Chapter Thirty-Five: Rare Treasures
Inside the main hall of Xiyu Villa, Ling Beixiao sat solemnly facing the door, with more than a dozen people seated on either side.
Ling Beixiao's deep voice rang out: "I'm sure everyone is aware of what happened at the Night Return Inn."
Nie Han stood up and said, "Reporting to the Master, I received the news yesterday and set off from the village at full speed. As for what happened at the inn, I really don't know."
Shi Jianfeng also stood up and said, "Master, I just arrived today. Please tell me what happened."
Ling Beixiao: "Is that so? Then I'll say it again. Just yesterday at noon, more than a hundred people were brutally murdered at the Yelaigui Inn."
The people below murmured: Ah…
"More than a hundred people!"
"yes!"
"Who could have done this?"
Ling Beixiao: "According to reports, the deceased were all participants in the treasure appraisal conference, and their treasures and money were all taken away."
Nie Han: "I believe that the ability to kill more than a hundred people in an hour must be backed by a huge organization."
Shi Jianfeng: "That's right, and the fact that they chose to make their move in Mianzhu Town means they're definitely trying to frame our manor."
Ling Beixiao: "That's the situation now. People from the martial arts world have moved into the manor. They've given us three days to find the murderer. This is a tricky matter."
Shi Jianfeng: "Since they want to frame someone, these people will definitely attend the conference today and take the opportunity to cause trouble."
Nie Han said generously, "Master, please allow me to bring men to protect the appraisal site in case of any unforeseen events."
Ling Beixiao: "No need. My daughter Ling Xueyan is also making arrangements for the appraisal event, so everything should be settled."
Shi Jianfeng: "Then we'll take men and surround the manor to prevent them from causing trouble. If there are any villains, we'll make sure they can't escape."
Ling Beixiao: "Alright, let's arrange it like this. Hopefully, we'll have a good result within three days."
Yu Linglong and Ma Pingchuan, along with the other three, also arrived at the gate of the mountain villa.
Qiu Xia laughed and said, "Wow, Palace Master, it's so lively here today!"
Yu Linglong: "Don't just focus on playing, look for Chunxiang."
Qiu Xia: "I know! Brother Ma, let's go in!"
Ma Pingchuan: "But Xiaoyao hasn't woken up, what should we do?"
Qiuxia: "Oh dear, let's just put him in the stable!"
Ma Pingchuan: "What if he wakes up and can't find us?"
Qiuxia: "Don't worry, he won't wander off once he sees your horse."
Ma Pingchuan: "Alright then." The two placed Xiaoyao Lang on the roof of the stable, and then entered Xiyu Manor.
As Yu Linglong entered the manor, the treasure appraisal event had already begun, with gongs sounding repeatedly. On the appraisal platform, a gong-beater stood, and four old men sat beside him; they were presumably the appraisers. Around the platform stood eight sword-wielding guards, and below the platform were more than a dozen guards, forming a circle that prevented the hundreds of spectators from getting close.
At this moment, a person walked onto the stage, carrying a wooden box in his hand. He placed the box on the table, opened it, took out something wrapped in gauze, placed it on the table, and opened it again, revealing a sulfur-infused Ganoderma lucidum to everyone.
The man said, "One piece of sulfur-flame Ganoderma lucidum weighs two ounces and six mace. If it is over a hundred years old, it costs at least fifty strings of cash."
Someone below commented, "This is a treasure, but what use is it?"
"You don't know this! This sulfur-flame Ganoderma grows near the edge of the earth's fire, absorbing heat year after year. People with extremely cold constitutions can relieve pain by taking it, while people with extremely yin constitutions can save their lives by taking it."
After the man finished speaking, four appraisers stepped forward to examine the artifact. The four appraisers nodded in approval, and a gong sounded: "Appraisal complete. One sulfur-flame Ganoderma lucidum, weighing two taels and six mace, over a hundred years old, starting at fifty strings of cash."
As soon as he finished speaking, someone in the group raised his hand and shouted, "Fifty strings of cash!" Everyone looked at him.
Someone else shouted, "Fifty-five strings of cash!"
Sixty strings of cash!
"Eighty strings of cash!"
