Wen Mingyan rolled his eyes upon hearing this and said nothing. Mu Yingyou took the initiative and spoke, "Call me âMistressâ and let me hear it!"
Gu Sheng widened his eyes and gave Wen Mingyan a peculiar look. His expression seemed to say, "I didnât realize you had this kind of playful side, Master!"
Wen Mingyanâs face darkened upon hearing this. "You crazy woman, what nonsense are you spouting! Leave, leave, stop causing trouble here! If you donât go, Iâll call you âSisâ!"
At this moment, the auction was ready to begin, and a staff member from the Mu family business walked over and whispered a few words into Mu Yingyouâs ear.
Mu Yingyou smiled brightly at Gu Sheng. "Call me âMistress,â and Iâll prepare a big welcoming gift for you!"
After saying that, she gracefully left while Wen Mingyan glared at her, looking as if he wanted to eat her alive.
"Master, does Mistress know?" Gu Sheng pointed in Mu Yingyouâs direction, his face full of gossip.
Wen Mingyan gave Gu Sheng a "gentle" slap on the head and shot him a fierce glare. He threatened, "You kids donât understand a thing! When we get back, donât spread nonsense in front of your Mistress, or Iâll make you pay for it!"
Gu Sheng rubbed his head and dared not speak. After a pause, Wen Mingyan leaned in and whispered to him, "Once the auction ends, call her âMistress.â"
"Huh?"
Gu Sheng raised his head abruptly, his eyes full of confusion.
Wen Mingyan patiently explained, "Sheâs filthy rich! And anyway, calling her that secretly wonât cost you anything. With her personality, sheâll likely be quite generous. Even if you donât need her gift, you can sell it for a good profit, right?"
Gu Sheng couldnât hold back any longer upon hearing this and gave Wen Mingyan a big thumbs-up. "Master! Youâre brilliant!"
This was just too clever!
...
The lighting in the venue dimmed significantly, and the cloth covering the top of the auction stage was pulled aside, revealing several large, luminous pearls emanating dazzling light. Mu Yingyou gracefully stepped onto the stage and started with some standard introductory remarks to energize the crowd.
Wen Mingyan wasnât particularly interested in her speech and instead began introducing the people in the room to Gu Sheng.
"See, that man over there is the Head Steward of the Governor Mansion. The three young people beside him are the strongest below the Marrow Refining Realm in the Governor Mansion."
Gu Sheng followed Wen Mingyanâs gesture and looked. The Head Steward of the Governor Mansion was an old man with graying beard and a deeply profound presence. His cultivation had reached the Eighth Layer of the Marrow Refining Realm. Beside him sat two men and one woman.
The trio had extraordinary bearing and carried a strong air of arrogance about them.
"The one on the far left is Lu Feng, and the one next to him is his elder brother Lu Yun. These two are quite capable and are illegitimate sons of Lord Red Cloud. Their combined techniques are impressive; theyâve once cooperatively slain two bandits at the First Layer of the Marrow Refining Realm."
Wen Mingyan didnât elaborate much about the Lu brothers, quickly moving on to focus on introducing the young woman from the Governor Mansion.
"Her name is Lu Shu, the legitimate daughter of the Governor Mansion! Her talent in Martial Arts and Sword Dao is extremely high. Despite being only twenty-two years old, she is already at the Perfect Golden Bone Realm. Her sword momentum has reached the Small Success Realm and is not far from Great Success. She is deeply favored by Lord Red Cloud, and the martial arts she practices are of high rank, giving her terrifying combat prowess. She once single-handedly defeated a Sect Master at the Second Layer of the Marrow Refining Realm from a small sect. If you encounter her in the Akayun Secret Realm, donât hesitateâturn around and run!"
Gu Sheng couldnât help but take another look at Lu Shu upon hearing this.
The Marrow Refining Realm allowed the use of spiritual power, making it vastly superior to the Bone Refining Realm. Yet Lu Shu could ignore this disparity and defeat someone at the Second Layer of the Marrow Refining Realm. Her methods were truly fearsome. For now, Gu Sheng admitted to himself that even if he used all his techniques, he wouldnât be able to match such a feat. He silently committed her appearance to memory, intending not to provoke her if they crossed paths in the Akayun Secret Realm.
After introducing the Governor Mansion, Wen Mingyan pointed to the group sitting opposite them. "Thatâs the Haoyang Sect, which is on par with our Holy Pill Sect."
