Chapter 89: A Dark, Windy Night Perfect for Murder!
"An Earth-Tier Dou Technique—do you dare take it?"
Why wouldn't I dare?! Who are you looking down on?! Jiang Lin slapped his thigh lightly and leaned back against the wall.
Only then did he remember—thanks to Yao Chen's provocation—that the Dragon Flame Art… wasn't even his.
That question was directed at Gu Ni. Yao Chen's meaning was simple: an Earth-Tier Dou Technique for your high-level Xuan Technique. Do you dare accept?
On stage, Gu Ni instinctively looked to Jiang Lin for help—but then remembered the Dragon Flame Art technically belonged to the Miteer Chamber...
While Gu Ni wrestled with indecision, Yao Chen was already cursing internally: "Why didn't that brat bid on the Dragon Flame Art?! That damn kid must be up to something!"
Ordinarily, cultivation techniques of the same tier were valued higher than Dou Techniques. So trading for something like the Dragon Flame Art would require either a particularly rare high-level Xuan Dou Technique—or something beyond that. The stronger and stranger something was, the more famous it became. Yao Chen had plenty of rare skills and techniques in his ring—but would he dare show them? Absolutely not.
His ring held little now. His greatest assets were Bone-Chilling Flame and himself. Rather than risk exposing his identity with something flashy, it was safer to offer up a relatively basic Earth-Tier Dou Technique.
"Teacher, aren't we... attracting too much attention?" Xiao Yan asked nervously, noticing everyone in the auction hall had turned their eyes on him.
"It's fine. We already carry too much debt. Your father likely won't get the Dragon Flame Art anyway. If we win it, it'll actually help resolve your situation." Yao Chen hadn't initially planned to interfere, but Xiao Yan's earlier pleading made him step in. He also understood—if Xiao Zhan walked out of the Miteer Chamber holding the Dragon Flame Art, someone desperate might just start a fight.
So now, Yao Chen was drawing that danger onto himself instead.
Still, he was mad. He had expected Jiang Lin to compete—yet that brat had been lounging in the back all night, completely content. It irritated Yao Chen to no end.
"Umm, Teacher… maybe... Brother Lin was satisfied with Eightfold Collapse?" Xiao Yan guessed, noticing Yao Chen's growing irritation.
"You'd do better believing I'm the bad guy than thinking he's a good one," Yao Chen replied flatly.
But this time, Yao Chen had misjudged Jiang Lin—because honestly, Jiang Lin had acted with good intentions.
He had planned to take the Dragon Flame Art by trading another Dual-Blade Wing. But when Xiao Yan offered the high-level Xuan Dou Technique Eightfold Collapse, Jiang Lin had been genuinely pleased.
And when he saw that the person most desperate for the Dragon Flame Art was Xiao Yan's father, Xiao Zhan, Jiang Lin figured he could get the technique later in the capital. He wasn't in urgent need, so he decided to let Xiao Yan have it as a favor. After all, that old grandpa in the ring had finally come online—it was wise to earn some goodwill.
Of course, in the end, Xiao Yan took the Dragon Flame Art from his own father.
"What a heartwarming story of father and son… Xiao Yan, such filial piety! He didn't want the clan to waste money. I'm crying from the beauty of it."
Backstage, Jiang Lin always had his own strange logic and ways of thinking, completely different from everyone else.
Gu Ni glanced back at Jiang Lin and, seeing no intention to fight for the technique, proceeded accordingly. This was business. In auctions, the item went to the highest bidder. Though Yao Chen's Earth-Tier Dou Technique was a little over-the-top, the Miteer Chamber—acting as a neutral trading platform—could just barely handle it.
As long as it was sent to the capital for auction with everything documented, few would dare to challenge it.
"Patriarch Xiao, my apologies. The alchemist has offered a higher bid," Gu Ni bowed slightly to the stone-faced Xiao Zhan, then turned to the direction of the mysterious alchemist—Xiao Yan—and said, "The Miteer Chamber accepts the trade. The Dragon Flame Art is yours."
Still, Gu Ni couldn't help adding for the rest of the audience: "There will be more Dual-Blade Wings in three months. I'll do my best to ask Master Young Lin to produce more. As for the Earth-Tier Dou Technique, it will be sent to the capital. If anyone is interested, you may attend the next auction in Jia Ma Holy City. Perhaps even the royal family will show up."
Gu Ni was certain of one thing: people were going to fight outside.
He only hoped they wouldn't target the Miteer Chamber itself. They were just a platform. If they got robbed, the empire's Dou Wangs and Dou Huangs might be dispatched to investigate.
"I now declare this auction… officially closed!"
Dong!
Backstage at the Miteer Chamber, Jiang Lin spotted the tightly cloaked Xiao Yan and quickly approached him with a smile.
"Here." Yao Chen, controlling Xiao Yan's body, tossed over two scrolls he had copied moments earlier. His tone was cold and direct.
Jiang Lin smiled as he received them. After checking the scrolls, he confirmed one was indeed Eightfold Collapse. The other he couldn't fully understand, but his spiritual sense told him it was even stronger. He nodded to Gu Ni beside him, who then handed two sandalwood boxes—one large, one small—to the cloaked alchemist.
Yao Chen, copying Jiang Lin's style, opened the boxes, confirmed the contents—the Dual-Blade Feather Sheath Wings and the Dragon Flame Art—then stashed them in the ring without another word and turned to leave.
Gu Ni grabbed Jiang Lin's arm and whispered, "It's dangerous out there. Let's just observe from a distance."
Outside, the wind howled beneath a dark sky. The streets were silent.
Xiao Yan stepped out into the night. The cold breeze tugged at his cloak, and he instinctively pulled it tighter as he looked up at the moonlit sky.
At that moment, a dozen powerful auras—Da Dou Shi-level men in black—stood stationed on rooftops, casting cold gazes toward Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan even thought he saw his father's silhouette—not among the men in black, but standing silently on a rooftop in the distance, watching everything unfold.
"Teacher… they're not even trying to hide themselves," Xiao Yan whispered, uncomfortable under their scrutiny.
"Greed moves the heart. You'll get used to it," Yao Chen's voice echoed faintly in his mind. Then, Xiao Yan's Dou Qi began to rise.
(END CHAPTER)
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