Chapter 65 Cloud Boat Auction: A Grand Event

October 1st, Cloud Boat Auction.

"clang--"

The clear chimes echoed through the Yunzhou Inn, spreading like ripples across the bustling crowd, officially commencing the highly anticipated Yunzhou Auction, held every three years.

The Yunzhou Auction is held every three years and is already renowned, with everyone eagerly anticipating its arrival.

This year is especially special. It seems that Yunzhou has found many mysterious spiritual treasures. A year ago, Yunzhou sent out messages to cultivator families and demon-suppressing pavilions in various places, inviting them to participate in the auction in October this year.

With such ample travel time, it's clear that Yunzhou is confident in the items up for auction. For over half a year, the Thousand Spirits carrier pigeons have been fluttering their wings and flying back and forth, attracting cultivators from all over the Nine Provinces, all eagerly awaiting the arrival.

Even before the auction began, the inn was already bustling with activity—

There were fifty or sixty people sitting on the first floor. Although the space was a bit crowded, there were still gaps. Everyone was talking quietly, unable to hide their anticipation.

The second floor was originally a rest area for guests, but Yunzhou specially renovated it for this auction. The room doors were cleverly designed to ensure privacy while allowing those inside to see the auctioneer's actions on the high platform on the first floor and the expressions of the guests below. There were a total of eighteen rooms, where wealthy merchants and profound cultivators gathered. At this moment, everyone in the rooms was either whispering to each other or looking calm, waiting for the auction to begin.

The third floor of the inn is the exclusive domain of the powerful and top cultivators—the five rooms are exquisitely laid out, and the decorations are not extremely luxurious, but each has its own characteristics, some rich and some simple, and the furnishings are all of the highest quality, making it a tranquil and noble place.

...

Yun Jiacheng and his guards, dressed in close-fitting clothes, stood tall and upright on the first and second floors, quietly watching their surroundings and guarding the order of the auction.

On the carefully arranged platform in the center, the auctioneer of this auction was dressed in a simple yet luxurious brocade robe, her hair was tied up in a bun with a bamboo hairpin, and her brows and eyes were full of professionalism and composure. The woman raised her head slightly, her gaze confident and calm.

As the bell rang, the inn gradually fell silent. Everyone held a number plate and watched the platform. Seeing this, she smiled gently and parted her lips slightly.

"Northern Cloud Boat, Peaceful Daoist Master."

"Distinguished guests, you have come from afar. Welcome to this grand gathering, where we can admire treasures and compete for spiritual opportunities!"

The woman's voice was clear and calming, and the entire room fell silent instantly. All eyes turned to the stage, and a fierce auction began.

"Lot No. 1 – The Spirit Wind Illusion Fan, with a frame made of century-old spiritual bamboo and adorned with the feathers of a spiritual bird, can summon a spiritual wind when fanned, dispelling evil spirits and calming the mind. Starting bid: 300 taels!"

"Three hundred and fifty taels! Fifteen bids three hundred and fifty taels, three hundred and fifty taels the first time, three hundred and fifty taels the second time..."

"..."

"Lot No. 3 - Spirit Rejuvenation Pill, made from a variety of rare spiritual herbs. It can quickly restore injuries and spiritual power. Starting bid: 500 taels!"

"..."

"Lot number ten, a Qishan fox spirit, gentle in nature and extremely intelligent, starting bid six hundred taels!"

...

Room 3 on the third floor.

Qin Tianshu leaned against the window and looked down. The scholar fanned himself and sighed with a smile, "As expected of Sister Jiazhu, she has such a grand event under complete control."

Besides the items up for auction, the most important thing in an auction is the auctioneer's rhythm and aura. The four children of the Yun family in this generation are: the boys practice martial arts, Yun Jiabai works in the shadows, and Yun Jiacheng works in the light; the girls practice literature, Yun Jiazhu is knowledgeable in law and is the person in charge of business decisions in Yunzhou, and Yun Jiawu guards the rear, and she decides on the food, lodging environment, furniture and furnishings of Yunzhou.

Listening to the sounds downstairs, Qingyu said with great interest, "Not to mention, even the opening auction items are rare spiritual artifacts in the Nine Provinces."

Zhang Xuan sat down next to her. "I think I just heard about the Qishan Fox Demon. Isn't that from your place?"

“It should be,” Qingyu replied. “It’s possible that Qingqiu didn’t manage it well and let a little fox escape.”

