12dz Chapter 13 Some are happy, some are sad
Chapter 13 Some are happy, some are sad
The old man surnamed Zhu probed a wisp of true energy into the embroidered lotus bag made of green silk.
His expression changed instantly, his hand movements froze, and the surrounding cultivators all tensed up.
"Could it be a really good start? They've struck it rich! It's been so long since Master Zhu has had this expression."
The cultivator who placed his bet on the embroidered lotus pouch with green silk hair visibly showed joy on his face.
Those who didn't place a bet were all kicking themselves, slapping their thighs in regret: "Oh dear, I knew there was something good inside, why didn't I place a bet?"
"Guess? With your dog brain, you can only guess what's going on in shit..."
"Master Zhu, just drive already..."
"Yeah, what's the point of keeping us in suspense..."
The female cultivator who took the picture of the embroidered lotus pouch with her black hair now had her beautiful eyes wide open and her ten fingers intertwined.
"Don't be impatient."
After a soft "click," the previously noisy scene instantly fell silent.
All the cultivators widened their eyes instantly, their faces showing disbelief and shock.
All the cultivators stared intently at the item that had been unearthed, their eyes filled with astonishment, as if they had seen a ghost.
"What is this?"
All that could be seen were piles of thin, feather-like undergarments and bodices, pink Taoist robes and palace attire, piles of bottles and jars, and jade cylinders of various colors, all floating in the air.
"My goodness, this is Master Yu!"
The knowledgeable cultivators exclaimed in surprise, while some inexperienced cultivators were completely bewildered.
"Fellow Daoist, what is this Jade Gentleman?"
The kind-hearted person, with a smile on their face, answered everyone's questions.
"Fellow Daoists should know what husbands should do at night, but how should female cultivators who do not have husbands comfort themselves in the dead of night?"
"I observe that this jade gentleman seems to have an array inscribed on it, but I don't know what kind of array it is. I have seen jade gentlemen made in Wenxiang Valley before, which can be sized freely and adjust their temperature at will."
"Once the true energy is full, it can move on its own and doesn't stop all night."
"oh!"
"Indeed, fellow Daoist, do you have any connections? I'd like to buy one too."
The kind-hearted monk looked at the person who had asked the question with a bewildered expression: "Why would a grown man like you buy this thing?"
The monks who placed bets also shifted their focus from winning or losing to the objects on the table.
"Ahem!"
The elderly man surnamed Zhu coughed lightly.
"This item is difficult to appraise at Qianjin Pavilion. Please wait a moment while we go and invite a female cultivator familiar with this field over."
……
After the farce ended, Li Ya watched with great interest.
"The second item, the dragon-patterned ring, is open!"
The moment the dragon-patterned ring was opened, several jade bottles and boxes, as well as a magical artifact shaped like a longsword, appeared before everyone's eyes.
The moment one of the jade boxes was opened, a surge of pure spiritual energy burst forth.
Like clouds and mist, it instantly filled the entire second floor.
Those cultivators who were closer felt refreshed and comfortable after taking a breath.
Even the elderly man surnamed Zhu was quite surprised.
"What...what is this? Such rich spiritual energy! So pure, it must be a top-grade natural treasure."
"How is this possible? Such a treasure could be found in such a tattered storage bag!"
All the cultivators were drawn to the rich spiritual energy, their eyes filled with shock and greed.
The cultivators who had already placed their bets almost jumped up.
Those who didn't place a bet, and those who failed to win the dragon-patterned ring, were filled with regret.
They all seemed to be thinking that if they had raised the price a little more, this treasure would have been theirs!
Now all I can do is watch helplessly as the winner beams with joy, while my regret surges like a tide, wave after wave.
Before long, all the items inside were inventoried.
"One Yuanyang ginseng..."
"One bottle of Cleansing Pills..."
As the old man announced each item, the audience gasped in astonishment.
"It's actually Yuan Yang Ginseng! This is the main ingredient for the Qi Refining Twelfth Level Breakthrough Pill! That bastard has struck it rich!"
"Gentlemen!" the old man announced again, "The Dragon Pattern Ring yielded a total of one hundred and twenty-one taels of Moon Toad Coins."
These words drove the cultivators into a frenzy, while the bidder stood there dumbfounded.
"Fellow Daoist, should we sell these many treasures to the Thousand Gold Pavilion, or keep them for ourselves?"
This monk was clearly losing his ability to speak properly; it took him a while to get his words out.
"Stay! I'll stay!"
The old man quickly called his servant to take him away.
Within Qianjin Pavilion's territory, no one dares to cause trouble, but once outside of Qianjin Pavilion, things could get complicated.
As the saying goes, wealth moves people's hearts. If one suddenly receives such windfall, without a solid backing, one will likely be devoured without a trace.
After the servant led him into the hidden door, he whispered to the person who was waiting for him, "Take this senior to change his clothes and leave through the back door of the Jia section."
Many cultivators present also made a small fortune as a result. These cultivators who made money from it were all full of ambition, feeling that their destiny was in their hands. Only a very few suppressed their greed, took the money, and left Qianjin Pavilion.
"The third item, the withered wood bracelet, is open!"
Perhaps because of the many treasures revealed in the Dragon Pattern Ring, the cultivators who had already placed their bets on the Withered Wood Bracelet couldn't help but feel a bit more hopeful.
Who can say for sure that the next lucky one won't be themselves?
