Chapter 15: The Auction House

Chapter 15: The Auction House

Upon hearing this, a flicker of icy coldness suddenly passed through Xuan’er’s stunning eyes. After a moment, she spoke softly, “After tonight, I never want to see Galileo again. You know what to do.”

“Miss, this matter need not go so far,” Ling Ying said with a bitter smile.

“What, are you going to defy my orders?” At these words, Xuan’er’s expression turned cold, and two golden flames suddenly flickered in her deep black eyes.

“Your old servant dares not. It’s just that Galileo’s life is worse than death now. Killing him would only be doing him a favor,” Ling Ying wiped an imaginary cold sweat from his forehead and spoke respectfully.

“Worse than death?” Xuan’er was slightly taken aback, a trace of surprise flashing in her eyes as she calmly asked, “Explain.”

“Not long after you left, Miss, Galileo was attacked and lost his symbol of manhood,” Ling Ying said, sitting up straighter and speaking respectfully to Xuan’er.

“Lost his symbol of manhood?” Xuan’er’s beautiful face flushed slightly, the coldness fading away. Unable to help herself, she asked, “Do you know who did it?”

Ling Ying replied, “Your old servant does not know. At that time, fearing for your safety, I followed you, but there is a suspect.”

“Who?” Xuan’er’s interest was clearly piqued.

“Xiao Se,” Ling Ying answered.

“Cousin Xiao Se? Was he also at the marketplace then?” Xuan’er’s impression of Xiao Se was quite favorable; his temperament and talent were outstanding, and with enough opportunity, he could become an unparalleled powerhouse renowned across the continent.

Ling Ying nodded. “Yes, Miss. I happened to see him hiding among the crowd. After Young Master Xiao Yan and you left, Xiao Se was the only one with the motive and courage. I always feel there’s something odd about that kid. Should we keep an eye on him?”

“No need. Cousin Xiao Se acted in secret today, presumably to prevent the Xiao family from being bullied. Let it be,” Xuan’er said calmly.

“Understood.” Ling Ying bowed slightly, then dissolved into black mist and vanished.

The next day, in the morning hours.

Xiao Se donned a large black cloak and arrived before the Mitel Auction House.

“Wow! Brother, this building is so luxurious, even more magnificent than the palace we had back in the Jiang Kingdom,” Dragon Kui’s voice rang out in his mind, filled with amazement.

Xiao Se smiled, “Is that so? I’ll build you an even bigger one someday.”

“Heehee...” Inside the Demon Sword Space, Dragon Kui’s beautiful eyes curved into crescent moons as she laughed softly. “Then Dragon Kui thanks you, brother! But why are we here?”

“To auction the Spirit Nurturing Elixir,” Xiao Se replied.

“Spirit Nurturing Elixir? Isn’t that something you need? There were only two bottles made, and one was of inferior quality due to poor materials. That one is being auctioned off; what will you do without it?” Dragon Kui asked in surprise.

“The two bottles must eventually be used up. We auction off the inferior one to get gold coins, which we can use to buy more ingredients to refine the Spirit Nurturing Elixir. More importantly, I need materials to create a grade-three pill, the Ice Spirit Pill, to aid in refining the fifth-rank magical beast’s primordial fire from the Fire Devouring Flood Dragon. With the beast fire’s assistance, I believe I can produce the elixir without relying on your power,” Xiao Se explained.

“You don’t need to borrow Dragon Kui’s power?” Hearing this, Dragon Kui instantly grew anxious, her eyes moist with urgency. “Brother, have I done something wrong? I’ll improve, I promise.”

Xiao Se smiled helplessly and explained, “Dragon Kui is wonderful. But every time I borrow your power to refine pills, it unknowingly drains your soul’s strength. Although you may not notice it now, over time, your soul will grow too weak and fall into a dormant state. You wouldn’t want me to lose you, would you?”

Familiar with the original story, Xiao Se knew that Xiao Yan’s over-reliance on Elder Yao’s power had severely depleted the elder’s soul energy, ultimately causing him to fall into slumber to protect Xiao Yan.

Whether Dragon Kui’s soul, cultivated over a thousand years, was stronger than Elder Yao’s, Xiao Se did not know.

But if Elder Yao, whose soul had reached mid-Heaven Realm, suffered thus, Xiao Se certainly did not wish such a fate for Dragon Kui.

“I understand, but brother, you mustn’t think of Dragon Kui as a burden,” Dragon Kui said, relieved upon hearing Xiao Se’s explanation. Her greatest fear was losing her brother’s affection.

“Mm.” Xiao Se smiled and, under the vigilant gaze of the auction house guards, entered the hall.

Upon entering, a wave of coolness washed over him. His gaze swept across the grand, gilded space before settling on the room marked “Appraisal Chamber.”

Stepping inside, he saw a middle-aged man sitting idly at a desk. Hearing footsteps, the man lazily lifted his head, eyes narrowing at the figure cloaked entirely in black. Then his expression swiftly changed to a professional smile.

“Sir, are you here for an appraisal?”

“Hmm.” Beneath the black robe came a hoarse voice, altered by Dragon Kui’s soul power to mask his tone.

Xiao Se casually took a jade-green vial from his waist and gently placed it on the desk.

“Is this...” The middle-aged man’s expression shifted slightly as he picked up the vial cautiously, bringing it close to his nose to sniff. After a moment, he looked back at Xiao Se with newfound respect. “Sir, are you an alchemist?”

“Hmm.” The hoarse voice responded again.

Upon confirmation, the man’s face showed deep emotion as he respectfully inquired, “May I ask what pill this is and its effects?”

“Spirit Nurturing Elixir, a grade-two pill. Whether ingested or used as a medicinal bath, it accelerates the cultivation speed of practitioners, but only effective for fighters,” Xiao Se replied.

“Accelerate a fighter’s cultivation speed?” The man exclaimed. Although fighters do not cultivate Dou Qi as rigidly, their meridians remain delicate. Pills that boost cultivation speed are exceedingly rare. While they rarely cause death by explosion, they often risk meridian damage, leaving one crippled.

“Rest assured, this elixir is extremely mild and free of side effects. Even if a Dou Qi cultivator takes it, they simply cannot absorb it, and it will be expelled naturally,” the hoarse voice slowly explained, sensing the man’s doubts.

At this, the man’s expression changed again. Carefully, he returned the vial to its place and respectfully said, “Sir, please wait a moment. I must fetch Master Gu Ni for a personal appraisal.”

“Quickly then,” Xiao Se waved casually and sat down on a nearby chair, closing his eyes to rest.

The man bowed respectfully and hurried out.

Alone in the chamber, Xiao Se remained silent, quietly wondering if Ya Fei had arrived yet.

[End of chapter]

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