The clamor in the auction subsided as quickly as it rose. Everyone was eager to hear the next words Lu Hong had to justify pausing the proceedings. He had declared that someone had broken one of the ten rules of the auction.

“Speak, child. Do not waste our time,” the old auctioneer coldly urged.

The intensity of his words made Lu Hong swallow hard. The old auctioneer had a serene aura about him, with no cultivation leaking whatsoever. It made it impossible to tell his cultivation, and it only made it more apparent he wasn’t someone to be taken lightly. He was definitely an expert to have been selected as an auctioneer. The ability to hide his aura so perfectly made it all the more intimidating.

It took another brief moment for Lu Hong to recollect himself before he spoke out under the pressure of the old man’s gaze.

“Ahem, I believe my opponent has engaged in malicious bidding. That is bidding with ill intent, with an amount of money he doesn’t possess. I ask that you check his person to see if he has as much as he had claimed.”

Right as he finished his allegations, a hearty laughter resounded within the room. It came from someone on the second floor, and judging from the timing, it was a safe bet they were from the demonic path.

A man soon emerged from behind a set of curtains surrounding his balcony. Li Lang’s group all stared with wide eyes upon seeing them. That was because they had just met them not long ago. He was Gui Hong, the man they had rescued on the outskirts of the city.

Seeing his entrance, whispers could be heard throughout the crowd.

“Look at his robes. It’s someone from Eroding March Pavilion.”

“The organization that Gui Tianzi is from? I wonder if he’s here today.”

“Hmm, they say he has yet to break through to Foundation Establishment yet. He may be in closed-door cultivation to remedy that right now.”

“Those insect users…”

“Hahaha,” Gui Hong continued to laugh. “Friends from Spirit Grove, are you seriously accusing someone from the Nightmoon Valley’s young princess circle to be malicious bidding? They are one of the most wealthy organizations in the Luminescent realm!”

Gui Hong managed to say what every demonic cultivator in the room had wanted to say. The only reason they couldn’t was because they were all in a higher realm than Lu Hong. It would be unbecoming of high and mighty cultivators to publicly admonish the juniors from other organizations in such a setting. It was akin to admonishing another person’s child. As Gui Hong was also in the late stages of Energy Gathering, it was perfectly appropriate for him to openly rebuke his allegations.

“The two Hongs sure don’t get along,” Long Yi commented with a grin.

It earned him a glare from his companions, which he simply shrugged off.

“I’m not talking about Nightmoon Valley members. Even I know they are quite strict about who they accept. This is why I know this Li Lang who had bid against me isn’t an actual member! He’s just an insect leeching onto those far above his station. I don’t question Lady Xue’s financial capability, but this Li Lang’s! Please search him and him alone.”

So this is what he was getting at.

Li Lang swiftly figured out what Lu Hong was aiming for. It was easy to figure out once he revealed his beliefs that Li Lang was sponging off of Nightmoon Valley. The Spirit Grove disciple believed Sima Xue was the one holding the wallet, and that there was no way Li Lang would be in possession of such a large amount of money himself. It wasn’t an unreasonable deduction for someone to think at all.

After all, to Lu Hong, Li Lang was just a nobody. A nobody with low aptitude who followed the orders of Nightmoon Valley like a dog. It would be unthinkable for these low-level actors to possess such sums of wealth.

All these misunderstandings stemmed from the ambiguous relationship between Li Lang’s group and Nightmoon Valley. The audience was none the wiser, so Lu Hong’s accusation had actually shaken some people.

“Look, he’s right! That man is carrying a badge affiliated with The Orchid Covenant. He’s not a member of Nightmoon Valley!”

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“I have known all along since he doesn’t wear their robes.”

“Hmm, don’t be so quick to discount this young man. We don’t know which faction within The Orchid Covenant he belongs to, and he is both a brushweaver and alchemist. It is hard to say if he has the money or not.”

The only spectators unaffected by this new revelation were those who kept up to date with the latest news. Even then, those who were in the know were predominantly from the demonic faction. Gui Hong was one of them, as rumors about the pocket realm were especially relevant to him. After all, his cousin had become famous overnight because of it. Realizing that Lu Hong was missing this crucial piece of information, Gui Hong decided to back off so he could make a fool of himself.