"The foxes of Qingqiu are very mischievous and arrogant; this little fox is probably going to suffer."

Wen Chuan looked at her upon hearing this, "Want to raise it?"

If so, just take a picture.

Qingyu shook her head, "If you want to raise it as a pet, one Cai Cai is enough. If you want to raise it as a little demon, that fox's human form is hindered, and it's too weak."

The voices came from downstairs, and Qin Tianshu chuckled, "That fox is in high demand."

Both rooms on the third floor were in high demand, with room number five and room number four driving up the price to two thousand taels for a single fox. The entire inn was watching in disbelief.

Qingyu frowned for a moment. The girl stood up and looked around. They were in room number three, a cleverly positioned room directly opposite the high platform. Rooms one and two, and four and five, were on the side, so the boys could basically see the entire inn.

Qin Tianshu kept smiling and talking to Yun Jiacheng all day yesterday, but in the end Yun Jiazhu decided to give them the number three spot.

"Room number five is Shangguan Han, and the woman in room number four is dressed in a cloud-like style; she is from Yizhou."

Voices continued to come from both rooms. Zhang Xuan exclaimed, "Whoa! They're really fighting over it. A fox is worth almost five thousand taels!"

This is only the tenth item up for auction. Yunzhou should have prepared more than fifty items this time, but unexpectedly, the price has already skyrocketed for these ten items.

Upon hearing this, Qingyu said, "It's obviously a personal grudge; the price they're asking is practically sparking."

Lin Fanxiang: "The only items Yunzhou is really going to auction this time are the last few. If the tenth item reaches a price of five thousand taels, it might not be good for the subsequent auctions."

Wen Chuan looked at the auction list in his hand. The first floor had only the first fifteen items, the second floor had the first thirty, and the third floor had the first forty-five. The young man looked at the last few spiritual items and said...

"It shouldn't be more than five thousand taels. The people on the third floor are probably still the main focus later on."

Qingyu became somewhat interested in the sounds outside and looked at the girl in room number four.

Wearing a simple silver crown, with a thin silver chain hanging down, her bright features carried a hint of naivety and obvious arrogance. She wore silver bracelets and bangles embroidered with red, yellow and green colors, a black belt around her waist, and dark blue clothing, but her sleeves were unusually wide—she was a Miao person from Yundi in Yizhou, Southwest China.

What was particularly striking was that the woman's features seemed somewhat familiar, and Qingyu vaguely felt as if she had forgotten something.

"How could the Miao people be fighting with Shangguan Han? Qingqiu Fox... Yizhou, Jizhou, Youzhou..."

She murmured to herself, and the battle for the fox finally came to an end—Shangguan Han ultimately won the fox demon for 4,500 taels of silver.

Inside room number four, Ah Ling stomped her foot in frustration. The man behind her tugged at her sleeve, saying, "Alright, it's a good thing we didn't manage to photograph this fox."

"But I..."

A-Ling looked at her cousin, her dissatisfaction tinged with a hint of grievance, "Brother, don't you know why I want this fox... or that woman Shangguan Han who stole it!"

"alright!"

Agu said seriously, "Don't forget what we came here for. What we really want is not a fox that can be found everywhere in Qishan!"

Ah Ling remained silent and did not refute, while the girl walked to the window and lowered her eyes.

Seeing this, Shangguan Han deliberately stood at the door and smiled towards room number four. What Miao ethnic group? Just a small village in the mountains of Yizhou. Ah Ling and Ah Zhide, they can never compare to the Shangguan family.

Ah Ling heard her laughter but unusually did not react. Now, because Zhang Xuan had "trimmed" Shangguan Han's bangs, the hair on both sides of her forehead was gone, so there was a curtain in the room, making it impossible to see her face.

Even so, she was still not honest. She didn't dare to provoke Room 3, so she targeted her again. At this moment, she was even more disdainful, snorting and laughing at them.

What a despicable person.

Ah Ling gently touched her sleeve, a hint of resentment flashing in her eyes.

When she looked up again, her gaze drifted unintentionally and met that of the girl in red in room number three.

A-Ling was a little puzzled. What a beautiful woman! She was certain she had never seen her before, yet there was a hint of familiarity about her.

Qingyu crossed her arms, a smile playing on her lips as her dress swayed. Yizhou was her hometown, while the Miao people were neither large nor small. She figured she was more familiar with the girl's family than with her.

I can't remember who it is. Never mind, let's go look at the auction list with Wen Chuan.

