The Path Toward Heaven

For the regular people, gold was the most precious and expensive item, but those who dealt with the Precious-Tree House were mostly Cultivation practitioners, so they had their own valuable items.

The most common monetary unit was not gold and silver, but something more precious than gold and silver: the rare crystal stone.

Jing Jiu knew about the crystal stones, but he didn’t have them. The crystal stones were useful for the practitioners with a lower state than the Undefeated, and its effect was far inferior to the magic tablets he usually took.

Zhao Layue had been provided with the magic tablets from the Green Mountain since her birth, so she had never worried herself with this kind of thing. Looking at Jing Jiu, she asked, “Do you have the crystal stones?”

Jing Jiu shook his head.

Though the manager still remained smiling, his eyes betrayed a hint of contempt.

Jing Jiu took out a magic tablet from his sleeve and put it on the counter.

The tablet was a dark red, and though it didn’t look exceptional, if one smelled it carefully, one could sense the pungent odor of wormwood.

The manager, who had worked at the Precious-Tree House for many years and had seen and experienced more things than regular people, was a bit startled at first, but soon realized that it was what he wanted, his eyes beaming brightly.

As he didn’t have enough time to seal it in a box, he found two teacups as quickly as possible, placing the dark-red tablet in it and wrapping the teacup with a silk paper several times.

Until he finished doing all this, his expression was slightly relaxed.

Zhao Layue was a bit surprised, as she knew this tablet was a Xuncao Pill, not produced from Shiyue Peak, but from the Xunhua Mountain of Middle State.

The manager became much more respectful toward Zhao Layue and Jing Jiu.

No matter where you were from, or whether you were pursued by Chaonan City, if you could take out a Xuncao Pill, you would get the respect from the Precious-Tree House.

The manager personally brought them to an elegant room on the seventh floor, and left after instructing them about the rules of auction in a low voice.

This elegant room was one of the best rooms of the Precious-Tree House. Unless you were an elder or had a similar status, the regular practitioners were usually not allowed to stay in this room.

Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue didn’t know about this, pushing open the door and entering the room; after scanning the surroundings with the Piercing Discernment to make sure no Sword Formation existed in the room and that no one was peering from outside, they took off the gray clothes.

The furniture and decorations in this elegant room weren’t the most luxurious, but were absolutely delicate. A teapot filled with Bird-Tongue Tea was placed on the table, was still steaming like it was boiled and poured when they were about to come up from the first floor. There were several small plates filled with fruits and snacks by the teapot. The room was equipped with cold and warm towels, with two Wooden Boards lying quietly on the side.

The Precious-Tree House was indeed decent, as far as the details were concerned.

However, Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue didn’t like it so much, as the room number was Mysterious B.

Last night they stayed in room Heavenly A at the Shangzhou City Inn.

Jing Jiu asked, “Why do we have to come here?”

Of course, Zhao Layue didn’t hide here to escape from the pursuing guards of Chaonan City.

“The current boss of the Precious-Tree House is the grand-nephew of Lei Poyun,” said Zhao Layue.

The background of this auction house, it turns out, was connected to Bihu Peak.

Jing Jiu asked, “So?”

Zhao Layue wondered if he had already known the answer to his question

“Bihu Peak lost two pieces of Thunder-Soul Wood, and Lei Poyun went crazy; I believe all this must have something to do with the ascending of Senior Grandmaster.”

Zhao Layue said, “If someone dies, there will be some clues left behind; Lei Poyun would never have dared to do harm to the Senior Grandmaster, so he must have been seduced by the great demons outside Green Mountain. The Precious-Tree House is one of the channels for Green Mountain to connect with outside world through, not to mention the fact that the boss is his nephew; something suspicious is afoot.”

Jing Jiu thought the demon she talked about might not be a demon at all; the external seduction might be the result of an inside job

Jing Jiu asked further, “Why don’t we talk to the boss directly?”

“Because he will not talk, and he might even commit suicide; all we can do is observe and try to find some clues,” said Zhao Layue.

