Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Ambush
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Several auction items passed by.
The medicinal herb said to boost virility,
"M-Me! I'll take it! Five mid-grade spirit stones!"
went to some fat old man at an inflated price.
A simple-looking magic tool,
"I got it! It's mine!"
was snatched up by some kid for twenty mid-grade spirit stones.
Items like these kept coming up, most selling for around a dozen mid-grade spirit stones.
The auctioneer was handling the proceedings masterfully.
"This one's yours to take home."
"Five mid-grade spirit stones! No more? Sold for five mid-grade spirit stones!"
"Twenty-five mid-grade spirit stones! What a steal for this item!"
As he ran the auction, he threw in encouragements, teasing the crowd here and there, spurring everyone to bid.
Thanks to him, the atmosphere in the auction hall stayed hot, and prices ran higher than the items' worth.
Yuk-gyeong sat with his arms crossed, observing the scene.
His sole target was the Warm Yang Herb!
The key ingredient for Gathering Qi Pills.
Then, when one particular item appeared, Yuk-gyeong's eyes widened beneath his mask like saucers.
"For this next item, let's take a little breather. It's a metal fragment discovered in some ancient ruin. Covered in unknown script, this metal is made of a highly unusual material whose origins are a mystery."
That thing?
So that's where it was floating around at this point in time?
Yuk-gyeong knew exactly what it was.
He even knew what it would become later.
It was definitely an item from the original story. He knew better than anyone how valuable it was and exactly how to use it.
"Starting bid is one mid-grade spirit stone. Bids go up in increments of fifty low-grade spirit stones."
He had to choose.
The Warm Yang Herb, the main ingredient for the Gathering Qi Pills coming up last,
or this metal fragment that would become a treasure later.
Maybe bid on it anyway. If he got it cheap, he'd have money left for the Warm Yang Herb.
"One mid-grade and fifty low-grade spirit stones bid! Two mid-grade!"
Once Yuk-gyeong joined the bidding, the tentative onlookers started jumping in.
They weren't desperate for it but figured they'd grab it if it stayed cheap. Yuk-gyeong had expected those casual bidders and wasn't worried. They'd drop off after a few rounds anyway.
Yuk-gyeong's expression changed when the price hit ten mid-grade spirit stones and increments switched to one mid-grade each.
"Twelve mid-grade spirit stones! I thought this was just a breather item, but the response is hotter than expected! Is there some secret to this metal fragment?"
Hm?
Didn't expect actual competition on this.
The auctioneer was fanning the flames unnecessarily. Now even the disinterested would take another look. Not that it'd reveal anything beyond an ordinary metal scrap.
Yuk-gyeong kept eyeing the bidder relentlessly matching him and driving up the price.
A man in a crude wooden mask and a woman with her face veiled in cloth were glaring at him.
Oh? Glaring, are we? What exactly are you glaring at?
Yuk-gyeong glared right back.
That item's mine, you lot.
As Yuk-gyeong turned to look behind him, someone who got a close look at his jade mask shouted out.
"Ah! That guy's the Jade Mask Young Noble!"
"What? Jade Mask Young Noble? The lecher who seduces men and women alike before brutally killing them?"
"Yeah, that's him. They say his unique jade mask can't be faked. He's an infamous villain who operates mainly east of the Moon Kingdom, not the Ten Lakes, so it took me a second to recognize him."
People finally reacted with shock, pointing fingers at the jade-masked man—the Jade Mask Young Noble.
Well, his criminal identity was out. That's why he'd worn the jade mask so boldly in the first place. Still, getting fingered like this felt oddly uncomfortable.
With Yuk-gyeong's disguised identity fully exposed, a few in the auction house stirred. Only those unaccustomed to criminals showing up.
"Even a notorious criminal's after it. Maybe there's a secret we don't know about?"
"Nah, no way. Who is this Jade Mask Young Noble anyway? Never heard of him."
Most people didn't care much. Criminals at dark auctions weren't exactly rare. Today, it just happened to be the Jade Mask Young Noble.
The fact that the known feats of the Jade Mask Young Noble didn't inspire much awe played a part too.
"Jade Mask Young Noble? Some say Gathering Qi Realm, others Response Qi Realm. But those who've seen him fight say he's definitely not Gathering Qi."
"Yeah, I've heard he's no Gathering Qi cultivator. Probably Response Qi Realm."
The Fox Girl Chae Eon-jeong had hidden her true power under the Jade Mask identity, avoiding full displays—which led to these misconceptions.
Since she herself was Gathering Qi, maintaining the Response Qi facade must have been easy.
In any case, only a few in the dark auction paid the Jade Mask Young Noble much mind.
Thanks to that, interest in the metal fragment waned, leaving Yuk-gyeong to compete against just one pair—the man and woman who'd glared at him earlier.
"Fifteen mid-grade spirit stones! Fifteen!"
The price was already at fifteen mid-grade. Yuk-gyeong was even considering dumping his entire fortune for that metal fragment's value. He hoped it wouldn't come to that.
"Twenty mid-grade spirit stones! Twenty!"
