Chapter 553: Unexpected Intent

Chapter 553: Chapter 553: Unexpected Intent

Shen Hao found a seat in the first row, while the guards and slaves who came with him, though not kept outside, could only stand off to the side.

Others usually just brought a single attendant, barely anyone would show up with five people like Shen Hao, drawing sidelong glances and whispers. In the end, they quietly discussed who this unorthodox person might be—after all, those sitting in the first row were hardly ordinary folk.

Sitting next to Shen Hao was an elderly man with graying hair, abnormally enthusiastic, who claimed with rare familiarity that he was a close friend of Liu Hengyi, the owner of Hengshun Carriage and Horse Company. He said he had often heard tales of Shen Hao from Liu Hengyi, and had longed to meet him.

You couldn’t really tell what an old man of that age could gain from befriending Shen Hao—probably couldn’t keep up with a conversation, let alone anything else. Besides, Shen Hao didn’t believe Liu Hengyi would ever dare advertise their association, so he was certain this was just empty talk. Most likely, it was some rumors twisted into a probe of Shen Hao—to see if he was approachable.

Shen Hao’s reputation suffered partly because his actions were always bloody, unsettling ordinary people, and partly because he seldom gave anyone the time of day—his face perpetually cold and distant, that extreme Evil Qi emanating from him was not something just anyone could withstand.

Especially when Shen Hao fixed his gaze on someone—that person felt as if peeled by a knife, deeply uncomfortable.

So Shen Hao had no need to respond to this faux camaraderie; simply staring with a blank expression was enough. Soon, the old man became awkwardly silent, tightly shut his mouth, and even shifted his seat away from Shen Hao.

With this precedent, the others who wanted to cozy up to Shen Hao all thought better of it—figuring it best not to tempt fate and end up caught in trouble themselves.

Soon after sitting, the auction resumed in the small hall. Just as Shen Hao expected, there was little competition for the few Talismans. Yes, they were good items, but they were consumables and only effective externally—not like elixirs which strengthened one’s hard power. So the bidding was not very fierce; in the end, Shen Hao managed to win one, which he had his eye on from the start—the Sky Soaring Talisman.

Next up were acrobatics, which Shen Hao had no interest in. In this world, acrobatics were similar to "magic tricks" in another world, but with cultivation perception, they were stripped of mystery and wonder, rendering them dull. But for those without cultivation, these performances were highly entertaining.

When the acrobatics ended, Shen Hao was about to get up and leave early, but paused when he saw the next auction lots being brought in from the right side door.

"The next item is Artifact Refining Materials, divided into three categories: Jade, Bone Materials, and Refined Ore—all acquired last year in scattered purchases, each one a premium piece. Each category is being auctioned as a package..."

The previous auction catalogue had simply listed this as "Artifact Refining Materials," which Shen Hao, not being skilled in artifact refining, paid little attention to. But now, seeing the materials being displayed, he was unusually stunned.

On the top of the Jade pile was a palm-sized, smooth Yin Jade, prominently placed. Such large, flat, flawless Yin Jade was rare. This could meet many special needs for artifact refining, making it premium material. Yet, due to its nature, Yin Jade wasn’t considered a precious material.

But... to Shen Hao, the Yin Jade being flaunted had faint "lines" on it—these threads formed a fragmentary map. This was anything but unfamiliar; Shen Hao had two nearly identical pieces in his Storage Bag, apart from their patterns... A map!

After more than a year, Shen Hao never expected to encounter this type of Yin Jade Map again.

He had first obtained one at an auction, the other from a Special Land near Wan River in Pingshun City. One map fragment resembled part of a maze blueprint, while the other Shen Hao had confirmed was a simple regional sketch of the City of Unjust Death.

With information later acquired from the Commander’s Office Library and Moon Shadow Tower, Shen Hao suspected that the maze map might actually depict some Underground Palace beneath the City of Unjust Death. Of course, it was fragmentary.

Shen Hao had stopped caring about the Yin Jade Maps, since luck played too great a role; deliberately searching was impossible. And he’d found that someone ruthless was secretly pursuing these maps—if he caused too much commotion, trouble would follow. So Shen Hao had nearly forgotten the matter, only for the item to appear before him.

Is this fate?

Staring hard to confirm, Shen Hao was sure he’d seen right—the one on stage was almost identical to the Yin Jade Map he owned. And, thanks to his seat in the front row and sharp eyesight, Shen Hao could see that the map lines matched the maze blueprint in his own piece. He just wasn’t sure if the new one could be pieced together with his.

"Let’s start the bidding!"

The auctioneer didn’t waste words—artifact refining materials were relatively niche, with few outsiders interested; mostly experts would compete, so there was no need for much explanation. Those who understood, understood.

As soon as the auctioneer finished, the bidding began. Compared to the hottest Elixirs and Magical Artifacts, Qi Refining Materials were indeed less popular, with fewer participants—far less lively than previous items.

Shen Hao also joined in, following the crowd in steady increases. His pace was not fast; only when the price stalled did he add a bit, never much—just barely above the previous bid.

With fewer people, even slow bidding quickly filtered out most buyers, leaving only five, including Shen Hao.

Because the items were grouped and auctioned as packages, the price was lower than buying each single piece, but the total was still not cheap. The starting price for Shen Hao’s package was one hundred ninety thousand silver coins; now, with each three thousand increment, it was up to two hundred thirty thousand silver coins.

"Enough, this is way over my limit. You all go ahead, I’m out." The speaker was a middle-aged cultivator whom Shen Hao recognized from the Blue Moon Festival, a Magical Artifact dealer with military connections—introduced by Zhang Qian and Gan Lin.

With one out, four remained. When the bid reached two hundred fifty thousand, two more withdrew—they were Loose Cultivators buying for personal use. So even if the price slightly exceeded market value, they only followed a few rounds, drawn by the rarity of the materials. Beyond that, it was no longer worthwhile.

"Two hundred sixty thousand." This time, Shen Hao directly raised ten thousand taels. With just him and one other left, he chose a big jump—testing the opponent’s resolve and showing his determination to win the lot.

But right after Shen Hao spoke, a voice immediately followed: "Two hundred sixty-two thousand taels."