◎Strange uneasiness◎
The next day was the day when the much-anticipated secret book was announced.
On this day, the entire Golden Snake Villa was under martial law. The Golden Snake Villa was located at the foot of Jiaoquan Mountain, with Golden Snake Town at the foot of the mountain. To enter the villa from the town, one had to walk along a gentle mountain path of forty to fifty steps, which was paved with wide marble steps.
Today, this road is guarded by stern-looking guards at intervals, and no one is allowed to enter or leave.
The town at the foot of the mountain was filled with those gangsters who were unable to enter, and all the restaurants and teahouses in the town were filled with people, all looking forward to the final result.
Some teahouses are full, so they set up tables on the street. Even people who don't know each other sit around together, drinking tea from their bowls, and chatting with people at the table about all kinds of topics.
Today, almost all the sects in the martial arts world have gathered at the Golden Snake Villa. Such a grand event is rarely seen once in a hundred years.
"It's almost sundown, I don't know what the situation is like inside?"
Someone suddenly asked, "Which sects do you think can exchange for secret manuals?"
Someone with good information said, "The Huashan Sect must have a copy. I have seen someone from the Huashan Sect. He is the senior brother of the Huashan Sect leader, the Jade Water Sword who became famous in the martial arts world more than 20 years ago. This person's swordsmanship is exquisite, like the endless waves of jade water, and he is good at both offense and defense. He once fought with the previous guardian of the Demon Sect, Zhu Lao, and severely injured Zhu Laoguai."
Someone else said, "This isn't about who has stronger martial arts skills, but about who brings the most precious treasure, right?"
"Yes, Huashan Sect has existed for hundreds of years, so there are certainly many good things. I heard that Huashan Sect brought a soft sword manual created by a senior of their sect a hundred years ago. I think Jin You will not refuse it."
"The Emei Sect should also have a share. The Emei Sect seems to have brought a book on internal energy cultivation. Jin You was injured ten years ago, so this book should be good for him."
"The Poshan Sect has also arrived, led by their chief disciple Mu Lei. He seems to be carrying a piece of meteorite iron from outer space, which is said to be able to be used to forge a magical weapon."
A skinny old man on the street said, "Alas, it's a pity that we are poor and have nothing. Otherwise, I would like to exchange it for a secret manual. Even if I can't practice it, it would be good to leave it to future generations."
Sitting next to him was a young man from a relatively young age. He was probably new to the world, and he couldn't help but ask out of curiosity and innocence: "Old man, why would the Golden Snake Sword give away such a precious secret manual? Wouldn't it be better for him to keep it to himself? I don't understand, he's too..."
The young master didn't say the rest of the words, but everyone saw that he couldn't hide his true feelings, and they could tell that he wanted to say that the Golden Snake Sword was too stupid.
Hearing him say this, the people around him couldn't help but laugh.
A knight with a vicissitudes of life said with a smile: "Jin You is a smart man. It would be fine if no one knew about the secret book when he found it, but this matter is known to everyone, and he can't hide it. The divine power treasure is naturally coveted by countless people. Since Jin You was injured, he has fallen into the second-rate martial arts world. How can he protect the secret book?"
Another person continued, "That's right, Jin You couldn't protect it. But he was decisive and chose to make the secret book public. Now, firstly, he has made friends with a martial arts sect, secondly, he can share the danger, and thirdly, he can make a lot of money. It's a good idea that kills three birds with one stone. It's really smart!"
"Yes, do you remember the tragic massacre of the Huang family in Suzhou and Hangzhou three years ago? I heard that the reason why the Huang family was wiped out overnight was because of a book of poison techniques that the Huang family had collected."
Everyone was talking at once, and the young master's face turned pale. He was amazed and looked as if he had just opened his eyes.
It turns out that the world of martial arts is like this. Not only is there pleasure in revenge, but it is also filled with blood and killing.
There was fear in the young master's eyes, and behind the fear there was a hint of longing.
Who doesn’t want to become a strong man who roams the world of martial arts, coming and going as freely as the wind, running thousands of miles and killing people invisibly?
While people outside were discussing the matter, the atmosphere inside the Golden Snake Villa was not as relaxed and lively as people outside imagined.
In the lobby specially used for welcoming guests, the guests were seated at tables in groups. Everyone sat upright and few talked to each other.
An Jiu just came along to play and was also assigned a position.
She sat at the same table with Pei Ji, Lin Qingyan, He Ziqing and others. Perhaps because of Lin Qingyan's status as the eldest daughter of Zhujian Villa and Pei Ji's reputation as a genius doctor in Yaowang Valley, their table was arranged very close to the front, almost in the first echelon.
An Jiu looked around and found that the seating arrangement was very meaningful. It was probably not arranged purely according to the strength of power, but according to the value of the treasures each person brought.
Because she saw that Mingyi's seat was also very close to the front, and he was sitting at the same table with the leaders of major sects such as the Emei Sect and the Songshan Sect.
In other words, in Jin You's mind, the pile of treasures brought by Mingyi can be compared with the treasures brought by the major sects.
