Hearing this, Qinghe was taken aback and looked at him: "You want top-grade cold jade?"
Shen Xun nodded, his usual playful expression gone, replaced by a solemn and serious one.
Qinghe looked into his dark pupils and felt a little uneasy. Shen Xun rarely showed such an expression, and he rarely asked her for help. She had to help him no matter what.
However, her purse was empty, and the starting price for that top-grade cold jade was 30,000 taels of gold. How could she possibly buy it?
After thinking it over, Qinghe looked at Qirong.
She picked up the resurrection pill she had just bought and said to him, "Did you give this to me?"
Qi Rong said, "That's right."
Qinghe: "Then this is mine, right?"
Qi Rong: "That's right."
Qinghe: "Can I use it to exchange for something else for you?"
Qi Rong, as if thinking of something, cleared her throat and asked, "What?"
Qinghe glanced down at the audience: "Top-grade cold jade."
Qi Rong: "...Oh."
Qinghe noticed something strange about his tone. What was causing this inexplicable sense of loss?
In the end, the top-grade cold jade was still won by Qi Rong. In fact, after the Soul-Returning Pill, as soon as Qi Rong spoke, no one present could compete with him. There was no way around it; their strength simply wouldn't allow it.
As the auction drew to a close, the final item was revealed. The moment the brocade cloth was lifted, Qinghe's eyes widened in shock—
It is a divine pearl.
The maid began to introduce the auction item, and from her, I learned that this divine pearl was the Burning Fire Pearl, one of the five pearls.
To prove it, she deliberately released a little spiritual power and attached it to the divine pearl. After a moment, a fire pattern slowly formed inside the divine pearl.
Qinghe suddenly raised his hand to his waist and chest, but the two divine pearls remained as still as ever, without the slightest fluctuation.
Qinghe and Shenxun exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in each other's eyes, clearly not understanding how the Divine Pearl could have appeared here.
Shen Xun mouthed to her, "Fake."
Qinghe nodded, regaining his composure.
Qi Rong frowned slightly, her expression somewhat solemn. "The legendary incarnation of an ancient god has actually appeared here. This year's auction has given me quite a few surprises."
Qinghe: "You know about the Divine Pearl?"
Qi Rong closed her fan: "It's something from a long time ago, let's not talk about it."
Looking at his face, Qinghe felt that his answer was a bit strange, as if he had experienced it himself but was unwilling to talk about it.
The crowd below the stage was in an uproar. Most people did not believe that the divine pearl had appeared in the world. After all, the appearance of the divine pearl would surely cause a bloodbath, and no one wanted to break the current peaceful and prosperous world.
But greed always prevails over reason, and they are more focused on themselves than on world peace.
The power of the divine pearl should not be underestimated, which is the main reason why many people are crazy about it. None of the people present are gods, and when desire takes over, the struggle ensues.
Chaos erupted in the audience. The previous reluctance to bid had vanished, and everyone was determined to get the divine pearl even if it meant going bankrupt. People from the private rooms came downstairs and joined the scramble.
Qi Rong leaned against the railing, leisurely sipping her tea, watching the crowd of people flocking to her, a faint smile on her face.
Qinghe: "Aren't you going to take pictures?"
Qi Rong chuckled lazily, "It's just a fake, it's useless."
Qinghe was slightly startled. It seemed that Qi Rong was truly hiding his true abilities, able to tell the difference between the real and fake divine pearls at a glance.
Without Qi Rong bidding, the crowd below went wild, and after a fierce scramble, the gold was finally won by Ding Zhaoshan and his son for 137,000 taels of gold.
As they walked out of the cemetery, Qinghe clearly saw the complex emotions on Ding Zhaoshan's face—a mixture of grief and excitement, creating an expression that was both mad and frenzied. She wondered if, if she told them now that the divine pearl they had bought at such a high price was a fake, they would vomit blood and collapse to their deaths on the spot.
