The Aloof Immortal Venerable is Pregnant with My Fox Cub - Chapter 85

Chapter 85

The auction started in the evening. The entire Phoenix Perch Pavilion was resplendent, with bright pearls inlaid inside. It had three floors, with several hundred seats on each. The first floor was reserved for rogue cultivators with no major sect affiliation, the second floor for small and medium sects, and the third floor featured private boxes exclusive to the major sects.

Cang Ran and her group arrived at a box in the center of the third floor. The surrounding boxes were already filled with cultivators.

Upon entering the box, the outside noise seemed to be completely blocked, likely due to a sound-proofing array.

The Phoenix Perch Pavilion maintained excellent secrecy, using separate teleportation arrays all the way to the boxes. Arrays were also set up around them to conceal their faces and figures. The other Immortal Sects speculated about who had arrived and what kind of treasure was valuable enough to warrant the presence of the Grand Mystic Sect.

Tan Qingxuan sat in the main seat. Elder Qu and Cang Ran sat on either side of her, with Shen Yunyan and Shui Shaoyi seated below. The table was laden with various spiritual fruits and pastries, and two serving girls from the Phoenix Perch Pavilion poured tea and water for them.

Everyone’s attention was currently focused on the auction. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a female cultivator in a pale yellow dress embroidered with copper coin patterns walked out and stood on the ten-zhang-high circular stage in the center of the hall.

Her eyes held a smile, and her expression was very amiable. She looked around and said, “Welcome, fellow Daoists, to the auction hosted by the Phoenix Perch Pavilion. We have a vast collection this time. As per the usual rules, the highest bidder wins. The first item is the Spirit Soul Heart Pill. The starting bid is one hundred thousand top-grade spirit stones, created by the Heaven-grade alchemist…”

The woman’s voice was neither too fast nor too slow, like a gentle breeze soothing the heart. Some people had clearly come for the Spirit Soul Heart Pill and immediately started competing fiercely.

A group of people scrambled desperately for the pill, increasing the price so aggressively that they almost drew swords and fought, if not for the distance and the rule prohibiting magic casting in the venue.

Cang Ran, attending an auction for the first time, was captivated by the excitement. A pill with a starting bid of only one hundred thousand top-grade spirit stones was snatched up for one million top-grade spirit stones. That was too exaggerated.

Ultimately, a rogue cultivator bought it for one million one hundred thousand top-grade spirit stones, making the elders of several small and medium sects huff in anger.

Cang Ran listened intently. After about five items, it was finally the turn of the Heart Condensing Immortal Grass.

The female cultivator in charge of the auction sounded more excited than before, “Next are two stalks of Heart Condensing Immortal Grass, to be auctioned separately. They were retrieved from an extremely dangerous place. The seller experienced a near-death situation and lost an arm. Therefore, the starting bid is one million top-grade spirit stones. The word ‘Immortal’ in the name speaks for its value.

We are now auctioning the first stalk of Heart Condensing Immortal Grass. It is in the most perfect condition and is older. Its leaves are crystal clear, and its shape unfolds like a beautiful woman dancing gracefully. It is truly a rare and remarkable item.”

Despite the female cultivator’s excitement, no one immediately bid. The previous five items were all heavenly treasures refined into top-grade elixirs, and even they were purchased for around one million top-grade spirit stones. This item’s starting bid alone was one million top-grade spirit stones, which made many people hesitate.

Some people had never even heard of its use. Of course, there were also people who didn’t lack spiritual plants and wanted to collect them for future contingencies, so they were happy to throw money just to make some noise.

A tall, thin Nascent Soul cultivator dressed in rich robes lifted the curtain of a second-floor box. He poked his head out, rubbing two jade walnuts in one hand. He smiled at the female cultivator and waved, “One million five hundred thousand.”

The quick-witted female cultivator immediately said, “One million five hundred thousand once, is there anyone willing to bid higher than one million five hundred thousand…”

As soon as she finished speaking, someone else shouted, “One million six hundred thousand.”

