Chapter 112 - Darkness
Chapter 112 – Darkness
“Should be here… it’s bigger than it seems!”
Xue Qilin looked at the building not far away and made an assertion.
It is a single-story building.
It is made of hardwood, has a heavy texture, and looks very sturdy. The building is a little taller than the average two-story building; it is 7 to 8 meters tall. The building’s surface area isn’t small either, and is comparable to a small courtyard house’s.
“I guess it should be a warehouse…”
Shui Yun’er nodded in response, and then she fixed her sight on the main entrance of the building.
“There seem to be guards…”
“Well, they’re probably both the gatekeepers and the receptionists.”
Two tall and sturdy men with a blade at the waist stand on either side of the gate and exude a faint aura of true qi.
Dedicated to their work, they are rather vigilant. Even though Xue Qilin and Shui Yun’er are still some distance away from the single-story building, but they are already watching the two people’s every move, and their hands are even touching the hilt of their blades.
“Human Realm…”
Xue Qilin stroked her chin and made a judgment on the realm of the two guards.
“What do we do? How do we get in?”
It’s not surprising that Shui Yun’er has such a worry.
According to North, this type of black market auction does not welcome strangers. It is only open to invitees. This is naturally an insurance measure to prevent the authorities from infiltrating or people harboring evil designs from disrupting.
“Let’s enter openly from the main entrance!”
“Is that okay? We don’t have an invitation…”
As mentioned earlier, this auction is not open to the public. If you want to enter, you have to have something akin to an invitation or an entrance ticket.
However, they do not have that sort of thing.
“About the invitation… I have it!”
Xue Qilin turned to Shui Yun’er and shot her a complacent look.
“Hmm? Didn’t the assassin just say that he didn’t get an invitation letter? In this case, Young Teacher, where did you get the invitation letter from?”
Of course you don’t understand! Xue Qilin smiled and pointed at herself, silent.
Shui Yun’er blinked her eyes, looking like she doesn’t understand the lass’s meaning.
“Hey, it’s me!”
Shui Yun’er was stunned. A few seconds later, she suddenly clapped her hands.
“Young Teacher, you’re so clever.”
She appears to have understood.
“Humph humph, nothing else to talk about!”
With a smile of tacit understanding, the two looked at each other, and then walked towards the single-story building.
… Xue Qilin doesn’t need an invitation.
As a Heaven Realm master, she has “privileges” granted by the realm.
No one wants to be enemies with a Heaven Realm master – the organization that controls the black market presumably is no exception. A Heaven Realm master has the ability to destroy them. As such, they aren’t foolish enough to antagonize a Heaven Realm martial practitioner.
In other words, the other party won’t shut their door and refuse to see the Heaven Realm master Xue Qilin just because of mere auction eligibility.
“… Wait.”
Xue Qilin and Shui Yun’er were of course stopped. The two men extended a hand at the same time to block the gate.
“This is private property, strangers aren’t welcome.”
Standing on the right side of the gate, the younger-looking man sized up the two hiding under their cloaks with a frown and said gravely.
“Really? How do we get in?”
The two men glanced at each other and showed the same surprised expression.
‘Hey… it’s actually a small girl?’
Xue Qilin seems to hear their inner thoughts.
However, they didn’t become complacent.
This time it was with the older one who spoke, saying: “Since you asked this question, it means that you haven’t received an invitation. This isn’t a place you should come. Hurry up and leave… Or else…”
The two men tightened their hold on the hilt of the blades at the same time to convey a thought. As long as Xue Qilin and Shui Yun’er make any strange movements, they won’t hesitate to draw their blades and attack the both of them.
Things in the darkness are chaotic.
Morality and human life are both worthless, all that matters are interest and desire.
Xue Qilin wrinkled her nose, not taking their warning to heart.
“What, want to fight? To tell the truth, I could knock you out with a pinkie.”
With that, the lass put on a disdainful expression of “try me if you don’t believe”.
The faces of the two men turned fierce instantly.
No one would be happy to be provoked this way, especially not martial practitioners.
“I will say it one more time! Leave now.”
The blades are half out.
The exposed blade bodies emit faint, cold light.
These blades can’t be regarded as good, but they’re more than enough to hack people to death.
“Hey, your blades…”
Xue Qilin revealed an expression of surprise.
“…”
The men remained unmoved, but in the next moment…
“What!”
They exclaimed at the same time.
It was just a blink of an eye, yet two blades appeared in Xue Qilin’s hands respectively.
“A bit light!”
She muttered while playing with the blades.
The two men realized something at the same time, and looked at the scabbard hanging from their waist, confused.
Nothing, there’s nothing.
The blades they were clasping by the hilt disappeared at some point.
Only then did they realize – the blades were taken by the lass in front of them.
Then red light dispelled the dusk a little.
The blade bodies of the two blades suddenly radiated red light like they were thrown into embers.
