Wun Fan didn’t bring Wun Siu Lan out with him today. The girl said that she needed to have a proper meditation today to recover and Wun Fan could tell that her complexion wasn’t too good. It seemed like the after-effects of that day were quite severe.
However, seeing as he had some free time to himself, Wun Fan intended to go to Thousand Relics Auctions. He didn’t bring any guards with him as he strutted to the Wun Market. It was still the same two people standing guard underneath the sign, Wun Bo and Wun Ming. The two of them walked forward to greet Wun Fan, but he raised a hand to indicate that he was just walking around and dismissed them.
The two disciples could only watch as Wun Fan walked into the market. However, Wun Bo raised his eyebrow slightly and Wun Ming understood immediately without any words. He turned and followed Wun Fan into the market.
Wun Fan walked past the Stall Zone once more and noticed that the merchant who tried to swindle him yesterday was missing today. Could he have been scared away by Uncle Tung? That said, Wun Fan had no interest in gossip at the moment and quickly walked past the stalls towards the Shop Zone.
The familiar maid was already waiting on the road when he arrived at the Shop Zone. She bowed respectfully at Wun Fan. Her eyes never looked directly at him and her voice was sweet but soft. Wun Fan could have barely heard what she said if it wasn’t for his excellent hearing, “Greetings, Young Master Fan. My mistress has been awaiting you. Please, follow me.”
“Haha, much obliged.”
Siu Ji led Wun Fan forward quickly but didn’t stop when they walked past the crowded Hundred Treasures Hall. Wun Fan couldn’t help but be curious, “Hm? Aren’t you bringing me to your mistress, Siu Ji?”
Siu Ji giggled slightly but said nothing. She merely nodded her head respectfully and indicated for Wun Fan to follow her patiently. Wun Fan didn’t suspect any foul play either. If Chan Chi Yuet still wanted to do business with him, she wouldn’t try anything foolish and kill the goose that lays the golden egg.
An eye-catching and grandiose building soon came into view for the two of them after less than forty seconds of walking. The building only appeared to have three floors, but in truth, it was tall enough to hold six floors within its structure. The material of the building worked seamlessly with its design, further bringing out its grandeur and magnificence. The building took up a wide area, so much so that Wun Fan couldn’t see its sides. Four young and beautiful maids waited at the door. They were dressed provocatively, with braided hair, exposed shoulders, and low cleavage. However, they still gave off an impression of elegance and class. The two contradictory qualities were present in each of them.
All four of the maids simultaneously greeted, “Welcome to Thousand Relics Auctions, Young Master Fan.”
Wun Fan was stunned by this extravagant welcome. He lifted his head and saw a couplet carved onto a wooden sign. It was the motto of the Chan Clan.
A hundred treasures fill the hall, a thousand relics make the mountain.
Twelve words, carved with firm strength and impeccable technique, unity of form and spirit. Wun Fan could hardly take his eyes off of it. Such impressive penmanship and extravagance were out of reach for your ordinary clan. It was no wonder that the Chan Clan’s wealth was extolled by all.
The doors swung open when the four maids finished their greeting. Soft yellow light shone through from within.
Wun Fan stepped onto the red carpet beneath his feet and entered the doors. He lifted his head and saw a chandelier spilling light from above. The source of lighting within the chandelier wasn’t a modern lightbulb, but some sort of ore that Wun Fan had never seen before. The entrance to the auction house was tremendously large. A woman immediately walked forward upon seeing Wun Fan Siu Ji arrive. She was wearing an elegant and formal dress. Judging from how she was dressed, she was probably the person in charge of reception.
“Welcome, Young Master Fan. We are graced by your presence. Our mistress has been waiting for you at Auction Hall Mortal,” the woman flashed an approachable smile, friendliness radiating from between her brows. She would be able to lower anyone’s defenses in a matter of seconds with her approach. She had always been the best person to greet and host important guests.
“Auction Hall Mortal?” Wun Fan frowned slightly in confusion. He might have heard a little about the Chan Clan’s assets, but he didn’t know many details.
The woman who greeted Wun Fan smiled sweetly at this, “Thousand Relics Auctions has five classes of auction halls: Heaven, Earth, Black, Gold, and Mortal. Each class corresponds to items of different value.”
“As the entry-level auction hall, Auction Hall Mortal is located on the first floor of the auction house. It largely sees the auctioning of items above fifty gold coins. For better comparison understanding of how much fifty gold coins is, a good example is pills, which are the most sold consumables. A Grade Four pill can easily fetch over two hundred gold coins in an auction.”
“Auction Hall Gold is the highest class of auction halls we have in the Green Sea Town branch. It is located on the second and third floors. Only items valued at five hundred gold coins and above can justify the use of Auction Hall Gold. In other terms, only pills of Grade Five and above can meet this requirement.”