Sure enough, there is no one in this world who doesn't like money.
An Jiu sighed secretly, silently withdrew his gaze, and his rolling eyes fell on the person next to him.
Pei Ji looked up at her and asked with a gentle smile, "What's wrong?"
An Jiu's big eyes swept across his calm face and she shook her head as if nothing had happened.
"Nothing, I just wanted to ask when it starts?"
Pei Ji said patiently, "Soon."
Seeing him standing as still as a mountain, An Jiu admired him very much.
As expected of a villain, he was not panicked at all even when the evil cult was about to come. His mental quality is unmatched by ordinary people.
Even though An Jiu was already familiar with the plot, he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy at this moment.
When she woke up this morning, her heart was beating very fast, as if something was about to happen, like a premonition of some crisis.
An Jiu thought about it again and again, but couldn't imagine what would happen to him.
Shu Li'anjiu was well protected by He Ziqing. The main target of the cult's attack was to steal the secret manual of magic skills. He Ziqing was not affected too much. Several people took advantage of the chaos to go down the mountain and luckily escaped the disaster.
So this time, she should be fine too?
Thinking uncertainly, An Jiu suddenly caught a glimpse of many people looking to the side of the hall from the corner of his eye, and he quickly turned his head.
Jin You walked in wearing a luxurious golden robe, holding a small box in his hands, with a smile on his face.
Behind him followed his eldest son, a young boy in his early teens, wearing the same golden robe as his father. His face was tense and he looked serious and dignified.
Jin You walked straight to the small table in the center of the hall and placed the mahogany box that attracted everyone's attention on the table.
Only then did he look around and said to everyone, "Welcome to Golden Snake Villa. Thank you for your presence. I would like to pay my respects to you all and offer you a toast."
As he said this, he bowed to all directions, picked up the wine his son had poured for him, and drank it all in one gulp.
Everyone in the hall stood up and bowed to him.
After greeting each other, the guests took their seats again.
Jin You continued, "You all know what I am planning. Today, I will open the secret manual. Inside this box is the secret manual that I obtained. It is authentic. I will copy five copies on the spot. You can bid for it. The highest bidder wins."
As soon as these words were spoken, the hall suddenly exploded.
“There are only five copies?”
"Golden Snake Sword Master, that's not what you said before. Didn't you say that I could just take out my treasure in exchange?"
"Yeah, with so many people here and only five portions, how can the others get them?"
Most of those who raised objections were lone rangers without any sect or from small sects that had to rely on their utmost efforts to enter the Golden Snake Villa.
Jin You suddenly changed the rules and told them that only five copies of the secret book would be given out in the end, and only the highest bidder could get it. Isn't this a death sentence for them?
"Please listen to me," Jin You said, raising his hand and speaking in a loud voice. "I have no choice but to make this decision. I think that this divine skill manual is so precious, if anyone can get it, how can it be fair to those who exchange it for extremely precious things?"
"Besides, ask yourselves, if you don't have the ability to exchange, how can you protect it?"
After Jin You finished speaking, many people fell silent.
These people knew very well that even if they got the secret book, they might not be able to protect it.
The Jianghu is like a jungle, where the weak are the prey of the strong, and the strong are respected. In this Jianghu, if you are not strong, you will get nothing. Especially this magical treasure, didn’t you see that even the Golden Snake Villa wisely handed it over?
For those who are not strong enough, the secret book may not be a treasure, but a death warrant.
Those sitting here are not fools. As soon as Jin You finished speaking, most of the voices of objection disappeared instantly.
Seeing that the hall was gradually quieting down, Jin You smiled with satisfaction and said, "In that case, I will start the treasure bidding session. You can write down the treasures you brought on paper. I will select the top five after comparison and announce them."
He clapped his hands, and a group of maids came out one after another, holding pens, ink, paper and inkstones and placed them in front of each table.
Even though he had already seen this plot in the book, An Jiu still showed admiration on his face when he watched this scene.
Jin You is indeed a smart man. Writing in this anonymous voting method is much better than reading it out on the spot. This not only ensures the privacy of each party, but also avoids exposing one's cards and being coveted by others.
Sure enough, after seeing the paper and pen, no one said anything anymore and everyone was convinced.
Soon everyone handed in their papers, and Jin You sat at the small table in the middle, flipping through them one by one.
While watching, he would occasionally take out one and put it aside.
Everyone's eyes were on him, and no one knew whether they had been chosen or not, even the big sects in the martial arts world.
Even because they are all large sects, when people from the sects look at each other, there is sometimes murderous intent in their eyes, and it is obvious that they all regard each other as invisible competitors.
In just a cup of tea, Jin You selected nine pieces of paper and said to everyone, "Jin has selected nine pieces. It is difficult to choose from each one. Now I will read out your names to see if you want to add weights."
"Huashan Sect, Emei Sect, Jinguan Sect, Poshan Gate, Zhujian Villa, Tianlang Sect, Yaowang Valley, Jiangyue Island." Jin You paused for a moment before reading out the last person's name, "The last one is Master Ming."
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