Unlike last time, when Lin Yuan opened the doors of the Lin Auction House, this time it was Zhu Zhuqing who opened them.
As soon as the doors opened, Zhu Zhuqing looked outside to see whether her fiancé, Dai Mubai, had come.
Today was the last day they had agreed upon.
If Dai Mubai still failed to come and settle the bill today, then she, Zhu Zhuqing, would belong to Lin Yuan from now on.
Many people were already waiting outside the Lin Auction House. They included, but were not limited to, Spirit Hall's Pope Bibi Dong, accompanied by Angel Douluo Ye Qingmei; Spirit Hall's Great Enshrined Qian Daoliu, accompanied by Golden Crocodile Douluo and Azure Luan Douluo; Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect master Ning Fengzhi, accompanied by the Heaven Dou Crown Prince Xue Qinghe and Sword Douluo Chen Xin; and Thunder Douluo Yu Yuanzhen, accompanied by two Soul Douluo elders of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
She looked again and again, but saw no sign of her fiancé, Dai Mubai. A jumble of emotions filled Zhu Zhuqing's heart.
Recalling Lin Yuan's earlier instructions, Zhu Zhuqing spoke, every word ringing out clearly and forcefully.
"Welcome, honored guests who have come from afar. The Lin Auction House invites you inside!"
Under Zhu Zhuqing's welcome, the guests who had received invitations entered the Lin Auction House one after another.
As Qian Renxue, disguised as the Heaven Dou Crown Prince Xue Qinghe, followed Ning Fengzhi into the Lin Auction House, she glanced at Zhu Zhuqing, who stood at the door checking invitations and welcoming guests.
Wasn't this girl a guest at the Lin Auction House before?
How has she become a member of the Lin Auction House's staff now?
Qian Renxue was very curious as she wondered about it. She hadn't forgotten Zhu Zhuqing, and still remembered that the last time Zhu Zhuqing came to the Lin Auction House, she had been with a young man with blond hair and mismatched eyes.
Before long, Bibi Dong, Qian Daoliu, Ning Fengzhi, and Yu Yuanzhen had entered the Lin Auction House, leaving six of the ten guests yet to enter.
A gentle breeze blew past.
Zhu Zhuqing smelled blood.
The scent was extremely strong.
Because her Martial Soul was the Hell Spirit Cat, Zhu Zhuqing had an exceptionally keen sense of smell. Within the space of a few breaths, she found the source of the bloody scent.
A group of people came into view before Zhu Zhuqing's beautiful eyes.
At their head was none other than the King of Slaughter from Slaughter City!
Behind the King of Slaughter followed the tall Titled Douluo and the short Titled Douluo, as well as several elite knights of considerable strength from Slaughter City.
Plain to see, the King of Slaughter wore ring after ring on his hands. They were Storage Soul Tools, and every one of them was filled with Gold Soul Coins.
Over the past seven days, the King of Slaughter had done nothing else. He had devoted himself to one thing.
Collecting Gold Soul Coins!
Collecting them like mad!
The more, the better!
So that he could take part in the Lin Auction House's auction.
Using his invitation, the King of Slaughter entered the Lin Auction House for the second time, bringing the tall Titled Douluo and the short Titled Douluo with him.
This time, he definitely wouldn't go back empty-handed.
Boom!
Boom! Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Not long after the King of Slaughter and his two companions entered the Lin Auction House, the ground beneath Zhu Zhuqing's feet rumbled loudly and began to shake in a steady rhythm.
The moment the powerful vibrations beneath her feet reached Zhu Zhuqing, she recalled what she had encountered at Suotuo City's eastern gate seven days ago.
The ground had shaken then, too, because Ice Bear King Xiaobai had arrived.
So, has Ice Bear King Xiaobai come again?
At the thought, Zhu Zhuqing looked in the direction her senses told her.
In the end, Zhu Zhuqing didn't see Ice Bear King Xiaobai. Instead, she saw a Soul Beast far larger than him.
