Immortal Soaring Blade Book 3, Chapter 103 – Entering the Auction

“What an unpleasant tone you have, Sir. Everyone who comes to this auction is a guest. As long as you're here to buy or  sell, we'll naturally welcome you. However, you must obey the rules set by the four families. Either you have Nascent Soul Realm cultivation or bring out 30,000 spirit stones. This is a rule everyone in Qing Cang City knows. Otherwise, no matter which family or sect you're from, don't even think about entering the auction.”

As the voice echoed, a somewhat old figure slowly walked over.

This person was wearing a gorgeous, purple robe with symbols embroidered in golden silk on the cuffs. The symbols were exactly the same as the ones the guards had. The old man had a head of mostly white hair with a few strands of black mixed in the middle. However, his face didn't look old—it was smooth and filled with color.

The old man had an eagle hook nose and his expression was not very pleasant. He looked at Zhao Jiuge with a mocking gaze and gave off a gloomy aura. He was at the mid stage of the Nascent Soul Realm, and he wasn't hiding his spirit force. He purposely released it to act as a deterrent force.

The auction today was going to be presided over by the Li family, so the Li family was incharge. Everyone here today was from the Li family. As the host, he naturally wouldn't allow anyone to cause trouble, and he definitely wouldn't hesitate to make a move, as he had the four families standing behind him. The rumor was that members of the four families were getting together with disciples of the surrounding big sects. This seemed to have strengthened the power of the four families.

Old Li's eyes were measuring the three of them with a gaze like that of a poisonous snake. He was confused about why a young monk was here, but he believed the three of them to be some younger masters of some family. This was because Zhao Jiuge and Pei Sui Sui gave off extraordinary auras but lacked the killing intent that the disciples of the sects had.

As the steward of the auction house today, he had seen countless people and was able to easily read them. Given his cultivation level and position in the Li family, he didn't have to be afraid. While Zhao Jiuge was at a high cultivation level for his age, if he really did have a powerful background, how could he not have 30,000 spirit stones? He had only taken one look at them and no longer considered them worthy of his attention.

When the leading guard saw Old Li arrive, he relaxed. He retreated back behind Old Li since there was no need for him to do anything with the old man here. This kind of thing was the most difficult for them to deal with as it put them between a rock and a hard place. They couldn't disobey the rules set by the family, but he was also afraid to offend others, because he might die without even knowing why. People like him had to be very careful to not offend anyone.

Feeling the aura from Old Li, Zhao Jiuge frowned. He could feel the pressure the old man was deliberately releasing. However, he was not frightened at all as his own spirit force was more than strong enough to withstand the pressure without a problem. He was thinking that even if they could enter due to Pei Su Su or San Wu's cultivation, he still wouldn't be able to buy the Chilling Fire Flower.

While Zhao Jiuge was thinking about this, Pei Su Su became unhappy because Zhao Jiuge was being bullied. Her expression turned frosty and she stood before him.

She let out a cold snort and then a matching mid-stage Nascent Soul Realm aura spread out. Although they were at the same cultivation level, Pei Su Su's spirit force was obviously stronger. The expressions of all the guards behind Old Li changed like they were ready to face a powerful enemy. At this moment, Pei Su Su coldly said, “Hehe, someone from a family from this tiny Qing Cang City thinks he is worth something. I don't know if you're a frog in a well or just arrogant.”

She wasn't giving Old Li any face at all and had even dragged in the entire four families. Pei Su Su had always been straight forward and would straight up say what was on her mind.

The powerful pressure caused the guards to turn a little pale, but Old Li was secretly countering the pressure. However, even the good-natured Old Li couldn't help but become angry at Pei Su Su's words. He had seen arrogant people, he had seen powerful cultivators, but he had never seen someone who gave no face like this!

Pei Su Su had dragged the four families into this, and Old Li sneered. Now he didn't have to be afraid to act. Even if Pei Su Su's identity was not simple, the four families would help him, not to mention the Li family would naturally side with their own. There were always people causing trouble at the auction, and there was no way for a mere Nascent Soul Realm cultivator to set off any waves in Qing Cang City. Originally, he would have let them pass because of their Nascent Soul Cultivation; however, now things weren't so simple!

