"Damn, which bastard is competing with me for items again," Qi Zhi scratched his head in frustration, as he was specifically entrusted with bidding for two items tonight.
He had thought that this small auction wouldn't attract much attention and had prepared plenty of money, so he had gambled some of it away. Who would have known that one after another, formidable competitors would emerge, causing him to miss out on the Star Fall Iron Ore and now another who doesn't seem to care about money at all.
Qi Zhi, filled with resentment, glanced around the crowd and was jolted by a cold shiver; those purple eyes again, smiling yet not smiling, emanating a chilling aura that sent shivers down one's spine.
Otherworld? Yue Jinghua's heart suddenly stopped. A Sky Sun Shuttle that could traverse other worlds?
"Ladies and gentlemen, please don't rush to bid yet. I have not finished speaking. The claim that this Sky Sun Shuttle can traverse otherworlds still requires verification. Moreover, this Shuttle is not a complete object; its full name is Yin Yang Escape Shuttle, composed of one Sky Sun Shuttle and one Earth Yin Escape. What we have here for auction today is only the Sky Sun Shuttle," the middle-aged man said with a bitter smile. As the number one auctioneer in the nightclub, he had never encountered such a situation as today.
"You. It's you again," Qi Rui spotted the one who had glared a warning at him earlier, his irritation growing, "Who's this wild kid? Do you know who I am? I'm Qi Zhi from Shadow Rat Mercenary Corps."
Song Mu snorted, his hand hidden in his robe was about to move, but the purple-eyed man's lips quivered. Song Mu had no choice but to sit back down.
"Intimidation of guests is strictly forbidden within the nightclub. Qi Zhi, are you so eager to test the strength of our establishment?" the middle-aged man's gaze turned cold.
Qi Zhi sheepishly sat back down.
"If there are no objections from either of you, the auction will continue," the middle-aged man instructed someone to bring out the Sky Sun Shuttle.
The Sky Sun Shuttle looked just like an ordinary shuttle used for weaving by women, with a large middle and smaller ends, shaped like a jujube pit, and carved with unintelligible patterns on its surface.
"Thirty-five thousand," Qi Zhi, not willing to be outdone, raised the price again.
"One hundred thousand," the voice of the purple-eyed man was still as smooth as a gentle breeze in March, but to Qi Zhi's ears, it was colder than the biting winds of December.
Qi Zhi didn't realize that during the third round of bidding for the True Dark Pills, he had already offended the purple-eyed man.
"One hundred thousand Dark Pills? Seems like this kid isn't a mercenary, but an assassin. Only an assassin, who treats killing like mowing grass, can bet so lavishly. Killing one person can earn far more than killing ten Dark Beasts," Xie Yu realized that the surprises he had witnessed today exceeded those he had seen in the past twenty years.
"He's not an assassin; there's no killing aura on him. In his eyes, Qi Zhi is just like an ant," on the contrary, Yue Jinghua detected a kind of peace on the purple-eyed man that she had never seen before, "And besides, he didn't actually intend to spend one hundred thousand Dark Pills on the Sky Sun Escape."
"He doesn't want the Sky Sun Shuttle, and yet he's asking for such an exorbitant price?" Xie Yu couldn't help but raise his voice.
"He doesn't not want it, he just doesn't want to buy a defective treasure for one hundred thousand Dark Pills. Besides spending money, there are many other ways to obtain something," Yue Jinghua explained with understanding.
"And how do you know that?" Xie Yu couldn't keep up with Yue Jinghua's train of thought.
"We're the same kind of people; when we set our sights on something, we will stop at nothing to snatch it," Yue Jinghua suddenly smiled behind the ferocious-looking Rashamon Mask, her bright eyes sparkling with an indescribable charm.
That charm made Xie Yu's heart flutter, yet at the same time, he shuddered. It was like a beautiful person seductively undressing in front of you, only to find a blade resting on your rib the next moment, a mix of allure and thrill.
In the auction room, there was a hush, everyone's attention was focused on the jujube pit-sized Sky Sun Shuttle.
One hundred thousand Dark Pills, Qi Zhi was completely frightened by this staggering figure.
What's happening today? A broken stone was abruptly raised to three thousand Dark Pills.
A broken Shuttle was directly priced at one hundred thousand, that purple-eyed man must be a madman.
"O...one hundred and ten thousand," Qi Zhi had thrown caution to the wind, knowing full well the terror of that "person." If he failed to secure either item, his fate would surely be miserable.
"I give up," the words of the purple-eyed man plunged Qi Zhi into an abyss. His simple act of giving up had him paying nearly one hundred thousand more Dark Pills.
