Chapter 149: The Underground Auction

Supported by the old physician, Lu Zhe limped his way into the Floating Cloud Kingdom.

Because Lu Zhe was injured, the master and disciple found an inn in the Floating Cloud Kingdom to rest temporarily. The old physician had Lu Zhe sit on a stool, then pulled several exquisite small jade bottles from his bosom. After carefully examining Lu Zhe's injuries, he poured the medicinal liquids from these bottles together, mixed them evenly, applied them to Lu Zhe's wounds, and finally wrapped them round and round with white cloth.

The old physician's medicine was truly miraculous; the moment it was applied, Lu Zhe felt a great deal of relief, and the pain subsided significantly.

After applying the medicine, the old physician washed his hands, sat down opposite Lu Zhe, and said, "You brat are somewhat fortunate that your bones weren't broken, otherwise you would have suffered a great deal."

Lu Zhe smiled and said, "No matter what, I am considered a martial practitioner. Muscle strains and broken bones are just daily occurrences for me, a piece of cake."

The old physician smiled and shook his head, then his expression turned solemn as he said very seriously, "You should be clear about the purpose of our coming here this time."

Lu Zhe nodded and said, "I understand, but Master, the materials for refining the Lesser Spirit Grain Pill are extremely rare. How can we possibly find them?"

The old physician pondered for a moment and said, "Of course I know that the materials for refining the Lesser Spirit Grain Pill do not come easily. You have been with Old Man Ye and me for such a long time; let me ask you, where do you think we can acquire these medicinal herbs?"

"An auction, of course," Lu Zhe replied with a smile after thinking for a moment.

The old physician nodded in satisfaction and praised, "You are right. These herbs are extremely rare. To find them one by one, heaven knows how many years it would take. Only at an auction is it possible to gather all these medicinal materials." Subsequently, the old physician's expression changed slightly, and he continued, "I paid attention along the way just now; there don't seem to be any major public auctions here. That is to say, we must go to an underground auction to find the medicinal materials."

"There is no time to lose, let's hurry to the underground auction," Lu Zhe was an impatient person. Upon hearing this, he immediately stood up, but because his injuries had not yet fully healed, the moment he stood up, he felt a sharp pain in his ribs and fell back into his seat.

The old physician laughed gloatingly and said, "What are you rushing for? Do you know where the underground auction is here?"

Lu Zhe shook his head and said, "I don't know."

The old physician stood up from his chair and walked towards the exit, saying as he walked, "Follow me, let's go downstairs and ask around."

Lu Zhe picked up his clothes from the chair, put them on, and followed the old physician downstairs.

When Lu Zhe arrived downstairs, the old physician was already standing at the counter. He pulled over the innkeeper who was busy calculating accounts and asked using underworld jargon, "Keeper, where is the underground auction around here?"

The innkeeper was also a sharp person. Hearing this underworld jargon, he knew the visitor meant business. Fortunately, they were only asking for directions, so he replied in kind using the same jargon: "Go straight ahead, then take a left, and walk all the way to the end. There is a grocery store named 'Old Ji's Grocery Store'. Go inside and you will find a mirror taller than a person. Behind the mirror is the path leading to the underground venue."

The old physician nodded in satisfaction, pulled a gold coin from his bosom, and placed it on the counter. After some polite hesitation, the innkeeper accepted the coin.

The old physician waved at Lu Zhe, who was standing on the stairs, and strolled out of the inn. Lu Zhe closely followed behind him.

Just as the two of them walked out, the innkeeper's expression shifted. He pulled over a working handyman and whispered a few instructions in his ear. The handyman nodded, went to the back room to change his clothes, left the inn, and quickly vanished after mingling into the crowd.

Lu Zhe and the old physician strolled down the main street. Fearing that the materials for refining the Lesser Spirit Grain Pill might be snatched away by others, Lu Zhe walked somewhat briskly, while the old physician walked unhurriedly. Seeing Lu Zhe's worried look—fearing the medicine would be stolen—the old physician smiled and said, "Don't worry, those medicinal materials won't be snatched by anyone."

Confused, Lu Zhe asked, "Why?"

