Chapter 89
Lou Yuqing had just found herself a seat when a commotion erupted from the upper corridor.
The surrounding conversations immediately died down as heads turned toward the source of the disturbance.
"Xie Wenheng from the Baishi Sect is here!"
The moment Xie Wenheng appeared, the entire auction hall seemed to fall silent.
Only after he disappeared into a private room, surrounded by attendants and followers, did everyone finally let out the breaths they'd been holding.
Watching the reaction, Lou Yuqing couldn't help thinking that the people of Baishi City were practically terrified of the Baishi Sect.
For them to react like this, the sect must have committed no shortage of atrocities.
Just as the hall settled into uneasy silence, a clear, elegant female voice drifted from another private room.
"Everywhere Young Master Xie goes becomes remarkably quiet. I truly admire your unique talent."
The hall instantly erupted.
"Who is that woman? She dares mock Xie Wenheng to his face?"
"Isn't she afraid of retaliation?"
"You must not be from Baishi City," someone replied knowingly. "That's Hu Ruofeng, the Second Miss of the Hu Family. With the Hu Family backing her, what does she have to fear?"
"Can the Hu Family really stand against the Baishi Sect?"
"You really know nothing. The two families were preparing a marriage alliance. Xie Wenheng was originally supposed to marry Hu Ruoyan, the Hu Family's eldest daughter. Their relationship used to be quite good."
"So they've fallen out?"
"Xie Wenheng is surrounded by beauties everywhere he goes. Then he set his sights on the most beautiful woman in Baishi City. Naturally, she rejected him. That's when the conflict between the two families started."
Lou Yuqing nodded inwardly.
I see.
So that's the situation.
Just as the pieces clicked into place, Xie Wenheng let out a cold laugh.
He brushed aside the attendants around him and strode directly to Hu Ruofeng's private room.
"I, Xie Wenheng, have always possessed a chivalrous heart."
A surge of spiritual energy exploded from his body.
The pressure rolled through the corridor. Cracking sounds echoed faintly, like bones grinding against one another.
"Since Miss Hu admires me so much, I'd be happy to generously teach you a secret technique."
He smiled.
"What do you think, Miss Hu?"
"Why not?"
Facing the overwhelming pressure, Hu Ruofeng showed no sign of retreat.
Instead, she opened the door herself.
"Please come in."
Xie Wenheng didn't hesitate in the slightest.
If there was a trap waiting for him, he clearly wasn't concerned.
He stepped inside.
Bang!
The door slammed shut.
Instantly, the audience's view vanished. Several regretful sighs rose throughout the hall.
To be honest, Lou Yuqing felt the same way.
The exciting part had just begun, and she'd already been locked out.
As a professional gossip enthusiast, how was she supposed to accept that?
Without hesitation, she opened the gossip panel.
Three thousand points.
Purchased.
Now that she had over ten thousand gossip points saved up, Lou Yuqing spent them without a second thought.
The moment the information appeared, she froze.
At the same time, the auction officially began.
The auctioneer stepped onto the stage and launched into his practiced introduction.
"Welcome, fellow Daoists, to Baishi City's auction house. Today's auction features cultivation techniques, medicinal pills, magical artifacts, spiritual herbs, talismans—"
[There's another huge piece of gossip.]
A mocking female voice suddenly echoed through the hall.
The auctioneer froze.
This was a catastrophe unlike anything he'd experienced in his entire career.
His eyes widened.
Who was causing trouble?
Before he could even react, he discovered he couldn't speak.
Not only him.
The guests in the main hall and the private rooms also fell silent.
Many wanted to discuss the mysterious voice. Yet the moment they tried, an invisible force bound their tongues.
Silence descended.
Cold sweat trickled down the auctioneer's forehead.
Forcing himself to remain calm, he continued, "I'll now introduce today's auction items. If you see something you like, don't miss the opportunity..."
[Who would've thought that Xie Wenheng and Hu Ruofeng were doing something like that inside the private room?]
The female voice sounded teasing.
Suggestive.
Almost scandalized.
The auctioneer stopped again.
What?
What did he just hear?
Bewildered, he glanced around.
Every guest was staring at Hu Ruofeng's private room. Their eyes were practically glowing.
"..."
To be fair... he was curious too.
Wasn't Xie Wenheng almost engaged to Hu Ruoyan?