“Ha, if that’s what you believe, then I have nothing more to say.”

“Retreating from this squabble, are you?” Lu Hong instantly pounced on any weakness he detected. “Wise of you. Keep it up. It’s how you lowly barbarians survive, after all.”

All parties had said their piece. Their eyes now rest on the auctioneer who was the main arbitrator in the room. They not only facilitated the auctions but also enforced its rules.

“I have heard your complaint. These are serious allegations you bring forth, so I will ask one more time. Are you sure you want me to proceed? If you are wrong, you’ll be subject to a fine.”

Lu Hong brazenly nodded. He didn’t forget to sneer at Li Lang when they made eye contact.

The auctioneer spared no more words after that. He silently reappeared beside Li Lang. Before Li Lang even realized he was there, the old man already had a hand on his left shoulder and right wrist. His instincts didn’t even have time to kick in, as he couldn’t resist at all.

Everyone watched on as the old man ran his hand over Li Lang’s fingers. He had his eyes closed as he focused elsewhere. When the man was finally done, Li Lang couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief.

Despite it only being an instant, he felt like he had lost control of his body.

“I have inspected our guest here. The allegations against him are false. He indeed carries a sufficient amount of money, so all his bids were valid.”

Hearing the news, a chill gripped both Lu Hong’s body and soul. He stood still without making a sound, but his companions weren’t so stoic. Zhang Bai and Pei Fong cried out pitifully from behind him. They fell to their knees and threw a tantrum like children.

“Ahhh, this can’t be! My lord father will have my skin! There must be some mistake!”

“Noooo! Lu Hong, you said everything would be okay! Tell me this is a lie!”

A part of the audience tactfully stayed silent without commenting, but the other half didn’t let the chance to gloat slip away from them. As one would expect, they consisted of various demonic cultivators.

“Hahaha, this spoiled brat is crying like a baby. Did he seriously think someone affiliated with Nightmoon Valley would stoop to malicious bidding?”

“Hahaha! His soul seemed to have left his body! Maybe we should try to harvest it and refine it into an artifact spirit!”

The factional strife seemed to be out in full force. Just as the righteous faction was about to come to the Spirit Grove disciples’ defense, the auctioneer once again took control of the room by clearing his throat.

“Now then, the grade three space ring has been won by that brat for a thousand red crystals,” the old man said as he pointed at Lu Hong.

He didn’t even bother to call out any numbers throughout the auction, so everyone was used to his antics.

“You’ll also have to pay a fine to the party you falsely accused. The exact number is something I have some leeway to set. Seeing how all parties involved are so young, I’ll only charge you twenty percent of their highest bid. So that’s one hundred and eighty red crystals. Is that understood?”

The words went into one ear and exited the other. Lu Hong was still too shaken to respond. It caused the old auctioneer to furrow his brows. Thankfully, Lu Hong hadn’t come to this event with only his two friends.

“Enough with this farce. Pay your dues and leave. You’re bothering me with your pathetic display.”

The new voice came from behind Lu Hong, further into their private booth. It was a young woman in green robes. She had long dark hair that went all the way down to her waist. She didn’t bother hiding her aura of a Foundation Establishment cultivator for all to see. It was also her words that managed to snap Lu Hong out of whatever daze he was in.

He turned to the new woman with fearful eyes as he dropped to his knees.

“Shangguan Feixi, please forgive me. I didn’t mean to sour your—”

The new woman mercilessly kicked Lu Hong aside as if he were nothing. She waved a finger, and it lifted the young man into the air. Soon, a pouch from within his robes floated out to her. She counted its contents, withdrew some crystals, and threw the pouch over at the auctioneer.

“Here, your fine. He can pay for the item in the back later, according to your rules.”

The auctioneer didn’t flinch or show any emotions. He simply took a quick glance at the pouch and flew it over at Li Lang.

This caused the newcomer, Shangguan Feixi, to direct her gaze at Li Lang. She didn’t say anything and snorted before retreating back into the cover of her curtains.

Before Li Lang could say anything, the auctioneer proceeded as usual.

“The next lot is…”

Well, that ended a lot better than expected. I made myself some extra cash, too.

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