Chapter 54: Xiao Yunmei's Invitation

Not long after.

Above the clouds, a graceful figure descended on a flying sword.

Looking at the corpse on the ground, the Foundation Establishment female cultivator's eyes flashed with intense murderous intent.

"Outrageous! How dare someone commit wanton murder right in my vicinity, completely disregarding me!"

Her voice was exceptionally frigid, carrying a terrifying killing intent that made the people nearby feel as though they had fallen into an ice cave.

"Which way did he escape?"

The Foundation Establishment period female cultivator was still wearing a mask. She looked at Zhou Chen, inquiring about the young man's whereabouts.

Zhou Chen did not answer immediately, instead asking, "Who is he? And who are you?"

Clearly, this Foundation Establishment female cultivator recognized the young man.

If he casually pointed her in a direction, it might bring unnecessary trouble to his team of exotic insects.

The Foundation Establishment woman introduced herself, "My surname is Luo, and I am a guardian of the Yanhuang Guardian Bureau. This is my identification. As for him, he is an evil cultivator under my jurisdiction recently. He practices dual-cultivation harvest arts and has already harmed dozens of lives."

"Time is pressing, so I must ask Fellow Daoist to inform me of his direction."

Zhou Chen raised an eyebrow. This was different from what he had expected; he hadn't anticipated that this female Foundation Establishment cultivator surnamed Luo would also belong to the Yanhuang Guardian Bureau.

According to Zhou Chen's original understanding, the Yanhuang Guardian Bureau was composed almost entirely of practitioners from the modern cultivation system. He hadn't expected immortals to join it as well.

Could it be that the Yanhuang Guardian Bureau was actually so wealthy that it could provide the cultivation resources needed by immortal cultivators?

This was just a fleeting thought in Zhou Chen's mind.

Soon, he pointed out a direction to Luo Ya.

This direction was roughly correct, though with a slight deviation.

After all, that evil cultivator was already regarded by Zhou Chen as his own quarry.

His vital energy, his soul, and the treasures on his person—Zhou Chen had no intention of letting them go easily.

The subsequent pursuit task would be left to his own team of exotic insects.

Cai Shasha's supercar had already been pierced by the young man's earth-spike spell, and Zhang Bingnan's sports car only had two seats.

Fortunately, after a short while, the logistics department of the Yunmei Auction House's bodyguard division detected that the five bodyguards escorting Cai Yameng and Cai Shasha had lost their lives, and had already dispatched reinforcements.

The four of them quickly returned to the Yunmei Auction House, and Xiao Yunmei arranged for people to send the unconscious Cai Yameng to the lounge.

Along the way, Zhou Chen had used a dual water-and-wood healing spell to make the slap mark on Cai Yameng's face fade away.

Inside the lounge.

Zhou Chen pressed his palm against Cai Yameng's cheek, releasing vital energy through the life-devouring insects to nourish her gums.

That slap had somewhat loosened Cai Yameng's teeth.

Zhou Chen was someone who liked to make use of waste.

Those bodyguards killed by the evil cultivator earlier, along with a few cultivators who wanted to play the hero—Zhou Chen had not let their corpses go to waste.

The life-devouring insects were still clinging to them, drawing forth their vital energy.

The vital energy nourishing Cai Yameng's gums at this moment had also been extracted from those bodies.

"Are you a friend of Cai Yameng's? Why was that double-fish pendant in your hands earlier?" Zhou Chen asked with some puzzlement.

Could it be that Cai Yameng had given the birthday gift he presented her to her best friend?

In Cai Shasha's eyes, Zhou Chen had long since been cloaked in a mysterious and powerful aura.

Hearing Zhou Chen's question, she quickly replied, "I am Sister Yameng's cousin. That pendant that I was wearing around my neck earlier—I took it from my brother."

"And your brother is?" Zhou Chen asked again.

"My brother is Cai Weihua."

Zhou Chen understood somewhat. So it was that fellow.

When he went to the Cai family to attend Cai Yameng's birthday party earlier, he had met a tall, bronze-skinned man who was also a modern cultivator.

At the time, that man had even vigorously tried to matchmake him and Cai Yameng.

However, why would the birthday gift he gave to Cai Yameng end up in his hands?

This was a question Zhou Chen could not figure out.

Still, Zhou Chen didn't take it to heart; it was merely a very low-grade magical artifact.