Bullying Zhao Jiuge was equal to bullying her, and when had she suffered this kind of insult before? She really didn't care much for small cities like this. Throughout her life, no one had ever dared to stop her like this. She was cherished by her father, a princess beloved by thousands in the sect. She had been watching silently with a cold gaze and finally erupted in anger.

Old Li's spirit force began to fluctuate and became more and more intense. It looked like he was preparing to make a move.

Just when Old Li was about to make a move, Pei Su Su suddenly threw her ring before him and said, “Open your eyes and see if there are enough spirit stones. See if those treasures are worth enough to buy out your entire auction house.”

Nascent Soul Realm cultivators would normally refine their treasures with their purple origin fire. After refining their treasures, not only would the power of the treasures increase, there would be no need to store them in storage rings. The treasures would form close bonds with the cultivator, making them easier to control. The treasures inside the ring were ones she didn't use often. However, each of those spirit treasures were very valuable, and this showed just how extraordinary her identity was.

Old Li was shocked by Pei Su Su's actions, and this made him hesitate to make a move. He wondered if these two really had an extraordinary background.

Thinking about this, he subconsciously checked the storage ring and was completely shocked. Forget the items inside, just the spirit stones piled up into a small mountain. Storage rings were rare, and generally only contained a few square meters of space. Pei Su Su's storage space was dozens of square meters. Forget the hundreds of thousands of spirit stones inside, just the ring itself was worth a lot.

“This is... you guys can enter. You guys meet the qualifications to enter. Earlier, it was my mistake. As an apology, how about I take you guys to the VIP box?”

Unexpectedly, after seeing the inside of the storage ring, Old Li's expression changed instantly. He smiled and returned the ring to Pei Su Su. Although he wasn't respectful, his attitude was a lot more gentle.

Zhao Jiuge was shocked by the change in Old Li's attitude. Although he wasn't sure what was inside Pei Su Su's storage ring, the contrast in their treatment was too great.

The ones sent to work at the auction house were clever people who could read the situation. Even when Pei Su Su revealed her Nascent Soul Realm cultivation, he was ready to fight on the spot. However, when he saw the wealth she had, his attitude immediately changed. No one would have anything against spirit stones. Strength meant nothing; one might simply have gotten lucky. However, this kind of wealth was no accident, and it signalled a powerful background. Old Li didn't want to offend a big customer. The four families only worked together for their own self-interest, and no one was going to turn away business. 

After Old Li finished speaking, he looked at Pei Su Su and Zhao Jiuge with a smile, completely ignoring the monk behind them. As a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, he had lowered his head, so he wanted to see what they would do. If they chose to continue to cause trouble, he wouldn't mind turning this into a bigger deal. No matter how strong their background, a dragon can't defeat the local tyrant! This was still an area controlled by the four families!

“Fine, but can you show me the list of items going up in today's auction? I want to see what interesting things there are.” Pei Su Su nodded, and the tense atmosphere from before disappeared. After all, there was no need to slap a smiling face. This was still someone else's territory, and it was good enough that she was able to get some payback for Zhao Jiuge.

“Please, this way.”

Old Li turned to his side and made a welcoming gesture. It looked like he was going to lead them personally. 

Seeing them walk forward, Old Li said, “In order to keep the auction a mystery, we don't give out a list of the items. However, you can rest assured that the items we have are no worse than those in a main city. There are a lot of good things today, especially the last item of the day.”

Pei Su Su didn't say more. She only nodded and followed after Old Li. She was not worried about Old Li scheming against her, as every place had its own rules. However, Zhao Jiuge was rather excited—he was hoping to find clues about the Chilling Fire Flower.

Shortly after, they arrived at the corner where Old Li came from. The corner seemed to lead to a staircase, and the auction was inside.

Just when Zhao Jiuge went up the stairs, another group of people had entered the building.

There was a total of six people. The person in the middle was wearing a water ink robe and his face was as smooth as jade. His eyes were filled with power, and he had a beautiful flying sword on his back. Even though the sword was in its sheath, one could feel its sharpness.

The moment he entered, he saw Zhao Jiuge's group walk up the stairs. When he saw Zhao Jiuge's back, this person who gave off the aura of a young master was shocked. He had an incredulous expression on his face, and he stared at that corner for a long time.

Chapter end