure of Gupeng Secret Realm. Before, every time the secret realm was opened to Huayan, they would spend a lot of money to hire people to go in and look for the Kunshan Sword. They said that if the Kunshan Sword could fall into Huayan's hands, they would definitely make it the number one auction item in the entire continent."
Zhu Changyang: “…”
What an ambitious auction house! No wonder it has grown so big.
Jun Shu sneered, disapprovingly: "Gu Peng's sword is just so-so."
Jie Li was suddenly choked and didn't know how to respond for a moment. He thought that Brother Jun was indeed the man that Zi Jiu couldn't help asking questions about. He was really very impressive!
At this time, there was a knock on the box door, and Jie Li got up to open it.
There were two men in fancy clothes standing outside the door, one with a mustache, and the other in his forties, thin and slender. They walked in with eager faces: "We heard that Master Zhu has arrived. Please forgive us for not welcoming you in person."
Jie Li hurriedly introduced the two parties. The man with a mustache was the manager in charge of the Huayan Restaurant business, and the other person was Hua Boyuan, the owner of Huayan.
Hua Boyuan has practiced martial arts, but his level is not high and he is only at the foundation-building stage. However, he is very famous in the business world.
It turned out that Jie Li had never seen someone of his status and position. After getting the phonograph yesterday, the first person Jie Li found was actually the owner of Huayan Restaurant.
Although the shopkeeper was not in charge of the auction, he had seen countless items and had an extraordinary eye. When he saw the phonograph, he was immediately struck by how amazing it was and immediately asked Hua Boyuan to make the decision personally.
Hua Boyuan was even more excited when he learned that this item was made by Zhu Changyang, who had become famous recently.
Zhu Changyang is the most popular weapon refiner in recent times. Hua Boyuan has heard of his deeds and knows that many people want to find him to refine weapons. However, Zhu Changyang's whereabouts are erratic and he is a low-key person, so Hua Boyuan has never had the opportunity to get in touch with him.
I didn't expect the opportunity to come to me so suddenly.
"I've heard that you are a young genius. It's our honor to meet you today." Hua Boyuan praised you and after a brief greeting, he took out the jade tablet and said, "Master, if you don't mind, why don't we make friends? If you have anything you want to auction in the future, you can let me handle it."
Zhu Changyang understood Hua Boyuan's intention and found out that he wanted to continue cooperating with him.
Zhu Changyang is not really interested in auctions. What he can make now is very different from the immortal tools in the world of cultivation. Many of them are practical products that serve the public in modern times, and only mass production can maximize their value. Auctions, on the other hand, are an industry that emphasizes rarity, which is actually contrary to the original intention of these items being created.
However, after a little thought, he took out the jade tablet and exchanged secret communication orders with Hua Boyuan.
It never hurts to have multiple channels, and Zhu Changyang will still have to follow the path of a cultivator and weapon refiner in the future, and he may still need the help of the auction house for those magical weapons that cannot be mass-produced.
Most importantly, Huayan is not only an auction, but also an excellent publicity channel.
Hua Boyuan was delighted and chatted for a while. Seeing that the auction was about to start, he stood up to say goodbye. Before leaving, he asked, "By the way, what kind of skills did Master Zhu use to make this 'phonograph'? Would you mind telling me?"
When auctioning an item, one needs to briefly introduce its origin, function, and craftsmanship. This phonograph is very magical, but it is technically unprecedented and there is no trace of it. It was inevitable that I felt difficult when writing the introduction.
Zhu Changyang didn't know how to explain it to them. After thinking for a while, he simply summarized it as follows: "You can call it industrial manufacturing technology."
"Industrial manufacturing?" Hua Boyuan lowered his head and chewed twice, then bowed and said, "Thank you for your guidance, masters."
Soon, there was a commotion in the lobby and the auction officially began.
Today's auction was just a routine auction, and not many people paid attention to it. Until last night, Huayan suddenly sent out a message to inform all major customers that they had obtained a rare treasure that could preserve the immortal's heavenly sound, which instantly attracted the attention of the nobles in the entire Gongyu City.