How had he gotten involved with Hu Ruofeng?
And hadn't Hu Ruofeng been openly mocking him moments ago?
Wait.
No.
He couldn't think about this.
The auctioneer shook his head violently.
Not a single item had been sold yet. If this continued, the auction house would become a laughingstock.
"Elder Cai!"
He secretly transmitted his voice to an elderly man dressed in Buddhist robes.
"I beg you to act and capture this troublemaker!"
The white-haired elder slowly opened his eyes. A sharp light flashed within them.
"You continue presiding over the auction." His voice was calm. "I'll handle the rest."
The auctioneer forced a smile.
Hopefully.
Because everyone's attention had already drifted far away from the auction itself.
Elder Cai's divine sense spread across the entire auction hall like a vast invisible net.
The instant the mysterious woman spoke again, he would capture her.
Then, Lou Yuqing quietly continued reading.
[Why is everyone staring at Hu Ruofeng's room?]
[Did they realize that Xie Wenheng didn't go inside to fight her?]
[He went inside to sleep with her.]
[They claimed they were discussing secret techniques, but the moment the door closed, sparks flew. Clothes hit the floor. Tsk, tsk, tsk. How shameless.]
Lou Yuqing wisely chose not to activate the visual projection. She didn't want to risk developing a sty.
Even so, reading the text alone felt like reading a scandalous romance novel.
The crowd's eyes widened.
Holy crap.
They'd considered the possibility, but it had sounded too outrageous to believe.
Now the mysterious voice had ripped away the last shred of ambiguity and shoved the truth directly into their faces.
Xie Wenheng and Hu Ruofeng were secretly having an affair.
Inside a private room.
While the entire auction house sat outside.
The revelation exploded through the crowd.
As long as nobody mentioned the mysterious voice itself, they could still talk.
Instantly, whispers spread everywhere.
"The auction already started, and Xie Wenheng still hasn't come out. Something's definitely going on."
"Exactly! Hu Ruofeng dismissed all her attendants before letting him in."
"Could it really be..."
"Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me. Xie Wenheng acts so righteous in public, but who knows what he's like behind closed doors?"
"No wonder Miss Hu refused the marriage. Maybe she discovered he'd been secretly involved with her younger sister."
[That's right.]
[They've been involved for quite a while.]
[The night Xie Wenheng proposed to Hu Ruoyan, Hu Ruofeng drowned her sorrows in wine.]
[Her drunken beauty captivated him. The two became mutually attracted and eventually started their affair.]
Lou Yuqing listened to the crowd gradually reconstructing the truth.
A look of genuine admiration appeared on her face.
Their reasoning abilities were impressive.
Then the panel delivered another bombshell.
[However, Hu Ruofeng is not Hu Ruoyan's full sister.]
[Hu Ruofeng is the daughter of the second wife. Hu Ruoyan is the daughter of the first wife.]
[They're half-sisters. Their relationship was never particularly harmonious.]
The hall immediately became even more excited. Someone suggested breaking into the private room to see for themselves.
The atmosphere turned strange.
Because everyone secretly wanted exactly that.
Of course, nobody actually dared.
The auction house's authority and the Baishi Sect's reputation were still terrifying.
Even so, countless eyes remained fixed on the private room. Everyone silently hoped someone else would kick down the door.
After all... watching an affair get exposed was practically human nature.
Meanwhile, the auctioneer was on the verge of tears. At this point, the first item should have been sold already.
Instead, nobody cared.
"Elder Cai..." he called helplessly.
The elder's expression had become grim.
When the mysterious voice spoke, he'd immediately searched for its source.
Yet he found nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
The woman's location remained completely hidden.
Seeing Elder Cai's expression, the auctioneer didn't dare speak further.
Could this mysterious woman's cultivation actually surpass Elder Cai's?
Left with no other option, the auction house quietly activated its detection formation.
At that moment, a flash of white light appeared above the auction stage.
The auction house owner arrived personally.
Smiling warmly, he addressed the crowd.
"Fellow Daoists, you've come here today to acquire treasures."
His voice was gentle and soothing.
"There's no need to concern yourselves with trivial matters. To put everyone's mind at ease, I'll announce today's final treasures in advance."
He paused for effect before revealing the first item.
"The Heavenly Heart Pill!"
A ripple of shock swept through the hall.
