Chapter 858
Bidding for the Cave Dwelling
Zheng Yi stood on the upper floor of the city lord's mansion, looking at the bustling crowds on the street, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"This auction is sure to be spectacular," he murmured.
The auction is scheduled for March 15th.
The weather was sunny and bright that day. The streets and alleys of Hongyun City were decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, exuding a festive atmosphere.
The auction was held at Hongyunlou, the largest restaurant in the city.
Hongyunlou is a magnificent five-story building, a landmark of Hongyun City. Today, the entire building has been booked as the venue for the auction. The first and second floors are for general seating, the third floor is for VIPs, and the fourth and fifth floors are for private boxes reserved for distinguished guests.
At dawn, a long queue had already formed in front of Hongyunlou Restaurant.
Countless people flocked to the scene, eager to enter the auction. The guards at the entrance were extremely busy, checking entry credentials while maintaining order.
Please show me your invitation!
"No invitation? Please use the regular entrance and pay the entrance fee of one hundred spirit stones."
"Hello, please go to the third floor. The VIP seats are over there."
Zheng Yi stood on the fifth floor of Hongyunlou, looking down at the crowd through the window.
“There were more people than I expected,” he said.
Guo Tianyou stood beside him, his face showing excitement.
“Sir, there are at least a thousand people here today,” he said, “and among them are some very important figures.”
Who are they?
"Both the Sun and Qian families have sent representatives," Guo Tianyou said. "There are also representatives from several other middle-class families, such as the Zhou, Wu, and Lin families."
"What about the nine great families?"
"Two more have come," Guo Tianyou said in a low voice. "The Lu family sent an elder, and the Han family sent a collateral disciple."
"The Lu family?" Zheng Yi frowned slightly.
The Lu family has a grudge against him. He previously killed Lu Xuanfeng, the Lu family's prodigy, with a single punch, and the Lu family has held a grudge ever since. This time, the Lu family sent people to participate in the auction; it's unclear whether they genuinely want to rent the cave dwelling or have other motives.
"Who are the Lu family members?" he asked.
"Lu Yuanshan, the fourth elder of the Lu family," Guo Tianyou said. "This man possesses profound cultivation, reportedly having reached the peak of the Mahayana realm. Moreover, he is treacherous and cunning, with a deep and calculating mind; we must be careful in our dealings with him."
“I understand.” Zheng Yi nodded. “We’ll proceed according to the original plan and ignore them.”
At 3:45 AM, the auction officially began.
The main hall on the first floor of Hongyunlou Restaurant was packed. Hundreds of people sat in chairs, craning their necks in anticipation. The VIP seats on the third floor were also full, occupied by prominent figures. The private rooms on the fourth and fifth floors were even more crowded, each occupied by several elegantly dressed guests.
At the front of the hall was a raised platform with a table and a chair on it. On the table were a small hammer and a stack of papers.
Zheng Yi walked up to the platform, stood behind the table, and scanned the entire room with his eyes.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Hongyun City Spirit Vein Cave Auction." His clear and powerful voice resonated throughout the hall. "I am Dark Night, and I am the host of this auction."
"As you all know, a mid-grade spiritual vein has been discovered in Hongyun City. We have excavated forty-two cave dwellings near the vein for cultivators to rent. The effectiveness of these cave dwellings has already been proven—three months ago, the rogue cultivator Sun Wuji successfully broke through to the peak of the Mahayana realm in one of our top-tier cave dwellings."
These words sparked a murmur of discussion from the audience.
They had already heard about Sun Wuji's breakthrough, but hearing it confirmed by An Ye again still excited them.
"Today's auction will be for the rental of three cave dwellings," Zheng Yi continued. "One is a top-tier cave dwelling, one is a mid-tier cave dwelling, and one is a low-tier cave dwelling. The rental period for each is one year. The starting prices are 500,000 spirit stones, 200,000 spirit stones, and 100,000 spirit stones respectively. Each bid must be at least 10,000 spirit stones higher."
"What? Five hundred thousand spirit stones?" someone exclaimed from below the stage.
"Isn't that too expensive?"
"Five hundred thousand spirit stones for a year's rent, that averages out to more than forty thousand spirit stones per month."
"This price is indeed not cheap, but it's worth it," Zheng Yi said. "Top-tier cave dwellings are closest to the core of the spiritual vein, with three times the concentration of spiritual energy compared to mid-tier cave dwellings and ten times that of low-tier ones. One year of cultivation there is equivalent to at least five years of cultivation outside. For experts who urgently need to improve their strength, this price is absolutely worthwhile."
"Moreover, we only have three top-tier cave dwellings, two of which are already leased long-term. This is the last one; once it's gone, it's gone."
