31: Chapter 31 The First Pot of Gold: Snatching Food from the Protagonist's Mouth

The market in Tiannan City was as bustling as ever.

On the long street paved with bluestone, the crowd flowed like a tapestry.

The pavilion shops on both sides hung various signs, such as "Divine Weapon Pavilion" and "Myriad Pill Workshop." Assistants stood at the doorways, shouting energetically, while the shimmering light of Magical Artifacts and the fragrance of Medicinal Pills mingled together, creating the most authentic atmosphere of worldly life in the world of cultivation.

Shen Xiao, dressed in the cyan robes of a Qingming Sect Inner Sect Disciple, blended into the crowd, completely unremarkable.

He did not rush to the most magnificent "Baibao Pavilion" in the market, but stopped in front of a hawker selling candied hawthorn.

"Give me one," he said, tossing over a Low-Grade Spirit Stone.

The hawker nimbly handed over a skewer of hawthorns coated in crystal-clear sugar, muttering, "Immortal Master, have a taste. These are made from hawthorns on Spirit Spring Mountain. Eating them can calm the mind and focus the spirit!"

Shen Xiao took a bite, and the sweet and sour juice burst in his mouth.

Hmm, the taste was good, but the effect of calming the mind and focusing the spirit was practically zero—pure commercial nonsense.

He chewed his candied hawthorn leisurely, but his gaze swept across the open square in front of Baibao Pavilion like a radar.

The information in the list Xia Lengbai gave him was precise down to the hour; he still had time.

Sure enough, under the gilded plaque of Baibao Pavilion, a young man wearing the attire of a Qingming Sect Deacon stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes sharply scrutinizing every Cultivator attempting to enter.

His expression was arrogant, his chin held high like a peacock spreading its tail, afraid that others wouldn't know his status was extraordinary.

Shen Xiao recognized that attire: an Outer Sect Deacon. The Rank was not high, but the perks were plentiful.

He finished the candied hawthorn in a few bites, tossed the bamboo skewer into a trash can by the road, and then strolled over unhurriedly.

"Stop."

Just as he reached the entrance of Baibao Pavilion, the Deacon youth stepped forward and blocked his path.

The youth looked Shen Xiao up and down, and when he saw the jade plaque at his waist representing an Inner Sect Disciple,

"This Junior Brother, you look very unfamiliar," the youth said with a forced smile. "I am Sun Hai, an Outer Sect Deacon. May I ask what business you have coming here, Junior Brother?"

Shen Xiao glanced at him, and from the undisguised hostility of the other party, he instantly confirmed the person's identity.

Lin Yun's lackey, Deacon Sun.

Xia Lengbai's list had mentioned him in passing; he was responsible for managing some of Lin Yun's gray industries outside the Sect.

It seems Lin Yun's team had already cleared the area in advance.

"Coming to an auction, naturally it is to buy things," Shen Xiao's reply was concise.

"Buy things?" Deacon Sun sneered. The voice was not loud, but it was enough for the few passing Cultivators to hear,

"Junior Brother, let's speak plainly. Today's grand finale item at Baibao Pavilion, the 'seven-orifice soul-nurturing lotus', is already in Senior Brother Lin Yun's pocket. Senior Brother Lin's Divine Might is peerless; surely you have heard of it. I advise you not to go in and bring humiliation upon yourself, lest you fail to bid for the item and lose all your net worth, ending up in a sorry state."

These words were spoken with both arrogance and malice.

Shen Xiao laughed inwardly.

"Bring humiliation upon yourself?"

If you knew your master was currently being chased and having his Opportunity snatched away, I wonder if you would still be so smug.

He couldn't be bothered to waste words on such a minor character; he simply walked around him and stepped into Baibao Pavilion.

"You!" Deacon Sun's Face stiffened. He hadn't expected the other party to dare ignore him, and he immediately felt he was losing Face. Just as he was about to erupt, he saw Shen Xiao wave his hand without looking back, a gesture like shooing away a buzzing fly.

Deacon Sun was so angry his Face turned red. He stared fixedly at Shen Xiao's back, his eyes full of resentment.