It was a bear, an enormous one. Zhu Zhuqing had to tilt her head back just to see its face, and standing before it, she was as tiny as an ant. Its fur was dark gold, every strand as hard as iron. Its arms were so long that, when hanging naturally, they reached its knees. It was a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, known as Xiong Jun, and one of the six super Soul Beasts of the Great Ferocious Land.
In front of Xiong Jun were Scarlet King, a Three-Headed Scarlet Demon Mastiff in Soul Beast form, and Emerald Swan Bi Ji, Hell Demon Dragon Zi JI, and Beast God Di Tian, all in human form.
"Xiong Jun, Scarlet King, you two guard the outside."
"I'll take Zi JI and Bi Ji inside for a look."
Beast God Di Tian spoke as he looked at the tall, magnificent Lin Auction House.
Scarlet King, the Three-Headed Scarlet Demon Mastiff, replied respectfully, "As you command, Lord Beast God."
Not long after Beast God Di Tian and the other two super Soul Beasts entered the Lin Auction House, the Snow Empress arrived with the Ice Empress and Ice Bear King Xiaobai. Just like last time, they used their invitation to enter the Lin Auction House without difficulty.
Watching the backs of the Snow Empress and the other two super Soul Beasts, Zhu Zhuqing began to ponder.
Zhu Zhuqing wondered whether the next guest to enter the Lin Auction House would be a Soul Beast or a Soul Master.
As Zhu Zhuqing pondered, a voice rang out and reached her ears.
"Well, isn't this my little brother's wife-to-be? What are you doing guarding the door here?"
The moment Zhu Zhuqing heard the voice, her beautiful eyes widened, and shock appeared on her face.
Little brother's wife-to-be?
Had Dai Weisi come?
Turning her beautiful eyes toward the voice, Zhu Zhuqing saw Dai Weisi, her fiancé Dai Mubai's own elder brother, and her own elder sister, Zhu Zhuyun.
"It's you two?!"
"What are you doing here?!"
Zhu Zhuqing fixed her beautiful eyes unblinkingly on Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun and parted her lips to question them. At the same time, she circulated the Soul Power within her body. On full alert, she was ready to strike and face an enemy at any moment.
Hearing Zhu Zhuqing's question, Zhu Zhuyun's lips curved into a subtle smile. Still smiling, Zhu Zhuyun, whose figure was even more voluptuous and alluring, answered her.
"What are we doing here?"
"Why, we came because we received an invitation, of course."
"Otherwise, what would we be doing in this little border town?"
With that, Zhu Zhuyun looked at Dai Weisi. "Weisi, take out the invitation you received."
Dai Weisi promptly took the invitation he had received three days ago from the Storage Soul Tool he carried with him and handed it to Zhu Zhuqing.
After taking it and examining it, Zhu Zhuqing said one word to them: "Please."
At Zhu Zhuqing's invitation, Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun did not refuse. They walked into the Lin Auction House side by side.
As she passed Zhu Zhuqing, Zhu Zhuyun wore an inscrutable smile and spoke in a low voice.
"Little sister, after the auction is over, I'll give you a surprise!!!"
Hearing Zhu Zhuyun's words, Zhu Zhuqing immediately had a bad feeling.
A surprise?
Zhu Zhuqing guessed it would be a nasty shock instead.
After all, the two sisters were not on friendly terms.
They were rivals in a life-or-death struggle.
Of the ten guests, Zhu Zhuqing ultimately welcomed eight into the Lin Auction House. The two who had yet to enter were Sea God Douluo Bo Saixi of Sea God Island and Howling Sky Douluo Tang Xiao of the Clear Sky Sect. As for whether they were late or simply hadn't come, there was no way to know.
The auction hall on the first floor of the Lin Auction House.
On the raised platform, as before, stood nine glass cases.
Every glass case was covered with a red silk cloth.
Below the platform were ten sofas, only two of which were empty.
"The Lin Auction House welcomes you all. Without further delay, let us begin the auction. Next up is the first lot of this auction!"
For this auction, Lin Yuan, the owner, once again served as the auctioneer.
As the saying went, things should not be done more than three times. After this, Lin Yuan would no longer serve as the auctioneer.