Chapter 719: This Young Master Quite Likes Black Eating Black

“A first-grade spirit sword has appeared?”

Xin Gugu also walked to the windowsill, speaking with a hint of envy.

The most valuable thing on him was probably not even reaching third grade.

Sometimes, when on missions, he might get treasures above third grade, but those had to be returned.

As for a first-grade sword…

This kind of item, in Xuyue Hui Gong, Xin Gugu had only seen it on a few elders.

“They’re incredibly wealthy,” Xu Xiaoshou agreed with a nod.

He had treasures surpassing first grade on him, like the famous sword Yanmang and the fierce sword You Si. Each one was stronger than the first-grade spirit sword wielded by the black-robed beast-faced person.

But these two were far too distinctive to trade.

If Yanmang appeared in public, the people in red would likely show up immediately…

And if You Si emerged, the ones in white would come knocking…

“Tsk tsk…”

Xu Xiaoshou shuddered at the thought.

“Xu Shao, are you going to buy it?” At that moment, Mu Zixi scampered over to the windowsill, waving a small fist. “I can help you bid!”

“Forget it!”

Xu Xiaoshou shot his unreliable junior sister a stern glare. He didn’t lack spirit swords, and buying one wouldn’t be useful.

Mu Zixi could clearly see what her senior brother was thinking. Her eyes darted around as she suggested, “You could buy it and give it to me! You haven’t given me anything yet!”

“Didn’t I give you a ring?” Xu Xiaoshou glared back.

A ring… Mu Zixi recalled the story of the pigeon ring at Tianxuan Gate and immediately pouted.

Was that giving a ring?

That was just keeping a pet!

“Afflicted by curse, passive value, 1, 1, 1, 1…”

Down in the audience.

Because of that first-grade spirit sword, the atmosphere surged to a new high.

Spirit swords were in high demand in the current era, especially in the Dongyu Sword God’s domain—they were treasures that couldn’t be found easily enough.

High-grade ones were even more so, let alone the top-tier first grade.

This time, the competition turned into a fierce spirit crystal war among the various private boxes.

The 7th box led the charge, bidding aggressively and mercilessly.

As soon as someone spoke, they’d outbid them without a moment’s hesitation or courtesy.

In just a short while,

the price of the spirit sword had jumped from its base of one hundred million to “thirty-seven” hundred million.

Everyone was astounded.

At such a high price, many regained their composure and started weighing whether sacrificing part of their faction’s foundation for a single spirit sword was worth it.

Just as everyone thought the 7th box would secure the spirit sword, a bid of “fifty hundred million” from the elegant seats below left everyone stunned.

Xu Xiaoshou looked over.

The bidder was an unassuming old swordsman sitting in the back corner of the high platform.

Even with the beast face mask, others could sense the restrained yet astonishing sword intent from his straight, spear-like posture.

“Another big figure?”

Xu Xiaoshou felt he needed to buy more intelligence from Ye Mao, like on the forces and people showing up now—he was basically clueless and didn’t recognize anyone.

To insiders, they might figure each other out with just a word or two.

“Fifty hundred million once, twice, three times… Sold!”

To everyone’s surprise, the 7th box, which had been dead set on getting the first-grade spirit sword, chose to back down.

This was truly shocking.

But the auction rules were clear: once the hammer fell, an attendant stepped forward, took the first-grade spirit sword, and led the old swordsman to a private box for the transaction.

“Why did the 7th box give up? That doesn’t make sense?”

Mu Zixi watched from behind the windowsill, itching with curiosity. Her question echoed what most onlookers were thinking.

“Maybe they’re acquaintances, or perhaps that old man has an extraordinary background…”

Xu Xiaoshou pondered, staring at the 7th box for a long time, suddenly feeling a chill on his back. “Or maybe, they’re planning something underhanded?”

This surprised Xin Gugu.

“That’s unlikely, right? This is Lingque Trading Meet—a major event with beast faces and all. Would they still try something shady?”

Xu Xiaoshou didn’t answer. Instead, he turned to Liu Lu: “Can Ye Mao guarantee the safety of traders?”

Liu Lu nodded immediately.

“Of course, that’s unquestionable.”

“As long as you complete a transaction at the meet, you’ll be escorted to a private box for a disguise change, and then have dedicated personnel to safely return you to your faction.”

Xu Xiaoshou raised an eyebrow, skeptical.

“With so many treasures at the meet, let’s say there are at least a hundred transactions. If all succeed, can Ye Mao provide protection for everyone?”

Liu Lu nodded again.

“Um.”

