novel-bin Chapter 62 Auction
Chapter 62 Auction
For the next seven days, Liang Cheng secluded himself for intensive training.
By day, he practiced swordsmanship with the "Dragon's Step" technique; by night, he mastered the "Severing Waves Technique" for internal and external martial arts, cultivating both skills simultaneously.
On the fourth day, a sudden inspiration struck, and my energy flowed naturally, my body moved like a fish wagging its tail, turning and twisting without any obstruction.
On the sixth day, he was able to perform nine consecutive transformations within a three-zhang radius, without making a sound. He drew his sword and joined the blade, the sword light becoming more unpredictable due to his footwork.
On the morning of the seventh day, Lu Qingzhou knocked on the door.
"Junior Brother Liang, how's your footwork?"
"A small gain."
Lu Qingzhou handed over a plain note: "Partial list of the auction, starting at Shenshi (3-5 PM), at Jubaoxuan in the south of the city."
Liang Cheng scanned the area, his gaze lingering on the last item:
"Meteorite (three pieces), to be auctioned separately, starting price: 1,500 taels, 2,000 taels, and 3,000 taels respectively."
"Not cheap." He put down the paper.
"It wouldn't hurt to go and take a look. Even if you don't buy anything, you can still meet some artisans and alchemists at the post-meeting exchange, which will open up more avenues for you," Lu Qingzhou said. "Meet me at the west gate of the Martial Academy before Shenshi (3-5 PM)."
"it is good."
After seeing Lu Qingzhou off, Liang Cheng counted the cash, which amounted to more than three thousand taels. This was due to the gifts he received from time to time, plus the dividends from Chen Bainian, and he had unknowingly accumulated so much money.
He was not in a hurry. He sat cross-legged and circulated the "Broken Wave Technique". The medicinal power in his body nourished him, and his blood and qi surged, constantly cleansing his acupoints.
[Broken Wave Technique, Level 1: Minor Success (460/2500)]
[Stone Armor Technique (Iron Armor): Mastery (798/3000)]
【Whirlwind Blade Technique: Mastery (1361/2000)】
【Dragon Step: Beginner (186/300)】
Before 3 PM, he washed up, changed his clothes, put on his sword to collect the money, pushed open the courtyard gate, and set off for the auction.
……
At Shenshi (3-5 PM), Liang Cheng and Lu Qingzhou met on time and arrived at the south of the city.
Jubaoxuan is a three-story building with flying eaves and brackets. There were already many carriages and horses parked in front of the door. The two handed over the invitation and were led by a servant in blue to a private room on the second floor.
The hall below was already about 70-80% full. Lu Qingzhou said in a low voice, "The table to the left is occupied by Qin Huaiyu, the young master of Baibingfang and Qin Hongyu's elder brother. The old man in gray robes next to him is Master Zhang, the old craftsman of Baibingfang."
Liang Cheng silently made a note of it.
Before long, a well-to-do elderly man in a red robe stepped onto the stage, cupped his hands and looked around: "Distinguished guests, I am Qian Wanjin, the manager of Jubaoxuan. Without further ado, let the auction begin."
The first item was a bottle of Meridian-Opening Pills, which could help those with blocked meridians and bones learn martial arts. It was eventually sold for one thousand taels of silver. Several other weapons and treasures were also auctioned off smoothly without any major incidents.
People began to raise their paddles in the hall, and Liang Cheng sat quietly watching, gradually getting a sense of the prices of the auctioned treasures.
"Next item..." Qian Wanjin took a wooden tray from the maid, lifted the red silk to reveal a dark yellow leather object with tattered edges.
"A piece of old parchment, of a special texture, impervious to swords and blades, and unaffected by water and fire, but the patterns on it are blurred and difficult to discern, possibly a map or a fragment of a martial arts manual, but cannot be confirmed."
He held up the parchment to show it; it had some dark brown creases, but it was indeed badly worn, with many key parts missing.
"This item was obtained by a herb gatherer from an ancient cave deep in the Western Mountains. Its age and purpose are unknown." Qian Wanjin smiled. "The starting bid is three hundred taels. Consider it a purchase out of curiosity."
The hall fell silent for a moment.
Someone shook their head: "Three hundred taels for a tattered piece of leather?"
"The texture is unique, but the patterns are all blurry. What's the point of buying it?"
"Jubaoxuan is really something, they even filmed this kind of dubious stuff."
Qian Wanjin's expression remained unchanged: "Has anyone made a bid?"
No one answered.
Liang Cheng's gaze fell on the parchment, and his heart trembled slightly. The texture and color were almost exactly the same as the parchment fragments he had obtained from Liu Biao and Zhang Kui!
He suppressed his emotions and remained calm.
"Since no one is bidding, then the auction will end in failure..." Qian Wanjin was about to announce that the auction had failed.
"Three hundred taels."
The voice came from the private room on the second floor. Everyone looked over and saw a young martial artist in a white robe with silver trim holding up a sign. It was Liang Cheng.
