Chapter 223
After they had gone some distance, Lin Wanqiu smiled and said, "These two senior sisters are quite adorable."
"Um..."
Xiao Minghuang echoed, gazing in the direction where the two mountain-guarding disciples had gone. She felt that Lin Wanqiu seemed to have undergone some changes that she didn't quite understand after not seeing her for some time.
But that's not important.
The two arrived at Lin Wanqiu's cave. After exchanging pleasantries, Xiao Minghuang explained their purpose.
He asked about Luo Qianhua's invitation, the Ziwei Sect's framing, and the Heavenly Dipper Assembly, among other things.
Upon hearing this, Lin Wanqiu gave a wry smile.
"To be honest, I've been cultivating in seclusion since entering the inner courtyard, so I'm not entirely clear on the intricacies of this place."
Hearing her say that, Xiao Minghuang stopped dwelling on these issues and started talking about their recent situations.
Naturally, the matter of being controlled by the Clear Sky Saint King and the Hundred Inquiries Pavilion Master was concealed; it was only said that he entered the Second Academy for cultivation.
Lin Wanqiu's experience was also very simple.
After entering the Tenth Academy, due to his outstanding talent, he was favored by the head of the Tenth Academy and was specially granted a cave dwelling for independent cultivation.
The head of the Ten Academies once said that he would introduce Lin Wanqiu to the Taiyin Hall if the opportunity arose.
After catching up, Lin Wanqiu said, "I originally planned to visit the Hundred Inquiries Pavilion Marketplace when I left the manor this time, but I didn't expect to run into Your Highness."
"Then let's go together," Xiao Minghuang said. "We can see if we can find out any information."
Or perhaps she could find some hidden treasures, she thought.
Her cultivation level has reached a bottleneck. If she doesn't want to rely on time to slowly break through, she can only hope for the help of rare and precious materials.
"What Your Highness says is exactly what I think."
Xiao Minghuang nodded slightly, and after a moment, the two set off together for the Hundred Inquiries Pavilion.
Sword, surrounded by mountains, is dotted with numerous pavilions and halls, where thousands upon thousands of disciples come and go in an endless stream.
The two walked through these pavilions and halls at a leisurely pace, stopping from time to time to admire the sights and occasionally exchange a few words, their conversation quite engaging.
As we walked, we passed a vast palace complex, with carved beams and painted rafters, and resplendent in gold and jade.
Lin Wanqiu suddenly stopped and looked up.
A stone tablet stands at the palace gate, inscribed with the words "Xiang River Water Pavilion".
"What's wrong?"
Xiao Minghuang followed Lin Wanqiu's gaze.
The palaces soared into the clouds, shrouded in mist, resembling a celestial paradise.
"Your Highness, I've heard that there's a special cultivation formation within the Xiang River Water Pavilion. If Dao Companion practice there, they can achieve twice the results with half the effort..."
As she spoke, Lin Wanqiu avoided eye contact, her cheeks slightly flushed, as if she were shy.
Xiao Minghuang was taken aback for a moment, then realized what Lin Wanqiu meant. She gently squeezed Lin Wanqiu's hand and silently walked towards the palace gate.
In the blink of an eye.
Three days have passed.
Xiao Minghuang and Lin Wanqiu spent three whole days enjoying themselves at the Xiang River Water Pavilion.
When Xiao Minghuang walked out of the palace, she felt like her whole body was about to fall apart.
The attendants on either side of the palace bowed as they saw them off.
"Welcome to visit us again, dear guests!"
Xiao Minghuang quickened her pace and walked out.
Looking at Lin Wanqiu walking ahead, refreshed and with a brisk pace, she couldn't help but sigh, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder; the ancients were truly right..."
"What did Your Highness say?"
Lin Wanqiu turned around and asked.
She had a delicate and pretty face, and her eyes were bright and dazzling, as sweet and alluring as if they could drip honey. Her complexion was exceptionally good.
Despite three days of diligent work, Xiao Minghuang looked exhausted.
"N-nothing... I was just saying, where are we going next..."
She gave a perfunctory reply, thinking to herself that she would be the Pillow Princess next time too; it was exhausting.
