Ma Hongjun VS Lan?! Scorpion Girl's Temptation! Evil Fire Phoenix!

Xue Qinghe seemed accustomed to this scene. He turned his head and whispered an explanation to Lan:

"They are not waitresses."

"Behind this auction house is the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. These women are all auction items waiting to be sold to the highest bidder."

He paused, his tone remaining gentle.

"As long as one is willing to spend the money, they are no different from slaves."

Lan's brows twitched almost imperceptibly.

"I recall that imperial law prohibits the buying and selling of slaves."

Upon hearing this, Xue Qinghe merely smiled without speaking, though that smile held far too many unspoken implications.

On the other side, Ma Hongjun, having been blocked, was nearly driven mad with anxiety.

"What? Thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins for just one?!"

"It's so expensive—they're just a bunch of ordinary women! Why don't you people just go rob someone instead!"

To obtain this White VIP Card, he had won several consecutive matches at the Great Soul Arena, relying on gambling to barely scrape together the ten-thousand Gold Soul Coin threshold.

Asking him to produce thirty thousand right now was no different from taking his life.

He still carried the Shrek Academy funds in his pocket—a full hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins—but he dared not touch a single cent of that money.

He had no doubt that if he used those funds, Tang San and the others would hang him up and beat him upon his return.

"CLANG!!!"

Just then, a crisp hammer strike echoed from the auction stage.

A female auctioneer with a seductive figure, dressed in a high-slit gown, stepped to the front of the stage. Her charming voice, amplified by soul power, spread throughout the entire venue.

"The next item up for auction is the best of the best, especially capable of allowing the male VIPs present to experience unprecedented pleasure."

As she spoke, she reached out and abruptly whipped off the red cloth covering a massive cage beside her.

The red cloth slid away.

Inside the cage, a young girl was curled up in the corner, her hands hugging her knees, her body trembling slightly.

She wore purple armor plates that barely covered her body, revealing snow-white skin. Most eye-catching of all was the slightly upturned, metallic-lustered purple scorpion tail behind her.

The girl's face was filled with terror, yet her eyes were as clear as a mountain spring.

The female auctioneer on stage pointed with a jade finger, her voice becoming even more coquettish.

"I trust you distinguished guests have noticed: this little sister's martial soul underwent a miraculous mutation during its awakening."

"It has granted her both a human body and the characteristics of a soul beast. The wonders of this are for the master who buys her to discover for himself."

"Starting bid, seventy thousand Gold Soul Coins!"

No sooner had the auctioneer finished speaking than a thick, heavy voice roared out impatiently from the corner.

"Seventy thousand!"

The one who spoke was Ma Hongjun.

His eyes were practically spitting fire as he stared fixedly at the girl in the cage. That strange purple scorpion tail seemed like a hook, completely snagging the irrepressible evil fire within his body.

She was too beautiful, especially that exotic allure, which made the blood throughout his entire body boil.

Lan's gaze turned a degree colder.

A trace of compassion and a trace of anger quietly welled up in his heart.

"Seventy thousand and one thousand."

A flat voice rang out—not loud, yet it reached the ears of everyone present with perfect clarity.

The entire venue fell silent.

Everyone's gaze followed the sound toward the VIP seating area where Lan was located.

Ma Hongjun whipped his head around, the fat on his face trembling with rage.

"Who? Who dares to compete with me!"

He saw Lan, and he saw the extraordinary-looking Xue Qinghe beside him, but he was currently blinded by his own desires.

"Kid, let me tell you, I'm from Shrek Academy!"

"If you don't want trouble, don't be ungrateful!"

He extended a finger, pointing it at Lan from afar.

"One hundred thousand!"

Xue Qinghe glanced at Lan with interest, a playful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, yet he remained silent.

Lan did not even glance at Ma Hongjun.

He simply picked up the teacup at his side and blew on it gently, as if he were not the one who had just placed the bid.

Then, he set down his teacup and spoke once more.

"One hundred thousand and one thousand."

"Three, two, one... sold!"

Seeing this, a flash of brilliance crossed the auctioneer's eyes, and the auction gavel in his hand fell heavily!

Ma Hongjun stood frozen in place, his complexion shifting from red to green, then from green to white.

Fine, fine brat!

Once you step out of this door, let's see how you manage to leave!

By then, your money, and this Scorpion Girl, will all be mine!

The auction continued.

In the time that followed, Lan made a few more bids.

A portion of ten-thousand-year Whale Rubber, harvested from the deep sea and highly beneficial to a soul master's physique.

Several ores of unknown purpose that emitted peculiar energy fluctuations.

And a tattered ancient tome.

With every bid, he acted just as before, offering only a few more Gold Soul Coins than the others—precise and efficient—drawing sidelong glances from many in the hall.

Xue Qinghe watched Lan's actions in silence, his eyes filled with an indescribable emotion, possessing both the nobility of a Crown Prince and a trace of inexplicable gentleness.

The doors of the auction house slowly closed behind them, shutting out the clamor and vanity from within.

The afternoon sun of Heaven Dou City, carrying a hint of sweltering heat, rushed to meet them.

Lan narrowed his eyes slightly, adjusting to the light of the outside world.

Crown Prince Xue Qinghe walked by his side, his face wearing his usual gentle smile, as if he were not the one who had secretly driven up the price inside the auction house.

The girl with the scorpion tail, who had been purchased, followed silently behind Lan, her head bowed, not daring to look at anything around her, like a frightened little beast.

The streets were packed with a weaving crowd, the sounds of peddlers rising and falling in a scene of bustling prosperity.

"This Heaven Dou City is truly lively."

Xue Qinghe spoke as if making idle conversation, though his gaze swept unobtrusively over Lan and the girl behind him.

Lan did not respond, merely walking on with a calm expression.

To him, the prosperity of this world was no different from the solitude of the Far North.

They were both merely scenery.

Just then, a commotion broke out in the crowd not far ahead, accompanied by the faint sound of a woman's cry and a man's lewd remarks.

A crowd had gathered in front of a sachet stall.

"It's that dead fatty again!"

"Relying on being a soul master, he's back to harassing the Li Family's twin sisters."

"Indeed, it's truly detestable, yet no one dares to intervene."

The surrounding whispers were not loud, but they reached Lan's ears with perfect clarity.

He looked toward the sound and saw a familiar, corpulent figure.

It was Ma Hongjun.

He was blocking the stall, his small eyes leering at the stall owner's twin daughters, his thick hand reaching out to touch the face of one of the girls.

"Little sister, don't be afraid. Come back with me, and I'll guarantee you'll live in luxury!"

The girl was terrified, her face pale as she retreated again and again.

It was at this moment that Ma Hongjun seemed to sense something, his gaze sweeping through the crowd.

His eyes locked instantly onto Lan.

Following that, he saw Xue Qinghe beside Lan, and behind Xue Qinghe, the purple scorpion tail that haunted his dreams.

The lewd grin on Ma Hongjun's face froze, replaced by an irrepressible greed.

He shoved the people around him aside, strode forward, and blocked Lan's path directly.

"Brat, you finally came out!"

The surrounding pedestrians were startled by the spectacle and scattered, clearing a space.

Xue Qinghe stopped with interest, the curve of his lips widening by a fraction.

Ma Hongjun's gaze swept wantonly over the scorpion-tailed girl before returning to Lan's face.

"It was you who made me lose all face in the auction house just now!"

"Today, this master is going to teach you a lesson! Soul master, the weak are prey to the strong!"

"If you know what's good for you, hand over this scorpion girl!"