amaotonovel Chapter 172 Auction 4
Chapter 172 Auction 4
"Senior brother, should we continue the investigation?" Cheng Jiu cautiously observed Nan Xingze's unspeakable expression.
Nan Xingze took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, saying firmly, "Investigate! Leave the follow-up to Master and the others!"
They only needed to follow the clues to investigate. He looked at his junior brothers and sisters and asked, "What do you know about the green fragrance and the Long family boy that the man surnamed Li mentioned?"
The group's minds went blank. Cheng Jiu felt that the surname Long was familiar, but he couldn't remember it.
An Qi shook his head: "Senior Brother, as you know, I rarely go down the mountain. I usually refine pills on Medicine Peak, so I really haven't heard of it."
Nan Xingze nodded in understanding, realizing he had lost his mind to ask such a question. Not to mention An Qi, who had always stayed in the sect, even his junior sisters Cheng Jiu and his junior brother had been training all along and had no idea about the power struggles and grudges in Qingli City.
"Then let's go to the City Lord's Mansion first!" The City Lord's Mansion usually has records of the forces in the city and newly opened shops.
"Wait a minute, senior brother, maybe he knows!" Cheng Jiu suddenly caught sight of the figure facing the wall in his peripheral vision, and pointed to Liu Di, who was back against the wall, saying that since he and that Brother Li were so similar, their social interactions must have some overlap.
With his back to the wall, unable to hear the sounds from the other side, Liu Di fell into a deep panic in the silence. The tragic state of his good brother Li Xiong before his death, the solemn faces of Nan Xingze and the others, and the terrifying insects intertwined before his eyes appeared.
He felt as if he had fallen into an endless abyss. He had originally thought that it was just a small transgression, and if it went undetected, he, a mere Karami, might have a chance to be redeemed.
But the outcome seems to involve something far more serious: can he save his own life? His family, his wife and daughters! Regret overwhelmed him.
When Cheng Jiu brought him over, he was already prepared to die, only hoping that these young immortal lords, being young and soft-hearted, would not involve his clansmen.
Upon hearing about Nan Xingze's knowledge, a hopeful light shone in his eyes: "Immortal Lords, I know, I know, I will certainly speak frankly and without reservation. Please forgive my family and clansmen."
Nan Xingze looked at him and said calmly, "Then it depends on the value and content of what you know."
Liu Di's heart skipped a beat as he listened, wishing he could tell everyone he knew.
Jin Yuan leaned back onto Gong Cheng's head: "Wait a moment, let me check if you have any parasitic corpse worms on you."
Having learned from past mistakes, we will certainly not repeat them this time.
Thinking of those horrible and disgusting insects, and then of his brother's fate, Liu Di felt his body tremble.
The golden flames, carrying unparalleled power, descended upon him. Although his subconscious kept warning him to run, his body remained rooted to the spot like a nail.
The flames quickly subsided, and Jin Yuan said, "Alright, go ahead and speak!"
Liu Di felt as if he had emerged from the water, a tremendous sense of security welling up inside him, making him feel more at ease and bolder.
"What kind of place is Green Fragrance? And who is the Long family boy?" Nan Xingze asked before he could catch his breath.
When Liu Di heard Nan Xingze's question, his face turned red, and he stammered.
"Aren't you going to talk?" Seeing Liu Di delaying, Nan Xingze glared at him and threatened him.
"It's one of those brothels! Similar to Jingxin Pavilion," Liu Di said.
Nan Xingze said coldly, "This is forbidden by the five major sects!"
It seemed the words had already been spoken, and Liu Di, with an attitude of "the sooner the better," said: "It's precisely because of the prohibition of the five major sects that it's so stimulating."
"Exciting? Didn't the Green Fragrance City Lord's Mansion conduct any checks before registering?" This is Qingli City, the main city of the Guiyuan Sect. How can such a place be opened?
"Inspection? The person in charge of inspection is also a regular customer of Green Fragrance. How could he possibly shut down Green Fragrance? As for the city lord, Green Fragrance only does this business at night, and does legitimate business during the day. The city lord can't possibly be spying on the private affairs of the city's residents at night."
Looking at the stunned faces of the other young talents around him, Liu Di felt an inexplicable surge of pride and joy.
So what if they are disciples of the Five Great Sects? They're like greenhorns in this kind of thing: "As long as there are people, this kind of thing can't be stopped. Even the Five Great Sects can't always investigate thoroughly."
Such places existed before, but Green Fragrance has made them legitimate, so as long as they aren't discovered, who would bother to investigate? Even the manager is a regular at Green Fragrance.
Moreover, this business is incredibly profitable; making a fortune every day wouldn't be an exaggeration. Who could bear to give up such a lucrative opportunity? Even if the five major sects explicitly forbid it, it doesn't matter how much profit they make, as long as the five major sects don't discover it.
