Chapter 111: The Auction Venue

“What?” As Wen Hongcai’s words fell, the entire room erupted in a commotion. Every person present doubted their own ears, and the way they looked at Lin Xiaobao began to shift. Even Yun Zhongtian stared at Lin Xiaobao in surprise, fully understanding the implications behind Wen Hongcai’s statement.

Wen Hongcai had made his position clear: Lin Xiaobao’s enemies were his enemies. But just what kind of background did this young man, brought here by Keke, have? At that moment, Yun Zhongtian started to feel some regret that he hadn’t fostered a better relationship with Lin Xiaobao earlier, especially when trying to suppress Yun Keke’s standing within the family.

Long Yinfeng’s face turned from pale to dark blue, glaring at Wen Hongcai speechless for a long time. He had always been one of the outstanding figures among his peers in the Invisible Hall. After reaching the Great Perfection of the Dao Heart, he had been stuck without a breakthrough for a long time. Planning to travel in search of an opportunity to advance, he intended to return home for a while.

But before he could even set out with enthusiasm, Wen Hongcai publicly slapped him down like this. In Bloodwind City, the Carefree Pavilion usually showed respect to the Four Great Families, but all four families knew well that the true strength of the Carefree Pavilion was far beyond theirs. Their respect was merely for the convenience of business.

“All right, I admit defeat today. We’ll see about this!” With a harsh parting remark, Long Yinfeng threw the VIP card of the Carefree Pavilion to the ground and turned to leave with his family members.

Long Yinfeng was not like Long Xiuping, an impulsive youth. He could see further and think more deeply, and precisely for that reason, he was more fearful. Even though his cultivation level was two ranks higher than Wen Hongcai’s, he dared not act rashly. For a great family like the Longs, many matters were interconnected; without absolute confidence, they would never lightly make a powerful enemy.

“Brother Lin, please come inside!” Wen Hongcai’s demeanor clearly showed he was giving Lin Xiaobao full respect.

“Thank you, Pavilion Master Wen, for helping me out today!” This time, Lin Xiaobao truly felt grateful to Wen Hongcai. After all, he had indeed come into conflict with Long Yinfeng earlier, which was not easy to resolve.

“Brother Lin, not at all!” As they walked ahead, Wen Hongcai lowered his voice and said, “I won’t hide it from you, Brother Lin. My first major trial is about to come. If you could ask Elder Chen to help me forge a protective item, I would be eternally grateful. As for materials and compensation, I will make sure you are satisfied.”

No wonder this guy was so eager to help! At last, Lin Xiaobao understood Wen Hongcai’s intentions and realized that Chen Zhong’s status in the Daoist sect must be quite remarkable.

“Rest assured, I’ll take care of it. When I see Brother Chen, I’ll definitely bring this up!” Although Wen Hongcai only helped because he needed something, he did indeed assist Lin Xiaobao today. Lin Xiaobao always kept his gratitude and grievances clear. Moreover, Wen Hongcai was straightforward about his intentions, which Lin Xiaobao greatly appreciated.

“Thank you, Brother Lin!” Wen Hongcai suddenly stopped, a thought striking him. “Wait, did you just call him ‘Brother’?”

“Why? Is there a problem?” Lin Xiaobao looked puzzled.

“No... no problem!” Wen Hongcai again felt that his bet had been incredibly worthwhile. To be on brotherly terms with Chen Zhong was no ordinary connection. “Brother Lin... Young Hero Lin, since you call Senior Chen ‘Brother,’ I won’t dare call you ‘Brother’ anymore. I’ll call you Young Hero Lin instead!”

“He’s him, and I’m me. I still prefer you to call me Brother Lin.” Lin Xiaobao found himself increasingly liking this Carefree Pavilion master—at least he was sincere.

“Then I’m overstepping!” Wen Hongcai noticed his heartbeat oddly quicken. Being brothers with Chen Zhong was something no one at the Carefree Pavilion headquarters would believe. But as long as his indirect connection to Chen Zhong was recognized, his status in the Carefree Pavilion might rise.

Merchants were always thinking in terms of profit, but Wen Hongcai was a straightforward one, and Lin Xiaobao liked that very much.

At the auction hall entrance, only after Lin Xiaobao and Wen Hongcai’s figures vanished from sight did the crowd regain their composure, buzzing with speculation about who Lin Xiaobao really was to earn such respect from Wen Hongcai.

Yun Zhongtian suddenly had many questions for Yun Keke, but with so many people around, he said instead, “Let’s talk inside the private room first.” From Lin Xiaobao, Yun Zhongtian seemed to glimpse a chance for the Yun family’s rise, and all of this hinged on Yun Keke. Unconsciously, he slightly stepped aside to let Yun Keke walk ahead.

Among everyone present, only Yun Keke showed no surprise, for she knew Lin Xiaobao was definitely not as simple as he appeared.

“Brother Lin, do you want to greet them?” Wen Hongcai stopped by Private Room No. 1 and asked.

“No need, I don’t know them. If it weren’t for coming to Bloodwind City, I wouldn’t even have known Brother Chen belonged to the Dao Yang Hall!” Lin Xiaobao shrugged. “You go ahead and do your business. Although this time I’m paying you with your own money, I do feel a bit awkward.”

“Brother Lin, what are you saying? Just name your price for whatever catches your eye. In the end, the money will just come back to me,” Wen Hongcai said, now that Lin Xiaobao’s identity was clear and his merchant instincts kicked in. “I won’t disturb you any longer. After the auction, I’ll host a banquet at the Carefree Pavilion. You must attend.”

“That’s easy to say!” Lin Xiaobao never rejected a free meal.

In Private Room No. 6, Yun Zhongtian looked at Yun Keke and asked, “Who exactly is this Lin Xiaobao?”

“My master!” Yun Keke said without hesitation.

“What? You actually signed a master-servant contract with a human? You’re a disgrace to the Yun family!” Yun Feiyang stood behind Yun Zhongtian. Once jealous of Yun Keke’s luck, upon hearing she had bonded with Lin Xiaobao, he suddenly felt ashamed to raise his head.

“Feiyang, stop fooling around!” Yun Zhongtian shot a glare at him. “What happened exactly? Why did you sign a contract with him? Could it be that he knows the Yun family’s secret?”

At this point, Yun Zhongtian had lost interest in the auction. He knew better than anyone the consequences if the secret of the Yun family’s charm tribe heritage were exposed.

In truth, Yun Keke held no strong resentment toward Yun Zhongtian. She knew her uncle, though somewhat power-hungry, sincerely wanted to develop the Yun family. He simply believed the family needed reform and should no longer be led by the charm tribe.

She then recounted the entire encounter with Lin Xiaobao, not even hiding the fact that she had cultivated the Heart-Opening Charm Technique.