The people of Gongyu City are most obsessed with the heavenly music, and the banquet is so solemn. Although they don’t know what the treasure is, they are determined not to miss it. The number of people coming to participate in the auction has increased several times, and there are almost not enough seats.
There are ten items in total in this auction, and the phonograph is arranged at the end as the finale.
Zhu Changyang was not in a hurry and watched the auction with great interest.
The auction items at Huayan were indeed all-encompassing, including magical instruments refined by weapon refiners, talisman books collected from hidden talisman masters, materials brought out from secret realms, antique jewelry collected by mortals, and even scriptures and spices brought back from across the ocean by people from outside the realm.
"The next one, I believe many of you here have heard of it. It is the Good Dharma Spiritual Tassel produced by Young Master Shi Yun, the Marquis of Yong Zhou Tian, which has attracted a lot of attention recently." The person in charge of presiding over the auction opened a wooden box with an anti-theft ban. In the box was a tassel emitting a faint golden light. "Young Master Hou is the only son of the elder of Yong Zhou Tian Hou. He is born smart and has two top-grade spiritual roots suitable for sword cultivation and weapon refining. He has already reached the level of Golden Core cultivation before he is thirty. This Good Dharma Spiritual Tassel is Young Master Hou's recent masterpiece. It is made of the feathers and bones of the weaving gold bird. Hanging it on a sword can greatly increase the power of the sword. It is a good method..."
This introduction is eloquent and full of praise.
The more Zhu Changyang listened, the more he felt a sense of déjà vu. He couldn't help but exclaimed, "Huh?" and looked at Jun Shu: "Aci, this spiritual tassel is a bit like your sword tassel."
Of course, the finished product is much more delicate than the one Jun Shu made that day. The feathers have been shaped into tassels, not as rough as the one Jun Shu made.
"Brother Jun's sword tassel?" Jie Li's ears perked up instantly, and he asked casually but impatiently, "Is it the one that Zi Jiuwen gave me?"
Zhu Changyang: “Cough, cough, cough.”
Why is this never-ending
"I don't have a sword tassel." Jun Shu's face darkened. He took out a small golden windmill from his pocket and blew into it. "I only have this."
Cleavage: “… ?”
Oh, what a weird picture.
Zhu Changyang turned his attention back to the auction and said with a smile, "Hou Shiyun's ideas coincide with Xiaoci's."
There are actually quite a few magical instruments in the world of cultivation used to buff weapons, but the fact that it happened to be a tassel made from the fire feathers and bones of the weaving bird is a very high coincidence.
Of course, there is no such thing as plagiarism in the world of cultivation. Besides, the sword tassel that Jun Shulian had refined had only been used a few times, and not many people had seen it.
I don’t know if it’s an illusion, but I always feel that the name Hou Shiyun sounds familiar.
"Come to think of it, Hou Shiyun was my former senior brother." Jie Li suddenly spoke.
Zhu Changyang's train of thought was interrupted. He turned to look at Jie Li and seemed to understand something: "This Elder Hou is the master you worshipped before?"
Jie Li nodded, looking somewhat dejected: "Elder Hou is the most senior elder in Yong Zhou Tian, and he hasn't accepted any disciples for many years. Unfortunately, I am unlucky."
When he joined Yong Zhou Tian, he was favored by Elder Hou and attracted the envy of many people. However, he didn't know that the world is so unpredictable.
"Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore." Jie Li forced a smile and said, "Let's continue watching the auction."
Magical weapons like the Shanfa Linghui that can enhance weapons have always been in great demand, not to mention that it was produced by Yong Zhoutian, a famous weapon refiner. In a blink of an eye, it was bought by a monk who used a knife at a high price.
The chief then picked up another box and opened it. Inside the box was a yellowed booklet. “The next one is from the Master Si Kou Luo of the Ji Jin Sect.”
As soon as the name "Si Kou Luo" came out, all the cultivators in the audience immediately stretched their necks, and even Zhu Changyang couldn't help but look at him intently.
No wonder everyone was excited. The Jijin Sect was the only weapon refining sect on the Piaomiao Continent that was as famous as the Yong Zhoutian Sect, and the sect leader Si Kou Luo was famous throughout the nine regions and eighteen continents.