Like a drop of water splashing into a pot of boiling oil, everyone began to react and started competing fiercely.

The value of the first stalk of Heart Condensing Immortal Grass soared to three million top-grade spirit stones, returning to the hands of the richly dressed Nascent Soul cultivator.

“Three million top-grade spirit stones once, three million top-grade spirit stones twice…” The female cultivator’s gaze swept around. Her voice was no longer charming but clear and accompanied by a deliberately guiding tone, affecting the hearts of everyone present.

For a moment, everyone’s breathing seemed to stop. They watched the wooden gavel in the female cultivator’s hand. Once it fell, this coveted immortal grass would belong to the cultivator on the second floor.

Shen Yunyan and Shui Shaoyi couldn’t stay composed. They looked at Tan Qingxuan and said, “Venerable Qingxuan, this immortal grass is exactly what we need!”

Cang Ran also looked at Tan Qingxuan anxiously. Tan Qingxuan picked up the jade token on the table and handed it to Cang Ran, “Don’t worry, the other sects on the third floor haven’t made a move yet. If you want to bid, just report your price with your spiritual consciousness. Write whatever price you want.”

How could Cang Ran not be anxious? If everyone just waited for others to bid, what if it was sold at a low price?

She immediately used her spiritual consciousness to bid ten million. The female cultivator downstairs saw a flash of golden light on the table in front of her. She looked closely and saw that the Grand Mystic Sect had bid ten million. Her expression instantly became excited, and she immediately shouted loudly,

“Ten million! Someone has bid ten million! Is there any bid higher than ten million?”

The entire venue was instantly in an uproar. To be able to take out ten million top-grade spirit stones at once, truthfully speaking, was more than enough to buy a struggling small sect.

“Which rogue cultivator can earn that much money? Is it someone from a major sect on the third floor?”

“Ten million top-grade spirit stones! I’ve never heard of that much money in my life. I’m already in the Nascent Soul stage, and my net worth so far is only a few hundred thousand top-grade spirit stones.”

“These major sects are truly rich. With so many assets, they just throw around so many top-grade spirit stones.”

The noise downstairs was clamorous but didn’t affect the people in the boxes at all.

“Ten million once, ten million twice,” the female cultivator raised the wooden gavel high, preparing to finalize the bid, “Ten million thrice…”

Cang Ran’s heart pounded. She couldn’t help but clutch the jade token. As soon as the gavel sounded, she and Qingqing’s cub would get the second spiritual plant for bloodline fusion.

At that moment, a flash of golden light suddenly appeared in the female cultivator’s eyes. She glanced at the bid in disbelief, and her voice was a little hoarse, “Fifteen million top-grade spirit stones!”

“Someone has bid fifteen million! Is there any bid higher than fifteen million?”

Cang Ran immediately stood up from her chair. She had never imagined that after offering such a high price, someone would still bid higher than her!

Both her fox ears and fox tail popped out, trembling with anger. She angrily slapped the floor, so furious that her fox claws felt like they were about to sprout flowers.

Tan Qingxuan comforted her, “It should be someone from one of the Five Great Immortal Sects. Don’t worry, they don’t have that much money. Go ahead and bid.”

Cang Ran remembered that in addition to the ten million top-grade spirit stones, she also had one million supreme-grade spirit stones. She should indeed be able to win the bid. She couldn’t afford to panic.

The opponent only made a move after the female cultivator called out twice, suggesting they were hesitant and didn’t have enough capital.

Cang Ran decided to slowly contend with the opponent, increasing the bid by one million each time. After the price reached twenty million top-grade spirit stones, the opponent couldn’t hold back and immediately bid thirty million top-grade spirit stones.

Cang Ran immediately bid thirty-five million. This time, the opponent’s speed in snatching the immortal grass was noticeably slower, only bidding thirty-six million after waiting until the third call.

Cang Ran bid thirty-seven million. Her bottom line could still go up to twenty million more. If the opponent wanted to increase the price, she could continue to accompany them!

