Chapter 28
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Chapter 28: Auction
“The crowds were tightly packed, like a surge of people.”
In Yunzhong City, Lin Jiang looked at the crowd before him, feeling both amazed and overwhelmed. This centennial celebration had attracted countless cultivators, causing Yunzhong City to become exceedingly crowded.
How crowded was it? All the restaurants and inns in the city were fully booked. Even those temporarily converted, as well as homestays, were at capacity. Some restaurants and inns outside the city had filled up as well.
The streets were packed with people, even in areas that were usually quiet. The city’s guard teams could no longer patrol on foot and had to resort to flying patrols. The Nascent Soul cultivators guarding the city were always on high alert, using their senses to scan the entire city to deter any potential troublemakers.
It was a golden time for the street vendors. Upon arriving at the big market, Lin Jiang noticed that Zhang Ruifeng, his sister, and the beautiful young woman had their stalls filled with people. It seemed they were doing quite well.
Lin Jiang pulled out a special pendant, and instantly, people started asking about its price. This pendant, known as a spiritual talisman, was considered a high-quality item at the market. It was even superior to those used by more advanced practitioners. These kinds of items were rarely found at the market and were usually traded in official stores.
Soon enough, Lin Jiang’s stall was surrounded by a crowd. He attracted a large group of people who were eager to inquire about his product. Naturally, Lin Jiang wasn’t interested in lowering the price. Bargains were more common in official stores, and this didn’t apply to him or other small vendors.
In less than two hours, Lin Jiang sold all the hundreds of spiritual talismans he had brought. He decided it was time to call it a day.
“Taoist friend Liu, the city of Yunzhong is currently overcrowded, mostly with cultivators in the Qi Refining Period. Their demand for food has skyrocketed. I suggest you go back and bring some food to sell. You might make even more money. It’s worth a try.”
As Lin Jiang prepared to leave, he kindly mentioned to the beautiful young woman, “Haven’t you noticed how busy all the food vendors are in the market?”
“Oh no, how did I forget about this?”
The young woman slapped her head, realizing the missed opportunity. Even if she sold all the talismans and similar items, she wouldn’t earn as many spirit stones. But the demand for food was much higher. Cultivators in the Qi Refining Period, like ordinary people, still needed to eat. With hundreds of thousands of Qi Refining Period cultivators flooding into the city, food would be in high demand for a long time.
“Thank you, Brother Jiang.”
Zhang Ruifeng, who had been nearby, overheard and immediately thanked Lin Jiang, smiling brightly. He wasted no time and rushed off, likely to tell his family that tomorrow they would be selling food.
Lin Jiang smiled and left. He knew selling food would be more profitable, but he wasn’t interested. It was simply too tiring to be in the food service business.
He went to find the second-hand traders to purchase information. During the grand festival in Yunzhong City, thousands of businesses were offering preferential deals and holding numerous auctions. Some auctions were organized by multiple businesses, while others were hosted by individual companies. For instance, Duobao Pavilion, backed by the Cloud Sword Sect, had the resources to hold large-scale auctions without needing to form alliances.
Because there were so many auctions, a new type of business emerged: second-hand traders who bought and sold information. These traders would visit various businesses, gather information, and then consolidate it to sell to those who needed it. It wasn’t expensive—just one spirit stone per piece of information.
“Duobao Pavilion three-day event details…”
“Four Seas Trading Company joins seven businesses…”
Lin Jiang gathered some news and carefully read through it. Most of the major trading companies’ events were out of his reach, as they required participants to be at the Qi Refining Period level. Even if he went, he wouldn’t be able to afford anything. Auctions for items at the “Golden Core” and “Nascent Soul” levels started from tens of thousands of spirit stones, making them out of his budget.
Lin Jiang focused on events for the “Qi Refining” and “Building Foundation” levels, as there were many cultivators at these stages in the cultivation world. More people meant greater potential for profit.
“On the sixth day, there will be a special auction for martial arts and secret techniques, which is exactly what I need. However, I must prove my qualifications, which requires five thousand spirit stones.”
Lin Jiang quickly found the details he needed. Eight medium-sized trading companies, led by the Four Seas Trading Company, were organizing an auction for martial arts and secret techniques on the sixth day.
These companies had come up with a way to screen potential participants by checking their qualifications. If you didn’t have the money, you wouldn’t be able to participate. Fortunately, Lin Jiang didn’t have this problem. He had brought about fifty thousand spirit stones. Although he had struggled financially in the past two years, he had recently made a small profit and now had over forty thousand spirit stones. After selling his spiritual talismans, fifty thousand spirit stones would just about cover his expenses.
