Ling Ying's voice brimmed with surprise.
"No need for formalities, Old Ling!" Xiao Bai waved a hand, chuckling softly. "What brings you to Black Seal City?"
"Young Miss was worried about your safety and sent me to find you," Ling Ying said, standing with a smile, his excitement palpable.
When Xun'er gave him a five-day deadline to locate Xiao Bai, he was dumbfounded. Spatial jade tokens were unpredictable—depending on the environment, they could teleport a mere few hundred miles or tens of thousands. Five days to find him? Impossible.
But seeing Xun'er's anxious eyes and icy demeanor, he knew any protest would've spelled his doom. He'd accepted the task reluctantly, only to stumble upon Xiao Bai fighting in Black Seal City, the closest city to Jia Nan Academy. He nearly wept with relief.
Never had Xiao Bai seemed so dear to him!
"Xun'er…" A warmth flickered in Xiao Bai's eyes. He hadn't expected the girl to dispatch someone so quickly.
"Why didn't you let me intervene earlier, Young Master?" Ling Ying asked, noting Xiao Bai's slightly trembling hands.
"If I can handle it, no need to trouble you, Old Ling," Xiao Bai said with a faint smile. His spear flashed, turning into a golden light that vanished into his sleeve.
"My lord, I split off some origin energy this time. I'll need to sleep for a while to recover. Be careful," Little Golden Dragon's weakened voice transmitted.
"Mm." Xiao Bai nodded, gently patting his sleeve.
Sensing the dragon-shaped shadow within, a trace of warmth softened his gaze. The dragon guarded its origin like its life, always refusing to share, yet in critical moments, it gave without hesitation.
Sigh. Ling Ying, catching Xiao Bai's tone, fell silent, sighing inwardly.
Young Master Xiao must still resent Qing Shuang's lofty attitude from before. He accepted only Xun'er's direct help, keeping her associates at arm's length despite his courteous demeanor.
Gazing at Xiao Bai's resolute face, Ling Ying thought, A proud man, indeed. But when you learn Young Miss's true identity, can that pride hold?
The clan's colossal influence loomed in his mind. Even a Dou Sheng would feel pressure facing it, let alone Xiao Bai. Though his view of Xiao Bai had improved—far from the boy stuck at nine-stage Dou Zhi Qi for five years—Ling Ying still doubted whether he could ultimately stand by Xun'er's side.
"Anyone who leaves without permission will be killed!" Xiao Bai's shout jolted Ling Ying from his thoughts.
His gaze swept over three Eight Gates Dou Wangs, who, sensing Xiao Bai's weakened state, had edged toward escape. Xiao Bai released a wisp of aura to deter them.
"Dou Huang!"
"No, not an ordinary Dou Huang—a peak Dou Huang!"
"A powerhouse like that in Black Seal City!"
Whispers rippled through the city's onlookers, their voices tinged with shock as they drew sharp breaths.
"My Young Master said, move without permission, and die!" Ling Ying stood behind Xiao Bai, his calm voice laced with killing intent, echoing across the city.
The three Dou Wangs froze under the chilling aura, as if plunged into an icy abyss, their schemes evaporating.
"Young Master?"
"A peak Dou Huang calls him Young Master? That's some background!"
"Is the Black Horn Region about to change?"
Xiao Bai rolled his eyes at the exaggerated murmurs, glancing back at Ling Ying.
"No need to mind them, Young Master. A small effort," Ling Ying said, waving cheerfully.
"…" Xiao Bai sighed inwardly.
He'd lingered here, appearing vulnerable, to lure out the city's schemers—high-level cultivators with deep pockets, perfect for a quick profit. Broke after losing his storage ring at Jia Nan Academy, he was lucky the elders hadn't demanded his Dou Ling Pills, as he had nothing to offer.
But Ling Ying's words had ruined his plan!
So be it. Xiao Bai shook his head, striding toward the auction house. Passing Yuan Yi's corpse, he plucked the storage ring from his hand and glanced at the black-robed figure nearby, who was laughing and crying. "Time to get to work," he said coldly.
"I endured twelve years by his side, even calling that wretch Father. Today, he's finally dead!" The figure murmured, gazing complexly at Yuan Yi's body before standing. In a raspy voice, he said, "Rest assured, milord. You avenged my great grudge. My life is yours from now on!"
Xiao Bai's face remained impassive, neither acknowledging nor denying the pledge, and stepped toward the auction house doors.
His gaze flicked to a trembling elderly figure in the corner—the appraiser who'd traded his fire beads that day.
"He's Hu Degui, Yuan… Yuan Yi's confidant, managing the auction house," the black-robed figure, Ji Bu, explained softly from behind.
"Nonsense! I was just hired by Yuan Yi, not his confidant!" Hu Degui protested, fear in his eyes.
He cursed Ji Bu inwardly. Confidant? You, his adopted son, were his true confidant!
Xiao Bai watched coldly, silent, then turned to three figures nearby.
The three Dou Wang elders—Xue Yuan, Kong Zhou, and Gao Heng—shivered under his piercing gaze, fidgeting nervously. They glanced at the shadowy Ling Ying, then, after a long pause, approached warily as Xiao Bai's oppressive stare persisted.
"Xue Yuan, Kong Zhou, Gao Heng, at your service, milord!" they said, bowing.
"One eight-star, one four-star, and one barely stable, just entered Dou Wang," Xiao Bai assessed their auras, asking calmly, "Are you four the only Dou Wangs in Eight Gates?"
"Replying to milord, yes," Xue Yuan answered cautiously.
