How familiar this interior feels! Could the proprietor of this auction house actually be her?
This wasn’t Ling Xiao’s first time auctioning items, though he’d only ever visited one auction house before: the Royal Auction House once located in the Holy City.
This Tianlong Auction House bore an identical decorative style to the Royal Auction House, even down to the staff wearing the same uniforms.
His suspicions grew that the proprietor of this auction house was none other than Princess Yun Ya—that figure of provocative stature and alluring demeanour.
“If it is her, so be it. If not, it matters little. I’m merely here to auction an item!”
With that thought, Ling Xiao entered the auction house’s “Appraisal Pavilion”.
This was typically where those bringing items for auction from outside would come.
Naturally, Ling Xiao intended to enter.
Within the gallery, several individuals bustled about affixing labels to auction items.
One of the supervisors, noticing Ling Xiao’s arrival, paused momentarily before inquiring respectfully, “Honoured guest, might you be here to appraise or consign an item?”
“Aye!”
Ling Xiao’s voice now carried a deeper resonance than usual, sounding distinctly middle-aged.
Without further ado, he retrieved the gourd from his storage ring and poured out a single low-grade Celestial Spirit Pill.
The man caught the pill, sniffed it, and exclaimed in astonishment, “This is a Celestial Spirit Pill! No, something seems amiss. This fragrance, this calibre—it ought to surpass a Celestial Spirit Pill. Yet its precise nature requires professional appraisal.”
Ling Xiao smiled. This fellow was rather impressive—at the very least, his professional acumen was first-rate. Merely by sniffing and observing, he’d discerned the item’s superiority.
“Proceed with the appraisal then, but swiftly. My time is rather limited.”
Ling Xiao stated.
“Might you be a mid-tier Yellow Grade alchemist?”
The man couldn’t help but inquire.
“Is that particularly important?”
Ling Xiao countered.
“Heh, no need to answer if inconvenient. I merely wonder what this pill is called and what effects it possesses?”
The man pressed further.
“It’s called the Celestial Spirit Divine Pill. It bridges the gap between mid-tier and high-tier Yellow Grade elixirs, matching the efficacy of the Celestial Spirit Pill but delivering one to two times its potency. This is an inferior-grade Celestial Spirit Divine Pill, yet any martial artist at the Heavenly Man Realm can utilise it.”
Ling Xiao explained.
“So it is!”
Upon hearing Ling Xiao’s words, the man found his own assessment confirmed and nodded to himself. Truly a remarkable elixir—superior even to a low-grade Heavenly Spirit Pill, and usable by all at the Heavenly Man Realm.
One must understand that even low-grade Celestial Spirit Pills were rare within the Imperial City, commanding exorbitant prices. Possessing the funds to purchase them was no guarantee of success.
To his knowledge, any Celestial Spirit Pill—be it low, medium, high, or supreme grade—vanished from the market the moment it appeared. The slightest delay meant missing out entirely.
“Might I ask, Master Alchemist, if this Heavenly Spirit Divine Pill has any side effects?”
The auction house staff were rather thoughtful—typically, they paid little heed to such questions, since they were merely selling to others, not using the items themselves.
“Do you think a perfect-grade pill would have side effects?”
Ling Xiao inquired with a smile.
“Perfect grade!”
At this remark, the man’s expression shifted. He carefully returned the pill to its gourd container before handing it back to Ling Xiao. “Master Alchemist, kindly take a seat here while I fetch our proprietor.”
After issuing instructions for his subordinate to prepare tea for Ling Xiao, the man departed.
Ling Xiao accepted without hesitation, settling into his seat and savouring the tea.
The mouth area of the ghost mask remained unobstructed, allowing him to eat and drink without hindrance.
Moments later, the attendant returned, accompanied by a gracefully curvaceous beauty.
Who else could it be but Princess Yun Ya?
“Who would have thought the proprietor of the Celestial Dragon Auction House to be Princess Yun Ya? After the calamity that befell the Holy City, your sudden disappearance led many to believe you had perished.”
Ling Xiao remarked with a smile.
“Mr Ghost Mask, you are indeed from the Celestial Dragon Continent. That you recognise me, Yun Ya, is quite an honour indeed.”
Yun Ya smiled. “But I wonder, sir, who exactly are you?” ”
Ling Xiao recognised Yun Ya, yet she did not recognise the masked man, so her curiosity was understandable.
“I am but a wandering cloud and wild crane. My name is of no consequence. Let us discuss the matter at hand.” Ling Xiao naturally did not wish to reveal his identity so soon.
Crucially, he could not yet trust this Yun Ya.
This woman proved far more formidable than he’d anticipated.
To escape such a perilous situation required considerable skill and cunning—it would have been utterly impossible otherwise.
“Sir, is your silence born of distrust towards Yun Ya? Not to worry—time reveals true character.”
Yun Ya pressed no further, instead taking the gourd from Ling Xiao’s hand. She poured out a single pill and held it in her palm.
As she channelled her Celestial Energy, the pill began spinning continuously in her palm.
“Eh?”
Ling Xiao was somewhat astonished. He hadn’t expected Princess Yun Ya’s martial soul to possess the ability to analyse the pill’s data.
As the pill spun in her hand, distinct patterns began to manifest behind Yun Ya.
These patterns depicted none other than the herbs used in the pill’s formulation, accompanied by some rather detailed data.
Of course, this information wasn’t exhaustive, lacking crucial details on the refinement process.
After a moment, Yun Ya ceased her appraisal. The gaze she cast upon Ling Xiao now held profound astonishment and profound respect.
“Could it be that you are Ling Xiao’s master?”
Her question stemmed from Ling Xiao having once produced a perfect-grade pill during their time in the Holy City.
“Not quite,” Ling Xiao replied casually. “Merely an acquaintance. I do admire the lad.”
“And what of your appraisal, Princess Yun Ya?”
“A perfect-grade elixir, ranking between mid-tier and high-tier yellow grade. Its efficacy surpasses that of a low-grade Celestial Spirit Pill by twofold, suitable for all practitioners at the Heavenly Man Realm.”
Yunya replied earnestly, “You are truly formidable, Senior. I am in awe.”
“No need for pleasantries. There are one hundred Celestial Spirit Divine Pills in total. I wish to auction them all. Might Your Highness assist?”
Ling Xiao inquired.
“Call me Yun Ya. With the Holy Dynasty now effectively fallen, there are no princesses left. We’d be delighted to auction these pills. I’m certain it will elevate the Dragon Auction House’s reputation beyond its former heights.”
Yun Ya replied with a smile.
“Excellent. When might the auction take place?”
Ling Xiao asked.
“Immediately. We’re currently conducting an auction that’s already in its final stages. Your hundred Celestial Spirit Pills are absolutely qualified to be the grand finale lot.”
Yunya replied.
“Excellent. I’ll leave it in your capable hands then.”
Ling Xiao bowed respectfully.
