txolops Chapter 14 The Price of Herbs is Touching
Chapter 14 The Price of Herbs is Touching
The cultivators filed in one after another, and finally it was Han Xiaoliu's turn.
Han Xiaoliu stood in front of the white jade gate, his expression calm and silent. He simply raised his eyes and looked indifferently at the guard cultivator in front of him who was about to reach out to check the token.
Daya was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. She quietly reached out and gently tugged at Han Xiaoliu's sleeve, then whispered in his ear, "Young Master...paipai!"
Han Xiaoliu turned his head and looked at Da Ya's nervous appearance. He found it amusing, but remained expressionless.
He lowered his voice, speaking in a volume only the two of them could hear, "There are no tags. We'll sneak in quietly in a bit."
Although the two spoke softly, they did not try to conceal their conversation.
The cultivators queuing around were all sharp-eared and sharp-eyed, and naturally overheard this "conspiracy" clearly.
If it weren't for the fact that these two children, though young, faintly emanated spiritual energy, clearly indicating they both possessed cultivation, and that even the accompanying female cultivator was a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, someone would probably have already reprimanded them or driven them away.
Upon hearing this, Daya's face paled, and she subconsciously glanced around.
Dozens of eyes fell on him, some with curiosity, some with mockery, and some with disdain.
Her face flushed bright red, reaching her ears, and she wished she could disappear into the ground.
She lowered her head shyly, then whispered in Han Xiaoliu's ear, her voice barely audible: "Then...then young master, take Daya with you when you run away."
Watching from the side, Lady Yu was both amused and annoyed. She stretched out her jade finger and gently tapped Daya's forehead, scolding, "Silly girl, I was just kidding."
With that, she lightly raised her hand, and a streak of light flashed, and a token that was entirely green and engraved with the character "雅" (elegant) floated lightly to the guard's feet.
The guard was already somewhat impatient when he saw that they were two children, but his expression changed immediately when he saw the token.
He quickly accepted it with both hands, carefully examined it, and after confirming that it was correct, his face immediately filled with a respectful smile. He bowed to Han Xiaoliu and the other two, and his tone became much more respectful: "So it's distinguished guests. My apologies. The three of you are honored guests. This way, please, to the private room on the second floor."
As soon as he finished speaking, a maid in a long blue dress hurriedly stepped forward, respectfully took the token, and led the way, saying in a clear voice, "Distinguished guests, please follow me!"
Han Xiaoliu nodded slightly, and led Daya and Yu Niangzi, following the maid through the archway and up the jade steps leading to the second floor.
These two private rooms, each costing fifty spirit stones to rent, can accommodate four to six people and offer excellent privacy. They are exclusive spaces prepared by the Mountain and Sea Pavilion for its VIPs.
This token was a gift from the manager who received Han Xiaoliu to win him over. Han Xiaoliu knew that the auction was selling materials from level-five demon beasts and planned to purchase demon beast flesh and blood. He also decided to consign his unused talismans and two hundred-year-old spiritual herbs to the auction held by the Mountain and Sea Pavilion.
This is what gave Han Xiaoliu the idea of bringing Daya and the others to the auction.
Outside the Mountain and Sea Pavilion, a pale blue array of light suddenly rose up, like an inverted lake, enveloping the entire pavilion.
The surface of the light shield was covered with fine runes, and there were faint ripples of water. It emitted a cool spiritual energy fluctuation, and cultivators below the Foundation Establishment stage would feel a suffocating pressure when they got close.
At the same time, the other five shops in the outer six-connected halls also lit up with array lights, some blue and some purple, echoing the blue light shield of the Mountain and Sea Pavilion, forming a complex array covering the entire six-connected hall complex.
Where the formations intertwined, runes flickered, and faint sounds of thunder could be heard, completely enveloping the shops of the Six-Linked Palace and isolating them from all outside prying eyes and interference.
Inside the auction hall, the lights were on, and the seats on the second floor and the private rooms on the third floor were already full.
A mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, dressed in a green robe and exuding a powerful aura, slowly ascended the high platform. His face was lean and his gaze sharp as lightning. After sweeping across the entire hall, his voice, amplified through a sound-amplifying array, resounded to every corner: "Welcome, fellow Daoists and seniors, to the auction held at my Six-Linked Hall! Today, the Mountain and Sea Pavilion is filled with distinguished guests, young and old alike, making this a grand event in the cultivation world of the Chaotic Star Sea. I, Cao Lu, am honored to be the manager of the Mountain and Sea Pavilion, and I will be presiding over this grand event today."
