Chapter 607 - 614: Lan Garden

Listening to the bidding outside, Song Wanning and Liu Xingzhi sat in their private room, their expressions grim.

From the moment they entered Lan Garden, there had only been a single path for them to follow.

They had both deliberately suppressed their Cultivation to avoid being too conspicuous and attracting Lan Garden’s suspicion.

They waited, and finally, after more than an hour, the map was brought onto the stage.

"Esteemed guests, you are all regulars at our Lan Garden, so you must know our rules. The map appears randomly in one of our auctions, which makes all of you here today quite lucky!"

"Our Lan Garden obtained this map several hundred years ago, but we have never been able to unlock its secrets. Having no other choice, we’ve decided to put it up for auction today to find its fated owner."

The auctioneer on stage explained cheerfully while a map was presented on a platter, half-concealed by a red cloth.

Probing it with one’s Divine Sense revealed only a small portion of the map, which was covered in dense markings.

Song Wanning raised an eyebrow. ’Looks like I’ll have to decipher this map myself.’

’Lan Garden sure knows how to spin a yarn.’

Upon hearing this, the Cultivators in the audience grew excited. The more mysterious an item, the greater the potential opportunity.

And who knew? Perhaps one of them was that fated person.

And so, the bidding began in earnest.

Song Wanning held back at first, only calling out a price when it had climbed quite high and few bidders remained.

"Five thousand Top-grade Spirit Stones!"

Her sudden bid silenced the entire auction hall, including the auctioneer.

After all, Top-grade Spirit Stones contained incredibly pure Spiritual Energy, and few were willing to spend them. Yet here was Song Wanning, bidding such a large sum.

Liu Xingzhi said nothing, but quietly took out a bag of Spirit Stones and placed it on the table.

’Song Wanning ascended less than ten years ago,’ he thought. ’She’s been constantly on the move, so she surely doesn’t have many Spirit Stones on her.’

’So, I’ll pay for it.’

As he set down the Spirit Stones, Song Wanning glanced at Liu Xingzhi and offered a faint smile.

Liu Xingzhi remained expressionless, his gaze fixed silently on the map below.

"Five thousand Top-grade Spirit Stones, going once!"

"Five thousand Top-grade Spirit Stones, going twice!"

"Five thousand Top-grade Spirit Stones, going three times!"

"Congratulations to this fellow Daoist on winning the map!"

With the fall of the auctioneer’s gavel, the map went to Song Wanning.

Most of the people here were Loose Cultivators. Who among them would be willing to spend so many Spirit Stones on a map with an unknown purpose?

That was why, in the end, no one had bid against Song Wanning.

The map was quickly brought up. Liu Xingzhi tossed the Spirit Stones over and then, with a flick of his wrist, telekinetically retrieved the map.

"Thank you, esteemed guests!"

The attendant took the Spirit Stones and retreated with a cheerful smile.

While the auction for the next item continued in the main hall, Liu Xingzhi had already spread the map out on the table.

This map was completely different from the previous one.

The routes on it were winding and crooked, marked with indecipherable symbols, and showed no specific locations or names.

Song Wanning rested her chin on her hand, her eyes fixed on the map as she pondered.

"If the purpose of this map is to lead people to a specific place, it shouldn’t be difficult to solve."

A glint flashed in Liu Xingzhi’s eyes as he began to experiment with the map.

He tried several conventional methods, like soaking it in water and holding it over a flame, before finally squeezing a drop of blood from his fingertip onto it.

The map finally reacted, shimmering with a flickering light. The image on it began to change, eventually transforming into an intelligible map.

As the map changed, Song Wanning and Liu Xingzhi exchanged a resigned glance.

’In truth, Lan Garden’s entire ploy was riddled with flaws.’

’But none of the Loose Cultivators took it seriously. Even if they did notice, they’d probably try their luck anyway, hoping for the best.’

’Such is human nature.’

Having obtained the map they wanted, they didn’t leave right away. Instead, they remained in the private room and made a token purchase of one more item.

Soon, the auction ended. As the crowd gradually dispersed, they approached the staff of Lan Garden, stating that they wished to consign some Elixir Pills and needed to see the person in charge.

"Well..."

The attendant looked at Song Wanning hesitantly. "Our Shopkeeper said she has an important guest today and is unable to receive anyone..."

Before the words were even out of his mouth, Song Wanning produced a Ninth Grade Elixir.

The attendant’s eyes instantly lit up, his gaze on the Elixir Pill practically glowing.

Ninth Grade Elixirs were a rare sight; even Alchemy Grandmasters were reluctant to part with them. They were treasures one could only hope to stumble upon by chance.

With such a wealthy patron standing right in front of him, he rubbed his hands together in excitement. "May I ask how many Elixir Pills you wish to consign, esteemed guest?"

"I have two bottles of these Elixir Pills. If Lan Garden shows sufficient sincerity, I might consign them all here."

Song Wanning let out an arrogant huff, looking immensely pleased with herself.

The attendant saw nothing amiss. Bowing and scraping, he quickly ushered Song Wanning into a private room on the third floor.

"Please wait a moment, esteemed guests. I’ll go and get the Shopkeeper at once!"

The attendant scurried off, leaving Song Wanning and Liu Xingzhi to sit in the private room and survey the decorations.

Lan Garden’s decor was simple yet elegant, exuding a tranquil and secluded air.

And the most common decoration here was purple bamboo!

Song Wanning was giving the purple bamboo a second look when she heard hurried footsteps approaching the door.

"Oh, my dear guests! Please forgive me for not greeting you sooner!"

The Shopkeeper walked in enthusiastically. Her eyes first swept over the pair, then immediately landed on the vial of pills.

Since the two had disguised their exceptional features, they didn’t draw much of the Shopkeeper’s personal attention.

She opened the vial, took a light sniff, and her eyes immediately brightened.

"Esteemed guests, do you intend to consign this entire bottle of Elixir Pills? Our Lan Garden is honest with all our patrons. We only take a twenty percent commission, which is a much better deal than other auction houses!"

As she spoke, she plopped down in a seat and quickly poured them each a cup of tea.

Song Wanning affected an air of urgency, repeatedly asking about the potential price.

The Shopkeeper already knew they had won the map. Seeing them act like this, it was clear they were out of money and in a hurry to liquidate their assets.

After a moment’s thought, the Shopkeeper figured she had them pegged. They were probably a pair of Loose Cultivators with slightly higher Cultivation who had chanced upon this bottle of Elixir Pills.

Feeling flush with their sudden windfall, they had been willing to splurge so many Spirit Stones on the map.

A calculating glint appeared in her eyes, and the smile on her lips widened.

"Rest assured, esteemed guests. We will get you the highest possible price at auction. You absolutely won’t be short-changed!"

"This is our Lan Garden’s Communication Talisman. As soon as the auction is complete, we will message you immediately. You can come to collect your Spirit Stones then!"

The Shopkeeper handed the Communication Talisman to Song Wanning with a beaming smile.

’A pity they’ll never have the fortune to use this Communication Talisman!’

"Excellent! Then I’ll be waiting for your good news, Shopkeeper!"

A smile spread across Song Wanning’s face as she stood up happily and took the Shopkeeper’s hand.