Chapter 12: Twelve Slashes
The anonymous cultivator quickly replied.
[Anonymous Cultivator: ?]
Xie Changming didn't understand why anyone would compare him to himself.
When Luo Mingshu saw that he had sent a question mark, she assumed that he had backed down. So, she was overjoyed and sent him a few more messages. Because the anonymous cultivator had just praised her disguised appearance for being fast-paced, she didn't scold him too seriously this time.
[A 300-year-old beauty with a "water spirit root" is incredibly gullible: Scared yet? You little rascal.]
[A 300-year-old beauty with a water-elemental root is incredibly gullible: You could cultivate your whole life and still not be as powerful as her.]
[A 300-year-old beauty with a water-elemental root is incredibly gullible: You spend five million and you only learn a lesson from me, while she can earn five million with just a flick of her wrist. We're both cultivators, how come there's such a huge difference?]
Xie Changming: "..." It's what I spent and what I earned, what's the problem?
He casually sent a few messages, and the extremely fast reply speed left Luo Mingshu speechless. Just ten meters away, Luo Mingshu, who was leaning against the spiritual network on the couch, was about to increase her spiritual output to resist the other party, but at this moment, a polite knock came from outside the auction house's private room.
Luo Mingshu welcomed the person outside the door in. He was a demon cultivator who worked at the auction house. He had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, a very good figure, and was also extremely handsome.
"Hello, young lady. You've just arrived at our auction house today, so you might not know about today's auction items. That's why our chairman sent me to explain them to you," Hu Yu said respectfully as he stepped forward.
When Luo Mingshu met Hu Yu's gaze, she was suddenly struck by the light in his narrow eyes; this demon seemed to possess a strange allure.
Just as Luo Mingshu was wondering what race he was, Hu Yu gave her a perfectly timed smile: "Miss, I am a red fox demon."
Luo Mingshu suddenly realized why she had been momentarily stunned when she saw him; it turned out he was a bewitching fox demon.
When Hu Yu came in, Xie Changming was standing to the side, completely ignoring the situation. After seeing that Luo Mingshu did not reply to him, he went to deal with other messages.
[Sealed Heart and Locked Love (Height 183cm): Your Majesty, have you gone to the Demon Realm's Sandstorm Crossing?]
Anonymous monk: Hmm.
[Feng Xin Suo Ai (183cm tall): You actually ran into the little princess of the demon realm.]
[Anonymous monk: ...]
[Feng Xin Suo Ai (183cm tall): My Lord, you really don't need to work so hard to make money QWQ! You've been lost for over a hundred years, and we're already very happy that you've returned to the Demon Realm. Our Demon Realm isn't short of five million.]
[Anonymous cultivator: I have something to nurture, and I need spirit stones.]
【Sealed Heart and Locked Love (Height 183cm): What kind of cute little pets does Your Excellency want to raise?】
[Anonymous monk: Looking for.]
[Sealed Heart and Locked Love (Height 183cm): If Your Majesty wishes to acquire vast wealth, why not try venturing into the Misty Star Sea and establishing new territories?]
[Anonymous cultivator: I will go there after I leave the Demon Realm.]
As Xie Changming finished his conversation with the protector, Hu Yu handed a booklet to Luo Mingshu.
Luo Mingshu's original intention was to find someone. The people who took Wei Qing away dared to drive faster than her, so she would not let them kidnap Wei Qing smoothly. Therefore, she just casually flipped through the booklet in her hand and made some casual remarks to get information out of Hu Yu.
She hadn't forgotten her purpose in coming to the Demon Realm; she still needed to find clues about her origins.
After a moment's thought, Luo Mingshu asked indirectly, "What kinds of creatures live in the water in your demon realm?"
“There are many.” Hu Yu stood behind Luo Mingshu and introduced in a gentle voice, “For example, the little princess of the Demon Realm with whom you had a conflict outside our Chamber of Commerce today is a Silver Dragon who has become a demon. The dragon is one of the highest races in the demon race, and our Demon Realm royal family is the most noble. For your sake, our Chamber of Commerce has offended the royal family.”
Luo Mingshu said that when he saw Shui Qingsi, he felt that her eyes were particularly eerie, and she was surrounded by a gentle watery aura. It turned out that this little princess of the demon realm was also a water demon who had become a demon.
"However, our Demon Realm royal family is quite a legendary race. The current Demon Emperor is a hybrid of the Demon God and the Silver Dragon Clan. He once possessed half of the Demon God's bloodline, and moreover, the most isolated Yinglong bloodline among the four ancient Demon Gods." Hu Yu spoke eloquently about the history of the Demon Realm.
Luo Mingshu felt that Shui Qingsi had no trace of the demeanor of a demon god. She looked puzzled. Then Hu Yu's voice rang out again: "Later, in order to marry the Silver Dragon Clan, our Demon Emperor stripped away the Yinglong bloodline from his body. His cultivation was all self-cultivated. However, losing the Yinglong bloodline would cause him to lose some of his abilities."
"Why would you want to sever your own bloodline?" Luo Mingshu wondered.