The light is getting brighter and brighter, to the point that the blade bodies even began to emit smoke.
Before the two men could understand what’s going on, under their shocked gazes, the two blades gradually lost shape, melted into molten iron, and dripped to the ground.
“Poor quality! I suggest that you get better ones.”
Xue Qilin made a suggestion, serious.
She doesn’t have the consciousness of someone who ruined other people’s blades, and she doesn’t display the awareness of how terrifying the thing she just did is – at least in the eyes of others.
In fact, she did it intentionally in order to deter the other party and at the same time showcase her strength.
“Heaven, Heaven Realm…”
In a panic, the two men took a few steps back and hit the wall of the single-story building, and then plopped with their buts on the ground. Terrified, they look like mice that saw a cat. The strong and ferocious expressions they showed just a moment ago disappeared like a cloud of mist.
Well, it seems that I achieved my objective. Xue Qilin sniggered in her heart.
Standing behind her, Shui Yun’er’s face is distorted. She’s probably stifling a smile.
“If there’s nothing else, then I’ll be going in!”
She got no response.
The two people on guard duty are too scared to make a sound.
“Well, it seems that there is nothing else!”
Creak…
The heavy gate suddenly opened automatically and revealed a dim passage. The gate was in fact pushed open by Xue Qilin’s true qi.
“Little Yun, let’s go!”
“Okay.”
Snickering, Shui Yun’er followed the lass into the single-story building.
In the entryway, a simple screen separates the corridor from the gate and faint candlelight is swaying gently on the walls.
“Young Teacher, you’re so bad.”
“How am I bad?”
Xue Qilin blinked her eyes. Her eyes reflect Shui Yun’er who has a beaming smile on her face.
“You didn’t need to ruin their blades, but you still melted them.”
As the two spoke, they crossed the screen and walked along the only corridor connected to the entryway.
“Their blades were substandard… So I broke them to give them a reason to get new ones!”
“Young Teacher, why didn’t you just give them money to buy new ones?”
Shui Yun’er said mischievously.
“I’m poor…” Xue Qilin wiped the nonexistent tears from the corners of her eyes, “Little Seven only gives me 1 silver tael [1] a month for expenses…”
Seeing Xue Qilin pretend to be pitiful, Shui Yun’er couldn’t help smile wryly.
“No wonder Older Sister Qi said that you’re flippant all day long…”
“That’s slander!”
At this time, they finally reached the end of the corridor.
After pushing the door open, a vast space appeared in front of their eyes.
The entire space is sealed off, so there is no light coming from outside.
There is a platform built in the center, and it is the place where the candlelight is the strongest. With the platform as the center, there are seats are divided into four areas, radiating outward. There is a walkway between each area.
The seats aren’t fully occupied. The number of guests seems to be smaller than what the organizers have anticipated.
Xue Qilin’s eyes fell on the platform.
There is a table there, on top of which a rather beautiful sword is placed.
The young man acting as an auctioneer standing behind the table is eloquently promoting the unique traits of the sword.
The auction seems to have started some time ago. Xue Qilin can see the bidders yawning.
“Let’s sit here.”
Xue Qilin stopped looking around, glanced at the nearest vacant seats, and suggested. Shui Yun’er nodded in response.
Coincidentally…
Just as the two were sitting down, Shui Yun’er suddenly inhaled a breath of air.
A clinging sound came from not far away.
It is the sound of chains dragging on the floor.
At the same time…
“The next auction item is an Earth Realm martial demon! That’s right, it is a rare irregular martial demon!”
The auctioneer shouted exaggeratedly.
Irregular martial demon – a martial demon who can gain human form by only absorbing spiritual qi of the world.
Hmm? Xue Qilin looked up at the platform.
The table on the platform was removed at some point.
Instead, there is a lass sitting limply on the floor. She has long white hair and a likable round face. Look like she’s only 10 years old or so.
The most striking thing about her is the pair of rabbit ears on top of the head.
Xue Qilin’s eyebrows shook violently. She recognizes this kind of ears. Spirit Moon Valley’s Bai Youyue has such a pair of ears. In other words, the martial demon being auctioned is probably also a White Moon Rabbit.
The martial demon lass is very petite, and may be shorter than Xue Qilin.
In spite of this, the burlap dress she wears still cannot cover her body. The dress is too short and too small, making the lass reveal a lot of skin.
However, this sight is far from enticing.
Because…
There are whip marks all over her slender limbs. Although they have scabbed, but it still looks unsightly.
She was obviously abused.
Xue Qilin frowned when she detected this.
In addition to her intact skin, what else has she lost?
Dignity, freedom?
Or chastity?
There is a stifling feeling…
Although she has expected as much, but when the reality appeared before her eyes, Xue Qilin still felt a stifling sensation in her chest.
“This is the deepest darkness…”
Xue Qilin muttered to herself.
Her words dissipated in the air before they could reach anyone’s ears.
[1] – Silver tael