In another box, Qi Fengping, the Sect Master of the Guiyuan Sect, was so furious that she smashed cups and saucers all over the floor.

She didn’t know which sect it was, but they were spending so lavishly with so many top-grade spirit stones. Thirty-seven million spirit stones was equivalent to the accumulated income of a well-developed major sect for over a hundred years.

This Heart Condensing Immortal Grass was a rare find, but if she hadn’t truly needed it, she wouldn’t have taken out her accumulated savings of many years. She still had over twenty million top-grade spirit stones left. If she remained stuck in a deadlock with the opponent here, she would suffer a huge loss if better items appeared later.

A young female cultivator suggested, “Sect Master, calm your anger. How about letting them have this stalk of immortal grass? There is still another stalk. When they buy it and find the other stalk is cheaper, they will realize how foolish they were, and it will be too late for regrets.”

Qi Fengping finally suppressed her rising anger. Waking up from her frenzy, she sneered, “You are right. This person spent so many spirit stones. They must be some inexperienced hothead from a sect. They will have a difficult time when they return. Let’s wait and watch their embarrassment.”

Cang Ran bid thirty-seven million and thought the opponent would continue to pursue the price, but unexpectedly, the opponent completely fell silent.

With the sound of the gavel striking, she heard the female cultivator’s congratulatory voice, “Thirty-seven million top-grade spirit stones! Congratulations on winning the Heart Condensing Immortal Grass!”

A special attendant quickly delivered the Heart Condensing Immortal Grass. It was contained in a treasure box, radiant with shimmering light and incredibly beautiful. Of course, the price was also beautiful. It’s all for the cub. Cang Ran only glanced at it before handing it to Shui Shaoyi for refining.

Tan Qingxuan settled the spirit stones and took the pill refined by Shui Shaoyi. The pill melted instantly upon entering her mouth, flowing through her organs and meridians like gentle rain and mist, reaching her womb. Tan Qingxuan’s cultivation and physical condition were restored to their peak state.

The little fox cub in her body was now four months old. With Tan Qingxuan helping to absorb the spiritual medicine, the fusion of its bloodline had improved even better, undergoing subtle changes on the basis of the original little red fox.

There were too many people, so Cang Ran could only look at Tan Qingxuan’s abdomen from a distance and anxiously asked, “How is the cub? Is it better?”

Tan Qingxuan gently stroked her abdomen and said with a tender expression, “I just helped the cub refine the pill. It’s absorbing it now. It should be fine.”

Cang Ran couldn’t help but lean closer to Tan Qingxuan, curving her eyes, “That’s good.”

Elder Qu saw the couple talking sweetly about the child and, despite her age, felt quite envious.

Hearing the female cultivator downstairs continuing the auction, and mindful of the two missing medicinal ingredients, she reminded Cang Ran, “Little Fox, we still need two more medicinal ingredients.”

Cang Ran, who was already sticking close to Tan Qingxuan, immediately looked downstairs upon hearing Elder Qu’s words. The female cultivator in charge of the auction picked up the other stalk of Heart Condensing Immortal Grass. In terms of appearance, it was smaller than the previous one, and its overall luster seemed weaker.

However, because the first stalk of immortal grass sold for a high price, the starting bid for this one was also one million top-grade spirit stones. After an unknown number of bidding rounds, the price surprisingly reached thirty million top-grade spirit stones and was still rising.

Cang Ran couldn’t help but ask Shui Shaoyi, “Is it better for the cub to consume more of this Heart Condensing Immortal Grass?”

Shui Shaoyi shook her head, “One stalk is enough. Such a high price is truly unexpected. It seems there are quite a few wealthy sects in the cultivation world.”

Shen Yunyan said from the side, “Are you perhaps planning to charge other sects for the medicine?”

Shui Shaoyi smiled slightly, “I wouldn’t say planning. It’s always them begging people from the Ten Thousand Medicine Gate to go, and the consultation fee always rises with the price of the medicinal ingredients.”