The old physician smiled and explained, "Because they won't know how to refine them. The Lesser Spirit Grain Pill is so precious, firstly because its ingredients are hard to come by, and secondly because refining this medicinal pill requires an alchemist of four cauldrons or higher. Although the medicinal materials are rare, naturally you can acquire them as long as you have money. The hardest part is the second point, because securing an alchemist of four cauldrons or above is extremely difficult—even harder than finding the medicinal herbs. Generally, reputable alchemists are already snatched up by major powers, while obscure alchemists lack the ability to refine such pills. That is why I am so composed."

Hearing the old physician's explanation, Lu Zhe's hanging heart finally dropped. His pace became less hurried, and he walked shoulder-to-shoulder with the old physician toward the venue of the underground auction.

After walking for about two quarters of an hour, Lu Zhe and the old physician arrived at the grocery store mentioned by the innkeeper. This grocery store was completely ordinary, looking no different from any other, but around the store, there were several individuals who looked rather unnatural—some disguised as beggars, while others posed as handymen or proprietors of neighboring shops.

"Let's go," the old physician said, stepping into the grocery store.

Inside the store were rows of shelves laden with a dazzling array of goods. A middle-aged man, looking like the proprietor, stood behind the counter clicking an abacus and calculating accounts.

The old physician walked over and tapped on the counter. Hearing the sound, the store proprietor looked up at the old physician and smiled, asking, "What can I get for you, patron?"

A strange smile appeared on the old physician's face as he used underworld jargon, "I've come here to buy some things."

Hearing the underworld jargon, the store proprietor instantly understood what was going on, but the smile on his face remained unchanged. He stepped out from behind the counter and led the old physician toward the human-sized mirror.

The store proprietor reached out behind the mirror and unlatched it. Accompanied by a "click" sound, the mirror slowly swung inward. When the mirror was fully ajar, a staircase leading underground was revealed before Lu Zhe and the old physician.

"Please go on in, both of you," the store proprietor said courteously.

The old physician glanced back at Lu Zhe and said, "Let's go." With that, he descended first, and without much hesitation, Lu Zhe followed the old physician down.

After walking downward for a short while, the master and disciple arrived before a door. The old physician stepped forward and knocked. With a creak, the door opened, and a vast and magnificent hall appeared before Lu Zhe's eyes.

The old physician and Lu Zhe stepped into the resplendent hall. Gazing around, Lu Zhe asked quizzically, "Is this the auction venue?"

"No, this is the main hall of the auction. The actual auction venue is further inside," a seductive voice suddenly drifted over.

Lu Zhe turned his head and saw a sexy woman wearing a red qipao and a golden mask standing beside them at some point.

Lu Zhe looked up and down at the enchanting woman and asked, "Who are you?"

The woman bowed slightly and said, "I am your receptionist. You two have come here to attend the auction, haven't you?"

Lu Zhe nodded.

"Very well, please pay the admission fee first, and then we will issue you your numbered tags," the enchanting woman explained.

Lu Zhe nodded and asked, "Where do we pay the admission fee?"

The sexy woman led Lu Zhe and the old physician to a circular counter in the center of the hall. The old physician drew three gold coins from his bosom and said, "Here."

Seeing the three gold coins, the woman hurriedly explained, "The two of you only need to pay two gold coins."

The old physician smiled and explained, "I know. This extra coin is your tip." As he spoke, he took one of the gold coins and tossed it right between the woman's breasts. The gold coin slid down her cleavage, and the woman's face flushed crimson as she let out a soft moan.

The woman behind the counter retrieved two numbered tags and handed them to the old physician and Lu Zhe. The receptionist checked the time and explained, "The next auction is about to begin. The two of you might as well wait here for a moment."

The old physician nodded, walked over to a sofa in the corner of the room, and Lu Zhe closely followed behind him.

After the two men had walked away, the receptionist retrieved the gold coin from her cleavage, looked at it, put it into her pocket, and swayed her hips as she walked toward the old physician and Lu Zhe.

After the two of them had waited for about a quarter of an hour, another woman dressed in equally alluring attire walked up to Lu Zhe and the old physician and said respectfully, "Gentlemen, the auction is about to begin. Please enter the venue."

The old physician stood up, stretched his limbs slightly, and said, "Let's go."

Lu Zhe nodded, and the two walked shoulder-to-shoulder into the auction venue, behind that golden-painted door...