20: Chapter 20: Intercepting the Half-Demon, the Background Scares Them Away

Within the golden light, a line of text quickly appeared:

"[Su Qingli, Half-Demon Bloodline, Tier 3 Formation Master. Meridians completely severed, Divine Sense intact, proficient in Formation and spiritual plant cultivation, usable.]"

Lu Changyuan's eyes narrowed.

This was the core talent Blue Moon Island lacked the most.

The auctioneer clearly knew this item was hard to sell, so after a hasty introduction, he set the starting price at five hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.

This price didn't seem high, but for a cripple with completely severed Meridians, it was enough to keep the vast majority of buyers at bay.

As expected, the whole venue went cold.

No one was willing to spend real money to gamble on a woman who looked completely crippled.

Above the Star Sea, one Mid-Grade Spirit Stone could be exchanged for one hundred Low Grade ones—this was the public exchange rate for major trading houses.

But in reality, very few people were willing to trade Medium Grade for Low Grade.

The Spiritual Qi purity of Mid-Grade Spirit Stones was far higher, and they were indispensable for setting up Formations, breaking through cultivation levels, and driving high-level Magical Artifacts; at a critical moment, one Mid-Grade Spirit Stone could save a life, while one hundred Low Grade ones might not.

Therefore, this exchange rate had always been "priced but marketless."

Lu Changyuan waited for two breaths, then spoke calmly: "Five hundred."

His voice was not loud, but it made quite a few people turn their heads.

Someone in the corner seemed to want to pick up a bargain and tentatively raised the price: "Five hundred and twenty."

Lu Changyuan didn't even lift his head: "Eight hundred."

This single bid directly silenced all other voices.

The entire auction hall went quiet for a moment, as clearly no one expected anyone to actually bid up to eight hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones for this kind of goods.

The auctioneer was overjoyed and immediately brought down the gavel.

Before long, Su Qingli was brought before Lu Changyuan by two black market guards.

The woman raised her head, revealing a pair of extremely calm eyes.

She clearly hadn't expected that someone would actually buy her in her current state.

There was no gratitude in those eyes, only scrutiny, as if she were judging whether the buyer before her was just another malicious guest, or something else entirely.

Lu Changyuan asked only one question: "Can you walk?"

"I can." Her voice was hoarse, yet not servile.

"Then follow."

The three of them had just walked out of the main black market hall with Su Qingli when their path was blocked by a group of people.

Leading them was a young man in brocade robes, with a Late Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation, holding a folding fan, his expression full of arrogance, followed by a dozen guards; one look and it was clear he was someone accustomed to walking sideways in Tianxing Immortal City.

Lu Hu whispered a reminder: "Young Lord, it's the Young City Lord of Tianxing City, Zhou Jingyao."

Zhou Jingyao swept a glance at Su Qingli, his eyes undisguisedly filled with a hint of playfulness, then lazily smiled: "Friend, I have taken a fancy to this woman. Leave her behind, and you name your price."

The dozen or so guards behind him took a step forward simultaneously, the oppressive feeling of local bullies washing over them.

Passersby who saw this Formation retreated one after another, clearly not wanting to get involved in the Young City Lord's affairs.

Su Qingli stood half a step behind Lu Changyuan, her face slightly pale, but she didn't speak.

She was clearly long accustomed to having her fate decided by a single word from others, though there was still a trace of irrepressible cold mockery in her eyes.

Lu Changyuan replied with only one word: "Scram."

The smile on Zhou Jingyao's face vanished instantly.

"Do you know who you are talking to?"

"I do." Lu Changyuan looked at him, his expression cold: "A piece of trash who relies on his ancestors' reputation to block the street."

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere all around tightened instantly.

The guards behind Zhou Jingyao all circulated their spiritual power, and Lu Hu and Leng Feng also stepped forward half a step.

Those who had originally just been watching the show retreated far away, fearing that the two sides would start fighting right at the black market entrance in the next moment.

Just as Zhou Jingyao was about to flip out, Lu Changyuan raised his hand and threw a purple-gold token directly at him.

With a slap, the token landed right on Zhou Jingyao's chest.

He subconsciously caught it, and after seeing the three ancient characters "Yunzhou Lu" on it, his face turned pale instantly.

"Yunzhou... Lu Family?"

Lu Changyuan said indifferently: "Cousin-Uncle Lu Tianming is my cousin-uncle."

Zhou Jingyao's hand trembled, and he almost dropped the token on the ground.

No matter how strong Tianxing Immortal City was, it was only a local bully.

A top-tier clan of a province like the Yunzhou Lu Family, if they really wanted to stand up for a direct descendant, would dare to cross provinces to exterminate a clan.

