Proud Sword Soaring Clouds-Chapter 52 - 51: Heart of the Earth Dragon

Ling Xiao was truly shaken for a moment, so much so that he forgot to conceal his emotions. Fortunately, besides him, no one else in this world understood the true value of the Heart of the Earth Dragon and Stone Bamboo Grass. ’Unless another person came from the Cultivation Realm... but of course, that’s impossible.’

Ling Xiao chuckled softly and said, "The Huangpu Clan is truly formidable. To think you’d have news so quickly!"

Huangpu Cangsong gave a slight smile, then said with some difficulty, "We do have news. It’s about the medicinal herb you call the Heart of the Earth Dragon. But there’s one issue... The other party... their asking price is a bit high!"

"Oh?" Ling Xiao was taken aback. ’Is this old man trying to extort me? Or is he trying to make me owe him a favor?’ Ling Xiao was naive, not an idiot, and he was somewhat suspicious of Huangpu Cangsong’s words. The Heart of the Earth Dragon did indeed have the same effects as the Purple Blue Fruit, and was even better. But there was one difference: a Purple Blue Fruit could be consumed directly, while the only outcome of consuming a Heart of the Earth Dragon directly was... death by poisoning!

’Even a single bite would lead to the same fate! That’s why most people considered the Heart of the Earth Dragon to be a deadly poison. In his past life, even powerful Beast Cultivators Ling Xiao had met were extremely cautious when consuming a Heart of the Earth Dragon, having to pair it with another detoxifying herb to eat it safely. A poison like that... who would treat it as a rare commodity to be hoarded?’

"A bit high?" Ling Xiao asked, frowning slightly. He was wondering if he had enough Gold Coins in his ring to cover their "a bit high" asking price.

Huangpu Cangsong was old and shrewd, but he misinterpreted Ling Xiao’s meaning. He thought Ling Xiao suspected him of foul play and immediately explained with a wry smile, "The other party is a small Adventurer’s Guild, with only seven or eight members. Their strongest is only a Fourth-rank Great Sword Master. They accidentally ran into a Tier Three Magical Beast and were nearly wiped out. In the end, only two of them survived, and the Magical Beast fled with injuries. They found this thing growing in a place the Magical Beast had been guarding, so they took it back, thinking it was something valuable. A few days ago, in another city, they delivered it to the local auction house, planning to auction it off as an unknown medicinal herb. Because so many of their comrades died, they’re asking for fifty thousand gold coins for this herb!" After speaking, Huangpu Cangsong looked at Ling Xiao with a troubled expression. After all, this was a commission from a client; they couldn’t just change it as they pleased.

"Fifty thousand? Why don’t they just rob someone!" Ye Wen Ni’s eyes went wide. She had already thought the thirty thousand Ling Xiao offered as a bounty for it was expensive, let alone fifty thousand. "Are they desperate for money? Adventuring is inherently deadly! How can they force their losses onto the buyer? Forget it! We absolutely will not accept this kind of extortion!"

Hearing this, Ling Xiao was secretly overjoyed. ’I originally thought they’d demand an exorbitant price, something like one hundred thousand gold coins! If that were the case, the large amount of Gold Coins in my ring would be gone in an instant, and I still haven’t even found the Stone Bamboo Grass. My biggest fear isn’t anything else, it’s just running out of money.’

Just as he was about to speak, Ye Wen Ni, frowning beside him, turned to Huangpu Cangsong with an angry expression. "As an auction house, don’t you appraise and authenticate the items people bring you? Do you just let them set whatever price they want?"

Huangpu Cangsong smiled faintly, unmoved by the young lady’s sharp words. He chuckled. "Of course. Business is based on voluntary participation. Besides, the higher the price they set, the more commission the auction house receives. If it weren’t for the fact that this young brother here has good merchandise and is a straightforward person, even if not many people recognize this item, I could still use the auction to drive its price up significantly. I wonder if the young miss believes me?"

"Er..." Ye Wen Ni was at a loss for words. She pouted and shot the old man a glare. She knew what Huangpu Cangsong said was the truth. In fact, it wasn’t unheard of for auction houses to bid on their own items. They did it to inflate prices and liven up the atmosphere. However, this tactic wasn’t used often. After all, auction houses cared about their reputation. This was especially true for the Huangpu Family’s auction house.

