Chapter 9 - Lady Duan Wan (Part 1)

"Next up is the legendary inner force cultivation manual that everyone is familiar with. Of course, regarding its authenticity, our appraisal is uncertain. After all, verifying inner force requires lengthy practice and observation over time. Its genuineness cannot be determined conclusively in a short period.

However! From appraising the book's material composition, we can ascertain the cloth this manual is penned on has history exceeding a hundred years!"

The host chuckled twice, seeing the audience stirred up below, all their gazes fixated onto him.

Only then did he slowly continue. "This secret manual is named Black Evil Skill."

Two dwarves slowly lifted up a bronze platter, tottering up the platform. Laid atop the platter was a pitch black cloth book.

"This Black Evil Skill has a total of thirty-two levels. According to its records, advancing one level fortifies the practitioner's physique once. This copy here contains the first to fifth levels."

"Hmph, so it's just a fragmentary copy." Someone immediately scoffed below.

"Inner force is already exceedingly difficult to cultivate. This sort of ethereal thing, yet it's just a remnant. Who would dare practice it? What if modifications were made? Prolonged practice would be suicidal!"

Some mocked and ridiculed.

"Then feel free to not bid." Others also mocked.

"Everyone please quiet down." The host gestured with pressed palms, smiling. "Actually a customer consigned this Black Evil Skill to our auction. He did demonstrate and verify the first three levels as viable to cultivate."

He anticipated clamor from this claim but the crowd remained unmoved still.

Lu Sheng shook his head slightly. He understood why.

Zheng Xian Gu turned curious however. "What's going on bro Sheng? The reaction seems off no?"

"Not off, very normal." Lu Sheng said lightly. "Inner force manuals often require training durations spanning years. Whether proven or not, who would dare gamble themselves testing potentially disastrous failures?"

"I have heard uncle Zhao mention too, inner force is not actually as incredible as rumored. Beneath supreme mastery, inner force's potency sometimes cannot match external arts masters exerting full powered strikes."

"Why so?" Zheng Xian Gu grew more puzzled.

The escort captain standing behind them, Chen Wu De, spoke up then. "Young master may not know this. External and internal cultivation both build power.

External arts stimulate brute bodily force increase through muscles and external conditioning. This damages health indeed, yet strength shoots up rapidly.

Internal cultivation nourishes organs, building energy and blood. Far slower, but no harm with longevity benefits.

That is the main difference. Actually supreme external experts are no inferior to internal ones. What is truly optimal is dual internal-external cultivation..."

"I see now..." Zheng Xian Gu comprehended.

Lu Sheng also nodded. Uncle Zhao said likewise.

"Then why still such immense ardor for inner force? The strength boost seems negligible in the end." Zheng Xian Gu puzzled again.

"Longevity and youth extension! External masters inevitably decline past thirty. Inner force can prolong one's prime five, six decades more. Simply incomparable." Captain Chen lamented.

At this time, Lu Sheng concentrated his attention onto the secret manual as the bidding commenced on stage. The host gestured at the black cloth book in the platter.

"We start the bidding now. Base price, one hundred taels!"

"One hundred thirty taels!"

"One hundred fifty!"

"Two hundred!"

"Three hundred!"

"Three hundred thirty taels!"

The numbers rapidly ascended. That previous heckler also joined bidding. Evidently, despite skepticism towards the actual manual, confidence still existed in the Dark Auction's appraisal credibility.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Someone is deliberately driving up prices." The fatty griped softly beside.

Lu Sheng stared unwaveringly above. "Five hundred taels!"

Raising it suddenly by a hundred, the venue quieted slightly. In this era, five hundred taels equated to roughly five hundred thousand RMB. All for an unverified, error-prone copy.

"Five hundred fifty taels." Another voice resounded.

Glancing over, Lu Sheng saw a slender yellow skinned man with inclined eye corners under his black mask. His sharp gaze appeared rather sinister and nasty.

Lu Sheng expected as much. An inner force manual sparking no contention was improbable. Unconcerned however, he raised his hand again.

"Six hundred taels!"

"Seven hundred taels!" That same person adhered right after Lu Sheng's bid.

"Eight hundred taels!" Lu Sheng remained composed. Lord Lu had granted two thousand monthly allowance. He would exhaust it all to acquire this.

With his modifier, just an iota of entry possibility would let him locate the manual's title and push it to the heights.

"Nine hundred taels!"

That man glowered fiercely at Lu Sheng.

"One thousand taels." Lu Sheng responded evenly.

"One...one thousand one hundred taels!" His voice strained slightly. "Friend, I hail from the white jade Zhang clan. Do give this one face."

The white jade Zhang clan?

Lu Sheng's expression flickered subtly. They were no Jiu Lian Cheng locals but the eminent household of neighboring Zi Hua Cheng instead. The family of magistrate Zhang Song there.

"The white jade Zhang clan eh? Can't believe they are scavenging around my Jiu Lian Cheng..." Zheng Xian Gu exclaimed in surprise beside.