Without waiting for the commotion to settle, he announced the second.
"The Demon-Slaying Sword!"
The crowd erupted once more.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"And finally—the Limitless Art!"
The hall exploded into an uproar.
"The Heavenly Heart Pill!"
"A divine pill!"
"Anyone below the Golden Core Realm can break through a major realm without obstruction after taking it!"
"Hah! Compared to the Demon-Slaying Sword, that pill is nothing!"
"Master Zangfa's surviving works are incredibly rare now. If I obtain that sword, I can roam the world freely!"
"You ignorant fool! The Limitless Art surpasses them all! Do you even know who cultivated it before? An undefeated peerless expert who swept across the entire continent!"
Even Lou Yuqing felt tempted.
If she won one of these treasures, could she bring it out of the small world?
She still hadn't recovered the spirit stones she'd spent on the ticket.
At last, the auctioneer breathed a sigh of relief. Those three treasures weren't originally meant to be revealed so early.
But desperate times called for desperate measures.
Just then, the door to Hu Ruofeng's private room opened with a creak.
The auctioneer nearly suffered heart failure.
Sure enough, every eye in the hall immediately shifted upward.
"The Heavenly Heart Pill belongs to me!"
Xie Wenheng stepped out with a cold smile.
"Let's see who dares compete against me!"
His gaze swept the hall.
Normally, everyone would've lowered their heads immediately.
This time... nobody looked away. Instead, every expression became increasingly strange.
Xie Wenheng frowned and instinctively checked himself.
Other than slightly disheveled clothing, nothing seemed unusual. He naturally attributed it to his confrontation with Hu Ruofeng.
Thinking of that passionate, enchanting woman, his heart stirred once more.
The memory of their wild encounter made desire flare inside him again.
The auctioneer looked at him and nearly collapsed.
Anyone with functioning eyes could tell what had just happened.
Could these two be any more obvious?!
Meanwhile, Hu Ruofeng stepped out as well.
"Young Master Xie." She smiled faintly.
"This young lady is also interested in the Heavenly Heart Pill. Whether you can obtain it will depend on your abilities."
Though her words sounded threatening, there was still a trace of lingering warmth in her eyes.
The second protagonist had appeared.
The crowd's curiosity immediately intensified. At this point, nobody doubted the gossip anymore.
The treasures were tempting, but the scandal was even more entertaining.
Most people couldn't afford the final treasures anyway.
In that case... why not enjoy the drama first?
Neither culprit seemed aware that their secret had already become public knowledge.
Xie Wenheng snorted. "I certainly won't disappoint Miss Hu."
His eyes turned cold. "As for your sister's humiliation of me... one day, I'll settle that debt with the Hu Family."
"Xie Wenheng!" Hu Ruofeng immediately stepped forward. "My sister is innocent! If you dare harm her, I won't let you off!"
Everyone: "..."
Amazing.
Absolutely amazing.
Looking at them now, one would think they were mortal enemies.
In reality, they'd been secretly involved for ages.
After exchanging a few more words—and an even more meaningful glance—the pair returned to their respective rooms.
The hall exploded with whispers.
"Shameless. Absolutely shameless."
"I knew Xie Wenheng was lustful, but I never imagined he was this bad."
"Hu Ruofeng isn't any better. Secretly seducing a man who was supposed to marry her sister."
"Poor Miss Hu."
Then Lou Yuqing's inner voice rang out again.
[Wait a second.]
[How long was it between Xie Wenheng entering and leaving the room?]
[A single cup of tea's worth of time?]
[So... that's it?]
For a moment, everyone froze.
Then realization dawned, and their expressions twisted.
The next instant, the hall erupted with laughter.
Xie Wenheng was finished.
Completely finished.
By tomorrow, this story would be the talk of Baishi City. His reputation was ruined.
The arrogant posture he carried, the swagger he took pride in, and that enviable image of being surrounded by beauties had all been crushed beyond repair.
Lou Yuqing sighed sympathetically.
[Those female cultivators who followed him really had it rough.]
[The experience was short, the quality was poor, and they still had to flatter him afterward.]
[Honestly, they earned every spirit stone they got.]
The laughter grew even louder.
Xie Wenheng's patience finally snapped.
He kicked one of his subordinates in the leg and barked, "What are those idiots laughing at? Why hasn't the auction started yet?"
