novelraw Chapter 228 : Half and Half
Chapter 228 : Half and Half
Chapter 228: Half and Half
With just a hurried glance, Ji Yuan had already withdrawn his gaze.
He had now changed his appearance, so naturally, it wasn’t appropriate to step forward and greet anyone; he could only wait until the auction ended and then assess the situation.
Before long—
He was led by the female cultivator to a private room on the second floor, within which a small Spirit-Gathering Formation had been set up, and fresh spiritual fruits were laid out on the table.
There was even a small bed to rest on beside him.
‘If only Senior Sister Dong were here too…’ The thought had barely arisen before Ji Yuan forcefully shook it away. He didn’t dare let his mind wander.
“This auction will run for quite some time. If Senior needs anything, please don’t hesitate to send me a message.”
As the female cultivator finished speaking, she respectfully offered a white Messaging Talisman with both hands.
Ji Yuan casually took it and tucked it into his storage pouch. “Alright, go about your business.”
“Yes, this junior will take her leave.”
After the female cultivator bowed and exited, Ji Yuan shut the door and activated the room’s restrictions. From then on, he could observe the outside, but those outside couldn’t see into his room.
He stood by the window, gazing down at the Foundation Establishment cultivators in the first-floor hall.
His eyes lingered momentarily on one particular person.
Island Lord of Qinghe.
To be precise, it was Senior Brother Qinghe.
Back when Ji Yuan was still in the Water Dragon Sect—before he had formed his Foundation and even before he had a master—he had accepted a wine-collection task from Hua Yaoyue at Thousand Mechanisms Hall.
And the Island Lord of Qinghe was the one in charge of that task.
It could even be said that Ji Yuan’s later acquaintance with Hua Yaoyue was thanks to the matchmaking efforts of the Island Lord of Qinghe.
Later, after Ji Yuan succeeded in Foundation Establishment, they exchanged messages a few times. When Ji Yuan visited Thousand Mechanisms Hall, he had even had tea with him in the back hall several times.
But ultimately, there was no substantial connection between them, and their relationship gradually grew distant.
In fact, over the past two years, they had hardly seen each other.
Even so, Ji Yuan still had his Messaging Talisman stored in his storage pouch.
Ji Yuan never expected that he would run into him again here in Lanshan City, thousands of miles away.
‘But what’s he doing here?’
Ji Yuan stood on the second floor, studying him.
At that moment, the Island Lord of Qinghe was reclining in a seat, his right hand dangling over the chair in front of him, chatting with another middle-aged man. Both wore pleasant smiles.
But for the most part, it was the Island Lord of Qinghe doing the talking, while the other man merely responded occasionally.
This usually indicated… that the Island Lord of Qinghe was trying to befriend the other party, while the other party had little interest.
After observing for a while, Ji Yuan realized that the seat the Island Lord of Qinghe was in wasn’t his own.
Because a female cultivator in a pale green dress soon arrived behind him. After confirming the spot multiple times, she finally spoke to the Island Lord of Qinghe.
The Island Lord of Qinghe hurriedly stood up and apologized, then bid farewell to the middle-aged man and left.
After being displaced from the center of the hall, he moved to the right-hand side and stood in the shadows.
It just so happened that Ji Yuan’s position allowed him to see clearly, so he watched a while longer.
The Island Lord of Qinghe stood there for about half a stick of incense’s time until a duty maid from the auction came to whisper a few words in his ear.
He immediately followed behind her and departed.
The direction he went was still into the inner hall of the auction house.
Only when his figure completely disappeared from view did Ji Yuan retract his gaze… It felt strange. Initially, he thought the Island Lord of Qinghe had come to attend the auction.
But once he saw him being shooed from a seat, Ji Yuan started thinking that might not be the case.
Then, when he saw the female cultivator approach him, Ji Yuan assumed his seat might be like his own—one of the private rooms on the second floor.
But judging from the way they spoke… it wasn’t so. The Island Lord of Qinghe didn’t seem like a guest at the auction at all. On the contrary, he resembled an internal staff member.
‘Could it be that Senior Brother Qinghe took a job here, trying to earn some extra spirit stones?’
Ji Yuan had no idea.
Though curious, he wasn’t going to pry.
Everyone had their own life. As long as it didn’t affect him, that was enough.
Afterward, he waited in the private room for about an hour. Around the time of the Hour of the Dragon (7–9 AM), when all the seats in the hall were filled, the auction began amid cheers and applause.
From the outset, it was a series of dull opening bids and price calls.
Items auctioned early on were typically of lesser value, with prices generally under 500 middle-grade spirit stones, including several One-Pattern Foundation Establishment Pills.
