Chapter : 55 : Trouble At The Auction Hall : ( Part : 1 ) :
Location : Glory City : Auction Hall :
" I am sorry young master but we do not know much about this painting's history . "
As soon as he heard those words Xiao Ming felt the person on the other side was joking with him .
" Are you serious ? "
But looking at the genuine expression in the other person's face Xiao Ming finally understood that he was not lying .
But this only made the situation more ridiculous .
After all if the sales person of the auction hall does not know the history of the item they are selling then who should he ask ?
' If you don't know what you are selling then why the hell are you working here in the first place . '
Right now Xiao Ming really wanted to shout these words but kept his frustration in control .
Did they expect him to have the all knowing eyes with him ?
After getting such a big clue about the mystery of the day suddenly the path was already once again blocked .
So how could he not feel frustrated .
At this moment he just wanted to go home and practice his swords skills to let out his frustration .
Seeing the unpleasant expression on Xiao Ming's face the salesperson quickly tried to clarify the situation .
" Young Master do not misunderstand ! "
" It is not because we do not know the history of this painting but it's just that it's too complicated . "
" Oh ! Then do tell me about what is so complicated here . " - Xiao Ming asked sarcastically .
Seeing that the Xiao Ming really wanted to know about it the saleperson quickly started speaking .
" Actually this painting belongs to the previous head of the Glory City Auction Hall - Hun Tiandi . "
The moment he heard this Xiao Ming's eyes widened in genuine surprise .
The previous head of the Glory City auction hall , Hun Tiandi - the man known as the iron fist was actually a legendary figure within the people of the kingdom and all of its neighbours .
The fact that he was actually a 6 star Dou King power house and once a close associate with the grandfather of the current king of the Yu Shan Kingdom .
During his early days as a young general within the kingdoms army he relentlessly fought against the rising Crimson Cloud Empire .
It was during this time that due to his legendary strength and his strong punches that could break iron like a paper ball he earn the nickname of being the - ' THE IRON FIST ' .
Afterwards due to an injury he had to leave the battlefield and after a few years he eventually left the Royal court politics and decided to become the leader of the auction hall at Glory City .
However even in his old age the man refused to stay down and often went on to battle the dark cultivators in multiple operations .
However around 60 years before Xiao Ming's birth apparently the man known as the Iron Fist suddenly disappeared out of nowhere .
At first many people thought that he might have gone to an adventure like he always did .
But even after 2 years no news of him came at which point multiple looking parties were sent to look for him .
However despite continuous search all they came up with was the broken wine gourd that the man carried around with him all the time .
Since then many people have already accepted the fact that perhaps he was already dead .
Although no one new the exact reason but many speculated that it must have been during a dangerous battle that he was ultimately defeated .
And they point out towards the broken wine gourd as the proof .
Moreover the wine gourd was of not simple material .
It was actually a low gold grade item .
Any wine stored in that gourd will automatically get refined and boosted with much more healing properties along with other mystical elements .
It was a priced treasure of Hun Tiandi that he apparently found from a lost dungeon and certainly he would not leave it behind .
And any opponent or enemy that could damage a item like that and then defeat the Iron Fist is certainly not a easy opponent .
" Are you saying this painting belonged to Hun Tiandi ? "
But to Xiao Ming it did not matter right now .
What he wanted to know that was that why would such a painting be with a man like that .
From what he new about the man called the Iron Fist he had little to know interest in art and was known for famously falling asleep during Royal banquets whenever there were dance and other performances .
So why would he have a painting in his collection ?
Was it simply because he wanted to have some paintings to show around to his guests or was there something else sent entirely .
" From what I know this painting was found in his room years after his disappearance along with rest of his cultivation items . " - the saleperson said .
" In fact this was the only painting in the entire room we found because everyone knew that the previous Lord was not quite interested in such things . "
The salesperson quickly started saying the events that occurred that day .
Apparently even after the disappearance of Hun Tiandi , since he did not have any family so his inheritance was never claimed by anyone .
And in hopes of his return the auction hall never opened his room and left it alone .
However after years of not knowing Hun Tiandi's location the new head of the auction hall who had just been assigned to the glory city decided to open the room .
There they found a multitude of cultivation treasures and other things that Hun Tiandi collected throughout his life .
Since there was no one to claim it and it had been years since his disappearance the auction hall decided to move all his belonging to a safe place for storage .
And it was then that they found this picture within the corner of the room gathering dust .
