225: Could it be that smoking it might trigger some unusual fetishes?

Bai Wanqing was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, then she nodded.

"That's right, there is indeed a large-scale auction at 'Tianque Pavilion' tomorrow night."

"The specifications are very high, mainly targeting domestic and foreign collectors and guests from certain special circles."

"The items are mostly antiques and rare treasures, though occasionally there are things that aren't convenient to circulate openly."

She looked at Ye Chen with inquiry in her eyes. "Why are you suddenly asking about this?"

Ye Chen walked to the window and looked down at the Chu family members in the courtyard below.

"That Soul Ferrying Emissary from the Soul Hall said before he died that besides him, two other Soul Ferrying Emissaries have infiltrated the Dragon Country."

"They plan to use the identities of wealthy Southeast Asian businessmen to attend an auction in Yanjing."

"Their target is a 'treasure' at the auction."

"A treasure?" Bai Wanqing knit her elegant brows. "The Soul Hall acts in a secretive and sinister manner. For something to be called a treasure by them, and for them to go as far as disguising themselves to plot for it, it definitely won't be an ordinary antique or piece of jewelry."

"Yes." Ye Chen nodded. "That thing likely hides a secret we don't know about, or has some special use for the Soul Hall."

Bai Wanqing suddenly looked up. "You want to go see it?"

"Mm."

Ye Chen did not deny it.

"I don't provoke others unless they provoke me."

"Since they proactively came to my door and almost hurt you, this debt cannot be settled just like that."

"Instead of waiting for them to pop up and cause trouble at some unknown time, it's better to be proactive and go after them."

"Besides, I also want to see exactly what kind of treasure could make the Soul Hall mobilize such a force."

Bai Wanqing gave a sweet smile and nodded gently.

"Alright. I received an invitation to the Tianque Pavilion auction before, but I hadn't planned on attending."

"If you're going, I'll accompany you."

She paused and added, "However, the auction is tomorrow night, so our original plan to return to Xiamen City tomorrow will probably have to be delayed by a day."

"It's just one day, no matter."

Ye Chen didn't mind this at all.

"It just so happens that Chu Niubi also needs a day to recover; let him apply medicine and rest."

"Tomorrow night, we'll go to Tianque Pavilion to meet those two Soul Ferrying Emissaries from the Soul Hall and see what kind of 'sacred entity' that treasure really is."

The corners of Bai Wanqing's lips curved slightly. "Okay, I'll reply to the auction organizers to confirm our attendance."

Just then, there was a soft knock on the door, and it was pushed open a crack.

Chu Niubi's head, wrapped in bandages, poked in cautiously, his face covered in a fawning smile.

"Hi~ Master, do you need help dealing with that corpse outside? Our Chu family experts have all arrived!"

Ye Chen glanced at him. "Dispose of it."

"You got it!"

Chu Niubi immediately pulled his head back and shouted outside, "Old Chen! Bring people in! Drag that black-robed thing away! Clean it up! Don't leave a single trace!"

A steady response came from outside the door, followed by a series of footsteps and dragging sounds.

Only a few minutes passed.

The hall was cleaned up, as if nothing had ever happened...

Chu Niubi poked his head in again and chuckled. "Master, it's done! Our Chu family is professional at this!"

Ye Chen gave a hum of acknowledgment and didn't say much else.

By now, Bai Wanqing had picked up her phone and walked to the window to communicate in a low voice with the auction organizers, confirming the details for tomorrow night's attendance.

Chu Niubi's eyes darted around as he sidled up to Ye Chen and lowered his voice, "Master, I heard you and Madam Bai saying... you're going to the Tianque Pavilion auction tomorrow night?"

"Mm." Ye Chen didn't hide it.

"Can you take me?"

Chu Niubi immediately perked up, his face full of anticipation.

"I'm familiar with auctions!"

"I'm a regular at Tianque Pavilion! A VIP among VIPs!"

"If I lead the way, I guarantee everything will be arranged perfectly for you and Madam Bai!"

Ye Chen looked at him askance. "Will those injuries on you be fully healed by tomorrow night?"

"Pah! Just superficial wounds! They look scary, but they heal fast!"

Chu Niubi patted his chest, but ended up pulling at the whip marks on his back. He grimaced in pain but still toughed it out. "Master, that ointment of yours is divine! It feels cool when applied, and the wounds are itchy—they must be growing new flesh. I'll definitely be alive and kicking by tomorrow night!"

At this point, Bai Wanqing had finished her call and walked back.

"I've confirmed with the organizers. We'll be attending tomorrow night as the President of Tianyao Group and specially invited guests."

