Chapter 7: Wooden Fish

When Liang Yan arrived at the agreed meeting point, Chen Chong and Xu Kun were already waiting there; only the woman in red, Tang Yan, had yet to arrive. Chen Chong gave Liang Yan a slight smile and said, "Apologies, Fellow Daoist Tang might have been delayed by some urgent business. Let us wait a moment longer."

Liang Yan returned the salute. "No matter, I have nothing pressing to attend to either." Having said that, he stood beside the two and waited in silence.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a rich, youthful fragrance drifted over, followed immediately by a woman in red arriving with a graceful air.

"My apologies for keeping you all waiting. I was suddenly detained by some matters; Tang Yan offers her apologies to everyone."

Liang Yan looked toward her. The girl was wearing a tight-fitting red robe today, and her face appeared to have been meticulously made up. She was naturally quite delicate and spirited, but now, in addition to her youthful innocence, there was a faint, subtle charm of a young woman. The combination of these two temperaments left even Liang Yan staring blankly.

He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, but as the girl spoke, the corners of her mouth held a smile, and her eyes would occasionally glance his way. To an outsider, it might have looked as though they were exchanging flirtatious glances.

At that moment, Chen Chong cleared his throat and said, "You are too polite, Fellow Daoist Tang. We weren't doing anything important anyway, and since we are heading to the auction, we have more than enough time. Speaking of which, how could we possibly be unable to wait a little while when we are traveling with a fairy? Don't you agree?"

As he said the last sentence, Chen Chong looked toward Liang Yan, whether intentionally or not. This caused Liang Yan to give an awkward smile and say, "The Fairy worries too much. Since we are companions, how could we care about such a short delay?"

"That's good then!" Tang Yan patted her chest with a bit of exaggeration, then gave Liang Yan a playful smile. "I thought I had ruined my image in Young Master Liang's mind just as we met."

"Haha, Fellow Daoist Liang is broad-minded; Fairy Tang worries too much. Since we are all here, shall we set off?" Chen Chong asked. Naturally, no one had any objections, and they all began walking toward the outskirts of the town.

The four traveled together for about an hour. The mountain paths were steep and uneven, and the summit was faintly visible. Chen Chong stopped walking the main path and instead turned toward the depths of the forest. The others followed closely, walking for another duration of about fifteen minutes. From a distance, they saw a massive mountain cavern with flickering lights visible inside. As they drew closer, they saw few cultivators entering or exiting the cave, suggesting the auction was about to begin.

Chen Chong pointed excitedly toward a tall young man at the cave entrance. "That is my cousin, Chen Hu, an outer disciple of the Tan Shan Sect!" With that, he led the group forward quickly, approaching the tall youth and calling out, "Brother, it's me, Chen Chong!"

The youth named Chen Hu looked at him expressionlessly, his brow furrowing slightly. "Why are you here? Instead of focusing on your cultivation, you're out wandering again. Your cultivation level has already stagnated."

Chen Chong quickly said in a flattering tone, "I saw that you had been promoted to an outer disciple of the Tan Shan Sect, so I came specifically to congratulate you and perhaps seek some guidance."

Chen Hu nodded, seemingly pleased, and then looked behind Chen Chong. "And these people?"

"These are fellow rogue cultivators I've befriended; I brought them along to broaden their horizons." As he spoke, Chen Chong made a subtle gesture toward Chen Hu.

Chen Hu seemed to understand. He nodded and smiled. "Since they are your friends, such a small matter is no issue. Go on in. These are your bidding tokens; take them carefully. During the auction, if you see something you like, you can use these tokens to place a bid."

After thanking him, everyone collected a wooden token. Liang Yan stepped forward to take his, noting that it was inscribed with the numbers "377." He then followed the group into the cave.

The interior of the cave was a world unto itself. The cavern was extraordinarily large, its walls adorned with crystals of unknown material that emitted a radiance like daylight in the middle of the night. At the very back of the cave, a platform had been temporarily constructed from wooden beams, topped with a large table clearly intended for the auction.

In the open space in the middle of the cave, over a hundred prayer mats of various sizes were laid out. The venue was nearly full, with only a few scattered empty seats. Liang Yan scanned the crowd, noting the cultivation levels of those present; most were at the fifth or sixth level of Qi Refinement, with a very few reaching the eighth or ninth level. While observing, Liang Yan suddenly noticed three recessed alcoves in the cave wall. They did not look natural, but rather man-made. The alcoves were shielded by bamboo curtains, making it impossible to see what was inside.

"This is an auction hosted by the Yixing Pavilion. Although they temporarily conscript disciples from nearby sects to assist, they also station Foundation Establishment seniors from within the sect to prevent any disturbances. The three alcoves in the cave wall house the three Foundation Establishment seniors sent to supervise this event."

As if sensing the doubt in his eyes, the woman in red, Tang Yan, explained softly from beside him. Liang Yan's face flushed slightly, and he gave her a grateful nod.

"We arrived too late; there aren't many seats left. It looks like we'll have to sit separately," Chen Chong sighed.

