So It's Little Martial Aunt

“Sold!”

Lingling only glanced at the stage a few times. Although she was curious, she knew what she needed to do right now; this was no time for curiosity.

She struck the table with the mallet in her hand.

“Sold!”

As the word left her mouth, the surroundings fell silent.

The crowd couldn't help but sigh in admiration. As expected of the cultivators in those private rooms; as soon as the bell rang, the cultivators below stood no chance of competing.

This was the preferential treatment the Medicine King Pavilion showed to its own disciples.

Of course, the owners of the auction items also liked dealing with them, especially for barter trades. As long as they dared to ring the bell, there was no way the Medicine King Pavilion couldn't produce the item.

In the shadows, the old man abruptly raised his head, his eyes filled with shock, followed by extreme excitement!

Someone traded for it!

Hahaha!

Someone finally traded for it!

He was saved!

He then cast a cautious glance around, pulled his robes tightly around himself, left his seat, and headed toward the back where the auction items were exchanged.

After consuming the Scarlet Flame Flower, the fire poison in his body could be purged within two hours, which was exactly when the auction would end.

He just needed to find a corner to sit in meditation and recover from his injuries.

After ringing the bell, Jiang Lu was pondering what to do next when she heard an attendant knocking on the door.

“Come in.”

A maid entered holding a tray, which held three jade slips of different colors.

Jiang Lu looked at her with some curiosity, waiting for her explanation.

Seeing this, the maid knew it was Jiang Lu's first time here, so she explained the rules.

“Little Martial Aunt, you might not be aware.”

“As long as a disciple in these five private rooms bids and the bell rings, the item automatically belongs to them. As for the price, it will be the previous bid plus the minimum increment for each round.”

“But your item is a bit special since it requires a barter trade. These three jade slips represent three different options.”

“The one on the left represents bartering the item yourself.”

“The one in the middle represents giving spirit stones of equivalent value to the Pavilion, and the Pavilion will exchange the materials for you.”

“The one on the right represents using Medicine King Pavilion points to offset the cost.”

Jiang Lu directly chose the first jade slip and pointed at the Scarlet Flame Flower on the table.

The attendant nodded, scanned the Scarlet Flame Flower with the jade slip, and its information appeared.

The information was recorded in the spiritual slip.

As expected of Little Martial Aunt, to actually have such a spiritual plant. If anyone said she wasn't a direct disciple, the attendant wouldn't believe them.

She then took out a box and placed the Scarlet Flame Flower inside.

“Little Martial Aunt, please wait a moment. Once the exchange is complete, I will bring your item to you.”

Jiang Lu nodded, then watched the private room's door close.

The service was quite good. She withdrew her gaze and looked back down at the auction stage.

Perhaps due to her appearance, the atmosphere in the auction hall had shifted slightly.

Everyone seemed to have become a bit more restrained.

“Why didn't you say so earlier? Hmph, what if Martial Aunt blames us?” Pavilion Master Shi pointed at the attendant's nose as he spoke.

The attendant looked at him with a face full of grievance. He had gone to find the Pavilion Master! The Pavilion Master said he knew, which was why the attendant left. Why was he blaming him now?

Seeing his aggrieved expression, Pavilion Master Shi guiltily looked away.

“Ahem, seeing as this is your first offense, I'll forgive you this time.”

He then put his hands behind his back and walked toward the item exchange area. Although he was in the wrong, he absolutely could not admit it.

Just as he walked in, he saw the maid holding the Thunderstone with both hands, preparing to go upstairs.

He hastily caught up.

The maid glanced at him, looking puzzled.

“I'll go with you,” he said casually. If not for the thin layer of sweat on his forehead, it might have been more convincing.

The maid looked at him, wanting to speak but hesitating. Forget it, it was better for her not to say too much.

Knock, knock—

“Come in.”

Jiang Lu turned around and patted the three little ones inside her pouch. They immediately quieted down.

“Little Martial Aunt, this is your Thunderstone. Please verify it.”

Saying so, she carefully placed the tray on the table. Jiang Lu picked it up, examined it, and immediately placed it in her pouch for Mengbao to take.

What was more convincing than a Treasure-Hunting Mouse? The answer, of course, was nothing.

After Mengbao confirmed there were no issues, she casually stored it into her space.

Seeing Jiang Lu looking at her, the maid then introduced:

“This is the pavilion master of this Medicine King Pavilion branch—Shi Yan.”

“Greetings, Pavilion Master Shi,” Jiang Lu bowed slightly to him.

Shi Yan immediately returned the gesture, then said to the maid:

“You may leave now.”

The maid nodded, turned, and withdrew.

“May I ask who you are?” Shi Yan asked. Since he didn't know her identity, it was hard to address her. She didn't look very old, so she couldn't be an elder.

That left only a disciple.

Jiang Lu thought about it. She didn't seem to know what her identity was either. Although she knew her master's status was extraordinary, she didn't know how the people in the Pavilion addressed him.

She then took out her jade pendant and said to him, “My master's name is Ye Qing.”

Hearing this, Shi Yan repeated the name in his mind a few times. It sounded so familiar.

Once he saw the jade pendant clearly, he thought of something, and his expression changed slightly.

Rumor had it that Elder Ye had taken a direct disciple. Could it be this one?

He slapped his thigh. It matched!

Wasn't Elder Ye's real name Ye Qing?

Moreover, rumor had it that the disciple was recruited in Xijiang City, which happened to be under his jurisdiction.

He never expected that the disciple everyone had been gossiping about would appear right before him so naturally.

“So it's Little Martial Aunt.”

In terms of seniority, Jiang Lu indeed deserved to be called Martial Aunt. In the cultivation world, seniority was determined by both strength and generation.

Since she was Elder Ye's direct disciple, she was fully worthy of this address.

However...

The ancestral teachings of the Medicine King Pavilion dictated that all disciples had to pass an assessment before they could be accepted as direct disciples.

He just didn't know how this one had passed.

Regardless, she was not someone he could afford to offend. His tone grew even more respectful.

“I wonder if Martial Aunt has any other auction items she requires?”

Jiang Lu looked down at the auction and shook her head.

“I'll just watch for now.”

She didn't say she didn't need anything; she was just watching for now. If she encountered something useful, she would naturally bid on it.

After all, with the opportunity right in front of her, she would be a fool not to seize it.

“Very well, it's up to you, Martial Aunt. I shall take my leave first. We can have a proper chat after the auction ends.”

Jiang Lu nodded, then let out a sigh of relief.

She wasn't used to staying with strangers. It was a good thing he left on his own; otherwise, she wouldn't even know what to say.

But seeing his attitude toward her, and recalling Uncle Chi's attitude toward her master, Jiang Lu was even more certain that the relationship between the two of them was unusual. Otherwise, they should have been as polite to each other as she and Shi Yan were now.

Her gaze returned to the auction hall. The three little ones crawled out of her pouch again, clinging to the edge of the window and watching the auction hall along with Jiang Lu.

Until the auction ended, Mengbao did not show that same excited expression from earlier...