The atmosphere of the auction was getting more and more heated, as one valuable lot after another was successfully auctioned off. Lu Yaoyao’s group had also successfully bid on one or two items they liked, and everyone wore smiles on their faces.
“I didn’t expect to find Xuanhuang Cinnabar here,” Wen Zixing was overjoyed, feeling like he had stumbled upon a treasure.
Xuanhuang Cinnabar was the dream material for talisman cultivators—it was simply the best material for drawing talismans. His master owned a small box, carefully treasured and was reluctant to use it. The Xuanhuang Cinnabar he had just won at the auction was more than his master had possession, and he could already imagine the envious, jealous, and hateful looks he would get when he brought this box of cinnabar back to his sect!
Lu Yaoyao encouraged him, “Xingxing, you must work hard and become a talisman cultivator who can create top-grade talismans in one stroke!”
Wen Zixing beamed, “Of course! Just wait until my genius blooms.”
Chao Muxue also acquired an artifact in the shape of an exquisite and elegant hairpin, said to have been a hair accessory once owned by a great cultivator from a thousand years ago. She liked the hairpin very much at first sight, and it felt strangely familiar, so she spent far more spiritual stones than it was worth to buy it. But she was very happy with her finding, feeling it was well worth the price.
“Unfortunately, I still haven’t found a suitable weapon for me.” Chao Muxue sighed. The sword she was using now was just an ordinary weapon; she wanted something that suited her to be her natal weapon.
“Don’t be impatient, Muxue,” Lu Yaoyao said. “Wait for the next inner tournament in three years. If you make it to the top 100, you’ll be able to enter the secret realm. Dozens of famous swords are currently resting in the sword tomb. I’m sure you’ll find one that suits you.”
Du Qianshan nodded in agreement. “That’s right. I’m also waiting for the next tournament.” His tone was firm. “In three years, I must make it into the top 100 and enter the sword tomb!”
Chao Muxue, encouraged, also nodded resolutely. “Yes! I can definitely find the most suitable weapon for myself, just like Yaoyao!”
Suddenly, Yan Zihui stood up and called out, “Kids, it’s time to go back.”
“Is it over?”
The quartets quickly turned their heads to the screen and found that the auction was still going on.
“It’s almost over.” Yan Zihui’s voice was monotone.
“Let’s wait until it ends before we leave.” Lu Yaoyao waved her hand—they hadn’t seen enough yet!
“Yes, maybe the last lot will be a storage bag?”
Their initial purpose for coming to the auction was to get a storage bag, but as one item after another was auctioned off, they still hadn’t seen any storage bags, though they had won plenty of other things.
“The last item is not a storage bag,” Yan Zihui said.
“Senior brother, how do you know that?”
Wen Zixing chimed, “Yes, there’s no brochure, right?”
“I think not having a brochure is quite nice. No one knows what the next item will be. It’s kind of exciting!”
“Right, right!”
“Whatever. I just know anyway. Come on, let’s go,” Yan Zihui urged.
“No!” They firmly refused.
“We want to wait until the auction is over before we leave.”
“Listen, or I’ll get angry,” Yan Zihui said sternly.
“No, no. Senior Brother, let’s stay a little longer,” Lu Yaoyao clung to the chair’s armrest, afraid that Yan Zihui would forcibly take them away.
Chao Muxue also said, “I agree. It’s almost over anyway. Let’s stay a little longer, okay?”
Yan Zihui urged them a few more times, but his stubborn juniors didn’t listen and insisted on staying until the auction ended.
“You promised you’d listen to me!”
“But we’re not causing trouble!”
Baitong watched them with a smile from the side.
“Next, we will proceed with the special lots,” the auctioneer’s voice echoed.
“Special lot?” As soon as they heard these words, Lu Yaoyao and her friends quickly turned their gaze toward the screen. “What kind of special lot? What kind of special lot?”
Just from hearing this phrase, they knew the upcoming items would be extraordinary, making them even more reluctant to leave. “Senior brother, the auction isn’t ending so soon.”
Chao Muxue was also very interested. “Yeah, what special lot? Are the items even more extraordinary?”
Wen Zixing actually had a good idea of what the upcoming lots were about and suddenly understood why Yan Zihui was so insistent on leaving now. However, he couldn’t say anything directly; otherwise, he would have to explain how he knew.
In the original story, Senior Brother Lu had also attended the underground auction and even bid on an enslaved devil who later became one of his most loyal subordinates.
Just the idea of a slave auction made Wen Zixing feel sick to the stomach, but at the same time, he was driven by curiosity and wanted to observe it in person.
Yan Zihui’s eye twitched as he realized there was no way to drag this naughty group away. Finally, he relented, “If you want to stay, you can, but don’t cause any trouble, understand?”
His junior brothers and sisters quickly nodded. “We won’t cause any trouble!”
Soon, the so-called special lot was presented. An object covered in a black cloth was brought out, and the auctioneer grabbed one corner of the cloth. “Now, the first special lot item.”
As the auctioneer spoke, he pulled off the black cloth, revealing what was underneath.
On the platform, a black iron cage was visible through the screen. Inside lay a young woman. Her fair, delicate body was mostly exposed, barely covered by a few pieces of flimsy fabric. Iron rings shackled her wrists and ankles, and from her long, cascading black hair, a pair of furry rabbit’s ears drooped high, while her large, innocent eyes were filled with fear and helplessness.
Someone in the audience gasped, causing the woman to shrink back in fear, pressing herself against the bars of the cage.
Lu Yaoyao’s face changed immediately at the sight of the so-called special lot item.
“She has rabbit ears; is she a demon? A rabbit demon?” Wen Zixing muttered. His eyes were filled with curiosity, but more so with pity. He had never seen a demon before, let alone in such a wretched condition.
Chao Muxue also gasped, feeling deeply sympathetic. “This is too much! How can they do this?” Even though the woman was a demon, she still had a human form. Seeing her treated as an object for auction was unbearable.
Lu Yaoyao’s face remained cold as she stared unblinkingly at the screen. She had grown up in the Demon Realm, and ever since she was a child, the neighboring elders had repeatedly warned her and her playmates about the danger of the outside world—for example, demon slavers who liked to capture and sell little cubs.
Even so, she never imagined she would witness the fate of the captured demons in this way.
This rabbit demon’s cultivation was extremely low, likely not yet at the Transformation stage. She must be fed with Transformation Grass to achieve her current half-human form.
A beautiful and pure-looking young female demon was highly appealing. When Lu Yaoyao’s group was still in shock, the bids were already climbing rapidly.
“We should go back.” Du Qianshan stood up. He knew more than his friends—once auctioned off, these demons might find a good master if they were lucky, but if not, their fate would literally be a living hell. He didn’t like being involved with such things, but given the animosity that existed between the three races, he had no intention of saving them either.
This was the common mindset, including Yan Zihui. Although most cultivators didn’t approve of these auctions, they preferred to watch coldly or turn a blind eye, not wanting to stir up trouble, simply because the ones who were turned into slaves and sold off were not their fellow humans.
Just as they were about to leave, Lu Yaoyao pressed the button next to her chair.
“One hundred thousand top-grade spirit stones!”
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I really hope Lu Yaoyao is able to save both the rabbit demon and the devil boy, but I don’t know if she’ll be able to outbid others because many people there seem to have vast amounts of wealth to satisfy their special tastes. I also have a feeling that the devil boy is most likely the loyal subordinate to Lu Junyang in the original novel.
Thanks for the chapter! 😀