Just you wait, trash! You'll be crying soon enough!

Shen Xiao didn't take this interlude to heart at all. As soon as he entered, he felt a wave of heat wash over him.

The auction hall was clamorous, with every seat taken.

But he did not go toward the hall; instead, he walked straight to the reception area on the side, took out an ice-blue token from his Storage Pouch, and slapped it onto the counter with moderate force.

"I want to see your Manager Qian."

That token was from Xia Lengbai's Storage Pouch; it was clearly the highest-grade VIP token of Baibao Pavilion.

The assistant, who had been indifferent just a moment ago, saw the token and his expression changed in a flash; his attitude became so respectful it was as if he were a different person.

"Respected guest, please wait a moment! I will go report this immediately!"

Soon, in an elegant VIP room, Shen Xiao saw the black-market merchant who was as fat as a ball, Manager Qian, once again.

"Oh my! Senior! My ancestor! Why have you come?" As soon as Manager Qian saw Shen Xiao, the expression on his fat Face was a mix of emotions—there was the joy of seeing a God of Wealth, and a lingering fear from being scared out of his wits by Xia Lengbai last time.

"Cut the crap." Shen Xiao directly tossed a heavy Storage Pouch onto the table and pushed it in front of him. "Let's do business."

Manager Qian's Divine Sense swept over it, and his eyes instantly lit up.

A whole bag full of High-Grade Spirit Stones!

This level of spending was much more generous than last time!

The fear on his Face was instantly overcome by greed, and he smiled until his eyes disappeared. "Senior, please give your orders! As long as it is something this little one can do, I will not hesitate!"

"I am not here to buy things." Shen Xiao leaned forward and lowered his voice. "I am buying a piece of intelligence."

"Intelligence?" Manager Qian was stunned.

"To bid for that 'seven-orifice soul-nurturing lotus', what is Lin Yun planning to use for payment?"

The smile on Manager Qian's Face froze.

This was core commercial intelligence; if it leaked out, the reputation of his Baibao Pavilion would be ruined.

He subconsciously wanted to refuse.

Shen Xiao seemed to see through his thoughts and added slowly, "After it's done, I will double it."

Manager Qian's Adam's apple bobbed, and he swallowed with difficulty.

He quickly calculated the pros and cons in his mind.

Offending Lin Yun was too high a risk.

But this person in front of him had brought that madwoman Xia Lengbai last time!

Neither side was easy to deal with.

But the Spirit Stones were real!

In the end, the desire for money overcame the fear of risk.

Manager Qian gritted his teeth, leaned in, and said in a voice as soft as a mosquito:

"Senior, you absolutely cannot say it was this little one who told you... Lin Yun has been tight on cash recently and doesn't have enough Spirit Stones. He reached a private agreement with our Pavilion Master to use the future seventy percent of the revenue rights from his private Spirit Medicine field on Black Wind Mountain outside the Sect as collateral for payment!"

A sharp glint flashed in Shen Xiao's eyes.

It was done.

The moment before the auction started.

Deacon Sun straightened his robes, feeling self-satisfied and prepared to head to the exclusive VIP box reserved for him at Baibao Pavilion.

In his view, everything was a settled matter.

That seven-orifice soul-nurturing lotus was firmly in Senior Brother Lin's pocket.

Just as he turned a quiet corridor, a figure appeared before him like a ghost.

It was Shen Xiao.

"It's you again?" Deacon Sun frowned, looking impatient. "What? Still not giving up? I tell you, it's useless. Even if you bankrupt yourself, you can't compete with Senior Brother Lin!"

Shen Xiao ignored his clamoring and calmly extended two fingers.

"I will only say two things."

"First, has that Spirit Medicine field on Black Wind Mountain been reported to the Sect's Law Enforcement Hall?"

The arrogant expression on Deacon Sun's Face instantly froze, and his pupils contracted sharply, as if someone had poured a basin of ice water over his head.

Unauthorized private property!

This was a major taboo in the Sect!