On another note, the formation at the Xiang River Water Pavilion was probably a hoax, because she didn't feel any improvement in her cultivation at all; instead, she felt completely drained.
Lin Wanqiu smiled upon hearing this, took Xiao Minghuang's arm, and whispered, "Your Highness, you must be exhausted. Let me help you rest."
Xiao Minghuang rolled her eyes at her. "Do you think I'm that kind of weak and frail person?"
Lin Wanqiu blinked. "Aren't you one?"
"Of course not!" Xiao Minghuang straightened her back immediately.
How can a woman say she can't do it?
Lin Wanqiu shook her head helplessly, "Ah, yes, yes, Your Highness is the best! Your Highness is completely weak all over, only your mouth is still hard!"
Xiao Minghuang:...
She took a deep breath, decided to ignore Lin Wanqiu, and continued walking forward.
"Your Highness, please wait a moment. Let's go to the Marketplace. The Hundred Inquiries Pavilion is holding a small auction tonight. We can go and see if we can find some good fortune."
Lin Wanqiu grabbed her arm and said.
"The Hundred Inquiries Pavilion's auction?"
Xiao Minghuang looked surprised and asked, "Wanqiu has been with me for the past three days. When did she find out about these things?"
Lin Wanqiu smiled slightly and took out a small booklet from her sleeve.
Xiao Minghuang reached out and picked it up, only to see the words "Hundred Inquiries Pavilion Shopping Guide" written on the cover.
"These booklets were on the table in our room. I glanced at them while His Highness was taking a bath."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Minghuang's face darkened. She had been feeling extremely uneasy while taking a bath, yet Lin Wanqiu still had the mind to look at such trivial things.
Lin Wanqiu leaned closer to her and whispered:
"This auction is a small-scale auction held regularly by the Hundred Inquiries Pavilion every month. Only ten items are up for bidding each time. Truly valuable treasures usually don't appear here, but the possibility of finding a bargain cannot be ruled out. I trust Your Highness's discerning eye; I'm sure you'll be able to bid on a treasure."
Xiao Minghuang snorted and nodded reluctantly.
"Alright, let's go then!"
The two left the Xiang River Water Pavilion and headed straight for the Marketplace.
The Hundred Inquiries Pavilion's Marketplace is divided into three areas: the general Marketplace, the treasure Marketplace, and the auction house.
The ordinary Marketplace mainly sell various kinds of pills, talismans, and other miscellaneous goods, which are consumable resources and are relatively cheap; while the treasure Marketplace mainly sell more precious magical artifacts, supernatural powers and techniques.
269. Auction
Xiao Minghuang and Lin Wanqiu had no shortage of ordinary pills and talismans, so they did not linger in the ordinary Marketplace and went straight to the Treasure Marketplace.
Treasure Marketplace is a long street lined with stalls.
At this time, the stall was filled with a dazzling array of goods.
Xiao Minghuang quickly looked through all sorts of things and found nothing worth her attention.
As her cultivation level increased, fewer and fewer treasures responded to her Treasure Seeking Compass. Most of them were just blue, green, or even white opportunities, which were of little use to her breakthrough and there was no need to waste time searching for them carefully.
Lin Wanqiu, on the other hand, was carefully selecting the items she needed.
Xiao Minghuang stayed by her side, waiting patiently. Many things, though perhaps not suitable for her, were things Lin Wanqiu needed.
"Princess Xiao!"
Just as Xiao Minghuang was about to complete the transaction and leave, someone suddenly cried out in surprise.
The voice sounds familiar.
Xiao Minghuang turned her head and saw a woman in a bright green dress running towards her.
"Miss Xiu'er!"
Upon seeing the newcomer, Xiao Minghuang gave him a polite smile and greeted him.
The person who arrived was Xu Xiuer.
Behind Xu Xiuer was a handsome man, about twenty years old, with a straight posture, delicate features, and a pair of bright, star-like eyes.
A faint starlight emanated from his body, indicating that he had cultivated some kind of stellar divine power and had already reached an extremely high level.
Xu Xiuer ran up to the two of them, smiling and bowing, saying, "Princess Xiao, I didn't expect to meet you here again."
As she spoke, her gaze fell on Lin Wanqiu, who was standing next to Xiao Minghuang.
