Chapter 105 A Glimmer of Hope Amidst Despair

The manager's sharp voice was like a blade, slicing through Chen Mu's last shred of dignity.

"One hundred eighty taels!"

"Two hundred taels!"

"Two hundred fifty taels!"

The bidding erupted immediately, one voice rising above the next, interspersed with vulgar jokes and unbearable gossip.

"Our Great Hero Chen is truly worth a fortune; the price has already hit 250 taels just after opening. Are there any other gentlemen willing to bid higher?"

The manager of the Peony Pavilion smiled even wider.

"Two hundred eighty taels!"

A pot-bellied, big-eared wealthy merchant shouted, squinting as he sized up Chen Mu as if looking at a piece of merchandise.

"A fallen hero—this is a rare taste indeed."

The price quickly broke through three hundred, then four hundred taels, already far exceeding the price for one night with an ordinary Xianggu.

Yet, the labels of 'hero' and 'Squad Leader', combined with Chen Mu's unyielding and indomitable posture, only served to incite the darkest desires for conquest in the onlookers.

Chen Mu was covered in blood, his official uniform tattered, the veins on his forehead throbbing violently.

In his ears rang filthy insults, the screams of Qi Huan being dragged away, and the bidding for his own body like livestock; a despair he had never known before crept up his spine.

It was a chill that went deeper than the claws of a White Tiger Demon Beast or the schemes of the Zhao residence's Ghostly Creature; it was the shame of having his dignity trampled and his personhood objectified.

Better to die!

A surge of resolute malice rose in his heart, and Chen Mu quietly reversed his remaining Protective Aura, channeling it toward his heart meridian.

If he truly could not break free, rather than suffer this humiliation, he would rather sever his own heart meridian and end it cleanly.

"Five hundred taels!"

Suddenly, a languid voice drifted down from a private room on the third floor, clearly piercing through the clamor of the main hall.

Upon this price being called, the noise downstairs fell silent; five hundred taels was enough to purchase a decent residence in Yunmeng City.

Everyone looked up in unison, seeing only the private room on the third floor carved with twin lotuses, its curtains lowered, obscuring the person inside; one could only vaguely discern a figure reclining on a soft couch.

The manager's eyes lit up, and his face immediately broke into an even broader smile.

"A distinguished guest in the third-floor Heaven-class room has bid five hundred taels. Are there any other gentlemen willing to go higher?"

"Five hundred taels, going once! Five hundred taels, going twice!"

Just as the manager was about to drop the gavel, another voice spoke up.

"Five hundred twenty taels!"

It was the wealthy merchant from before, unwilling to give up, raising the bid.

"Six hundred taels."

The voice from the third-floor private room remained languid and calm, as if determined to win Chen Mu.

The guests downstairs exchanged glances, and the wealthy merchant smacked his lips, unwilling but falling silent.

To squander a fortune for a moment of pleasure was, in the end, a bit painful to the wallet.

Xu Changze tilted his head slightly, looking toward the third-floor private room, a flash of confusion in his eyes before he returned to calm.

He did not care who had bought Chen Mu; as long as this play was performed to completion today, the reputations of Chen Mu and Qi Huan would be thoroughly ruined.

The manager's voice trembled with excitement.

"Six hundred taels, this gentleman has bid six hundred taels. Is there anyone higher?"

"Six hundred taels, going once, six hundred taels, going twice, six hundred taels, going three times."

"Sold!"

The wooden gavel fell.

A glimmer of satisfaction flashed in Xu Changze's eyes; he waved his hand, and the phantom of the golden official seal pressing down on Chen Mu slowly dissipated, though its lingering might remained.

Chen Mu felt as if his bones were falling apart, and he barely managed to steady himself, preventing him from collapsing to the ground.

Two burly, heavy-breathing security guards stepped forward, hoisting Chen Mu up, one on each side.

Chen Mu was half-dragged, half-carried up the stairs, his eyes bloodshot, the reversed Protective Aura inside him on the verge of erupting.

Just then, in that third-floor private room, the voice that had bid earlier sounded slowly once more, carrying a hint of amusement.

