22: I also have Chapter 22.

Lin Bei glanced at the person who shouted.

Wu Xiaokun!

The groups from the Wu Family, Chen Family, and Zhao Family had finished their boasting and were now arriving at the main gate to enter the auction house, just in time to be drawn to this scene.

"You know him?" Wu Daqian, the Head of the Wu Family, asked in a deep voice.

Wu Xiaokun gritted his teeth. "Father, he's the one who broke four of my subordinate's fingers at the restaurant that day! And... and the more I think about it, the person most likely to have stripped me of my clothes is him! Although I don't know how he did it!"

"I didn't! I don't know! Don't talk nonsense!" Lin Bei immediately hit him with a triple denial.

If word got out that he had stripped a man, how would he ever show his face on the Ancient Desolate Continent again?

"Maybe..." His eyes lit up as he looked at the Young Miss of the Zhao Family. "Maybe it was Miss Zhao who stripped him? She's quite skilled at it!"

"You... what nonsense are you spouting!?" Miss Zhao's face flushed red as she scolded him with feigned anger, though upon closer inspection, she seemed a bit flustered.

Even more furious than her was the Head of the Zhao Family!

"Boy! What are you blathering about!!" Amidst his roar, the terrifying Aura of the Early Dragon Transformation Stage surged forth.

"Senior Zhao! Please mind the setting. According to the Shi Family rules, any private fighting is forbidden within ten miles of the auction!" Shi Yong reminded him from the side.

Lin Bei glanced at him in surprise.

Is this guy helping me?

"Captain Shi, I understand the rules!"

Facing Shi Yong, even though the other was only at the Spirit Refining Realm, the Head of the Zhao Family showed no arrogance, simply because his surname was Shi.

Having said that, he fixed his gaze on Lin Bei again.

"Boy, I advise you to leave Shi City quietly during the auction, otherwise... hmph!"

After his anger subsided, the shrewd Head of the Zhao Family had already sensed something amiss from his daughter's reaction.

Not just him, but Wu Daqian also noticed something from the sudden change in his son's expression.

Lin Bei spread his hands. "Head of the Zhao Family, that won't do. I have to attend the auction too. I recall the Shi Family has a rule that once you enter, you must wait until the auction ends before you can leave. There's no other way..."

"What did you say? You're attending the auction too?" Wu Xiaokun, who hadn't dared to make a sound, felt like he had heard the joke of the century and couldn't help but mock him.

Lin Bei glanced at him, too lazy to respond, and turned to look at Shi Yong instead.

"Captain Shi, you haven't mentioned what kind of proof of strength is required to enter."

"Since it's an auction, it's naturally a proof of financial resources. Fifty million Spirit Stones—if you can produce that, you can enter!"

Fifty million Spirit Stones, roughly the value of one fangyuan stone, was set by the Shi Family as the threshold for the auction.

"Fifty million? That little?"

"Hahaha! Stunned, aren't you?" Seeing Lin Bei ignore him, Wu Xiaokun became even more aggressive. "Boy, have you ever seen that much money? Forget fifty million, I bet you can't even produce five million!"

Lin Bei looked troubled. "Young Master Wu, you've actually hit the nail on the head. I can't produce five million..."

Before Wu Xiaokun could laugh again, he continued.

"I only have forty-five million here, just five million short. Why don't you help me out, Young Master Wu?"

At this, Wu Xiaokun laughed so hard he doubled over. "Sure, show me the forty-five million Spirit Stones first, and I'll make up the difference for you..."

The next moment, a small mountain of Spirit Stones appeared before him with a clatter. Forty-five million, not a single stone more, not a single stone less!

"Young Master Wu, care to count them?"

Wu Xiaokun's smile froze on his face. Now, even as foolish as he was, he realized he had been played!

"A grand Young Master of the Wu Family wouldn't go back on his word, would he? The Head of the Chen Family and the Head of the Zhao Family are both watching!"

"Indeed, I heard it quite clearly!" said the Head of the Chen Family, who hadn't spoken until now, with a beaming smile.

"True. Although I find this kid quite an eyesore, those words were indeed spoken!" the Head of the Zhao Family also spoke up in a deep voice.

