Above the East China Sea, shrouded in clouds and mist, a city floats above the waves, and people can vaguely be seen coming and going in it.
The sea market is the largest market in the world of cultivation, and also the largest den of money. There are four sea markets, with the East Market being the largest. It is very lively here, with scattered buildings, streets and bridges connected, and shops everywhere. Most of the things in the shops are clearly marked with prices, which is very convenient. Of course, there are also many large auction houses in the sea market, called "commercial companies", which do legitimate business and sell genuine goods at fair prices. In addition, there are many underground trading houses, known as "black markets", where sellers and buyers do not meet each other, and the goods auctioned are basically of illegitimate origin, and no one dares to investigate and investigate. This is the rule of the black market, which shows how powerful the owner behind the scenes is.
The biggest black market in the East Market was called "Haiyun Country". There were actually two inner alchemy cultivators standing at the door. Ordinary people didn't dare to go in and cause trouble after seeing this scene. The night show was about to start. Guests filed in one after another. Many people didn't want to show their faces. They wore black or white curtains. After entering the door, there were waiters to take them to the room.
Two cultivators wearing veils walked up the stairs side by side. The shorter one handed two mid-grade feather coins to the inner alchemy cultivator at the door, and a waiter immediately came over to receive him.
After passing through two doors, a square hall appeared in front of them. There was a high platform in the middle, vermilion railings, vermilion columns, and many windows on the upper floors around it. They were all covered with black gauze curtains, so it was unclear who was inside. The waiter led the two upstairs and into a small room. The room could only accommodate a dozen people. There was a window facing the hall, and there were tables and chairs. On the table was a one-foot-long black wooden sign.
As soon as the two cultivators sat down, a maid served them fairy tea.
The usher said respectfully, "The night show is about to start, so I won't bother you two guests. If you like anything, just show your brand and bid. If you need anything, you can summon me at any time."
The shorter cultivator nodded slightly, and the waiter and the maid quietly left the room.
The two men then removed the curtain and revealed their faces.
"There are a lot of guests," Duan Qingming put the curtain under the window and picked up the teapot to pour tea. "No wonder. With such news, no matter how expensive the entrance fee is, there will be people who will come to take advantage of it."
Gu Pinglin asked: "Do you think the news is true or false?"
"If you don't know, how can I know?" Duan Qingming pushed the tea in front of him, "But since I can make you doubt and come to Hai City to get the news in person, it is at least half likely to be true."
Many years had passed since the incident of the Flame Bird Mechanism, and I thought it had faded away. I didn't expect that clues to the inheritance of the Creation Cave Mansion would suddenly appear in Hai City. So after hearing the news on the way, Gu Pinglin immediately changed his route to Haijing to confirm its authenticity. It was not surprising that Duan Qingming thought so when he saw him open the Flame Bird Mechanism with his own eyes.
Gu Pinglin asked, "If this person really has clues to the inheritance, why would he openly auction it off?"
Duan Qingming thought without hesitation: "Maybe they want these monks to explore the way and send a group of scapegoats."
Gu Pinglin originally thought so too, and stopped talking after hearing this.
The night party outside had already started. The auctioneer was a tall woman wearing a black Taoist robe. She had a beautiful face and a clear voice without any seductiveness. She introduced herself as Haisha, which of course should be a pseudonym. At this moment, she was introducing a soul-sending bead.
The fist-sized dark green beads were placed on a wooden tray covered with red silk. The waiter held the tray high for the guests to see. This soul-storing bead was considered a rare treasure. It could hold souls for three days without dispersing. It was usually used to save lives. The base price was 10,000 feather coins. Many windows upstairs showed signs to increase the price. In a short while, the price reached 50,000 and continued to rise.
Gu Pinglin lifted the curtain and looked for a while: "There are quite a few bidders."
Duan Qingming said: "One of the rooms 9 and 20 will definitely succeed."
Gu Pinglin's heart moved: "It seems that you already understand, do you dare to bet with me?"
"oh?"
"I bet the guy in room nine will succeed."
Duan Qingming looked at him and sighed: "You choose number nine, I can only choose number twenty."
Gu Pinglin raised his eyebrows and said nothing.
The people in the window stretched out their hands and showed their cards, revealing their identities. The middle finger of the hand in room 9 wore a white jade ring, judging by the size and style, it should be the symbol of the Qingcang Sect; as for room 20, that hand did not wear a ring, but the wristband was embroidered with a special bamboo leaf peony pattern, and the person inside must be the Huajian Wan family. The Qingcang Sect is one of the eight major sects, and the Wan family is a first-class family with more financial resources than the Qingcang Sect, but the Huajian Wan family itself has a soul transfer secret book called "Three Lives Secret". In comparison, the soul transfer bead is more practical for the Qingcang Sect. Since the Wan family does not have to use the soul transfer bead, it should not be entangled for long.
Things turned out just as Gu Pinglin had expected. When the price reached 60,000, the Wan family stopped bidding. Only No. 9 Qingcang Gate and No. 75 who had appeared earlier were left to compete with each other. No. 75 raised their placard very slowly, and was obviously hesitating whether to withdraw. Therefore, the Qingcang Gate must be the one that won the Soul-sending Pearl in the end.
Gu Pinglin took a sip of tea quite contentedly.
"Don't buy it, it's too expensive," a voice suddenly sounded beside him, "Even if Huajian Wanshi was here, I'm afraid she can't afford it."
The entire auction hall fell silent.