The murmurs from the audience gradually subsided.
Many people, while feeling the price was high, had to admit that Zheng Yi's words made sense. Exchanging five years of cultivation time for 500,000 spirit stones didn't seem like a bad deal.
"Alright, enough chit-chat, let's begin the auction." Zheng Yi picked up the gavel. "The first item—a one-year lease of a top-tier cave dwelling. Starting bid: 500,000 spirit stones. Bidding begins now!"
As soon as he finished speaking, someone raised their hand.
"Six hundred thousand spirit stones!"
A middle-aged man dressed in a blue robe sat on a seat on the second floor. His aura was deep and restrained, clearly indicating that he was a highly skilled cultivator.
"Six hundred thousand spirit stones!" Zheng Yi shouted. "Any higher?"
“Seven hundred thousand spirit stones!” another voice rang out.
This time, it was an elderly man dressed in a brocade robe sitting in the VIP section on the third floor. He was accompanied by several guards, who seemed to be of high status.
"Eight hundred thousand spirit stones!"
"Nine hundred thousand spirit stones!"
"One million spirit stones!"
Bidding was in full swing, and the price quickly broke through one million spirit stones.
The audience stared wide-eyed at the scene in disbelief.
"One million spirit stones? That's insane!"
"Rich people are so capricious!"
"This isn't over yet. Look, the people in those private rooms haven't made any bids."
Sure enough, just as the price stopped at 1.1 million spirit stones, a voice came from a private room on the fourth floor.
"One and a half million spirit stones."
The sound wasn't loud, but it clearly carried throughout the entire hall.
Everyone turned to look at that private room.
The door to the private room was open, and inside sat an old man dressed in a black robe. The old man's face was withered, his eyes were sinister, and he exuded a cold aura.
"It's Lu Yuanshan!" someone recognized him. "The fourth elder of the Lu family!"
"The Lu family is bidding too?"
"It seems the competition is fierce this time."
Zheng Yi looked at Lu Yuanshan, a cold glint in his eyes.
"One and a half million spirit stones!" he shouted. "Elder Lu has bid one and a half million spirit stones! Anyone else offering a higher price?"
“One million six hundred thousand spirit stones.” Another voice came from a private room on the fifth floor.
Zheng Yi turned his head and saw a young man in a white robe sitting leisurely in the private room, holding a cup of tea in his hand, with a faint smile on his face.
"Who is that?" Guo Tianyou asked in a low voice.
“I don’t know him,” Zheng Yi shook his head. “But judging from his demeanor, he should be from a prominent family.”
Lu Yuanshan frowned and looked at the young man in white robes.
“One million eight hundred thousand spirit stones,” he said coldly.
"Two million spirit stones," the young man in white robes said calmly, his smile remaining serene.
The entire audience gasped. Two million spirit stones! This price far exceeded everyone's expectations.
Lu Yuanshan's face darkened. He hadn't expected anyone to dare to compete with him.
"Two and a half million spirit stones!" he said through gritted teeth.
"Three million spirit stones." The young man in white robes remained as nonchalant as ever, as if he were talking about three hundred coins rather than three million spirit stones.
Lu Yuanshan's face turned ashen.
Three million spirit stones had exceeded his budget. Although the Lu family was wealthy and powerful, he was only representing himself, not the entire Lu family. He had no authority to use the Lu family's public funds and could only use his own private savings.
He gave the young man in white a deep look, but ultimately did not raise the price.
"Three million spirit stones!" Zheng Yi shouted. "Is there anyone asking for more?"
The audience was silent.
No one dared to raise the price anymore. Three million spirit stones was an astronomical figure. Even some middle-class families probably couldn't scrape together that much money with their entire fortune.
“Three million spirit stones per attempt!” Zheng Yi raised the small hammer.
"Three million spirit stones twice!"
"Three million spirit stones in three transactions! Sold!"
The small hammer fell, making a crisp sound.
"Congratulations to this young master for winning the bid for a one-year lease of a top-tier cave dwelling for three million spirit stones!" Zheng Yi said, bowing to the young man in white robes.
The young man in the white robe stood up, nodded slightly, and still had that faint smile on his face.
The people in the audience were all talking about it.
Three million spirit stones! Who exactly is this person?
"I don't know, I've never seen it before."
"Anyone who can afford three million spirit stones must be from a powerful family."
"But he's wearing a white robe, which doesn't seem like something a member of the nine great families would wear. The members of the nine great families all have their own family crests, but he has none."
Zheng Yi was also secretly observing the young man in the white robe.
To be able to stand up to the nine great families and offer three million spirit stones in one go, this person's identity is definitely not simple. But he really couldn't recall any other faction in the Tianyuan Domain whose disciple was dressed like this.