Once exposed to the Law Enforcement Hall, not to mention that he, the handler, would have his cultivation crippled and be expelled from the Sect, even Senior Brother Lin Yun would definitely Face severe punishment and lose all his reputation!

How did he know about this?!

"Second," Shen Xiao gave him no time to think, his cold gaze cutting across his Face like a knife. "I'm buying that land. Name your price."

Deacon Sun's brain went "buzz," and his mind went blank.

He finally understood; the other party's target from the beginning wasn't any lotus, but their trump card!

"You... don't even think about it!" he roared, putting on a brave front.

"Oh?" A cruel sneer curled at the corners of Shen Xiao's mouth. "That's fine too. I'll go to the Law Enforcement Hall right now and report that someone is occupying Sect resources and setting up private industries. Tell me, is your mouth harder, or are the torture devices of the Law Enforcement Hall harder?"

Cold sweat instantly soaked Deacon Sun's back.

He looked at Shen Xiao's eyes, which lacked the slightest bit of emotion, and a bone-chilling coldness rose in his heart.

He did not doubt for a second that this seemingly unremarkable Inner Sect Disciple would really do what he said.

On one side, it was an immediate loss of some benefits, but it could preserve his and Senior Brother Lin's future; on the other, it was total ruin and damnation.

Even a three-year-old child could solve this multiple-choice question.

Finally, when the auctioneer announced that bidding for the "seven-orifice soul-nurturing lotus" had begun, an abrupt voice rang out from a corner, drawing the attention of the entire room.

"We... due to a lack of liquid funds, announce our withdrawal from this auction!"

Deacon Sun roared these words, practically gritting his teeth.

After finishing, his whole person seemed to have been drained of spirit, and he slumped weakly into his chair.

The entire hall was in an uproar.

And Shen Xiao, amidst the astonished gazes of everyone, calmly and nonchalantly took the "seven-orifice soul-nurturing lotus" into his possession at a starting price far lower than anyone expected.

The auction ended, and Shen Xiao obtained the deed written at a humiliating price from the ashen-faced Deacon Sun.

Returning to his secret chamber in the Sect, Shen Xiao couldn't wait to take out the jade box containing the "seven-orifice soul-nurturing lotus."

Upon opening it, a refreshing fragrance wafted out; just by smelling it, he felt his Divine Sense become much clearer.

The lotus was pure white, and a faint rosy light flowed within the seven lotus orifices—it was truly a supreme treasure for repairing the Divine Sense.

Just as he was preparing to study it carefully, a cold System notification tone exploded in his mind without warning!

[Warning! Detected that the item has a high-grade parasitic mark attached!]

Shen Xiao felt a jolt in his heart, and his movements stopped immediately.

"System, deep scan!"

[Scanning... Analyzing...]

[Analysis result: Inside the core lotus seed of the item, there is one 'Soul-Devouring Insect Egg' (dormant state) parasitic within.]

[Activation condition: Once the host absorbs the lotus's spiritual power to repair their Divine Sense, the insect egg will be activated simultaneously.]

[Consequence: The insect egg will, within 49 days, gradually devour the host's Divine Soul from the inside out, until the host's Divine Soul collapses, at which point it will break out of the body. This process is painless and senseless, irreversible, and undetectable.]

Looking at the lines of blood-red analysis results on the System panel, a layer of fine cold sweat broke out on Shen Xiao's back.

What kind of Opportunity is this, damn it!

This was simply a flawlessly laid death trap!

The target was none other than Lin Yun, who had damaged Divine Sense and desperately needed this item!

And he, on the path of snatching food from the Child of Destiny, had accidentally intercepted the poison meant for him.

Shen Xiao looked at the breathtakingly beautiful lotus in his hand and fell into deep thought.

Who set this trap?

Lin Yun's enemy?

Or could it be... that this itself was a part of the heavenly dao chessboard?

He let the System continue to scan the characteristics of the insect egg.

[Scan complete. Supplemental information: The insect egg shows an extremely excited reaction to blood containing the aura of the 'Lin family hereditary Cultivation Technique'.]