As the Dark Auction organizer, all he cared about was auctioning. Wherever the bidders were from mattered not.

"One thousand two hundred taels!"

Lu Sheng raised his hand again. Fury surfaced on that Zhang clansman's face. Within both cities' circles, never had he encountered such ingratitude towards his clan before!

The Zhangs amounted to more than just a mere magistrate Zhang Song. Someone they truly esteemed proudly was Zi Hua Cheng's top expert, Zhang Song Xi. Dual overt and covert influence was what rendered them so formidable beyond their territory!

"Forget him. Highest bid acquires the goods here regardless. Even the Zhangs dare not casually violate the Dark Auction rules. Who else would partner their jewel business then?"

Zheng Xian Gu gloated smugly.

That Zhang clansman was called Zhang Jun Dong. He specially came scrounging for potentially surfacing inner force manuals.

Truthfully, all such manuals in circulation were already within the scope of their surveillance. Intercepted before auctioning usually.

Only this lone copy in Jiu Lian Cheng slipped their net. Completely due to the sudden walk-in seller consigning it to the Dark Auction, evading their apprehension by not going through proper channels first.

"One thousand three hundred taels!" Zhang Jun Dong clenched his teeth and raised again.

"One thousand four hundred!" Lu Sheng yielded no quarter.

The two remained locked in intense contention. The rest declined interfering for now.

"One thousand five hundred taels!" Zhang Jun Dong glared unwaveringly at Lu Sheng. "Friend. More friends, more roads. Relinquish this manual to me today and my Zhang clan will owe you."

Lu Sheng's complexion betrayed nothing. "One thousand six hundred taels."

He raised to bid once more. Zhang Jun Dong became thoroughly incensed. His very purpose coming was for this Black Evil Skill manual. He estimated snatching it at a thousand taels initially. Pocketing the excess savings. Yet halfway, this freak emerged battling him so shamelessly till now!

"One thousand seven hundred fifty taels!" He suddenly stood up, pressing everything he had into this bid.

"One thousand eight hundred taels." Lu Sheng remained expressionless.

Zhang Jun Dong spun his head, glaring unwaveringly at Lu Sheng. "Very good! Extremely so!"

Leaving no further words, his eyes engraved Lu Sheng's features from top to bottom meticulously before furiously storming off amidst swishing sounds.

"Congratulations sir!" The emcee beamed delightedly on stage. An inner force manual auctioned off for such astronomical prices despite questionable credibility was already multiples more profit for his own cut!

Collecting the manual and handing over his silver notes after, Lu Sheng did not wait for the final item and informed fatty Zheng he would take his leave first.

With the goods acquired now, he barely had anything left on his person either.

Captain Chen Wu De had been following him the entire time alongside two escorts for protection, deeply afraid of any mishaps occurring.

Retracing their original route out, the outside sky was already pitch black when they exited the caverns. The Zheng family carriage awaited outside.

As Captain Chen could not leave young master fatty Zheng unattended for long, he assigned the few escorts to accompany Lu Sheng's departure while he himself returned to continue safeguarding.

Exiting the stone residence with three escorts, Lu Sheng prepared boarding the carriage.

Whoosh—

Suddenly, gusting sounds transmitted from the village outskirts. One escort turned vigilant, surveying all around yet discovering nothing amiss.

Hiss!

Within minute friction noises, an silhouette flashed suddenly right past the escort.

Speeding over extremely quickly from their encirclement, it directly rushed for the innermost Lu Sheng!

The escorts were caught completely unprepared. Their already porous defense instantly shattered entirely.

Cheng cheng cheng!

Three crisp ringing echoes in rapid succession. That shadow's dagger sliced the three escorts ruthlessly over their wrists.

The three men grunted, immediately recoiling back cradling their wrists.

Mere hired hands of the Zhengs without obligation dying for them, naturally they would not risk life and limb here!

Discerning the shadow's unstoppable momentum, they simply evaded aside. Wrist injuries now gave them suitable excuses.

Thinking so, their already dispersed formation scattered further, fully exposing Lu Sheng within!

"Go die!"

A low raspy voice sounded from the shadow. Brandishing the dagger, he hacked ruthlessly at Lu Sheng's chest!

Although strength and speed had declined significantly from injuring three in succession just prior, dealing with some common young master still posed no problems.

Moreover, even if the target practiced martial arts, worrying was needless. Aside from the scant few individuals in Jiu Lian Cheng, none could challenge him.

Zhang Jun Dong identified his adversary clearly beforehand. This one was no exceptional name.

Thwarted from the manual at auction, while hailing from the Zhangs, he also held another position — notorious bandit leader of the Zi Hua Cheng border wolves gang!

Since failure snatched his desired manual, why not simply rob openly now? In any case, this was not his first endeavor here. The Dark Auction provided zero security guarantees to successful bidders.

Killing the mark and looting the spoils now saved him over a thousand silvers. What was there not to enjoy?