Accidental Encounter with Wen Tai, the Auction Begins

Although Stone Snake Town is not large, its location at the intersection of several surrounding towns makes it a bustling hub with access in all directions.

The sun had not yet set, but a considerable number of people had already gathered in the town.

A significant portion of them were wanderers of the martial arts world.

The auction was scheduled for exactly the Xu hour (7:00 PM to 9:00 PM), held in the third-floor reception hall of the Spirit Snake Pavilion in the center of town.

Shen Han wandered around the town for a while.

He noticed that almost everyone was discussing the upcoming auction; it was clear that the organizers, the Stone Snake Chamber of Commerce, attached great importance to this event and intended to use it to make a name for themselves.

Night gradually began to fall.

"Time for dinner first..."

Shen Han walked into a tavern, found a seat by the window, called the waiter, and ordered several hearty dishes.

After a few bites, the conversation from the neighboring table drifted over.

"Tell me, what kind of good items do you think the Stone Snake Chamber of Commerce has prepared?"

"Who could possibly know that..."

"I heard that the grand finale of the auction is a superior light-footwork manual."

"Haha, then we'll see who has the means to bid for it."

"I reckon it won't go for less than a thousand taels of silver. As for the other items, anything that makes it onto the auction block should cost at least a few hundred taels."

"Either way, it has nothing to do with us."

"That's true, and besides, no one can say for sure what kind of monsters and demons will show up at the Spirit Snake Pavilion at the Xu hour."

Shen Han ate his meal in silence.

He had one hundred and fifty taels on him, and according to their estimates, that would likely not be enough to buy a martial arts manual.

He needed to think of a way.

After his meal, he walked into a pawnshop.

"Shopkeeper, help me take a look at how much this jade pendant is worth."

He pulled the bright orange Double Fish Jade Pendant from his robes and handed it to the pawnshop owner. This pendant was something he had looted from the body of the monk that Lin Tanzhi had killed that night.

The shopkeeper took the pendant and toyed with it for a moment: "This jade has a clear luster and a rare design. How about this, fifty taels of silver."

"Too little."

Shen Han shook his head and said calmly.

The shopkeeper replied: "If you are in urgent need of silver, young master, I can add another ten taels, but that is absolutely the most I can offer."

"Hahaha!"

Suddenly, a robust laugh rang out.

It was a bearded man.

"Little brother, I want this jade pendant of yours. How about you sell it to me for one hundred taels!"

The man strode in, gave Shen Han a bold smile, and without a moment's hesitation, pulled out a one-hundred-tael silver note.

Seeing this, the shopkeeper had no choice but to return the jade pendant to Shen Han.

"May I ask for your name, brother?"

After stepping out of the pawnshop, Shen Han cupped his hands toward the bearded man.

"Easy, I am Wen Tai."

"So it is Brother Wen."

Shen Han said, "Since you have taken a liking to this jade pendant, let us trade money for goods."

Wen Tai replied readily: "That is exactly how it should be!"

After getting the pendant, he was visibly excited: "To tell you the truth, I am actually buying this for my sweetheart. She likes orange jade and the double fish design, and I have been searching for a long time before finally finding this pendant that suits her."

"Then I wish you and your lady a hundred years of harmony."

"Many thanks, until we meet again."

Wen Tai tucked the jade pendant into his robes and turned to leave.

Now he had two hundred and fifty taels of silver; he should be qualified to try his luck, right... Shen Han mused to himself.

The one hundred taels he gained from the jade pendant gave him a bit more confidence.

The sky gradually darkened.

Finally, the Xu hour was approaching.

Shen Han spent one wen to buy a hat to wear, shielding half of his face, and arrived at the main entrance of the Spirit Snake Pavilion.

"Young master, are you here to attend the auction?"

The deacon guarding the gate stopped him.

Shen Han nodded: "Yes, I have long admired the reputation of the Stone Snake Chamber of Commerce and have come specifically to attend the event."

The deacon remained expressionless and held out a hand: "Please present your invitation."

An invitation?

It required an invitation?

Shen Han was dumbfounded; he had been completely unaware of this requirement.

However, for the Stone Snake Chamber of Commerce, requiring an invitation for entry was perfectly reasonable. After all, an auction was not something ordinary people could attend; there had to be restrictions, so the chamber had distributed invitations in advance to those with fame and influence.

Of course, invitations could be transferred.

In other words, they recognized the invitation, not the person.

"What should I do now..."

After hitting a wall, Shen Han returned to the main street of the town.

He had rushed here full of excitement, and now, let alone buying a martial arts manual, he couldn't even get into the event!

"Little brother?"

Suddenly, Wen Tai appeared before him.

Seeing Shen Han's unpleasant expression, Wen Tai smiled and said: "Could it be that you couldn't get into the Spirit Snake Pavilion?"

Shen Han was startled: "How did Brother Wen know?"

Wen Tai chuckled: "You arrived in Stone Snake Town tonight and are specifically wearing a hat; I can't think of any other possibility besides attending the auction."

"I truly didn't know that an invitation was required for entry."

"Here."

The next moment, Wen Tai produced an invitation card.

Shen Han looked closely; it had black characters on a red background—it was indeed an invitation to the auction!

"What do you mean, Brother Wen?"

"I was originally going to attend the auction tonight with the goal of seeing if there were any suitable jade pendants."

Wen Tai took out the Double Fish Jade Pendant: "Now that I have bought this from you, little brother, there is naturally no need for me to go. Keeping the invitation would be a waste, so I will give it to you, little brother."

Shen Han was overjoyed: "Many thanks, Brother Wen!"

Wen Tai was in an excellent mood and took his leave: "I wish you success in buying whatever you desire, little brother!"

What a stroke of luck!

Holding the invitation, Shen Han returned to the Spirit Snake Pavilion.

The deacon saw him return, now with an invitation in hand. Although he was puzzled, he didn't say anything and allowed him to enter the Spirit Snake Pavilion.

Walking up the wooden stairs, Shen Han entered the third floor.

It was a spacious hall with a high wooden platform built at the front. Below the platform were over a hundred rattan chairs, each marked with a numerical label.

At this time, about twenty people were already seated.

Some of them, like Shen Han, wore hats, and a few even wore masks.

"Young master, this is your number plate."

A steward handed Shen Han a wooden plaque.

It was number thirty-two.

Shen Han found the corresponding seat and began to wait patiently.

Soon, the number of people entering gradually increased.

In less than a quarter of an hour, there were few seats left in the hall. It seemed that basically everyone invited by the chamber had arrived.

"Huh, why is he here too?"

Just then, Shen Han saw a bull-nosed Daoist wearing a dark yellow Daoist robe sitting in the very front row of the hall.

That Daoist was none other than Daoist Xuanyang, whom he had seen earlier at the County Yamen.

What exactly was this person's status?

Shen Han thought to himself, he could carry a weapon into the County Yamen to have a secret talk with the county magistrate, and tonight he was here in town attending an auction...

Clap, clap!

Before he could think further, two crisp sounds rang out.

A young man with an outstanding temperament walked onto the high platform, waving a folding fan with a graceful air: "Welcome, everyone, to the Spirit Snake Pavilion. I am Zhao Yu, the vice president of the Stone Snake Chamber of Commerce, and I will be hosting today's auction."

After a pause, Zhao Yu smiled: "I know you are all important figures with busy schedules, so I won't waste time with an opening speech."

"Let's get straight to the point."

"There are a total of twenty-nine fine items in tonight's auction."

"Someone, bring up the first item!"