Chapter 57: Golden Roc Auction House

Chapter 57: Golden Roc Auction House

Yu Qianqian wore a simple moon-white silk dress adorned with jade pendants. Her long lashes, glistening red lips, and bright, clear eyes complemented her slender, moon-like figure.

She offered Ning Xiaochuan an apologetic smile. "I'm truly sorry. I'll make sure to inform everyone that Ning Xiaochuan is my friend. From now on, no one will dare lay a hand on you."

"Hey! Are all the guards at your Great Golden Roc Prince's Manor out of their minds? Attacking without a word—how arrogant! Next time, make sure to tell them that Murong Wushuang is also your friend. They better show me some respect!" Murong Wushuang wiped the blood from his lips, grumbling as he flashed a grin at Cheng Lin in the distance.

"You're Xiaochuan's friend, so naturally, you're mine as well. I'll definitely tell them not to hit you next time!" Yu Qianqian replied with a gentle, enchanting smile—so beautiful it could topple cities, like a celestial maiden.

Murong Wushuang, witnessing this, felt a sudden nosebleed, blood streaming down to his mouth!

Yu Qianqian had already spread the news about the Blood Toad Pills being auctioned at the Golden Roc Auction House. Many young martial artists were now aware of this Intermediate Elixir, driving them into a frenzy of anticipation.

Nearly every day, people gathered outside the auction house, afraid of missing the sale.

Upon learning that Ning Xiaochuan planned to auction the Blood Toad Pills that very night, Yu Qianqian immediately dispatched thirty-two servants to deliver invitations without delay.

With sparkling eyes and radiant beauty, she smiled. "The demand for Blood Toad Pills is even greater than you imagined. Just days after I released the news, elders from various marquis houses came begging me to notify them in time—houses like Marquis Qi Tian's, Heavenly Elephant Marquis's, Six Profound Martial House, Sword Fire Sect, and so on. To get their younger geniuses into the Emperor's Martial Palace, these major factions are probably willing to spend a fortune. By the way, how many Blood Toad Pills did you refine in total?"

"Forty-eight in all, but only forty will be auctioned. Of the remaining eight, one was given to Gou Sheng, and the other seven I’m keeping for myself," Ning Xiaochuan replied.

Blood Toad Pills were most beneficial to those who had cultivated the Vajra Divine Body, capable of directly elevating a minor realm. However, they also had the ability to rapidly restore blood energy. If Ning Xiaochuan were injured in the future, he could use them to recover. Thus, keeping seven was a wise decision.

Yu Qianqian clenched her fists in frustration. How infuriating! In just over ten days, he refined forty-eight Intermediate Elixirs. This guy was practically a mass-production alchemist—enough to make other Heart Nurturers die of envy.

Arriving outside the Golden Roc Auction House, they found it bustling with martial artists, its liveliness surpassing the Golden Roc Heart Nurturing Hall tenfold.

After all, the Golden Roc Heart Nurturing Hall was merely a sacred gathering place for Heart Nurturers, with few visiting to purchase mystic medicines.

The Golden Roc Auction House, however, was the real marketplace.

Far from just a single auction building, it resembled a massive estate, housing one grand auction hall, four medium-sized auction halls, and seventeen small auction halls.

The seventeen small auction halls were all open-air venues, each equipped with a small plaza that was now packed to the brim. Warriors carrying greatswords, military experts clad in armor, and graceful young ladies from prominent families—all gathered in the auction halls, continuously shouting bids.

On the three main streets outside the Golden Roc Auction House, stalls lined the roads. Some sold mystic medicines, others weapons, and some even mystic beasts. A few even had naked female slaves locked in cages for sale.

Both Murong Wushuang and Ning Xiaochuan were witnessing such a scene for the first time.

"My goodness, how much money must such a huge auction house make in a single day? Princess, your family must be incredibly wealthy!" Murong Wushuang marveled like a country bumpkin visiting the city, exclaiming at everything he saw. Particularly when he spotted someone selling female slaves by the roadside, he crouched beside the cage and observed the slave for a long time.

The female slave was completely naked, her skin quite fair, and she had a somewhat attractive appearance.

Ning Xiaochuan asked, "What are you looking at?"

Murong Wushuang stared at the timid female slave with great interest, nodding repeatedly. Suddenly, he jumped up from the ground, grabbed Ning Xiaochuan’s shoulders, and shook him excitedly. "Brother Chuan, I’ve discovered a grand phenomenon! She looks different from us! She has two big gourds on her chest! Amazing, amazing! Do all women look like this?"

Ning Xiaochuan was stunned.

Yu Qianqian, seated inside an ornate antique carriage, felt two dark lines forming on her forehead upon hearing Murong Wushuang’s words.

Murong Wushuang was as thrilled as if he had discovered a new continent. "Has anyone ever noticed this before? Oh right, Princess is also a woman—does she also have two big gour—mmph—"

Ning Xiaochuan clamped a hand over Murong Wushuang’s mouth, afraid his words might reach Yu Qianqian’s ears. If the princess were angered, she might just order his head to roll with a single command.

