Chapter 53

Chapter 53: Cutting Leeks One Batch at a Time

After leaving Flying Cloud Sect, Shen Sang Ruo went to a quiet, empty place and took a Disguise Pill from her Cosmos Pouch.

She changed her face, build, and voice just enough to look plain and melt into a crowd like any normal person.

Most Disguise Pills last for only one hour. If they last longer than that, they are rare and fine.

The Disguise Pill Su Xi Yu gave her would hold for more than half a day. That made things easy. She would not need to take another one every hour.

At last she put on a veiled hat for an extra layer of safety, and when she looked like a different person, she headed for Linglong Pavilion.

Linglong Pavilion was one of the top Auction Pavilions in the Cultivation World. On auction days it was always lively, with a steady stream of people coming and going.

Many who entered wore masks or veils. Hiding one’s identity in such a place was nothing unusual.

Dressed as she was, Shen Sang Ruo drew no special attention.

As soon as she stepped inside, a receptionist walked up and asked: “Fellow Daoist, are you here to bid or to consign for auction?”

Shen Sang Ruo let the neutral voice under the veil do the work and said: “Consign for auction.”

The receptionist, used to such things, gestured politely and said: “Very well, this way please.”

He did not slight her because of her simple clothes. He led her respectfully into Linglong Pavilion.

He had worked there a long time and had seen all kinds of people. He knew never to judge by appearances.

The ones who acted low key often turned out to be real heavyweights.

To protect a seller’s privacy, they usually met in a separate inner room. Only the appraiser and the consignor would be present.

The appraiser who received Shen Sang Ruo was a middle-aged man.

He greeted her and, following the usual process, asked calmly: “What would you like to consign for auction?”

Shen Sang Ruo kept her tone even and said: “These.”

With steady, unhurried movements, she drew out item after item from her Cosmos Pouch.

There was one Grade-Four Rejuvenation Pill, one Grade-Five Concealment Pill, one Grade-Five Trueword Pill…

One Lightning-Calling Talisman, one Soul-Quelling Talisman, one Spirit-Transforming Talisman…

And beyond that, other treasures like Swiftstep Boots, a Chaos Pearl, and a Mystic Crystal.

In all, twenty items.

As the items kept appearing, surprise slowly replaced the appraiser’s calm. His eyes opened a little wider. He sat up straighter, and his expression grew more focused.

None of the items were ordinary. Any one of them could set the auction hall ablaze.

He could tell at once that the person before him was not simple. He needed to treat her with full care.

With these alone, Shen Sang Ruo could count as a major client of Linglong Pavilion.

The appraiser spoke again, politely but with clear amazement, and asked: “Are all of these to be consigned?”

Shen Sang Ruo nodded and said: “Yes.”

He inclined his head and said: “Understood.” He did not pry further.

After many years in Linglong Pavilion, he had seen the world. He would not lose composure.

In their line of work, knowing where to draw the line mattered most. One must know what to ask and what not to ask.

That was part of why Linglong Pavilion stood among the top auction houses in the Cultivation World.

He introduced himself and said: “My name is Li Qing Wen. How should I address you?”

He only needed a codename for communication later. Whether it was real or not did not matter.

His voice held a hint of excitement. A haul like this was nearly equal to several months of his usual results. How could he not be excited?

Shen Sang Ruo understood and gave the alias she had prepared: “Mu San You.”

She had formed it by splitting the character “Sang” in her name into its parts.

Li Qing Wen was used to all kinds of odd codenames and found nothing strange about it.

He smiled and said: “Fellow Daoist San You, Linglong Pavilion will arrange everything for your items.”

He laid out the terms and said: “The auction proceeds are split eight to two. Eight parts for you, two parts as our fee.”

This matched what Shen Sang Ruo had learned in advance, so she nodded in agreement.

Li Qing Wen then asked: “Are you in a hurry to sell, or not in urgent need of Spirit Stones?”

There was a trick to this.

If she was in a hurry, Linglong Pavilion would arrange a sale as soon as possible and auction the items in a batch.

If not, Linglong Pavilion could take its time building buzz and a name, to draw more buyers.

You harvest leeks one batch at a time.

With twenty items, the best way was to auction them one by one. That gave bidders room to move their funds and made the competition fiercer.

The final prices would of course climb higher.

Shen Sang Ruo had already weighed the options and said: “No rush. Do as you see fit.”

She had thought hard before deciding to come to Linglong Pavilion first.

In the Flying Cloud Sect’s Library Pavilion, she had found a few clues about the strange poison on Su Xi Yu.

A pill called the Frostheart Purifying Pill might be able to remove that poison.

But the needed materials were extremely rare.

Ingredients like Azure Netherleaf, Pureheart Grass, Skycloud Ganoderma, and Goldsun Bloom had not shown up in the world for a long time.

At least there were a few records about those. Based on what she read, her map happened to mark several places where those materials had once appeared.

But one ingredient, Mystic Ice Jade Dew, was not recorded in any book she had checked in the Library Pavilion.

So she planned to consign the items at Linglong Pavilion first.

While the auctions rolled out, she would go search the marked places for Azure Netherleaf and the others.

Then, after she received the Spirit Stones from the sales, she would visit Heavenly Secrets Pavilion and hire them to search for leads on Mystic Ice Jade Dew.

Maybe they would not find it. Maybe even if they found it, it would not cure the poison. The hope was small, but she had to try her best.

Li Qing Wen’s face all but said, “You can trust our work,” as he assured her and said: “Linglong Pavilion will definitely get you the most satisfying price, Fellow Daoist San You.”

He followed up and asked: “Do you have any other requests?”

Some sellers warned them not to sell to their enemies, or had other special instructions. Linglong Pavilion would try to meet such requests.

Shen Sang Ruo thought for a moment and then said slowly: “I have only one request.”

She looked at him through the veil and said: “When you auction this batch of items, you must state that they come from Ninghua Sect.”

Li Qing Wen blinked at that and said: “Ninghua Sect?”

He clearly had not expected such a request.

People who owned so many rare treasures usually hid their identity if they could.