Martial Dao: I Can Enhance My Talents

Chapter 283: Chapter 282: Lan Yuexin

An hour later, the silhouette of a majestic city appeared at the edge of Fang Han’s vision.

The city walls were tall and thick, built from massive, dark-gold stones unique to the nearby mountains. They shimmered with a metallic luster in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Like a colossal beast crouching upon the earth, it exuded a powerful and majestic aura. This was Jinhuang City.

In terms of scale and prosperity, Jinhuang City couldn’t compare to Qingxuan City, where the Qingxuan Sect was located, let alone Qingyang Commandery City.

But as one of the few major cities in the county’s southwestern region, its population was close to a million. The unceasing flow of carriages, horses, and people created its own bustling atmosphere.

Fang Han followed the stream of people into the city.

The streets were wide and lined with shops, their signs and banners fluttering in the air. The shouts of street vendors, the rumbling of carriages, and the chatter of Martial Artists all mixed together, filling the air with worldly vitality.

He didn’t linger on the street scenery. After paying for a "guide," he went straight to the most luxurious inn in the city, the Jinhuang Inn, and requested a quiet, high-class room.

The inn’s Shopkeeper had a keen eye. Seeing Fang Han dressed in the True Inheritance Robe of the Qingxuan Sect, he didn’t dare to be neglectful. He personally led the way and made sure all arrangements were meticulous.

Fang Han washed up briefly, rinsing away the dust from his journey.

Thinking of the grand auction that was less than three days away, he raised an eyebrow.

’I’ll have to get an invitation letter.’

The threshold for this grand auction was high. Not just anyone was qualified to enter. One needed a sufficiently distinguished status to obtain an invitation letter.

However, with his status as a Celestial Pride True Inheritance of the Qingxuan Sect, this wouldn’t be much trouble. Requesting an invitation to the auction should not be difficult.

He planned to rest for a bit before heading to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion’s branch in Jinhuang City to request an invitation.

Just then, a soft knock came from the door, followed by the respectful voice of an inn attendant. "Sir, there are two ladies downstairs who have come to visit. They said they would like to see you."

’Two ladies here to visit?’

Fang Han raised an eyebrow, a flash of surprise in his eyes.

He was certain he didn’t know anyone in Jinhuang City. How could someone be visiting him, especially so soon after he had just arrived?

Though he was puzzled, his expression remained unchanged as he spoke.

"Please show them up."

"Yes, Sir."

The inn attendant replied and left.

A short while later, footsteps sounded outside again. The inn attendant led two people to the door and then tactfully withdrew.

Fang Han stood up and opened the door.

Two people were standing outside.

The one in the lead was a young woman of about sixteen, dressed in a water-blue, flowing cloud-patterned brocade dress. She had a slender figure, an exquisite face with skin fairer than snow, and picturesque features.

Her bright eyes were as clear as water, yet they held a barely perceptible trace of cleverness and wisdom.

Her beauty was in no way inferior to that of Yun Qianyue without her veil; she was an absolute stunner.

Half a step behind her was a middle-aged woman with her hair tied in a neat bun and a plain, unremarkable face.

The woman’s aura was restrained, making her look like an ordinary servant at first glance.

But Fang Han’s Spiritual Sense was now sharp, his five senses far beyond those of an ordinary person. He could faintly sense an aura from this woman that was as deep as an abyss and as vast as the sea—obscure and inscrutable.

Her Cultivation was unfathomable, far above the Fifth Grade. She was at least an expert of the Upper Three Grades!

’For such an expert to willingly follow this young woman like a guard, what kind of identity could she possibly have?’

’And why is she looking for me?’

Fang Han was certain he had never seen this young woman before.

With her looks and bearing, he would never have forgotten her if they had met.

"And you two are...?"

Although he was surprised that the young woman’s beauty rivaled Yun Qianyue’s, Fang Han didn’t lose his composure.

His gaze swept calmly over the two of them as he asked.

