40: Chapter 0040 Auction

"Take care, Fellow Daoist!"

Accepting the four hundred Spirit Stones, he watched Gu Huan walk away.

The warmth on Wang Sanshun's Face vanished in the blink of an eye, replaced by a sinister sneer.

Just then.

A Scarred Man squatted in front of the stall, pretending to pick through the items.

"Let's go with him!" Wang Sanshun lowered his voice.

"Sixth-level Qi Refining is likely a fake cultivation level. Could there be any risk?"

"So what if there's risk? The bigger the waves, the more expensive the fish. As long as that kid isn't a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, the two of us working together will be more than enough to kill him. Follow him and scout his background."

"Yes, Brother Shun."

The Scarred Man left the stall and vanished into the crowd, monitoring Gu Huan's every move from the dark corners.

"Eh?"

"He entered the Auction Hall. He really is a big fish."

The Scarred Man licked his lips frantically with excitement, not even noticing as his skin broke and bled.

...

On the other side.

Gu Huan stepped into the Auction Hall.

What met his eyes were thick, round stone pillars carved with hideous ghosts and monsters—sucking blood, devouring humans, and swallowing souls—as vivid as a living hell on earth.

"Is this Fellow Daoist here for the auction?"

The voice was seductive, as if it could melt one's very bones. Before she even appeared, her voice preceded her; she wore a thin black dress that revealed a serpent-like waist and long legs, with her covered skin appearing faintly through the fabric, making one's eyes burn with desire.

Gu Huan glanced at the woman.

He nodded impassively.

Seeing this, the woman was slightly taken aback; she had never seen a Demonic Path Cultivator with such a steady Heart-Nature.

One must know.

Most Demonic Path Cultivators preferred to follow their whims; seeing a beauty, they would want to flirt, and after flirting, they would want to press her beneath them for pleasure.

Someone like him.

Was extremely rare.

"May I ask which sect or school Fellow Daoist hails from?"

"I have no sect."

The woman was stunned for a moment, then she gave a radiant, apologetic smile.

"My apologies, it was wrong of Xuaner to ask."

"Ruyan, you handle the subsequent distinguished guests. I must personally apologize to this Young Master."

After giving her orders.

Li Xuaner gently took Gu Huan's hand and led him upstairs.

Just then, the woman named Ruyan saw a distinguished guest enter and immediately stepped forward to greet them. Before she could even speak, she was ruthlessly rebuked.

"Scram!"

"Yes, Senior."

Li Xuaner's delicate brows furrowed slightly as she turned her head, wanting to see who was so bold as to not give any Face.

Gu Huan felt equally curious and thought the voice sounded familiar; when he turned around, he was stunned.

The ones walking into the Auction Hall were none other than the master and Disciple pair, Qian Siyue and Yun Zheng.

Meeting again.

Qian Siyue ignored Gu Huan and Li Xuaner, walking past them to head upstairs first.

Falling behind, Yun Zheng saw the two holding hands and couldn't help but blush. She stole a glance at Gu Huan before quickly catching up to her master.

"So it's a Foundation Establishment Senior from the Hehuan Sect. No wonder her temper is so grand."

"That young girl seems to know you. Is it just my imagination?"

Li Xuaner was meticulous.

She giggled and tilted her head up.

Gu Huan didn't answer. He shook off Li Xuaner's hand and continued climbing upward on his own.

After a while.

They arrived at a private room.

Li Xuaner followed closely behind and immediately activated the room's Restriction. A faint fragrance filled the air, the outside noise vanished, and the room became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

"There are still three days until the auction begins. During this time, you can do whatever you want. No one will disturb you, and no one will know."

"It still won't start for another three days?"

"That's right! Didn't you know?"

Li Xuaner asked with a casual smile, gracefully sitting on a wooden stool and picking up a wine pot to pour two cups of wine.

"It's only three days; it'll pass quickly. Come, have some wine!" She raised the wine cup and held it before Gu Huan. Her arms were pale and fair, and her hands were delicate.