"Wait a moment. I see this Chief Chen seems quite heavily injured, his Qi and blood depleted."

"I am a person who cherishes the fair and delicate; I cannot bear to see a beauty... oh, no, a hero suffer. How about this."

Before the words had even faded, an object suddenly slid out from under the brocade curtain of the private room.

Immediately, a delicate-looking youth dressed as a servant outside the private room bowed, picked up the object, and walked lightly down the stairs, arriving before Chen Mu.

"My master said this is a greeting gift for Chief Chen; perhaps it can soothe your injuries and calm your mind."

The youth's voice was crisp as he shoved the object into Chen Mu's hand.

Chen Mu was stunned, focusing his gaze to look closely.

It was a palm-sized, ancient-looking black seal, its material resembling both stone and iron, entirely pitch-black, with its surface covered in naturally formed, intricate patterns.

The knob of the seal was carved into a crouching exotic beast, fierce and clawing, completely different from the one on Xu Changze's golden seal.

More strangely, the moment Chen Mu's fingers touched this seal, the System's notification sound rang out abruptly in his mind.

[Chen Mu: Seventeen years old, remaining Lifespan: forty-two years, (Plundered Lifespan): nine hundred fourteen years]

[Mastered Martial Arts: Broadsword Technique (Perfection)! Taibao Horizontal Training (Perfection)! Sword Drawing Technique (Perfection)! Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique (Perfection)! Divine Void Step (Perfection)! Wind God Wings (Not yet initiated); Soul-Loss Art (Perfection)!]

[Special Item: bear paw gloves (Flying Bear Dream-Entering Technique: Perfection)]

[Special Item discovered: ancient demon seal, can be infused with Lifespan to activate the Yao Race Luck sealed within for protection.]

[Infuse?]

A demon seal!

It followed a path completely different from the official seal in Xu Changze's hand, which represented the laws of the Dynasty.

It was a treasure refined by a powerful being of the ancient Yao Race, carrying the Luck and power of the Yao Race.

Who was this person? Why help him? Was this another trap set by Xu Changze?

But that voice just now...

Chen Mu jolted, his heart pounding wildly, as realization suddenly dawned on him.

He could feel that although the demon seal in his hand was cold, it faintly emitted a weak yet tenacious aura, which was producing a certain resistance and attraction to the pressure of the official seal exerted upon him.

An opportunity! A once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity!

He glanced again at his Plundered Lifespan; after slaying Head Constable Wang and countless Ghostly Creatures at the Yangu Pit, it had actually accumulated to nine hundred fourteen—it should be enough. Without hesitation, he immediately mobilized all his Plundered Lifespan and infused it into the demon seal.

[Infusing...]

[Year 1: You wrap the ancient demon seal in your Protective Aura; the Yao Race Luck sleeping within the seal trembles slightly, like a hibernating Vicious Beast opening its eyes a crack.]

[Year 50: The scale-like patterns on the surface of the Demon Emperor Seal begin to flow with dark light, and an aura of wild, violent, ancient times slowly awakens, creating a subtle resonance with the Protective Aura of your Taibao Horizontal Training.]

[Year 120: The Yao Race Luck rushes into your limbs and bones like a torrent, clashing violently with your Human Race Bloodline. Your whole body is in intense pain, faint black patterns emerge on the surface of your skin, and your bones crackle.]

[Year 155: The conflict reaches its peak. You bleed from your seven orifices, and your internal organs feel as if they are being torn apart. At the critical moment, the Soul Power of your Perfection-Realm Soul-Loss Art forcibly intervenes, constructing a buffer between the Yao Race Luck and your Human Race Bloodline, bringing the two into a dangerous balance.]

[Year 207: The ancient demon seal is thoroughly activated. A phantom black Dragon shadow rises from the seal, coiling behind you, its Dragon eyes scarlet, looking down upon all living things. You gain the protection of Yao Race Luck, and your resistance to the Luck of the Dynasty's official seal is greatly increased.]

[Infusion successful! ancient demon seal activated!]