Chapter 190: Lord of Zixiao City
Ling Ying's voice was filled with surprise.
"Master Ling, no need to be so polite!" Xiao Bai waved his hand and chuckled softly, "Why are you here in Black Seal City?"
"The young lady is concerned for the young master's safety and has ordered me to find him!" Ling Ying stood up and said with a smile, slightly excited.
The young lady gave him a five-day deadline, ordering him to do his utmost to find Xiao Bai's whereabouts. He was a little confused when he heard the mission.
The movement of spatial jade slips was full of uncertainties. Depending on the circumstances, sometimes a short distance could be transported only a few hundred miles away before falling out of the spatial channel.
Sometimes it could be transported far, tens of thousands of miles away.
How could he find Xiao Bai in five days?
But seeing the young lady's worried eyes and cold expression, he feared he would have been killed on the spot if he had dared to say anything nonsense. So he had to bite the bullet and agree.
Unexpectedly, upon arriving in Black Seal City, closest to Canaan Academy, and thinking of gathering information, he saw Xiao Bai fighting. He almost burst into tears.
Never before had he felt Xiao Bai so kind!
"Xun'er!" A warm glint crossed Xiao Bai's eyes. He hadn't expected the girl to send someone here so quickly.
"Young Master, why didn't you let me take action just now?" Ling Ying asked, perplexed, as he observed Xiao Bai's slightly trembling hands.
As he arrived, he saw Xiao Bai's feet sinking into the ground. Flustered, he was about to strike, but was stopped by Ling Ying's voice transmission.
"I can handle it, so there's no need to trouble you, old man!" Xiao Bai smiled faintly. The spear in his hand flashed, transforming into a streak of golden light that vanished into his sleeve.
"My Lord, I've separated a bit of my essence this time. I need to sleep for a few days to recover. Be careful!" The little golden dragon's voice rang out, a little weak.
"Hmm!" Xiao Bai nodded slightly, gently patting his sleeves.
Sensing the dragon-shaped phantom within him, Xiao Bai's eyes flickered with gentleness.
This guy usually mentioned the essence as if it were his life. He threatened not to give any, but when the moment came, he gave it without a word.
"Alas," Ling Ying sighed inwardly after hearing Xiao Bai's tone.
It seemed that Young Master Xiao was still resentful of Qing Shuang's condescending words.
He would only accept help personally offered by the young lady. While seemingly gentle with those close to her, he didn't want to be involved.
Looking at Xiao Bai's resolute face, Ling Ying thought to herself, "He's indeed a proud man, but I wonder if he can maintain that pride once you truly know the young lady's identity."
Thinking of the behemoth within the clan, Ling Ying shook his head. Even a Dou Sheng would feel pressured to face him, let alone Xiao Bai!
Although his impression of him had changed significantly, no longer the Xiao Bai who had spent five years at the ninth level of Dou Qi, he still had doubts about his ultimate chance of being with the young lady.
"Anyone who leaves without permission will be killed!" Xiao Bai shouted, waking Ling Ying from his thoughts.
A quick glance revealed the three Dou Wangs from the Eight Gates. They seemed to see Xiao Bai in a bad state and were trying to escape, so they released a powerful aura at the perfect moment.
"Dou Huang!"
"Not just any Dou Huang, but a peak Dou Huang!"
"I didn't expect such a powerful being existed in Black Seal City!"
Some of the people in the city who were spying on the situation gasped in shock as they whispered to each other.
"My young master said, anyone who dares to move will be killed!" Ling Ying, standing behind Xiao Bai, spoke in a calm voice, thick with murderous intent, echoing throughout the city.
The three Dou Wangs who were about to escape felt a surge of murderous intent envelop them. They froze, as if they were falling into an icy cave, and dared not think again.
"Young Master?"
"Is this person so powerful? A peak Dou Huang calling himself Young Master?"
"Is this Black Horn Territory about to change?"
Xiao Bai rolled his eyes at the various rumors and turned to glance back at Ling Ying.
"Don't worry, sir. It's just a piece of cake!" Ling Ying smiled and waved his hand.
".!" Xiao Bai.
He had been standing here, as if he would fall down at the slightest touch, just to catch some of the monsters in this city!
Anyone who dared to attract the attention of the Black Seal City must have a high level of cultivation. Each and every one of them is a wealthy person, rich as hell, just the right time to make another profit.
Now he is extremely poor. He was in Canaan Academy recently, and his storage ring was destroyed. Fortunately, those elders didn't chase him for the Douling Pill, otherwise he would have nothing to hand over.
Unexpectedly, Ling Ying's words disrupted all his plans!
"That's all," Xiao Bai shook his head and headed straight for the Black Seal Auction House. Passing by Yuan Yi's corpse, he waved and removed the ring from his finger. Then, glancing at the black-robed figure beside him, both crying and laughing, he said coldly, "It's time for you to act!"
