191: Chapter 191 Common people are cold

The crisp chime of a bell slowly echoed through the hall. The crowd, which had been slightly restless just a moment ago, instinctively turned their heated gazes toward the stage.

"Hehe, I'm sure everyone is growing impatient. Since that's the case, I won't say any more!"

Dressed in pink, Ning Xiang looked at everyone with a charming smile. Her sweet, soft voice carried clearly into everyone's ears, causing an unholy fire to rise in many of the male demons present. They couldn't help but fantasize about pinning her down and hearing what kind of beautiful moans that ruby-red little mouth would let out.

"This auction item is the Rank Three Cold Qi, 'all beings cold.' It was forged over a thousand years atop the peak of a snowy mountain. Its freezing power is among the best even within the same rank of Cold Qi. If you can refine it, you will be able to easily slay opponents of the same Realm!"

As the pink-clad beauty flipped her delicate hands, a Cold Jade Box the size of a human head appeared in her palms. The box was deep blue. Although there was some distance, the crowd below could still clearly feel the chill emanating from it.

"Is this Cold Qi?"

Seeing the Cold Jade Box, Ning Yuan's eyes flickered with a faint light. During his ten years of travel, he had never encountered Cold Qi. Even spirit fires were something he had only seen on Seven Fragrances Island; one could imagine how rare they were.

"Sigh, it's a good item, but it's a pity the rank is too low!" Zhou Lengdie sighed softly, her eyes moving slightly before she dismissed the thought. She Cultivated an Ice-attribute Cultivation Technique; if only the rank of the Cold Qi were a bit higher.

Given her current speed of re-cultivation, even if she obtained 'all beings cold,' it wouldn't be of much use for long. Furthermore, she had no money to bid; all the items on her person had been stripped clean by a certain villain.

Stealing a glance at her, Ning Yuan chuckled inwardly. Once he managed to obtain some high-rank Cold Qi, he would see if she remained unmoved. At that time, he would definitely have her in the palm of his hand.

With the appearance of the Cold Jade Box, everyone sat up straighter, staring fixedly at the box with undisguised heat in their eyes.

With her tender, fair hands, she gently opened the box. Instantly, a violent surge of Cold Qi erupted, and the temperature in the hall plummeted. The sudden chill made everyone shudder.

Inside the Cold Jade Box lay a pale blue bead. The surface of the bead was extremely smooth, and inside, a cluster of pale blue mist swirled, slowly emitting a terrifying chill.

That pale blue mist was the auction item—all beings cold!

On the stage, Ning Xiang's gaze swept from right to left. She gestured slightly with the Cold Jade Box in her hands and said with a flowery smile:

"This is the Rank Three Cold Qi, 'all beings cold.' The starting bid is five hundred thousand Spirit Stones! Everyone, let us begin!"

At such a high starting price, some interested people in the field immediately grew dejected. They came from small clans; while they could produce five hundred thousand Spirit Stones, that was merely the starting price. Who knew how high the price would eventually soar? It was better to give up early.

Of course, excluding those people, there were quite a few who remained interested, though it was unclear whether it was for the Cold Qi or the courtesan Ning Xiang.

"Six hundred thousand!"

"Seven hundred thousand!"

"..."

Ning Yuan sat quietly in his chair. He didn't take the lead in bidding, planning instead to deliver a final, decisive bid at the end to avoid the back-and-forth.

As time slowly passed, the number of bidders gradually decreased. The price reached 1.5 million Spirit Stones, and only two people were still bidding.

"Two million!"

Just as those two were incrementing the price bit by bit, a lazy voice finally drifted from the corner. Countless gazes moved toward the sound, eventually settling on a figure in white.

When the crowd saw this figure, most were utterly confused. This person was extremely unfamiliar to them, yet he could produce two million Spirit Stones; he was clearly not someone to be trifled with. Many people began asking those around them if they recognized him.

Quite a few people had witnessed what happened at the entrance of Yunlu Terrace. Following their accounts, the crowd gained some understanding of Ning Yuan, but they were still unclear about his true identity.

Even so, no one dared to bid further. Aside from not having enough Spirit Stones, the most important point was that this person was so powerful and possessed a vast amount of Spirit Stones; his background was surely not something they could afford to provoke. There was no need to offend such a person for a single strand of Cold Qi.

Just as everyone thought the Cold Qi was about to be pocketed by Ning Yuan, a booming voice rang out from the entrance, accompanied by the sound of rhythmic footsteps.

"This Cold Qi, this Young Lord wants it!"

The crowd looked back to see a young man striding in. He held a woman of no small beauty in his arms, and a faint coldness emanated from his body.

"It's... it's Young Master Yun Hu, Yun Tai! Why is he here? Yunlu Terrace is their property; does he even need to come here?"

"You don't understand, do you? See that woman? She's a Snow Demon. Cold Qi is a rare treasure to her!"

"So that's how it is. I suppose she clung to Young Master Yun Tai just for the Cold Qi!"

"..."

Yun Tai turned a deaf ear to the surrounding voices. He stroded to the front of the stage and said with a haughty expression, "Bring the item here!"

"Don't waste my time!" He reached out to pinch the Snow Demon's fair cheek, a smirk curling on his lips as he said, "Later, I still need to have some fun with my treasure!"

"Young Lord, you're bad! So many people are watching!" The Snow Demon gave him a flirtatious look, but her eyes inadvertently swept over the Cold Qi. Her heart instantly surged with excitement. As long as she could get it, what did it matter if she had to have some fun with Yun Tai? She might even soar to the heavens!

"I can be even worse, do you want to try?"

"We should wait until no one is around to talk about that. My Snow Demon Race has a unique skill; its flavor is guaranteed to make the Young Lord..."

"Good..."

"..."

The two of them flirted openly in public as if no one else were there, completely disregarding the gazes of the crowd. The crowd was also very sensible, looking away in unison as if they hadn't heard or seen anything.

Young Master Yun Hu—this identity alone was not something they could offend, not to mention that Yun Tai possessed a Soul Transformation cultivation. He could crush them all by himself.

"Why aren't you bringing the item over yet? What are you standing there for?" Seeing that Fragrant Condensation hadn't moved, Yun Tai immediately became dissatisfied. She really had no discernment; she deserved to be a courtesan here!

"This... yes, Young Lord!"

Fragrant Condensation only hesitated for a moment before stepping down from the stage. She held the Cold Jade Box containing 'all beings cold' with both hands and presented it to Yun Tai.

Although someone had bid two million Spirit Stones, the gavel hadn't officially fallen. Even if she gave it to Young Master Yun Tai, it wasn't a big deal. Could that person possibly dare to object?

Yun Tai naturally wouldn't be polite. He reached out to take the Cold Jade Box, wanting to hurry back and taste the flavor of the Snow Demon; he had no time to waste here.

Just as his hand touched the box, a person suddenly walked out from the corner and grabbed his wrist.

"Little brat, if you want to snatch my things, you'd better ask if I agree first!"