506: Chapter 506 is quite principled.

Yang Ritian's brows furrowed for a moment, then relaxed again, and that faint, elusive smile reappeared on his face.

"The Mu Family is quite sensible. Knowing that this Saint was coming, they prepared a private room in advance."

Before he even went upstairs, people from the four major Sects had already come up to greet him.

Tu Wanxiong, the Revered Master of Fire Turtle Mountain, cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, the Saint, Fire Turtle Mountain has already prepared..."

Yang Ritian raised his hand, cutting him off, "We will talk after the auction."

Tu Wanxiong sensibly stepped aside, and the people from the other three Sects also exchanged greetings before dispersing.

Yang Ritian stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping across the loose seats on the ground floor, the smile on his lips undiminished. The Mu Family Elder from earlier stepped forward, bowed, and led the Golden Crow Saint and his party directly to the fifth floor.

Upon reaching the end of the fifth-floor corridor, the Mu Family Elder turned to the side and gestured toward the door of the Heaven-2 private room.

Yang Ritian's smile instantly froze.

He glanced at Heaven-2, then at the tightly shut Heaven-1 door beside it, his brows furrowing once more. "Why didn't you lead this Saint to room number one?"

The Mu Family Elder lowered her head and said, "Your Highness, the Saint, Heaven-1 is already occupied."

Yang Ritian's expression sank instantly. In Fusang Province, he, the Golden Crow Saint, had personally visited the East Sea Chamber of Commerce, and yet the Mu Family had actually arranged the number one room for someone else? They clearly didn't hold him in any regard.

He lowered his voice and asked, "Who is it?"

"Replying to the Saint, this old one does not know."

You don't know?! A fine "don't know" indeed!!!

Anger surged in Yang Ritian's heart. In this Fusang Province, his Golden Crow Holy Land was the sky!

He wanted to see who dared to occupy the position that should have been his. He was about to step forward, but his feet suddenly paused.

Anyone capable of sitting in Heaven-1 must be a Mahayana-level figure or power.

Could it be the Moon Shadow Holy Land? Or perhaps the Shantong Lanxiang Holy Land from Haiyang Province? It might even be someone from the Central Province!

If it were just a Loose Cultivator, it would be easy to handle. If it were the Moon Shadow Holy Land or the Shantong Lanxiang Holy Land... that would also be manageable. But if it were a major power from the Central Province...

Yang Ritian suppressed the anger in his heart, put on a polite expression, and cupped his hands toward the tightly shut Heaven-1 door. "I am the Golden Crow Saint, Yang Ritian. May I ask which Fellow Daoist is here? Why don't we get to know each other?"

There was no response from inside the room.

Some people in the loose seats on the ground floor also noticed the lights in Heaven-1 and began to whisper among themselves.

Besides the Golden Crow Holy Land, was there actually someone else capable of sitting in that private room? Some guessed it was a big shot from another province, some guessed it was the Xuanwu Holy Land, and others mentioned powers from Haiyang Province, but no one could say for sure.

In the Earth-4 private room, Senior Brother Han Wuji lowered his voice and asked, "Revered Master, could it be people from the Moonshadow Sect?"

Mao Xiuzhu's expression was solemn as he shook his head. "Don't guess blindly. After we give the item to the Saint, we will leave. If it truly is the Moonshadow Sect, our Qingmu Cliff should avoid getting involved in the struggle between these two behemoths."

In the loose seats, someone whispered, "Could it be the Moon Shadow Holy Land?"

The chatter instantly quieted for a moment.

There was still no response from Heaven-1.

The politeness on Yang Ritian's face slowly faded, and his gaze stared coldly at that door for several full breaths.

"If you, Fellow Daoist, do not wish to make acquaintances, then so be it."

He withdrew his hand and, expressionless, turned and entered Heaven-2.

It didn't matter who was in Heaven-1 anymore. The fact that the Mu Family hadn't informed him in advance was such a slap in the face—Mu Family, you are doomed!

It just so happened that the Yuan Family's side... he would agree to them. After the Dingding Ceremony, once he destroyed the Moon Shadow Holy Land, he would come back to deal with the Mu Family.

It was not the right time to alert the enemy, lest he scare them away prematurely.

Inside the Heaven-1 private room, the furnishings were elegant, and the spiritual lamps cast a gentle glow.

Ling Hao sat in the main seat by the window, with Yu Lingshuang sitting to his left. She wore a moon-white stand-collar, wide-sleeved garment covered by an ice-blue, high-slit misty gauze skirt. Her waist was cinched with a plain silver and soft jade belt, and a flowing cloud-like frozen shawl draped over her shoulders. Her black hair was tied high and secured with an ice hairpin, making the cinnabar tear mole at the corner of her left eye striking.

