45: I have no interest in money

“Mr. Shen, this auction is nominally an auction, but in reality, it’s also a large gathering. Whether they are important figures from Zhu Feng City’s Outer City, or merchants from various other cities, everyone will gather here today.”

Xiao Mei introduced the situation to Shen Xi as she led the way.

The auction was held on the top floor of the hotel, but there was no one on the top floor at this time.

Most of the guests were gathered on the second and third floors.

“The second floor is the entertainment hall, with various entertainment facilities, and many powerful and influential people will engage in high-stakes gambling there.”

“As for the third floor, that’s the banquet hall. If you’re hungry, you can go to the third floor and enjoy the delicious food and wine. Additionally, many business deals are decided in the banquet hall amidst laughter and conversation.”

“As for the fourth floor…”

Xiao Mei paused intentionally when she reached this point.

Shen Xi asked curiously, “What’s on the fourth floor?”

Xiao Mei replied, “The fourth floor is the Martial Arts Hall. All the important and reputable figures attending this auction include many powerful individuals.”

“They will all gather in the Martial Arts Hall to spar. Of course, there are stakes for the winners and losers.”

“Some people will also bring their Martial Artists to gamble in the Martial Arts Hall, which is also a way to compete.”

Hearing this, Shen Xi gave Xiao Mei a meaningful look.

She deliberately emphasized the purpose of the fourth floor, clearly knowing its significance to Shen Xi.

If he wasn’t mistaken, Xiao Mei was most likely sent by Ye Zirou.

It seemed Ye Zirou knew he had arrived the moment he appeared near the hotel.

Thinking of this, to confirm his guess, Shen Xi asked, “Can death matches be held in the Martial Arts Hall?”

“Of course. As long as both parties agree in advance, life and death will not matter at that time.” Xiao Mei showed no surprise, as if she had already guessed Shen Xi would ask this question.

Only then could Shen Xi be 100% certain that she was arranged by Ye Zirou.

She was using this method to tell him how to weaken Kong Wen’s power.

She truly was a tsundere.

Because he had been too cold towards Ye Zirou, she was unwilling to personally tell him how to deal with White Robe and Purple Robe, but she secretly arranged for a guide to come over.

“Take me to the fourth floor.”

Shen Xi commanded.

Soon, led by Xiao Mei, he arrived on the fourth floor.

As soon as he reached the fourth floor, a thunderous roar, like a mountain tsunami, erupted in his ears.

“Beat that guy to death for me!”

“Damn it, what are you doing? Attack his eyes directly!”

“Cheer him on for me! I bet a whole million on him. If he loses, I’ll never let him off!”

The shouts were incessant.

In the very center of the Martial Arts Hall, there was a two-hundred-square-meter arena.

On the stage, two Martial Artists of the Blood Refining and Energy Transformation Realm were fighting fiercely.

Below the stage, many elegantly dressed important figures were shouting with all their might.

Before long, one Blood Refining and Energy Transformation Martial Artist collapsed, losing the match.

This caused many people to curse angrily out of frustration.

“Trash, you made me lose two million!”

“Useless thing, if you’re no good, don’t come out to fight.”

“I don’t even know who your master is, to send out such a waste.”

The losers’ curses were very harsh.

Given their status, a few million was naturally nothing.

The most infuriating thing was losing Face.

If the Martial Artist they chose lost, didn’t it mean their judgment was not as good as the winner’s?

Among them, a pot-bellied middle-aged man’s Face was extremely gloomy. He stared intently at the losing Martial Artist and said coldly, “Useless, what’s the point of raising you? Someone! Kill him, to save me from embarrassment.”

This middle-aged man was the master of the losing Martial Artist.

His subordinate’s loss made him lose a lot of Face, and he vented his anger on the other party.

Seeing this scene, Shen Xi’s expression was a little unnatural.

He knew that in any city, class stratification was severe.

The gap between the Inner City and the Outer City was even comparable to the difference between humans and beasts.

But he didn’t expect that even in the Outer City, there was still a world of difference.

Everyone present was a resident of the Outer City, yet some could decide another’s life or death with a single word, while others were merely playthings, only able to be manipulated.

The middle-aged man and the losing Martial Artist were the most prominent embodiment of this.

Watching the middle-aged man’s other subordinates about to kill the losing Martial Artist, Shen Xi immediately couldn’t sit still.

“Stop!”

Accompanied by a roar, he appeared before the middle-aged man.

“Kid, who are you? What business is it of yours how I discipline my slave?”

The middle-aged man was already seething with anger from losing, and now seeing someone interfere, he became even more furious.

“Slave?”

Shen Xi couldn’t help but frown, then quickly understood.

Due to the vast wealth gap, many families couldn’t even afford to eat.

To survive, they could only sell themselves to wealthy and powerful people, becoming their slaves.

Such people weren’t even considered residents of the Outer City; even their lives weren’t their own.

It was precisely because of this that the middle-aged man could casually kill the other party without violating the rules of Zhu Feng City.

“That’s right, he’s my slave. I can do whatever I want. If you have nothing to do, get lost!”

The middle-aged man said with an unhappy expression.

Hearing this, Shen Xi felt a bit awkward.

If the losing Martial Artist were a normal resident, he could stop the middle-aged man.

After all, no matter how great the wealth gap, wealthy and powerful people couldn’t kill a resident in broad daylight. If that spread, it would cause unrest.

Even those in power needed to ensure stability, as in any city, the largest demographic was still ordinary residents.

But if it was a slave, Shen Xi found it difficult to intervene.

Slaves had no human rights; even if they were killed, no one would care.

This put Shen Xi in a difficult position.

“I’ll pay to buy him from you, surely that’s acceptable?”

Shen Xi thought for a moment and spoke.

“Hmph! I’m not willing to sell. No matter how much money you offer, I’m not interested. I just want to beat him to death right now for being uncompetitive and making me lose Face in front of so many people.”

The middle-aged man sneered, curling his lips, and flatly refused.

Then, he gestured to a few of his subordinates, signaling them to continue.

“I offer five million!”

Seeing this, Shen Xi directly made an offer.

“I said, I’m not willing.”

“Ten million!”

“I’m not interested.”

“Twenty million!”

“I don’t care about money…”

“Thirty million!”

“It’s a deal, sold!”