“Auction Hall Black is only used for the auctioning of items valued in the tens of thousands. Only Grade Eight pills and above can reach this valuation. Meanwhile, the auction items for Auction Hall Earth can reach astronomical prices of millions of gold coins. Only certain major cities will have an Auction Hall Earth. Anyone who wishes to enter an Auction Hall Earth must possess an emblem for the Thousand Relics Auctions.”
“Lastly, Auction Hall Heaven only exists in the capital of Nap-Lan Empire. It is said that the value of the items auctioned there surpasses the notion of gold. Certain rare items are only traded by means of bartering. It hardly opens even once a year and every time Auction Hall Heaven is opened, it signifies the exchange of incredibly rare and valuable items.”
Wun Fan listened carefully. He was very shocked to hear all of this. He didn’t expect something as simple as an auction house to be divided into so many different classes. In particular, the items auctioned at Auction Hall Heaven must be extraordinary. Wun Fan’s rubbed his right thumb as he thought to himself, I wonder if there is a chance to obtain an Imperial Zenith in the capital.
Wun Fan followed the woman up to the first floor. His whole body ached as he walked up the stairs. He had a horrible expression on his face and his gait was very strange. It was fortunate that the woman didn’t look back at him or she would be very confused. Wun Fan turned back to look and saw that Siu Ji had already vanished completely.
Wun Fan saw large amounts of valuable cultural artifacts hanging on the walls as he walked. In particular, a work of calligraphy measuring over ten meters tall hanging from the first floor to the ground floor caught his eye.
To be a human, loyalty, piety, kindness, justice, trust, and heart, not one virtue you should lack.
To be a merchant, billions, millions, thousands, hundreds, tens, and ones, not a fraction you should fleece.
Wun Fan couldn’t help but laugh. He didn’t expect a mercantile clan to be so principled in their business dealings. He thought about all the business dealings he had in his previous life. He wasn’t so scrupulous. As long as he got the money, morals and virtues were worthless.
Human life can be very cheap. Sometimes, even a single gold bar is worth more.
He arrived in front of Auction Hall Mortal. Four guards equipped with sabres stood at the entrance. The doors opened easily with a push. Wun Fan’s eye was opened once again when he saw what lied behind it. It wasn’t as if he had never seen luxurious and extravagant places in his previous life, but he truly had never seen anything so grandiose and excessive. Auction Hall Mortal was immensely large, big enough to fit several hundred people lying from end to end. As he walked along the red carpet, he could see small boxes in the walls. Every one of the boxes was filled with different treasures, with the names written on wooden signs.
Wun Fan saw plenty of pills at a single glance, though he did not feel any aether coming from within them. There were also many empty spots with no treasures in them and Wun Fan was curious about those.
After a dozen seconds, they arrived in the middle of the auction hall. There was a small flight of stairs there that led to a lofted space above. The lofted space contained several private rooms. It would certainly be enjoyable to watch over the auction stage from above.
Graceful zither sounds drifted from above. Wun Fan looked into the distance and saw a red silhouette sitting on the stage, gently playing the zither. Both of her jade-white hands moved with their own mind, her elegance on full display with every movement. The graceful swan suddenly transformed into a noble and unapproachable phoenix, giving off an intimidating air of sophistication.
Wun Fan took two steps forward and saw the eighteen-year-old Chan Chi Yuet dressed in a scarlet dress. Both the design and material of the dress were unique. The dress was split into two parts. The torso portion was pleated and made out of a material that resembled but was not quite muslin. A red belt corset showed off her thin waist and the dress itself was so long it touched the ground, giving off a noble impression.
Chan Chi Yuet had on light makeup today. Faint red eyeshadow had been put on and there was just an appropriate amount of blush. She didn’t have her hair up in a ponytail like she usually did. Instead, her long hair flowed down her shoulders, curling a bit at the ends and revealing her forehead. She seemed so noble and beautiful as to be unattainable.
The beauty smiled lightly. Red lips and white teeth charming enough to draw out anyone’s soul.
The music grew in intensity, almost seeming excited. More than that, there was an underlying current of passion, of the impatience to spread one’s wings and take to the skies. Chan Chi Yuet gave off a feeling of unyielding stubbornness, of the frustration of being obstructed at every step. This aura of hers was perfectly conveyed through the way she carried herself, through the look in her eyes and through the rhythm of her music.
The tune came to an end. Chan Chi Yuet stared straight into Wun Fan’s eyes. Her eyelashes trembled slightly and her eyes seemed as if they could suck in another person’s soul.
Her eyes were filled with spirit and seemed to possess magical power. Paired with her tremendous beauty and constantly changing fashion, her appeal would have been enough to charm any ordinary eleven-year-old and turn them into her toy. A toy she could freely bend and break.
Her eyes were gentle, gentle as spring water, water that flowed slow and soft, soft and sweet as love, lovely as her voice as she said, “Back to see me, Fan?”290Please respect copyright.PENANABbFLewDwn0