Proud Sword Soaring Clouds

Huangpu Cangsong looked down at the crowd, their interest now thoroughly piqued, and a smile touched his lips. "This final item can be called a Magical Beast, but one could also call it a Top-Grade Treasure! Its skeleton is incredibly heavy. A normal sword forged from it would possess greater destructive power than a Fine Iron Heavy Sword. If made into an Enchanted Sword, its quality would be virtually unmatched among others of the same tier!"

Ye Wen Ni glanced at Ling Xiao, her heart leaping into her throat. Today she had experienced more tension and excitement than ever before in her life. ’This major clan’s auction house is really something else,’ she thought. ’They can make mediocre things sound incredible and make incredible things sound even better! Simply put, their power of persuasion is off the charts.’ Ye Wen Ni hung on Huangpu Cangsong’s every word, thinking to herself, ’Being a con man is obviously way better than having a Golden Finger!’

Ling Xiao, however, took the Heart of the Earth Dragon from his Space Ring and examined it intently. He noticed that the Adventurer who dug it up must have been incredibly experienced. Not a single rootlet was damaged, perfectly preserving its medicinal efficacy.

Seeing how intently Ling Xiao was examining it, Ye Wen Ni leaned over for a look. But then, remembering his extravagant spending, she pursed her lips, let out a small huff, and turned her attention back to Huangpu Cangsong and the auction.

The occupants of the second-floor private boxes were now intrigued as well, and every eye was fixed on Huangpu Cangsong.

As if feeling the stares of the wealthy and noble from the second floor, Huangpu Cangsong smiled and announced, "Though this Magical Beast’s body is extremely heavy, it moves with the speed of the wind and is incomparably ferocious! Moreover, throughout the entire Canglan Continent, it can only be found in one place: the Vendia Great Snow Mountain! I present... the White Jade Red-eyed Python!"

The several hundred people in the grand hall were stunned silent for a moment, and then the room exploded with noise like a pot boiling over. The din was deafening. The finely dressed minor nobles forgot all about their aristocratic etiquette, arguing until they were red in the face. Some even looked ready to duel over whether its appearance was "possible" or "impossible."

The vast majority found it unbelievable. Of course, they believed Huangpu Cangsong’s words—the Huangpu Clan’s reputation had always been impeccable. Cunning was in a merchant’s nature; what kind of merchant wasn’t cunning? Besides, if the seller could hunt a fearsome Flying Magical Beast like the Snow Mountain Lightning Falcon, then capturing a White Jade Red-eyed Python wasn’t entirely out of the question.

The crucial point was that while many knew of this magical and mighty beast, no one had actually seen one for many, many years.

Someone immediately yelled out, "Huangpu Shopkeeper, it’s not that we don’t believe you! We just want to see it with our own eyes! Can you let us have a look at the Magical Beast?"

Everyone else chimed in, agreeing. For a legendary Magical Beast like this, the chance to witness it firsthand would be incredible.

Huangpu Cangsong just smiled and shook his head. "I’m sorry, but the auction house has its rules. It isn’t that I don’t wish to grant your request..."

A collective sigh of disappointment rose from the crowd, but Huangpu Cangsong continued, "However, I did manage to pry a scale from the White Jade Red-eyed Python! I trust that whoever the buyer is, they won’t begrudge this old man a single scale, right?"

Many in the crowd laughed, and someone shouted, "Master Huangpu, hurry up and show us the scale!"

The people in the second-floor boxes all set aside what they were doing, their eyes glued to the auction stage below.

In the small private box belonging to the Madman Mercenary Corps, the atmosphere was even more tense and solemn. Every one of them was preoccupied, their minds heavy with worry. In the entire auction hall, aside from perhaps Ling Xiao, they were the only ones not focused on Huangpu Cangsong. They were all consumed with how to resolve the crisis at hand.

Ye Hanxin couldn’t help but give a bitter smile. ’We were so full of righteous fury when we put out the bounty on that black-clad female thief,’ he thought. ’Now I wish we’d never issued it at all!’

