“I'm going to kill you! I'm going to devour your flesh!”
By now, the man had completely succumbed, degenerating into a demon consumed by a craving for flesh. He tottered to his feet, his face filled with greed.
Chen Ning showed no mercy, sending him on his way with a single strike of his sword.
[Congratulations Host, obtained Noble Qi * 20.]
As the demon's head hit the ground, the system prompt quickly rang out.
“Let's go.”
Chen Ning turned and looked at Qing Yan.
“Mm! Thank you, Young Master!”
Qing Yan hurried her steps, keeping close to Chen Ning's side.
“Silly girl, why are you thanking your own young master? Rather than wasting time with empty words like that, why not do something more meaningful?”
“What does Young Master mean?”
A trace of confusion flickered in Qing Yan's bright, delicate eyes.
Chen Ning smiled faintly. “Like what you did right after you entered the courtyard.”
In an instant, Qing Yan recalled that kiss of hers.
Talking in circles—she'd almost let Young Master trick her again!
“Young Master, you rogue!”
In embarrassed indignation, Qing Yan pounded her soft, pink little fist against Chen Ning's chest.
...
Following the little fox's directions, Chen Ning and Qing Yan arrived near the auction house.
The venue was named Yuntian Auction House, hidden deep underground. Only a select few influential elites in the Imperial Capital who received invitations knew its location.
Arriving near the underground entrance, just as Chen Ning was about to enter, he suddenly spotted a familiar figure.
“Young Master!”
Xiangqin spotted Chen Ning as well and ran over excitedly, her red dress swaying gracefully.
However, her pace suddenly slowed down.
Xiangqin noticed Qing Yan beside Chen Ning.
‘Is this the fox demon maid Young Master mentioned before...?’
Her face, like a lotus rising from the water, bore no makeup, yet her brows were like spring mountains and her eyes like clear autumn waters. Every glance from her lovely eyes seemed capable of stealing one's soul.
Her breathtaking beauty combined elegance with a touch of demonic charm, making even Xiangqin feel somewhat inferior.
At the same time, Qing Yan noticed Xiangqin, a sense of vigilance rising within her.
She felt that the scent on this woman was suspiciously similar to the smell Young Master had come home with that day.
“Young Master, who is this?”
Xiangqin quickly answered on her own:
“Don't misunderstand, Little Sister. I am merely Young Master's mount, and Young Master has only ridden me three or four times.”
Qing Yan: “Σ( ° △ °|||)︴”
“Young Master, I'm going to expose your licentious behavior to Water Cloud Academy! o(≧口≦)o!”
Chen Ning: “???”
...
After a great deal of explaining, Chen Ning finally clarified the ambiguity behind the word “mount.”
Even so, Qing Yan still shot him resentful glances from time to time.
“So, why are you around here as well?” Chen Ning asked.
“Does Young Master also know about Yuntian Auction House?”
Xiangqin gritted her silver teeth in anger. “I only found out this morning that a fellow member of my clan from Yixiang Pavilion was captured and brought here. I heard this auction house auctions off demons as food. Those humans are worse than beasts!”
Chen Ning frowned slightly as well.
He had originally thought the auction house only sold unrefined demons, but he hadn't expected even human-form demons would be treated as food.
“Our goals align. Since that's the case, come inside with me.”
“Of course, Young Master.”
Two demons and one human entered the auction house.
The entrance leading underground appeared small, but the underground auction venue was an exceptionally luxurious and grand space.
Over a hundred people had already gathered inside, a significant portion of whom were prominent dignitaries and nobles from the Imperial Capital.
Finding a quiet spot, they sat down.
Xiangqin sat on his left, Qing Yan on his right, and Chen Ning sat right in the middle.
Enchanting and seductive on one side, elegant and ethereal on the other.
Surrounded by two stunning beauties, Chen Ning quickly received numerous hostile glares.
Among them, a man in cloud-patterned silk robes stared with a particularly sharp gaze.
Xiangqin looked at the man for a moment before quickly turning her gaze away.
“Do you know who he is?”
Many people in the venue treated this man in silk robes with great deference, and Chen Ning could tell at a glance that his status was out of the ordinary.
Xiangqin nodded and whispered softly:
“Before coming here, I had my sisters inquire about Yuntian Auction House. His name is Jiang Feiwen. His grandfather holds the position of Commandant, and he is the master of this very auction house.”
Just then, Jiang Feiwen actually walked straight toward Chen Ning.
“An unfamiliar face. Is Brother here by our auction house's invitation?”
“No, but I was introduced here by an acquaintance.”
Faced with Jiang Feiwen's somewhat condescending tone, Chen Ning responded calmly.
“I see.”
Jiang Feiwen glanced at Qing Yan, then peeked at Xiangqin, giving an insincere smile.
“To have two such stunning beauties by your side, you truly have good luck, Young Master. However, the items sold in our auction house are exorbitantly priced—not something ordinary people can afford. You had better be mentally prepared so you don't lose face in front of these beauties.”
Chen Ning sneered. “I have money in abundance, so there's no need for you to worry.”
This response caused Jiang Feiwen's face to freeze in anger, and he turned away in a huff.
Returning to his seat, Jiang Feiwen shot a cold glare at his housekeeper beside him and cursed:
“Useless trash! Compared to those two beauties, what kind of low-grade trash did you find for me? A mere scholar actually managed to put me in my place!”
Having a barrage of insults rained down on him out of nowhere, the housekeeper hastily soothed him:
“Don't be anxious, Young Master. As long as we control the supply chain for trading demon flesh in the Imperial Capital according to Old Master's orders, wealth, power, and strength will all be yours sooner or later. What kind of woman couldn't you find then? Besides, there's still a major highlight in today's auction!”
“True enough.”
Only then did a smug, cold smile curl up at the corners of Jiang Feiwen's lips.
“Be careful, Young Master. He seems to have harbored great malice toward you.”
A moment later, Xiangqin leaned close to Chen Ning's ear and whispered vigilantly.
“Mm, I know. But compared to that, there's something even more interesting.”
A reflection of a red lotus flickered in Chen Ning's eyes as he looked toward Jiang Feiwen.
The demonization on his body was far advanced compared to that black-robed man.
This indicated that Jiang Feiwen had likely begun demonizing long ago, and might even already know the consequences of consuming demon flesh.
Furthermore, it wasn't just him—nearly half of the people in the auction house had already undergone physical mutations.
Just then, Chen Ning suddenly felt a warm sensation by his ear.
It turned out Qing Yan had stepped forward and gently nibbled Chen Ning's ear with her cherry lips.
“Hmm?”
Looking at Qing Yan's slightly resentful gaze, Chen Ning realized what was going on.
It was because Xiangqin had leaned in too close when speaking to him earlier—this girl was jealous.
Chen Ning couldn't help but chuckle. “What a jealous little cat.”
His voice was quiet, so Qing Yan didn't hear clearly and asked in confusion, “What did Young Master just say?”
Chen Ning said mysteriously, “Do you want to hear?”
“I do!”
Qing Yan blinked her bright, watery eyes.
“Then come a bit closer.”
Just as Qing Yan leaned in, Chen Ning suddenly nibbled her ingot-shaped little ear in return.
In an instant, a rosy flush rapidly spread from Qing Yan's delicate ear, gradually overwhelming her entire face.
Rate on N.U.