The old man surnamed Zhu gestured to his servant to take the withered wood bracelet back to the cultivator who had won the bid, which immediately drew puzzlement from those around him.
"Old Zhu, what are you doing?"
"Why did you take it...?"
"Don't tell me there's nothing inside, that it's empty."
The elderly man surnamed Zhu nodded.
Such a stark contrast was unbearable for some people; it was worlds apart from the dragon-patterned ring they had just seen—they were no longer on the same level.
For a moment, cries of agony filled the air, but the one who suffered the most was the owner of the withered wood bracelet, who had lost everything and was at a loss, simply accepting the bracelet with a blank expression.
Upon seeing this, a burst of laughter erupted from those around: "I knew it! What good luck could a mere rogue cultivator at the third level of Qi Refining possibly have?"
"Exactly! Not only did they come to the gambling den to throw money away, but they also dragged us into it!"
"Absolutely! Absolutely! With such limited vision, daring to gamble on treasures is utterly laughable!"
"Judging from his shabby appearance, he must have lost all his possessions..."
The sounds of mockery were incessant.
The elderly man surnamed Zhu raised his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet: "Fellow Daoists, please watch your words!"
After the first round, everyone had half an hour to rest.
At this moment, in the largest private room on this floor, the manager of Qianjin Pavilion was bowing respectfully to the gloomy man in the main seat.
"Old Xu, you need to put in more effort. If you want to get money out of someone else's pocket, you have to give the money out first."
"What's the harm in sending them money once? If we send them money once, they'll have to send it to Qianjin Pavilion dozens or even hundreds of times."
"This is one of their few chances to change their situation. Don't extinguish this hope. Leave it for them, and they will keep sending us money."
"Do you understand, Lao Xu?"
As she spoke, she stood up and patted him hard.
"Old Xu understands."
"From then on, I followed this practice, stuffing some good stuff into the iron plate every month to keep these poor wretches hanging around."
"You are a promising young man, but there is one thing you must remember: make sure your subordinates keep their hands to themselves. If your reputation is ruined, they will never be able to repair it, not even if they were to draw their souls from the ground."
"Oh, no, not a child, an old man!"
……
"If you win money, you'll all want to be your godfathers. But if you lose money, you'll probably be ready to kill someone."
Li Ya couldn't help but sigh.
As the Sumeru Stone on the mayfly bag was completely devoured by the square-inch snail, a flash of spiritual light appeared, covering the floor of the private room completely.
Li Ya suppressed his emotions and trembled as he packed up the items. There was no time to take inventory right now.
They were simply categorized and placed in the Ling Shu Cave, to be identified later.
The important thing now is to find out how much money is here, as there are three more rounds of bidding to come.
"Ten taels..."
"Fifty taels..."
"One hundred taels..."
As the count progressed, Li Ya's breathing became trembling.
"One hundred and three taels of moon toad coins!"
He no longer wanted to count those copper coins.
"This is?"
A gourd-shaped object with a dragon pattern suddenly appeared before my eyes.
"This is precious gold!"
Li Ya instantly gripped the precious gold coin tightly, clenching his teeth and suppressing his wild joy.
This fine gold coin, one tael of fine gold coins is equivalent to one hundred taels of moon toad coins.
This coin can only be cast in Baiyujing. It is forged from pure gold and sealed with pure divine power. Because it is shaped like a gourd, it is also called the gourd coin.
In Baiyujing, there is a department called the Department of Mountains and Rivers, which contains a divine list that records the divine inscriptions of all the mountains and rivers of the Central Continent.
The Mountain and River Bureau governs the mountain lords and water gods of the Central Continent, and the promotion, reward, and punishment of all deities are in its hands.
The Mountain and River Bureau is extremely strict with these deities. If they violate the divine rules even slightly, they will be punished by having their willpower confiscated or their golden bodies shattered.
Five taels of gourd money—how long would it take to earn that much as a menial laborer at the Yunfu Sect? When Li Ya looked up, his eyes were already bloodshot.
Moreover, even with enough Moon Toad Coins, one might not be able to exchange these precious coins for gourd coins.
The divine power sealed within, after being tempered by the true fire of the Jade Capital, is freed from all distracting thoughts, making it especially precious to those cultivators who follow the path of the divine.
Li Ya gathered up all the items on the ground and could only gulp down tea to calm his turmoil.
"Even if we gain nothing else, this windfall alone will be more than enough to reach the level of Qi Refining Stage 4."
Li Ya laid himself heavily on the couch, his mind sinking into the Ling Shu Cave Heaven.
Having successively devoured three Sumeru magical artifacts, the size of the cave is now ten zhang in diameter.
However, there was only a solid ground area of about two or three zhang in size.
Only when a servant requested an audience did Li Ya leave the Ling Shu Cave Heaven and get up to open the magical barrier.
Then a servant boy came in carrying a large food box.
"Senior, the kitchen of Qianjin Pavilion is renowned for its exquisite spiritual cuisine, which is served to every guest in the private rooms."
"Is this spiritual food free?"
"No need, but you'll have to pay if you want it again later."
The aroma wafting from the spiritual food made Li Ya's mouth water.
It seems that Qianjin Pavilion has really made a lot of money, as they treat spiritual food like it's free.
"Young man, do you have a catalog of the magical treasures, elixirs, and spiritual plants sold at Qianjin Pavilion?"
"Yes, I'll get it for you right away, senior!"