Green and fragrant, green and fragrant, Nan Xingze sneered. He never expected that the destroyed Jingxin Pavilion would return to the cultivation world and even change its name. Did they really not recognize it?
Yingyue sneered: "Exciting? Do you still find it exciting now?"
Liu Di knelt on the ground like a stray dog, feeling as if Yingyue's words had poured a bucket of cold water on him. He felt cold all over. Who gave him the audacity to say such things to these four people!
Finished!
“That’s right. Without people like you, Green Fragrance wouldn’t have been able to open.” Nan Xingze seemed to have suddenly realized something, but his words made the other person feel like they had fallen into an ice cellar: “I will suggest to my master that, in addition to the founders of Green Fragrance, we should also include regular customers like you who have patronized Green Fragrance. We should not let any of you go.”
Liu Di felt his pupils dilate and wanted to slap himself twice. Why was he saying these things to these geniuses?
Oh no! Although they were just drinking buddies, a wave of guilt and sympathy inevitably washed over him. He really hadn't meant to trick them! He could foresee the chaos that would ensue in Qingli City when Green Fragrance was shut down.
As for how to deal with that manager, Nan Xingze didn't mention it. This was a problem with the city's management, and he couldn't handle it himself; it had to be handed over to Immortal Lord Minxiu.
If he were to handle it privately, wouldn't that be slapping the face of a Mahayana Immortal Lord, implying that the other party was incompetent in managing his subordinates? He wouldn't do that unless absolutely necessary.
"Let's continue!" Nan Xingze declared decisively.
“The Long family brat, I guess it must be Long Tian from the Long family.” Li Di carefully observed the expressions of the disciples in front of him, some deep in thought, others puzzled.
That's right, these insignificant people are no match for these disciples: "He was previously engaged to the Immortal Lord's daughter, but she later broke off the engagement and went to the Qiongyun Dynasty."
"Ninth-grade spiritual milk!"
"Purple Sun Jade Pill!"
Upon hearing this, Yingyue, Wen Sishu, and Cheng Jiu immediately realized who the other person was.
"Junior brother, junior sister, do you know each other?" Nan Xingze was surprised.
Thinking of that guy who had taken most of the ninth-grade alchemists under the Guiyuan Sect, causing her to lose a ninth-grade Ziyang Qiongyu Pill, although she later made up for it, Yingyue sneered: "I remember it well!"
"What happened?" the group asked curiously.
Yingyue, Cheng Jiu, and Wen Sishu then recounted what happened at the auction more than ten years ago.
Liu Di, lying on the ground, suddenly realized and exclaimed in surprise, "So he's the one who tricked Wanbaoge back then and caused such a stir in the city! I knew this Long Tian was no ordinary person!"
What's with that "sudden realization" tone? The people present looked at him with disdain. It seems that the information he gave about Long Tian will be useless from now on. He doesn't even know this. How much of the information he gave is true or false?
"Judging from what my grandmaster uncle, junior brother, and junior sister said, it seems that this dragon's fortune is quite good!" Nan Xingze pondered.
"Do you think those treasures at the auction were brought out by this Long Tian? Just like in those storybooks, he gets dumped and then gets a supreme treasure like the Ninth Grade Spirit Milk. Could he be the chosen one of destiny? That's what they say in those stories." Gong Yu made a reasonable guess.
"Master said that there is no chosen one or chosen one in this place. Senior Brother Gong Yu, have you forgotten? And if he really is the chosen one, then Heaven is truly blind!" Cheng Jiu said with a hint of disdain at the end.
"However, what you said makes a lot of sense. This Long Tian has really had some good luck since he was jilted. I remember that when he fought with that person from the Chang family, he took out an eighth-grade spiritual weapon, and it even became sentient during the battle."
He was incredibly influential in our Qingli City, and the women in his household were no less powerful than the Immortal Lord's daughters. One of them was even the only daughter of a large city from the Yunxiao Sect.
Such a beautiful and noble young lady was actually willing to become his concubine!
Why can't I have such good fortune? I don't think I'm any worse than him!" Liu Di said, his tone filled with indignation.
"It is indeed somewhat strange!" Nan Xingze concluded decisively. A daughter of a great city as a concubine? What a joke! In the cultivation world, that's simply impossible. Well, to become the city lord of a great city, one must be a Venerable Lord. Only daughters of such cultivation levels are usually pampered and spoiled.
Having grown up surrounded by them, what outstanding young men haven't they seen? They should at least have some self-respect. This other man was jilted by the daughter of a celestial lord. How could he willingly become a concubine under such circumstances? Moreover, his parents don't even object. It's simply bizarre!
The situation suddenly became complicated, but everyone knew that the key point definitely lay with Long Tian!
Fortunately, the opponent was not very strong; according to Brother Liu, he was only at the Golden Core stage.
The group was still puzzled, after all, if they could encounter a ninth-grade spiritual milk, how could they still only be at the Golden Core stage?