Zhou Chen examined the alchemy furnace in his hand, projecting his divine sense into it to confirm it was undamaged, and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

This was a middle-grade spirit artifact, which naturally wasn't worth mentioning in the ancient era.

Yet in the current Age of Dharma Decline, a middle-grade spirit artifact represented a glimmer of hope for breaking through to a higher realm.

With an alchemy furnace, once one encountered a bottleneck in cultivation, one could gain the qualification to advance to a higher realm through pill refining.

Zhou Chen could not refuse Cai Yameng's gift.

Taking people's gifts made one soft-handed, and eating people's food made one soft-mouthed.

He would just have to refine some beauty-enhancing and marrow-cleansing pills in the future to give back to her.

Outside the lounge, Xiao Yunmei walked up to the door with two bunny girls, signaling that she had something to say to Zhou Chen.

Zhou Chen did not refuse. A company capable of producing a middle-grade spirit artifact for auction was one whose owner Zhou Chen also wished to have a deeper exchange with.

Inside a quaint, antique-style private room.

Two bunny girls stood beside Zhou Chen and Xiao Yunmei respectively, pouring tea for them.

"Mr. Zhou, please forgive my presumption in investigating your background," Xiao Yunmei apologized.

Zhou Chen raised an eyebrow. "Investigating my background? Is there something about me that made you curious?"

Although Xiao Yunmei exuded a captivating and alluring charm from head to toe, her sitting posture was very dignified.

Even her details were like those of a young lady from a prestigious family; even her faint smile right now gave people grounds for endless, imaginative reverie.

If it were an ordinary person with weak willpower, their brothers would feel swelling pride.

"A young person who can effortlessly score a perfect 750 on an exam and cure all sorts of terminal illnesses is definitely no ordinary cultivator."

"If I'm not mistaken, you should be the same kind of person as that senior surnamed Luo," Xiao Yunmei asked with a smile.

Zhou Chen neither denied nor admitted it.

"To be able to casually produce ten heavenly treasures and thirty spirit stones—your Yunmei Auction House certainly has deep pockets."

Zhou Chen smiled. "As a mortal, and a woman at that, you have the audacity to do business with someone like me. Aren't you afraid I'll simply kill you and seize your treasures?"

When Xiao Yunmei heard Zhou Chen mention "thirty spirit stones," the pupils of her beautiful eyes constricted, revealing an expression that confirmed her suspicions.

She had previously suspected that Zhou Chen's cultivation had already reached the Foundation Establishment stage.

At this moment, Zhou Chen had directly stated the exact number of spirit stones in the box held by the bodyguard.

Clearly, Zhou Chen possessed divine sense.

And divine sense was the hallmark of the Foundation Establishment stage!

Facing Zhou Chen's half-smiling words, Xiao Yunmei revealed a sweet smile.

This smile possessed lethal destructive power for any man.

The saying "a single glance back could launch a hundred charms" was most fitting to describe Xiao Yunmei.

Her already peerless looks, breathtaking figure, and alluring fragrant spirit body drove her charm rating straight off the charts!

Even though Zhou Chen possessed the soul strength of the Foundation Establishment stage, facing this smile, he could only feel his breathing grow disordered.

She was definitely a vixen!

A vixen capable of captivating all living beings!

Mainly because Zhou Chen was still too young, and still an untainted youth.

He was already at an age full of boundless romantic fantasies about the opposite sex, and he had encountered Xiao Yunmei, whose charm was maxed out.

Zhou Chen almost wanted to transform directly into a flower-picking bandit.

Xiao Yunmei's observational skills were extraordinary; seeing a trace of unnaturalness on Zhou Chen's face, she couldn't help but feel a hint of pride in her heart.

At the same time, she found it somewhat strange.

Logically speaking, an old monster like Zhou Chen, who looked young but was actually over a hundred years old, shouldn't have feelings toward her.

Even if he did, with an old monster's deep city-states, their faces shouldn't show the slightest abnormality.

"My Yunmei Auction House is registered with the Yanhuang Guardian Bureau, unless Senior wishes to end up on the wanted list."

"Besides, through my investigation, I feel that Senior is different from other cultivators. Otherwise, I wouldn't have invited you here to discuss a partnership."

Zhou Chen grew interested. "What kind of partnership?"