Chapter 349: Chapter 348: Casting a Long Line to Catch a Big Fish
"WAAH..." The pain on his face made Young Master Hua burst into tears. Snot and tears streamed down his face. Combined with his highly swollen cheeks, he looked absolutely miserable.
He was the youngest son of the dignified Mansion Master of Divine Martial City! Relying on his father’s doting and his brother’s protection, when had he ever suffered like this? He felt incredibly wronged, and his gaze, fixed on Shen Haoran, was filled with venomous hatred.
"You... You just wait! If you’ve got the guts, don’t you run! Wait till I get my brother!" Young Master Hua roared at Shen Haoran.
"Still daring to threaten me?" Hearing Young Master Hua’s words, Shen Haoran snorted coldly and raised his right hand again. Seeing this, Young Master Hua’s expression changed, and he turned tail and ran. He was afraid Shen Haoran would actually slap him again!
"You... You just wait..." Young Master Hua’s muffled voice drifted from the distance.
Seeing Young Master Hua flee, Murong Wanqing was about to chase after him but was stopped by Shen Haoran.
"Brother Haoran, how could you let scum like that get away? If we let him go, who knows how many more girls he’ll torment!" Murong Wanqing said with dissatisfaction.
Hearing this, Shen Haoran just chuckled softly. He gazed in the direction Young Master Hua had fled, his eyes narrowing as he said quietly, "Let him go? How could I? I just plan on using him to bait a bigger fish for us!"
"A bigger fish?" Murong Wanqing was a little confused by Shen Haoran’s words.
"Come on, Wanqing, you don’t get it? You heard it just now. That damn Fatty said his brother is an Inner Sect Disciple of the Hehuan Sect. Brother Shen wants to lure him out. He must know a lot of the Hehuan Sect’s secrets!" Han Xu stepped forward and said.
Hearing Han Xu’s explanation, Murong Wanqing had a moment of realization. She had been so angered by Young Master Hua that she had completely forgotten about that detail. The three of them then looked at each other and smiled, paying no more mind to Young Master Hua.
However, to the onlookers who didn’t know the full story, seeing Shen Haoran’s trio still looking calm and composed made them think the three were insane.
"Do these three not know who they’ve provoked? Never mind the City Lord of Divine Martial City, who dotes on this youngest son the most. Young Master Hua’s second brother is an Inner Sect Disciple of the Hehuan Sect with terrifying strength. And these three can still laugh?"
"I bet these three are from out of town. They really don’t know the immensity of heaven and earth. I’d wager that by tomorrow morning, we’ll see their heads hanging from the city gates!"
"Let’s go, let’s go. We should leave. Let’s not get involved, or we’ll be done for if we get caught in the crossfire!"
The surrounding crowd looked at Shen Haoran’s group, shook their heads in pity, and quickly dispersed. Shen Haoran and his friends might not have known about Young Master Hua’s background, but the onlookers knew it all too well. If they angered Young Master Hua, the consequences would be too horrible to watch!
In the blink of an eye, the crowd of onlookers scattered, leaving only Shen Haoran’s trio and the girl from before in the entire marketplace.
"This humble girl, Xianxian, thanks her three benefactors for saving my life!" After the crowd dispersed, the girl fell to her knees and kowtowed to Shen Haoran’s group.
"Sister Xianxian, you mustn’t do that!" Seeing this, Murong Wanqing quickly helped Xianxian up.
"I could tell that damn Fatty was no good. How dare he treat a girl like that! Of course he needed to be taught a proper lesson!" Murong Wanqing said indignantly as she helped Xianxian to her feet.
However, hearing Murong Wanqing’s words, Xianxian’s expression didn’t improve in the slightest. In fact, it grew even worse!
"Sister Xianxian, what’s wrong?" Murong Wanqing asked, seeing Xianxian’s face grow paler.