He paused, and seeing that no one was making a fuss, continued, "I won't repeat the auction rules again. I'll just remind everyone: private fighting is strictly prohibited inside the hall. Bidding will proceed to the highest bidder. If there is any barter, it must be verified by the appraisers of my Six-Linked Hall before the transaction can proceed. During the auction, the Xuan Shui Yin-Yang Array will be activated at all times. No one is allowed to enter or leave. Anyone who causes trouble will be killed without exception!"
As he finished speaking, he lightly struck the jade bell with his golden gavel, producing a clear, melodious "ding" that echoed throughout the hall. "Enough with the pleasantries, the auction officially begins! The first item is an eighty-year-old 'Sea Heart Grass,' carefully selected by this old man. This grass grows from the eye of a deep-sea hot spring, taking decades to mature, making it an excellent auxiliary material for refining Foundation Establishment pills. The starting price is five hundred low-grade spirit stones, with each bid increment no less than fifty spirit stones. Now, begin the bidding!"
As Cao Lu finished speaking, a murmur arose from the audience below. Many cultivators' eyes flashed with greed as they began to place their bids.
The atmosphere in the auction room was instantly ignited.
The auxiliary materials for Foundation Building Pills? So expensive!
Han Xiaoliu muttered to himself, "The Foundation Establishment Pills in the Chaotic Star Sea are all made from demon cores, and each demon core costs between one thousand and three thousand spirit stones. If you add auxiliary medicinal materials, wouldn't the cost be six or seven thousand spirit stones?"
However, the price of Foundation Establishment Pills in the Chaotic Star Sea will not exceed three hundred spirit stones, and it remains to be determined how many Foundation Establishment Pills can be refined from that one demon core.
It's a pity there's no recipe for the pills, otherwise Han Xiaoliu could have bought a batch of demon cores and tried refining a batch of Foundation Establishment Pills.
It can both quickly improve one's skill level and help one understand the difference between the two.
"Five hundred low-grade spirit stones." As soon as Cao Lu finished speaking, someone in the audience couldn't wait to shout out the starting bid.
"Five hundred and fifty yuan."
"Six hundred yuan!"
The price rose rapidly, and most of the bidders were cultivators in the late stage of Qi Refining. Their eyes gleamed with desire for the spiritual herbs, but they hesitated with each bid, clearly approaching their psychological bottom line.
"Six hundred and fifty yuan." A middle-aged cultivator in a blue robe quoted a price in a deep voice. His aura was steady, clearly superior to the Qi Refining cultivators around him.
"Seven hundred dollars." In the corner, an old man with a withered face followed up, not to be outdone. Although his cultivation level was not high, he was determined to get his hands on the Sea Heart Grass.
The price remained deadlocked at seven hundred spirit stones, and the crowd below looked at each other in bewilderment, with no one willing to place another bid.
"Seven hundred and fifty yuan." A slightly hoarse voice broke the silence.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw that a window in the private room on the second floor had been opened at some point. An old man with white hair and beard, dressed in the robes of an alchemist, was standing by the railing. He was faintly emitting a medicinal fragrance, and was clearly a Foundation Establishment stage alchemist.
His appearance instantly robbed the Qi Refining cultivators in the audience of their courage to compete.
Foundation Establishment cultivators are far superior to them in terms of both wealth and strength.
"Eight hundred yuan." The withered old man gritted his teeth and raised the price again, but there was a hint of helplessness in his voice.
The Foundation Establishment stage alchemist merely glanced at him indifferently and said unhurriedly, "Eight hundred and fifty yuan."
The room fell silent upon hearing this.
Eight hundred and fifty low-grade spirit stones—this price far exceeds the ordinary market price of Sea Heart Grass in the Chaotic Star Sea.
The withered old man's expression shifted, and finally he sighed helplessly, giving up the competition.
Seeing this, Cao Lu raised his golden gavel high, surveyed the entire arena, and loudly proclaimed, "Eight hundred and fifty low-grade spirit stones! Any fellow Daoists willing to bid higher?... Eight hundred and fifty stones once! Eight hundred and fifty stones twice! Eight hundred and fifty stones three times! Sold! Congratulations to this Foundation Establishment senior for acquiring the eighty-year-old Sea Heart Grass!"
As the gavel fell, the auction for the Sea Heart Grass came to an end, with the Foundation Establishment stage alchemist ultimately winning it with an absolute advantage.
A flash of light appeared from the direction of the private room on the second floor, and a dusty gray storage bag shot out like an arrow, hovering steadily in mid-air in front of Cao Lu.
Cao Lu reached out and grabbed the storage bag. He scanned it with his divine sense to confirm the number of spirit stones was correct, then put on a professional smile and bowed slightly to the private room.
Immediately, he turned to the side and winked at a maid behind him. The maid understood immediately, and carrying the brocade box containing seaweed, she gracefully walked through the crowd toward the private room on the second floor.