Ji Yuan didn’t even have the urge to bid, choosing instead to rest in his private room.
The first half of the auction lasted an entire day.
Ji Yuan also noticed that most of the bidding came from those seated in the main hall.
Few on the second floor participated, and none at all from the third floor.
The day after—
The old cultivator who had been hosting stepped down, replaced by a young and beautiful female cultivator—also at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.
Ji Yuan had heard about her from Ning Shanshan. She was the number one Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Beast Taming Sect, the Dao companion of Senior Ye Chen.
Her name was He Qianyue. With her stunning looks and status as Ye Chen’s Dao companion, she was quite famous throughout the Beast Taming Sect’s territory.
Just like now—no sooner had He Qianyue appeared than many in the first-floor hall greeted her.
Each called her “Fairy He,” sounding quite familiar.
He Qianyue returned their greetings one by one, then smiled and announced that the auction would break for an hour.
Immediately afterward, a stream of short-skirted maids entered, all holding trays of spirit-refreshing tea and delicious spiritual fruits.
Even Ji Yuan’s second-floor room received the same treatment… the auction house was certainly generous.
From the window, Ji Yuan also saw that several short-skirted ladies had entered some of the second-floor private rooms and hadn’t come back out.
Most likely, they were “learning the Dao” from the wealthy Foundation Establishment seniors.
After the one-hour break, the auction resumed—this time entering the mid-stage, featuring better-quality items.
These included Two-Pattern Foundation Establishment Pills, upper-grade spiritual artifacts, second-tier formations, cultivation techniques leading directly to the Golden Core stage, and rare mid-level spells.
This round of the auction lasted another full day. Ji Yuan gained a lot of knowledge and made one purchase: two Heavenly Thunder Seeds for 1080 middle-grade spirit stones.
He wasn’t interested in the rest.
However, his own batch of Two-Pattern Foundation Establishment Pills sold for a substantial sum.
Including the six he consigned, a total of nine Two-Pattern Foundation Establishment Pills were auctioned, each going for over 800 middle-grade spirit stones.
That alone earned Ji Yuan a considerable fortune.
Not to mention the two One-Pattern Foundation Establishment Pills he had also sold.
By his estimate, the spirit stones earned from selling the Foundation Establishment Pills were enough to cover the cost of the Millennium Spirit Milk—and still leave some surplus.
As for the spirit stones in his storage pouch, they were reserved for purchasing the corpse of the Third-Tier Flood Dragon.
With the second day’s auction concluded—
The third day finally arrived… and that was the true highlight. The items auctioned on this day were all finale treasures.
Among them were the ten drops of Millennium Spirit Milk that Ji Yuan had longed for, and the corpse of the Third-Tier Flood Dragon.
“I’m sure all our esteemed guests have been eagerly awaiting this—so we won’t be taking a break. Let’s move straight to the finale auction!”
Still presiding over the finale was He Qianyue, looking particularly elegant in her pale green gradient long dress.
“Let us now welcome the first of our finale items—a supreme-grade spiritual artifact, the Fire Dragon Banner!”
“The rules remain the same for the finale.”
“There is no starting bid.”
No sooner had she finished speaking than a lazy voice rang out from the second floor. “1000 middle-grade spirit stones.”
“1100 middle-grade spirit stones.”
“……”
Only during this finale auction did Ji Yuan truly experience what it meant to spend spirit stones like water. Every item here sold for over 2000 middle-grade spirit stones.
And he wanted every single one of them.
But wanting them was one thing. Whether he could actually obtain them was another matter.
As item after item was auctioned off, the turn finally came for the ten drops of Millennium Spirit Milk that Ji Yuan desired.
Once again, a young female cultivator in a pink short skirt with snowy white long legs carried a jade tray, atop which rested a jade bottle, up to the auction platform.
He Qianyue smiled and said, “Next up for auction is a life-saving treasure for us Foundation Establishment cultivators—the Millennium Spirit Milk!”
“I’m sure you all know, even a cultivator at the peak of Foundation Establishment, with an emptied Dantian, only needs a single drop of Millennium Spirit Milk to instantly return to peak condition.”
“And this Millennium Spirit Milk isn’t just useful to Foundation Establishment cultivators—even…”
He Qianyue looked toward the third floor and took a deep breath. “Even for Golden Core Real Persons, it holds great value!”
As soon as she finished speaking, she gently struck the table with the bidding hammer in her hand.
“Ten drops of Millennium Spirit Milk—bidding begins now!”
No sooner had her voice fallen than multiple voices called out from the second-floor private rooms.
“2000 spirit stones.”
“I’ll offer 3000.”
“Let’s not waste time—4000.”
