Bidding for the Great Rejuvenation Pill
Two days flew by in the blink of an eye.
During that time, I earned a handsome sum of pocket money in exchange for sparring with my sister Seung-kyung and helping refine her martial arts.
“Not bad.”
I slipped the promissory notes from my robe and examined them.
There were three in total.
“Thirty thousand taels.”
The compensation Seung-kyung had given me for three days of effort.
A single tael could buy a bowl of noodles and a decent bottle of liquor at any inn.
Twenty taels, if a family of four pinched every coin, could stretch to last them a month.
So how much was thirty thousand taels really worth?
Enough to purchase a respectable small manor outright, or build a three-story luxury inn in a prime location with plenty left over.
Even so, it still felt uncertain whether that amount would secure the Great Rejuvenation Pill.
“Combined with my own funds, it should just about suffice.”
After all, the Great Rejuvenation Pill was the sort of treasure whose price was whatever the buyer could bear.
Besides, the auction hosted by the Golden Tiger Faction likely wasn’t on a grand enough scale to drive the price into the stratosphere. If needed, I could always lean on the Yu family for a little support.
“Young Master, everything is prepared.”
The moment I stepped out of the training grounds, Muyoung approached and whispered.
Last night, word had arrived from Jangsaeng, chief steward of the Golden Tiger Faction.
The auction would be held today.
It seemed my involvement had prompted them to move the schedule up slightly from the original plan.
“Good. Let’s go.”
The sun would soon set.
And that was precisely when the auction would begin.
I headed straight for Poyang Lake.
Northeast Jiangxi Province, near Poyang Lake.
Even as evening fell, the crowds around the lake showed no sign of thinning.
If anything, this was when the real festivities began.
The night at Poyang Lake burned brighter than its days.
The red lanterns hanging from the countless pleasure houses along the shore blazed so fiercely they dazzled the eyes.
“……Hmm.”
As I walked through the bustling streets, courtesans swarmed me within moments.
“Handsome young master over there? Won’t you come play with us?”
“My, how imposing you are… Won’t you share a drink with me?”
“I can show you something truly special…”
Shaking off their temptations while trying to keep walking proved exhausting.
Byeokhae Pavilion.
I somehow pushed through the bustling district and slipped into a quieter alley.
It was less crowded than the main streets, yet still saw a steady flow of people coming and going.
Among them, I made my way toward the Byeokhae Pavilion visible in the distance.
The location Jangsaeng had told me the auction would be held.
“Hold a moment. May I ask who—”
One of the guards blocking my path took one look at me and his eyes widened.
He quickly lowered the hand he had raised to stop me.
They must have been informed in advance.
I gave a small nod and passed through the gate.
The interior led directly from the entrance into a long corridor, where another familiar face stood waiting.
“This way, please.”
It was Jangsaeng.
He wore a half-mask and led me to a private room.
“What are you up to?”
“Heh, there is still a little time before the auction begins.”
I nodded quietly at Jangsaeng’s words.
“Hehe, so before that, I thought I might show you the item first…”
With those words, Jangsaeng produced a small wooden box.
It was clearly meant to let me verify whether this was truly the Great Rejuvenation Pill.
“Open it.”
Jangsaeng swallowed dryly and slowly lifted the lid.
Inside lay a single round pill.
Most people, when they hear the words “miraculous medicine,” start spouting nonsense about how a pure, refreshing fragrance fills the room and merely inhaling it clears the mind…
All of which is just drivel from those who have never seen a real spiritual pill.
This one had a dull, blackish hue and a rough, carelessly formed shape.
It’s real.
I recognized it as the genuine Great Rejuvenation Pill at a glance.
Having seen it in my previous life made the judgment even easier.
“It’s authentic. This is the Great Rejuvenation Pill.”
“Hmm… Have you seen one before, Young Master?”
Oh?
Seems he doesn’t quite trust my word.
“Why, people usually say a spiritual pill should have a fragrant aroma…”
“That’s all nonsense. Don’t believe it. This is the real thing.”
Though it looked utterly unremarkable on the outside, the pill’s efficacy was truly extraordinary.
A single dose contains two cycles of internal energy.
Even an ordinary person with no cultivation could achieve a disease-free, long life by consuming it.
Was it any wonder it was called a treasure of Shaolin?
“Ahem. Then, trusting your judgment, Young Master, I will put this up for auction?”
“Yes. What’s the starting bid?”
“If it is the genuine article, we’ll begin at ten thousand taels…”
A perfect amount.
Between the thirty thousand taels from Sister Seung-kyung and my own ten thousand, I had a total of forty thousand taels at my disposal.
Starting at ten thousand meant I could compete without issue.
“Did you spread the rumors?”
“Yes. As you instructed, I made sure the word spread thoroughly over the past two days. Without a doubt, every wealthy family in Jiangxi will have gathered here.”
So saying, Jangsaeng handed me something.
It was a half-mask identical to the one he wore.
“What’s this?”
“The items auctioned here are usually difficult to obtain openly. Naturally, we cannot expose the identities of those who purchase them.”
Made sense. This was, after all, an underground auction.
I had no idea what other goods might appear, but the presence of Shaolin’s Great Rejuvenation Pill alone made that obvious.
“Good.”
I accepted the mask at once.
Muyoung also received one from Jangsaeng and fitted it over his face.
If the Blood Hand Poison Emperor makes his move…
Of course, my true target here wasn’t the pill itself, but the Blood Hand Poison Emperor.
I wondered which method he would choose.
Would he reveal himself and bid honestly at the auction?
Or would he follow the final winner, kill them, and steal the pill?
Or perhaps he’ll simply slaughter everyone here and take it by force.
