Chapter 66: The Man in Gray
In VIP Room One, Ye Xing kept a close eye on the bidding for the Qiankun Bag, but he didn’t rush to make an offer.
"Seven thousand five hundred Gold Coins!"
After a long pause, someone in a VIP room on the fifth floor finally made a bid.
"Alright, VIP Room Seven bids seven thousand five hundred Gold Coins! Are there any higher bids?" the auctioneer called out.
A hush fell over the auction floor. No one else spoke up. Seven thousand five hundred Gold Coins was already an exceptionally high price.
"Seven thousand five hundred Gold Coins, going once! Seven thousand five hundred Gold Coins, going twice! Seven thousand five hund—"
"Seven thousand six hundred Gold Coins!"
"Alright! VIP Room One bids seven thousand six hundred Gold Coins! Are there any higher bids?" the auctioneer’s voice boomed.
"Seven thousand seven hundred Gold Coins!" a voice called out from VIP Room Seven.
’I have to get that Qiankun Bag!’ Inside VIP Room One, Ye Xing’s eyes glinted with determination. "Eight thousand Gold Coins!" he declared in a deep voice.
"Eight thousand one hundred Gold Coins!" The occupant of VIP Room Seven finally bid after a long hesitation.
"Eight thousand five hundred Gold Coins!" Ye Xing countered immediately.
This time, the entire auction house fell completely silent. The bidder in VIP Room Seven seemed to have given up, and no one else dared to raise the price. After all, eight thousand five hundred Gold Coins was already a staggering sum. Besides, the sheer force of Ye Xing’s bid—jumping the price by five hundred Gold Coins in one go—was intimidating.
"Alright, eight thousand five hundred Gold Coins! Any higher bids? Going once for eight thousand five hundred! Going twice! Going three times! Sold!" The auctioneer struck the table with his Little Golden Hammer, sealing the deal. He then moved on to the next item.
Back in VIP Room One on the fifth floor, Ye Xing was thrilled. After a short wait, an attendant finally arrived with a tray. Resting on it was a small, cyan pouch, its surface covered in archaic patterns.
Ye Xing eagerly took the Qiankun Bag, immediately bit his finger, and dripped a drop of blood onto it. A Qiankun Bag was a semi-spiritual treasure that required Blood Recognition to bind it to a master. Once bound, only its owner could open it; no one else could use it. Of course, if the owner were to die, the Qiankun Bag would naturally become an ownerless item once more.
As the blood dripped onto the Qiankun Bag, it was quickly absorbed. The archaic patterns on its surface began to squirm.
The next moment—
BUZZ!
A peculiar sensation flooded Ye Xing’s mind. Within his Sea of Consciousness, he could faintly perceive the space inside the Qiankun Bag. It was about the size of a single room, completely empty.
With a thought, Ye Xing opened the Qiankun Bag and moved to place the bundle he was holding inside. As the package reached the bag’s opening, a strange sight occurred. A mysterious Energy instantly enveloped the bundle.
The bundle rapidly shrank, disappearing into the Qiankun Bag in a matter of moments.
’This is fascinating!’ Ye Xing thought, finding the whole thing incredibly novel. He began to experiment with the Qiankun Bag over and over.
Below on the fourth floor, the auction continued in full swing. Before long, the final three treasures were sold off. The entire event, having lasted two and a half shichen, was declared over.
After the auction, Ye Xing made a quick stop within the Ten Thousand Treasures Tower to purchase a large quantity of Qi Nourishing Pills and other supplies. He then swiftly departed, heading for the Weiyuan Escort Agency in Sunset City.
As it happened, Li Yunlong was leading an escort to Phoenix Town that very day. Ye Xing had arranged with him yesterday to meet up and travel together as soon as the auction was over.
At that moment, eight or nine carriages were parked in front of the Weiyuan Escort Agency. Some were laden with cargo, while others carried passengers. An Escort Agency typically handled two kinds of business: escorting goods and protecting travelers, ensuring both arrived safely at their destination.
Surrounding the caravan were twenty sturdy horses, each mounted by an Escort Master. Five or six of them were Martial Artists of the First Realm.
"Mr. Li, when is your friend getting here? One of the clients is getting impatient," an Escort Master asked, walking his horse over to Li Yunlong’s side.
"He should be here soon. We’re still a bit early. Let’s give him another quarter of an hour. If he’s not here by then, we’ll have to leave without him," Li Yunlong said grimly.
"Alright, I’ll let the client know." The Escort Master nodded, then suddenly exclaimed, "Hey, Mr. Li, look! There’s a young man headed this way. Is that your friend?"
Li Yunlong turned to look and saw a young man in green robes striding toward them from down the street, a bundle on his back and a longsword in his hand.
"Haha, that’s him!" Li Yunlong spurred his horse forward, laughing heartily. "Brother Ye, any later and this old brother would’ve had to leave without you!"
"I’m not late at all! The timing is perfect. Right on time, wouldn’t you say?" Ye Xing laughed, then vaulted onto one of the spare horses.
"Haha! Let’s move out!" Li Yunlong boomed.
At his command, the entire escort caravan slowly began to move. Once they passed through the city gates, they headed in the direction of Phoenix Town.
On the wide, earthen road, wheels rumbled and hooves clopped, kicking up clouds of dust.
"Brother Yunlong, do you often have to fight with bandits and robbers on these escorts?" Ye Xing asked. The journey was long, and conversation was a good way to pass the time while also learning more about the martial world.
"Actual fighting? Not that often, really. We do have to deal with bandits frequently, but as long as you pay the proper ’tolls’ along the way, things usually go smoothly. Bandits are people too, after all. Everyone would rather make money peacefully than get hurt or killed. They’ll only attack if negotiations fail, or if they’re absolutely certain they can overwhelm us," Li Yunlong explained.
The caravan trundled onward, the trees lining the road receding behind them.
Ye Xing was making small talk with a few of the Escort Masters.
Suddenly—
"HYAH! HYAH! HYAH!"
A flurry of urgent hoofbeats sounded from behind, growing louder as they rapidly approached.
Ye Xing couldn’t help but look back. In the distance, around a bend in the earthen road, a cloud of dust was billowing. A figure in a gray robe was galloping furiously toward them. The person rode in such a panic that the Conical Hat on their head was knocked askew, but they didn’t bother to straighten it. With a thunder of hooves, the rider shot past the escort caravan in a flash and continued to race onward.
"Hey, Brother Yunlong, wasn’t that the person from the Five Poison Sect we ran into at the Wind and Cloud Inn a couple of days ago?" Ye Xing asked, gesturing toward the gray-robed figure’s retreating back. The man had left a deep impression on him; his strange, cold aura had been deeply unsettling.
"Yes, that’s him alright," Li Yunlong confirmed. "He’s no weakling, that’s for sure. But from the looks of it, he seemed to be fleeing for his life." His large, bell-like eyes were filled with confusion.
Just as they were speaking, another set of hoofbeats suddenly rang out from behind them.