"Never mind who he is, as long as he has money," he thought to himself.
The first item has been sold; the next item is the second—a one-year lease of an intermediate-level cave dwelling.
"The second item for auction—a one-year lease of a mid-level cave dwelling. Starting bid: 200,000 spirit stones. Bidding begins now!"
The competition this time was equally fierce.
Although a mid-level cave dwelling is not as good as a top-level one, it is still a rare place for cultivation. Many people are eyeing it covetously.
"Three hundred thousand spirit stones!"
"Four hundred thousand spirit stones!"
"Five hundred thousand spirit stones!"
The price quickly exceeded 500,000 spirit stones, and was eventually won by a representative of the Zhou family for 800,000 spirit stones.
The third item up for auction is the right to rent a low-level cave dwelling for one year.
Although it was a low-level cave dwelling, the competition was still fierce. In the end, it was won by a representative of the Lin family for 350,000 spirit stones.
All three items were sold, with a total transaction amount of 4.15 million spirit stones!
This number left everyone speechless.
Guo Tianyou was so excited that he was trembling all over.
"Four million one hundred and fifty thousand spirit stones!" he murmured. "Sir, we're rich!"
"Don't be too happy yet," Zheng Yi said. "The auction isn't over yet; there are still some follow-up matters to handle."
After the auction, Zheng Yi went to the private room on the fifth floor to meet the white-robed young man who had bid three million spirit stones.
He knocked on the door, and a clear voice came from inside.
"Please come in."
Zheng Yi pushed open the door and went inside.
The private room was elegantly decorated, with several landscape paintings hanging on the walls and potted plants in the corner. A young man in a white robe sat by the window, holding a cup of tea and gazing at the scenery outside.
“Mr. Dark Night, please have a seat.” He turned his head and smiled slightly at Zheng Yi.
Zheng Yi sat down opposite him and carefully examined him.
The young man appeared to be only in his early twenties, with a handsome face and an ethereal air. His eyes were clear and deep, as if they could see through everything. He exuded a faint aura, a deep and restrained one, making it impossible to discern the depth of his cultivation.
"May I ask your honorable name, young master?" Zheng Yi asked.
"My surname is Bai, and my given name is Yuan," the young man said. "Mr. An Ye, you can just call me Bai Yuan."
“Bai Yuan.” Zheng Yi hesitated for a moment, “Where is Young Master Bai from?”
"A small place in the northern part of the Tianyuan Domain," Bai Yuan said with a smile. "Mr. Dark Night may not have heard of it."
Zheng Yi was even more puzzled.
How could someone who can afford three million spirit stones be from a small place? This Bai Yuan is clearly hiding his true identity.
But he didn't press the matter; instead, he changed the subject.
"Young Master Bai spent three million spirit stones to bid for the rental rights of a top-tier cave dwelling; he must be in urgent need of improving his strength, right?"
“That’s right.” Bai Yuan nodded. “I’m currently trying to break through a bottleneck and need a place with abundant spiritual energy for secluded cultivation. I heard that there’s a mid-grade spiritual vein in Hongyun City, so I came here specifically.”
"I see," Zheng Yi said. "Young Master Bai, rest assured, our top-tier cave dwelling will certainly not disappoint you."
“I trust Mr. Dark Night,” Bai Yuan said with a smile. “However, I have another question for you.”
"Please speak, Young Master Bai."
"I noticed that Lu Yuanshan from the Lu family was also bidding at today's auction," Bai Yuan said, looking at Zheng Yi. "I've heard that Mr. An Ye has a grudge against the Lu family. I suspect Lu Yuanshan's presence here isn't just for the cave dwelling, is it?"
A glint of light flashed in Zheng Yi's eyes.
This Bai Yuan is quite well-informed.
“Young Master Bai, there’s no need to worry,” he said. “Whatever Lu Yuanshan’s purpose may be, I can handle it.”
“I am not worried about Mr. Dark Night,” Bai Yuan said with a smile. “I am merely reminding you to be wary of the Lu family’s underhanded tactics. The Lu family is treacherous and cunning; since they have come, they will not leave empty-handed.”
"Thank you for the reminder, Young Master Bai," Zheng Yi said, cupping his hands in greeting.
The two chatted for a while longer before Zheng Yi took his leave.
As soon as we left the private room, Guo Tianyou came to greet us.
"Sir, what is Bai Yuan's background?"
"I don't know," Zheng Yi shook his head. "He's very good at hiding it; I can't figure out his true identity."
"Will there be any problems?"
"Probably not," Zheng Yi said. "No matter who he is, he's already paid a deposit of three million spirit stones. As long as he doesn't cause trouble in the cave, his identity doesn't matter." (End of Chapter)