Xiao Bai nodded, pondering briefly before declaring in a voice that resounded through the city, "As of today, Eight Gates is dissolved. Black Seal City is renamed Purple Sky City, and the Black Seal Auction House becomes the Purple Sky Auction House. I, Xiao Bai, shall be… the Lord of Purple Sky City!"
His words echoed across the city, leaving everyone stunned.
"Pay respects to the City Lord!" Ji Bu, reacting first, shouted hoarsely.
His cry snapped the crowd from their daze.
"Pay respects to the City Lord!" The three Dou Wangs and Hu Degui hurriedly bowed.
The city guards, massed on the street before the auction house, knelt in unison, their voices thundering, "We pay respects to the City Lord!"
The sound roared like a tidal wave, reverberating through the silent Purple Sky City under the night sky.
"He's really taking Black Seal City?"
"With Yuan Yi dead, Eight Gates is done!"
"No surprise there. In the Black Horn Region, without a Dou Zong-level powerhouse, factions rise and fall fast, replaced in no time."
"Heh, this one's different. Past lords were lone wolves. This guy's got a peak Dou Huang calling him Young Master—his background's a mystery!"
"True, but no need to panic. The real top-tier factions don't care much for the Black Horn Region."
As the city buzzed, two figures in a loft listened quietly to the citywide chants of allegiance.
"Steward, with Black Seal City renamed and ruled by this man, will it affect us?"
"No matter. He runs his auction house, we run our business—mutual noninterference."
"But Steward, his domineering style, young and brash, unlike Yuan Yi's caution… What if he covets our trade?"
"Heh, if he gets ideas, we're no pushovers. A mere peak Dou Huang isn't enough."
___
Purple Sky Auction House Hall, Ablaze with Light.
Several figures stood silently, watching the young man at the center, toying with a black storage ring, not daring to make a sound. Their glances at the shadowy figure behind him carried awe.
"Just this?" Xiao Bai withdrew his soul perception from the ring, disappointed.
As Eight Gates' leader with a massive auction house, Yuan Yi had little of value! The ring's best items were materials for three Huang-class pills, likely gathered for a commission. A few techniques and skills, the highest being a low-tier Di-class skill, the rest Xuan-class. Beyond that, gold coins, pills, magic cores, and personal items.
The gold coins didn't interest him. The pills, far inferior to his own, he tossed aside with disdain. Only my own pills are trustworthy. Yao Lao had a habit of tampering with pills, so Xiao Bai only consumed those he or his close allies made.
The magic cores, though, could be useful for alchemy.
"Tell me about Eight Gates," Xiao Bai said, organizing the ring and slipping it onto his finger—his first high-tier storage ring, a rare find even with wealth.
"City Lord, Eight Gates currently has four Dou Wangs, nine Dou Lings, and an unknown number below Dou Ling," Ji Bu reported hoarsely, glancing at the trembling Hu Degui. "The largest asset is this… Purple Sky Auction House, plus various shops and inns in the city. As for the auction house's details…"
"City Lord!" Hu Degui stammered nervously. "The auction house's annual profit is about fifty million gold coins, of which…"
After a lengthy report, Xiao Bai's brows furrowed, his face darkening.
"The annual profit relies entirely on auctions, with herb trading a mere fraction?" His voice was icy. "What happened to the herb trade? Did you pocket it?"
In Wu Tan City, Ya Fei had mentioned auction houses typically split profits evenly between auctions and daily trades like herbs. But Hu had glossed over daily transactions, focusing only on auctions.
Does he think I'm a fool?
"Mercy, milord!" Hu collapsed to his knees, panicked. "It's not my fault! The herb trade in… Purple Sky City is dominated by the Thousand Herb Workshop!"
"When people here think of herbs, they go to Thousand Herb Workshop, not our auction house!"
Xiao Bai frowned, recalling the inflated herb prices he'd seen earlier. "Is it because your prices are too high, so no one comes?"
He'd experienced the auction house's exorbitant rates firsthand—prices triple or quadruple the norm.
"City Lord, you know the herb prices here are abnormal. It was… Yuan Yi's orders. He told me to mark herbs at three or four times the outside rate. I wanted to set normal prices, but I had no choice!"
"Why?"
"I was just following orders. I don't know!"
"City Lord, I know a bit about this," Xue Yuan, the eight-star Dou Wang, said hesitantly.
"Speak."
"I was among the first to join Eight Gates," Xue Yuan began, cautiously gauging Xiao Bai's reaction, fearing he'd be seen as a loyalist.
"Speak freely," Xiao Bai said firmly, inwardly scoffing. Loyalty in the Black Horn Region? Only strength matters here.
"Yes!" Relieved, Xue Yuan continued boldly. "When Yuan Yi, newly a Dou Huang, took Black Seal City and founded Eight Gates, it drew the attention of Black Horn Region powerhouses. We were on the brink of collapse. Then, Black Emperor City offered aid."
"Not without cost, though. No one knows what Yuan Yi paid, but soon after, Thousand Herb Workshop appeared here, specializing in herbs and pills. Yuan Yi gave them free rein, even slashing our auction house's herb trade outside of auctions."
"Indeed, City Lord," Ji Bu added. "I don't know the early details, but in my years close to Yuan Yi, I saw he feared Thousand Herb Workshop yet greeted them warmly."
"Heh, Thousand Herb Workshop, Black Emperor Sect… a Dou Zong, huh?" Xiao Bai sneered.
He'd claimed Black Seal City for its herb and pill trade, only to find it a hollow shell.
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