“……”
In just a few words, the price of the ten drops had been pushed to its expected range, discouraging many Foundation Establishment cultivators who had wanted to join in for fun.
After all, at that price, the item could be sold at any moment.
If someone yelled out a bid just to join the fun and accidentally won… and then couldn’t pay the spirit stones, they’d be doomed!
“What, is that all you’ve got? I’ll go—4100 spirit stones.”
From the room next to Ji Yuan came a lazy-sounding man’s voice.
Earlier, the supreme-grade spiritual artifact, the Fire Dragon Banner, had also been taken by him.
This guy was probably another second-generation cultivator like Li Changhe—what a bastard… Ji Yuan waited a bit, and someone from across the way spoke again.
“Young Master Qian, give me some face—4300 spirit stones, how about it?”
"Ha ha, good! Since Brother Liu needs it, I’ll let him have it."
From the private room next to Ji Yuan, came a burst of hearty laughter.
As for the price, it was within a reasonable range.
Ji Yuan stood at the window, hands clasped behind his back, silently watching the high platform on the first floor.
Perhaps the Liu cultivator opposite truly had some influence, for after his words, no one else raised the bid.
Seeing that the auctioneer He Qianyue was about to strike down the bidding hammer, Ji Yuan had no choice but to call out, “4550 middle-grade spirit stones.”
Before speaking, he had deliberately cleared his throat, so his voice came out quite hoarse.
The moment he spoke, quite a few cultivators in the hall below looked up toward his room, causing Ji Yuan to feel a slight chill down his spine.
"Oh?"
The Liu cultivator opposite seemed a bit surprised but didn’t say much. Instead, he simply raised his bid again: “4500.”
Since Ji Yuan had already spoken up, there was no reason to back down now.
Just as he was about to call out again, a voice came from the next room.
“Fellow Daoist, could it be that you’re from out of town and don’t know who’s bidding from the opposite side?”
Ji Yuan hesitated briefly before responding, “Who?”
“Son of Real Person Liu of the Beast Taming Sect—Liu Changle.”
…That damned bastard, to think the person opposite was also a Golden Core cultivator’s son!
“Since he’s the child of a Golden Core Real Person, surely he wouldn’t care about just ten drops of Millennium Spirit Milk?”
“Who knows. I just saw you being a bit stubborn, so I thought I’d give you a heads-up—his temper isn’t great… I’ll say no more, up to you now.”
The other person’s voice was somewhat odd, as if he shrugged his shoulders—there was a rather helpless air to it.
“Thanks.”
Ji Yuan hadn’t expected that this seemingly difficult fellow next door would actually give him a warning. After a brief hesitation, he chose to continue bidding.
It was all anonymous bidding anyway. At worst, after claiming the item, he could just use a Shapeshifting Talisman.
He didn’t believe the auction house would dare leak his identity. If they dared to do such a thing… they would’ve gone out of business long ago.
So, just as He Qianyue was about to strike the first auction hammer, Ji Yuan called out again, “4550 middle-grade spirit stones.”
Even He Qianyue looked a bit surprised at this bid.
What Ji Yuan didn’t expect was that Liu Changle actually spoke:
“Alright, since Fellow Daoist truly needs this Millennium Spirit Milk, then I, Liu Changle, shall not compete. I’ll yield to you.”
Now Ji Yuan was the one surprised.
He had thought that even if he managed to win the Millennium Spirit Milk, he’d have to spend a hefty sum and might even offend Liu Changle… but unexpectedly, Liu Changle turned out to be so gracious?
“This one truly needs the Millennium Spirit Milk to save his life. Many thanks to Fellow Daoist Liu.”
Since the other party had given him an out, Ji Yuan naturally returned the courtesy.
Thus, the ten drops of Millennium Spirit Milk he had yearned for were successfully purchased by him for 4550 middle-grade spirit stones.
After he had won the bid, the neighboring room once again issued that person’s voice.
Only this time, his tone carried an obvious note of amusement.
“Impressive, Fellow Daoist! You seem quite bold—didn’t expect that even this didn’t scare you off.”
Of course, Ji Yuan could tell—that guy had been trying to scare him earlier.
“Why did Fellow Daoist do that?”
Ji Yuan’s voice carried a clear note of displeasure.
“Do I need a reason? Just found it amusing to tease someone from out of town. Liu-ge’s temper is famously good within the entire Beast Taming Sect. If you kept persisting, he would’ve let you have it for sure.”
Now Ji Yuan wasn’t sure if the other person was telling the truth, so he just brushed it off and replied,
“Fellow Daoist Liu is a good man.”
The other didn’t comment this time, only chuckled softly.
After the Millennium Spirit Milk was auctioned off, by all logic, the next item should’ve been that Third‑Tier Flood Dragon—its corpse, essence blood, and demon core.