Even Zhu Changyang had heard of his great name for a long time.
There is no other reason, this person is none other than the cultivator Jobs who refined the Jade Letter of Communication.
With Si Kou Luo's current status and position, the magic weapons he refined are rarely available on the market. They are either custom-made products directly commissioned by the leaders of major sects, or they are immediately bought by people with channels and connections after they are refined.
I didn't expect that Huayan Auction House could actually take out Si Kou Luo's things in such a regular auction. It really shows its extraordinary strength.
The monks present were astonished, but they all focused their attention and were ready to make their bids as soon as the person in charge finished his introduction.
I'm afraid we'll end up fighting over this!
As everyone waited, the headmaster continued to introduce: "This booklet is the study book that Sect Master Sikou used when he first entered the Jijin Sect. It contains the notes that Sect Master Sikou left when he first sought the truth, as well as some of his private essays, learning insights, etc. It is a very precious material for studying Sect Master Sikou's early learning ideas. Interested guests should not miss it."
Off the court: “…”
Someone couldn't help but let out a "tsk!" sound, and the expectations on the scene instantly dropped to the bottom.
Zhu Changyang almost spit out his tears.
After all the searching, it turned out that it was not Si Kou Luo Lian's magic weapon, but just a booklet he had used before, and it was an elementary level one at that.
Rounding off, it is roughly equivalent to the exercise book used by the president of USTC in elementary school. It cannot be said to be completely worthless, but its value is indeed very limited.
If it weren't for Si Kouluo's own halo, no one would even look at a book like this if it was thrown at a used bookstall.
No wonder Hua Yan had never mentioned it before. If it was really Si Kou Luo's magic weapon, it would be strange if Hua Yan didn't publicize it in advance.
The person in charge had seen many storms and waves, and was not affected by the atmosphere at all. He continued the process calmly: "The bidding will start now. The practice book used by the Sikou Sect Master when he was young has a starting price of fifty middle-grade spirit stones. The minimum increase for each bid is ten middle-grade spirit stones. Please bid."
There was silence for a moment before someone slowly called out, "Sixty, hit."
Obviously, no one was very interested in this booklet. This was normal, since it was neither a magic weapon nor did it contain any profound techniques. It was said to be Si Kou Luo's notes, but they were his random notes when he first entered the Immortal Sect. It was obvious that there would be no profound research in it.
What's more, most of the cultivators present are not weapon refiners at all.
Zhu Changyang thought for a moment and made an offer through the window: "Seventy, medium."
Jie Li was a little surprised: "Brother Zhu, why did you buy this? Do you like Sect Master Sikou?"
It’s no wonder he thinks this way. Apart from fans, who would spend a lot of money to buy a principal’s elementary school exercise book
"Hmm?" Jun Shu seemed to have heard some extraordinary information. He suddenly turned his head and stared at Zhu Changyang with a sharp gaze. "Why? What's so good about this person?"
"Nothing." Zhu Changyang was sweating profusely, "I just want to take a look at the notes of outstanding talents and learn from them."
He just realized that this booklet might be too superficial for those sectarian weapon refiners, but it was just right for him. Since he traveled through time, he had been self-taught in cultivation. Although he could buy elementary textbooks outside, there were always times when he couldn't understand them.
Si Koro is the great Steve Jobs of cultivation, and his elementary school notes might provide some ideas.
"Is that so?" Jie Li scratched his head, "But I think you are already very good, not inferior to Sikou Sect Master."
Zhu Changyang was filled with sorrow and stroked his chest with a long sigh: "You don't understand."
He had a good academic background before, but it was not enough in the world of cultivation!
After Zhu Changyang made his bid, the scene fell silent again. Raising the price once or twice was already out of consideration for Si Kou Luo. It would be impolite to raise the price any higher.
"Seventy-one..." The head of the shop called out three times, but no one raised the price. Finally, he made the final decision, "The practice book used by Sect Master Si Kou Luo in his early years was sold for seventy middle-grade spirit stones, and was won by the VIP in Box No. 3 on the second floor."