Shen Yunyan hissed softly, “I find you to be truly black-hearted.”

Cang Ran knew that one stalk of Heart Condensing Immortal Grass was enough, so she didn’t continue to bid. Like an outsider, she watched the fierce competition for the second stalk of Heart Condensing Immortal Grass.

No one expected that the immortal grass, which was inferior in appearance to the first one and a thousand years younger, would be sold for the high price of fifty-seven million, and finally be acquired by someone for the sky-high price of sixty million.

Qi Fengping, the Sect Master of the Guiyuan Sect who had competed with Cang Ran earlier, felt worse than if she had swallowed an insect. She thought that if she hadn’t given up when competing with the previous person, she might have been able to acquire the Heart Condensing Immortal Grass for just a little more.

Now, if she missed it, she would have to wait another year for the auction to start, and even then, people might not be willing to sell it every time. This Heart Condensing Immortal Grass was also hard to come by, just like the nearly ten-thousand-year-old ganoderma she fought the Mountain Suppressing Leopard for. Getting it would require shedding a layer of skin and enduring great hardship.

The more she thought about it, the more she regretted it. She had originally wanted to find a bargain, but precisely because everyone knew it was the last stalk of immortal grass, the bidding became even more fierce than before. She offered nearly twice the price, yet still failed to purchase it.

Cang Ran thought, It’s a good thing I bought it early. She knew that good things don’t wait for people. It was already very difficult to secure the first one. Since it concerned her wife and child, she would have paid even sixty million top-grade spirit stones. However, saving some money was a bonus. It was best to solve the problem.

The auction continued. The items that followed were all quite unremarkable. Few reached the high prices of the Heart Condensing Immortal Grass. It wasn’t until near the end that Cang Ran still hadn’t heard any news of the Ice Toad Venom Eye or the Red Moon Sacred Orchid.

She was starting to feel discouraged, thinking that someone might bring in more auction items over the next two days. Just as she was comforting herself, she suddenly heard someone auctioning an Ice Toad.

Cang Ran looked over and saw that the Ice Toad was entirely jade-like, motionless, and confined in a golden birdcage. It was already a lifeless object, and its eyes had clearly been gouged out.

Many people lost interest upon hearing that the Ice Toad was dead, and there were few bidders.

Cang Ran frowned and looked at Tan Qingxuan, asking, “Could it be that someone knew we needed the Ice Toad Venom Eye and deliberately gouged out the Ice Toad’s eyes to lure us?”

Tan Qingxuan replied, “Let’s bid for the Ice Toad first and see what tricks the other party is trying to play.”

Cang Ran bid one million top-grade spirit stones and easily won the Ice Toad. When the attendant delivered the Ice Toad, he said to Cang Ran, “Fellow Daoist, the owner of the Ice Toad would like to meet with you privately.”

Cang Ran pursed her lips. She picked up Eighty, took the Ice Toad, and said to Tan Qingxuan, “Qingqing, wait for me here. I’ll be back soon.”

Tan Qingxuan was a little uneasy, but she remembered that Cang Ran had the necklace she gave her, which contained a positioning talisman, and Eighty’s sword tassel also had an array that could protect Cang Ran. She nodded and said, “Alright, come back early.”

Cang Ran followed the attendant along the corridor and quickly arrived at an exquisite and luxurious pavilion. She stepped onto the dedicated teleportation array. As the attendant opened the door, she indeed saw a familiar person.

Huazhao was sitting at a table, playing with a treasure box with her fair fingers. A beautiful silk shawl hung crookedly around her waist. She smiled sweetly at Cang Ran and said, “Ran Ran, long time no see. If I don’t go looking for you, you won’t come to find me. It must be so comfortable staying in that rich and tender home every day. Did you forget that we are best friends?”

Cang Ran raised an eyebrow and looked at her, “You are quite capable. You, a single demon, managed to kill the Ice Toad and also injure Song Zhen.”