"It's just a soul-sending bead, the Wan family can't afford it?" With a sneer, the curtains of Room No. 9 on the opposite floor were torn off, and a slightly fat man in brocade clothes sat inside. He was not wearing a curtain either, and glanced over here with an arrogant face, "I'm right here, who the hell was yelling just now?"
When he saw this person, Gu Pinglin felt something was wrong.
This young master is really famous. He is Wan Lai, the legitimate son of the head of the Wan family. Wan Lai is the youngest son and has been the most loved by his mother since childhood. He was spoiled and became one of the most famous prodigal sons in the world of cultivation. He once spent a million feather coins to compete with the son of the Wang family for a concubine, but was beaten half to death by his father when he returned. However, he still did not change his bad habits.
How could such a playboy stand being provoked by others
Just as Gu Pinglin had predicted, the young master Wan Lai couldn't find anyone to mock him, nor could he arrest anyone in violation of the black market rules. He was so angry that he grabbed the sign and threw it out: "One hundred thousand! Who can bid higher?"
Qingcangmen and No. 75 were both silent.
Although the soul-storing bead is good, one hundred thousand is far above the market price. It is not cost-effective in any way. Not everyone is like Wan Lai, the prodigal son.
Gu Pinglin put down the teacup heavily and glared at Duan Qingming.
Duan Qingming was totally unaware: "Hey, it seems like I won by chance, thanks."
"It was you who interfered with the gambling!"
Duan Qingming looked at him with a smile on his long eyelashes, rubbing his forehead with his fingers: "You, knowing that Qingcang Sect has the best chance, you took the lead without any hesitation and didn't allow me to intervene. Isn't this bullying me?"
Gu Pinglin also found it funny: "So what if I bully you?"
"No," Duan Qingming picked up the teapot with beautiful hands and refilled it for him. "I still need to rely on my junior brother for protection, so how dare I say that you are not. I have no choice but to swallow my anger."
Gu Pinglin naturally didn't really care. He looked at him pushing the tea in front of him and asked, "How do you know that it was Wan Lai?"
"I have seen him when I was young, and I recognize his hands." Duan Qingming put down the teapot. "It's not that you made a mistake in your calculations, it's just that I was lucky."
This is indeed a coincidence. Gu Pinglin narrowed his eyes: "You have already recognized him, and you are willing to let me choose first. Am I bullying you, or are you bullying me?"
"You are always right," Duan Qingming said with a smile, "If I hadn't met him by chance, wouldn't I have lost?"
Gu Pinglin hummed.
Wan Lai had already shown up in public, so he simply didn't put up the curtains, and simply opened the window to watch. The next few items to be auctioned were all treasures similar to the Soul-Sending Pearl. Except for two items that were too expensive, no one was interested in them, and the rest were sold smoothly. At the end, the waiter brought a plate, and there was no treasure on the plate, only a page of a book.
Haisha glanced at the pages of the book and said with a smile, "The night show is almost over tonight, and this is the last treasure to dominate the show..." She paused deliberately before continuing, "We have spent our entire lives practicing and cultivating enlightenment for the same purpose, but in the tens of millions of years of the cultivation world, only one person has achieved great success."
Wan Lai interrupted, "This young master knows, it's the ancestor Baichuan."
Haisha smiled and said, "Yes, although the ancestor broke through the realm and ascended, he could not bear to see the Taoism he created lost in the world, so he deliberately left behind a legacy. The ancestor was very clever, and the legacy was guided by two mechanisms. The Flame Bird mechanism has long been known to people. As long as the other mechanism is cracked, the Fortune Cave will appear in the world. Unfortunately, over the years, no one knows the whereabouts of the other mechanism."
Having said this, she turned around and took out a page from the wooden tray: "I believe you have already guessed what this is."
"It's just the whereabouts of another mechanism," Wan Lai said impatiently, "You guys have already spread the news, why are you still guessing?"
Haisha frowned slightly: "This is the whereabouts of another mechanism. The starting price is 200,000. The highest bidder wins."
Wan Lai said: "Who knows whether the news is true or false? And I heard that you have sold this news twice."
Haisha was not angry either. "Indeed, the news was provided by a mysterious seller. As for whether it is true or not, we cannot be sure. But if it is true, it is related to the inheritance of the Creation Cave Mansion. I believe it is always useful to know the secret early. So far, only two groups of people have rushed there. You can consider it. In half a month, this news will continue to be auctioned."
Wan Lai sneered: "You made us spend a lot of money to buy a piece of news that we don't know whether it is true or not, and you have sold it before. You are so good at doing business, do you think we are all fools?"
Haisha said calmly: "In that case, Sir, just don't buy it."
"Of course, I'm not stupid." Wan Lai sat back complacently.
This fool, he didn't buy anything worth buying. Everyone laughed at what they heard, and when Haisha announced the start, someone immediately started bidding, and soon the price reached 500,000.
Gu Pinglin frowned slightly.
The auction is real, and the news is probably true as well. Is the Haijing Agency going to be unveiled ahead of schedule again
Duan Qingming said: "Buy it and take a look, then you will know whether it is real or not."
Gu Pinglin looked at him and asked, "Do you have money?"
"Simple," Duan Qingming said with a smile, "Take me to auction, I'm priceless."
If I hadn't been reborn in this life, I would have never seen how shameless this person is. Gu Pinglin pursed his lips and said, "If you sell this priceless treasure, wouldn't that be harming others? Leave now."
It is easy to know whether this is true or not.
The two men stood up, took the curtain, put it on, and left Haiyun Kingdom.