The Myriad Treasures Merchant Caravan was renowned far and wide. Even though Ning Xiu had never left Chaotian Capital before, he had still heard of it.
The caravan was made up entirely of all kinds of extraordinary people and strange travelers. It was immensely powerful, which allowed it to roam far and wide, searching for treasures in every corner of the land.
Whenever the Myriad Treasures Merchant Caravan returned from afar, it would attract the attention of wealthy merchants and high-ranking nobles throughout Great Shang, all eager to see what treasures it had brought back this time.
Until now, Ning Xiu had only heard of them, never seen them in person.
He had never imagined that tonight the Myriad Treasures Merchant Caravan would hold a treasure auction at Moon Embracing Tower in Wendeng County. He was lucky to have arrived just in time for the spectacle.
A treasure auction was simply an auction. The Myriad Treasures Merchant Caravan would put up some of the treasures it had brought back from elsewhere.
If you saw something you liked, you could bid against the others. The highest bidder would take it home.
As an author of erotic novels, Ning Xiu figured that something so delightfully vulgar yet refined would find plenty of readers once it was published.
Sales surely wouldn't be bad. He reckoned this fellow had quite a fortune at his disposal.
Seeing Huang You looking so excited, Ning Xiu guessed he planned to spend lavishly tonight, tossing out a thousand gold pieces without batting an eye.
"Deng-er long dong, long-er li-er long-ge dong~ The general's deeds are utterly unjust..."
After a few rounds of drinks, someone suddenly called a halt to the martial performer singing on the stage and ushered him off.
At the sight of this, everyone in Moon Embracing Tower perked up at once. This was surely the signal that the treasure auction was about to begin.
Sure enough, after the stage had been cleared, a middle-aged man in a long jacket and robe walked up with three burly men in fitted martial outfits. The entire hall fell silent, every eye fixed on the stage.
"That's Manager Ye of Moon Embracing Tower. I don't know those three, but if I had to guess, they're the people the Myriad Treasures Merchant Caravan sent to host tonight's auction," Huang You explained to Ning Xiu.
At the same time, Manager Ye spoke from the stage. "Thank you for waiting. These three are officers of the Myriad Treasures Merchant Caravan, and they'll be hosting tonight's treasure auction. I hope you'll all bid enthusiastically. If you see something you like, act decisively. Don't wait until it's slipped through your fingers to regret it."
Great Shang had originally been divided into thirty-six prefectures. But after Evil Spirits wreaked havoc across the land, the farther a prefecture was from Chaotian Capital, the harder it became to reach. Along the way, mountains and rivers were often seized by Demonic Creatures and Evil Spirits, who blocked the roads and relay stations and terrorized the surrounding lands.
By now, Great Shang had full control of only sixteen prefectures. Four had been reclaimed just in the past few decades, while the remaining twenty were still fending for themselves, with their cities sealed off against the enemy.
With the roads so long and arduous, even when the Demon Subduing Bureau dispatched dozens of Demon Subduing Captains on expeditions to reclaim prefectures surrounded by Evil Spirits and Demonic Creatures, it was often beyond their power.
Some Demon Subduing Captains were undeniably powerful, but the great Demon Kings, fiends, and Fierce Gods were terrifyingly strong as well, leaving the Demon Subduing Bureau unable to gain much of an advantage.
All they could do was gaze toward the lost territory, unable to reclaim it.
Over the centuries, the prefectures trapped beyond the front lines had gradually become like fiefdoms ruled by vassal kings and feudal lords. The emperor of Great Shang was hardly pleased, but there was nothing he could do.
As a result, the specialties of those twenty prefectures—goldware, fine horses, jade carvings, fruit, and the like—were extremely difficult to transport to Chaotian Capital. Few ever made it there, turning them into rare treasures with no market price.
Under Ning Xiu's gaze, the three men each took out a scroll and began reading the names of the treasures listed on it, along with their starting prices.
"One Sea Moon Pearl from Daliang Prefecture, three hundred taels."
"Three jin of Star Pattern Damascus Steel from Nanjiang Prefecture, five hundred taels."
"Five chi of Golden Silk Silkworm Cloth from Wuyue Prefecture, six hundred taels."
Listening to the names of things he had never heard of, Ning Xiu remained calm, but Huang You, seated beside him, couldn't contain himself.
"Wonderful stuff, all of it! Sea Moon Pearls glow at night, giving off a soft, gentle light that won't strain your eyes when you read. Star Pattern Damascus Steel is lighter and harder than ordinary iron ore, making it excellent for armor and weapons. And Golden Silk Silkworm Cloth is even more remarkable. Clothes made from it keep you warm in winter and cool in summer, and they're light and durable. Anyone who can get a garment made from this cloth will have face to spare!"