Heh. Either way, it was a good opportunity for me.
Thanks to Shaolin’s timely declaration of seclusion and their internal conflicts, one of their Great Rejuvenation Pills had slipped into the world.
And with it, I could snare one of the Twelve Demon Emperors of the Demonic Cult.
I leaned back in my chair, closed my eyes, and waited.
The past few days of being hounded by my sister had left me rather tired.
A bell rang. I rose from my seat and moved to the location Jangsaeng had indicated.
When I opened the door, several masked figures were already seated.
I found an appropriate spot and sat down.
A bidding plaque lay ready on the table.
“Thank you all for waiting so patiently!”
The hall quickly filled with people.
Before long, a familiar figure stepped onto the platform.
It was Jangsaeng.
“The auction hosted by our Byeokhae Pavilion…”
As was customary, he began with the pavilion’s history and examples of past treasures that had been sold.
I let the words wash over me with one ear while scanning my surroundings.
……
My senses remained calm.
I wanted to confirm whether the Blood Hand Poison Emperor had already made his move, but it still wasn’t time.
“Now then, let us bring out the first item!”
At Jangsaeng’s gesture, guards from the Golden Tiger Faction carried something forward.
A sword?
Its shape was unmistakably that of a sword.
It bore no extravagant decorations, yet its form was distinctly unusual.
I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere. What was it?
The sword’s unique appearance should have made it memorable, yet the memory remained hazy.
“A masterpiece from the greatest artisan, the Iron Martial Hall of Geumcheon—the ‘Mukya’! Bidding begins at one hundred taels!”
The description was brief.
Paradoxically, the lack of lengthy explanation seemed to guarantee the item’s value, which put me at ease.
He runs a good business.
I could tell Jangsaeng’s commercial instincts were far from ordinary.
I continued to focus on the auction.
The Mukya started at one hundred taels and ultimately sold for one thousand three hundred.
Winners would collect their items and settle payment after the auction concluded.
After the Mukya, countless more treasures appeared on the platform.
Impressive.
I was genuinely surprised.
I had to wonder how the Golden Tiger Faction managed to procure such items so consistently.
The Eight Immortal Fans of the Sichuan Mystic Gate, the Butterfly Flight Daggers of the Golden King Bi-hyeon… Where on earth are they getting these?
Treasures whose names alone could make jaws drop continued to emerge.
Of course, none of them held the slightest interest for me.
Finally, at the auction’s climax.
The guards cleared the platform while Jangsaeng, wearing a solemn expression, brought out a new item.
“Thank you for your patience. We will now present the final treasure of our Byeokhae Pavilion.”
The murmuring crowd fell utterly silent in an instant.
It seemed everyone already knew what was about to appear.
“An item we barely managed to obtain from Mount Song. The very treasure that even His Majesty the Emperor, ruler of this continent, would find difficult to acquire… is here at the Byeokhae Pavilion!”
With those words, Jangsaeng opened the wooden box and displayed the Great Rejuvenation Pill for all to see.
The hall immediately stirred.
“That’s the Great Rejuvenation Pill? No way.”
“It looks so plain. Is it even real?”
“Sigh, I’m the fool for getting my hopes up. There’s no way it’s the real thing.”
As expected, most remained skeptical.
Jangsaeng paid their reactions no mind and continued.
“Bidding will begin at ten thousand taels!”
The moment the words left his mouth, bidding plaques shot up across the room.
Even if they doubted its authenticity, the sheer name value of the Great Rejuvenation Pill carried tremendous weight.
In the blink of an eye, the price had already soared past twenty thousand taels.
“Thirty thousand.”
Only when the bidding began to slow did I raise my plaque.
Jangsaeng glanced at me and flashed a hidden smile.
“Thirty thousand taels! We have thirty thousand! Any further bids? This is the Great Rejuvenation Pill—the legendary treasure from Mount Song!”
It was then.
“Forty thousand taels.”
A calm voice.
One that carried no detectable emotion, yet was all too familiar to my ears.
He’s here.
The Blood Hand Poison Emperor.
It was unmistakably his voice.
I slowly turned my head toward the direction it had come from.
Our eyes met instantly.
He was looking straight at me.
And smiling.
Even behind the mask, I recognized him without doubt.
How could I possibly forget?
The Blood Hand Poison Emperor.
He stared at me with a deep, malicious smile.
So he chose to bid after all?
I had anticipated this possibility.
The distance between here and the Ju family estate was less than half a shichen.
If he caused a massacre to seize the pill in a place like this, my father might intervene personally.
No matter how powerful one of the Twelve Demon Emperors might be, the Blood Hand Poison Emperor could never stand against the Sword Sovereign.
No choice, then.
The Blood Hand Poison Emperor had finally revealed himself.
I picked up my plaque once more.
“Fifty thousand.”
At this, the Blood Hand Poison Emperor laughed as if greatly amused and raised his own plaque.
“Sixty thousand.”
“Seventy thousand.”
I continued raising the price without hesitation.
The sudden fierce competition caused the entire auction hall to break into murmurs.
Seventy thousand taels was an astronomical sum.
“Hmm.”
The Blood Hand Poison Emperor stroked his chin, then set his plaque down.
It seemed seventy thousand was his limit.
Time continued to flow, and finally…
“Congratulations! The treasure from Mount Song has been sold for seventy thousand taels!”
Jangsaeng looked positively ecstatic.
In the end, the Great Rejuvenation Pill had fallen into my hands.
You think you can just let it go like this? Not a chance.
The real game was only beginning now.
The Blood Hand Poison Emperor had lost the very pill that would have completed his vision.
Given his temperament, there was no way he would simply accept it.