Faced with the suspicious looks from the others, Liu Di immediately lost his temper: "We don't accept just anyone into our circle. Okay, guys like those who break through to the Nascent Soul stage at a young age don't deserve to be in our circle at all."
Everyone fell silent. Although they were all a bunch of scoundrels, it seemed there was a high bar to be reached.
Unfortunately, with Lingling as a cautionary tale, how can we be sure that the other party isn't hiding their true strength?
"Shall we go and investigate Green Fragrance first?" Nan Xingze concluded.
"Okay!" No one had any objections.
"Senior brother, should we ask that old ancestor of the Li family to cover it up?" Cheng Jiu said.
"Cover up? What do you mean?" Nan Xingze became interested.
"The person behind the scenes most likely sensed the death of the insects and became wary, but since he doesn't know who we are, he will definitely ask the Li family patriarch for information."
"Why don't we have the Li family patriarch tell that person that the man surnamed Li didn't go back and doesn't know where he went, and that he doesn't know who captured him? I think if Long Tian is still the same person he was before, without knowing the specifics, I think he probably won't take us seriously."
Cheng Jiu felt that with Long Tian's arrogant personality, he would never know the meaning of restraint unless something unexpected happened.
"Would he be that stupid?" Nan Xingze hesitated.
"It's not stupidity, it's arrogance. He'll definitely send someone to investigate. That's our chance!" Cheng Jiu said. "Anyway, this guy is already dead, and we've already alerted him. Whether it's a good opportunity or not, we'll find out after the first shot! It won't take much effort!"
"Junior Sister, it just so happens that I need to send a message to the City Lord's Mansion to tell Immortal Lord Minxiu that there is an irresponsible fellow in the City Lord's Mansion. Let the Immortal Lord handle this matter!" Nan Xingze judged that there was great potential for this, and after thinking for a moment, he immediately proposed a solution.
"Okay!" Cheng Jiu nodded. "Hey, do you know where Green Fragrance is? Take us there!"
"Green Fragrance does not serve female guests." Upon hearing this, Liu Di, who was lost in regret, immediately came to his senses and said.
"Didn't we know this? Lead the way!" As soon as Nan Xingze spoke, the other party fell silent.
On the other side...
Upon seeing the city lord, who usually lived a secluded life, appear before him, the Li family patriarch was so frightened that he fell to the ground.
After receiving the message from Nan Xingze, Immortal Lord Minxiu immediately ordered the steward to be dealt with and interrogated.
After all, the problem arose under his own jurisdiction, and his subordinates had committed offenses. Immortal Lord Minxiu was extremely annoyed. Upon receiving Nanxingze's request, she came personally without relying on anyone else.
Just as Cheng Jiu had expected, Long Tian soon sent a message to ask how Brother Li was doing.
Under the watchful eye of the Immortal Lord, the Li family patriarch trembled as he said that the other party had not returned home today and he didn't know where he was fooling around. He even wanted to send him a message to ask if he knew where Brother Li had gone.
Long Tian, holding the communicator, was completely dumbfounded when he saw the message from the other party. He had just received a notification that the corpse worm in Brother Li's body had suddenly died.
Upon inquiring, it turned out that Brother Li hadn't gone home. Where had he gone? Had he gotten into a conflict with someone, or been killed by some powerful figure? Unable to ascertain the specifics, Long Tian didn't choose to avoid the limelight.
Just as Cheng Jiu had guessed, although he knew something was wrong, without confirming that it was Guiyuan Sect, the other party not only did not cancel the secret auction, but also did not even conceal their own businesses.
Instead, they began to enjoy the thrill of dancing on the edge of a knife.
They only sent people to investigate who killed Brother Li.
"My lord, shall we postpone our plans for two days?" A beautiful woman came out, wrapped her arms around his neck, and asked sweetly.
"Woman's perspective!" Long Tian took the opportunity to put his arm around her waist and scolded, "It was just some random girl testing you out of nowhere. After all these years, don't you know your man's capabilities?"
A little storm, nothing to worry about. As for the auction, have Yuan Niang keep a close eye on it; don't worry!
As he spoke, he patted the woman's bottom in his arms, his tone filled with pride and disdain.
The woman's eyes flickered: "Sister Yuan Niang, is it really okay to have so much information?"
"Don't be jealous. Yuan Niang has been with me for so many years, do you think I don't know her character?" Long Tian didn't care about her words at all. He didn't believe that Song Yuan, who had been with him for so many years, would betray him.
Meanwhile, Cheng Jiu and his group also followed Li Di into Lv Youxiang.
To avoid being recognized, the group put on different disguises.
As for Cheng Jiu and Ying Yue, no disguise is without its traces. To be on the safe side, the two took shrinking pills and slipped into their senior brother's sleeves, since Lv Youxiang's thugs wouldn't search them anyway.
Moreover, shrinking down might allow you to observe more and discover traces that others cannot see.