Xu Xiaoshou chuckled: “Even if the escorts are all at Wangzuo level, can Ye Mao spare a hundred Wangzuo?”

“Er…” Liu Lu hesitated. “Well, they’re not all at once. We can send them back in shifts.”

“Pfft!”

Xin Gugu snorted with laughter from the side. “So, no guarantee!”

Even Mu Zixi, not the sharpest, caught on.

“A hundred Wangzuo? Impossible!”

“Besides, for the more valuable items, Wangzuo couldn’t protect them anyway. Are you saying Ye Mao would send Zhandao to escort?”

Liu Lu broke into a cold sweat, stammering, “It’s possible. I don’t know the details, but our higher-ups have their own solutions.”

Xu Xiaoshou saw through it.

This wasn’t about having solutions; it was just lip service.

If he had bid on the Void Order earlier, it might have drawn Zhandao or even Taixu to make a move.

If such figures really wanted to snatch something, Ye Mao would be too busy protecting themselves to help others.

Understanding this, Xu Xiaoshou sympathized with Ye Mao’s predicament.

Getting so many major forces to attend the peak trading meet was already impressive.

Expecting individual escorts was just unrealistic!

In the end, it came down to the individual.

Those daring to bid here were either filthy rich or extremely confident.

If someone was too afraid of risks, even with heaps of spirit crystals, they probably wouldn’t dare to bid.

“Never mind, I get it.” Xu Xiaoshou patted Liu Lu on the shoulder.

Liu Lu relaxed instantly, freeing himself from the tension.

Understanding is everything…

“Gratitude received, passive value, 1.”

“The third treasure.”

On the stage, the black-robed beast-faced person pulled out another jade box.

After the Void Order and the first-grade spirit sword,

Ye Mao had set an extraordinarily high bar for this trading meet.

As soon as the jade box appeared, everyone waited with bated breath.

The black-robed beast-faced person opened the jade box, revealing something that looked like a tree root.

“The third treasure is called ‘Putida Shu Gen’.”

This time, the black-robed person didn’t elaborate.

But the moment “Putida Shu Gen” was mentioned, the whole venue erupted.

“Putida?”

“Are you referring to one of the nine ancestral trees, the ‘Putida Gumuh’?

“You must be joking! How could Ye Mao get their hands on that, and if they did, why would they sell it?”

“Isn’t this the legendary enlightenment divine tree… Ye Mao, are you really willing to part with it?”

Even in the second-floor private boxes, shadowy figures could be seen vaguely peering over the windowsills.

Clearly, the “Putida Shu Gen” had everyone in the boxes on the edge of their seats.

The black-robed beast-faced person pressed his hands down to calm the crowd, then nodded and continued:

“You’re all correct.”

“This is indeed a root from one of the nine ancestral trees, the ‘Putida Gumuh’.”

He put on gloves and wrapped it in spiritual energy before carefully lifting the root from the jade box.

The “Putida Shu Gen” was only as thick and long as a forearm, looking withered and lifeless, completely dried out.

Yet, the immense power within it, if awakened, could likely produce truly mystical effects.

The black-robed beast-faced person displayed the root for all to see. Once everyone confirmed it, he placed it back in the jade box and said slowly:

“The legends of the nine ancestral trees—I’m sure you all know them. They’re ancient treasures brimming with divine power.”

“And the ‘Putida Gumuh’ is the most outstanding among them. Sitting beneath it can even lead to enlightenment and breaking through to Zhandao overnight… These aren’t just stories.”

“Now, what’s before you is genuinely a root from the ‘Putida Gumuh’. No need to doubt it—Ye Mao wouldn’t risk our reputation with fakes.”

“Though it’s not the full tree, so it doesn’t have the same level of effects…”

The black-robed beast-faced person paused, a smile in his voice. “But if it’s the full tree, Ye Mao wouldn’t sell it. Just holding this root for enlightenment should make grasping heavenly principles much easier.”

“As always…”

Seeing everyone hooked, he closed the jade box and declared seriously: “Ye Mao’s sincerity: starting bid of one hundred million spirit crystals. The true value of ‘Putida Shu Gen’ is up to you to decide.”

A wave of discussion swept the room.

In the private box, Xu Xiaoshou was once again stunned.

“The nine ancestral trees…”

He had witnessed the incredible power of one of them!

Back in the White Cave, Cen Qiaofu had used a branch from one of the nine—the “Xueshu Yin Zhi”—to possess himself and single-handedly take on all the white-clothed fighters brought by Gou Wuyue.

That included the Tianji Puppets, several Zhandao, and countless Wangzuo…

True, Taixu experts were unbeatable in the world.

