Chapter 36: So cheap!

Patriarch Sha Yu had a pale face.

Clearly, his Blood Emperor was no match for any one of two weapons. Thus for today, he not only lose the bidding war, but also his face! He lost to someone they did not even know…

Beside him, a much younger version of him had a much-dreaded look. It was his son, Sha Zhongyu. He dreamt of having that lascivious body of that phoenix, that red-eyed lady in red. It was his first fated meeting, his first true love! At the time, he believed the Heavens finally opened their eyes… granting him a woman his worth!

Of course, getting her would not be so easy. She did not as much as spare him a glance or a word. However, seeing that she came here from afar, he figured she might be looking for something worth her time… And from his men, he got the intel that the lady was eyeing this auction house, visiting it once and took an inn very close to it. From them, he also knew she needed a certain herb auctioned today! Considering the most valuable herb for one from Fiery Phoenix, this was exactly it! He would offer this to her as goodwill, no, as a wedding gift!

…

Yet the presence of these twin weapons… Seeing his father was about to give up, he flew to his knees, grabbing them full of sorrow. Having his knees grabbed without warning, Patriarch Sha Yu was taken aback.

“W-what is this disgraceful act, you! Let go—”

“F-father… please, it’s my only wish! If I couldn’t even prepare a worthy gift, there’s no way that phoenix would even spare me an eye… Such an aloof, heavenly maiden… Wu wuu,”

“You fool! There are a lot more flowers in this world, why bother with just that one difficult—”

“Many flowers in this world, but my Phoenix is only one— boohoo—”

“Stop wailing! Act your age!”

“Father, I’ll do anything you say after this— Wu, wuu…”

“You!”

…

The little commotion up on the second floor attracted little attention. The crowd’s gaze was fixed on the stage… Towards the lightning covering the twin blade and sword.

Shiii— shii…

Finally, after the fifty-seventh breath, the lightning dissipated. Yet the twin blade and sword continued to hover in the air. Seeing their tranquil Qi, the two ladies on the third floor nodded to each other. Having Qi this tranquil, meant that both were usable by their disciples. Spirit Weapons were forged by elders in Heavenly-Stars Stage, thus the majority of them required the wielder to have the cultivation of at least one stage lower, the Main-Stars Stage. If someone of even lower cultivation used them, it could lead to accidents such as Qi deviation. This was the exact reason why the two were hesitating when presented with an excellent weapon such as the Blood Emperor.

The Qi within was too cruel and overbearing…

There were exceptions, however, and they were hoping for it. Less than ten percent of Spirit Weapons, due to their tranquil Qi, could be used by Core Disciples in the Sub-Stars stage. The value of such a weapon would be several times higher than its counterpart. These weapons… At first, the overwhelming lightning made them hold their judgment. Now, sensing its Qi being so tranquil, this…

So unexpected, yet… excellent!

Should be enough.

More than enough!

Even if they had no special attribute, the fact that they could contain so much Qi within, would give an extra advantage to their user. This would be beneficial, especially so for young cultivators. For Sub-Stars disciples, it was as if having their several day’s energy stored within!

“With these, we have a chance!”

“Yes! …Err, but sister, is he really offering two… Me, even in my dream, can’t believe it,”

“Eh, you’re right… but even if he meant for us to choose,”

The fact that the bidder sent out the two at the same time should be clear, that he was offering both of them. But to offer the two at the same time… Impossible! Even one of them was better than that overbearing Blood Emperor. The ladies, as well as the crowd below, had difficulty believing it. When even one would be enough, why would he offer two?

Then, a much more acceptable thought crossed everyone’s mind.

He actually meant for the seller to choose!

“Yeah, these are too valuable to be offered two at once. He meant for us to choose!”

“You’re right, sister. I’m simply too greedy, I’m ashamed,”

“Em, don’t even bother asking. In front of such a generous client, we must not lose our face,”

“Yes!”

Right, that must be it. Not only do these weapons have tranquil Qi flow, they also could store a massive amount of energy! The crowd berated themselves. How naïve of them to think he was offering two, ha. What kind of crazy person would offer two of these very valuable treasures, when one was more than enough?

…

“Huh, ah…!”

The host, Elder Li, finally regained his composure. He had seen many things, but today was truly a day worth remembering. Turning to the ladies on the third floor, he saw them nodding at the same time.

“Alright, the winner…”

“Wait!”

Patriarch Sha Yu’s voice reverberated in the air. From his veil, he sent out a sword—

A blue brilliance! A blue sword came out, its existence as though the sky descended right onto the stage! Seeing it, the crowd recognized it instantly. For it was the sword auctioned just now… for 169 Million!

A Peak-level, Heaven-rank Spirit Weapon!