These three families already disliked each other; how could they pass up an opportunity to see the Wu Family suffer a setback?

Wu Xiaokun was at a loss and could only look to his father for help.

A glint of cunning flashed in Wu Daqian's eyes. He ignored Wu Xiaokun and instead looked at Shi Yong.

"Captain Shi, from what you're saying, this boy has an auction token?"

"That's right."

Instantly, Wu Daqian's Aura exploded, locking firmly onto Lin Bei.

"As I thought, you are the one who attacked my son!"

Shi Yong was puzzled. "Head of the Wu Family, what do you mean? How are you suddenly so certain?"

"Captain Shi, to be honest, the Wu Family's token has actually been lost... We came today intending to see if we could get a replacement."

"Oh? What happened?"

"A few days ago, the auction token happened to be in my son's Storage Pouch. After that shameful incident, the token disappeared along with the Storage Pouch. It turns out it ended up in this boy's hands!"

Beside him, all of Wu Xiaokun's movements were suppressed by Wu Daqian's Aura, preventing him from showing any flaw.

The Head of the Chen Family, the Head of the Zhao Family, and Shi Yong all looked skeptical.

Could it be such a coincidence?

Lin Bei began to admire the old geezer a bit; he could actually talk such nonsense with a straight face.

There was no token in Wu Xiaokun's Storage Pouch at all.

This old geezer had clearly seen his abundance of Spirit Stones and wanted to find an excuse to take him down.

When that happened, everything he owned would belong to the Wu Family.

The Heads of the Zhao and Chen families also guessed Wu Daqian's intention. They exchanged a look, inwardly sighing at how truly cunning the old fellow was.

He had effortlessly glossed over the matter of compensating Lin Bei with five million Spirit Stones and seized the initiative for himself.

Shi Yong glanced at them and shook his head helplessly.

Wu Daqian insisted that his Family's token was lost, Lin Bei happened to have a token of unknown origin, and given the incident with Wu Xiaokun, he was already a prime suspect.

With all these factors combined, it was like yellow mud falling into his pants—even if it wasn't dung, it would be taken for it.

This was a private feud between the two parties, so he couldn't say much more. He could only offer another reminder.

"Head of the Wu Family, regardless of the circumstances, the same rule applies: no private fighting within ten miles of the auction house!"

"Hehe, Captain Shi, don't trouble yourself. I recall that this rule only applies to external families like ours. There are no such restrictions for the City Guard Army established by the Shi Family, right?"

Wu Daqian spoke with a smile, as if everything was under his control.

Shi Yong nodded. "That's correct..." Then his expression suddenly changed. "Head of the Wu Family, you intend to use...?"

"Exactly!" Before he finished speaking, a white token had already appeared in Wu Daqian's hand.

It wasn't an auction entry token.

The token was engraved on both sides: one side bore the character "Shi," and the other bore a slightly smaller "Wu."

"The Head of the Wu Family is truly decisive; I am impressed! I recall this White Guard Order was bestowed by the main Family ten years ago, right? To think you'd use it like this!" the Head of the Chen Family said with a look of shock and a sarcastic, biting tone.

"Hmph!" Wu Daqian snorted coldly and ignored him.

He channeled spiritual power into the token, and instantly a beam of white light shot into the sky. He then looked at Lin Bei with a mocking expression.

"Boy, did you really think I had no way to deal with you?"

Lin Bei remained silent, watching the scene with interest.

A moment later, a squad of people flew over.

Leading them was a cold-looking man, carrying a faint Evil Qi.

"Who used the White Guard Order?!"

"Late Dao Integration Stage?"

Lin Bei nodded inwardly.

As expected of an Ancient Family. This was clearly just a small squad of the Imperial Guard, yet it consisted of one person at the Late Dao Integration Stage leading ten at the Early Dao Integration Stage.

"Captain, it was me!"

Wu Daqian didn't dare show any arrogance and hurriedly stepped forward, making sure to display the token in his hand.

"Speak. What do you want us to do?" the cold man said without wasting a word.

Wu Daqian pointed at Lin Bei. "Please, everyone, seize this person!"

"Seize him!" Although somewhat surprised by Lin Bei's cultivation level, the cold man still said nothing more.

"Wait a minute! A token like that... I think I have one too..."