Chapter 626

Chapter 626

In the center of the venue, a white jade platform slowly rose up, with nine "Soul-Locking Lamps" standing on the platform. The wicks were actually living fireflies, and the green light flickered.

"clang--!"

A bell rang and the whole place fell silent.

An old man in a brocade robe came walking on the light, and a golden book flew out from his sleeve, which he unfolded in the air: "The first item today is the 'Xuan Yin Corpse Puppet', the starting price is five thousand low-grade spirit stones!"

Before he finished speaking, a hoarse voice came from the private room on the second floor: "Ten thousand."

Everyone was shocked, but they saw a figure wearing a bronze mask sitting behind the pearl curtain in the private room, playing with a beating heart between his fingers...

Fu Shaoping squinted his eyes and exhaled a puff of smoke. In the smoke, Nangong Wan's golden thread was silently reaching towards the secret door under the auction table.

Nine colored glass lamps were hung on the ceiling of the main hall of Tianbao Pavilion. The wicks were not candles, but nine crystal stones that contained "ghost fire". The swaying green flames could faintly hear the screams of resentful souls. The ground was paved with dark red "blood-patterned jade". Every step would cause a ripple of spiritual light, as if stepping on a living thing.

On the east side, a group of scattered scholars were talking in low voices. One of them, a scarred man, patted his bulging storage bag and said with a fierce smile, "I have been saving spirit stones for ten years just for that 'Xuan Yin Corpse Puppet'! If anyone dares to snatch it, don't blame me for turning hostile!"

Before he finished speaking, a hand suddenly lifted the beaded curtain on the west side, and a woman dressed in snow-white gauze walked out slowly, with the words "Yuxiao" engraved on a jade plate on her waist. Behind her, two maids held a jade box in their hands, and a trace of cold air seeped out from the cracks of the box, forming frost patterns on the ground.

"It's the 'Fairy Hanyue' from Yuxiao Palace!" someone exclaimed, "She actually came in person!"

The scarred man's face froze and he silently withdrew his hand.

Nangong Wan's golden thread moved silently, like a spirit snake, and entered the gap of the secret door under the auction table. There was a slight vibration at the end of the thread - there were three guards behind the door, breathing long, obviously they were foundation-building monks.

Fu Shaoping leaned against the pillar of the corridor. The "burning spirit wood" in his pipe had burned to the root. The green smoke swirled around him like a mist, covering the spiritual light of the golden thread. He squinted his eyes and scanned the venue. Suddenly, he whispered, "The old man in the gray robe in the northwest corner has been watching us."

Nangong Wan's fingertips moved slightly, and the golden thread was quickly retracted into his sleeve: "A spy from the 'Hundred Ghosts Cave', targeting fat sheep."

As he was talking, a servant hurried by holding a jade plate with three "blood marrow pills" on it. The patterns on the pills moved like living things. Fu Shaoping picked up his pipe, and sparks splashed on the edge of the jade plate, but the servant seemed unaware - it was actually a puppet!
"Even the waiter is fake..." Nangong Wan's eyes turned cold, "The water in Tianbao Pavilion is deeper than we thought."

"clang--!"

When the second bell rang, the old man in brocade robes turned the page of the golden book in his sleeve and shouted, "The next item is the Dragon Blood Nirvana Pill!"

The whole place suddenly fell silent.

Four strong men carried a black iron cage onto the stage. In the cage hung a blood-red pill. There were dragon-scale-like patterns on the surface of the pill, and every pulse brought up waves of scorching heat.

"This pill is made from the blood of a real dragon. Taking it can extend your life for three hundred years!" The old man said in a loud voice, "Starting price - eight thousand low-grade spirit stones!"

"Ten thousand!" A sinister laugh came from the private room on the second floor. Behind the beaded curtain, the bronze-masked man flicked his fingertips, and a still-beating heart slammed onto the auction table. "Plus a heart of a Nascent Soul cultivator."

Everyone was shocked!

