"You've been waiting for me? What do you need?" Yang Kai asked the attendant.
The attendant replied, "It's like this, sir. I was ordered by the shopkeeper to wait here for Alchemist Yang. The shopkeeper said he'd like to invite Alchemist Yang to attend the upcoming auction together."
"The auction?" Yang Kai raised an eyebrow, suddenly recalling that Kang Siran had indeed mentioned this a few days ago. Apparently, the martial artists of Maple Forest City had obtained quite a few valuable items inside the Five-Color Pagoda this time around, so the City Lord Duan Yuanshan had decided to organize an auction so everyone could trade with one another.
Yang Kai had been strapped for cash before and hadn't shown much interest, never indicating he intended to go. He hadn't expected Kang Siran to send someone after him anyway.
Having acquired a considerable amount of Source Crystals and other treasures from the Lu Family, Yang Kai was now fairly well-off. A visit wouldn't hurt.
With that in mind, Yang Kai asked, "What good items are up for auction this time? What's got Shopkeeper Kang so fixated on it? Did he drop any hints?"
The attendant smiled mysteriously, glanced left and right, then leaned in close and said in a low voice, "The shopkeeper said a Dao Source Fruit will appear at this auction."
"Really?" Yang Kai was genuinely surprised.
"That's right! That's why Shopkeeper Kang is so interested in this auction. He wants to invite Alchemist Yang to pool your funds and go after that Dao Source Fruit together."
"I see." Yang Kai nodded.
"Also, the shopkeeper mentioned that among the auction items, there's an ancient pill furnace—at least Dao Source Grade, lower tier. If Alchemist Yang could win that furnace, your success rate in alchemy and the quantity of pills you produce would both increase. An ancient pill furnace is a real draw for alchemists."
"That does interest me," Yang Kai said with a slight smile. "So where is the auction, and when does it start?"
The attendant smiled. "It begins at noon today. I've been waiting here for two days, Alchemist Yang. If you'd come back any later, you would have missed it."
"Looks like my timing was just right, then. Go back and tell Shopkeeper Kang I'll freshen up and head over to him right away."
"Very well!" The attendant bowed and promptly withdrew.
Though their conversation hadn't been particularly loud, Zhang Ruoxi, who had been curiously watching from nearby, had caught quite a bit of it. After the attendant left, she gazed at Yang Kai with astonishment. "Sir, you're an alchemist too?"
Yang Kai chuckled. "I know a little. Come on inside first, and we can talk."
With that, he activated the cave residence's restrictions and led Zhang Ruoxi inside.
The cave residence he'd rented in Maple Forest City wasn't the finest, but it wasn't bad either—upper-middle class at least. It had several rooms and a fairly spacious interior. Yang Kai designated one of the rooms for Zhang Ruoxi, telling her she would be staying there from now on.
He then handed her the cave residence token and taught her how to activate and deactivate the restrictions, making it clear that under no circumstances should she open the residence to anyone other than himself.
Zhang Ruoxi naturally nodded in agreement.
"If you get bored, you can go out for a walk. The public order in Maple Forest City is reasonably good. But stay away from the Black Market—the City Lord's Manor doesn't regulate that area, and it's quite chaotic. With your level of cultivation, going there would be dangerous," Yang Kai added.
"Ruoxi won't go anywhere. I'll just wait here for Sir to come back," Zhang Ruoxi said softly.
"As you like. Rest up, then. I'll be heading out." With that, Yang Kai departed.
Zhang Ruoxi bowed respectfully as he left.
Once Yang Kai was gone, Zhang Ruoxi began looking around the cave residence. It was tidy but quite spartan. Since this would be her home from now on, she started thinking about how to spruce the place up.
After mulling it over for a while, Zhang Ruoxi suddenly smiled to herself—she already had a plan in mind. She immediately began pulling things from her spatial ring and setting them up.
…
At the Spirit Pill Workshop, Yang Kai stepped inside and was promptly announced to Kang Siran.
Before long, Kang Siran hurried out from the back, seizing Yang Kai's arm with enthusiasm. "Alchemist Yang, you've finally shown yourself! If you'd come back any later, you would have missed the auction entirely. Come, come—time is tight, we need to get to the City Lord's Manor right away."
"The auction is being held at the City Lord's Manor?" Yang Kai asked, taken aback.
"Of course! The City Lord himself organized it, so naturally it's being held at his manor. I'll fill you in on what to expect along the way."
As Yang Kai walked with Kang Siran toward the City Lord's Manor, listening to the insider information the man had dug up, he learned that while the Maple Forest City martial artists had suffered heavy casualties inside the Five-Color Pagoda this time, some of them had truly brought back remarkable finds.
The Dao Source Fruit went without saying—it would certainly appear as the grand finale of the auction.
There would also be several Dao Source Grade Artifacts. Apparently, Dao Source Realm powerhouses from numerous nearby factions had been drawn to participate in the bidding.