Gu Huan ignored her.

He turned around and lay down on the bed.

Li Xuaner couldn't help but blush and put down the wine cup with a giggle.

"So impatient! Going straight to bed without even a word."

"A word of warning first! The fee for my company in bed isn't cheap. It's fifty Spirit Stones a day, and anything less than a day counts as a full day. Also, no Plucking, no Gu, and definitely no poison."

Hearing this.

Gu Huan looked up and sized up Li Xuaner.

He had no objection to the price of fifty Spirit Stones. Although this woman's beauty didn't match that of Qin Yao or Liu Zhu, she was indeed seductive and charming—roughly on par with Zhou Guanlian.

"Have you thought it through?"

"I'm not interested."

Pfft!

Li Xuaner had smugly taken a sip of wine, only to spray it all out the next second.

She stood up abruptly and looked at Gu Huan with disbelief, appearing dazed.

"You don't want to?"

"Are you even a man?"

Li Xuaner cried out huffily. Such a thing might be common for other women, but to her, it was an insult.

In her eyes, Gu Huan's silence seemed as if he had some unspeakable difficulty.

"I get it. You don't have any Spirit Stones, right?"

"It has nothing to do with Spirit Stones. I'm simply not interested in you. Get out."

Gu Huan said bluntly.

Li Xuaner and Zhou Guanlian were two of a kind. For women like them, before he had cultivated the indestructible body Body or immunity to all poisons, he absolutely wouldn't dare act recklessly, lest he be tainting himself with misfortune.

"I don't believe it."

"You must be playing hard to get, trying to lure me into taking the initiative. Fine, I'll satisfy you."

Li Xuaner refused to believe it.

She drifted down onto the bed.

...

Opposite the private room.

It happened to be Qian Siyue and Yun Zheng.

As a Foundation Establishment Cultivator of the Hehuan Sect, the former glanced at the room where Gu Huan was. Seeing the Restriction activated, she gave a cold snort and looked away.

"Master, what are they doing in there?"

Yun Zheng asked curiously.

Once the Restriction was activated, the images and sounds from inside the room vanished.

"What else could they be doing? Naturally, it's some illicit affair between a man and a woman."

"As a Hehuan Disciple, you will have to Face this sooner or later. In a few more years, your Master will find an excellent Cauldron for you to use for your cultivation."

Yun Zheng nodded silently.

But she wasn't very happy in her heart.

Qian Siyue didn't understand the young girl's thoughts and continued with a serious demand.

"Even if you have a Cauldron, you cannot just focus on cultivation and fall into the Hehuan Bliss. You must maintain a state of few desires at all times and draw more talismans for your Master."

Talisman Makers, also known as Rune Artists, are one of the most promising professions in the cultivation world.

Without a special talent.

It is difficult to delve deep into this industry.

Furthermore, the early stages require a vast amount of resources to accumulate experience, which most Cultivators cannot afford, thus preventing them from becoming qualified Rune Artists.

Yun Zheng.

Was an even more talented Rune Artist.

Her success rate in drawing talismans was naturally nearly twenty percent higher than other Rune Artists of the same level. This was a staggering improvement. It was by relying on her talismans to earn Spirit Stones that Qian Siyue was able to own her first small Flying Boat.

"I understand, Master!"

"Hmm?!"

Yun Zheng answered, but then her gaze suddenly sharpened.

She noticed that the Restriction on Gu Huan's room had been deactivated, and Li Xuaner was storming out, slamming the door in anger.

"Master, they're finished already?"

"No, the price probably wasn't agreed upon."

This wasn't Qian Siyue's first time at the Ghost Mist Market. She knew those women were even lowlier than the Disciples of the Hehuan Sect. As the saying goes, those of the same kind repel each other, so she felt nothing for them.

"Oh!"

Yun Zheng scratched her head, only half-understanding.

Time flowed on.

Three days passed in a flash.

The Ghost Mist Market's auction officially began.

...