Chapter 76: Chapter 76: How About Me?
After inspecting the Elixir Workshop, Jin Yuanba had other matters to attend to.
The Marketplace auction was about to begin, and Foundation Establishment Great Demons were arriving one after another. He needed to take this opportunity to properly connect with them.
If Langlang Mountain wanted to continue expanding, it naturally needed more alliances and interactions to foster stronger Demon Emotions.
More friends, fewer enemies—that was the proper path!
That evening, Langlang Mountain’s Third Elder hosted a banquet on behalf of the mountain, inviting all the Elders and the core members of several shops.
Xu Chang’an and Jin Ling’Er were both in attendance.
After rounds of toasts and maintaining Demon Emotions, the demons finally dispersed late into the night.
After the banquet, Jin Ling’Er invited Xu Chang’an to take a walk with her.
The two demons had known each other in the Marketplace for many years, so Xu Chang’an naturally wouldn’t refuse such a request.
Jin Ling’Er’s cheeks were flushed red, though it was unclear if it was from the alcohol or something else.
They made idle chit-chat along the way, rambling from one topic to another without any real theme.
Perhaps after enough time had passed, Jin Ling’Er finally spoke up.
"Grey Rat, you’ve been cultivating for over twenty years now. Is there anyone you have in mind? If so, perhaps I could help you out a little."
"No."
Xu Chang’an’s reply was decisive.
As if summoning all her courage, Jin Ling’Er suddenly took two steps forward, blocking Xu Chang’an’s path.
"What about... me!?"
Jin Ling’Er wore a long golden dress. Her temperament was gentle, her features exquisite, and her figure graceful.
The moonlight shone upon her, making her look exceptionally beautiful.
"Elder, you have exceptional talent. To have reached the Qi Refining Eighth Layer at such a young age is truly remarkable. All the demons praise you for it."
"Grey Rat, you know that’s not what I mean."
Jin Ling’Er’s jade-like hands tightened on the hem of her dress, her gaze fixed on Xu Chang’an.
Xu Chang’an gave Jin Ling’Er a long, deep look.
After a moment, he finally let out a sigh.
"Elder, I understand your feelings. But my heart is set on Alchemy. I will not marry until I break through to Tier Two.
I hope you can forgive me, Elder."
"Fine. I’ll wait for you."
Jin Ling’Er’s gaze was firm as she gave Xu Chang’an one last, deep look.
Then she turned and left, leaving Xu Chang’an with only the sight of her graceful back.
’Breaking through to Tier Two was just an excuse I’d come up with.’
’But I never expected Jin Ling’Er to leave me with those words.’
’But things have already been said, and it isn’t my place to say more.’
’A beauty’s affection is a heavy burden. My ambitions truly lie elsewhere; I’m not worthy of such a gift!’
’The Dao Companion I hope for is one with whom I can live in perfect harmony, one who provides mutual support.’
’Someone who is a true soulmate, a constant companion on my Demon Path.’
’Jin Ling’Er is wonderful, but she’s still a far cry from the Dao Companion I envision!’
...
Under the watchful eyes of all the demons, the auction at the Lujiao Mountain Marketplace finally began.
The auction was held in a massive palace atop the highest peak of Lujiao Mountain.
The standards for this auction were extremely high, so there were certain requirements for participants.
One needed to verify assets of five hundred Demon Stones to be eligible to participate.
This threshold alone barred the vast majority of demons.
An ordinary Old Demon at the Qi Refining Seventh Layer would only have a net worth of about a thousand Demon Stones.
As a shop within the Marketplace, the Langlang Mountain Elixir Workshop naturally had the right to select a few demons to participate in the auction without verification.
This time, Lujiao Mountain had a total of five Great Demons overseeing the auction, creating a grand spectacle.
One of Lujiao Mountain’s Foundation Establishment Great Demons stood at the entrance, continuously welcoming the distinguished guests arriving for the auction.
Without exception, all those he personally welcomed were Foundation Establishment Great Demons.
They were either kings of mountain territories, Independent Cultivator Great Demons, or resident protectors of various factions.
"Fellow Daoist Yuanba, your personal attendance at our auction brings great honor to Lujiao Mountain!"
When Jin Yuanba arrived at the auction hall with Jin Ling’Er, Xu Chang’an, and the other demons, the Foundation Establishment Great Demon from Lujiao Mountain stepped forward to welcome them.
"Stone-Horned Deer, it’s been a while."
Jin Yuanba returned the greeting.
In recent years, thanks to the Lion’s Mane Cave incident, Lujiao Mountain and Langlang Mountain had been at peace with each other.
However, with the previous Black Crow Mountain incident looming, it was unrealistic to expect their relationship to become too friendly.
It was merely a standard interaction.
