The Heavenly Pavilion Auction

Creak~

The door was pushed open from the outside. The young girl looked toward the visitor nervously, only to see Jiang Moran walking in with a meat pie in each hand.

He was stunned when he saw the girl kneeling on the bed. Once cleaned up, her skin was as smooth as white jade, her lips red and teeth white. The slight upward tilt at the corners of her eyebrows added a touch of charm, making her look like a flower yet to fully bloom.

Jiang Moran walked a circle around her, marveling in amazement.

“Who would've thought? After washing away all that dirt, you're actually quite pretty.”

The girl kept her head lowered, obscuring her expression, though the tips of her fair ears gradually flushed red as she let out a soft “Mm.”

Jiang Moran cleared his throat lightly and spoke:

“What's your name? Let me make this clear first—following me only gets you room and board, no salary.”

The girl nodded vigorously and said, “My name is Ning Qingzhu. Thank you for taking me in, sir.”

“Just call me Young Master. Hurry up and eat; we're going out tonight after you finish.” Jiang Moran casually tossed one of the meat pies over to her, which was visibly plumper than the other one.

Tonight, Fengcheng bore an extra layer of solemn severity. People hiding in various corners of the city moved out, all heading toward the same location with a shared objective—the Heavenly Pavilion Auction!

Inside the Patrol Bureau.

Sitting in the chief seat, Commander Lin opened his eyes, a chilly glint flashing past his gaze as he spoke in a heavy voice:

“The time has come. Head constables, lead your teams to enforce city order. Left Wing Commander, take a few head constables to the Heavenly Pavilion Auction. You must capture the murderer!”

The Left Wing Commander's expression grew somewhat heavy. This was by no means a good assignment; the Heavenly Pavilion was the top trading house in Fengcheng, with immense backing behind it. This move would undoubtedly offend them.

Commander Lin glanced at him with a cold snort. “The murderer who killed the Marquis's young lord is suspected to be at the auction. This is a matter of paramount importance—no one gets in the way!”

Hearing this, the Left Wing Commander had no choice but to accept helplessly and hurry away.

With an hour remaining before the auction, the largest auction hall in Fengcheng was already packed with guests, including many dignitaries and celebrities from around the city.

Jiang Moran and Ning Qingzhu successfully entered without being spotted by the guards. They randomly found a pair of seats and sat down. Though the girl felt a bit nervous, curiosity outweighed her fear, her eyes quietly taking in her surroundings.

The attendees at the auction were a varied mix, all dressed in fine, lavish robes and exuding extraordinary air. In comparison, the two of them, clad in plain attire, appeared somewhat out of place.

Suddenly, a figure sat down right beside them. Clad in a white long robe, he had well-defined features, sword-like eyebrows, and bright, star-like eyes. A faint trace of arrogance lingered between his brows, making his entire presence resemble a sharp sword drawn from its sheath.

His gaze swept casually over the two of them before ignoring them entirely, closing his eyes to rest as if everything around him had nothing to do with him.

Tsk tsk, youth is great—loves to strike a pose.

Jiang Moran sized him up with keen interest, as if discovering something amusing. Ning Qingzhu beside him, however, didn't feel nearly as relaxed; that sharp aura made her feel as though she were sitting on pins and needles.

This discomfort was brushed away by a broad hand. The familiar touch landed on her head, and a warm blush instantly bloomed across her fair cheeks like a splash of sunset.

“Relax,” Jiang Moran said with a light chuckle, noticing her tense posture.

Those words acted like a magic spell, soothing Ning Qingzhu's emotions and causing her body to gradually soften.

Right at that moment, an attractive woman with lingering charm stepped onto the stage, her graceful figure instantly drawing the gazes of everyone in the hall.

“Welcome, everyone, to the Heavenly Pavilion Auction! I shall be presenting the auction items to you all today. Now, please welcome our first item!”

As the first item appeared, the atmosphere in the hall gradually grew fervent. Ning Qingzhu watched the fierce bidding back and forth, then glanced at Jiang Moran slumped in his chair beside her, unable to hold back her confusion:

“Young Master, are we not going to bid?”

Jiang Moran waved his hand and said nonchalantly, “Why bid for it? I have a better way to 'take' it.”

He let out a mysterious smile. Winning an item in an auction only proves you've got wealth or skill; but snatching it after you've won it—that's my skill...

Item after item was auctioned off, and everything proceeded smoothly, as if this were merely an ordinary auction.

Until the final item appeared.

