Daily life of a cultivation judge Chapter 1427: Hall of wealth (11)

Even after the cauldron had been sold, the atmosphere within the auction house did not simr down at all. In fact, it seed to be slowly boiling up, with discussions happening all around. So excitable had the crowd beco that they no longer bothered to hide their communication behind voiceless transmissions.

Everywhere around, one could hear muffled conversations, often involving three or more people, with so even leaning over their seats to join in.

Soaking in the scene, Yang Qing sighed as he looked around his room. Yes, he had the view, the luxury, the complentary wines and teas, the privacy—but at what cost?

Part of the charm and joy of being in an auction house was the excitent-filled conversations happening below, a mixture of envy, curiosity, and anticipation for what was going to be auctioned next.

How he wished he were down there with the rest, wishing ill will on Wu Chen for winning the bid on the cauldron, even though deep down he was not all too bothered about losing out on it.

The friendships he could have made with like-minded individuals, of which the bottom floor seed to have plenty, if the number of people excitedly discussing Wu Chen’s ultimate demise in the Green Fog Region was any indicator. So even went the extra mile, creating richly detailed, vivid descriptions of how Wu Chen would et his end.

Judging by the number of wriggly scars that individual had, and the thoroughness of his details, Yang Qing felt it was reasonable to assu that particular cultivator had personal experience with the horrors of the Green Fog Region, or had been on the "almost eaten, escaped by the skin of my teeth" end of countless spirit beasts. Otherwise, how would he know how many teeth a blackwater hippo had, or that its breath carried the scent of wet mud, the sweetness of stead rice, and a touch of lavender mixed in? Or how long its brackish saliva would take to dissolve skin as it reached the bone, and what it felt like as it did?

The level of detail could only have co from soone who had experienced it personally, or from soone with a rich imagination capable of spinning believable tales on the spot.

That cultivator did not look like any bard, though.

Yang Qing’s eyes sparkled with interest and amusent as he scanned the auction room, catching whatever bits of discussion he could while pairing it with his wine and sunflower seeds.

Eventually, his gaze settled on one particular gallery seating on the seventh floor. It was the seating where the seller of that cauldron was.

"Doesn’t seem like a simple figure," Yang Qing muttered, his lips curling faintly into a smirk of intrigue. Because of the arrays that preserved the anonymity of those within the rooms, he could not tell much about the person other than the cadence of his tone. He could not discern his realm or anything substantive, only that he was a gentle speaker. But even then, his instincts (born from years of dealing with enigmatic cultivators at the Order) told him the figure was unlikely to be simple.

The cauldron he was auctioning already showed he was no ordinary figure, and the manner of his speech and the general aura surrounding it only confird that for Yang Qing.

He could not help but wonder what the Vast Blue rchant Company had offered to secure his attendance.

Or maybe he is an old friend who owes them a favor, or sothing else... Yang Qing wondered.

He did not get to wander down that particular rabbit hole for long, as his attention was soon captured by the next item being brought forward.

It was a sapling. By its features, it seed to be the sapling of an oak tree, with iridescent leaves that shifted colors as the staff mber walked—turning green, blue, or deep yellow.

The sapling may not have had the cauldron’s Dao Light of Ergence coating its surface, nor a fearful Domain tribulation taboo aura accompanying it to instantly capture the crowd’s attention, whether by fear, greed, or a combination of both. But despite lacking all that, it possessed its own charm that allowed it to capture the entire room’s attention nonetheless.

Everyone who gazed upon it felt their minds relax and rest, accompanied by a sense of assurance and safety, as if they were in the most comfortable and secure shelter.

For a loafer like Yang Qing, it could be said that this particular sapling appealed to him more than it did to most in the room. The aura and charm the sapling released seed like the living embodint of his life’s ambition. All he had ever wanted in life was to relax without worry, and that sapling kept whispering to him that it could definitely deliver on that desire.

I wonder what it will cost? He murmured worriedly, his eyes subconsciously darting to his storage ring, gazing at it with a look filled with mild hope, even though he knew the state of its contents.

He was rich in food and wine, but as for everything else....well, he was either really rich or really poor, depending on who you asked.

I have that wine from that figure, Yang Qing told himself, almost as if in a desperate attempt to salvage his storage ring’s reputation and state, even though there was no one around to call it into doubt (maybe bar the haunting whispers of Yang Shitong, who seized monts like this to remind him there was nothing in there).

After a few morale-boosting words to himself that did not seem to work, Yang Qing brought his attention back to the platform, where Li Gang was introducing the item.

"In front of us is the Resting Root Spirit Oak," he said, gently cupping the sapling in his hand. "For those who may not know, the Resting Root Spirit Oak can form sothing akin to its own mysterious realm within its roots. The size is not as large as a true mysterious realm, though. It is about the size of a regular, personalized abode that can house one or two people," Li Gang explained.