Hu Yu bowed and smiled, "Miss, we don't know that. All we in the Demon Realm know is that this is the result of discussions with the Heavenly Realm."
Luo Mingshu finally understood. The current Shui Qingsi—the little princess of the Demon Realm—was a descendant of the Demon Emperor who married a member of the Silver Dragon Clan after the Demon Emperor separated his Yinglong bloodline from her. No wonder she looked so weak.
Xie Changming, who was standing to the side, had excellent hearing. He also heard the conversation between Luo Mingshu and Hu Yu. When he heard the words "Yinglong", his long eyebrows, which were hidden under his black hood, twitched slightly, as if he was somewhat surprised.
Luo Mingshu took a sip of the tea Hu Yu handed her, then remembered something and asked directly, "So, are there any purple fish or... dragon-like creatures living in the water?"
Hu Yu thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, "This color is unusual, young lady, I have never seen it before."
Luo Mingshu was completely bewildered. Hu Yu had no reason to deceive her. She hadn't expected that even after arriving in the Demon Realm, she still wouldn't be able to find any clues related to her origins.
"Okay." Luo Mingshu was somewhat disappointed, her gaze lingering on the last page of the booklet she had opened.
The final lot for today is a lotus sculpture, cast in dark reddish bronze, covered in rust and appearing extremely old. It lacks any aura of brilliance, suggesting its spiritual energy has completely dissipated. (Pianozl)
Luo Mingshu had no interest in the other ordinary auction items on display today, but the bronze lotus flower was the only one that piqued her interest. She couldn't explain why the bronze lotus flower attracted her, but her intuition told her that this auction item was definitely special.
"I'll also take some small photos to expand my little treasure trove," Luo Mingshu thought to herself.
After the auction began, Hu Yu finished his introduction and then took his leave.
When the first item was presented, the soul-summoning bell wrapped around Luo Mingshu's little finger suddenly rang, indicating that their target had made a move.
Luo Mingshu had not yet found the location of her target and could only rely on the Soul-Summoning Bell to guide her in the general direction. In the end, she located the target in the private room opposite, which also had transparent crystal installed.
Unfortunately, the crystal outside the opposite compartment was also enchanted by a special spell, making it impossible for Luo Mingshu to see what was inside. Moreover, the people or demons on the other side were highly skilled, so Luo Mingshu did not choose to rush over to investigate.
Following behind Luo Mingshu, Lu Yaoyao was almost in tears: "Senior sister, senior brother... senior brother really seems to be on the other side. He must have been kidnapped. He's so pitiful!"
Luo Mingshu said coldly, "Shut up, we're still looking."
She turned to look at Xie Changming, who understood as well. Breaking the illusion array placed on the transparent crystal opposite him was a piece of cake for him.
Xie Changming waved his hand, dispelling the transparent crystal array outside the opposite private room and revealing the scene inside.
Three demon cultivators dressed in black with pale silver embroidery stood in the private room. One of them was particularly tall with slender arms and legs. A feather-shaped brooch adorned her lapel. This must be the Swift Demon who had once raced with her in the Sandstorm Crossing.
Behind them was a large cage, almost as tall as a person, covered with a black cloth, so it was impossible to see what was inside.
Lu Yaoyao burst into tears: "Senior sister, senior brother must be locked up inside. I heard that some demons would trick young cultivators and cut off their kidneys to nourish them. Senior brother... senior brother must not even have kidneys left now."
Luo Mingshu: "..." I advise you to watch less of those sensational news stories on the Four-Sided Water Mirror.
She turned to look at Xie Changming, intending to ask him to take the cage across from her, but the auction was nearing its end and the last item was being presented.
An extremely ordinary bronze lotus was placed on the auction stage. Its withered petals seemed about to fall off the lotus seat, and many parts of its body were covered with copper rust, but a deep and ancient aura lingered around it.
What Luo Mingshu had just seen was only an image in the picture book. Now that she saw the real bronze lotus in person, a dark purple light flashed deep in her eyes.
With a slurp, Luo Mingshu licked her lips, as if she could sense the aura of a treasure.
She was craving it.
Wei Qing can be saved later, since he still has a kidney to cut off, but she's determined to have this bronze lotus today.
Just as Xie Changming was about to make a move, Luo Mingshu grabbed his sleeve: "Wait a bit before you snatch it, let me buy something first."
Since the auction house itself could not estimate the value of the red copper lotus, they set a starting bid of one thousand spirit stones for this item.
After the bronze lotus was placed on the table, Luo Mingshu, who had been focused on the auction items, ignored the situation in the opposite box. However, Lu Yaoyao bit her lip, tugged at Luo Mingshu's hand, and whispered a reminder: "Senior sister, when the auction items were presented, the cage holding senior brother moved."
Meanwhile, the three people in the opposite compartment noticed the unusual movement in the cage. One of them went up and gently patted the top of the cage, as if to reassure someone.
"'He' has finally reacted; this is what we've been looking for."
"No matter how many spirit stones it costs, we must bid for this crimson copper lotus!"
I could hear voices coming from their end.
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