Not long after Shi Yu secured the Heavenly Tone Lotus, the Blood Cloud Ginseng was presented on stage.
Inside the private box, the three Zhou siblings were filled with nervous tension, their voices trembling with every bid they placed. Fortunately, the Blood Cloud Ginseng was not as valuable as the Heavenly Tone Lotus, and having brought a total of five thousand low-grade spirit stones with them, they successfully secured it for nearly four thousand spirit stones after a round of bidding, without any further mishaps.
As the auctioneer's mallet struck down, the three exhaled in deep relief. They turned to express their gratitude to Shi Yu and Master Ji. “Thank you, Little Yu! Thank you, Master Ji! If not for the two of you, we wouldn't have even been able to step foot into this auction, let alone win the Blood Cloud Ginseng.”
Shi Yu offered a gentle smile and nodded. “It's the least I could do. You've taken great care of me along the way as well.”
Master Ji chuckled warmly, stroking his beard with contentment.
Following that, the auction gradually neared its end.
“Next, what we are about to auction is a truly rare treasure.”
The auctioneer in cyan clapped her hands together twice near her ear. Moments later, two burly, bare-chested men pushed a cart onto the stage.
Like the other auction items, the cart was covered with red silk, obscuring its contents from view. However, judging by the angular contours beneath the silk, it appeared to be a large box or cage.
The cyan-robed auctioneer offered a subtle smile. “This item was not recorded in the auction catalog.”
At these words, the attention of Shi Yu and her companions inside the private box was immediately captured, everyone whispering guesses about what lay beneath the silk.
Throughout the vast hall, murmurs of speculation rippled across the crowd.
Without keeping them in suspense for long, the cyan-robed woman glided forward with graceful steps to stand beside the cart. She grabbed the edge of the silk and whipped her arm up, sending the fabric fluttering to the ground.
Revealed upon the cart was a half-person-tall cage made of red gold.
Curled up inside the reddish-gold iron cage was a figure whose gender was difficult to discern.
Huddled in the corner, the figure rested against the cage with arms wrapped around drawn-up knees, remaining utterly still. Long silver hair cascaded like a waterfall, winding over shoulders and down the spine.
The face was hidden, and the body was mostly draped in silver locks, offering only faint glimpses of pale, fair skin. Yet the entire figure radiated an alluring, exotic charm.
Throughout the auction hall, many gazes grew burning hot with desire.
The auctioneer glanced at one of the muscular men, who stepped forward and delivered a swift kick to the cage.
As if startled, the figure inside pulled back two bare feet and timidly lifted its face. Though most of the features remained concealed, a pair of glistening, watery eyes looked toward the stage with silent, innocent ignorance of the world.
Taking a long jade rod from a maid, the auctioneer poked it into the iron cage to push aside the silver hair, exposing the figure's full face.
The sky above was bright, and sunlight poured freely down through the auction house's skylight, illuminating the face inside the cage and giving the pale skin a delicate, jade-like luster.
It was a remarkably beautiful face. Even more surprising, once fully revealed, a small patch of metallic, shimmering silver scales was visible beneath one eye.
Snake scales...?
Instantly, an uproar swept through the audience as the atmosphere grew even more heated. Many cultivators looked on with keen interest, their thumbs absentmindedly rubbing against their fingers.
Shi Yu stared in astonishment at the snake scales beneath the person's eye, unconsciously blurting out, “Is he... a shape-shifted spirit beast?”
Yet judging by the aura, that didn't seem quite right. For a spirit beast to take human form, its cultivation would need to be at least at the Nascent Soul Realm, whereas the aura emitting from the cage was exceedingly feeble.
Master Ji, well-traveled and knowledgeable, replied, “That is a child born from a snake-type spirit beast and a human woman.”
“H-How can a spirit beast and a human conceive a child together?” Zhou Yue asked in surprise from the side.
Master Ji shrugged. “Once a spirit beast shape-shifts into human form, it can naturally mate with humans. However, any spirit beast capable of taking human form must be at least at the Golden Core Realm. How could the child of a Golden Core powerhouse be left wandering outside? Thus, as for this one—”
A touch of disgust surfaced in his eyes. “It can only be the offspring born from a snake-man who violated a human woman.”