The auction ended, and after deducting the transaction fees, Yue Jinghua obtained a two-star Dan Xuan Card and the piece of Star Falling Ore she had won in the auction.
Lady Yao personally paid a visit, sincerely inviting her to join the nightclub.
"I'm sorry, Lady Yao, I don't want to join any organizations for the time being. But rest assured, in the future, the sales of True Dark Pills will be handled by the nightclub; moreover, once I have new Elixir Pills, I'll give them to you to auction off at the earliest opportunity. As a condition for this exchange, I currently need several types of medicinal herbs, and I hope you can sell some to me. Later, I will also need you to deliver a batch of herbs regularly to Xie Yu's Qianbin Building. The payment for the herbs can be directly withdrawn from the Dan Xuan Card," Yue Jinghua straightforwardly rejected her invite, yet her response made Lady Yao burst into a joyful smile.
Lady Yao immediately found the first batch of medicinal herbs Yue Jinghua needed, while the remaining herbs, she promised, would be delivered in a few days to Xie Yu's Qianbin Building.
This auction saw some people win big, while others lost their lives.
The nightclub, is the charming smile of countless people, but at the same time, it is also the nightmare of countless others.
On her way back, Yue Jinghua did not share a ride with the purple-eyed man. Xie Yu chattered incessantly, conversing with two Dark Practitioners from other regions in the same ride. By the time they returned to Poluo City, it was already the period of 9 p.m to 11 p.m, with a sky filled with stars.
After saying goodbye to Xie Yu, Yue Jinghua took a few turns around the city. Making sure no one was following her, she finally changed back into her daytime clothes, removed the Rashamon Mask, and returned to the Lie Family Mansion.
Alongside a stream in Poluo City, the purple-eyed man took off his mask.
Song Mu waited silently by the side.
"Retrieve the item, leave no survivors," said the purple-eyed man, his eyes devoid of any emotion.
"As you command, Divine Son." Song Mu disappeared into the night.
The glittering starlight reflected on the creek, a faint mist rose from the grass by the bank, and a pair of eyes brighter than the stars lingered hauntingly in the purple-eyed man's mind. His cold purple gaze gradually softened, "Next time we meet, I wonder if you'll be able to recognize me."
The low chuckle blended into the night, like a fine wine, rich and penetrating.
When Yue Jinghua returned to the Lie Family Mansion, as soon as she entered, she saw several house guards looking at her with a strange gaze.
After walking a few steps, those house guards didn't bother hiding their disdain, pointing directly at her spine and cursing loudly:
"Have you heard? That waste cheated her way into the Xuanji Royal Academy."
"Life's unfair. The children of commoners will never be able to enter the Xuanji Academy in their entire lives, yet such a waste can get in. Isn't it all because she's riding on the coat-tails of the Tian Family's old empress,"
"Shameless! The whole city of Poluo knows that she threw away a Dark Practitioner's dignity all for a man."
The more Yue Jinghua listened, the more she felt something wasn't right. Could it be that something happened at the Xuanji Academy during the day?
Outside the Qingxin Courtyard, Hongling was kneeling, while Lie Rou was persuading softly beside her.
"Jinghua, please convince Hongling. She's been kneeling for hours," seeing Yue Jinghua, Lie Rou hurried over and asked her to persuade Hongling to get up.
Hongling was four years older than Yue Jinghua and was considered Yue Jinghua's sister. Neither the former "Yue Jinghua" nor the current Yue Jinghua treated her like a servant.
"I am guilty, Miss, for having wronged you," seeing Yue Jinghua, Hongling's forehead struck the ground several times in heavy kowtows.
"But what happened today when you went to the Xuanji Royal Academy?" Yue Jinghua, after hearing the words of the house guards, guessed seven or eight parts of it.
"This morning, by your orders, I took the Dark Pills to the Xuanji Academy, only to find out they've assigned Miss to the Outer Court," Hongling continued kowtowing but was stopped from hitting the ground by Yue Jinghua supporting her shoulders.
"It's just the Outer Court anyway, it's still the Xuanji Academy regardless. I just want to blend in and get accustomed—no, familiarize myself with the place. It doesn't matter whether it's the Inner or Outer Court," Yue Jinghua had thought something more serious had happened.
"Miss, the Dark Masters from the Inner Court said that your Dark Pills weren't obtained on your own but rather... with the help of others. I was useless and couldn't dispute it, causing Miss to suffer unjust accusations," Hongling said with resentment, her face and shoulders covered in fine cuts.
Seeing those wounds, Yue Jinghua's gaze suddenly turned icy cold.