Stranger Danger

“Are you awake, customer? The Treasure Appreciation Auction will begin soon.”

Still lying on the bed, Ye Qing answered, “I am. Thank you for reminding me, miss.”

The person who knocked on his door was none other than the female attendant from yesterday.

“Okay. Please wash yourself while I prepare your breakfast,” the female attendant said.

“Thank you again,” Ye Qing replied.

Ye Qing did not get out of bed immediately after the female attendant was gone. Instead, he put his hands behind his head and stared at the roof, muttering, “Strange. Why did I sleep so deeply last night? Was I that tired?”

With his power, he should have noticed and awoken the second the female attendant appeared outside his door. In reality, he didn’t. He didn’t awake until she knocked on his door. It was strange to say the least.

Besides that, he had two very strange dreams last night.

The first dream was about him killing Huo Hao, Gu Lady, Slave of Fire and Fifteen Saber. The dream was so detailed and realistic it felt as if he was reliving those moments.

The second dream was even stranger and ludicrous. He had dreamed of a woman dressed like a bride appearing outside his room.

If that was all, he would have chalked it up as a wet dream or something. However, the bride’s appearance was accompanied by the sounds of gongs, drums and suona, but it wasn’t the kind of happy tune that was played during a wedding ceremony. No, the music was slow, dark, and ominous. It was something one might expect to hear at a funeral, not a wedding ceremony.

For the life of him, Ye Qing could not understand why he was having such an unholy dream. He couldn’t sense anything wrong with himself, nor was his danger senses tingling. It was unusual to say the least.

“Screw it. I’ll think about it later.”

A short while later, Ye Qing decided to push it all to the back of his mind, get out of his bed, and go through his morning routine.

By the time he was ready, the female attendant was already waiting outside his door with his breakfast.

The breakfast was just a simple porridge, salted vegetables and a couple of steamed buns. Objectively speaking, it was neither tasty nor appetizing. That said, it was a fulfilling breakfast that would satiate him for a long time.

After Ye Qing had finished breakfast, the female attendant handed him a black cloak and a ghost mask.

“This is a mask and cloak we prepare for all our customers. The cloak can hide your presence, and the mask can hide your appearance. You may wear it if you think it’s necessary.”

“I appreciate the thoughtfulness,” Ye Qing said smilingly. The purpose of the cloak and mask was of course to safeguard one’s identity during the Treasure Appreciation Auction. Without them, it was highly likely that a bidder might be remembered and attacked after they left the premises.

But of course, the actual effectiveness of the items left much to be desired. If someone really wanted to rob a bidder, they could hardly be stopped by a mere cloak and mask.

They were in the middle of nowhere where the only law that applied was the law of the jungle. It was inevitable that carnage would happen once the guests left the Hill of Services.

That said, the jianghu warriors must have already known the risks and had prepared accordingly.

After all, no one would fool around with their lives.

Ye Qing was aware of the effectiveness—or rather lack thereof—of the cloak and mask, but he still put them on and followed the female attendant toward the Popularity Tower. It was where the Treasure Appreciation Auction would be held.

The structures of Hill of Services were ordered from low to high. For example, Wine of the Four Towers was located at the lowest point of the hill, whereas Popularity was located at the highest.

In fact, the Popularity Tower was the highest structure out of everything in the hill. It was because the Eight Pavilions were located on the edges of the hill, circling the Four Towers.

Popularity was the state or condition of being liked, admired, or supported by many people. Therefore, the Popularity Tower was designed to be compatible with most people’s preferences: dazzling, exquisite and luxurious.

By the time they arrived at the Popularity Tower, a lot of people were already waiting at the venue. At the same time, more guests were filing into the tower behind female attendants, and most of them were wearing a cloak and a ghost mask like Ye Qing as well.

The small minority that didn’t must be supremely confident in their own strength.

After entering the Popularity Tower, Ye Qing randomly picked a seat and sat down. Next to the seat was a jade bowl with nail-sized pearls in them.

As soon as he sat down, a small pond suddenly appeared on the ground in front of him. It had lotus flowers floating on the water surface and a single golden koi swimming in the waters.

“Er, what is this for?” Ye Qing asked in confusion. The Popularity Tower isn’t an aquarium too, is it?

The female attendant explained smilingly, “It’s like this. This fish is a Psychic Gold Koi our Hill Carrier raised. It feeds on pearls and is a sentient creature. If an item catches your fancy, and you wish to bid for it, you may simply toss the pearl into the Psychic Gold Koi’s mouth instead of calling out a number. Our host for this auction will automatically register your bid.”

“If you win the bid, you don’t need to pay for it immediately. Our people will meet you and conduct the trade in private after the Treasure Appreciation Auction is over. Just a reminder, but we accept both money and goods for our auction as well.”

“Oh, I see! That explains why so many people are participating in your Treasure Appreciation Auction.”

Ye Qing exclaimed in realization. The bidding would be conducted through the Psychic Gold Koi, so the bidder needed not reveal themselves in any way. The trade would happen in private after the auction was over, so it was impossible to find out who was the receiver of a certain item either.

Thanks to this arrangement, the hopeful orioles and fishermen would not be able to identify their cicadas or clams, much less rob them. It was a much better protection than the cloak and mask they offered.

This was probably one of the reasons why the Hill Carrier’s Treasure Appreciation Auction was so popular.

“You flatter us, customer.” The female attendant shot him a sweet smile.

“We’re competing using these pearls, right? So, how much money does a single pearl represent?” Ye Qing asked while picking up a pearl and examining it closely.

The pearl was round, smooth, and flawless. It was clearly a top grade pearl. If it was sold elsewhere, it would be worth one or two hundred silvers at least. Instead, the Hill Carrier kept it for his auction. He truly was filthy rich.

“A pearl is equal to five hundred silvers,” the female attendant answered.

Five hundred? That means that the starting bid is five hundred silvers, and each bid must be five hundred or higher. Simply insane.

Ye Qing was surprised, but he maintained a perfect poker face and replied, “Got it. Thank you, miss.”

“It is only my duty.” The female attendant saluted him. “If there is nothing else, then I shall take my leave. If you need me, then simply shake the bell to your left, and I will know.”

“Got it. Thank you for your trouble.” Ye Qing nodded. The Hill of Services was a money sink, but their quality of service was also top-tier. He literally couldn’t find any fault with it whatsoever.

……

“What’s that smell?”

After the female attendant was gone, Ye Qing bent down and played with the Psychic Gold Koi a little. It was at this moment a fragrant scent came from the entrance.

The scent was thick, rich, and tempting. Some of the crowd actually succumbed to temptation and began gulping in the scent deeply.

Ye Qing was frowning, however. Unlike most others, he could also smell the choking stench of rot and death in the scent.

The scent grew thicker and thicker. As if on cue, the clinging of jade pendants pierced through the noise, and a gorgeous woman wearing extremely revealing clothes stepped through the entrance.

The woman was accompanied by five children. There were both boys and girls. They were all hopping around the woman jauntily.

“Amorous Mother?!”

“Why is she here?”

There was a moment of silence when the guests saw the woman. Then, cries of shock, loathing, fear and more broke out.

Ye Qing knew nothing about the “Amorous Mother”, but he could tell at first glance that, despite her perfectly human features, she was no human.