The subordinate nearly stumbled forward.
"I'll go find out immediately, Young Master!"
The maid standing nearby lowered her head and remained silent.
What were they laughing at?
At him, of course.
At their esteemed young sect master.
Meanwhile, the auction house owner was equally bewildered.
When he received word from his subordinates, he had immediately changed the final auction lineup, believing the adjustment would calm the crowd and redirect their attention.
Yet the result was far from what he expected.
They were still laughing.
For no apparent reason.
Was the affair between Xie Wenheng and Hu Ruofeng really that amusing?
The auctioneer lowered his head.
Honestly?
He wanted to laugh too.
But after seeing the increasingly dark expression on the owner's face, he wisely kept his mouth shut.
The auction house owner's face grew stormy.
The more he thought about those two shamelessly fooling around inside a private room during his auction, the angrier he became.
Originally, he had intended to settle accounts after the auction ended.
Now?
Forget later.
He wanted them gone immediately.
His voice exploded through the hall like thunder.
"Xie Wenheng! Hu Ruofeng! Get out of my auction house! From this day forward, neither of you is welcome here again!"
The entire auction hall fell silent.
If those two remained any longer, his auction house would soon gain a reputation as a gathering place for adulterers and secret lovers.
That was absolutely unacceptable.
As for the Baishi Sect and the Hu family?
So what?
He didn't care.
The overwhelming pressure radiating from the auction house owner swept through the hall.
The laughter vanished instantly.
Everyone straightened unconsciously.
Even Lou Yuqing sat up a little straighter, her amusement fading. She hadn't expected the auction house owner to be this forceful.
The Baishi Sect practically ruled Baishi City with an iron fist, yet he dared offend them directly.
No wonder he could operate an auction house here without sharing profits with the local powers.
His backing was clearly extraordinary.
Boom!
The private room door burst open.
Xie Wenheng strode into the corridor, face dark with fury. "I, Xie Wenheng, have done nothing to offend you!"
"What exactly is the meaning of this?!"
A moment later, Hu Ruofeng emerged as well.
Confusion, embarrassment, and anger mingled across her face.
"The Hu Family has always maintained a good relationship with the auction house. Why are you driving us away?"
The auction house owner couldn't be bothered arguing.
With a casual sweep of his sleeve, a terrifying force surged forward.
The next instant, Xie Wenheng, Hu Ruofeng, and all of their attendants were forcibly thrown out of the auction house.
Only after the troublesome pair disappeared did he calmly address the crowd.
"The rude guests are gone. The auction officially begins now."
His voice carried an unquestionable authority.
The atmosphere shifted immediately.
The restless emotions lingering in everyone's hearts were suppressed.
Silence returned.
Only breathing and heartbeats remained audible. Everyone unconsciously straightened their posture.
The auctioneer took a deep breath and resumed his duties.
"The first item is Nine-Leaf Grass. One leaf blooms every hundred years. It reaches full maturity after nine hundred years. It can calm the mind, suppress inner demons, and may be consumed directly or refined into medicinal pills..."
His practiced explanation flowed smoothly.
Gradually, attention shifted away from the earlier scandal. Eyes returned to the treasures displayed on the stage.
Even so, everyone knew this matter was far from over.
Once the auction ended, news would spread throughout Baishi City like wildfire.
At her seat, Lou Yuqing stared at the auction items with growing interest.
What she cared about now was something else entirely.
If she successfully won an item... could she really bring it out of the small world?
If not, then the spirit stones she'd spent on admission would be a complete loss.
Outside the small world-
When the image shifted from the Hu residence to the auction house, it happened to capture the scene of the owner driving people away.
Lingzhu Zhenren frowned.
She had personally designed the map for this small world.
According to the original setting, the auction house owner wasn't supposed to appear at all.
Why had he suddenly shown up and thrown people out?
This storyline was originally intended to reveal the hidden relationship between Xie Wenheng and Hu Ruofeng.
As long as the disciples followed the clues afterward, they would eventually uncover the truth.
But now... everything seemed completely derailed.
Her gaze landed on Lou Yuqing's fleeting figure within the image.
Lingzhu Zhenren rubbed her forehead.
There was no need to guess. That girl had definitely exposed everything.