Sitting in the Haoyang Sectâs area was a well-rounded matron. Beside her were three men and two women. The two younger men and two younger women, with relatively weaker auras, were lively and chattering with each other. Only an older, handsome man sat quietly aside with his eyes closed, seemingly resting.
"The Haoyang Sect is very powerful. In terms of overall strength, they actually surpass our Holy Pill Sect. In recent years, theyâve produced many exceptionally gifted disciples and gained numerous advantages in the Akayun Secret Realm. Their rising strength now faintly rivals the Governor Mansion. Those five are Haoyang Sectâs strongest disciples below the Marrow Refining Realm. You donât need to pay much attention to the four gossiping ones; their strength is about the same as the Lu brothers. But that one over there, you have to watch carefully. His name is Lin Haotian. While not a Sword Cultivator, his strength rivals Lu Shuâs. This man has both great character and extraordinary talent. Heâs reportedly being groomed to be the next Sect Master of Haoyang Sect. Relations between our Holy Pill Sect and the Haoyang Sect are fairly friendly, and Iâve heard heâs good-natured too. If you encounter him in the Akayun Secret Realm, it might be worth taking a small loss to build a connection. Better yet, if you can team up with him, that would be ideal."
After introducing the Haoyang Sect, Wen Mingyan began explaining the group seated behind them, representing the three sects.
"Mad Saber Sect, Giant Sword Sect, and Thousand Poison Sectâeach of these has produced exceptionally brilliant disciples in recent years. Though their strengths donât match Lu Shu or Lin Haotian, theyâre still formidable and shouldnât be underestimated. Before youâve advanced to the Golden Bone Realm, itâs best to avoid them if possible. Recently, our Holy Pill Sect has been weakened, and the three sects harbor sinister intentions, all vying to replace us. The relationship between us and them is highly strained, with no room for reconciliation. The three sectsâ elders have undoubtedly informed their disciples about your strength. They might even form alliances to target you, so be cautious."
Through Wen Mingyanâs narration, Gu Sheng learned the names of the three sectsâ young elites.
"Mad Saber Sectâs Zhu Hong, Giant Sword Sectâs Linghu Qingwan, and Thousand Poison Sectâs Kang Tai."
Gu Sheng also memorized the appearances of these three individuals.
"Finally, the four powerful families are Mu, Qian, Zhou, and Wu. Though their collective strength is weaker than the two sects and three sects, the younger generation of these families has proven quite capable. Although none are as terrifying as Lu Shu, they have members comparable to Lu Yun in numbers. The four powerful families have relatively neutral relations with our Holy Pill Sectânot too good, but not too hostile either. Friend or foe depends on mutual benefit, so you need to keep an eye on them as well. In critical moments, show no mercy. The Akayun Secret Realm is not like the safety of great sectsâitâs common for people to kill without leaving a trace."
Though Gu Sheng was young, having come from the small region of Canghe County, Wen Mingyan was concerned he might be too soft-hearted, so he gave specific warnings.
"The Governor Mansion and two sects and three sects may be the most powerful forces in the Red Cloud Prefecture, but the Akayun Secret Realm belongs to the entirety of the Akayun Secret Realm. Many of the smaller sects and families also get entry slots, though few in number. Every time we enter the realm, there are roughly 1,500 people total. Of these, around one-third of the slots belong to the Governor Mansion, two sects, and three sects. The remainder comes from smaller sects and families, who often collaborate to gain greater benefits."
"Though the Akayun Secret Realm is full of opportunities, it also has countless dangers. Searching for fortunes can be slow and laborious, and if luck fails, one might leave empty-handed. Consequently, some sects and families with dubious morals will form alliances to hunt down members of the two sects, three sects, and Governor Mansion, stealing their treasures and pills. Their methods are ruthless, akin to bandits. If you encounter such people, donât hesitate to eliminate them. Just treat the Akayun Secret Realm as a gladiatorial arenaâonly the most ruthless survive!"
Having spent years understanding this world, Gu Sheng had no qualms about taking action if anyone dared to target him. He wouldnât mind sending them on their way to report to the underworld!
After Wen Mingyanâs thorough introductions, Mu Yingyou finished her opening remarks. Soon, a staff member carried out a red tray.
"Next, we will begin the auction for the first item!"
As Mu Yingyou finished speaking, she lifted the red cloth on the tray, revealing a bowl of green liquid.
With this, the auction officially began!