"It can only be so. Let us take our seats then." The short, stout youth, Xu Kun, led the way toward one area, followed by Chen Chong walking off alone. Tang Yan gave Liang Yan a polite bow and smiled. "This girl wishes Brother Liang a bountiful harvest in advance." With that, she walked toward a prayer mat.

Left alone, Liang Yan found a seat in a remote corner.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, seeing that no one else was entering the cave, a figure suddenly flew out from one of the wall alcoves and landed on the wooden platform. It was a scholar in Confucian robes, holding a folding fan. He swept a glance across the audience and spoke

"I am Lin Fei, honored to serve as an Outer Court Elder of the Yixing Pavilion, responsible for supervising this auction. Since you have all graced us with your presence, you are giving our Yixing Pavilion face; I hope everyone finds something of value here. However, if anyone causes trouble, hmph, I, Lin, will certainly not stand idly by!"

His words were extremely polite, but his tone was chilling. Especially the final sentence, which was accompanied by the spread of his Foundation Establishment pressure, causing the Qi Refinement cultivators present to shudder with fear. Liang Yan did not doubt that if someone were to cause trouble, this scholar would kill them without hesitation.

Seeing his purpose achieved, the scholar nodded to a red-nosed old man below the platform and then retreated back into the wall alcove.

The old man immediately jumped onto the platform, cleared his throat, and addressed the crowd. "Welcome, everyone, to this auction. This time is somewhat special; we have several grand finale treasures that will be auctioned first. I hope you all leave satisfied. Alright, enough talk. Let us begin with our first item."

As he spoke, two beautiful women walked up carrying a tray, upon which sat a rosewood box.

"The first item is the highlight of today. It is a talisman crafted by a Daoist senior, usable by those at the fifth level of Qi Refinement or above. It can unleash a single full-power strike equivalent to the strength of the early Foundation Establishment stage, but it can only be used three times."

As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd erupted in an uproar. A single strike with the power of the early Foundation Establishment stage, even if limited to three uses, was nothing less than three extra life-saving opportunities for these Qi Refinement cultivators. Such a treasure was indeed rare. Many youths from great families in the crowd were already secretly preparing themselves, viewing this talisman as already within their grasp.

Liang Yan merely gave it a passing glance before looking away. His current cultivation was insufficient; he didn't even have the capital to trigger such a talisman, let alone the interest in it. He had come to the auction simply to see if there were any medicinal pills that could increase his cultivation.

The talisman was indeed bid up to an astronomical price, eventually being taken by a middle-aged man in black for nine hundred spirit stones. Seeing the first item sell so well, the old man beamed with joy and proceeded to introduce the second treasure with a smile.

Unfortunately, these items were either talismans or spiritual tools, and they were often of extremely high grade, exceeding Liang Yan's budget, so he did not bid on any of them.

Five items were auctioned in succession, all selling for sky-high prices. Although the red-nosed old man remained calm on the surface, he was inwardly delighted. Once these items were sold, they would collect a commission of over twenty percent.

Then it was time for the sixth item. The old man pulled back the red cloth covering it, revealing a pale yellow wooden fish. Its design was ancient and simple, with a faint spiritual glow emanating from it; one could tell at a glance it was no ordinary object.

The red-nosed old man paused and said loudly, "This sixth item is a Buddhist treasure. It is of ancient origin, and it is no longer possible to determine exactly who crafted it. However, there is no doubt that the grade of this spiritual tool is very high. Furthermore, if placed beside you while meditating, it can serve to calm the mind and steady the spirit, assisting in cultivation. It can roughly increase cultivation speed by about ten percent, though this varies from person to person; the specific effect depends on your individual aptitude. The starting price is fifty spirit stones. Bidding may now begin."

The crowd below looked at one another, momentarily stunned. This stood in stark contrast to the fervor of the previous items. After a long pause, someone asked tentatively, "Does this wooden fish have any effects for attacking or trapping enemies? Or does it possess any defensive capabilities?"

The red-nosed old man rubbed his nose and gave an awkward smile. "It possesses no such functions. However, for us cultivators, our primary focus is our own cultivation. This treasure can assist in that, making it a rare find indeed."

As soon as he said this, the crowd erupted in an uproar. Many cultivators shook their heads inwardly. The previous items had all been treasures that could be used in combat—items that would increase one's strength immediately upon acquisition. In contrast, although this wooden fish appeared to be of high grade, it had absolutely no utility in combat, offering only the auxiliary effect of a ten percent increase in cultivation speed. It was utterly mediocre. No one was foolish; no matter how much the old man embellished it, no one stepped forward to be the sucker.

The red-nosed old man was not yet discouraged. His eyes scanned the crowd, hoping to find a buyer who was interested.

He had obtained this wooden fish by chance while exploring a secret realm in the past. He had originally thought it was some great treasure, but after studying it for a long time, he found it had no effect other than calming the mind. Thus, he had used his connections to bring it to the auction privately to recoup some of his losses.

By this time, the crowd had grown impatient. Seeing that no one was raising their paddles, some even began to urge him on, causing a momentary sense of chaos in the hall.

The red-nosed old man sighed inwardly and said slowly, "In that case, let us move on to the next—"

Suddenly, a voice rang out from the hall

"Fifty spirit stones! I'll take it!"