Inside the carriage, Yu Qianqian had indeed heard him, gritting her teeth in fury, her face flushed with embarrassment as she tugged at the hem of her clothes.

If not for the fact that Murong Wushuang was Ning Xiaochuan’s friend, she might have really ordered his execution.

Murong Wushuang chuckled. "Heh! I’ve noticed before that women always have these bulging things on their chests. At first, I thought they were hiding money there. Once, I tried to reach in and grab some, but the moment I touched them a little, they called me a pervert!"

"So you grabbed the one with the biggest bulge?" Ning Xiaochuan asked.

"Of course! If you’re going to steal, you go for the one with the most money—that’s my principle," Murong Wushuang declared. "I always wondered why, when I got caught stealing before, they’d yell ‘Thief!’ But this time, it was ‘Pervert!’ Today, I finally understand."

Ning Xiaochuan sighed. "Now that you understand, don’t go grabbing randomly next time."

Murong Wushuang nodded solemnly. "Indeed! I imagine it must hurt them if I grab like that. People always grow through continuous learning. Today, I’ve resolved another of life’s mysteries."

The Golden Roc Auction House was bustling with martial practitioners, the majority of whom were young warriors of the new generation, including many exceptionally talented prodigies. Most had gathered in the Imperial City because of the Emperor's Martial Palace, each one a proud genius eager to make a name for themselves here.

"Huh?" Ning Xiaochuan suddenly stopped in his tracks upon spotting a group ahead. Murong Wushuang followed his gaze and saw over a dozen young men and women dressed in luxurious brocade robes, their ages ranging from fourteen to twenty. Among them were several handsome youths with refined features, as well as a few stunningly beautiful young women who carried an air of unique grace.

One particularly striking figure stood out—a slender young woman with a captivating allure, carrying an ancient green sword on her back.

"Who are they? Do you know them?" Murong Wushuang asked.

Ning Xiaochuan nodded. "Of course. They're the proud sons and daughters of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House."

The genius disciples of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House had just concluded their three-month training expedition in the border mountains and returned to the Imperial City. Over a dozen of them had come to the Golden Roc Auction House to bid for the Blood Toad Pill, hoping to make a final breakthrough.

Among them was Ning Hengqing, who had once been berated by Ning Xiaochuan until he vomited blood. His cultivation had now reached the Ninth Level of Profound Qi, and he carried himself with an air of superiority, standing out from the crowd.

Also present was Ning Meier, the second-ranked prodigy of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House, whose talent was second only to Ning Xin'er. Before the expedition, she had already reached the Ninth Level of Profound Qi, and now her cultivation had advanced further, bringing her close to breaking through to the Divine Body Realm.

Her demeanor was haughty, and she clearly stood as the strongest among the group. Everyone fawned over her, feeding her sense of superiority.

Just as Ning Xiaochuan noticed them, someone spotted him as well.

"Hey, look! Isn’t that Ning the Sickly? Fancy running into him here," one of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House's geniuses, who had reached the Eighth Level of Profound Qi, sneered.

"Wasn’t he banished by the Marquis to guard Haitang Manor? What’s he doing in the Imperial City?"

Ning Meier cast a dismissive glance at Ning Xiaochuan. "He’s just a waste who can’t cultivate Profound Qi, while we are all geniuses who may soon become students of the Emperor's Martial Palace. Our statuses are worlds apart. Wasting even a single word on someone like him is beneath us."

She had always looked down on trash like Ning Xiaochuan. She had come to the Golden Roc Auction House to purchase the Blood Toad Pill and push for the Divine Body Realm. Once she achieved it, she would no longer be overshadowed by Ning Xin'er and would become the most dazzling prodigy of the Jian Pavilion Marquis House.

Ning Hengqing, still nursing deep resentment after being verbally crushed by Ning Xiaochuan, strode forward with a mocking grin. "Well, well, Ning the Sickly, it really is you. What a small world!"

It was worth noting that Ning Hengqing had only been berated into vomiting blood after insulting Ning Xiaochuan first.

In reality, there was no deep-seated hatred between the two of them—only verbal disputes. To Ning Xiaochuan, it was merely a trivial matter not worth holding a grudge over. Thus, he magnanimously said, "Ning Hengqing, I’ve already forgiven you! It’s better to resolve enmity than to perpetuate it. How about we shake hands and make peace, wiping the slate clean of past grievances?"

"You’ve forgiven me?" Ning Hengqing flew into a rage, his fists clenching with a crackling sound, then sneered coldly. "You want to shake hands and make peace? Does a lowly wretch like you even deserve that?"

Ning Xiaochuan had initially extended his hand, intending to reconcile, but upon hearing these words, he withdrew it.

Ning Hengqing mocked with a scornful laugh, "After this trial, I’ve now reached the Ninth Level of Profound Qi, becoming a martial arts expert and a key figure in the Marquis House’s cultivation program. In the future, I’ll enter the Emperor's Martial Palace and become a revered powerhouse admired by countless people. As for you… heh, you’re not even fit to be a slave in my presence."