Wait a minute, where is my master?

Granny Sun continued to gently persuade her through telepathy, for she had watched Song Ruo grow up from a child and couldn't bear to see the young girl aggrieved.

The Song family, whose patriarch was conferred the title of Duke by Great Xia, had risen from a poor family to become a newly established Cultivation Family, albeit with a shallow foundation. However, because Song Ruo was the only legitimate daughter and was extremely doted on by her father, the financial power she held was far beyond that of Luan Er.

Usually, although the Song family ranked two aristocratic levels lower than the Luan family, they kept to themselves.

But now, in an especially troubled time, risking enmity with the founding Duke of the Luan family over a magical bird wasn't worth it.

Upon hearing this, the young girl tilted her head in thought, seemingly recalling the deliciousness of the "Earth Immortal Banquet", and she couldn't help but swallow.

"Alright, let him have it. But Granny Sun, you must snatch a spot at the Immortal Food Restaurant's 'Earth Immortal Banquet' for me!"

The Immortal Food Restaurant in Shangjing City, renowned for its Heavenly, Earthly, and Human Immortal banquets, was not a place where one could dine simply by paying with Spirit Stones.

Because the ingredients were hard to find, securing a seat at one of these banquets usually meant competing for it.

"Okay, Granny will help you snatch a spot."

"Hmm!"

Song Ruo nodded vigorously.

Luan Er, on the other hand, felt a weight lift from his shoulders upon seeing the rival cease bidding.

Although he held a position in the military, that salary was but a drop in the ocean compared to his regular expenses on clothing, food, drink, and social engagements—all of which required Spirit Stones—thus continuing the competition would soon deplete his treasury.

As for why he was desperate to win the Age Chicken, cough cough... it was certainly not because he was incapable.

It was because of his father's bizarre rule about wanting a grandson.

The head of the Luan family had decreed that whichever of his two sons first produced a child, regardless of gender, would inherit the Luan family title.

It was very hastily decided, but he was powerless to resist—who else could he blame when his father was his father?

He had initially come to the auction solely for the Bone Marrow Cleansing Spirit Liquid, but now that the opportunity to have a child had presented itself, how could he not compete?

Moreover, he knew that his brother, who seemed righteous on the surface, was also secretly collecting Spiritual Objects that could help cultivators conceive!

"Twenty thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones for the first time!"

Wu Li's soft, sweet voice rose, her expression unchanged, yet her heart was filled with urgent anxiety.

"Come on, Taoist, do make a bid! And who in the second-floor room is crazy enough to spend twenty thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones on a magical bird! What kind of wastrel is this?"

"Twenty thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones for the second time."

The Third Elder's avatar no longer held hope, deciding instead to find another way to approach this young Taoist.

If all else failed, he would start with the three people "hanging onto" him.

"I'll bid twenty thousand five hundred High-Grade Spirit Stones."

A warm voice rose, and Wu Li's eyes sparkled with surprise as she looked toward the audience below.

In a room on the second floor, Luan Er's recently eased heart tightened again. Through the small window of the box, he noticed the bidder competing against him was seated in the grand hall on the first floor, donned in a cyan blue Taoist robe and wearing a faceless mask.

The opponent, having just raised his left hand to bid, had not yet lowered it.

"What kind of outfit is this? Why does someone hang onto his bidding arm?"

Jin Xu's unique appearance thoroughly confused Luan Er.

In the grand hall on the first floor.

The young Taoist calmly spoke to the Husky clinging to his left arm, "Little White, can you come down for a moment?"

"Oh, alright, temple master."

Little White released Jin Xu's arm and returned to his own seat.

"Twenty-two thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones!"

The increased bid from the second floor sounded once more, and Luan Er, regardless of the opponent's status, was determined to win the Age Chicken today.

"Twenty-two thousand five hundred High Grade Spirit Stones."

The young Taoist had little experience in attending auctions, but he always followed the principle that he should spend as much as necessary.

So, every time he raised the bid, he added only five hundred.

"Twenty-five thousand High Grade Spirit Stones. Brother Taoist, please show some respect for the Luan family!"

The second son repeated his old trick, but this time it was ineffective.

"Twenty-five thousand five hundred."

With each round of bids, the cultivators in the hall whispered among themselves.

The unique masks worn by Jin Xu and his group had certainly drawn attention. After all, amidst a crowd of black robes, the sudden appearance of masks resembling little rabbits and little wolves, commonly seen in market stalls, was bound to catch the eye.

However, the use of Spiritual Sense was prohibited within the auction, and previous auctions had also occasionally featured participants who did not wear black robes, so the cultivators didn't pay much attention.

But now, it was certainly too eye-catching.

"Raising the bid by only five hundred Spirit Stones each time is like slapping the Luan family's face."

That was the candid cultivator from earlier.

"Shh, be careful with your words."

His companion quickly covered his mouth.

Jin Xu heard this remark, turned his head to look, and slightly raised the corners of his mouth under his mask, speaking politely, "I am just being economical."

The candid cultivator and his companion: "..."

Just then, the door to the second-floor private box creaked open, and Luan Er, dressed in casual clothes, emerged, followed by two guards dressed as soldiers.

His face was somber as he looked down at the first floor of the hall and spoke,

"I bid twenty-seven thousand five hundred High Grade Spirit Stones. Does this fellow Taoist really not give the Luan family any face?"

This was all the Spirit Stones he could summon, two thousand five hundred of which he had borrowed from the guards behind him.

"Second master, this is too much."

Manager Shi, who had been silent beside the auction stage, suddenly spoke.

The first time the opponent relied on his family status to intimidate, he could overlook it as if he had not heard, for the sake of giving face to the Luan family.

But now that the opponent had stepped out of the private box to threaten a guest, he, as the manager of the auction, could no longer pretend to be dead.

Then Old Man Shi courteously bowed to Jin Xu and said, "Esteemed guest, you may continue to bid. We can guarantee your privacy and safety within the auction house. Additionally, let me remind you that the unit of the Spirit Stones is High Grade."

The young Taoist extracted his arm from within Yaoer's embrace and returned a bow to Manager Shi, calmly replying, "Thank you, sir, for the reminder. I am aware."

He then bid twenty-eight thousand High Grade Spirit Stones.

Upon hearing this price, Luan Er's face darkened. As a well-known wastrel of Shangjing City's elite, he was first humiliated by the auction organizers, then outbid by an unknown little Taoist.

Was it just an ordinary Spiritual Bird? It was a chance for him to have offspring!

The sadness of desiring descendants but failing to achieve was overwhelming!

"Alright, alright, alright! Just you wait and see!"

Having no other options, the second son of the Luan family could only spew harsh words in powerless rage.

In another private box on the second floor, Song Ruo chuckled gleefully on a long chair as she watched her recent rival falter. Any reluctance in her heart had vanished instantaneously.

Granny Sun simply looked at her with doting affection.

Then, both heard a poised and authoritative female voice rising from the first floor of the hall.

"Luan Baoyi, who are you asking to wait and see, hmm?"

It was Xia Yunzhao standing up, removing the mask from his face, and asking dominantly yet nonchalantly.