Lu Qingzhou, slightly surprised, asked in a low voice, "Junior Brother Liang, you're interested in this parchment? Do you know what it is?"
"I just thought it looked special and wanted to buy it to study it, just to take a gamble," Liang Cheng said calmly.
Qian Wanjin's smile returned: "Good! This young master in the private room on the second floor has offered three hundred taels. Is there anyone else bidding?"
The people in the hall exchanged glances, and most shook their heads.
"Three hundred taels once, three hundred taels twice, three hundred taels three times, deal!"
The gavel fell.
The maid brought the parchment to the private room. Liang Cheng paid the silver note and took the parchment in his hand. It felt thick and tough, just like the fragments he kept close to his body.
He calmly put away the parchment and watched the auction continue.
"Next up is one of today's main treasures," Qian Wanjin said, raising his voice slightly, "three pieces of meteorite iron, to be auctioned off separately."
The first lot weighs seven catties and three taels, with a starting bid of one thousand five hundred taels.
The second item, weighing ten catties and one tael, has a starting bid of two thousand taels.
The third item, weighing fifteen catties, has a starting bid of three thousand taels.
The bidding was in full swing, and Liang Cheng also perked up. Fifteen catties was enough to forge a long sword, but he didn't have enough money, so he could only watch from the sidelines.
The first two pieces of meteorite iron were sold for 4,300 taels and 6,800 taels respectively, and the last piece was acquired by Xu Feng, the eldest son of the Xu family.
After the meteorite was auctioned off, several rare medicinal herbs and a fragmented cultivation manual were also auctioned off, bringing the auction to its final stages.
Qian Wanjin smiled and said, "The main event is over. If you are interested, you can go to the E-commerce Hall in the backyard to barter and get what you need."
The crowd gradually stood up, 30% dispersed, and the rest walked towards the backyard.
Just as Liang Cheng was about to get up, Xu Feng walked up to him and spoke in a voice that was not loud but loud enough for everyone around to hear: "Young Master Liang, I am Xu Feng. My younger brother, Xu Zhi, is young and impetuous and has offended many people. I apologize for this. If Young Master Liang is interested in this meteorite iron, I am willing to give it to him at the original price, just to make friends."
Lu Qingzhou, standing to the side, kept his eyes gleaming but remained silent. Liang Cheng did not hesitate, "Young Master Xu is too kind. This is far too precious for me to accept."
"Let's go, senior brother, take me to see the exchange event."
Lu Qingzhou quickly got up, nodded to Xu Feng, and then led the way, arriving at the backyard in no time.
The backyard was spacious, with more than ten square tables already set up. Next to each table stood a wooden sign indicating the owner's treasures and the items to be exchanged.
Lu Qingzhou walked straight to an elderly man in a gray robe who was sitting alone: "Elder Zhang."
It was Master Zhang from the Qin Family Military Workshop.
Master Zhang looked up, his gaze lingering on Lu Qingzhou for a moment before sweeping over Liang Cheng, and nodded slightly: "Young Lu, is this your junior brother?"
"Indeed, Junior Brother Liang Cheng."
"This humble one greets Master Zhang."
Master Zhang nodded. Liang Cheng looked at the small, dark gold metal piece in front of him and asked, "Master Zhang, what is this?"
"Refined black gold, mixed with three ounces of cold iron powder, can be exchanged for a bottle of bone-strengthening pills, or quenching oil of the same price."
Liang Cheng examined the black iron block closely. The texture was fine and even, indicating that it was indeed a high-quality material and suitable for collecting as forging materials for weapons.
However, he did not have any bone-strengthening pills or quenching oil. At this moment, a thought struck him, and he remembered the Crimson Blood Sand that Elder Huang had given him. He took out the dirty leather bag, untied the opening, and a unique smell of spiciness mixed with rust wafted out.
"I don't have any bone-strengthening pills, but I do have some blood-red sand, which can be used externally to stop bleeding and remove blood stasis, and is also effective against poisonous insect bites. I wonder if I could exchange it for Old Zhang's black iron block?"
Iron Hand twitched his nostrils slightly, reached out and picked up a small pinch of sand, rubbed it between his fingers, then brought it closer to his nose and sniffed it. A glint of light flashed in his eyes: "The work of Elder Huang from the Martial Academy's Alchemy Room?"
"That's right." Liang Cheng nodded.
"That old monster's stuff..." Iron Hand Zhang weighed the leather bag in his hand. "It's quite heavy. Alright, this black gold ingot is yours."
"Thank you, Mr. Zhang."
After wandering around for a while, Liang Cheng's eyes were opened, and he was interested in some of the things, but unfortunately there was nothing to exchange.
Finally, he and Lu Qingzhou returned to the martial arts academy. After saying goodbye to Lu Qingzhou, he went back to his courtyard and immediately took out the parchment, took a deep breath, and calmed his mind.
Then I began to carefully piece it together.