Yue Xinlan sat opposite Ling Hao. Because she was sitting, her layered dark brown dress only reached above her knees, revealing two sections of fair, slender calves. Bells on thin chains were wrapped around her ankles, and she wore a pair of butterfly silver shoes.

She swung her feet expressionlessly. The bells jingled, which should have been audible in the quiet room, but it seemed to be blocked by something, or rather... was the sound being transmitted somewhere else?

Her pair of jet-black braided pigtails hung by her shoulders. Her small face beneath the crescent silver crown was pulled tight, and a faint circle of greyish-blue shadow floated under her eyes, as if she hadn't slept well for seven consecutive days. From time to time, she would lift her hand to flick the silver pendant on her earlobe, then lower it, as if she were struggling with something.

Her entire little face was written with three words: Don't provoke me!

Seven days, she had listened for seven whole days!!!

Ling Hao withdrew his Divine Sense and rubbed his chin. This Golden Crow Saint, was he really gay? The person beside him must be that male pet. If he were to dress in women's clothing, he would probably outshine the Xiaonan Niang from his previous life by eighteen streets.

Mu Xiyao knelt beside the tea table, her sea-blue wide-sleeved skirt spread across the floor, and she was rolling up her sleeves to pour tea for Ling Hao.

After pouring a cup, she offered it with both hands. "Moon Shadow Sect Master, please."

Ling Hao lowered his head to look at the teacup, then raised his eyes to look at Mu Xiyao.

He suddenly felt that this Young Miss of the Mu Family's attitude toward him today seemed more enthusiastic than yesterday. Was it his imagination?

It was common for the head of a ninth-grade power to be treated as an honored guest elsewhere, but if every head of a ninth-grade power received this treatment, why hadn't the Young Miss of the Mu Family gone over to pour tea and water for the Golden Crow Saint?

Ling Hao reached out to rub his ears, blocking out certain sounds, lifted the teacup to take a sip, and suddenly asked, "If the Golden Crow Saint asks about our identities, will the East Sea Chamber of Commerce protect the guests' information?"

Mu Xiyao raised her head, her gaze calm and frank. "Of course we will."

"Can you guarantee that the Elder who led the way won't say anything?"

"Moon Shadow Sect Master, rest assured. Only I, my mother, and my grandmother know your identities. Granny Yu, who led you just now, is also one of our Mu Family people. She grew up in my Mu Family and is very tight-lipped. Therefore, as long as Moon Shadow Sect Master does not actively reveal your identity, the Golden Crow Saint will not know."

Ling Hao set down the teacup, his gaze carrying a hint of amusement. "You East Sea Chamber of Commerce are quite principled."

Mu Xiyao smiled slightly. "Thank you for the compliment, Moon Shadow Sect Master."

A bell rang, echoing leisurely throughout the entire hall.

On the auction stage, a woman dressed in sea-blue brocade robes walked out gracefully. She looked to be in her early thirties, with a cultivation base at the Early Stage of Body Integration, a slim figure, and delicate features.

"Mu Qinglan, auctioneer of the East Sea Chamber of Commerce. I will be hosting today's auction for everyone."

As her voice fell, the spiritual lamps on the auction stage lit up one by one, and the first auction item was brought onto the display stand. The auction items for the first half-hour were mostly Cultivation Technique Jade Slips, spiritual materials, Medicinal Pills, and fragments of Magic Treasures. Various powers raised their signs to bid one after another, and the atmosphere gradually heated up.

Fire Turtle Mountain and Chiling Pavilion were bidding against each other for several fire-attribute spiritual materials. Every time Tu Wanxiong increased the price, he would outbid Zhu Chixiao, and the Cultivators in the venue watched with great interest.

The Golden Crow Saint was bored in his private room, occasionally turning his head to whisper and laugh with the male pet beside him, and occasionally placing a bid when he saw an item that caught his eye.

And every time his voice drifted down from the fifth floor, the entire auction hall would fall into a brief silence, with no one daring to raise the price further. Fire Turtle Mountain and Chiling Pavilion would even offer empty flattery from across the room, saying things like "The Saint has a good eye."

Mu Qinglan stood on the auction stage, her smile polite, but a trace of subtle helplessness flashed in the depths of her eyes.

With the Golden Crow Saint interfering, the transaction prices of these few items were significantly lower than estimated.

Among the loose seats, countless gazes drifted toward Heaven-1, whether intentionally or not.

Since the start of the auction, that private room had remained silent, like a pool of bottomless ancient water.

If not for the spiritual light still shining through the window lattice, one would almost suspect that there was no one sitting inside at all.