A Sudden Turn of Events!

Qin Wushang turned his head toward Li Guanqi, an enigmatic smile gracing his face as his deep eyes looked upon him with remarkable gentleness. Those eyes... were as calm and layered with complexity as if they had weathered ten thousand lifetimes of vicissitudes. Qin Wushang raised his wine cup and spoke softly. "Work a little harder. When I look back, I hope to see you standing beside people like us." Li Guanqi frowned, unsure of what Qin Wushang meant. *"People like us?" Who else is there besides them?* Qin Wushang had no intention of explaining further. Turning around, he murmured, "Time is running short." Li Guanqi stared fixedly at Qin Wushang's departing back, lost in thought. *Time... Not much time left... Why does everyone keep saying time is running out?* Right at that moment, however, Meng Jiangchu's voice suddenly rang in Li Guanqi's ear! "I have seen him in the Seventh Domain." *Boom!* The words exploded in Li Guanqi's ears like a sudden clap of thunder! Below them, the auction continued, and Ru Meng's voice sounded once more. "The next auction item is extraordinarily precious. Experts of our Qin Imperial City risked their lives to retrieve it from an ancient secret realm." Hearing that, Meng Jiangchu shot up from his chair, his eyes narrowing slightly. "It's here." *Buzz!* Within a transparent sealing barrier, a phantom cluster of spiritual liquid had manifested into the ethereal form of a luan phoenix. "One portion of Luan Soul Spiritual Liquid! Highly prized for its ability to mend the divine soul, with a starting bid of twenty million!" That starting bid drew sharp gasps from the crowd, yet the price began to skyrocket immediately. Before long, it surged straight to forty million! By this point, the ones bidding were entirely forces from the Ancient Clans and local powers of the Ethereal Immortal Domain. Meng Jiangchu took a deep breath and said in a heavy voice, "Fifty million!" With his very first bid, Meng Jiangchu raised the price by ten million, pushing it directly from forty million to fifty million! A hush fell over the hall. Everyone was stunned by the massive jump. Meng Jiangchu cupped his hands and bowed toward the crowd. "Fellow Daoists, my daughter suffered soul damage previously and is in dire need of this Luan Soul Spiritual Liquid. I implore you all to show courtesy and yield." Speaking out in this manner bordered on taboo for an auction, but Meng Jiangchu chose to say it nonetheless. Ru Meng's delicate brows furrowed slightly. Just as she was about to offer a reminder, she paused and glanced up at the Qin Prince Pavilion on the second floor, nodding subtly. In the blink of an eye, the call reached the second count. Yet someone still spoke up to bid: "Fifty-five million!" "Brother Meng, you're not the only one facing an emergency. The old man ran into a hitch during cultivation a few days back and also needs this Luan Soul Spiritual Liquid. Forgive me." "Sixty million." Yet another person called out from a private box, chuckling faintly. "If you have the coin, bid. Save the sentimental talk. Who would spend this much money on it if they weren't in urgent need?" Meng Jiangchu's lips curved into a cold sneer upon hearing that. If that was how it was, he had nothing more to say. "Seventy million." The moment this price was named, the old man in the private box could not help but furrow his brow. A jump like that... Meng Jiangchu was dead set on securing it at all costs! The white-browed elder chuckled self-deprecatingly. "A tier-eight Saint-grade armorer certainly has the wealth to back his words..." "Seventy-five million." Without batting an eye, Meng Jiangchu said in a level voice, "Eighty million." The hall below fell entirely silent. Only that elderly bidder remained, yet no further words came from him. Inside his private room, cold sweat beaded on the old man's brow. His fists clenched, his face flushed, and he cursed under his breath, "Damn it all! How does he have so much money?!" Even Gu Li, sitting inside their room, clucked his tongue in amazement, muttering, "Weapon refiners really make a killing..." Ru Meng's face bloomed into a radiant smile. Her luminous eyes flitted across the hall as she bowed slightly and purred, "Eighty million. Are there any higher bids?" "The Luan Soul Spiritual Liquid is exceedingly rare. If you miss this chance, who knows when another will appear?" No matter what Ru Meng said, the private boxes on the second floor remained dead quiet. Clearly, they had conceded. *Dong!