The lobby was packed full of noise, mainly with merchants discussing loudly. From the gist of their conversations, it seemed like they were planning to maximize their earnings by selling their most valuable wares at the auction house.
And apparently, this upcoming auction also attracted many cultivators, whether they wanted to sell their goods or bid on auction items, including some wandering cultivators who had traveled great distances just to attend this auction. It felt like the topic was on everyone’s lips.
Wen Zixing listened in and couldn’t help remarking, “No wonder it’s so lively here; there’s going to be an auction.”
They also overheard Lu Yaoyao’s conversation with Zhong Wushuang. This year’s auction was going to be grand, with rumors that the auction house would reveal a high-grade Longevity Pill that could extend the lifespan of cultivators below the Body Fusion stage by at least a hundred years. In addition, a divine-level spiritual herb rumored to have the power to revive the dead and a legendary sword Morning Glow were on the list. Many people were coming specifically for these three items.
Seeing his junior brothers and sisters looking excited, Yan Zihui smiled and said, “What’s the rush? There are countless auctions each year. If you can’t attend this time, there’s always the next. Once you’ve seen a few, you’ll realize they’re all pretty similar. It’s actually pretty hard to find treasures at bargain prices.”
“When there’s a chance, I’ll take you to an underground auction. That’s the real fun.”
“Underground auction?” Lu Yaoyao was curious. Is there any difference between an underground auction and other auctions?
“Of course, there are many more novel items at underground auctions,” Yan Zihui explained, looking at Lu Yaoyao. “Hasn’t Eldest Senior Brother told you about this?”
Lu Yaoyao shook her head. Only Brother Yuanyuan had mentioned some auctions in passing, but she wasn’t clear on the details.
It suddenly occurred to Yan Zihui that Lu Yaoyao had grown up pampered, and nobody ever spoke to her about the seedier aspects of the world. Underground auctions differed from regular auction houses; just like the name implied, they operated in a grey area where many shady things happened.
“Senior brother, I want to go too!” Wen Zixing raised his hand.
Chao Muxue and Du Qianshan also expressed their desire to see it.
“…” Yan Zihui finally realized he might have said something he shouldn’t have said. He cleared his throat and tried to backtrack, “You guys can go, but only if I take you there myself. However, you must promise not to go there on your own.”
Of course they promised him, just like good, well-behaved children.
Remembering something she had been concerned about, Lu Yaoyao asked Wen Zixing, “Xingxing, don’t you like Wushuang?” While Wushuang’s appearance might be unusual, he exuded this nice, pleasant presence that made her feel close to him at first glance. She knew that Xingxing and the others weren’t the type to judge by appearance and initially thought that they would also like this new friend.
Wen Zixing snorted stubbornly, “If I don’t like him, I don’t like him.”
Chao Muxue teased, “Xingxing is just jealous, seeing you make a new friend and neglect him, he’s upset about it.”
“Oh!” Lu Yaoyao exclaimed in surprise. Turned out Xingxing was jealous over such a thing! She had met Xingxing, Muxue, and her other close friends at Guiyuan almost at the same time, and there was no priority in their friendship. Even at Guiyuan, she had made many friends and had never seen Xingxing get jealous before.
This reminded Lu Yaoyao of her childhood when Xiao Qi and Xiao Si would often fight over who was her best friend.
“Xingxing, you are so childish!”
Wen Zixing was actually aware he was being petty here. Unless extremely antisocial, anyone would have several circles of friends, and everyone’s life path is different—no one has only each other as friends; that would be more like a Dao companion than a friend. Even Wen Zixing himself had friends that Lu Yaoyao didn’t know.
Initially, he was just annoyed that Lu Yaoyao had walked away so easily with her new friend without thinking about him. But upon reflection, he realized that Lu Yaoyao hadn’t forgotten them, her old friends—she was simply lured away by the temptation of delicious food!
Hmph, what a foodie!
Wen Zixing refused to admit that he was being childish. Yaoyao was obviously the childish one here for being led away by food!
Thus, the two childish children bantered over who was more childish.
Yan Zihui found their banter amusing and watched the drama unfold with interest. Hearing them repeatedly mention a name, he suddenly interjected, “Wushuang? Are you talking about Zhong Wushuang?”
“Yes,” Lu Yaoyao turned her head, “Senior Brother Zihui, do you know him?”
“I’ve met him before; he’s the son of the lord of Luotian City.” Yan Zihui briefly explained how he once represented their sect to deliver a congratulatory gift for the birth of the city lord’s child. He remembered this short encounter well because the baby was very pitiful, a sight that had made a deep impression on him.
The lord of Luotian City was ambushed by assassins while pregnant with her son and was afflicted with mysterious poison as a result. She was fortunate yet unfortunate; the poison did not kill her, nor did it affect her cultivation because the damage was transferred to the fetus in her womb. When that child was born, his skin was wrinkled dark purple, incredibly ugly, and his features deformed as if someone had twisted them maliciously. Rather than a human baby, the child’s hideously monstrous look made him look like a little humanoid monster.
“So Wushuang looks like that because he was poisoned,” Lu Yaoyao muttered. No wonder—in the Cultivation Realm, where handsome men and beautiful women are commonplace, how could someone look so uniquely different? Still, since the cause was poison, shouldn’t there be a way to cure it?
Upon Lu Yaoyao’s inquiry, Yan Zihui shook his head and sighed, “The lord of Luotian City sought medical and alchemy cultivators alike from far and wide, and even the head of the Medicine Sect, along with your master, personally worked together to try to remove the poison from Zhong Wushuang’s body.”
“Unfortunately, although his appearance was due to the poison, the poison had already deformed his bones and features while in the womb. No known elixirs and spiritual medicines could repair that.”
“I see…” Lu Yaoyao felt regretful.
Seeing Lu Yaoyao disappointed, Chao Muxue comforted her, “The world is vast and full of wonders; perhaps there’s a way to heal him!”
Lu Yaoyao nodded at the idea, “Maybe I can develop an elixir that can repair it in the future!”
Wen Zixing pursed his lips, but he didn’t say anything discouraging. He didn’t remember the name Zhong Wushuang, but after Yan Zihui mentioned some of the city lord’s deeds, he remembered.
The original plot had a short section that depicted City Lord Zhong and her son. Although it totaled less than two hundred words, the passage told of their ultimate fate.
In the earlier part, the skirmishes where devil cultivators were instigated by the demons to target humans primarily affected ordinary people and lesser-known cultivators. However, as time went on, they started targeting more prominent cultivators and causing their deaths.
City Lord Zhong of Luotian City and her only son were one of such casualties. Although Wen Zixing didn’t remember the details, he recalled that, driven by grief for her son, City Lord Zhong slaughtered hundreds of devils, including a subordinate highly valued by the Devil Venerable.
The Devil Venerable, enraged, personally killed City Lord Zhong, and then ordered the devils to bloodbath the city.
This incident also became a significant catalyst for intensifying the conflict between humans and devils, further invigorating the hatred between the two races.
Thinking of the tragic fate of Zhong Wushuang, Wen Zixing felt pity for him and decided not to hold grudges—being friends with him could be good, actually, since they would need to save him later. As long as Zhong Wushuang lived, the conflict wouldn’t escalate further.
Wen Zixing thought about it and found there were too many he needed to protect: Chao Muxue, Du Qianshan, You Huahai, and now Zhong Wushuang… Well, in any case, he needed to improve his cultivation level! Otherwise, he might even die before he could attempt to save their lives.
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Thanks.
I thought it was odd how different Zhong Wushuang was from his parents and now it makes sense. I really do hope that Lu Yaoyao can either find or make an elixir that can remove the poison and its effects from Zhong Wushuang’s body because he genuinely is just a cheerful and kind person, but his appearance restricts others from wanting to get to know him.
Thanks for the chapter! 😀