"My three benefactors, you should leave quickly! The power behind Young Master Hua is terrifying. Here in Divine Martial City, no one dares to offend him. I don’t want the three of you to be implicated because of me!" Xianxian raised her head and pleaded.
Hearing Xianxian’s words, Murong Wanqing couldn’t help but cover her mouth and chuckle.
Seeing that Murong Wanqing could still laugh at a time like this, Xianxian was stunned. She said anxiously, "I’m not lying to you! You have to run! I won’t betray you. If you leave now, you still have a slim chance of survival. If you wait any longer, it will be too late!"
Seeing Xianxian’s anxious expression, Murong Wanqing gently patted her on the shoulder and said, "Don’t worry, Sister Xianxian. We know about Young Master Hua’s background. We have our own reasons for letting him go. You don’t need to worry about this!"
"That’s right, Sister Xianxian, don’t you worry!" Han Xu added with a smile.
Looking at the calm and collected trio before her, Xianxian’s mind couldn’t quite process it. The same Young Master Hua who made everyone in Divine Martial City pale with fear seemed like a harmless little kitten in their eyes. Seeing the smiles playing on their lips, Xianxian’s heart slowly began to relax.
"Let’s go. We’ll head to the Celestial Martial Auction House first and wait for the big fish to take the bait!" Shen Haoran said with a light laugh, seeing that Xianxian had relaxed.
"Alright!" Murong Wanqing and Han Xu both cheered, then pulled Xianxian along towards the Celestial Martial Auction House.
...
In the center of Divine Martial City, outside a magnificent and imposing hall, Shen Haoran, Han Xu, and Xianxian looked up at the grand structure and couldn’t help but exclaim, "What a majestic palace! As expected of the Celestial Martial Auction House. They’re really loaded!"
Although Shen Haoran had been to the Celestial Martial Auction House quite a few times, this was the most impressive one he had ever seen. Divine Martial City was, after all, one of the eight great cities of the Northern Domain. It seemed the Celestial Martial Auction House had put a lot of effort into its presence here!
"Hmph, it’s just a small auction house. You guys have never seen the Celestial Martial Auction House in the Imperial City. Now *that’s* what you call truly impressive!" Murong Wanqing muttered under her breath.
Hearing this, both Shen Haoran and Han Xu rolled their eyes at Murong Wanqing. ’You’re a rich young lady born in the Imperial City,’ they griped internally. ’Of course your horizons are much broader than ours!’
Shen Haoran stepped forward, took the Purple Token out of his Storage Ring, and said to the receptionist at the door, "Arrange four rooms for us!"
When the receptionist saw the Purple VIP Token in Shen Haoran’s hand, her expression changed instantly. She said politely, "Of course. This way, please."
Following the receptionist, Shen Haoran’s group of four walked into the Celestial Martial Auction House.
"Hey, cousin, how do you have a Purple VIP Card?" From behind, Murong Wanqing caught up to Shen Haoran and asked with a strange look on her face.
"Someone gave it to me," Shen Haoran said casually.
"Gave it to you? I’m telling you, Brother Haoran, do you have any idea what this Purple VIP Card means? Only direct descendants of the Luo Family are qualified to have one, and they can only gift it to one person in their entire lifetime! Holding this Purple VIP Card is equivalent to having the authority of an Elder!" Murong Wanqing said in a low voice.
Shen Haoran, of course, already knew all of this. He wasn’t surprised that Murong Wanqing knew it either. The headquarters of the Celestial Martial Auction House was located in the Imperial City. As the young miss of the Imperial Capital Murong Family, it would be a real waste of a life if she *didn’t* know.
"Hurry up and tell me, who gave it to you?" Murong Wanqing pressed when Shen Haoran didn’t answer.
"The person who gave it to me was..." Shen Haoran didn’t intend to hide it from Murong Wanqing, but just as he was about to say the name, a voice like the music of the heavens sounded from behind them.
"Sister Wanqing?"