Moreover, Lin Jiang still had some valuable items. He hadn’t yet sold the Green Rock Pill given to him by Lin Ying. After inquiring about its price, Lin Jiang learned that it was very expensive, and most transactions involving the pill were done with items instead of spirit stones. However, if it were converted to spirit stones, it would be worth at least eighty thousand. At the auction, it could even fetch a higher price.
On the second day of the festival, Lin Jiang sold all his spiritual talismans early in the morning and headed to Duobao Pavilion. However, he had disguised himself as a newcomer, giving the impression that he was attending for the first time and intending to auction off some items.
When Duobao Pavilion heard that Lin Jiang had the Green Rock Pill, they immediately became interested. The responsible steward checked the information and decided to include the Green Rock Pill in the auction.
This earned Lin Jiang a ticket to the auction that night, and he participated in Duobao Pavilion’s auction for the day.
The grand auditorium, with a capacity of 500 people, was completely full. Lin Jiang sat in the corner, observing the auction on stage. There were many valuable items being auctioned, and Lin Jiang couldn’t help but feel tempted. Unfortunately, he couldn’t afford to buy anything.
This auction was mostly attended by cultivators in the Foundation Building Period, with only a few Qi Refining Period cultivators in the crowd. The items being auctioned were primarily sought after by cultivators in the Foundation Building Period, which meant the prices were high.
“Now, we will begin the auction for the first highlight item: a Green Rock Pill. I’m sure everyone is familiar with its effects. The Green Rock Pill can extend one’s lifespan by twenty years, and its medicinal properties surpass most other longevity treasures. Even if someone has already taken other longevity pills, this one can still show its effects.”
“This pill has been appraised by an expert from Duobao Pavilion. Its medicinal properties are well-preserved, and while twenty years may not be guaranteed, we can expect at least eighteen years. Therefore, we will start the bidding at a minimum price of seventy thousand spirit stones, with increments of no less than one thousand spirit stones. Let the auction begin.”
“Seventy-five thousand.”
“Seventy-six thousand.”
“Eighty thousand.”
As soon as the auctioneer finished speaking, the bidding began. Lin Jiang had owned the Green Rock Pill for quite some time, so its medicinal effects had faded slightly, but over ninety percent of its potency remained.
The real value of longevity treasures was that they were extremely rare. Whether it was a faction or an individual, most people who had such treasures would keep them for personal use. After all, no one wanted to shorten their lifespan. This scarcity made these treasures incredibly valuable.
In the blink of an eye, the price reached a hundred thousand spirit stones. At this point, only three people remained in the bidding, but their offers weren’t as aggressive, each increasing by just a thousand spirit stones.
When the final price reached one hundred and twenty thousand spirit stones, no further bids were made. It was no longer worth raising the price, as no one knew if there would be any more treasures available.
In the end, Lin Jiang received a hundred and fourteen thousand spirit stones. The remaining six thousand covered taxes and fees, split between the auctioneer and the bidders, totaling twelve thousand, or ten percent of the total cost.
With the spirit stones in hand, Duobao Pavilion’s staff escorted Lin Jiang through a secret passage to ensure his safety. During festivals like this, Yunzhong City attracted many criminals, and it was dangerous to go outside without protection. After a few months, the outskirts of the city would likely be littered with bones from those who had fallen victim to robbers or other predators.
By the third day, Lin Jiang had already heard about the tragic events outside the city. Hundreds of bodies had been discovered by the city guards alone.
“Taoist friend Jiang, the outskirts of the city have become far too dangerous. May I seek refuge at your place for a few days?”
The beautiful young woman, with her enchanting eyes, timidly looked at Lin Jiang. She lived outside the city and had to make the dangerous journey daily.
“I’m sorry, Taoist friend Liu. It’s not very convenient for me.”
“Taoist friend Jiang, I only need a place to stay, with no other intentions.”
“Go ask Zhang Ruifeng. His sister Zhang Ruifang also lives alone. You can share with her.”
Lin Jiang declined again. He didn’t consider himself noble and didn’t want to play the role of a chivalrous figure. He knew better than to live with a woman; such situations often led to complications.
Rejected several times, the beautiful young woman stomped her foot in frustration. But Lin Jiang stood firm, so she didn’t have the courage to press further. She eventually went to find Zhang Ruifeng, who immediately agreed—though he wanted money in exchange. He wouldn’t do it for free.
On that day, Lin Jiang quickly sold all of his spiritual talismans. Though he had stocked up for two weeks, everything sold out in just three days. He regretted not preparing more. This type of bustling, prosperous time only came once in a lifetime, and missing out meant losing the opportunity.
Fortunately, he still had plenty of materials to draw symbols. Lin Jiang immediately went back to his place and started working overtime on drawing symbols. What was he drawing? Money.
Time flew by, and soon the auction for the secret martial arts techniques by Four Seas Trading Company began. Lin Jiang arrived early, ready to acquire an advanced martial art by the end of the night.