Shi Yu frowned. “Snake-man?”
Master Ji nodded. “In the North Rock Desert at the northernmost end of Changyuan Prefecture, there lives a Snakefolk clan. Although classified as spirit beasts, they do not need to shape-shift; they are born with a human upper body and a snake tail.”
“Snakefolk are lustful by nature and frequently abduct human women... Their physical traits match this perfectly—silver hair and silver scales. Without a doubt, this child is a descendant of the Snakefolk.”
Sure enough, the auctioneer in cyan announced, “This Snakefolk boy was captured in the North Rock Desert. After verification from multiple sources, he is believed to be the abandoned offspring of a Snakefolk and a human woman.”
As her words fell, a chorus of boos echoed across the hall, the earlier fiery excitement swiftly replaced by disgust.
“I thought it was a rare beauty, but it's actually a guy.”
“Exactly, with a face like that... what a waste, what a waste.”
Shi Yu's brows furrowed as she picked up on those vulgar, suggestive remarks.
Unfazed by the reaction, the woman in cyan continued, “Snakefolk are cunning and difficult to locate, yet their scales and horns are premium materials for weapon refining and alchemy. Though this boy possesses only half-Snakefolk blood, he should serve adequately as a substitute material.”
Upon hearing this, many cultivators adopted thoughtful expressions and nodded in agreement.
“That's about all he's good for.”
“What a shame. If it were a girl, I'd definitely show her a good time.”
Shi Yu knitted her brows, murmuring softly, “Weapon refining, alchemy...?”
In the cultivation world, the law of the jungle was the natural order of things. Between spirit beasts and humans, it was not merely a case of humans hunting beasts—the flesh and blood of cultivators were also choice delicacies for spirit beasts.
However... this youth clearly looked just like a human boy.
If Shi Yu were asked to use him as raw material for alchemy or refining, she could never bring herself to do it.
Glancing once more at the boy with snake scales beneath his eyes, she saw his clear, bright gaze as he cowered inside the cage. He seemed unable to understand human language, completely oblivious to the dire fate awaiting him.
The auctioneer called out the opening price: “Starting at nine hundred spirit stones, with minimum bid increments of fifty spirit stones.”
Intermittent bids began echoing across the hall.
“Nine hundred fifty!”
“One thousand!”
...
“One thousand three hundred!”
Master Ji had zero interest in the lot, sipping his tea lazily. But noticing Shi Yu's tightly furrowed brows and her white-knuckled grip on her teacup, he could not help asking, “Little Yu, do you want to bid on him?”
Shi Yu looked up and gave a soft hum of affirmation.
She simply could not view that boy as a mere pile of spiritual materials.
Though Master Ji had not spent much time with her, he knew full well that Shi Yu did not want to buy him for alchemy. She had simply been moved by compassion.
Frowning slightly, Master Ji advised, “Snakefolk are cunning by nature. If you buy him and set him free, given his identity and weakness, he will inevitably be captured again sooner or later. If you keep him by your side, he will inevitably scheme against you and bite back...”
Shi Yu let out a soft sigh. “If I hadn't seen this today, that would be one thing. But now that I've seen it, if I don't win him, thinking about his future fate will leave a knot in my heart.”
Master Ji stopped pressing the matter.
On the vast journey of the Great Dao, nothing was more taboo than harboring lingering worries and unresolved heart-knots.
However, after purchasing the Heavenly Tone Lotus, Shi Yu had very few spirit stones left, totaling less than a thousand all together.
Meanwhile, the bidding had already climbed to nearly fifteen hundred spirit stones.
With a sudden thought, Shi Yu turned to the three Zhou siblings. “Brother Zhou, Sister Zhou, could you lend me one thousand spirit stones for now? In return, I can refine the Blood Cloud Ginseng into Lesser Longevity Pills for you, and you won't need to provide any of the auxiliary herbs.”
Lesser Longevity Pills?
The three Zhou siblings widened their eyes, exchanging bewildered looks.
Master Ji choked on his tea. “A Longevity Pill is a Longevity Pill—what on earth is a 'Lesser Longevity Pill'?”
Shi Yu froze for a moment, thinking to herself, Does the recipe for the Lesser Longevity Pill not exist in this world?
Rate on N.U.
