Following the maid for several dozen meters, Xiao Li stopped in front of a small private room. She bowed respectfully and smiled. "Sir, just hand the items you wish to auction over to the master inside for appraisal and verification. Based on their value, you'll be given a seat at the appropriate level of the auction."
Xiao Li nodded, gently pushed open the black wooden door, and went inside. He then closed it behind him.
The small room was brightly lit. An old man with slightly graying hair swept a sharp gaze over Xiao Li. But since the latter was almost completely concealed beneath his black robe, the old man couldn't make out much.
"Please, sit." The old man casually gestured toward the chair in front of the table. After arranging the tools used to inspect auction items, he lowered his head and said flatly, "Take out the things you want to auction."
Xiao Li gave a slight nod. More than a hundred weapons spilled out of his Storage Ring, and he took another dozen or so empty Storage Rings from his pocket.
He didn't take out the medicinal ingredients. He planned to bring them back for Xiao Yan to practice with. Since he had an alchemist at home, he might as well make good use of him. Pills were far more valuable than medicinal ingredients.
Was he squeezing his younger brother dry? No, no. He was using medicinal ingredients to cultivate his younger brother.
The old man's mouth twitched. Though people in their line of work weren't supposed to pry into their clients' affairs, still...
You brat had obviously wiped them all out, hadn't you? You'd stripped them bare, then even brought their things here to sell.
That was what the old man thought, but his face remained as calm as still water. "Heh, friend, you've got a lot of things here, but none of them seem to be particularly high-grade."
Xiao Li nodded without saying anything, waiting for him to continue.
Sure enough, the old man went on, "So you have a choice. First, you can sell them yourself. The price is uncertain, and you might not sell everything. Second, we can buy them from you. The price will be a little lower, but we'll clear it all out in one go."
"Fine. Name your price." Xiao Li didn't hesitate. What he lacked most was time, and he certainly wasn't going to waste his own time and effort selling everything. He didn't mind getting a little less; his cost had been zero anyway.
Well, not quite. He'd spent some Dou Qi using Dou Techniques, though he'd recovered it all by now.
The old man nodded with a genial smile, stepped forward, and inspected the items one by one, calculating their value in his mind.
Before long, he had finished looking everything over. Stroking his beard, he said, "The total value is less than two hundred thousand gold coins. I'll make the call and round it up. How does two hundred thousand sound?"
"Thank you."
Xiao Li wasn't surprised. The people of the Black-Corner Region were all desperadoes. If they had money, of course they spent it lavishly. Weapons were a matter of life and death, so it was only natural they'd buy better ones.
After clearing out all this junk, Xiao Li's fortune had reached three hundred and twenty thousand. At last, he had enough to feel somewhat confident about attending the auction.
Some confidence, but not much.
Still, he'd found a way to make a fortune. One of Xiao Yan's Two-Pattern Green Spirit Pills had a starting price of only around three hundred thousand here, and Xiao Li had managed to scrape that much together by killing a few hundred people. It seemed he'd have to keep doing good by eliminating evil in the future.
Elder Qian patted Xiao Li on the shoulder. "Do as you please, but let your heart follow the righteous path, within the laws of heaven and earth—not wicked desires or crooked ways."
Xiao Li had killed too many people lately, and Elder Qian was worried he might become fixated on it.
At the old man's reminder, a clear light flashed across Xiao Li's eyes. "This junior understands."
Xiao Li lowered his head and sighed. No wonder enlightenment was so hard to attain, and no wonder everyone had inner demons. He still had a long road ahead of him in cultivation.
After leaving the Black Seal Auction House, Xiao Li went straight back to the inn where he was staying. He rested in his small room for a while. Only when the auction was about to begin did he leave his cultivation state, refreshed and alert. He pulled on his loose black robe, then unhurriedly left the inn and headed back to the auction house.
When Xiao Li appeared at the auction house entrance again, the practically sea of people and the uproar rising to the heavens—the shouting and cursing—left him momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected the auction to draw such a huge crowd. It truly lived up to its reputation as a grand event in the Black-Corner Region.
And the Black-Corner Region was nothing like the Jia Ma Empire. If you tried to cut in line here, dozens of fists would come flying at you at once. After all, people in the Black-Corner Region weren't as mild-mannered as those outside it. A disagreement turning into someone drawing a blade and hacking the other person down was perfectly ordinary.
The bad news was that Xiao Li didn't have a VIP card, so he couldn't use the special entrance.
The good news was that there weren't many strong fighters who couldn't use the special entrance.
So... with Elder Qian watching helplessly, Xiao Li dealt with a few fools who didn't know their place, picked up several thousand more gold coins, and strutted into the auction house.
"Elder Qian, sometimes it's not that I'm bloodthirsty. I just don't have a choice."
Elder Qian shook his head helplessly and said nothing more.
The few Da Dou Shis in the line looked at Xiao Li with apprehension.
Even the auction house staff pretended not to see a thing. They were still outside the auction house, after all. No one would pick a fight with a strong fighter over a few dead men.
The light in the passageway was somewhat dim. Xiao Li followed the corridor to the end, then turned a corner. A colossal auction hall appeared before his eyes, making him draw in a sharp breath.
The hall was larger than any auction venue Xiao Li had ever seen. Its densely packed seats and the auction platform, built almost entirely of dazzling crystal, were enough to dazzle the eyes.
A pretty maid hurried over and politely asked Xiao Li and Elder Qian for their seat numbers.
After they told her, she led the way while Xiao Li followed close behind.
Before long, the auction hall had grown lively.
"It's finally about to begin," Xiao Li murmured, gazing at the enormous hall packed to the brim. A hint of anticipation showed in his dark eyes.
Xiao Li was a little excited. After all, it was his first time somewhere like this. Elder Qian, on the other hand, remained composed. In his eyes, these people were all insignificant, so naturally he felt no change in his mood.
"If you see anything you like, just tell me. Money's no problem," Elder Qian said calmly.
Xiao Li chuckled. "Elder Qian, you're so generous. This junior wouldn't dare make you spend money. If there's something I really like, I'll have to trouble you then."
Elder Qian smiled in a way Xiao Li couldn't quite understand. "Xiao Li, this old man isn't going to spend money."
Xiao Li froze, puzzled. "Elder Qian, are you planning to...?"
"Though I think you've been a little too bloodthirsty lately, this is the Black-Corner Region. Who here doesn't have blood on their hands? So I can't say you're wrong. Killing one villain to save many good people is a merit, after all. I just hope you can change once you leave the Black-Corner Region instead of killing indiscriminately."
Elder Qian spoke calmly. He didn't answer Xiao Li's question, but instead began lecturing him about these principles.
Xiao Li nodded solemnly. "This junior understands. Elder Qian, rest assured. I have my limits. I won't kill the innocent, much less become bloodthirsty."
Elder Qian nodded with satisfaction, then continued, "Good. But as I said, this is the Black-Corner Region. They're all a pile of trash. Kill them, and they're dead."
"In the Black-Corner Region, when everyone's strength is about equal, the competitive business of buying and selling is called an auction. But when your strength far surpasses everyone else's..."
"An auction? With strength, it's called shopping at no cost!"