Chapter Fifty-Four: Secret Observation

At first, everyone showed some interest, but after careful examination, they all frowned. No matter what methods or angles they tried, all they saw was a black stone with faint spiritual fluctuations. The material of the outer shell was unknown, and nothing could be discerned about its interior.

Just as Su Rou had said, perhaps it could be a treasure, but more likely it was simply a worthless stone.

If it were just one or two pieces, they might bid on it to study further, but the starting price of a thousand spirit stones was no small sum.

For a moment, the hall fell into an awkward silence.

Song Changsheng was certain this was the item he wanted, but he did not rush to bid. Should he show eagerness now, it would only draw unnecessary attention.

Su Rou was not surprised by this situation either. After all, this item had failed to sell at several auctions before. If it were so easily sold now, that would be strange indeed.

“Is there any fellow cultivator who wishes to bid? If not, this item shall—” As Su Rou was about to announce it unsold, Song Changsheng calmly raised his paddle.

“One thousand and one spirit stones,” he declared.

“Hm?” Instantly, all eyes turned to Song Changsheng, Su Rou’s included. Everyone tried to glean something from his expression, but they were destined for disappointment. The black robe concealed him completely; nothing could be seen.

“I’ll offer one thousand one hundred spirit stones,” came an elderly voice from a second-floor private room.

Song Changsheng frowned slightly, though he had anticipated this possibility. The lack of bids was normal for such an item; if anyone did bid, it was as good as declaring he had seen something others hadn’t.

In this situation, even those with ample wealth might join in the bidding, regardless of whether they had noticed anything unusual.

Fortunately, the senior who had funded him was generous. Song Changsheng leisurely raised his paddle. “Add one hundred.”

“I bid two thousand,” the old man in the private room called, doubling the price in one go.

Naturally, Song Changsheng couldn’t give up. He deliberately played the part of an impulsive bidder and declared boldly, “I’ll offer two thousand five hundred!”

Seeing these two so enthusiastic, several others felt tempted to get involved.

But the old man in the box soon raised the bid to three thousand spirit stones. This was enough to discourage most people. Even those with the means were unlikely to risk so much on an item whose value was so uncertain, especially with the most anticipated treasures yet to come.

“Fine, I’ll go head to head with you today. Three thousand five hundred!” Song Changsheng shouted with the swagger of a wealthy man.

This instantly drew the attention of everyone present. After all, this was no trivial sum.

Su Rou, meanwhile, was both startled and delighted. She had thought the item would go unsold, but unexpectedly, there was light at the end of the tunnel, and the bidding had soared to such a price.

She couldn’t help casting her gaze toward the second-floor box, secretly hoping the other party would continue raising the bid. After all, the higher the final price, the greater her commission.

Most importantly, to fetch such a price for an item that had failed several times before would be a testament to her personal ability. Perhaps it might even draw the attention of the upper management and earn her a transfer to a more prestigious auction house.

Inside the box on the second floor sat an elderly man in a brocade robe. He scowled at the stone, then decided not to continue bidding. Although he had discerned something through his “Eye Technique,” the stone was not his target tonight; his true aim was the final item, and he had to conserve his resources.

When no further sound came from above, Su Rou felt a twinge of disappointment. She raised her hammer and held it aloft: “Three thousand five hundred spirit stones, first call.

Second call.

Third call—sold!”

As the hammer fell, Song Changsheng’s heart finally settled. Fortunately, the price had not been driven to an outrageous height, which would have drawn even more attention.

Zhu Yiqun, at his side, quietly gave him a thumbs-up.

Song Changsheng went backstage. After paying the spirit stones, he received the black stone.

No sooner had he touched it than his brow furrowed deeply. Though he could discern nothing unusual about its appearance, in the depths of his consciousness he felt a profound aversion to the object—an emotion he had never experienced before.

“Could this be some kind of evil artifact?”

He stared at the stone in his hand, his mind filled with doubts.

Ignoring the curious gazes of those around him, he calmly returned to his seat and whispered to Zhu Yiqun beside him, “Who exactly is this senior you mentioned?”

Zhu Yiqun was taken aback. “Didn’t I say I couldn’t tell you?”

Song Changsheng immediately recounted his strange feelings in detail. “Although I have urgent need of the Heart-Guarding Pill, I will never do anything that goes against my principles. If this is an evil item, I will not hand it over to him under any circumstance.”

Seeing his resolve, Zhu Yiqun bit his lip and said, “Changsheng, that senior is definitely not from the demonic path. My old man despises those people most. This thing is for his healing—he won’t use it for anything else. That’s all I can say; you’ll have to judge for yourself.”

Song Changsheng fell into a dilemma. His instincts told him the stone was nothing good, yet he wanted to trust Zhu Yiqun’s character.

Should he hand it over, or keep it?

This item was unremarkable among all the auction goods and had not even been advertised. How did that person know about it? Furthermore, not even the appraisers at Eight Directions Pavilion could discern its origin, yet this stranger could use it for healing...

Song Changsheng’s mind raced, then suddenly a bold guess flashed across his thoughts.

Could this item have been prepared specifically for that person?

According to Zhu Yiqun, the man was hiding from enemies and had suffered a special kind of injury.

Putting all this together, a hypothesis emerged: this object was likely released on purpose by the man’s enemy, set out as bait. Knowing the man needed it for healing, the enemy hoped it would lure him into revealing his location.

Moreover, it was likely the enemy had tampered with the stone in some way, which was why Song Changsheng’s subconscious felt threatened and repulsed.

If that were the case, everything made sense.

He turned to Zhu Yiqun and said, “Brother Zhu, I have a rather presumptuous request.”

“You want to meet him?” Zhu Yiqun seemed unsurprised.

“Exactly.”

“Ah, you’re really a handful. I’ll let the senior know, but whether he agrees to see you, I cannot guarantee.”

“Of course. But please tell him this: if I cannot see him in person, I will not hand over the item,” Song Changsheng said firmly.

“All right,” Zhu Yiqun replied helplessly, though he understood Song Changsheng’s reasoning...

Song Changsheng did not rush to leave. He waited until the final, most anticipated item drew away the crowd’s attention before quietly making his exit.

Once outside the auction house, the two of them split up and blended separately into the throng, vanishing in different directions and shaking off several would-be stalkers with ill intentions.

Yet even so, a certain gaze remained fixed on Song Changsheng...