...

The auction was still in full swing. Fortunately, Shangguan Han had spent more than four thousand taels to buy the fox. When the spirit lamp came up, she wanted it, but she was scared off by Zhang Xuan's bid of four thousand taels in one go. The spirit lamp, which was warm in winter and cool in summer, was successfully acquired by the young men.

Qin Tianshu, also intrigued by the four thousand taels, became even more attentive to Zhang Xuan, saying, "Sit down, young Zhang... Young Master Zhang is so generous! Let me pour you some tea..."

"You're too kind... Please bring that plate of pastries..."

"Okay..."

After a while, they even started acting together.

Lin Fanxiang smiled and shook her head. The main thing was that in the cold north, having such a spirit lamp nearby would definitely ward off a lot of the chill.

Many cultivators participated in the auction, including those in rooms five and two. Upon seeing this, Zhang Xuan immediately raised the price by two thousand taels and won the bid in one fell swoop. His boldness was even more direct than the fox battle just now.

Wen Chuan sat in a mahogany chair looking at the auction list, while Qing Yu sat reclining in another chair, the girl leaning against his shoulder and gazing at the sky. "When will that stone arrive?"

Looking down at the situation, the scholar said leisurely, "Now."

"Lot 44 - Nameless Stone. This stone was given to me by an unknown mortal. It has no spirit or quality. Its only special feature is that it is extremely hard. No spiritual energy in the Nine Provinces can damage it in the slightest. Starting bid: 5,000 taels."

"etc!"

A cultivator emerged from the second floor and asked, "Does such a strange rock truly exist in this world? Has your Cloud Boat confirmed this?"

Yun Jiazhu smiled and looked at the people in the inn. Her voice was open and confident, “I, Yunzhou, have tried every method, and even sent it to many places for testing, but I have not been able to damage this stone in the slightest. If I, Yunzhou, cannot do it, then even the whole of Kyushu cannot.”

"Well said!"

A man in a green robe suddenly emerged from room number two on the third floor. His voice was deep and imposing, “I am Cai Danglu from Xuzhou. I wonder if Yunzhou would be willing to give me a try?”

Cai Danglu of Xuzhou, a renowned lone wolf across the Nine Provinces, wields only his sword. His nature is aloof yet imbued with a sense of justice. He frequently assists various demon-suppressing pavilions in subduing demons, yet refuses to join them. Occasionally, he even engages in sparring with cultivators he encounters. He is neither married nor has a career, and he is indifferent to beauty or wealth.

One life, one sword, one man; the ruler of the Nine Provinces.

He didn't seem to have much money; he was probably invited to take the seat of honor by Yunzhou because of his strength. His speaking up now could be considered an answer to the questions of everyone in the inn.

Yun Jiazhu smiled and slowly walked to the nameless stone, gazing leisurely at the third floor. "Please."

In the blink of an eye, Yun Jiazhu swiftly tossed the stone into the air. The unremarkable stone spun briefly above the center of the inn before a sharp, piercing blade of light flashed towards them—

Two sharp clangs rang out, one from Cai Danglu's blade and the other from Yun Jiacheng's sword energy.

In the blink of an eye, the stone, struck by the blade, was returned to Yun Jiazhu's hand by the sword energy—completely unharmed and utterly unremarkable.

Cai Danglu sheathed his sword, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said in a strong voice that was both frank and arrogant, "It is Cai's incompetence."

The inn fell silent. Yun Jiazhu politely nodded and stepped back in front of the auction items. She placed the nameless stone down and looked up, her voice clear and bright, "Lot number forty-four—the nameless stone, starting price: three thousand taels."

Upon hearing this, the crowd began to whisper among themselves. Although the stone was interesting and might be some kind of naturally formed spiritual object, ordinary cultivators wouldn't spend three thousand taels to buy an indestructible stone. Even if you put it in your heart, an enemy could still hurt you in other places.

Third floor.

Qingyu: "Buy now?"

Fan Xiang selected several antidotes, Qin Tianshu rummaged through the bookshelf and found a cultivation manual, Wen Chuan also made a spatial box, and Qing Yu temporarily went to Luoxing Garden to train a bird and packed it up to give to Yun Zhou—Yun Zhou appraised these things and gave the boys a quota of 20,000 taels.

As for Zhang Xuan, his father deposited money for him at a money exchange before he left, and his name was on many of the money exchanges—they really weren't short of money at this auction.