But the Tianji Puppets from the Shengshen Hall’s Dao Division were specifically designed to counter Taixu opponents.

In a normal scenario, just Cen Qiaofu alone against one Tianji Puppet, both at full strength and without ambushes, might end in a stalemate.

Yet in the White Cave,

with that “Xueshu Yin Zhi”, Cen Qiaofu truly became an unbreakable barrier, holding off hundreds of white-clothed fighters!

Almost no one could escape that blood tree world to chase after the Eight Respected Ones.

The battle dragged on for half a day.

In the end, if Cen Qiaofu hadn’t been committed to holding the line without any intention to retreat, even the Tianji Puppet might not have been able to stop his withdrawal.

And now…

“This should be on the same level as the ‘Xueshu Yin Zhi’, right? Ye Mao managed to get their hands on it too?” Xu Xiaoshou clutched his forehead, once again reevaluating Ye Mao.

Incredible!

Truly incredible!

Where on earth did these people find such treasures?

“Xu Shao…”

Mu Zixi had taken off her large beast face mask.

The young girl’s eyes sparkled as she stared intently at the jade box on stage, practically ready to pounce. “Xu Shao, this is a great treasure! Really, trust me this time—you have to buy it!”

Hearing this, Xu Xiaoshou’s head throbbed.

“Take it easy. If it’s worth buying, I’ll let you bid later… Don’t worry, there’ll be plenty more chances. Just don’t act recklessly.”

“I promise I won’t!” Mu Zixi grabbed her twin tails and bounced excitedly.

At that moment, the 3rd box suddenly spoke up.

“Nangong Yin, that’s not very fair of you!”

“If the ‘Putida Shu Gen’ were in perfect condition, I wouldn’t believe Ye Mao would sell it.”

“Now that the jade box is closed, what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Are you not letting us see it?”

The audience was startled, turning toward the 3rd box and then back to the black-robed beast-faced person on stage, realizing the 3rd box was addressing him directly.

What kind of force was in the 3rd box that they could identify the black-robed beast-faced person’s true identity through the mask?

Doubts arose in everyone’s minds.

“Nangong Yin?” In the private box, Xu Xiaoshou immediately turned to Liu Lu.

Liu Lu wiped his sweat, hesitating before answering Xu Xiaoshou’s inquiring look:

“Nangong is our second boss, in charge of all of Ye Mao’s financial operations with immense authority… Xu Shao, I can’t say more than that.”

Xu Xiaoshou frowned and nodded, then asked after a pause: “Okay, forget Ye Mao. Who’s in the 3rd box?”

“This…”

Liu Lu’s forehead beaded with more sweat. “Xu Shao, you’re putting me on the spot. I really don’t know who owns the other boxes. I’m only responsible for you…”

He paused abruptly, his words tumbling out rapidly: “The owner of the 3rd box is Guiyin Ge, the overlord of the southern district of Wangcheng, with a Taixu guarding it!”

Everyone was taken aback by Liu Lu’s sudden flip.

Xu Xiaoshou understood. “Was that Yuan boss who told you to say that?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Liu Lu nodded vigorously: “Yuan boss said Ye Mao wants to be friends with you, Xu Shao. If you have any other questions later, just ask—as long as you don’t cause… ahem, as long as you don’t stir up trouble or act out of line, we can answer them.”

This privilege was quite generous.

It was basically lifting the veil of the beast face layer straight to the Tian Shang First Tower.

Xu Xiaoshou figured it was probably because of Mei Si’s presence that Ye Mao wanted to build this rapport.

But then he thought of something and asked: “From the looks of it, you wouldn’t leak my background to other forces, right?”

“Of course not!”

Liu Lu thumped his chest, clearly having received instructions from Yuan Haisheng: “For Wangcheng’s forces, everyone knows each other well. That kind of info isn’t really intelligence; acquaintances can figure it out through chat.”

“But you’re different, Xu Shao. Tian Shang First Tower is a new force, and Ye Mao will do our best to protect your privacy.”

“This is our sincerity!”

Xu Xiaoshou nodded in approval, though inwardly he grumbled.

You’ve said all the right things, but who knows what Ye Mao is really up to behind the scenes?

He stared at Liu Lu for a long time, then looked up as if seeing the puppet master Yuan Haisheng pulling the strings, and after a moment’s thought, said:

“Yuan Haisheng, go ahead and leak the info. If anyone asks, tell them the 172nd box is Tian Shang First Tower, owned by Xu Detai. And if I buy anything, they’re welcome to come after me.”

Xu Xiaoshou smirked, his teeth gleaming: “I quite enjoy a good black-on-black deal!”