"I've endured by his side for twelve years, even going so far as to acknowledge him as my father. And today, he's finally dead!" the black-robed figure muttered. After a complex look at Yuan Yi's corpse, he stood up and spoke in a hoarse voice, "Don't worry, sir! You've avenged me. From now on, my life is yours!"
Xiao Bai remained expressionless, unresponsive, and walked towards the auction house's main entrance.
He glanced at the shivering old figure in the corner. It was the old man with whom he had traded the Fire Bead in the treasure appraisal room that day.
"His name is Hu Degui. He's Yuan Yi's confidant, and he's been helping him run the Black Seal Auction House!" the black-robed figure explained softly, standing behind Xiao Bai.
"Nonsense. Yuan Yi and I are just employers, how can I be considered a confidant?" The old man heard this and retorted loudly with a look of fear.
He cursed this bastard in his heart. If you want to talk about confidants, you, as Yuan Yi's adopted son, should be his number one confidant!
Xiao Bai watched this scene coldly without saying a word. He turned around and looked at the three figures not far away.
The three Dou Wang elders felt Xiao Bai's deep gaze, their bodies trembled, and they were at a loss. They raised their heads cautiously and glanced at the phantom figure beside Xiao Bai, which was like a shadow.
After a while, they saw that Xiao Bai's gaze was still oppressive and fell on them. They couldn't help but feel bitter at the corners of their mouths. They looked at each other secretly and walked forward nervously.
"Xue Yuan, Kong Zhou, Gao Heng!"
"Hello, sir!"
"One is eight stars, one is four stars, and one has a rather unstable aura and has just entered the Dou Wang realm!" Xiao Bai glanced at the auras of the three and asked calmly: "Aside from the four of you, are there any other Dou Wangs from the Eight Gates?"
"No, sir!" Eight-Star Dou Wang Xue Yuan replied cautiously.
Xiao Bai nodded slightly, then after a moment's contemplation, spoke aloud, his voice resounding throughout the city: "From today on, the Eight Gates are removed from the list. Black Seal City is renamed Purple Sky City, and the Black Seal Auction is renamed Purple Sky Auction. I, Xiao Bai..." "shall be the Lord of Purple Sky City!"
His voice echoed across the sky above Black Seal City, leaving everyone staring at each other in bewilderment.
"Greetings, Lord City Lord!"
As Xiao Bai finished speaking, a black-robed figure beside him was the first to react, shouting hoarsely.
This shout, like a clarion call, awakened the dazed crowd.
"Greetings, Lord City Lord!" The three Dou Wang elders and the old man from the auction house before Xiao Bai hurriedly bowed in greeting.
Then came the black-clad city guards. They all gathered on the street in front of the auction house, a dense mass, kneeling on one knee and shouting, "We, greet the Lord City Lord!"
The sound was like a tidal wave, echoing across the silent Zixiao City under the night sky.
"Is this person really going to take control of Black Seal City?"
"The world has changed! With Yuan Yi's death, the Eight Gates are really finished!"
"How fresh, the forces in the Black Horn Domain, unless there is a super strong man like Dou Zong in charge, will always rise and fall, and it won't be long before a new one comes!"
"Haha, this person is not ordinary, in the past, it was always the lone wolf that dominated, but this person is the one that even the peak Dou Huang strongmen call him Young Master, his identity is very mysterious!"
"It's very mysterious, but there's no need to be too nervous, the real super forces don't look down on the Black Horn Domain!"
While people in various places in the city were talking about it, in an attic, two figures were listening quietly to the shouts of worship that spread throughout the city.
"Steward, will this Black Seal City, now ruled by this man who changed his name, affect us?"
"No problem! He runs his auction house, and we run ours. We shouldn't interfere with each other!"
"Steward, judging by this man's overbearing style, and as a young man, he's not someone who can assess the situation like Yuan Yi. Who knows if he'll become jealous of us and harbor some inappropriate thoughts?"
"Hehe. If he really has any thoughts, we're not pushovers. Just being a peak Dou Huang isn't enough!"
The auction hall was brightly lit.
Several figures stood with their hands down, watching the young man sitting in the center, toying with a pitch-black storage ring, not daring to make a sound.
Their peripheral vision occasionally flickered to the shadowy figure behind him, a flicker of awe in their eyes.
"Is that all?" Xiao Bai withdrew his soul sense from the storage ring, a flicker of disappointment in his eyes.
Yuan Yi, the leader of the Eight Gates and the owner of a massive auction house, didn't even have anything valuable!
The most valuable items in the ring were the medicinal ingredients for three imperial-grade elixirs, presumably collected by Yuan Yi for someone to refine.
