Chapter 22: Xun'er (peeking): We Meet Again!
At the Miteer Auction House, Mr. Yao—looking at ease—let the staff know that the remaining nine Low-Tier Yellow Rank Dou Weapons were still on the carriage. Then, along with four black cards and five purple ones, he left the venue with Jiang Lin.
With a bit of gold in their pockets, Mr. Yao took Jiang Lin for another stroll through Wu Tan City's marketplace, hoping to find some worthy herbs, magic cores, or materials.
Stopping at one of the stalls, Mr. Yao picked up a bloodstained magic core from a pile of rusty scrap metal and began haggling with the vendor. Jiang Lin, meanwhile, was simply curious about a particular iron shard lying among the junk. Without hesitation, Mr. Yao turned to the vendor and said, "Fine, I'll give you 550 for this Tier 1 magic core—but throw in a few materials as compensation."
The vendor smiled slyly. "Name your pick."
Mr. Yao glanced at a few of the pricier antique items. The vendor immediately shook his head in panic.
Seeing Mr. Yao begin to grow impatient, the vendor grinned awkwardly. "Judging by your attire, sir, you must be from a wealthy household. Why make things hard for an old man like me? You've got sharp eyes, sir—every real treasure I have, you spotted instantly. How about I throw in some of these smaller items instead?"
With a hint of annoyance, Mr. Yao grabbed a few rusted iron pieces. He was about to ask what they were. "You trying to fob me off with this junk?"
"They're antiques, sir—antiques! You never know, they might be worth something someday," the vendor laughed nervously.
If it had been any other brat acting this way, the vendor might've snapped. After all, he was a 3-Star Fighter. But something about Mr. Yao made him uneasy—some instinct told him this man was far more dangerous than he looked.
Mr. Yao gave the vendor a calm glance, picked out a few more iron scraps, tossed over a pouch of gold coins, and turned to leave.
"Not worth arguing over," he muttered.
Once they were gone, the vendor casually pulled more scrap from a cloth bag behind him and replaced what was taken.
Elsewhere, Mr. Yao turned over one of the rusted iron shards in his hand and handed it to Jiang Lin. "You notice anything unusual about this?"
Jiang Lin felt a bit embarrassed. "Mr. Yao, you trust my instincts more than I do."
All Jiang Lin had done was glance at a piece that "looked a little different in color." That's all. Yet Mr. Yao had bought it without hesitation.
"I have nothing to teach you. But I hope you'll learn to trust your own intuition," Mr. Yao said softly, shaking his head.
"The rest we'll discuss back in Qingshan Town." While Mr. Yao didn't have Jiang Lin's heightened perception, he had experience on his side.
"…Alright." Jiang Lin examined the piece but couldn't see anything special. He gave up.
Yet what Mr. Yao had said reminded him of his mother. If Mr. Yao could trust his instincts more than he did, that could only mean—Mr. Yao had seen this before.
Maybe Jiang Lin's heightened spiritual sense was a gift—part of who he was.
With that thought, Jiang Lin followed Mr. Yao into the grand, bustling Miteer Auction House for their once-every-half-month major auction event.
Every participant was given a mask and black cloak.
"For your safety, we offer masks and cloaks for solo participants. If you have privacy concerns, feel free to cover your faces," the staff explained.
Mr. Yao and Jiang Lin exchanged a look. Jiang Lin shrugged. "Do we really look like we're worth watching?"
Mr. Yao chuckled. They had no need to hide, so they politely declined the offer and stepped into the enormous amphitheater-style hall.
Some people wore disguises, but many were confident enough to attend openly.
Mr. Yao and Jiang Lin chose a quiet spot in the middle tiers and sat down to await the start.
There were private rooms too, but those were reserved for individuals with sufficient power or influence. Mr. Yao could've requested one—but his main goal was to give Jiang Lin exposure. Hiding in a booth would defeat the purpose.
It would be like going on a long trip only to sit in the hotel playing games for days. What's the point?
About ten minutes later—bang!—the hall went dark. Spotlights lit up the central stage, where a stunning woman in a qipao had somehow appeared without anyone noticing.
"Welcome, everyone, to the Miteer Family Auction House. I'm Ya Fei, your host for today's auction," she announced, standing gracefully beneath the lights, enduring all kinds of ambiguous stares while suppressing her nerves.
"We received a last-minute submission. There might be some surprises for everyone today~" Her voice was soft and alluring—like a kitten brushing your heart with velvet paws.
"Now, the first item: a Tier 3 wind-type magic core from a Greenwind Hawk!"
Being a major event, the quality of auction items was naturally high.
"Interested?" Mr. Yao asked.
Jiang Lin shook his head. "Not necessary."
They watched quietly as others bid.
"Next item: Wood-type Mid Yellow Rank cultivation method—Everlasting Spring Technique!"
"Seven thousand!"
"Eight thousand!"
"…"
Seeing the technique, Jiang Lin's eyes glazed over slightly. Technically, Dou Qi cultivation methods shouldn't be trainable until after one became a Dou Fighter… but he'd already started practicing Forging Fire Art. No—more accurately, that method was designed to build foundation even in the Dou Qi stages!
If so, then this Mid Yellow Rank method might not be as "ordinary" as Mr. Yao made it sound. Perhaps its rank was low precisely because it was ideal for beginners.
I'll have to ask later… just how much did Mother really leave Mr. Yao?
As Jiang Lin drifted into thought, a voice snapped him back to reality.
"Brother Xiao Yan! Look—over there, an empty seat!"
"Whew! Just made it! We're only on the second item? Thank goodness!"
Jiang Lin turned—and locked eyes with Xiao Yan, who had sat down beside him.
Peeking from behind Xiao Yan, a familiar girl smiled sweetly.
"Yay~ we meet again!" said Xiao Xun'er.
(END CHAPTER)
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