Yuk-gyeong casually raised his palm to bid.
Glancing at his competing duo, he saw them trembling, unable to raise their hands.
Can't afford twenty mid-grade with what they've got? I've got more leeway.
The pair hung their heads in defeat at Yuk-gyeong's light provocation, showing no fight.
"Twenty-one mid-grade spirit stones! Anyone higher? Twenty-one! Twenty-one! Yes! Sold for twenty-one mid-grade spirit stones! Congratulations!"
Yuk-gyeong stood, handed over the twenty-one mid-grade spirit stones, and received the metal fragment.
The fragment he took gleamed with a strange luster. No spiritual energy emanated from the metal etched with indecipherable script.
At a glance, it truly seemed like an ordinary scrap.
Yuk-gyeong carefully wiped it off before tucking it away. Better not lose it. How precious this thing was.
As he returned to his seat to await the Warm Yang Herb auction, whispers drifted from behind.
"Heard big shots are coming out for the Warm Yang Herb."
"Even the Cheongsan Merchant Group, the top firm in the Ten Lakes? They handle hundreds of high-grade spirit stones' worth of goods daily."
"Not just them—the three great sects' Blood River Clan is gunning for it too."
Cheongsan Merchant Group? Blood River Clan?
Even Yuk-gyeong, holed up in the Radiant Moon Sect, had heard of these massive powers. Places like that could toss out high-grade spirit stones without blinking, let alone mid-grade.
No competing with that kind of wealth.
We're boned.
No Warm Yang Herb for me.
GG.
Might as well spectate the auction.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ With the heavyweights joining in, the Warm Yang Herb sold for several high-grade spirit stones.
Absurdly expensive compared to its normal value. Though by the herb's true worth, it wasn't outrageously so.
Yuk-gyeong left the auction house regretting the missed Warm Yang Herb.
There'd be another chance somewhere.
No need to force a breakthrough to Gathering Qi Realm with Earth Fire Gathering Qi anyway.
Earth Fire Gathering Qi pills were potent, but that potency came with toxicity. Cultivators who formed it often spent years in seclusion digesting the effects.
Considering that, there was no rush to go for Earth Fire. He'd just wanted to grab a Gathering Qi Pill out of impatience.
Lost in those thoughts as he walked, a faint presence pricked Yuk-gyeong's sharp senses.
'Someone's tailing me.'
True to dark auctions—once you win the bid, you're on your own afterward.
No wonder low-realm folks hesitate to buy. They'd just get robbed. Still, the rare items drew them like moths to flame.
The cultivation world where only the strong claim everything.
Yuk-gyeong shook out his limbs, thinking that. Then, as if naturally showing an opening, he bent at the waist...
Right on cue, an ambusher struck!
"Die!"
Yuk-gyeong twisted his body to meet the attack, erecting a spiritual energy shield while countering with a palm strike.
Ambushes were jackpots on success but often backfired spectacularly on failure.
Ambushers assumed success and never planned for reversal.
True enough, the attacker took the palm strike to the chest and staggered back repeatedly.
"Urk!"
"Hah!"
But Yuk-gyeong had misjudged: there were two attackers.
As the masked man reeled from the chest hit, the female cultivator beside him shouted and unleashed a magic tool.
The flying sword magic tool hurtled toward Yuk-gyeong spewing sword energy. He flared his sleeves, activating a protective talisman to block it.
Clang!
The brief exchange of blows clearly favored one side.
Yuk-gyeong was unscathed, while one of the male-female ambushers was badly hurt.
Still, they gained something: confirmation the Jade Mask Young Noble was Response Qi Realm, not Gathering Qi.
Against Gathering Qi, they'd have scattered and fled. Against Response Qi, their combined assault had a real shot. They figured it wasn't a hopeless fight.
Yuk-gyeong modulated his voice to ask,
"What the hell is this thing that's got you so desperate to take it?"
The man who'd taken the chest hit spat blood before answering.
"Heh, buying it without knowing its value. You're dead soon anyway, so I'll tell you. It's a key."
That voice sounded familiar. Eerily so. Face hidden by a mask, but something about it nagged at him.
Anyway, later for that.
A key? This isn't a key.
As far as Yuk-gyeong knew, it didn't serve as a key.
"A key?"
"That's right. A key!"
With that, the man straightened up. Chest wound patched, the pair charged Yuk-gyeong together.
Their teamwork was impressively coordinated.
"Hah! Go! Snow Plum Sword!"
"One Breath Fire Binding Art!"
Spells flew from one side, a flying sword from the other.
Yuk-gyeong realized defense alone wouldn't cut it.
He'd have to kill them anyway.
Pour everything out in one go!
Talismans poured from Yuk-gyeong's sleeves like a waterfall, magic tools rising from his belt pouch.
Flutter flutter!
The area swarmed with talismans. They flashed to life, sealing the surroundings, hurling lightning, spewing flames—mercilessly assaulting the pair.
"So many talismans!"
"How does he have this many?!"
Shocked, the two hurriedly cast defensive spells. Their combat-honed reactions were quick.
But Yuk-gyeong couldn't let that slide.