Chapter 457: Old Acquaintances

Ten Thousand Demons Tower had consecutively auctioned dozens of exceptionally attractive men and women, handpicked for their extraordinary looks.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the slaves we're about to auction may not be as strikingly beautiful, but they all possess Foundation Building strength. Furthermore, some of these slaves have special skills, such as refining tools, alchemy, formations, and more. So, keep a keen eye, and make sure not to make any mistakes," the auctioneer announced.

At that moment, five Foundation Building stage slaves ascended the platform.

"Now, we'll start the auction for the first slave, with an initial bid of ten thousand Spirit Stones!"

Moli had no intention of providing details about this cultivator, such as their skills. It was all left to the participants' luck.

This approach made it impossible for anyone to ascertain the skills of the slaves they were purchasing, adding an element of gambling to the proceedings. It even encouraged higher prices for some less marketable slaves.

"I heard that Feihu Fellow Daoist bought a second-tier Alchemist for only fifty thousand Spirit Stones last time," a Demonic Beast next to Wang Hong commented. It was worth noting that cultivating even a first-tier Alchemist cost more than fifty thousand Spirit Stones, especially considering the exorbitant prices for pills in the Yao Clan.

"That's right! My friend got a second-tier formation master for just a few tens of thousands of Spirit Stones."

Hearing these stories of success from others, the enthusiasm of the bidding participants surged, with each of them shouting out their prices at the top of their lungs.

Hearing these success stories, everyone started to believe they could achieve similar results. As for those who spent a fortune but failed, who would want to mention those unlucky souls?

Under the influence of these inspiring success stories, auction prices continued to rise and had already reached two hundred thousand Spirit Stones.

This caused Wang Hong, who initially had thoughts of rescuing a few of his fellow cultivators within his means, to reconsider. He had to be prudent in his actions.

Soon, the five slaves were all auctioned off, with most of them selling for over two hundred thousand Spirit Stones. Wang Hong also participated in the bidding and acquired one slave, paying for it with a second-tier Spiritual Herb.

The Foundation Building stage slaves were quickly auctioned off in batches, and at this point, Moli pointed to a female Human Clan slave.

"Next up for auction is a female slave in the late Foundation Building stage, starting at ten thousand Spirit Stones."

This female slave was clad in oversized leather armor, her skin as dark as the bottom of a pot, with a bulky figure. Her face, however, was not particularly large, and below her nose, she sported a patch of stubble.

At this point, a Demonic Beast below remarked, "Fellow Daoist Moli, this female slave must have put on some heavy makeup. It seems excessive."

"I also suspect this female slave is extremely ugly; just look, not a trace of charm on her face," another Demonic Beast expressed doubt.

On the stage, Moli remained noncommittal and continued with the auction.

Due to suspicions of the slave's unattractive appearance concealed by makeup, there wasn't much interest. Only a few Demonic Beasts were intrigued by her late Foundation Building stage strength and joined the bidding.

Wang Hong also entered the bidding, feeling a vague sense of familiarity with this slave but unable to place it.

In the end, Wang Hong purchased the female slave with a Spirit Herb.

After acquiring the slave, he didn't linger but left with Little Peng and their newly acquired slave. They found an inn and checked in.

Inside the inn, he arranged rooms for the slaves he had purchased earlier, allowing them to rest on their own.

The hearts of these slaves, which had been hanging in suspense, finally eased a bit. At least for now, it seemed that their two new masters were not the cruel type.

If their luck had been worse, and they had fallen into the hands of brutal and ruthless Demonic Beasts who resorted to violence or even cannibalism, they would have lived in perpetual fear.

After Wang Hong had arranged everything for these slaves, he took the most recent female slave into his room.

"Next door, there's a bathtub prepared for you. I'll give you half an hour to remove all the makeup from your face."

"Yes, master."

The female slave responded respectfully and then withdrew to the adjacent room.

A little while later, the room next door was filled with the sound of water splashing. Wang Hong patiently brewed some tea and waited. After some time, the splashing ceased, and shortly thereafter, a woman emerged from the neighboring room.

Upon seeing her exquisitely elegant face, Wang Hong was taken aback.

"You..."

Wang Hong almost blurted out Yun Qingya's name but restrained himself. He couldn't reveal his true identity while still in Demonic Beast form, so he forced back the rest of his words.

Yun Qingya was startled, thinking that her appearance might have repulsed Wang Hong, leaving her uncertain about how she would be treated.

"Do you have any orders, master?" Yun Qingya asked respectfully.

Although she had bathed, she was still wearing the same oversized leather armor as before. To appear more robust, she had stuffed quite a few things underneath, causing the armor to hang loosely on her.

As slaves, they were not allowed to retain any personal belongings when sold.

Seeing this, Wang Hong took out a set of male robes and handed it to her. "Put this on."

"Thank you, master."

Yun Qingya accepted the robes and went to the neighboring room to change.

Even though she and this green Demonic Beast were not the same species, she felt that even in front of a dog, she would feel shy, so she chose to avoid his gaze while changing.

When Yun Qingya emerged in her new attire, Wang Hong felt his throat go dry. He swallowed a sip of water and said, "What's your name? Are you familiar with this city?"

"I'm Yun Qingya, and I'm somewhat familiar with this city. How may I assist you, master?" Yun Qingya stood before him, respectful and attentive.

"I intend to purchase a large quantity of refining tool materials and sell some Spiritual Herbs. Do you have any suggestions?"

Wang Hong detailed his requirements and goals to Yun Qingya.

After hearing Wang Hong's conditions, Yun Qingya thought for a moment and said, "If you need to purchase a large quantity of high-quality refining tool materials, there are likely only two shops in this city suitable for your needs. One of them is the Ten Thousand Demons Tower that you visited today, and the other is called the Heaven Demon Pavilion. Both of these shops have strong backing and extensive accumulations of Spiritual Objects."

"As for selling Spiritual Herbs and similar items in exchange for Spirit Stones, that's popular in nearly every shop. However, if you wish to keep your identity confidential during these transactions, it becomes more challenging."

Yun Qingya contemplated for a moment and added, "But it's not impossible. Both Ten Thousand Demons Tower and Heaven Demon Pavilion hold annual auctions. In just over ten days, Heaven Demon Pavilion will host its auction. You can consign some items to the auction. It's said that the auction's reputation is quite good, and they won't disclose the client's identity."

Upon hearing this, Wang Hong realized that an auction was involved, something he was very familiar with, having hosted numerous auctions himself.

[Read at /shanefreak, and heartfelt thankyou for your support!]

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay