Must Spill Some Blood

Xiao Lei watched calmly as the bid from Xiao Yan's private room was placed. He had shown some restraint while the Ice Spirit Flame Grass was being auctioned, but now...

"I bid one Grade Four Bone Tempering Pill!"

By this point, the auction was nearing its end, and Xiao Lei couldn't be bothered to keep up the charade with Yao Lao any longer.

Even if the other party realized this auction had been intentionally orchestrated by him, even if Yao Lao guessed that he was aware of his existence, and even if Yao Lao knew that Xiao Lei understood the true value of the Fragmented Map—so what?

In the end, Yao Lao would have no choice but to swallow this loss.

Xiao Lei didn't think much of his own declaration, but the people around him were sent into a frenzy.

In Wutan City, who else could possibly produce a Grade Four medicinal pill?

One might have attributed the earlier appearance of a Profound Grade High-tier Dou Technique to some wandering powerhouse who happened to attend the auction.

However, a pill like the Bone Tempering Pill, which aided one's natural aptitude, was something most people would consume the moment they acquired it.

Naturally, the one who felt the most like crying was the mercenary who had tried to strike up a conversation with Xiao Lei earlier.

"Th-that, brother! Oh no, Master, I didn't say anything to offend you just now, did I?"

The mercenary asked cautiously, terrified that Xiao Lei might just cut him down if he said the wrong thing.

Yet, Xiao Lei had no time to bother with him at this moment.

"Get lost, don't get in my way!"

"Yes, yes, understood, Master!"

Hearing this, the mercenary felt as if he had been granted amnesty and scrambled away as if fleeing for his life.

Inside the private room, Xiao Yan, who had learned the true value of the Fragmented Map from Yao Lao, had thought he could pick up a bargain, only to see Xiao Lei cut in halfway through.

"Teacher?"

Xiao Yan felt worse than if he had swallowed a fly. He had visited Xiao Lei not long ago and even gifted him a fine blade, only to end up competing against him at an auction immediately after.

The crucial part was that he couldn't even blame the other party, because he and Yao Lao were playing the roles of mysterious figures; from their perspective, Xiao Lei should have no knowledge of their true identities.

"Keep bidding. Although it is not right in front of me, I can confirm that this item is related to a strange and terrifying Heavenly Flame. Compared to this Heavenly Flame, even a Heaven Grade Dou Technique is inferior!"

A Heaven Grade Dou Technique!

As one of the legendary items of the Dou Qi Continent, the mere mention of it was more than just shocking to the ears of Xiao Yan, who was currently only a five-star Dou Practitioner.

"Profound Grade High-tier! I bid one scroll of a Profound Grade High-tier Dou Technique!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Xiao Yan raised his bidding paddle with slightly trembling hands.

The venue erupted once more. No one had expected such an outrageous price; the crowd was truly left bewildered.

"I bid two more Marrow Cleansing Pills."

Xiao Lei was still unsatisfied with the price. If he weren't currently lacking in Dou Techniques, he wouldn't have sold the Fragmented Map so quickly.

For today's auction, he had spent several days specifically refining pills just to drive up the price for Yao Lao.

"The consignor prefers this gentleman's pills. If the guest in room three cannot produce more high-level Dou Techniques, the Fragmented Map will belong to this gentleman."

Ya Fei's voice rang out with a polite reminder. These were all things Xiao Lei had discussed with her, and she was simply acting according to plan.

"Teacher, should we ask to verify the value?"

"No need. Bid one more Profound Grade High-tier Dou Technique and see how greedy he is. If he continues to bid, then stop. In the end, this is only a fragment; whether or not we can collect the rest is another matter. Exposing too much is not safe for us, and my current state is not good..."

After Yao Lao finished speaking, his attention shifted to Xiao Lei.

With his intuition, he had already guessed that the current situation was inevitably linked to Xiao Lei.

"Although the Xiao Clan already knows that Xiao Yan has a teacher like me, but... how does he dare to scheme like this? On what basis does he think I would recognize the value of this map? What is his evidence? And that Ice Spirit Flame Grass from earlier..."

The more Yao Lao thought about it, the more confused he became; he had absolutely no leads.

This was the information gap. Xiao Lei clearly understood the needs and circumstances of Yao Lao and Xiao Yan, while the two of them knew very little about Xiao Lei.

"Once this auction ends, we must leave Wutan City as soon as possible! You must also be cautious when interacting with others in the future..."

After thinking for a long time, Yao Lao finally sent a voice transmission to Xiao Yan.

"Understood. Once I finish the assessment for Jia Nan Academy, I will leave Wutan City to begin my training..."

Xiao Yan looked at Xiao Lei down in the hall with a solemn expression.

Yao Lao was already unfathomable in Xiao Yan's heart, yet Yao Lao had shown such strong wariness toward the latter.

Shaking off his complicated thoughts, Xiao Yan placed his bid once more.

"I bid two scrolls of Profound Grade High-tier Dou Techniques!"

Seeing this, Xiao Lei smiled with satisfaction; it was worth the effort he put into hosting this auction.

Knowing when to stop, Xiao Lei did not raise the bid again. Besides, he had no more pills left; after all, an alchemist's pills didn't just appear out of thin air—they required time to refine.

When the auction ended, the two of them left at top speed.

Having been played by Xiao Lei, those two would likely have to remain cautious for a very long time.

As for Xiao Lei, he was naturally busy inspecting his spoils of war.

"These three Dou Techniques were brought out by that old gentleman. I must say, the teacher behind that little fellow Xiao Yan truly has some capability to be able to produce so many Xuan-tier high-level Dou Techniques all at once!"

Ya Fei spoke to Xiao Lei with intentional ambiguity, her probing intent clear.

How could Xiao Lei not know she was curious as to why he was so certain Yao Lao would pay for these two auction items?

"There are some things that, at your current level, will only bring harm if you touch them. You only need to know that he is not someone to be trifled with. You are a smart person, but remember not to be too clever for your own good!"

Although Ya Fei handled things well in the original story, giving her a warning would only benefit Xiao Lei.

"Hmph, I won't ask then."

As expected, Ya Fei immediately became much more docile.

Xiao Lei was satisfied with this and shifted the topic.

"How is the progress on the poisonous materials I asked you to collect last time?"

Xiao Yi Xian needed poisonous materials for her cultivation, and since Xiao Lei also possessed the Woe Poison Body, his demand for such toxins was inevitable.

"About that, although I am the person in charge of this auction house, my authority is limited after all. Furthermore, because I lack cultivation talent, the family doesn't place much importance on me. Even though I requested the materials from the family, there has been no news, and I only managed to obtain a batch of low-level ones..."

Xiao Lei nodded in understanding; everything was within his expectations. One had to know that the vast majority of poisonous materials originated from the Chu Yun Empire, and only the Mite'er Family headquarters had the capability to trade for them; the auction house in Wutan City managed by Ya Fei was nothing more than a small branch.

Ya Fei's influence was still insufficient; otherwise, he wouldn't have had to go through the trouble of using the Alchemist Guild to help Xiao Yi Xian obtain cultivation methods and Dou Techniques back then.

This could only depend on him. Once his strength grew, the Mite'er Family would consider his standing and allow Ya Fei to climb higher. Only then would Xiao Lei be able to receive more help from her and better cultivate Xiao Yi Xian to strengthen his own forces.

Everything eventually circled back; even though Xiao Lei was already a Dou Ling, his strength was still not enough...

"Don't worry, you will have a say in things after some time passes..."

Xiao Lei did not say anything more, and Ya Fei, having been warned, dared not ask further.