Xu Chang’an recognized this Foundation Establishment Great Demon from Lujiao Mountain at a glance.
’Come to think of it, I once fought this demon while disguised as a Lion Spirit.’
’Back then, I only managed to escape by relying on a Talisman Treasure. But now...’
’I could suppress him within ten moves!’
"This must be the Gray Rat Alchemist!"
Stone-Horned Deer’s gaze fell upon Xu Chang’an.
"Indeed."
Before Xu Chang’an could reply, Jin Yuanba answered for him.
He clearly didn’t want Stone-Horned Deer to have too much contact with him.
"Truly extraordinary, as expected."
Stone-Horned Deer praised Xu Chang’an but said nothing more about Jin Yuanba’s actions.
Inside the auction hall, many demons were already seated.
The hall was enormous, feeling incredibly spacious and tall.
In the center was a circular, empty stage, surrounded by tiers of seats.
As a Foundation Establishment Great Demon, Jin Yuanba had an exclusive private box.
As a Sequence Elder of Langlang Mountain, a core member among the core, Xu Chang’an naturally entered the private box with Jin Yuanba.
Several of Langlang Mountain’s Sequence Elders, including Jin Ling’Er, were also in the box.
If something caught their eye during the auction and they wanted to bid, they could simply call out their price.
Having a private box, with a Foundation Establishment Great Demon like Jin Yuanba as backing, meant that ordinary demons would have to think twice before bidding against them.
Xu Chang’an was naturally happy about this.
’Quite a few Foundation Establishment Great Demons have come!’
’Just from what I’ve seen so far, there are no fewer than twenty Foundation Establishment Great Demons.’
’The actual number of Great Demons participating in the auction is likely over thirty.’
Time trickled by, and the auction soon began in earnest.
"Welcome, fellow Daoists, to the first-ever Lujiao Mountain auction."
A Mountain Deer Spirit stood on the central stage, welcoming the surrounding demons with a cupped-fist salute.
This was the demon hosting the auction, a cultivator at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer.
"First, allow me to explain the bidding rules for this auction..."
The Mountain Deer Spirit, beaming with a wide smile, explained the specific rules of the auction to the assembled demons.
After running through the rules as quickly as possible, he got straight to the point.
"Alright, enough with the pleasantries. Let’s now bring out the first item of this auction.
A Middle-grade Magical Artifact, the Qingfeng Sword!"
As he spoke, a Little Demon walked to the front carrying a long wooden box.
He opened the box, and a longsword shimmering with Spiritual Light appeared before the eyes of the crowd.
"A Middle-grade Magical Artifact!"
"They’re starting with a Middle-grade Magical Artifact right from the get-go! Lujiao Mountain is really pulling out all the stops!"
"Nice, this makes me look forward to the next items!"
"..."
The demons broke into a flurry of discussion.
In the private box, Xu Chang’an watched the scene below, lost in thought.
’Generally, the first item of an auction is never too shabby, but to start directly with a Middle-grade Magical Artifact shows that Lujiao Mountain has put some real thought into this.’
"Elder Grey Rat, are you interested in this Middle-grade Magical Artifact!?"
Jin Yuanba asked with a chuckle.
As far as he knew, Xu Chang’an was devoted to Alchemy, spending most of his savings on Spirit Medicines and Elixirs. He only had a single Middle-grade Magical Artifact to his name.
And that Magical Artifact had been a gift from Langlang Mountain.
...
PS: Today’s update is early~
This Little Demon is reporting to all you fellow Daoists: The detailed outline for the next hundred Chapters is complete, and everything’s okay! We’re proceeding in an orderly fashion! This Little Demon is super passionate, and the more I write, the more passionate I get! Full of passion!
Oh, right. I was eliminated from the promotion contest before, but the recent stats have been good. There might be a chance for a revival. The specific results will be out tomorrow.
If the book’s data in all aspects—like follow-reads, recommendations, clicks, monthly tickets, etc.—are all good, it might get revived and continue to get recommendations, even getting a category’s strong recommendation feature.
Although I’ve become somewhat Zen about it—I’ll keep a calm mind no matter what and stick to my original intention of finishing the book—I can’t help but think about it a little more.
If you fellow Daoists think this book is decent, and if you have the ability, this Little Demon hopes you can show some support. Whether it’s voting, clicking, sending hearts, or follow-reading, it’s all support for this Little Demon.
Here, this Little Demon thanks all you fellow Daoists!
Let us walk the Demon Path together, hand in hand. When we reach the peak, we’ll look back on this day!
That will surely be a different sight to behold!
Oh, right, right, one more important thing. About the female lead. Since the detailed outline is finished, it’s already been arranged. Whether there is one or not, you can all take a guess~
This Little Demon is personally very satisfied with this outline~
I hope all you fellow Daoists will be satisfied as well.
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