" So if it is the only painting that you found then shouldn't you put it in the first section ? Why would you even put it here for sale ? "
Xiao Ming's question was a valid one .
If a man of Hun Tiandi's character who was reportedly known for never collecting any paintings with him - suddenly has one painting in his collection that painting would be considered a iconic piece of art .
Even if the painting is just a simple drawing but the value added to it by Hun Tiandi's name alone would make it a treasure for collectors .
Because that painting is the only piece of its kind out there .
This is a kind of treasure that you cannot measure with money or cultivation resources .
So by all means it would make sense if the Glory City auction hall would put the painting as a precious memory of Hun Tiandi .
And yet despite all this the painting was now being sold like an ordinary item .
Obviously even the saleperson was not foolish enough not to understand this himself so he quickly explained .
" Young Master - from what I know from a senior work before me apparently the cleaning team found a letter right beneath the picture which particularly stated that this painting must be put for sale in the art hall . "
This made the situation even more peculiar .
" And what is the reason for that ? "
Hearing this the man in front shook his head and said helplessly .
" I am afraid there is no way for someone as ordinary as me to understand the will of Lord Hun Tiandi . "
After this both of them fell silent .
Xiao Ming who heard the entire story felt that there was something off .
First of all why would a legendary man who was known for little to no artistic love would collect a beautiful painting and only that painting .
And then suddenly he would disappear out of nowhere .
Then not only that when they found the painting in his room there was a letter specifically telling that this painting must be put for sale in the art hall .
And today by sheer luck he came to the art hall and found the painting .
And more importantly the painting represented the same dungeon and the high platform that he had seen in his mental space while he was looking for his alchemist flame .
And there was also the matter of that mysterious voice .
So many things happening one after another ? Certainly this was not a coincidence right ?
' But what is exactly wrong here ? '
Now that was the million dollar question .
In fact he even suspected that the sellperson was lying to him because how could a normal saleperson know such a confidential matter .
But after some questionings he learn that this was apparently a open secret in the auction hall and almost any old worker over here knew about it.
Then if all of it was indeed a coincidence then perhaps the world was playing a joke with him .
Unfortunately no matter how much he tried he couldn't get any clue and this only made his headache grow even more .
" Y...Young Master are you alright ? "
Seeing that Xiao Ming was not speaking for sometime the saleperson quickly asked .
" Yes ! yes ! I am alright . " - Xiao Ming quickly replied as he kept those thoughts away for now .
" If I buy this painting then could I also get that letter with me . "
" This is indeed possible young master . " - the saleperson quickly replied .
" Infact the letter is kept right behind the painting and once you buy the painting the letter will also automatically given to you . "
" Good ! then I will buy this painting right now . "
After paying the money Xiao Ming quickly put the painting and the letter in his storage ring .
And just when he thought all the drama of the day was about to be over something new happened .
Because just as he was about to leave the area to find the rest of the group he suddenly heard a huge commotion happening outside the art hall .
" What the hell is going on there ! "
Looking at the crowd of people standing outside the art hall he immediately understood that whatever was happening had become serious .
As he listened to the voices coming from the area Xiao Ming immediately recognised a few of them belonging to some senior sisters of the Silver Arrow group .
Then immediately without wasting anytime he quickly rushed towards the area from where all the commotion was coming from .
After all if anyone from the Silver Arrow group was involved than he would be involved in that matter as well.
So affter pushing through a bunch of people who had crowded the area he finally saw what was happening .
The moment he reached the area the first thing that he heard was a angry female female voice .
" How dare you talk about our group like that !!! "
( Author's Note : Hello guys I hope you all are doing well and I hope you loved this chapter .
And before ending this chapter , I would like to inform you all that my second novel on the app - " As An Extra I Change The Plot To Get Rewards " will be release either by the end of this month or by the first week of the next month .
And for that I am open to any of your ideas so feel free to tell me about it in the comment sections .
But while I am open to constructive criticism please refrain from using too much negative comments which are not good for us as a community .
Also I right fanfictions in this same platform .
For now I have two fanfictions going on - ' I Am A Mysterious Elite . ' and ' Creating My own Prophecy In My New Life : Boruto Series . "
And I will also be releasing my third FanFiction - ' Pokemon : My Very Own Journey Begins . ' on the first day of the next month .
So if you are interested do check it and out I am sure you will love it .
And if you like the story so far , then think about adding it in your library so that you don't miss any updates . )
So that's all I had to say today .
Thank you for reading . )
To Be Continued .