CHAPTER 124: CHAPTER 124 WHEN (FOURTH UPDATE)

"One hundred sixty thousand Spirit Stones!" Eagle Twenty-One blurted out the highest price in a rush of excitement.

Hu Jiu, sitting in the front row watching the commotion, was stunned for a moment. Holding her pipe, she patted her smooth fur and turned her head, whispering in a low voice, "Oh my, I didn’t know we had a new upstart in the Market of Cyan Fish Mountain.

A Secret Technique Manual starting at ten thousand Spirit Stones, seemingly priced low to stir competition. In reality, according to Auction House practices, this technique must have significant flaws, which is why it’s priced low to avoid criticism. Spending so many Spirit Stones to snatch it up, is he a fool from some wealthy family?"

"Miss Jiu, you’re exactly right. Just look at that big oaf, he doesn’t even bother to disguise his true appearance. If someone targets him..." The restaurant Shopkeeper nearby laughed softly, "He hasn’t even noticed that since the bidding reached eighty thousand Spirit Stones, only a few shills were left boosting the price for him. Where did this fool come from? The Auction House is making a killing!"

"Ha! Only those of us who’ve been in the Market for years understand the reasons behind it. Those newcomers won’t learn until they’ve been taken advantage of."

Sure enough, no one else raised the bid, and the entire auction hall fell silent. Eagle Twenty-One enjoyed the envious gazes, feeling extremely satisfied.

The Auctioneer shouted vigorously with his hammer, "Is there anyone willing to offer more than one hundred sixty thousand Spirit Stones? One hundred sixty thousand once! One hundred sixty thousand twice! One hundred sixty thousand three times! Congratulations to this fellow cultivator for acquiring the Profound Tier Intermediate Secret Technique Manual!"

"Please, my fellow cultivator, let’s go and settle the payment." As the hammer fell, a seductive demon cultivator maiden from the auction house immediately stepped forward to escort the big spender to make his payment.

Eagle Twenty-One couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty; after all, his Storage Bag contained only the ten thousand Spirit Stones he had just exchanged.

But he remained unflustered. Coming from a family with a mining business gave him confidence. At worst, he could leave the item here for two days, go back and have his subordinates work overtime to mine, and soon he could repay the debt.

"A total of one hundred sixty thousand Spirit Stones, my fellow cultivator, please proceed," he said, as he was surrounded by a group of strong-spirited bouncers from the Auction House, his tone softened, "Well... I left in a hurry today and only brought ten thousand Spirit Stones. I’ll pay the deposit now and will definitely make up the remaining Spirit Stones tomorrow."

The demon cultivator in charge of this auction transaction was a leopard in opulent armor that highlighted his muscular physique. He leisurely flexed his massive claws, glancing coldly at Eagle Twenty-One, "You dare to stir up trouble here without money, you’re quite bold.

If I remember correctly, the cultivator before you was willing to offer one hundred fifty thousand Spirit Stones for the Secret Technique Manual. You’ve disrupted a perfectly good business, calling out a high bid yet unable to produce the Spirit Stones, what exactly are you up to?"

Eagle Twenty-One tried to explain calmly, "I truly want that technique, and I do have enough Spirit Stones. I just left the house in a hurry today and really didn’t bring that much... I mean, I’m not here to stir trouble!"

"Do you really want it?" The leopard’s eyes remained cold, as the auction house was in the business of quick transactions, not delaying payments. How could they allow him extra time?

After receiving a positive reply, the leopard raised his chin slightly, "Then go pawn his heart, liver, and lungs, and see how much it’s worth. If it’s not enough, let his family bring Spirit Stones to redeem him."

The heart, liver, and lungs?!

Eagle Twenty-One could understand each word, but when put together, it left him bewildered.

"Another one causing trouble without cash?" He was quickly taken to a second-floor room in the Auction House without doors or windows, reeking of a foul smell. In the corner sat a tall, thin man with a large white patch on his face and intricate patterns on his long neck, who spoke in a sharp voice, "Come, let me weigh how much your heart, liver, and lungs are worth."

When the skeletal hand touched his body, Eagle Twenty-One trembled with fear, "No, don’t sell my heart, liver, and lungs. I can pawn those of my subordinates! Three days, in three days, I’ll definitely bring enough Spirit Stones to redeem them!"