Fu Shaoping suddenly laughed: "Interesting." He tapped his pipe against the sole of his boot, and a trace of black blood oozed out - it was the "Shadow-peeping Gu" that was crushed to death in the dark corridor just now.

Nangong Wan's sleeves moved slightly, and the golden thread had already wrapped around Fu Shaoping's wrist: "Wait until they get chaotic, then we'll take action."

Inside Tianbao Pavilion, the air was so heavy that it seemed as if water could drip out.

Fu Shaoping leaned against the carved pillar, the pipe in his hand had long gone out, leaving only a wisp of smoke rising slowly. His slender fingers tapped the pipe rhythmically, his eyes scanning the whole place sharply, like a cheetah waiting for its chance.

Nangong Wan stood beside him, wearing a plain white dress that looked simple, but actually concealed a mystery. Her fingertips trembled slightly, and the hair-thin gold thread loomed in her sleeves, ready to strike at any time.

On the auction stage, the voice of the old man in brocade robes echoed in the hall: "Fifteen thousand spirit stones, is there a higher bid?"

The beaded curtain of the private room on the second floor was suddenly opened, and the mysterious man wearing a bronze mask slowly stood up. With a wave of his wide sleeves, ten still beating hearts floated in the air, each emitting a strange black light.

"Plus ten hearts of Nascent Soul cultivators." His voice was hoarse and unpleasant.

The whole hall was in an uproar. Someone gasped, "This is the descendant of the Heart-Eating Ancestor!"

A gleam of light flashed in Nangong Wan's eyes, and her golden thread silently reached under the auction table, looking for the key to the mechanism.

Fu Shaoping raised the corner of his mouth slightly and whispered: "The show is about to begin."

In the dark room under the auction table, three guards stood like statues. Suddenly, one of them looked up alertly: "There's movement!"

Before he finished speaking, a golden thread had already wrapped around his neck. The other two were about to draw their swords, but found that their feet were firmly entangled by the black air seeping from the ground.

Nangong Wan's golden thread had completely controlled the mechanism of the secret door. She waved her hand lightly, and the secret door slid open a gap silently.

"Let's go," she said simply.

Behind the secret door was a dark passage, with the night-light pearls on the wall emitting a pale light. At the end of the passage was a huge pool of blood, in which was immersed a pitch-black ancient coffin, which was engraved with strange runes.

Fu Shaoping approached the ancient coffin and tapped the lid with his pipe: "Sure enough, it's here."

Nangong Wan's golden thread was wrapped around the coffin lid, carefully sensing the movements inside: "A powerful being is sealed inside the coffin."

"Tianbao Pavilion uses the Dragon Blood Nirvana Pill as a cover, the real treasure is this Xuansha Corpse King." Fu Shaoping sneered.

Suddenly, the entire Tianbao Pavilion shook violently. Screams came from the auction hall: "The corpse puppet is running wild!"

Nangong Wan quickly retracted the golden thread: "They found it."

Fu Shaoping calmly took out a yellowed talisman paper from his bosom and pasted it on the coffin lid: "Since it's going to be messy, let's make it even messier."

The talisman paper ignited with a faint blue flame, and a creepy growl came from the coffin.

The auction hall was in chaos. The mysterious man wearing a bronze mask stood in a pool of blood and suddenly pulled off the mask, revealing a face without any facial features!
Fu Shaoping stood in the dark, with a hint of amusement in his eyes: "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind."

Nangong Wan's golden thread had silently wrapped around the faceless man's ankle, and the deadly poison was slowly being injected along the golden thread.

This seemingly lively auction is actually a carefully designed hunting game. The real hunter is always hiding in the dark, waiting for the best opportunity to strike.

The bronze mask fell to the ground, and the face without facial features slowly moved, the flesh melted like wax, and then reorganized, finally turning into a handsome but sinister face.

"Fu Shaoping, I haven't seen you for ten years, and you're still so nosy." His voice was no longer hoarse, but instead carried a hint of elegant teasing.