A yellowed piece of sheepskin parchment lay rolled up on a tray, carried onto the stage by a maid with both hands. The atmosphere in the entire hall suddenly fell deathly quiet.

The woman with the enchanting figure stood to the side and solemnly announced, “This item is the grand finale of tonight's auction. It is said to be a treasure map belonging to the Zhang family from a hundred years ago, though its specific contents remain unknown.”

“Starting price, three hundred taels of gold!”

A sudden hubbub erupted among the crowd below. Three hundred taels of gold! That was no small sum—enough to drive many present to complete bankruptcy.

“Four hundred taels of gold!” someone shouted immediately from below, his voice loud and filled with absolute determination.

“Five hundred taels of gold!”

“Six hundred taels of gold!”

The price climbed continuously, making the atmosphere in the hall increasingly tense. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the sheepskin parchment on stage. Just as the price settled at seven hundred fifty taels of gold, a figure suddenly darted toward the stage like a phantom!

At the same time, several figures below shot forward as well, all charging toward the sheepskin parchment. However, the enchanting woman on stage didn't panic in the slightest. A faint smile touched the corners of her lips as the first person to strike instantly flew backward, crashing heavily onto the ground.

This sudden turn of events caused the remaining figures in motion to freeze. Beside the enchanting woman on the stage stood a figure who hadn't been there a moment ago—a tall, burly man with bulging veins on his arms and a resolute face, glaring fiercely at the several people who had halted their steps.

“Take one more step forward, and he will be your fate!” the burly man bellowed, his voice loud and powerful, shaking the hearts of those men.

The man who had struck first lay unconscious on the ground, now serving as a stark warning to the rest.

For a time, the men looked at each other, caught in a dilemma. Just as the situation reached a deadlock, a light laugh echoed out:

“Hahaha! You can intimidate these useless fools, but do you think you can stop me?” A man with a somewhat scholarly demeanor stepped forward slowly, a smile hovering on his lips.

These arrogant words caused the expressions of the halted men to darken, yet none dared to blow up. After all, they were caught between a rock and a hard place; this man's appearance actually gave them an out.

“Hmph! Then come and try, if you dare!”

With those words, the scholarly man charged forward, turning his palm into a claw. The veins on the back of his hand bulged outward, squirming alarmingly like earthworms.

The burly man fought with wide, sweeping movements, every strike packing momentum like a mountain's weight, unstoppable. The scholarly man could only retreat repeatedly, deflecting force with force. Watching this, many in the audience gasped in awe at the burly man's prowess.

However, true experts could tell at a glance that although the scholarly man was constantly retreating, every move precisely negated his opponent's full power with effortless ease.

In contrast, the burly man was growing increasingly exhausted, his physical strength rapidly draining. By the time he realized this, he could no longer break free, firmly entangled by his opponent.

Before long, he began to falter. Caught off guard, he exposed a flaw, and the scholarly man seized the moment, leaving a deep claw mark across the burly man's abdomen.

An intense pain wracked the burly man, forcing a muffled groan from his throat. Taking advantage of the momentum, he retreated backward, his brow furrowing deeply as a painful, icy chill radiated from the wound.

Dammit, this bastard's hands are poisoned!

The scholarly man sneered coldly, having no intention of pursuing further. Now that his target was injured, victory was already decided.

“It's him! Ghostly Hand Zhu Shu!”

Someone recognized the eerie technique and cried out in shock, causing the faces of the few men still standing nearby to turn pale as they hurriedly backed away.

“It's really him! If you get caught up with him, you're in big trouble.” Someone frowned, their words filled with deep wariness, clearly having long heard of Zhu Shu's sinister reputation.

Listening to the crowd's exclamations, the smirk on Zhu Shu's face widened even further. At this moment, he had become the center of attention in the entire auction hall.

“Ghostly Hand Zhu Shu?”

An indifferent voice abruptly echoed. An extreme sense of danger descended upon Zhu Shu's heart. However, coming even faster than his reaction was an agonizing, tearing pain—every single bone in his body snapped, and he crashed into the nearby wall like a cannonball, blood spilling from all seven orifices.

The entire hall fell into a dead silence. The turn of events had happened far too fast; before anyone could recover from the shock, they saw Zhu Shu slumped against the wall, devoid of any breath, his body as limp as a puddle of water. His eyes were wide open, as if in disbelief that he had died just like that.

And standing right where he had been standing moments ago was a figure wrapped in a black cloak, holding an exquisitely featured young girl like a little chick.