The Mysterious Underworld Sect Sets a Trap for Jiang Nannan? No Fear, I, Cao Longyan, Will Step In

As the aftereffects of the Whale Rubber faded, a much-anticipated item was slowly brought onto the auction stage.

The Mystic Water Pill gleamed with a smooth, lustrous sheen, its pale-green glow shimmering faintly. Its fragrance was crisp and refreshing, and one could just make out the pure vitality it contained.

"The Mystic Water Pill can cleanse impurities from the body and nourish the meridians. It can cure even incurable diseases, and it can also enhance Soul Power and help one break through bottlenecks. The bidding starts at five hundred Gold Soul Coins!"

As the auctioneer's impassioned voice rang out, a petite figure immediately raised her bidding paddle. It was the same figure who had brushed past Cao Longyan earlier.

It was Jiang Nannan as a little girl!

She wore plain clothes, and a pair of pink rabbit ears peeked from her golden, wavy hair. Her face was somewhat pale. Though still young, she could not hide her natural beauty.

She stared at the Mystic Water Pill onstage, a fervent light igniting in her eyes, as if she were determined to have it.

"Six hundred Gold Soul Coins!"

Jiang Nannan's voice trembled slightly, yet remained resolute. She gripped the bidding paddle tightly, her knuckles turning white.

She had very little money to begin with. She had scrimped and saved, taking odd jobs to put it aside. When she heard that the Mystic Water Pill would be at this auction, she had brought every last coin she owned, all to buy it and save her bedridden mother.

"Number seventy-three, six hundred Gold Soul Coins!"

Before Jiang Nannan could lower her paddle, someone else raised the bid.

"Number thirty-six, seven hundred Gold Soul Coins!"

"Eight hundred Gold Soul Coins!"

Jiang Nannan gritted her teeth. She didn't even lower her paddle before hurriedly calling out the higher bid. She didn't want to lose this rare opportunity.

"Number seventy-three, eight hundred Gold Soul Coins!"

At that, every gaze turned toward Jiang Nannan.

Seeing how young and beautiful she was, the crowd couldn't help but stop what they were doing and close their mouths before they could speak.

Some felt pity for her. Others wanted to leave a good impression...

Cao Longyan sat in a VIP room, his eyes fixed on Jiang Nannan as his brows furrowed slightly. He couldn't help but hold his breath for her.

She was bidding so desperately that her purpose was far too obvious. If anyone present had bad intentions, she would surely invite trouble.

Sure enough, just as the auctioneer was about to bring down the gavel and Jiang Nannan was finally about to breathe a sigh of relief, a brash voice suddenly rang out from VIP Room Two on the auction hall's second floor, breaking the rhythm of the auction.

"Two thousand Gold Soul Coins!"

The entire hall erupted in an uproar. Everyone turned to look at Room Two, but after just a quick glance, they hurriedly looked away.

Those were people from the Mysterious Underworld Sect. The sect wielded considerable influence in the Heaven Dou Empire, and its people were domineering and arrogant. No one dared offend them lightly.

But Jiang Nannan was still young and attending an auction for the first time. How could she know who was inside?

And even if Jiang Nannan had known, her desperate need to save her mother would still have made her fight to the end.

Jiang Nannan stiffened all over, the light in her eyes dimming. But she gritted her teeth and raised her paddle again. Her hand trembled violently, and her voice caught in a sob, yet she remained stubbornly resolute.

"Two thousand one hundred Gold Soul Coins!"

"Three thousand Gold Soul Coins!"

The voice from Room Two rang out again, cold and contemptuous.

Jiang Nannan swayed. Her nails dug deep into her palm, leaving bloody marks, but she still refused to give up and raised the bid again.

"Three thousand one hundred Gold Soul Coins!"

From then on, the bidding turned into a deliberate attempt by the Mysterious Underworld Sect to torment Jiang Nannan.

They looked at her as though she were a little white rabbit mired in a swamp, still struggling in vain, and toyed with her as if she were in the palm of their hand.

Jiang Nannan only dared to raise the bid by a hundred Gold Soul Coins each time, hoping to get the pill for as little as possible.

The people from the Mysterious Underworld Sect, meanwhile, raised the bid by a thousand Gold Soul Coins every time. They spoke arrogantly, deliberately driving the price higher, their mocking attitude spilling through the entire auction hall. They were clearly targeting Jiang Nannan.