Fu Shaoping exhaled a puff of smoke, and the sparks flickered in the darkness: "Disciple of the Heart-Eating Ghost? When your master died, he wasn't as talkative as you."

The faceless man—no, now we should call him “the Thousand-Faced Young Master”—chuckled and a blood-red dagger slipped out of his sleeve: “Today, I will repay the master’s debt with your heart.”

Nangong Wan's golden thread had already been wrapped around his ankles, and it suddenly tightened at this moment!
"Crack!"

The Thousand Faces Man's leg bones shattered, but he was not in a hurry. His figure floated up like a ghost, the flesh and blood at the broken leg squirmed, and a new leg grew out!
"Yuxiao Palace's 'Silk-Wrapping Hands'?" He licked his lips. "Unfortunately, it's useless to me."

Before he finished speaking, he swung the blood sword in his hand, and three scarlet sword auras slashed through the air!

Nangong Wan's sleeves fluttered, and the golden threads intertwined into a net, but the moment they came into contact with the sword energy -

"Swish!" The golden thread broke into pieces!

Fu Shaoping moved.

His pipe turned in his palm and turned into a pitch-black short knife, with wisps of black smoke wrapped around the blade. He took a step forward, his body was as fast as lightning, and the blade went straight for the throat of the Thousand Faces Man!
"clang!"

The blood sword and the black knife collided, sparks flew everywhere. The Thousand Faces Young Master took three steps back, a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes: "Burning Spirit Knife? You can actually control it?"

Fu Shaoping did not answer. The momentum of his knife changed, black smoke surged, and he pounced on the other party like a vicious dragon!
The Thousand Faces Man didn't dare to take it head-on. His body shook and three afterimages appeared, stabbing at Fu Shaoping from different directions!
At this moment, Nangong Wan flicked his fingertips and three silver needles flew out into the air!

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The silver needles were driven into the brows of the three afterimages. Two of them instantly disintegrated, and the last one -

"puff!"

The silver needle pierced the flesh, and the Thousand Faces Young Master groaned, his body slightly stagnating.

Fu Shaoping seized the opportunity and slashed with the black knife!

"Uh-huh!"

There was a bloody scar on Qianmian Langjun's chest, but he grinned: "Do you think this is the end?"

Suddenly, the entire Tianbao Pavilion shook violently!

"boom--!"

The secret door under the auction table exploded, and a black shadow rose into the sky - it was the "Xuansha Corpse King"!
It was completely black, with blood-colored runes all over its skin, its eyes were blood red, and it had sharp fangs in its mouth.

The Thousand Faces Young Master laughed wildly: "Fu Shaoping, do you think I'm here to bid? No, I'm here to take the corpse king!"

The corpse king roared to the sky, the sound waves made everyone's eardrums hurt. It suddenly pounced on the nearest monk and grabbed his head.

"Crack!"

The head exploded like a watermelon!

Nangong Wan quickly retreated to Fu Shaoping's side and whispered, "The Corpse King has been formed. We must join forces."

Fu Shaoping nodded, and the black smoke on the black knife became thicker and thicker: "You control it for three breaths, and I will chop off its head."

Nangong Wan said no more. He formed seals with his hands and the golden threads from his sleeves shot out like a rainstorm, instantly wrapping around the corpse king's limbs!

The corpse king roared and struggled hard, and the golden threads broke one by one, but Nangong Wan gritted his teeth and persisted, with a trace of blood oozing from the corner of his mouth.

Fu Shaoping seized the opportunity, raised the black knife high, and the black smoke on the blade condensed into a black dragon, roaring and pouncing towards the corpse king!

"cut!"

The black dragon pierced through the corpse king's chest. The corpse king let out a shrill howl and fell to the ground with a bang!

Upon seeing this, Thousand Faces Young Master's face changed drastically and he turned around and tried to escape.

How could Fu Shaoping give him a chance? The black knife flew out of his hand and stabbed at the back of Qianmian Langjun like a meteor!
"puff!"