The problem now was this: if they withdrew the bounty, the Madman Mercenary Corps’ reputation in the Mercenary Realm would be ruined. But if they didn’t, they would face immediate and utter destruction.

"Let’s go." Ye Hanxin finally made up his mind. He stood up and said, "We’re heading back. Withdraw the bounty. We’re leaving Lanyue."

"Brother!" Ye Jingxin shot to his feet, his voice thick with rage. "Have you forgotten Shenke and the brothers who died?"

Neither Yunna nor Mad War said a word. Anything they said would be useless right now. Besides, this was a matter between the two brothers.

Ye Hanxin gave his emotional younger brother a cool look. "I’m thinking about the hundreds of brothers who are still alive."

Ye Jingxin was momentarily speechless. "Fine. I understand. Haha. My dear brother swallows his pride to serve the greater good. How noble. In that case, I hereby announce my withdrawal from the Madman Mercenary Corps! From this day forward, the Corps’ business has nothing to do with me! I *will* find that black-clad thief, and I will kill her with my own two hands to avenge Shenke!" After speaking, he took a long look at the others, drew a deep breath, spun around, and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

"Captain Hanxin..." Yunna blinked her beautiful eyes, her delicate brows knitting in a frown. Judging by her appearance alone, no one would ever imagine that this seemingly fragile beauty went by the moniker of the "Poison Widow."

"Forget it. Let him go." Ye Hanxin sighed and turned to leave the room. As he turned, a profound exhaustion settled into his eyes.

Huangpu Cangsong produced a white scale the size of a washbasin. It was as clear as jade and perfectly smooth, shimmering brilliantly under the bright lights. The crowd below gasped in admiration. From this single scale, one could only imagine what a colossal creature it came from, and how beautiful it must have been.

In one of the boxes, the richly-dressed young man murmured, "Father, this seller... if we could get him to work for us..."

The middle-aged man nodded gravely, then sighed. "A pity. It’s nearly impossible to get information on a seller from the Huangpu Clan."

The young man seemed unconvinced. "Not even for our roy—" He cut himself off and glanced cautiously at his father.

The middle-aged man’s expression gradually softened. He shook his head with a wry smile. "Not even then."

Qin Kang was fuming internally, having just heard Yisha mention that unfamiliar name twice in a row. However, with her grandfather present, he couldn’t say much. Now, seeing the exquisite scale from the White Jade Red-eyed Python, he couldn’t resist a light chuckle. "Little sister Yisha, how come you’re not claiming this was also hunted by your dear ’brother’ Ling Xiao?"

Yisha’s expression had already returned to one of noble indifference. In truth, her earlier outburst was simply an involuntary reaction born from her immense worry for Ling Xiao. She gave Qin Kang a cool glance and said softly, "Since when do I need to explain myself to you?"

"..." Qin Kang was left looking like a fool. He seethed internally. ’Isabella, don’t think your high birth allows you to act this way. One day, I’ll make you understand just who you belong to!’

"The White Jade Red-eyed Python! Bidding will now begin! The starting price... is fifty thousand gold coins!" This time, Huangpu Cangsong didn’t raise the price at the last second. There was simply no need. Practically everyone knew the value of such a Magical Beast. It would not be an overstatement to call it a priceless treasure.

"Sixty thousand!" The voice belonged to a minor noble in the grand hall. When all eyes turned to him, he couldn’t help but puff up with pride, lifting his chin high as if to ensure everyone memorized his face. Several beautiful women nearby began to cast flirtatious glances his way, which only made the young noble even more smug.

In a second-floor box, Shangguan Yutong curled her lip and muttered one word, "Idiot!" Then, in an elegant voice, she called out, "One hundred thousand!"

The smile on the minor noble’s face froze in place, his expression utterly comical, as if he had just swallowed a fly.

From another box, a young man’s voice rang out, "One hundred and fifty thousand!"

The hall fell silent for a moment. Many people thought, ’It’s them again! Looks like today is going to be quite a show!’

Then, the most unexpected thing happened. From a corner of the great hall came an extremely old and raspy voice.

"Two hundred thousand!"