The other guests understood what was happening and quietly looked on. Their gazes toward Jiang Nannan were filled with sympathy and regret.

But what they regretted was that they hadn't been the ones to take home the beautiful young girl.

No one was willing to offend the powerful Mysterious Underworld Sect over a Mystic Water Pill and a penniless stranger.

Watching this, Zhang Lexuan couldn't help frowning. She leaned close to Cao Longyan's ear and spoke softly and gently.

"Little brother Longyan, they're doing this on purpose. They're making things difficult for that girl."

Cao Longyan nodded slightly, his eyes still on Jiang Nannan. His hands clenched into fists, and his breathing quickened. Clearly, he couldn't stand those people from the Mysterious Underworld Sect either.

"Sister Lexuan, I know. But they've set a trap for her. Once the auction's over, they'll definitely go looking for her. We'll follow them then."

Though he didn't know who that girl was, at this very moment his sense of justice was surging. He, Cao Longyan, was going to take care of this!

Zhang Lexuan nodded firmly. As she looked at the indignant Cao Longyan, her eyes narrowed without her realizing it, and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.

Little brother Longyan was so handsome like this!

The two of them continued watching in silence, keeping a discreet eye on Room Two.

The price climbed higher and higher, rising from Jiang Nannan's initial bid of eight hundred Gold Soul Coins to six thousand one hundred.

The voice from Room Two rang out again, its mockery no longer even bothering to hide.

They weren't even pretending anymore.

"Ten thousand Gold Soul Coins! Little girl, do you still dare to bid?!"

Jiang Nannan raised her hand to lift her paddle again, but her arm felt as heavy as lead. She couldn't raise it any farther.

Ten thousand Gold Soul Coins was an astronomical sum to her. Even if she gave everything she had and put herself up as collateral, she still couldn't scrape together that much. It was the final straw that broke the camel's back.

Unless... she agreed to the Mysterious Underworld Sect's terms...

The light in her eyes went out completely. Despair surged over her like a tide, and tears of helplessness slid down her cheeks, falling onto her collar and leaving a small, dark patch.

She bit her lip hard until she tasted blood, then slowly lowered her hand. After the auction ended, she rose mechanically and walked toward the exit, her mind utterly lost.

Inside Room Two, the three Mysterious Underworld Sect disciples exchanged smiles, their faces bright with the satisfaction of a scheme well executed.

"Senior Brother, it worked! We've driven the girl into utter despair. Then, if we show up and offer her hope at just the right moment, won't she obediently agree to our terms? Hahaha!"

One disciple gazed at their leader with a fawning expression, the corners of his mouth lifting uncontrollably as he let out a creepy laugh.

The leading senior brother of the Mysterious Underworld Sect curled his lips in a smug smile.

"Hmph, naturally. Do you even know who your senior brother is? I sent people to learn all about her. Her father died young, her mother is seriously ill and needs the Mystic Water Pill, and her family is poor. Other than agreeing to become a sacrifice for our sect's Martial Soul Awakening ceremony, she has no other choice."

After the auction ended, Cao Longyan and Zhang Lexuan quietly followed Jiang Nannan, keeping a moderate distance behind her.

Jiang Nannan walked slowly, her figure thin and lonely, her shoulders trembling slightly. She was clearly still sunk in despair.

She had barely left the auction hall when three Mysterious Underworld Sect disciples emerged from the shadows and blocked her path. They were the same three people from Room Two.

"Little girl, don't be in such a hurry to leave."

The senior brother in the lead shook the jade bottle in his hand. Inside was the Mystic Water Pill. His tone was mocking.

"If you want this Mystic Water Pill to save your mother, it's not impossible. You only have to agree to one condition: become a sacrifice for our Mysterious Underworld Sect's Martial Soul Awakening ceremony, and we'll give it to you."

Jiang Nannan jerked her head up, a glimmer of hope flashing in her eyes. But when she heard the Mysterious Underworld Sect's condition, the light faded at once.

She knew the Mysterious Underworld Sect had a bad reputation. Going with them would be like walking into a tiger's den, and besides, she would have to become a sacrifice for their Martial Soul Awakening ceremony. She would probably...

But at the thought of her mother, who was suffering from an incurable disease, and of the Mystic Water Pill being her only chance at a cure, the last thread of restraint in her heart snapped. Her eyes hollowed out, her lips moved, and she was just about to nod and agree.

"Don't agree to them!"

A clear, resolute voice suddenly rang out, still tinged with a hint of childishness!