The blade pierced through his body, and the Thousand Faces Man staggered a few steps, looking down at the tip of the knife on his chest in disbelief.

"you……"

Fu Shaoping walked forward slowly, drew out his black knife, and said coldly: "Go down and accompany your master."

The Thousand Faces Man fell to the ground and died.

Tianbao Pavilion was in a mess.

Nangong Wan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at Fu Shaoping: "The Corpse King has been eliminated. We should not stay here for long."

Fu Shaoping put away the black knife, relit his pipe, and took a deep breath: "Let's go."

The two figures disappeared in the morning light, leaving only a bloody field as a witness to this thrilling fight.

**"Return to the Store Daily"**
The morning light was dim and dew was still condensing on the bluestone street.

"Squeak-"

Fu Shaoping pushed open the carved wooden door of "Baiwuzhai". The bronze bell hanging on the lintel swayed slightly but made no sound - the bell tongue had long been entangled by Nangong Wan's golden thread.

"Use my 'Xuan Yin Silk' to wrap the bell." Nangong Wan raised her hand, and the golden thread retracted into her sleeve like a living thing. The bell made a crisp "ding ding" sound, startling the two dozing "sleepy birds" under the eaves.

Fu Shaoping held his pipe in his mouth and laughed, "I'm afraid of waking up the 'medicine man' in the backyard." As he spoke, he kicked away a clay pot that was rolling beside his feet - the yellow talisman sealing the mouth of the pot had cracked, and a strand of black hair was quietly crawling out.

Nangong Wan waved his sleeves, and three silver needles pinned the black hair. He kicked the pottery jar back to the bottom shelf: "I bought the 'Grudge Hair Ghost' last night, and the talisman paper was not pasted firmly."

In the backyard patio, Fu Shaoping was squatting on the bluestone edge sharpening his knife.

The knife was the "Burning Spirit Blade" that was used to kill the Corpse King last night. At this moment, it was immersed in well water mixed with cinnabar. Every time the whetstone was pushed, a few wisps of blood-like black gas floated in the water.

Nangong Wan leaned against the pillar and embroidered a handkerchief. The gold thread flowed on the plain silk, but the embroidery was actually a talisman. Occasionally, she looked up at the kitchen - there was a casserole on the stove, and the lid was "popping" because of the steam. Inside was the "Five Poison Soup" to suppress evil spirits. The soup ingredients were the "Millennium Centipede Whiskers" she had bought from the black market the day before.

"Ding!"

The sound of bronze bells came from the front hall, and a guest came.

The person who came was an old farmer wearing a straw raincoat, holding a wet cloth bag tightly in his arms. As soon as he entered the door, he scattered a handful of glutinous rice on the threshold - the rice grains turned black instantly.

"Two shopkeepers, please save my daughter!" The old farmer opened the cloth bag and found a scarecrow the size of a palm. Seven embroidery needles were stuck in the heart of the scarecrow and red threads were tied to the ends of the needles. The ends of the threads extended into the rain outside the door, as if connected to something invisible.

Fu Shaoping tapped his pipe on the counter: "'Soul-pulling Doll'? Was your daughter born on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month?"

The old farmer knelt down with a plop: "Master, please understand! That damn paper-folding craftsman said he could save my life, but in the end..."

Nangong Wan suddenly threw out the golden thread to entangle the scarecrow, and the red thread broke with a sound! A sharp whistle came from outside the door, and half of a pale woman's face emerged in the rain and disappeared in an instant.

"Three hundred spirit stones, I'll help you cut off the karma." Fu Shaoping blew out a smoke ring, "Pay the deposit first, the 'medicine man' in the backyard just needs someone to test the talisman."

When the sun sets, the shop is rarely quiet.

Fu Shaoping was lying on a rattan chair behind the counter, his pipe crooked at his lips, and he was dozing off with a copy of "The Netherworld" covering his face. A corner of the talisman paper sandwiched between the pages of the book drooped, swaying in the wind - it was the "soul-tracing talisman" that could make people dream of the afterimages of their past lives. (End of this chapter)