Huazhao blinked her eyes, “I’m the best little bird demon in the world. How could I be so malicious? Besides, I didn’t even use much force. She got so worked up herself that she was severely injured. Look, I even went out of my way to catch the Ice Toad for her. I even lost a few bird feathers.”

Cang Ran tossed the Ice Toad onto Huazhao’s table and spread out her palm, “You refund me the one million top-grade spirit stones and give me the Ice Toad Venom Eye. I’ll take it to Song Zhen for detoxification.”

Huazhao spun the treasure box twice, laughing, “You were so rich just now, bidding thirty-seven million. You can’t possibly begrudge me this one million, can you? Besides, catching this Ice Toad was very difficult for me. What’s wrong with charging a little money?”

Cang Ran said flatly, “The entire Phoenix Perch Pavilion is connected to you, isn’t it? You don’t lack this one million from me.”

Huazhao’s heart trembled slightly. She looked at Cang Ran with an innocent expression, “What are you talking about? I don’t understand. I’m just a small bird demon. How could I be connected to the Phoenix Perch Pavilion?”

Cang Ran made her point clear, “Shi Qi has your scent on her body.”

The expression on Huazhao’s face froze for a moment. She looked at her skeptically, “Do you have a dog’s nose? She clearly wears perfume! And don’t use phrases like ‘a woman has my scent on her.’ It sounds strange to a bird.”

Cang Ran pressed, “Then what is your relationship? Why did you develop the Demon Empowerment Dew?”

Huazhao took a sip of tea and slowly said, “It’s definitely not the kind of relationship you and Venerable Qingxuan have. The matter of the Demon Empowerment Dew is complicated; I’ll tell you later. I didn’t ask you to come here for this. Do you still have the bone fragment we got at the Divine Sword Tomb last time?”

Seeing Cang Ran’s wary expression, Huazhao couldn’t help but sigh, “That bone fragment should be a Profound Tortoise Shell piece. I also hid a piece at the time. After taking it back and asking my Clan Leader, I learned it has a great use. Can you give it to me now?”

That bone fragment was acquired through the joint effort of her and Huazhao. Logically, it should be split equally. However, the little bird spoke very few truths. Cang Ran always felt that if she gave it to the little bird demon, the little bird demon would cause trouble again.

Cang Ran frowned, “What do you need it for?”

Huazhao didn’t intend to hide it from her, “That is the key and map to open the ancient Demon Emperor’s relic. The Red Moon Sacred Orchid you want is also inside. We’ll go together then. I’ll take what I need, and I won’t steal yours. We’ll each take what we need, but you can’t bring anyone else. I’ll feel unsafe.”

“Don’t suspect I’m lying to you. We little bird demons have the best intelligence. Besides that place, you won’t find it anywhere else. I’m having someone deliver the Ice Toad Venom Eye to Venerable Qingxuan now. You’ll leave with me.”

Huazhao waved to the person outside the door, sending the treasure box beneath her palm out and instructing the person to personally hand it to Tan Qingxuan.

Huazhao turned and shrugged her shoulders, “You believe me now, don’t you?”

But she and Tan Qingxuan have a child. Now she can’t stay by Tan Qingxuan’s side to take care of her. However, the Red Moon Sacred Orchid was also very important.

Cang Ran was still struggling internally, but Huazhao pulled her hand, “Let’s go. We shouldn’t delay. The sooner we go, the sooner we return.”

Tan Qingxuan received the treasure box containing the Ice Toad Venom Eye from the attendant but saw that Cang Ran had not returned. When she asked the attendant, he only said that Cang Ran had an important matter with the Ice Toad’s owner and could not return for the time being.

Feeling uneasy, she could only entrust the Ice Toad Venom Eye to Elder Qu, asking her to send it back to the Grand Mystic Sect for Song Zhen first. She then followed the direction of the positioning talisman to chase after Cang Ran.

Elder Qu saw that she was unharmed and did not insist on going with her.

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