Wait a minute, where is my master?

After verifying the tokens of several individuals, two Cultivators ushered the group of four into the water curtain.

As they passed by the Cultivator who had lost his Spirit Stones, the young Taoist transmitted a message.

"Being contrarian impoverishes three generations, gambling destroys a lifetime."

The Cultivator who had lost his Spirit Stones: "?????"

While he was pondering what being contrarian meant, Jin Xu and the others had already gone inside.

"That Taoist with the faceless mask seemed to have heard our transmission just now!"

The Cultivator who lost money said to his companion.

"How is that possible, the little Taoist doesn't have a trace of Spiritual Power fluctuations, he's just a mortal."

"Really!"

"Whether it's true or not, hurry up and give me the Spirit Stones, are you trying to welch on the bet?"

The Cultivator who won money just wanted to quickly get his hands on the ten mid-grade Spirit Stones bestowed by heaven.

"No, if you believe me, I'll give you the Spirit Stones."

"Alright, then I believe you."

"....You're not sincere."

"You're just trying to welch on the bet!"

...

Inside the auction house.

After the group entered the water curtain, they first walked through a narrow passage, and then felt a sudden sense of openness.

A fan-shaped hall appeared in front of the four of them. The hall was divided into two levels, with neatly arranged wooden tables and chairs on the first floor, and exquisite small private rooms on the second floor.

The auction stage was at the tail end of the fan, currently covered with thick velvet cloth, concealing whatever was behind it.

When Jin Xu and his companions arrived, they saw several other passages also admitting visitors; clearly, there was more than one entrance to this auction.

As the group paused, a lithe female Cultivator, dressed in a thin gauzy skirt, approached.

Swishing her tail, she led the four to a square table.

"Please wait a moment, the auction will start shortly. If you need anything, just probe this jade token with your Spiritual Sense."

The graceful female Cultivator leaned forward to tell them, her skin luminously white and softness startling.

Her tail still swaying behind her, clearly not of the Demon Clan, left one wondering how it was attached.

Seeing this, Yu Yaoer, who had already taken a seat, glanced at the other woman, then looked down at herself; her "generosity" for the first time lost out to "sudden wealth!"

Not convinced, but helpless.jpg

"Thank you for the trouble, miss."

Jin Xu politely expressed his gratitude, and then began curiously looking around.

Their seats were not near the front, suggesting that the tokens gifted by Yanyu Building were likely of the lowest grade.

But this position was convenient for the young Taoist to observe the surroundings.

He noticed that the guests sitting in the first-floor hall were all wearing black robes and only their few people were wearing plain masks, making them stand out.

Just as Jin Xu was about to ask Xia Yunzhao why he didn't remind them about this custom for participating in the auction, he heard Little White whispering excitedly beside him.

"Temple master, temple master, look over there!"

The Husky was visibly ecstatic, pointing to an area, her little nose twitching incessantly.

Following the direction of her finger, the young Taoist saw a black-robed Cultivator holding a metal cage, conversing with the female guide of the auction hall.

In the cage was a proud, brightly-colored, majestic—chicken?

Although the chicken's feathers were rich in color, its feet were inexplicably black, piquing one's curiosity.

At this time, the young Taoist also understood why Little White was excited.

Because a strange fragrance was emanating from the chicken, and due to the Husky's keen sense of smell, she detected it earlier.

This aroma was unusually special; how to describe it? Upon smelling it, one couldn't help but wish to eat it right there on the spot!

At this moment, with the fragrance spreading, the numerous cultivators in the first-floor hall began searching for the source of the scent, causing a small commotion.

"It looks like a chicken, with brilliant colors, and after twenty-five years of life, it will emit a unique fragrance that makes people want to eat it. This bird must be a descendant of the Jifu bird, known as the Age Chicken."

Xia Yunzhao spoke softly, still holding the candied haws that Jin Xu had handed to her.

Hearing her say this, Jin Xu also remembered, he had seen this kind of bird mentioned in a book titled "Nine Provinces Culinary Guidebook for Exotic Birds" in the night watchman's library.

"This type of spiritual bird is extremely rare. Rumors say it has become extinct in the Nine Provinces Realm. It's a mystery where this cultivator found it in a secret realm."

The Seventh Princess continued.

"Mmm-hmm, Yunzhao is right. When I was researching new recipes, I also thought about finding this ingredient, but unfortunately, I didn't find it. However, Age Chickens usually appear in pairs; why is there only one left in this cultivator's cage?"

Yu Yaoer's eyes revealed an excited expression, she was obviously keen on getting her hands on the Age Chicken.

"Slurp~ With such an aroma, it must have been eaten!"

The mischievous dog drooled as it spoke.

If it hadn't been for the little Taoist holding her back, Little White might have already dashed forward by now.

That's why you really shouldn't keep a Husky if you don't have enough strength; otherwise, it's hard to keep control!

At this point, the auction hall staff also noticed the commotion in the hall, and an elderly steward emerged from behind the curtains, taking the cultivator and the spiritual bird to the back.

A breeze swept through the venue, obviously a cultivator had taken action.

As the fragrance dissipated, Little White calmed down, and the small disturbance in the first-floor hall gradually subsided.

The little Taoist hadn't spoken, but curiosity had arisen in his heart. He remembered that the "Nine Provinces Culinary Guidebook for Exotic Birds" mentioned that the fragrance emitted by this chicken, the longer others smelled it, the more they couldn't resist eating it.

With the Age Chicken typically appearing in pairs and now only one remaining, it was clear that one had been eaten.

"What method did this cultivator use to resist the fragrance?"

Unable to hold back his curiosity, the little Taoist quietly activated the Dongxuan Spirit Skill.

Spiritual Sense extended, weaving its way into the backstage of the auction, locating the cultivator who was holding the Age Chicken.

Looking through the black robe, Jin Xu discovered that the cultivator had stuck two balls of paper in his nostrils.

"..."

Such a simple precautionary measure!

The little Taoist silently withdrew his Spiritual Sense, pretending as if nothing had happened.

It makes sense; if you can't control yourself after smelling the fragrance for too long, then just not smelling it at all should do the trick!

...

A short time later, equivalent to the brewing of a cup of tea.

Suddenly, the lights in the hall went out, and the curtain on the auction stage slowly opened.

As the curtain was fully drawn, the lights in the first-floor hall came back on, but this time they were dimmer, with most of the light focused on the auction stage.

Clearly, the lights in the venue were controlled by a formation.

"It's starting."

The Seventh Princess ate a candied haw and quietly reminded everyone.

Yes, this time it was sweet.

Upon hearing this, the "canine and feline" trio all shifted their gaze to the auction stage.

Atop the high platform, the elderly steward who had just appeared stepped to the center of the auction stage, bowed to the four directions, and then politely said, "The auction is about to begin, and as usual, let this old man announce the rules to all of you.

First, physical altercations and Spiritual Sense probing are strictly forbidden. We have a guard formation in the venue, and anyone who triggers the formation will be expelled from the auction; second, you must not bid arbitrarily, and those who maliciously disrupt the auction order will be severely punished; third..."

The old man enumerated seven or eight items, speaking politely, yet the terms were very authoritative.

It stood to reason; how could one dare to hold an auction in Shangjing City without some strength, and still draw such a crowd.

However, Jin Xu stopped paying attention after the first rule.

"Spiritual Sense probing is strictly forbidden, and triggering a guard formation leads to expulsion?

So, if one were to probe with Spiritual Sense without triggering the formation,

would that not be considered breaking the rules???"