Huang You took paper and a writing brush from his attendant, which he had prepared in advance, and began bidding on the treasures he wanted.
Ning Xiu glanced over. There were seventeen items in all, each priced at no less than three hundred taels. It was clear that Huang You had a truly impressive fortune.
So writing erotic novels in Great Shang really is profitable, Ning Xiu couldn't help thinking.
"Lord Ning, is there anything you like or have your eye on? If there is, just tell me. I, Huang, will be your host and make sure we get it, no matter the price."
After handing his bid sheet to his attendant to deliver to the Myriad Treasures Merchant Caravan, Huang You turned to Ning Xiu.
"Thank you, but I haven't seen anything I want yet. I'll let you know if I do." Ning Xiu smiled and nodded.
Getting things for free was his favorite.
The Myriad Treasures Merchant Caravan had brought quite a few fine treasures to auction that night. More than a hundred people ended up bidding. The rules were as follows:
The caravan's people would choose the highest bid for each treasure and announce it publicly, then ask whether anyone wanted to offer more. If someone did, the bidding continued. If no one did, the treasure went to the highest bidder.
The feeling of throwing money around like dirt made the whole place blaze with excitement. Bidders and spectators alike were worked up, wishing the bidders would fight harder—and, ideally, get into an actual brawl. That would make things even livelier.
After half an incense stick's time, Huang You successfully won twelve of the seventeen treasures he had wanted. He had made quite a haul.
"Lord Ning, the Myriad Treasures Merchant Caravan heads out every three months. When it comes back, it holds auctions in a few different places. After resting for a while, it gathers its people and sets out again. Chances like this don't come often, so if you see something you want, be sure to tell me. If you miss this chance, you'll have to wait several months for the next one," Huang You reminded him.
The first round of treasures onstage had now sold out, and the bidding for the second round began.
A burly man in a fitted martial outfit held up a scroll and called out in a booming voice, "One finest-grade Pure White Jade Thumb Ring, five hundred taels."
He was powerfully built, and his temples were different from those of ordinary people, bulging slightly outward as if two lumps of flesh had grown on his head.
That was a trait of the Martial Dao Seventh Rank. It was the body's reaction to a recent breakthrough, before the practitioner had learned to control his Internal Energy. Once the Internal Energy within his body stabilized, the two bulges would recede.
The fact that even one of the people sent to host the auction was a Martial Dao Seventh Rank expert gave Ning Xiu a much clearer idea of the Myriad Treasures Merchant Caravan's strength.
"A Pure White Jade Thumb Ring! And the finest grade, too!" Huang You was instantly thrilled by the man's announcement. He hurriedly picked up his brush and wrote down his bid.
Eight hundred taels!
Ning Xiu was a little surprised. Eight hundred taels of silver was no small sum—it could cover an ordinary family's expenses for many years. What was so special about this thumb ring that made it worth that much?
Perhaps noticing Ning Xiu's confusion, Huang You took the initiative to explain. "Lord Ning, you may not know this, but Pure White Jade is a specialty of Yuyang Prefecture. This kind of jade can only be mined there. Even an ordinary piece of Pure White Jade, when worn, calms the mind, aids sleep, and steadies the heart. The finest grade can nourish your essence and protect your kidneys, improve your eyesight, help your hair grow, preserve your looks, and slow aging. It's a treasure you can't buy anywhere on the market."
"Is it really that miraculous?" Ning Xiu asked, only half-convinced. Just wearing a piece of jade could bring about all those benefits? At that rate, it was practically a divine artifact.
After waiting a while, when nearly everyone who wanted to bid had submitted their prices, the burly man took the highest bid sheet from his companion and announced, "Young Master Lu has bid one thousand taels. Does anyone else wish to bid? If not, this finest-grade Pure White Jade Thumb Ring will go to Young Master Lu."
Huang You froze. He knew he probably wasn't the highest bidder, but that was fine. He could always raise his bid later.
But this highest bidder, Young Master Lu, puzzled him.
He had lived in Wendeng County for more than ten years, yet he had never heard of any wealthy merchant or local notable surnamed Lu.
Could the rich young master have come from somewhere else after hearing that the Myriad Treasures Merchant Caravan would hold an auction in Wendeng County tonight?
"Go call your manager," Huang You said to the waiter outside the private room.
Before long, Manager Ye of Moon Embracing Tower hurried in. "Young Master Huang, what can I do for you?"
"Do you know who that Young Master Lu is?"
"Ah, Young Master Huang, don't you know? Young Master Lu is the son of Lord Lu, the new county magistrate."
"New... county... magistrate..." Huang You heard this and instantly felt as if his whole world had crumbled.
His father had been the county magistrate of Wendeng County. Not long ago, he had been told out of the blue that he was being stripped of his post and forced into retirement. Someone would be sent from elsewhere to take his place.