Zhu Changyang slapped his thigh and said, "Oh no! I totally forgot about it. I don't have any money at all now."
Jie Li was startled by him and laughed, "Don't be afraid, you'll have the phonograph after the shooting."
Zhu Changyang breathed a sigh of relief: "That makes sense."
In this way, two more items were auctioned, and finally all the items were auctioned off as usual, and it was time for the finale.
The person in charge immediately stepped down and was replaced by Hua Boyuan who came up personally, which seemed very grand.
"Next is the last lot of today's auction. Many people should have received news from our bank in advance. It is a magical artifact that can preserve the sounds of nature." Hua Boyuan couldn't hide his excitement and deliberately kept it a secret. "Why don't you guess what it is?"
Many people present, especially those from Gongyu City and surrounding areas, came here for this item. After hearing the news, they could no longer contain their excitement and started to speculate.
"I guess it's an extremely precious music score that records the lost music of immortals."
"No, it is said that it can preserve the immortal music, so it must be a top-level musical instrument that can produce a unique tone. It can also linger in the ears for three days like the performance of Elder Jiang in the Le Tianyou a hundred years ago."
"Ah, could it be that this is a musical instrument used by some immortal master, and there is still the lingering sound of the immortal master's performance on it?"
"Yes, yes, that must be it."
The more they talked, the more certain they became, and some even boldly speculated that it might be the Yaoqin that Jiang Hui used to play in the past.
When Hua Boyuan saw that Guanzi was almost sold out, he smiled and asked someone to bring the things up.
The object was placed on an exquisite tray, with a magical protective cover set up over it.
The audience was immediately confused.
Through the cover, it is impossible to tell what this thing looks like, but judging by its size and height, it doesn't look like a piece of music, nor does it look like any kind of musical instrument.
Hua Boyuan carefully removed the cover and revealed the answer: "Everyone, this is a rare treasure made by the industrial pioneer Master Zhu Changyang himself - a phonograph."
Everyone: ?
What is this? A bronze flower
Zhu Changyang:
No, you middlemen are being too boastful. How did you get such a reputation
Studio:
[What the hell is this Industrial Pioneer? I was so excited watching it, but it ruined my mood! ]
[Saruman was furious and clicked "dislike"! ]
There were quite a few cultivators in the audience, and one of them immediately noticed that this item was made of ordinary materials and did not possess any spiritual power.
Someone sneered, "It's just a trick. It's obviously just a weird-looking ordinary weapon."
"That's right, this thing is not a magic weapon at all. It doesn't contain any spiritual energy materials. How can it be so rare?"
As soon as the monk opened his mouth, the distinguished guests from the mortal realm frowned even more.
"Boss Hua, can you explain to me what this thing has to do with the Heavenly Music?"
"It's a joke that we were rushed here and this is what we are shown."
"It's just a morning glory. What's so special about it? There are plenty of craftsmen in this city who can make it."
For a moment, the audience was filled with voices of dissatisfaction, and some people were so angry that they slammed the table and prepared to leave.
Just at this moment, a "ding ding dong dong" sound was heard, and the clear and melodious sound of the pipa slowly flowed into everyone's ears.
The music appeared so suddenly that everyone was stunned.
Someone subconsciously looked around and asked, "Who is playing the pipa? Why is there no one?"
The music was clearly coming from very close by, probably in the lobby, but looking around, there was no one playing a pipa.
Another person said, "What a brilliant technique, what a moving rhythm, what a spacious and joyful piece of 'Blue Sky and Blue Sky'! Which master is playing this piece? Why don't you come out and see it?"
"We can hear the sound but can't see anyone. Could it be that Boss Hua has invited a fairy master to play music? Then we can forgive you for playing a trick on us."
Hua Boyuan smiled, unable to hide his pride: "Everyone, please listen carefully to where this sound comes from."
With his prompting, someone finally discovered the clue and pointed at the stage and shouted, "It's that flower that's making the sound! The sound is coming from that flower!"
The rest of the people were shocked and looked towards the stage together. Finally they realized that the moving pipa music was actually coming from this strange-looking machine.
The whole audience was in an uproar.
(End of this chapter)