Because the scene changed too quickly, she didn't know Lou Yuqing had actually paid spirit stones to enter the auction and was currently eyeing the three final treasures.
As for taking them out?
Impossible.
The foundation of the small world was illusion. Everything within it was ultimately fake.
The image rippled. The auction house dissolved before their eyes, and a dark mineral vein emerged in its place.
Gu Buqi sighed.
He had only managed to see his disciple for half a breath.
Sword Venerable Chengfeng didn't see the junior disciple at all. His attention instead moved toward the two Golden Core battlefields.
Compared to the relatively peaceful pace of the other small worlds, those two battlefields were raging with astonishing intensity.
The requirements for participating in the Golden Core competition were simple.
First, one had to possess Golden Core cultivation.
Second, one had to be under one hundred years old.
Those who qualified were all elite disciples of the Seven Sects.
Altogether, fewer than two hundred participants met the criteria.
The two small worlds assigned to them corresponded to two historical disasters: the Demonic Calamity of fifty years ago and the Beast Tide that had swept through the region twenty years ago.
The mission prompt was straightforward:
—Fighting fellow participants is prohibited. Points will be awarded according to the quantity and rank of demonic cultivators or demonic beasts killed. The top ten scorers in each category will advance.
At first glance, it sounded like nothing more than a slaughter competition.
In reality, however, schemes and betrayals lurked everywhere.
Both the demonic calamity and the beast tide contained hidden spies.
One careless mistake, one successful deception, and a participant could be eliminated on the spot.
At this moment, most of the upper echelons of the Seven Sects had turned their attention to these two small worlds.
Their disciples were participating within them, but more importantly, the recreated scenes evoked memories of the past.
Many of the elders had personally survived those events.
Seeing the familiar landscapes again inevitably brought complicated emotions rushing back.
Flashes of white light appeared one after another as participants were eliminated from the competition.
Surprisingly, most of those removed came from the Foundation Establishment division, while very few Golden Core cultivators had been forced out.
The rules certainly played a role, but the results also proved one thing: the seemingly peaceful small worlds were no less dangerous than the chaotic battlefields.
Inside the mine, the rhythmic clang of mining echoed through the tunnels.
Clang!
Clang!
The overseer reclined comfortably in a wooden chair, leisurely sipping tea. Stroking his mustache, he grinned.
"Now this is living."
Suddenly, a dark figure stepped into the room.
The overseer started in surprise, but the shock quickly gave way to anger. Looking at the filthy miner standing before him, he slammed a fist onto the table.
"What are you doing here? Trying to rebel? Get back to work!"
The miner smiled.
Beneath that gentle smile lurked a chilling coldness.
"I don't know how to mine. Why don't you demonstrate for me?"
The overseer's expression changed.
"Guards! Seize her!"
He tried to rise, only to realize he couldn't move. A powerful sense of dread flooded his body.
Outside, everything remained silent. No one came.
The spiritual attack from the miner's fingertip flashed across his widening eyes before piercing straight through him. He died instantly.
Si Nidie planted her hands on her hips. "Finally dead. You dared whip me, consider this karma."
She snorted. "Besides, I couldn't risk you leaking information, so you were doomed anyway."
Ever since entering the small world, she had been trapped in an endless cycle of labor. For half a day straight, all she had done was mine, mine, and mine some more.
At one point she had become so dazed that she genuinely wondered whether she'd done something wrong and Captain Wei was punishing her by making her work the mines.
In the end, it all came back to the absurd mission prompt.
—You are a mining slave of the Baishi Sect searching for the Snow Lotus.
Current Mission: Explore the mineral vein.
To complete that task, she endured beatings while mining.
Eventually, she learned information about the Snow Lotus from a drunken overseer.
That triggered the second phase of her mission: Investigate the Baishi Sect.
Now that the objective had been completed, there was no reason to keep this man alive.
She had secretly drugged his tea beforehand. After a single sip, his spiritual energy became unusable.
His death was entirely deserved.
Si Nidie quickly changed out of her miner's clothes.
A moment later, she had transformed into a Baishi Sect disciple.
According to the overseer, Snow Lotus plants were growing in the sect master's herb garden. If she could successfully infiltrate the garden, the mission would be complete.
After fastening the disciple token at her waist, she carefully checked herself once more.
Finding no flaws, she avoided the mine's protective formation and headed straight toward the Baishi Sect.