Especially the name Cousin-Uncle Lu Tianming, which already had a fierce reputation on the Star Sea trade routes; not to mention a Young City Lord like him, even if his father were standing here, he would have to weigh the consequences.

Zhou Jingyao, who had been insufferably arrogant just a moment ago, instantly broke into a cold sweat on his forehead.

A moment later, amidst the stunned gazes of those around him, his legs went soft, and he actually knelt down on the spot, his voice even changing pitch: "So... so it is Young Master Lu, it's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding."

As he spoke, he offered the token back with both hands, almost gritting his teeth as he squeezed out: "It is I who have eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai, I beg Young Master Lu to forgive my offense."

The onlookers all gasped in unison.

The Young City Lord who had been walking sideways a moment ago was now forced to kneel and apologize by a single token; many people might not see such a scene in their entire lives.

To completely smooth things over, Zhou Jingyao immediately had his guards hand over a Storage Pouch: "There are three thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones here, and a Tier 2 protective Formation Plate, consider it my apology."

Lu Changyuan accepted it casually, replying with only four words: "Don't let it happen again."

Zhou Jingyao, as if granted amnesty, agreed repeatedly and hurriedly retreated with his men.

Only after retreating far enough did he dare to raise his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

This kneeling today had cost him all his face, but compared to truly offending the Yunzhou Lu Family to death, this bit of face was the cheapest price to pay.

Only then did Su Qingli look up at Lu Changyuan again.

This young man who had bought her had not uttered a single word of superfluous nonsense from beginning to end, nor had he deliberately shown off any background, yet with one move, he produced a calling card strong enough to completely crush the other party.

That was a kind of genuine confidence.

And for her now, this kind of confidence was scarcer than Spirit Stones and Medicinal Pills.

She realized for the first time that she had been chosen by a master who could truly protect his people.

On the returning spirit boat, the deck was piled with military equipment, Talismans, and Formation Plates, and there was one more Formation Master in the cabin.

Lu Hu held the account book, checking the newly purchased military equipment over and over; Leng Feng stood at the bow, vigilantly scanning the surrounding sea; Su Qingli was arranged to rest in the cabin, while also checking the quality of those auxiliary Formation Plates.

Lu Changyuan faced the sea breeze, looking far into the direction of Blue Moon Island.

The Scarlet Beast Tide in half a year was still like a knife hanging over his head.

But compared to a few days ago, he now had military equipment, Spiritual Veins, mineral veins, a nascent Qingyuan Terrace, and the most critical talent in his hands.

What was lacking next was just to truly twist all these things into a single rope.

And this was precisely the most difficult step.

But as long as it could be twisted together, Blue Moon Island would no longer be just an island that only took beatings.

It would become an island that could truly bite back.

By then, when the beast tide rushed up, it might not necessarily be Blue Moon Island's doom, but could also be the first chance for Blue Moon Island to truly bare its fangs at the Star Sea.

This beast tide, which seemed destined to crush Blue Moon Island, was finally no longer a one-sided dead end.

The sea breeze whipped, blowing his robes.

Behind the spirit boat, the lights of Tianxing Immortal City were receding bit by bit.

Ahead lay the not-yet-fully-formed Qingyuan Terrace, the mineral veins, Spiritual Veins, city walls, water channels, and those three thousand lives that had just been gathered and were not yet truly stable.

Lu Changyuan knew very well that what he was bringing back this time was not just military equipment and a Formation Master, but a true battle-readiness checklist.

From this night on, Blue Moon Island would never be able to relax again.

Lu Changyuan looked at the horizon where the sea met the sky, his tone calm yet sharp: "The beast tide in half a year?"

"That will be the first stepping stone for my Lu family to make a name for itself in the Star Sea."

Lu Hu stood behind him, listening to these words, his heart, which had been tight because of the Young Lord's sudden acceleration of war preparations, unexpectedly lifted slowly.

He knew this was not arrogance.

If it were the Blue Moon Island of half a month ago, this statement would just be gambling with his life; but now, the Young Lord had already grasped the mines, the city, the soldiers, the Formations, and the people, piece by piece.

Su Qingli also watched Lu Changyuan quietly from the cabin door, without making a sound.

She had just been bought and was still a stranger to everything on Blue Moon Island, but she already understood well enough that the place she was going to next was a foundation being forced into shape at an astonishing speed by someone.

The spirit boat broke through the waves, the sea surface split into two long white lines by the bow.

The direction of Blue Moon Island could not be seen in the night, but everyone knew they were rushing toward the eve of a real great war.