"My name is Lan Yuexin. I am the supervisor of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion’s auction in Jinhuang City."

The blue-skirted young woman gave a faint smile, gentle and appropriate. Her voice was like a clear spring striking jade—melodious and pleasant to the ear.

She introduced herself simply, her speech paced perfectly, poised and graceful.

"Hearing that True Inheritor Fang had appeared in Jinhuang City, Yuexin came to pay a special visit. I hope you’ll forgive my forwardness."

As she spoke, she flipped her slender hand, and a purple-and-gold card appeared in her palm. The edges of the card were inlaid with fine gold threads, its design exquisite.

"This is the VIP invitation to our Hundred Treasures Pavilion’s auction. It grants entry to a private box. It is a small token of our sincerity. I hope True Inheritor Fang will accept it."

"The Hundred Treasures Pavilion?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Fang Han’s eyes.

’I’ve only been in Jinhuang City for a moment, yet the Hundred Treasures Pavilion already knows? Is their information network really that good?’

What he found even more puzzling was, why would an auction supervisor, who had a guard far stronger than a Fifth Grade expert, personally come to his door to deliver an invitation?

This level of treatment seemed a bit too grand.

Still, since she had delivered it out of goodwill, it saved him some trouble.

He suppressed his doubts, put on a perfectly measured smile, and reached out to accept the invitation letter.

"So it’s Supervisor Lan. This letter is exactly what I needed. I thank you."

His words were polite, expressing his gratitude.

"True Inheritor Fang, you are too kind. It is our Hundred Treasures Pavilion’s honor to host a prodigy from the Celestial Pride List."

Lan Yuexin’s bright eyes lingered on Fang Han for a moment as she smiled.

"The auction will begin in three days at the Hour of Shen, at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion branch in the city center. We will be awaiting your esteemed presence, True Inheritor Fang."

She made a bit more small talk before tactfully taking her leave.

"Yuexin must return to oversee preparations for the auction, so I won’t disturb True Inheritor Fang’s rest any longer."

"Supervisor Lan, please take care."

Fang Han cupped his fists to see them off.

Lan Yuexin and the woman who had not spoken a word both gave a slight nod and turned to leave.

From beginning to end, the woman never spoke, as if she were truly just a guard.

Fang Han stood at the door, watching their figures disappear around the corner of the staircase before he retreated into his room and closed the door.

He looked down at the exquisitely crafted Purple Gold Invitation Letter, which felt smooth and warm to the touch, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

’Lan Yuexin... To become the head of a major auction at such a young age, could she be the daughter of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion’s Pavilion Master?’

He had heard someone mention before that the Pavilion Master of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion seemed to have the surname Lan.

He suspected this woman was likely related to the Pavilion Master, but he didn’t know if she was his daughter.

’But why did she come to deliver this invitation in person?’

’Was it really just a routine gesture, a show of goodwill to a young genius with the potential to make the Celestial Pride List?’

His intuition told him things weren’t that simple.

Beneath Lan Yuexin’s seemingly gentle smile, a very faint hint of inquiry seemed to be hidden in the depths of her eyes.

’Oh well. Since I’m already here, I’ll just go with the flow. I got the invitation, so my goal is accomplished. No need to overthink the rest.’

Fang Han gathered his thoughts and tucked the invitation letter into his robes.

With the Qingxuan Sect, one of the Seven Sects, backing him, he was confident that even a major merchant association like the Hundred Treasures Pavilion wouldn’t dare to do anything to him.

「 ... 」

Downstairs from the inn, inside an extremely spacious and comfortable carriage.

Lan Yuexin leaned lazily against the soft cushions. The gentle and proper demeanor of a supervisor had receded somewhat, revealing a trace of the liveliness befitting her age... and a hint of exhaustion.

The middle-aged woman sat across from her, her back ramrod straight, like a statue.