She looked at Ye Chen.

"The invitation will be delivered to the Chu residence later."

"Also, the catalog for some of the key auction items has been sent over. I took a rough look, and there are indeed a few items that are quite special."

"Tell me about them?" Ye Chen raised an eyebrow.

Chu Niubi stepped forward first and raised his hand.

"I know about this!"

"In this auction, there are three items that are particularly unique."

"There's a jade Buddha head said to be from the Tang Dynasty, but its source is vaguely marked!"

"An uncarved raw deep purple chalcedony stone, said to emit a faint light at night!"

"And a fragment of a bamboo slip from the Warring States period. The script is neither Seal nor Clerical; no one has been able to fully decipher it to this day."

As he spoke...

He pulled out his phone and sent the photos to Ye Chen in one go.

Ye Chen took Chu Niubi's phone and slid his finger across the screen, zooming in on the photos of the three items one by one to examine them closely.

"They are indeed a bit special."

After looking, Ye Chen handed the phone back to Chu Niubi. "For example, this chalcedony—if the photo isn't fake, its texture is pure and it contains spiritual resonance. This is no ordinary gemstone."

He paused and looked at the curious Chu Niubi and Bai Wanqing.

"If this kind of chalcedony is real, and its internal spiritual resonance hasn't been depleted by mining, it can be extracted through special techniques and refined into medicine. It would be enough to let a martial artist stuck at a bottleneck break through several minor realms in a row."

"Break through several realms in a row?" Chu Niubi's eyes instantly lit up like two small lightbulbs. "Master! Then we must bid for it! No matter how much it costs! My Chu family has nothing if not money!"

He could already see his future self achieving great divine power after taking the medicine and walking proudly through the Dragon Group.

Ye Chen glanced at him and mercilessly poured cold water on his dreams.

"Forget about it for yourself."

"Ah? Why?" Chu Niubi was stunned.

"Although the energy contained in this chalcedony is gentle, it is also domineering."

"It needs to be slowly refined and absorbed using one's own true qi as a guide."

Ye Chen's tone was flat. "You've only just birthed a sliver of qi sensation in your energy center, and your meridians have only just been slightly loosened by external force. They're as fragile as paper."

He sized Chu Niubi up and down.

"If you were to eat this thing, your weak qi sensation wouldn't be able to guide it at all. Ninety-nine percent of the medicinal power..."

"Would probably be discharged from your backside completely intact."

Chu Niubi instinctively covered his buttocks, his face falling. "Dis... discharged?"

"Mm."

Ye Chen nodded and even added a more heart-stabbing comment.

"If it were coincidentally eaten by a passing stray dog, that dog might even gain a bit of intelligence. As for you..."

"Aside from pooping out a particularly colorful turd, it'll have no effect whatsoever."

Chu Niubi: "..."

He opened his mouth to retort, but found that what his Master said seemed...

To make a lot of sense?

He immediately wilted like a frost-bitten eggplant.

"Pfft—"

Bai Wanqing, who was nearby, couldn't help but let out a light laugh.

She quickly raised her hand to cover her lips, but the amusement swirling in her eyes couldn't be hidden.

Such a vivid and mischievous Ye Chen was quite rare to see.

Chu Niubi gave Bai Wanqing a resentful look, then dejectedly turned back to Ye Chen. "Fine, I'll just honestly take my lashings... Master, whip me as hard as you want, don't hold back!"

He suddenly thought of something else and jerked his head up, a hint of belated horror in his eyes.

"But Master... I have a serious question!"

"Mm?"

"You say I'm being stripped naked and tied to a pillar to be whipped every day... Could I, from all this whipping, awaken some weird, special fetish?"

Chu Niubi's expression was extremely conflicted, as if he were already previewing some terrible future in his mind.

Hearing this, Ye Chen rubbed his chin, pretending to think seriously for two seconds, then nodded with a face full of certainty.

"Mm..."

"It's possible."

Chu Niubi: "!!!"

His face instantly turned green, and he froze on the spot as if he could already hear the sound of his integrity shattering.

Looking at this comical pair of master and disciple, Bai Wanqing shook her head with a smile and turned toward the desk.

"You guys chat, I'll handle some company emails first."

"I'll take a closer look at the detailed information for the auction later."

Ye Chen looked at Chu Niubi's 'the sky is falling' expression, ignored him, and also turned to walk toward the door.

"Alright, Sister Wanqing. Remember to come downstairs in a bit; we're going out for dinner."

"Okay!"

The two of them went about their business, leaving Chu Niubi alone in the room in a daze, with three words echoing repeatedly in his mind.

It's possible... It's possible... It's possible...