Jing Jiu felt it was really troublesome.

And he thought there wasn’t that much to investigate.

In the small village he had thought about it for a year, and he had already figured it all out, but without any evidence.

However, this case didn’t have any material evidence, only human beings.

The issue with Lei Poyun was that his Cultivation state stalled, and he needed that sword to regain more strength in order to break through that block, so he was persuaded by that person.

If they had to ask about the case, it would be better to ask that person directly, like that summer night Jing Jiu had gone to Bihu Peak to ask White Ghost.

How could they find that person then? They couldn’t very well visit all the hotpot restaurants in the world.

Yet, Jing Jiu believed the other party would come looking for him if that person knew he was still alive.

He could simply ask the other party why he did what he did then.

However, Jing Jiu didn’t know when their meeting would happen.

Was it tomorrow, or many years down the road?

…

…

The practitioners usually spent their nights in meditation, so the auction at the Precious-Tree House always happened during day. None of the the rooms here had windows that opened to the outside world, so it was like night during the day. The auctioneer stood on the first floor, his voice being sent precisely to every room through the Message Formation, and the auctioned items would be presented in the Hollow Mirror in each room.

First-time guests of the Precious-Tree House were understandably amazed by these magic techniques; but Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue were not interested in the magics. However, this was their first time participating in the auction, so they were somewhat curious about what might happen at the auction. They were soon bored after they found most of the auctioned items were those common mountain herbs and magic pills.

These items were very common and ordinary stuff for the Cultivation practitioners; but they were regarded as the magic medicine that could aid longevity for those rich merchants and officials, who would pay a large amount of money for them.

The auction reached its seventh round, and the Precious-Tree House became crowded, yet Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue were still not concerned.

The auctioned item for this round was a box of Sedative Ice Pills.

The Sedative Ice Pills were produced in North County, and was of limited quantity. Most of its production was controlled by the Windy Broadsword Sect and the hostile North Army, so it wasn’t common to see them here at the auction.

As the guests started bidding for the item, an old and gentle voice sounded, “Dear colleagues, we are monk doctors from Moqiu City; today we’d like to ask a favor of you…”

It was unexpected that the highly achieved monks from the Fruit Formation Temple would come to such an ordinary auction.

The sounds of opening windows in the building could be heard everywhere, and then many greetings were voiced.

Somewhat surprised, Zhao Layue walked to the window, looking downward as she saw two monks, one old and another young, clothed in old but clean monk robes; they were not like many practitioners who showed an otherworldly aura effortlessly, but gave people the feeling of reliability and trustworthy.

Later, the participants of the auction found out these two monk doctors of the Fruit Formation Temple, invited by the Green Mountain Sect, came here to help deal with that big demon in the Muddy River. Now the big demon had already been killed, and the immortal masters of Green Mountain returned back to their sect; but the folks who had been harmed and frightened by the Dace Devil were not completely cured yet.

The Sedative Ice Pill happened to be a drug that could be used to treat those folks.

It was inevitable for the monks of the Fruit Formation Temple to ask for help for a well-known reason: that they…dirt poor.

Many voices called out one after another.

“Don’t worry, my honorary monk, our Mysterious Heaven Sect won’t bid for this item.”

“Yeah, our Purple Sky Sect seconds this idea.”

The manager of the Precious-Tree House raised both of his hands, indicating for the guests to calm down, then he spoke sincerely to the old monk, “Our honorary monk has done a great favor for the local folks, and the Precious-Tree House has to lend a helping hand; and the owner of the item and the owners have already agreed, that the Precious-Tree House will give this box of Sedative Ice Pills to the Fruit Formation Temple as a gift.”

Having heard this pledge, the building erupted in cheers.

Suddenly, a gloomy and cold voice, the exact opposite of the current mood, rang out.

“Since you are an auction house, you have to follow the auction rules; so you can’t give it away before I bid for it. Do you still want to keep the reputation of the Precious-Tree House?”