"Miss Lin!"
Lin Wanqiu cupped her hands in response, then turned her gaze to the man behind Xu Xiuer.
Seeing that Xu Xiuer didn't introduce himself to Xiao Minghuang, the man felt no embarrassment. His eyes lit up when he saw that both Xiao Minghuang and Lin Wanqiu were beautiful and refined women with unparalleled looks. "I am Li Gaoyang, a disciple of the Saint King Xuanji, a candidate for Sacred Land Saint Son. I greet my two junior sisters!"
Ziwei Holy Land?
Upon hearing these four words, Xiao Minghuang's heart skipped a beat. Ever since the enrollment ceremony, she had encountered people from the Ziwei Holy Land at almost every step she took, a feeling that made her extremely uncomfortable.
She caught a glimpse of Xu Xiuer's expression out of the corner of her eye, noticing a faint hint of disgust on her face, yet also a hint of expectation in her eyes as she looked at her. A plan formed in her mind.
Xiao Minghuang cupped his hands and said, "Fellow Daoist Li, we haven't seen Miss Xiu'er for a long time, and we have many private matters to discuss. Would you mind leaving us for a moment?"
Li Gaoyang paused for a moment, then smiled faintly.
"I see. Please continue your conversation, ladies. I shall take my leave now."
After saying that, he turned and walked away into the distance.
After he rounded a corner, he suddenly spoke up, "Find out for me, what are the origins of these two female cultivators?"
After Li Gaoyang had walked away, Xu Xiuer breathed a sigh of relief, patted her chest, and said, "That Li Gaoyang is really annoying! He's been clinging to me like a leech these past few days. If it weren't for the princess, I probably wouldn't have been able to get rid of him. Thank you so much, princess!"
Xiao Minghuang chuckled, "It was nothing, no need to be so polite."
Xu Xiuer asked, "Is the princess here to attend tonight's auction?"
Xiao Minghuang nodded.
"That's wonderful!" Xu Xiuer exclaimed happily, "Whichever item the princess takes a fancy to, it can be put on my tab as a thank you gift for helping me!"
Xiao Minghuang smiled faintly, neither confirming nor denying.
A short while later, the three arrived at the auction venue.
Because of Xiu'er's special status as a disciple of the Hundred Inquiries Pavilion Master, Xiao Minghuang arrived at a private room on the top floor of the venue without paying any price under her guidance.
The entire venue is laid out before you.
Because it's just a small auction held monthly, there aren't many treasures worth paying attention to, but you have to pay a hefty entrance fee, so there aren't many people in the venue, with less than a third of the people sitting there.
After glancing at it, Xiao Minghuang looked away.
With fifteen minutes to go before the auction was scheduled to begin, the three of them started chatting.
"Xiu'er, what's the deal with that Li Gaoyang just now? Why was he bothering you?" Xiao Minghuang asked.
"Sigh... don't even mention it!" Xu Xiuer sighed, a bitter look on her face.
"A month ago, my master ordered me to attend a routine meeting of the Holy Academy in her place. I was just going to sit in on it, nothing important. But at that meeting, Li Gaoyang also attended in place of his master, the Saint King Xuanji of the Ziwei Sacred Land. I don't know why he fell for me..."
Upon hearing this, Lin Wanqiu interjected, "That Li Gaoyang is all show and no substance; Xiu'er had better stay away from him."
Xiao Minghuang nodded as well. Although Li Gaoyang's gaze seemed to be like a sky full of stars, it always gave people an invisible malice, making them very uncomfortable.
"Who says otherwise!" Xu Xiuer said indignantly. "I absolutely hate this person, but he just follows me around and acts very politely. Even when I explicitly refuse, he won't leave Non-Self stay in the Hundred Inquiries Pavilion and don't come out. Otherwise, there's really no way to get him to leave."
Knowing that Xiu'er was a favorite disciple of the Hundred Inquiries Pavilion Master, Xiao Minghuang suggested, "Why don't we ask the Pavilion Master to intervene and drive this person away?"
Xiu'er sighed softly, "It seems that Master has been busy with very important matters lately, and has not even been able to deal with many affairs within the pavilion in a timely manner. I don't want to bother her with these trivial matters."