The Auction House

"That's right." Ye Renxin nodded slowly. "Neither of them is reckless or impulsive. We only need to carry on as usual."

He turned to Lu Xuan with a faint smile. "Xiao Xuan, since Yanyan is curious about all the excitement in the city, why don't we stop by and take a look?"

It wasn't that Ye Renxin felt no worry. He simply knew that worrying would do no good.

If they stayed caught in this tense, oppressive mood, the children would only grow uneasy. Better to find something else to take their minds off it.

Lu Xuan understood what his master and Dugu Xin intended at once. "In that case, I'll go ask around."

With that, he hurried toward the noisy crowd.

About ten minutes later, Lu Xuan returned.

He looked at the others. "Suotuo City is holding a grand auction tonight. I heard it's their once-in-a-decade event, and plenty of rare treasures will be up for sale!"

"An auction?"

"That does sound worth a look."

Ye Renxin smiled. "I bought that five-thousand-year Nine Heart Begonia Soul Beast at an auction years ago. Perhaps we'll stumble upon another unexpected find this time."

"Exactly," Dugu Xin added. "We might come across a rare Soul Beast, or even a treasure like a Soul Bone."

Seeing the two men deliberately trying to lighten the mood, Ye Qingxian managed a strained smile. "Let's find somewhere to eat first, then go have a look at the auction."

Of everyone in the group, Ye Qingxian was the most anxious.

That morning, while taking her own pulse, she had discovered that she was pregnant.

Her heart had filled with tenderness and joy. She had planned to wait until everyone returned safely and matters settled before quietly sharing the wonderful news with her husband.

But no one had expected the sudden upheaval in Star Dou Forest, or that her husband would insist on returning to that dangerous place with Senior Dugu in search of an opportunity.

The moment she watched her husband turn back toward the deep forest, a powerful, unmistakable sense of danger swept through her. Layers of dread smothered the joy in her heart.

She knew how perilous the fighting in the forest was. Zhao Yan was strong and had gone prepared, but facing several high-age Soul Beasts would still put him in grave danger.

Whenever she thought of the child not yet formed in her womb and the unknown dangers ahead, she grew restless. Her heart would not settle.

Beside her, Ye Lingling held her mother's hand tightly, her small fingers trembling.

She was too young to understand all that was at stake, but she sensed the heavy mood and felt a faint, ominous premonition.

She could see how tired her mother was from pretending to be calm, and she worried about her father deep in the forest.

She didn't dare say anything. She only tightened her grip and pressed close to her mother, offering what comfort she could through silent companionship.

Lu Xuan and Ye Renxin felt no such premonition. They assumed the mother and daughter were simply worried about Zhao Yan's return to Star Dou Forest.

The group found a restaurant and sat down to eat. Wherever they looked, they could sense numerous powerful surges of Soul Power.

Suotuo City was already one of the greatest cities in the Heaven Dou Empire, and this grand auction, held only once every ten years, had drawn powerful figures from every direction.

Lu Xuan and the others did not recognize any of these visitors from afar.

Dugu Xin had been frail and sickly in his early years. He had spent much of his life recuperating and had rarely traveled, leaving him with limited experience of the wider world.

Ye Qingxian had a quiet nature and spent most of her time studying medicine at the clinic. Apart from a few noblewomen in Heaven Dou City, she knew little of the Soul Master community.

Only Ye Renxin, with his broad experience, could tell that many of these guests were no ordinary people.

As a renowned physician whose medical skill ranked among the finest on Douluo Continent, Ye Renxin knew a great many people.

Nearly every guest present who held any standing and had reached the rank of Soul Emperor or above recognized him.

If someone saw Ye Renxin and had no idea who he was, that person was hardly anyone of note in the Soul Master world.

Take Flender and Zhao Wuji, seated in the corner, and the gloomy-faced Shi Nian.

Flender and Zhao Wuji had both reached Soul Sage, while Shi Nian was a level-sixty-eight Soul Emperor at sixty-eight years old. None was weak, but none was in a good position either.

Flender swindled people and lured in talented youngsters. Zhao Wuji had offended Spirit Hall and made an enemy of the Strength Clan. As for Shi Nian, nearly everyone in the Soul Master world was wary of him, and he was almost universally despised.

Now all three had gathered in Suotuo City, each with his own motives and plans.

Using voice transmission, Ye Renxin quietly identified for the group those he had recognized and warned them to stay on guard.

Lu Xuan nodded to show he understood, then took Dugu Yan's hand in one of his and Ye Lingling's in the other. The three had long since developed a tacit understanding. Both girls caught on at once and, from then on, kept quiet rather than speaking carelessly.

Dugu Xin stayed alert, silently preparing for a fight.

With Dugu Bo and Zhao Yan back in the forest, he was the strongest fighter in the group. If danger arose, he would have to be the first to step forward.

As time passed, more and more Soul Masters streamed toward the auction house.

Ye Renxin judged that it was about time and turned to the others. "Let's head over too."

They nodded and followed him to the auction house.

Ye Renxin might not have excelled at head-on combat, but he was still a Soul Douluo. His rank alone carried weight.

The auction house staff did not dare neglect him and led the group straight to a VIP box.

The group had barely sat down when two girls of thirteen or fourteen entered the box.

"Honored guests." One of the girls handed them each a list. "These are the items up for auction tonight. Please take a look."

Once they had delivered the lists, the two girls stood quietly to one side.

They were attendants of the auction house. If the guests wanted anything, they could come forward to serve them.

As long as the guests were willing to pay!

No one paid the attendants any mind. They each picked up a catalog and began to browse.

The once-in-a-decade auction offered a dazzling assortment of goods.

There were antiques and paintings, fine jade ornaments, all kinds of Soul Tools, weapons and armor forged in Gengxin City, rare flowers and herbs, healing medicines, and Soul Beast pelts.

According to the catalog, the penultimate highlight was a two-thousand-year Soul Bone. The final lot of the entire auction, however, was a fox-tailed girl whose awakening had not yet fully succeeded.

Lu Xuan read the entry in the catalog and marveled inwardly. This really was an eye-opener.

"Disgusting." Ye Lingling gave Lu Xuan a light pinch at the waist and frowned. "Stop looking at that."

"She's plain. There's nothing worth looking at." Dugu Yan snatched the catalog from Lu Xuan's hands, her face full of disdain.

"She's all right."