"Miss, why did you have to deliver the invitation yourself? Even if he is a Celestial Pride True Inheritance of the Qingxuan Sect, sending a Steward would have been more than enough to show respect."

The middle-aged woman, Wu Xia, spoke in a low, hoarse voice, a hint of confusion in her tone.

"Aunt Wu."

Lan Yuexin let out a soft breath. A strange light flickered in her bright eyes, making her seem like a completely different person from the composed woman who had faced Fang Han.

Her fingers unconsciously toyed with a tassel on her dress sash.

"A Celestial Pride List-level genius who isn’t even twenty... Of course I had to come and see such a person for myself."

"Oh? And what is your assessment of him, Miss?"

Wu Xia asked, a trace of curiosity in her voice.

"It was the right decision to come today. The real person is even more extraordinary than the rumors."

Lan Yuexin’s expression grew serious, even a little solemn.

She paused, seemingly organizing her thoughts, then slowly said.

"You know, ever since I was young, I’ve had a vague intuition. I can faintly sense whether something is worth doing, or whether a person... is worth investing in.".

"Relying on this intuition is how I was able to secure a firm footing within the Pavilion at my age and fight for the position I have today."

Wu Xia nodded slightly. She was well aware of this.

The Miss’s intuitive Talent seemed mystical, but its accuracy had been proven time and time again.

It seemed to be a Talent inherited from the Pavilion Master’s lineage, only it was even stronger in the Miss.

"Just now, the moment I saw that Fang Han."

Lan Yuexin’s voice dropped, tinged with an indescribable tremor.

"My intuition... had a stronger reaction than it ever has before!"

"Stronger than ever before?"

A sharp glint flashed in Wu Xia’s eyes.

"Yes."

Lan Yuexin nodded affirmatively, her fingertips tightening slightly as she gripped the tassel.

"That feeling... it was telling me that this person’s future achievements will be beyond imagination. If we can befriend him now, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion might gain an unimaginable return in the future!"

Her words carried a certainty that surprised even herself.

Wu Xia was silent for a moment before she slowly said:

"Your intuition has always been accurate, Miss. In that case, this young man is indeed worthy of special attention."

Lan Yuexin released the tassel and regained some of her composure. She gazed at the rapidly receding streetscape outside the carriage window, her eyes profound.

"I have a feeling that Qingyang County will be far from this person’s final stop."

The carriage rolled along slowly. Silence fell once more inside, with only the rhythmic sound of the wheels rolling over the stone-paved road.

Wu Xia closed her eyes, like an old monk in deep meditation, but in her heart, she had already firmly engraved the name "Fang Han."

’What kind of achievements will a person who can provoke such a strong reaction in the Miss have in the future?’

「 ... 」

In the high-class room at the inn, Fang Han did not rest.

He sat cross-legged on the couch and once again took stock of his finances.

The 10,570,000 taels in silver notes he had borrowed, plus the more than four million he had unexpectedly obtained from Shen You, brought his current total of silver notes to a staggering fifteen million taels!

This was a terrifying fortune, an amount that many small and medium-sized families could not hope to match even if they bankrupted themselves.

’Fifteen million taels... After deducting the cost of the Vajra Fruit, there should still be a good amount left over.’

Fang Han estimated.

The starting price for the Vajra Fruit was three million taels, and the final transaction price could reach six or seven million, or even higher.

But even if it went for eight million taels, he would still have seven million left.

With these seven million taels, he could bid on other items at the auction, converting the money into physical goods that could be "recharged."

With his mind made up, Fang Han cleared away his distracting thoughts and began to meditate and regulate his breathing.

As the Profound Wind Technique circulated, under the one hundred and twenty-eight-fold Root Bone Talent Amplification, his Inner Qi steadily grew at a rate far exceeding that of an ordinary person.

Night deepened. The lanterns of Jinhuang City were lit, and the clamor of the day gradually settled.

Fang Han’s room was peaceful, with only the faint and steady sound of his long, even breaths.