"Eighty strings of cash! Someone has offered eighty strings of cash!" The crowd looked at the person who offered eighty strings of cash and whispered among themselves.
The gong-beater announced: "That young master has bid eighty strings of cash! Anyone else willing to bid higher? Eighty strings once, eighty strings twice, eighty strings three times!"
With a clang of the gong, it announced, "Ready!"
Murong Hanchan glanced at it and muttered, "Such a wonderful treasure! Oh dear! If I could get it, Father's cold poison would be cured!" Her beautiful eyes darted around, and she stroked her chin, muttering, "Hmm! That's it!" before disappearing from the crowd.
Yu Linglong: "What a pity about this hundred-year-old sulfur-flame Ganoderma lucidum!"
At this moment, two people in the crowd secretly looked at Yu Linglong and said, "Look, the Grandmaster was talking about her. She's dressed in white and wearing a veil!"
"That's right, there's no one else but her!"
"Let's go. Once Ling Beixiao arrives, we'll seize the opportunity!"
In the crowd, Xie Yunfeng, Yin Xiaosheng, Chunxiang, and Yi Mingzhao stood together.
Xie Yunfeng: "Junior brother, where is junior sister?"
Yin Xiaosheng crossed his arms and said, "At this moment, I wonder where Junior Sister is having fun!"
Yi Mingzhao: "I saw Miss Murong this morning, and she seemed to be in a good mood today!"
Xie Yunfeng: "Second Young Master, I have never asked you, but why did you come to participate in the treasure appraisal conference?"
Yi Mingzhao smiled and said, "To be honest, Young Master Xie, I also wanted to see if there was anything I needed. Also, I haven't seen Qi Chen for a year, and I wanted to come and see him."
Yin Xiaosheng: "So, you and that young master have a pretty good relationship!"
Yi Mingzhao: "We've known each other for seven or eight years. I have a musical score that he gave me."
Chunxiang smiled and said, "You wouldn't happen to be here to buy sheet music, would you?"
Yi Mingzhao: "Indeed!"
Another person walked up to the appraisal platform, carrying a large box. He placed it on the table, opened it, and took out a zither, saying, "A Xi Shi zither, starting at one hundred strings of cash."
One person said, "The Xi Shi Qin (a type of zither), isn't that a thousand years old?"
Another said, "If it really is, then it's a thousand-year-old zither!"
Yi Mingzhao: "Great! It wasn't a wasted trip after all. I'll give this guqin to my little sister; she'll definitely love it!"
With a loud bang, the gong-beater announced, "Authentication complete! A thousand-year-old Xi Shi Qin (a type of zither), starting at one hundred strings of cash!"
"One hundred strings of cash!"
...
"One hundred and twenty strings of cash!"
"One hundred and thirty strings of cash!"
...
Chunxiang: "Second Young Master, why aren't you bidding?"
Yi Mingzhao: "No rush, wait until the call is made before placing your bid!"
A wealthy merchant said, "One hundred and fifty strings of cash!"
The gong-beater announced: "This wealthy merchant has bid 150 strings of cash! Anyone else higher? Anyone else? 150 strings once, 150 strings twice! 100…"
Yi Mingzhao: "One hundred and sixty strings of cash!"
The gong-beater announced: "Alright! Merchant, would you like to make a bid?"
The merchant said, "One hundred and seventy strings of cash!"
Yi Mingzhao: "One hundred and eighty strings of cash!"
The merchant glared angrily at Yi Mingzhao, "Hmph!"
The gong-beater announced: "One hundred and eighty strings of cash once, one hundred and eighty strings of cash twice, one hundred and eighty strings of cash three times!"
"Bang!" The gong clanged: "Ready!"
Yi Mingzhao hurriedly stepped forward to make a deal with the musician.
Murong Hanchan also changed into a night outfit and lay prone on the roof ridge. When she heard Yi Mingzhao say that he was buying a zither for 180 guan, she cursed, "That idiot! It's not like it's the Fuxi Zither. If you're going to spend 180 guan, you could buy a big mansion. You should just rob him!"
At this moment, Ling Beixiao came out of the main hall, followed by Nie Han, Shi Jianfeng and others. Ling Beixiao and the others walked to the steps of the square and stopped, staring at the hundreds of people below.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