…

Wuwu wuu…

Having his new prized possession offered in the bid, Patriarch Sha Yu cried internally. This foolish no-good son, could he not fall in love with someone easier to please? For him to just fall in love with a member of Fiery Phoenix… Such exalted existence was not something his clan should hope for. And this foolish son pretty much burned his year-worth of income! He wanted to tear him to pieces, and himself too, why bother pleasing such a foolish son!

You could cut a person to pieces without batting an eyelid, yet towards this no-good son, y-you… Stupid father and son, hmph!

Criticizing himself, Sha Yu nonetheless thought it was over.

With this, while regrettable, he at least also saved his face. This Peak-level treasure was not easy to gain, but he still had a lot of money… Money could not buy face anyway. Oh well, I can buy something else sooner or later…

At the time, his son by his feet was looking at him with sparkling eyes. Such a great father, for this no-use son who would always go around making troubles in the city, harassing even ladies from prominent families… Such a sacrifice, he would surely pay this favor!

Father, no longer would I make troubles for you!

I would just harass commoner girls from now on!

Seeing the sword, the crowd finally knew how much the Sha clan valued the herb. They were serious this time, offering even this sword.

The Heaven Shaker!

It had a very special attribute called the Heavenly Wave. Using the wielder’s Qi, it could send out waves in the air, distracting the enemy in a radius from ten to fifteen meters. The enemies would temporarily lose their balance, thus slowing their speed and losing their focus. The wave was weak, but since it could be used to distract enemies in a wide area, its value was truly worth its prize. The user himself was immune to its effect, so it was valued highly. One could use it in a large-scale fight, and also in an emergency where one was surrounded or facing assassination. Since Patriarch Sha Yu had more enemies than he would like, such a weapon doubled as his life-saving treasure as well. But now, he had to give it up in favor of his son…

“As all of you know, this sword had a very special attribute. The Heavenly Wave could double as an offensive and defensive measure. It could also be used as a life-saving treasure, should one be in an emergency… Though the twin weapons were marvelous, I’m sure this would please the two ladies…”

Promoting his bid, Patriarch Sha Yu’s gaze turned to the two ladies to the side of the third floor. Barely able to see their silhouette, he figured he had won the bid—

However, contrary to his expectation;

“Thank you for the offer, but we’re not interested. We’ll take one of the twin weapons, excuse me, the lightning sword please.”

Huh?

You’ll take the lesser ranked weapon instead?

Having difficulty believing it, Patriarch Sha Yu almost lost his balance. This was Peak-level, higher than any one of the two! While their ability to store energy was magnificent…

“W-wait! But why? The two weapons didn’t even have special attributes!”

“…Their ability to store energy already makes them special. It’s exactly what we wished for, so we hope dear Sir would understand,”

One of the ladies answered. While they were indeed tempted, they did not lose sight of their goal. The Heaven Shaker would not be suitable for their disciple’s use, since the Qi within was too strong, too turbulent. It could burst their disciple’s blood or qi veins. They themselves would be able to use it, but considering their purpose, they had to give it up.

“The sword, please.”

“Well then, the seller had spoken. With this, the winner goes to the esteemed Sir from the Fifth Room!”

When Elder Li decided so, Patriarch Sha Yu lost his bearing. His legs went limp… While he was glad his weapons were spared from being sacrificed, he still could not believe it. For someone to reject such a wonderful weapon, were they blind? Ah, my face…

…

On stage, two attendants took one of the twin weapons, the sword. Along with its scabbard, it was placed on a luxurious red holder. Another two took the herb. At the same time, the attendants brought them over to their respective owners…

“Hm?”

An Shan opened his eyes. He had fallen asleep again, thus missing some part of the auction. Seeing one of the twin weapons gone, he felt bewildered. He had offered two, but one of them had gone missing? Did he really send out two… Ah, he was getting old…

Well, he was sure he threw out two before falling asleep…

“Mu-er, did I not send out two?”

“Err, yes Father. You sent out the two… lightning blade and sword,”

“Then why’s the sword not there? Did they take it to examine or something…”

“Err… We’ve won the auction. The seller chose the sword, so they took it away, and they’re delivering—hm?”

Just when he was about to finish his sentence, they heard a gentle knock on the door. It was two senior attendants, bringing them their prize, the Six-Petals Phoenix Lily – A white flower with a tinge of red. The flower was protected in a casket, underneath a thick mirror, so the attendants never directly touch it. The two had to grasp the casket fully to lift it, seemingly heavy. Seeing the herb being delivered, An Shan widened his eyes, realizing Mu-er was not joking. His hand jerked, touching the bell to his side. The sound barrier was lifted just when he made an utterance;

“So one sword was enough? So cheap!”

So cheap—

So cheap—

So cheap—

…

Outside, his voice spread throughout the hall.