"Fine. Fifty thousand it is. I’ll take it," Ling Xiao said nonchalantly.

"Ah... you, you idiot! You definitely could have gotten it for cheaper!" Ye Wen Ni was furious. ’I really shouldn’t have bothered worrying. It just ended up putting me in a bad mood.’

Huangpu Cangsong was also stunned. ’In all my years, I’ve seen people who throw money around like it’s nothing, but I’ve never seen someone so generous! Fifty thousand gold coins! That was indeed the price the Adventurer’s Guild had set, but my first thought was the same as Ye Wen Ni’s—they must be crazy!’

The two survivors probably never imagined that the astronomical price they had casually named out of grief for their fallen comrades would actually be met...

"Can you bring it here for me to see now?" The thought of the Heart of the Earth Dragon being so close made Ling Xiao feel an overwhelming sense of impatience, but his face remained a mask of indifference.

"As you wish!" Huangpu Cangsong sent one of his subordinates to fetch it, then turned to Ling Xiao and said, "Young friend, regarding the goods you’ve commissioned the auction house to sell, we’ve set the prices as follows. The Tier Two Earth Crystal Core is relatively rare. However, Earth Crystal Cores are generally used for city lighting because their energy is stable and not prone to accidents, so the price is slightly higher. Our direct purchase price is eleven thousand gold coins. The Tier Four Electric Crystal Core is also quite rare. If successfully embedded into an Enchanted Sword, its destructive power is immense. The direct purchase price is fifty-five thousand gold coins. I wonder if you are satisfied with these prices?"

Ling Xiao and Ye Wen Ni had spent the last few days inquiring about the prices of Crystal Cores. They knew that the price Huangpu Cangsong was offering was quite fair. Although an auction might fetch a slightly higher price, Ling Xiao also intended to build a good relationship with the Huangpu Clan. ’It’s the same as in the Cultivation Realm: having another friend is always better than having another enemy.’ 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Ling Xiao nodded and said, "That’s acceptable."

The smile on Huangpu Cangsong’s face broadened. He clearly had a better impression of this plain-looking young man, who, unlike other Adventurers, wasn’t greedy and didn’t try to demand double the price.

He continued, "As for the two Magical Beast corpses, we’d like to put them up for auction. To be honest with you both, this would be a great way to boost the auction house’s reputation. The starting bid for the White Jade Red-eyed Python will be set at fifty thousand gold coins! The starting bid for the Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon will be set at thirty thousand gold coins. I wonder if you two are satisfied with that?"

Ye Wen Ni felt a rush of blood to her head. ’Gods, a Tier Five Magical Beast’s corpse is worth so much money! A Tier Five Crystal Core usually only sells for around one hundred thousand gold coins. To think the starting bid for that giant python could reach fifty thousand... Doesn’t that mean if people actually compete for it, the final price could be as high as a Tier Five Crystal Core?’ Ye Wen Ni was deeply shaken. ’For the first time, she found the Adventurer profession so appealing. No wonder countless people shed their blood and threw their lives away for it. You really can get rich overnight!’

Ling Xiao, however, didn’t think that far ahead. In his eyes, as long as he had enough Gold Coins, it was fine. As for the difference between one thousand and ten thousand, to him, they were just numbers.

At that moment, a staff member from the auction house walked in, struggling slightly under the weight of a large wooden box. The box was a full meter long, and about half a meter wide and tall. When it was placed on the table, it made a dull THUD.

The attention of all three was drawn to the exquisite wooden box. Huangpu Cangsong nodded in satisfaction. After the staff member had left, he smiled and said, "This box is made from Purple Gold Silk Nanmu, a precious type of wood from the southern Lanyue Empire. Its greatest benefit is its excellent seal. Anything placed inside is guaranteed to remain unchanged for a very long time!" With that, he stood up and opened the box in front of Ling Xiao.

A huge, serpentine root appeared before their eyes.

Ling Xiao only needed a single glance, but inside, his heart was already churning with monstrous waves. ’This Heart of the Earth Dragon... it’s actually over five hundred years old!’