This was the penultimate item in the auction.
Only after the dragon was auctioned off would the disciple slot under Real Person Lingyu be bid on.
But for some reason, He Qianyue on the high platform of the first floor seemed to receive a transmission, and her expression immediately turned unsightly, her brows deeply furrowed.
For a moment, murmurs and discussions spread throughout the hall.
Ji Yuan also stepped forward to the window to observe.
“Looks like something went wrong.”
The talkative voice from the next room echoed again.
After a brief silence, He Qianyue suddenly bowed to all sides and forced a smile, saying, “Apologies, a small situation has arisen. From here on, Senior Uncle Wang will take over the auction.”
With that, she quickly left the stage.
No sooner had she left than a streak of escape light shot onto the high platform. The instant the figure appeared, silence fell over the entire hall.
No surprise—
A Golden Core Real Person had arrived. Who would dare act up?
“Greetings, Real Person Heming.”
The Foundation Establishment cultivators in the first-floor hall all stood up and saluted the elder on the platform.
Ji Yuan also examined this newly arrived Golden Core Real Person. He wore a richly adorned yellow robe, with a vividly embroidered white crane on the chest. His hair and beard were entirely white, his frame slightly thin, and his face heavily wrinkled.
“No need for formalities, everyone. Be seated.”
Real Person Heming spoke with his hands behind his back, “Next, we shall auction off the disciple slot under Fellow Daoist Lingyu. As per tradition, there is no starting price. The auction begins now.”
With a Golden Core Real Person present, there was no need for extra words.
One sentence, and the bidding began.
…From the looks of it, perhaps something happened to Ye Chen and Cao Lang who went to slay the dragon?
Otherwise, why wouldn’t they auction off the Flood Dragon’s corpse?
Coupled with He Qianyue’s earlier hurried departure—she was Ye Chen’s Dao companion—it must’ve been a message she received.
If Ji Yuan could think of it, most others probably could too.
But that didn’t stop the auction from continuing. Because as soon as Real Person Heming finished speaking, a soft female voice came from the third floor.
“100… upper-grade spirit stones.”
Upon hearing the price, Ji Yuan couldn’t help but feel startled.
10,000 middle-grade spirit stones—that was quite the opening bid… and from the third floor, which meant a Golden Core Real Person. Clearly, Foundation Establishment cultivators weren’t meant to compete for this.
“200.”
Another gruff voice soon followed from the third floor.
The female cultivator continued, “400.”
“500.”
“1000.”
“……”
The price kept climbing, and the bidding war for this slot soon appeared to be solely between the two.
This further confirmed Ji Yuan’s earlier speculation… these two were likely representing the Beast Taming Sect and Corpse Herding Mountain, both trying to recruit Real Person Lingyu.
Moreover, given that Real Person Lingyu could even negotiate with the Six Immortal Sects, his strength was clearly formidable. No wonder both sects were pulling out all the stops.
The price climbed rapidly.
In no time, it had soared to a sky-high 5000 upper-grade spirit stones.
At that point, the rate of bidding finally slowed.
“How about this, Brother Xuanding? If we keep bidding like this, we’re just wasting time. Why don’t we each name our final price and save ourselves the trouble?” the female cultivator on the third floor proposed.
“Very well. Then I’ll listen to you, Sister Ziqi.”
The rough-voiced man agreed, then announced loudly, “Our Beast Taming Sect is willing to offer 10,000 upper-grade spirit stones in exchange for the disciple slot under Fellow Daoist Lingyu.”
As soon as this price was named, gasps of astonishment echoed across the entire first-floor hall.
Even Ji Yuan could hardly believe his ears.
Upper-grade spirit stones—and 10,000 of them.
It seemed the Beast Taming Sect was truly going all out to invite Real Person Lingyu.
After Real Person Xuanding made the offer, Real Person Ziqi of Corpse Herding Mountain remained silent for a long time.
No doubt she was communicating via voice transmission with her sect.
A moment later, Real Person Ziqi spoke again, “In that case, congratulations.”
With that, a purple streak of escape light flew out from the third floor and vanished.
Real Person Heming on the first floor struck down his bidding hammer and declared in a loud voice, “Congratulations to this honored guest for successfully bidding on the disciple slot under Real Person Lingyu.”
Applause filled the first floor.
But just then, a warm and composed voice echoed from the third floor, “Fellow Daoist Heming, I just saw that little friend in the auction hurry off, and there was no sign of the Flood Dragon. Did something happen?”
As soon as these words were spoken, the once noisy auction house fell silent again.
From the next room came the surprised voice of the chatterbox.
“Huh, so Real Person Lingyu is actually here.”