The answer was yes, and unexpectedly, she would witness this scene with her own eyes not long after.
On the way back, Qinghe felt several malicious gazes following them. Some were probing their cultivation levels, while others wanted to kill them and seize their treasures. However, all of these disappeared without a trace after the group entered the Imperial Mirror Manor.
As one of the five major sects, the Imperial Mirror Manor holds a significant position in the martial arts world.
After Shen Xun returned to the courtyard, he carried Han Yu back to his room. Qing He didn't ask any questions, since everyone has their own private matters and doesn't want others to know.
Li Jiang and Mu Dong were unusually spared from going out to work. Ling Yin and Mo Junqian were also there. Miao'er, being a young lady, didn't want to associate with a bunch of servants, so she went back, leaving only Qing He and Qi Rong behind.
Seeing the group of people looking at each other in bewilderment, Qinghe introduced them: "This is Young Master Qi Rongqi, the owner of Happy Pavilion."
She looked at Qi Rong: "These are my friends."
They each stated their name, and Qi Rong politely bowed.
Mu Dong, always eager for a good story, jumped to Qi Rong's side and exclaimed, "Wow! You're rich! Qing He, how did you two meet?"
Qi Rong raised an eyebrow and looked at Qing He: "Qing He? Not Xiao Qing?"
Qinghe chuckled awkwardly, "As a young woman, of course I need to use an alias when I'm out and about."
Qi Rong nodded, indicating that she understood her predicament.
They originally wanted to invite him to stay for dinner, but Qi Rong declined, saying that the gambling den couldn't be left unattended for even a day.
Qinghe took out the Rejuvenation Pill: "Here, take this."
Qi Rong pushed it towards her: "I said I'd give it to you, and I'll never go back on my word."
Qinghe paused for a moment, then didn't refuse again, "Since that's the case, I'll reluctantly accept it."
Qi Rong smiled, turned around and left.
Qinghe watched his retreating figure, her expression somewhat subtle.
Mo Junqian witnessed this scene, and his heart sank slightly. His expression was as cold as winter snow.
A hand waved in front of Qinghe, and Mu Dong woke the person who was in a daze, "Hey, people have gone far away, so stop looking."
Qinghe slapped his hand away, then looked around and asked, "Have you seen my fox?"
Mu Dong: No, we just got back not long ago.
Qinghe put away the Resurrection Pill and walked towards the door, saying as he went, "I'll go look for it. Leave me some leftovers for lunch."
Seeing Qinghe walk out the door, Mo Junqian hesitated for a moment and followed him.
Lingyin grabbed him and said, "Where are you going? Are you free this afternoon? Will you come shopping with me?"
Mo Junqian didn't even look at her, and said coldly, "I'm busy." He then broke free from her hand and walked out.
Watching Mo Junqian's departing figure, Lingyin stomped her foot angrily: "If you're not free, you're not free, why are you throwing a tantrum!"
As bystanders, Mu Dong and Li Jiang couldn't help but sigh, "What a tragic fate."
Li Jiang looked at Mu Dong and said, "Don't you like Qing He too? Why don't you go after her?"
Mu Dong was startled, and after a long pause, he said in a low voice, "Actually, I just can't distinguish between gratitude and liking."
Li Jiang remembered that Mu Dong had mentioned Qing He had saved him, and after thinking for a moment, she said, "You must be grateful to Qing He."
Mu Dong asked in confusion, "Why?"
Li Jiang: "Based on your reaction just now."
Mu Dong thought about it carefully: "It seems so." He looked at Li Jiang in surprise: "I didn't expect you to be such a master in love, Senior Brother."
Li Jiang waved her hand: "So-so."
Mu Dong: "By the way, senior brother, do you have many female confidantes?"
Li Jiang held up one finger.
Mu Dong: "One?"
Li Jiang shook her head: "Not a single one."
Mu Dong: "..."
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