For Shen Hao, Liu Hengyi’s matter was really just a few words.

He informed Wang Yiming, who immediately added Hengshun Carriage and Horse Company to the list and had someone deliver the credential to Hengshun. As for the ins and outs, Wang Yiming didn’t ask a word.

At noon, Shen Hao left Thousand Households Station and had the guards drive him to the auction house.

This time, there was no need for Wang Yiming to introduce him—someone immediately went to inform Shopkeeper He Huan upon his arrival.

"Lord Shen, what a rare guest you are!"

He Huan looked just the same as before, only his eyes were streaked with red, and he seemed a bit listless—clearly lacking sleep.

"Shopkeeper He, long time no see. I hope you’ve been well?"

"Hahaha, I’ve just been muddling along each day, but you still spare a thought for me. This way, please—let’s sit inside and talk."

They entered a tea room. Once the attendant served the tea, he closed the door and took his leave.

"May I ask what brings Lord Shen here today?"

"I want to buy something."

He Huan smiled, "Lord Shen, just say what you’re looking for. My shop in Fengri City has the most complete selection, and I can transfer goods from all over at any time. I guarantee you’ll find what you want!"

"But I haven’t decided what to buy yet. So please trouble Shopkeeper He to introduce a few items to me."

"Oh? Is Lord Shen buying something as a gift?"

"Yes, a gift—for a woman. Do you have any recommendations, Shopkeeper He?"

Lian Xiang’s birthday was coming up. Since she had invited him alone, Shen Hao naturally wouldn’t go empty-handed. Plus, after that surprising discovery last time, he planned to use the opportunity to probe more into this Green Waist Songstress.

Giving a gift—perhaps it would lead to some revelations.

He Huan was stunned for a moment, then quickly smiled, "Lord Shen is indeed a passionate man. Do you have something specific in mind? That way I can better help you pick. And please rest assured, I’ll definitely have something that satisfies you."

"A magical artifact. Best if it’s both practical and decorative—and even better if it has some charm skill enhancement."

"A magical artifact? Heh, no problem. Lord Shen, please wait a moment—I’ll personally make the arrangements."

"Then I’ll trouble you, Shopkeeper He."

"Of course, of course."

After some polite words, He Huan quickly left the tea room. The Evil Star had come in person, and he was a bit nervous. Thanks to this Evil Star, there was the Jingxi Action, and the auction’s business had taken a huge hit recently. Too many rich patrons got caught up in it or decided to stay away. Who still wanted to come to auctions? Who knew how long until things would return to normal.

About the time it took for a meal, He Huan finally returned, bringing someone else, who carried a large box about two feet square.

The box was placed on the table, and after the attendant withdrew, He Huan sat opposite Shen Hao.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Lord Shen. I picked out three items from the warehouse for you to look over. If none suit your taste, I’ll look for more."

"Heh, let’s see them first."

He Huan opened the box, took out a golden hairpin, and set it on a thick cotton cloth on the table, introducing, "This is a Red Gold Head Ornament. It’s forged entirely from red gold—beautiful and highly powerful. It’s inscribed with a Spirit Gathering Array, a Defense Array, and an auxiliary array enhanced by true qi. It can provide limited boosts to various skills."

To put it bluntly, this is a pretty all-purpose tool—anyone can use it.

But after Shen Hao picked it up to try, he found that it was just a lower-grade magical artifact, suitable for cultivation at the Qi Refinement Realm and above—which was not quite what he wanted.

"Do you have anything better?"

He Huan immediately took out the second item and continued, "This is a rare ring-type magical artifact called ’Cyan Fox.’ It was made by an Artifact Refiner from the Valley of Love Flowers. On its tiny surface are two arrays: one for spirit gathering, one for charm skill enhancement—very effective. The charm skill boost can reach fifteen percent, making it a remarkable item. However..."

"However what?"

He Huan smiled awkwardly, "But because the arrays on a ring are so intricate, it requires much more true qi to activate compared to an ordinary middle-grade magical artifact. So, although it’s just a middle-grade artifact, it demands a lot from the user. Gathering Spirit Realm Third Layer is the minimum—any lower and you can’t activate its arrays."

Shen Hao picked up the ring and examined it carefully.

The ring did live up to its name—with the shape of a bluish-green fox curling its head and tail into a circle. The size could be freely adjusted. Only on the inner surface were the fine, dense lines of the arrays.

Shen Hao tested it for himself and indeed found that it demanded a high purity of true qi to use. However, he himself could easily manage it without difficulty.

He Huan had expected Shen Hao to put down the ring and pick something else, but instead, Shen Hao said, "This ring is not bad. What’s your asking price, Shopkeeper He?"

"Mm, in front of Lord Shen, I won’t play games—twenty pieces of lower-grade spirit stone. What do you think?"

"Too expensive. The entry bar for this thing is too high, and it’s for charm skill enhancement—most female cultivators can’t use it. Unless she specializes in charm arts, really. Not an easy thing to sell, right? How about you cut the price; I’ll take it off your hands?"

He Huan’s expression didn’t change, but inwardly he had to admit Shen Hao’s sharp eye. Indeed, given how high the bar was for this ring, its utility seemed lacking. A Gathering Spirit Realm Third Layer female cultivator could buy other magical artifacts with better value for money. He had taken in this ring cheaply two years ago, but never managed to sell it. He’d been hoping to move it for some time now.

"How about this, Lord Shen—seventeen pieces of lower-grade spirit stone? Any lower and I really can’t..."

"Twelve lower-grade spirit stone."

"..."

Shen Hao stuck to his price and wouldn’t budge. In the end, He Huan gave in and let the middle-grade magical artifact go for twelve lower-grade spirit stones. This was still above what he’d paid for it, so it balanced on the books, but taking the two years’ sunk cost into account, there was no profit to speak of.

Both sides were satisfied. Shen Hao opened his storage bag and took out twelve lower-grade spirit stones to lay on the table. He’d gotten these by trading in ten mid-grade spirit stones he got from Yu Shengjue, having Flying Dragon exchange them at the black markets in Guangshun City and Lianfeng City. Due to the black market’s fee, he only ended up with ninety lower-grade spirit stones in total—even that was only because Flying Dragon didn’t charge a brokerage fee, otherwise it would have been even less.

After the transaction, Shen Hao left with his new purchase, while He Huan took the twelve lower-grade spirit stones to the auction house’s vault for the official handover. The forms, books, and signature for the transaction and warehouse records were all required, even though He Huan was the shopkeeper himself—there could be no sloppiness.

But when He Huan left, the staff member who had just processed the handover for him wrote on a little wooden tag under the table: "Shen Hao, handed out twelve lower-grade crystal stones." Then, at lunchtime, this piece of wood was tossed over the auction house’s rear wall by the staff member, where a short man waiting outside the wall picked it up.