There were also some martial arts and fighting techniques, but the highest-ranking one was only one earth-grade technique; the others were all profound-grade.
Beyond that, there were some gold coins, elixirs, magic cores, and personal belongings.
Xiao Bai paid no attention to the pile of gold coins. He glanced at the elixirs and tossed them aside with disdain, their quality far inferior to his own.
Besides, elixirs were more reliable when made by himself. Yao Lao, the old man, often added ingredients to his elixirs.
So, aside from those given by close friends, Xiao Bai only used his own.
The magic cores inside, however, were useful for refining elixirs.
"Tell me about the Eight Gates!"
Xiao Bai adjusted the ring and put it on his hand. This was the first high-level ring he had ever acquired.
These items were always in high demand and rarely appeared on the market. Sometimes, even with money, it was hard to come by.
"City Lord, the Eight Gates currently have four Dou Wangs and nine Dou Lings. Below Dou Ling, the number is unknown at this time!"
"The largest industry is the Black Seal... Zixiao Auction House. There are also a few other shops, inns, and the like, scattered throughout Black Seal City!"
"As for the auction house situation," Ji Bu said hoarsely, looking at the cowering Steward Hu.
"City Lord!" Steward Hu stammered nervously, "The auction house's annual profit is around 50 million gold coins, of which..."
After a while, Xiao Bai's brows furrowed as he listened to Steward Hu's report, his expression slightly grim.
"The annual profit is actually entirely supported by the auction. For example, the medicinal herb trade only accounts for a tiny fraction!"
Xiao Bai asked in a cold voice. "What about the medicinal herbs? Did you eat that portion?"
In Wutan City, Xiao Bai and Ya Fei occasionally mentioned during their business dealings. The auction house accounted for half of the profits, while medicinal herbs and other daily transactions accounted for the other half.
But this guy had just dodged the main point, detailing only the profits from the auction while remaining vague about daily transactions.
Did he really take him for a fool?
"Sir, spare me! Sir, spare me!" Manager Hu's knees buckled at Xiao Bai's fierce gaze, nearly collapsing to the ground. He spoke urgently, "It's none of my business. It's just too shady... Zixiao City's medicinal herb business is practically entirely dominated by the Thousand Pharmacy Shop!"
"In this city, whenever the topic of medicinal herb trading is mentioned, the first thing people think of is the Thousand Pharmacy Shop, not our auction house!"
Xiao Bai frowned, remembering the medicinal herb prices he'd seen during his visit that day. He asked, "Is it because your prices are too high that people aren't coming?"
He'd seen the prices at the auction house that day; they'd practically doubled!
"City Lord, I'm sure you're aware that the prices of medicinal herbs at this auction are abnormal. This is what Sect Leader Yuan Yi ordered. He told me to mark the prices at auction three or four times higher than outside. I just want to keep them normal, but there's nothing I can do!"
"Why?"
"I'm just following orders. I don't know!"
"City Lord, I do know a little about this!" Eight-Star Dou Wang Xue Yuan said hesitantly.
"Tell me about it!"
"Well, I was the first one to come to the Eight Gates." At this point, Xue Yuan carefully examined Xiao Bai's face, as if afraid he'd assume he was a diehard Eight Gates fanatic.
"Don't worry, speak up!" Xiao Bai said in a deep voice.
He knew what this man was worried about, and he felt a certain disdain in his heart. In the Black Horn Territory, only the strong are respected. There's no such thing as loyalty. It's all about who's stronger, who's right!
"Yes!" Xue Yuan was immediately relieved and said boldly: "I remember that Yuan Yi had just been promoted to Dou Huang, conquered Black Seal City, and established the Eight Gates. Not long ago, he attracted the attention of some powerful people from the Black Horn Region!"
"The situation at that time can be said to be in danger, but at this moment, Black Emperor City extended a helping hand!"
"Of course, this was not without cost. No one knows what Yuan Yi paid at the time, but later on, a 'Thousand Pharmacy' came to Black Seal City!"
"This Qianyaofang specializes in the business of medicinal materials and elixirs. Yuan Yi has made it very convenient for them, even going so far as to have his own auction house cut off all other medicinal material business except for the auction commissions!"
"Since then, the medicinal material and elixir business in Heiyin City has almost been dominated by Qianyaofang!"
"That's right! City Lord, I didn't know about the previous things, but after following Yuan Yi closely for so many years, I know that he is very wary of Qianyaofang, but he always greets them with a smile when they meet!"
"Haha. Qianyaofang, Black Emperor Sect, Dou Zong?" Xiao Bai sneered.
He wanted this Heiyin City for the medicinal materials and elixirs, but he didn't expect it to be an empty shell!
Read 50+ Advanced Chapters At PA Treon.
patreon.com/FictionsTL
(End of this chapter)