"You have subordinates?" The man smirked sinisterly, "It’s not impossible, after all, pawning a heart, liver, and lungs requires a Curse. As long as your subordinates truly belong to you and you have the right to decide their life and death, you can pawn them.

However, three days is impossible; our boss doesn’t have that much patience.

I’m giving you one day. By this time tomorrow, make up the shortfall of one hundred fifty thousand Spirit Stones, and come here to remove the Curse. If you’re late... their hearts, livers, and lungs will belong to our boss."

When the hand reached him, Eagle Twenty-One was filled with extreme dread, feeling as if the entire eagle was about to plunge into an icy pit with no hope of survival.

So he cowardly sold out his bonded subordinates, a total of nineteen Ice-winged Eagles who revered him as king, and managed to scrape together one hundred fifty thousand Spirit Stones by pawning their hearts, livers, and lungs.

"Here you go. Our Auction House has always been fair, never forcing anyone. Since you’ve provided an equivalent value, there is no reason for us to withhold your purchased item." The leopard tossed the Secret Technique Manual to him, coldly stating, "By this time tomorrow night, if the one hundred fifty thousand Spirit Stones aren’t repaid, those bonded subordinates of yours will be claimed by the Evil Spirit Curse as our possessions."

"I will definitely pay back the debt, definitely!" Eagle Twenty-One held the technique firmly, eagerly scanning it with a mix of joy and unease, hurriedly fleeing the Market of Cyan Fish Mountain.

He had to return and have all his subordinates mine frantically, or else he, as their king, would end up with nothing!

The Wilderness quickly ascended, and Jiang Yuan had Bai Yunqi help shake the cherry tree to gather fruits. After harvesting, sowing, and watering, he finally leveled up his Farming Skills to Level One, gaining an extra five points in Physical Strength.

"Venerable, are you a cultivator of the Shennong Sect?" Watching the rice that was green seedlings yesterday fully ripen today, hanging heavily on the branches, Bai Yunqi was dumbfounded.

Jiang Yuan didn’t answer directly and instead asked, "What’s the matter?"

"It’s just that your crops grow too unnaturally fast." He watched as green seedlings emerged quickly in the freshly sowed, watered field, genuinely admiring, "It’s said that the Shennong Sect was founded by descendants of the Shennong Clan. Cultivating Earth Element Techniques enables plants to grow faster and yield more. The state of your crops is indeed miraculous!"

"Alright, stop gawking at the crops. Come over and enjoy this." Jiang Yuan grinned, taking out a newly purchased incense burner, filling it with long rice as sand, and lighting three sticks of incense.

Then he brought out a steaming bowl of white rice and called his apprentice to join him for breakfast with packed dishes.

Bai Yunqi’s attention was instantly caught by the aroma, and seeing the incense burner added to his delight, though he still huffed pridefully, "Don’t think you can fob me off with an incense burner; it’s just ordinary with no spiritual energy. Next time, remember to get me one that offers cultivation boosts, like a Magical Artifact or a Magical Treasure!"

Just after he took a deep breath of the fragrance, he leaned down, stealing a glance, and his lips curled slightly—the incense burner was engraved with a dragon motif.

That certainly befits the noble status of a true Dragon King. Naturally, it would be even better as a Magical Treasure.

"Uh..." Yun Mo, who had been asleep all night, moved his wings, squeezing out a raspy sound, trying to turn over but unable to do so.

Bai Yunqi, having finished enjoying the incense, his craving for the two masters’ pork shoulder drawing him in to bon appétit, heard the commotion and nudged Jiang Yuan with his arm, "The bald eagle you picked up seems to have woken up."

Jiang Yuan stood to check, while Wan Mingchuan curiously asked, "Dragon brother, aren’t Ice-winged Eagles most afraid of fire?"

A long time ago, when he was escaping from the mines, he had encountered such gigantic creatures, but at the time, he was too busy fleeing to observe carefully. Now one lay in the courtyard, and he was eager to study how their wings could shoot Ice Arrows.

"Them, huh..." Bai Yunqi, amused by the "Dragon brother" title, didn’t mind the trouble and thoughtfully recalled, shaking his head, "They’re not necessarily most afraid of flame. I remember their race has variants that can unleash Flaming Feather Arrows.

It’s just that their Cultivation Technique is rather monotonous, and fire happens to counter their technique, making them quite passive. Besides, their little tribe is weak and prone to internal conflict and power struggles, producing no noteworthy powerhouses."