She proudly puffed out her small chest and reported loudly.
But just then, the movement tugged at her unhealed wounds, and she couldn't help but let out a soft hiss, her little face instantly turning pale.
Even though the pain was intense, Shana stubbornly forced a smile, as if telling Gu Feng that this pain was nothing.
Seeing Shana's forced composure, Gu Feng's heart softened, and he gently said, "If it hurts, you don't have to hold it in."
Hearing this, a flicker of panic flashed in Shana's eyes, and she instinctively clenched the hem of her clothes, her eyes reddening further. "No, it doesn't hurt, really!"
"Master, please don't dislike Shana, okay? Shana is very obedient and can do anything. I won't cause you any trouble."
Gu Feng frowned, sighing inwardly.
Such a wretched product of aristocracy.
"Shana, how old are you? Do you remember?"
Shana tilted her head, a look of confusion on her face, her large, watery eyes filled with bewilderment. She then gently shook her head, clearly having lost all sense of time after being captured and abused for so long, let alone remembering her age.
Gu Feng had no choice but to turn his gaze to the maid standing nearby and asked, "How old is Shana? You should know, right?"
The maid trembled slightly and quickly replied, "She's ten years old, honored guest."
"What? Ten years old? Are you sure?"
Gu Feng's eyes widened in disbelief.
He scrutinized Shana again. The girl before him was extremely petite, even shorter than himself, and she didn't look like a ten-year-old at all.
It was worth noting that Soul Masters with Soul Power developed earlier than ordinary people, and Shana was a girl, who naturally matured faster than boys.
On the Douluo Continent, twelve-year-olds were considered adults, but Shana was almost an adult and still looked like this, which was highly unusual.
Under Gu Feng's piercing, questioning gaze, the maid felt as if needles were pricking her back, unable to withstand the pressure.
After hesitating for a while, she stammered in a low voice, "Because this Beast girl hadn't been sold for a long time, and her temperament was too fierce, for the safety of future customers, the manager fed her a large amount of growth-suppressing drugs..."
Hearing this, Gu Feng finally understood why Shana was so petite.
However, fortunately, he still had the Immortal Herb. As long as he took Shana back and carefully nurtured her with the herb, there was still hope.
With proper cultivation, even with her innate seventh-level Soul Power, it wasn't impossible to create a genius with the potential to become a god.
Gu Feng turned slightly, his gaze softening as it fell on Dugu Yan, and he gently instructed, "Sister YanYan, please take Shana to find a place to change into clean clothes first, and carefully tend to her wounds to avoid any future complications."
Dugu Yan raised an eyebrow, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes, and couldn't help but ask, "What about you? Aren't you coming with us?"
Gu Feng shook his head lightly, "I'll join you shortly. There are still some matters I need to attend to here."
"Alright, we'll go ahead then. Don't take too long."
Dugu Yan nodded in understanding.
She turned around and reached out to take Shana's small hand, but unexpectedly, Shana quickly dodged her.
Shana, like a startled fawn, cautiously clutched the hem of Gu Feng's clothes, timidly hiding behind him.
Seeing this, Gu Feng slightly crouched down to meet Shana's gaze and said gently, "Shana, be good, okay? Sister YanYan is a good person and will take good care of you."
Tears welled up in Shana's eyes, her voice trembling with unease as she asked, "Is Young Master abandoning Shana?"
"Nothing of the sort, don't overthink it."
Gu Feng quickly reassured her, gently patting her head.
"Then why do you want Shana to go with her?"
Shana still looked aggrieved, muttering softly.
"Because Young Master really has something very important to attend to right now and can't spare the time. So, you go with Sister YanYan first, and I'll come find you as soon as I'm done, okay?"
Gu Feng patiently explained again in a soft voice.
But no matter what Gu Feng said, Shana remained unmoved, as if rooted to the spot, stubbornly clutching the hem of his clothes and refusing to let go.
At this point, Gu Feng was truly at a loss. Gritting his teeth, he decided to resort to a "harsh tactic."
His expression suddenly turned serious, his face filled with an unshakable determination as he said in a deep voice, "Shana, if you don't listen to me, Young Master will really get angry, and maybe... I really will abandon you."
As soon as these words were spoken, Shana seemed to be struck by a bolt of lightning, her entire body freezing.
After a long while, she finally pleaded in a tearful voice, "No, please, Young Master, don't abandon Shana, okay? Shana knows she was wrong. Shana will go with this sister obediently, but Young Master, you must come find me..."
Seeing this, Gu Feng let out a long sigh of relief.
From a psychological perspective, once someone who has long been trapped in a low point and loneliness truly experiences the kindness and warmth of others, they can no longer bear the pain and despair of being abandoned. Shana was exactly like that.
As Shana and Dugu Yan's figures disappeared into the VIP room.
Gu Feng quickly composed his gentle expression and turned to stride toward the table where the mysterious parchment scroll was placed.
At this moment, the room was so quiet that only his steady footsteps could be heard.
Gu Feng called out softly in his heart, "Old Yi, with your powerful Soul Power, can you detect what is inside this scroll?"
Electrolux's steady voice carried a hint of helplessness, "I have carefully infiltrated my Soul Power into it and can barely discern that it is a map. But as for what this map pertains to, I am truly powerless. It seems there is a mysterious force interfering, preventing me from seeing more."
Gu Feng nodded slightly, a flash of understanding in his eyes. He silently pondered in his heart, "That's enough. Haste makes waste. This scroll has survived the passage of time, and its secrets cannot be easily uncovered. I'll study it slowly after I return."
"There are many respected scholars at the academy. Surely someone will know."
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps approached from afar.
Following this, an elderly man in a crisp tailcoat, with graying hair, hurriedly entered the VIP room.
He quickly scanned every corner of the room, and when his gaze settled on Gu Feng, he paused slightly.
The old man first exchanged a glance with the maid standing respectfully beside him. After receiving a slight nod of confirmation from her, his face immediately lit up with a smile, and he spoke in an extremely respectful tone, "Young master, according to the detailed customer records of our Heaven Dou Royal Auction House, you are very fortunate to be our 10,000th customer."
"As per the rules, we are pleased to offer you a complimentary benefit. All your expenses at the auction house today will be completely free of charge."
Although the old man spoke with great conviction, anyone with a discerning eye could see that the so-called "10,000th customer free of charge" claim was full of holes and could easily be recognized as a fabrication.
For the auction house, rather than accepting the hundreds of thousands of Gold Soul Coins Gu Feng had spent this time, it was far more beneficial to take this opportunity to show goodwill to the grandson of Bone Douluo. Clearly, the potential value of the latter was much greater.
As the manager of the Royal Auction House, he was privy to some confidential information.
It was said that just two days ago, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School had made a grand and almost all-out expedition, marching in full force to the Star Dou Great Forest.
Even the pillar of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School—the world's number one attacker, Sword Douluo Chen Xin—had personally led the team.
And the purpose of this expedition... was already self-evident.
What Soul Beast, other than one for the ninth Soul Ring, would be worth Sword Douluo Chen Xin's personal involvement?
In just a few more days, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School would likely gain another Titled Douluo!
Now, with such a rare opportunity to show goodwill to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, as a manager of the Royal Auction House who was well-versed in the ways of the world, how could he possibly let it slip by?
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