* "Congratulations to our esteemed guest for securing the Luan Soul Spiritual Liquid!" "Should you require an alchemist's assistance to refine it into pills, our auction house can also provide that service." Meng Jiangchu finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the weight lingering in Li Guanqi's chest lifted as well. Meng Jiangchu was in high spirits. With this spiritual liquid in hand, Meng Wanshu would likely make her breakthrough within just a few days. A short while later, the auction house steward arrived at their room carrying the items they had successfully purchased. Li Guanqi used his inscribed talismans to offset the cost in spirit stones, barely covering the sum, and the steward handed over the various herbs and treasures meant for restoring vitality. When it was Meng Jiangchu's turn, his method was far cruder: he simply tossed several storage rings crammed with all manner of dharma artifacts to the steward. After taking inventory, the steward actually returned one of the rings to Meng Jiangchu. Bowing respectfully, the steward explained, "Domain Lord Meng, you are an esteemed guest of Qin Imperial City. Given your membership tier at our auction house, you receive a ten percent discount, so you did not need to pay quite so much." Gu Li's brow furrowed at that. "We bought so much, and we're still not qualified to be esteemed guests of this auction house?" The steward merely offered a beaming smile and shook his head, then bowed respectfully and withdrew from the room. Having collected what he came for, Li Guanqi had no reason to linger. He stood up and said, "Uncle Meng, since everything is settled, I plan to head back to the sect first. "Once I finish taking care of things there, I'll come find you in the Shenbao Domain." Meng Jiangchu nodded with a smile and offered reassuring words. "Very well. You don't need to worry anymore, kid. Now that we have the Luan Soul Spiritual Liquid, Wanshu's breakthrough is only a matter of three to five days." Li Guanqi grinned broadly. "Understood. "Senior Gu, I shall take my leave first. If you ever have the chance in the future, please come visit the Great Xia Sword Sect often. I will be sure to host you properly." Gu Changsheng had already concluded that establishing ties with the Great Xia Sword Sect could prove beneficial, and he had even entertained thoughts of sending clan juniors there to temper themselves. Coupled with Gu Li's friendship and Meng Jiangchu's ties, he had taken quite a liking to Li Guanqi as a person. He smiled and nodded. "Once you're done with your business, have Gu Li bring you over to our home for a visit. If you have matters to attend to now, go ahead and see to them." Gu Li hopped to his feet as well, only for Gu Changsheng to pin him with a stern glance, forcing the youth to sit back down in a huff, arms crossed in sulky silence. Li Guanqi said his goodbyes to Gu Li and walked out. Gu Li grumbled unhappily, "Dad, why did you stop me? I wanted to go with him to check out the Great Xia Sword Sect too. "I paid out of my own pocket for the Dragon Scale Divine Wood for Jiuxiao. I wanted to see a true dragon with my own eyes..." Gu Changsheng's face sank. "Scram, scram, scram! Like hell you are! "Do you think I don't know what you're scheming? You only want to go so you can wheedle some true dragon blood out of him! "And let me tell you—if you're just joking around, that's one thing. But if you actually approach that Li boy with the mindset of demanding a return on your investment, you had better snuff that thought out right now. "If you ask, he will certainly give it to you. But don't you dare think you can remain friends after that!" Gu Changsheng spoke harshly, sparing no feelings. Gu Li knitted his brows and did not dare talk back until Gu Changsheng had finished. Only then did he stand and protest. "Whenever I make friends, I never harbor ulterior motives! "I don't care! I'm going to check out the Great Xia Sword Sect, and a few days later, I'll go with Brother Li to hang out at Uncle Meng's place for a couple of days. Stay out of it!" Without waiting for Gu Changsheng to answer, he darted out like a wisp of smoke. Meng Jiangchu quickly held Gu Changsheng back, chuckling. "Let the juniors get along on their own terms. My son-in-law is a clear-minded, perceptive young man. The two of them will hit it off just fine." Gu Changsheng sighed. "True enough. Gu Li is usually far too proud. It's rare to see him be so... generous!" By the end of the sentence, the man was nearly gnashing his teeth. After the two left, the auction continued, the atmosphere growing increasingly fervent. A voice suddenly resonated in Qin Wushang's ear, causing the young man's brow to furrow. His gaze inadvertently swept across a nearby private room that had long since emptied—the very chamber Ye Bingxin had occupied earlier. Swirling the wine cup in his hand, he murmured under his breath, "Could it be you?" *Buzz!* The auction house steward suddenly barged back into Meng Jiangchu's room. Meng Jiangchu's brow knitted, and an irritated look crossed Gu Changsheng's face. "What is the meaning of this?" The steward who had delivered their goods swallowed hard, his complexion ashen. Only after a long pause did he manage to choke out the words: "Zhao Bin... is dead!"