The beautiful woman named Lijuan personally escorted Ye Yunfei into a VIP room. She served tea and spirit fruits, attending to him with great care.
She deliberately swayed her curvaceous figure back and forth in front of Ye Yunfei, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously and constantly hinting.
In her mind, Ye Yunfei was definitely the young master from some major sect or great clan of the Eastern Region. Otherwise, how could someone so young casually take out a Fifth-Grade Spirit Pill for auction?
Such an astonishing background—if she could latch onto him, the benefits would be boundless.
However, Ye Yunfei didn't spare her a single proper glance.
In the end, the beautiful woman could only leave in a huff.
This VIP room was located on the second floor of the auction house. Below was a large hall. A row of transparent floor-to-ceiling windows allowed Ye Yunfei to clearly see the entire auction hall at a glance.
At this moment.
The auction hadn't officially started yet in the main hall, but it was already filled with people chattering noisily, the clamor deafening.
"Did you hear? This auction will have a Beast King Inner Core as the finale."
"Your information is outdated.
The finale of this auction is no longer the Beast King Inner Core, but a Fifth-Grade Tiangang Pill!"
"Hiss!
Don't tell me it's the legendary Tiangang Pill that can restore rotten flesh to life, bring the dead back, and even extend one's lifespan?"
"Exactly!
Although a Beast King Inner Core is precious, it's far inferior when compared to a Fifth-Grade Tiangang Pill."
…
In the hall, many people were discussing loudly. The Tiangang Pill Ye Yunfei had produced had become the focus of discussion.
Sweeping his gaze across the hall, Ye Yunfei spotted the two peerless maidens he had encountered earlier at the Zuitianxian Tavern, sitting in a corner.
"Hmm, apart from the natural fragrance unique to maidens, these two girls' bodies also linger the faint scent of medicinal pills. This is indeed a characteristic of long-term pill refining.
It seems they really do intend to go to the Imperial City for the Alchemy Competition," Ye Yunfei mused inwardly.
Just as Ye Yunfei was waiting in the VIP room for the auction to begin.
In Tianteng City.
At the Xu Mansion, in a main hall.
The Xu Family Patriarch and a group of clan elders were gathered here for a regular clan meeting.
"R—report to the Patriarch!"
Suddenly, a servant of the Xu Family rushed anxiously into the hall.
This servant's face was rather pale, as if he were extremely nervous and afraid.
"What is it?"
The Xu Patriarch frowned inexplicably, an inexplicably bad premonition rising in his heart.
"Pa… Pa… Patriarch…"
The servant grew even more terrified, stammering his words.
"Speak quickly!"
The Xu Patriarch glared sharply, his presence imposing and his gaze intimidatingly fierce.
"The… the Young Master… he… he was killed at the Zuitianxian Tavern… His body has been carried back…"
Scared witless by the Patriarch's glare, the Xu Family servant nearly crumpled to the floor. His voice was very, very small.
But to the Xu Patriarch's ears, it struck like a bolt of lightning on a clear day.
"Nonsense!
Dare to spread rumors about my son? Die!"
The Xu Patriarch's blood rushed to his head, uncontrollable. The spiritual power within his body instantly leaked out, wildly surging as he struck out with a palm.
On the spot, the servant's head was blasted apart, leaving only a headless corpse.
The other Xu Family elders in the hall were all frightened out of their wits.
The Xu Patriarch possessed the cultivation of the Late Stage Heaven Realm and was one of the top experts in Tianteng City. A single stomp from him could make the entire Tianteng City tremble.
"Steward Liu, investigate immediately!" the Xu Patriarch roared.
"Yes."
A slightly plump middle-aged man standing nearby, the great steward of Xu Mansion, immediately scurried out.
The Xu Patriarch and the Xu Family elders waited silently in the hall.
The atmosphere was extremely oppressive.
It was well known that the Xu Patriarch only had a son at the age of fifty, whom he spoiled to the extreme.
If anything truly happened to this son of his, it would be akin to taking his old life!
Moments later.
"Patriarch…"
Steward Liu returned to the hall, his face full of trepidation. He didn't dare meet the Patriarch's gaze, stammering.
"Out with it!"
The Xu Patriarch closed his eyes deeply and said.
"The Young Master has indeed met with misfortune.
The murderer is a young man who only arrived in Tianteng City today.
That young man was with a woman of considerable beauty.
The incident started because the Young Master took a liking to that woman, and as a result, was tragically killed. The two servants who were with the Young Master were also killed.
Also, that young man has already entered the Sihai Auction House. Presumably, he intends to participate in the auction."
Steward Liu replied softly.
After hearing Steward Liu's words, the Xu Patriarch's body trembled violently, feeling as if a knife was twisting in his heart.
Although he had over a dozen wives and concubines, it wasn't until he was fifty that he finally managed to have a son, whom he regarded as the apple of his eye.
With this son dead, he was essentially cut off from having an heir.
"Good. We'll head to the Sihai Auction House immediately.
All the Xu Family elders, and every clan member with strength at or above the Early Stage Earth Realm, will go together," the Xu Patriarch said slowly, forcibly suppressing the boundless rage in his chest.
Steward Liu and the other Xu Family elders present all slightly changed their expressions upon hearing this, feeling deeply shocked. Was he mobilizing the entire Xu Family?
To deal with a single young man, he was actually deploying the entire Xu Family. It seemed the Young Master was truly the Patriarch's reverse scale.
A dragon has reversed scales—touch them and you provoke its wrath!
Soon.
The entire Tianteng City was shaken.
From the Xu Mansion, a large group of people emerged, proceeding in a grand procession down the main street towards the location of the Sihai Auction House.
Many onlookers stared in disbelief at the experts walking at the head of the procession—the Xu Patriarch and eight elders—their hearts filled with shock.
After all, these experts of the Xu Family were usually major figures who wielded great influence in Tianteng City!
Now, they were all mobilized. What on earth had happened?
However, no matter what happened, there was definitely a good show to watch!
Thus, more and more people followed behind the Xu Family procession to watch the commotion.
"Brat, you dare kill my son? I'll cut the flesh from your body piece by piece.
And that slut, I'll make her suffer every humiliation before she dies!"
At the front of the procession, the Xu Patriarch appeared calm, but inwardly he was already raging mad, his eyes almost dripping blood.
Moments later.
The Xu Family members arrived outside the Sihai Auction House.
"Patriarch, an auction is currently being held inside the Sihai Auction House. It's best we don't barge in.
Otherwise, we'll incur the enmity of the Sihai Auction House.
The Sihai Auction House has considerable backing. Our Xu Family cannot afford to provoke them," a Xu Family elder whispered into the Patriarch's ear.
"We won't go in. We'll wait right here. When the auction ends, that brat will naturally come out.
Also, send someone inside to inform the Sihai Auction House people of our purpose here, to avoid any misunderstanding," the Xu Patriarch said with a dark face.
Thus, the Xu Family members surrounded the Sihai Auction House from all sides.
Added to those who had come to watch the excitement, it was practically a sea of people, exceptionally lively.