The new county magistrate had taken his father's position, and Huang You didn't know much about him. Learning this now made his teeth grind with anger.
His father had been blessed with a son late in life, but he wasn't nearly old enough to retire. The new county magistrate must have resorted to some underhanded trick behind the scenes to get his father stripped of his post.
A surge of defiance welled up in Huang You's heart. The Lu Family had taken the county magistrate's position from his family, and there was no way he would let them take this Pure White Jade Thumb Ring tonight.
Before anyone could stop him, Huang You rushed out of the private room and shouted, "One thousand two hundred taels!"
Everyone turned to look. Calling out a bid like that was against the rules, but when they saw it was Huang You, no one objected. Everyone present knew him.
The burly man didn't seem to mind. He simply nodded and said, "One thousand two hundred taels. Does anyone else wish to bid?"
The hall fell completely silent.
In the end, Huang You easily claimed the finest-grade Pure White Jade Thumb Ring, looking immensely pleased with himself.
"Try messing with me! My father may not be county magistrate anymore, but if it comes to money, I can crush you. What Young Master Lu? Pah!" Huang You returned to the private room looking refreshed and full of himself.
On the second floor of Moon Embracing Tower, in a private room near the walkway,
a tall, thin young man in blue sat in a wooden chair, idly waving a fan as he watched the stage below.
Seeing someone else buy the thumb ring, the attendant standing behind the young man couldn't help asking, "Young Master, it's only twelve hundred taels. Why didn't we keep bidding? Pure White Jade Thumb Rings like this are hard to come by. It'd be a shame to miss out tonight."
The young man smiled faintly. "What's there to regret? Once the treasure auction is over, you can take some men and snatch the treasure from the fellow who bought it."
The attendant's eyes lit up. "Brilliant, Young Master! That's a high-level move. Now that's what you call snatching a treasure!"
After the Pure White Jade Thumb Ring was sold, the burly man announced several more exceptionally precious treasures, but none of them interested Ning Xiu.
Huang You occasionally bid on something he liked, while leaving the rest for others to fight over. Soon, seven more treasures had been sold after the thumb ring.
"A pair of Drum Beating Golden Hammers once wielded by Purple Thunder True Man. One of the pair was lost after his death. This hammer weighs three hundred and twenty jin. Starting price: one thousand taels."
Purple Thunder True Man!
Ning Xiu's eyes lit up at once. True Person was an honorific reserved for experts of the Immortal Path Fourth Rank or higher. Everyone knew that. There was no way anyone could get it wrong.
A weapon used by an Immortal Path True Person—now that was meaningful. If he could buy it and wield it, its power would far surpass that of ordinary weapons.
Although Ning Xiu didn't know any hammer techniques, he could learn.
He lifted the bamboo curtain and looked outside. On the stage lay a golden hammer four chi long, its head shaped like a round pumpkin.
A great many orange-red talismans covered its surface. At a glance, it was clearly a product of the Immortal Path.
"That hammer weighs three hundred and twenty jin. Who could even swing it?"
"You don't understand. It's a weapon used by a True Person. It has the True Person's spiritual power attached to it. Wouldn't it be wonderful to keep it at home to drive off Evil Spirits and suppress hauntings?"
"That sounds reasonable. And it'll make me look like a man of refined taste."
The whole hall buzzed with discussion. Quite a few people seemed interested in the hammer.
"Young Master Huang, I want that one," Ning Xiu said, looking at the Drum Beating Golden Hammer onstage.
"Good! Lord Ning, you've finally spoken. I'll make sure we get it." Huang You picked up the paper and brush, then immediately wrote down a bid of fifteen hundred taels.
In these times, the wealthy pursued ways to ward off Evil Spirits and suppress hauntings with near-fanatical zeal. Every household was filled with statues and carvings of immortals and Buddhas, along with all kinds of magical artifacts, in case Evil Spirits harmed them one day.
A weapon once used by a True Person was immediately snapped up by bidders throughout the hall. Before long, its price had climbed to three thousand taels, making it the most expensive treasure of the night so far.
"These guys just won't give up." Huang You casually wrote down another high bid: three thousand five hundred taels.
If he managed to get the hammer, his spending tonight would come close to ten thousand taels of silver.
Ning Xiu became even more certain that writing erotic novels in Great Shang really was profitable. Otherwise, how could the son of a former county magistrate have so much money and spend it so freely, without the slightest sign of heartache?
In the end, Huang You won the Drum Beating Golden Hammer for four thousand taels, setting a new record for the night's highest expenditure.
After that, the treasure auction quickly drew to a close.
The young man in blue, seated in a private room on the second floor, immediately said to his attendant, "Go make your move. What's mine will always be mine. No matter how much someone spends, they can't take it away."
"Understood, Young Master."
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