She was still demanding compensation... Yang Kai had now witnessed the proprietress's unparalleled ability to make a scene, and he was rendered speechless. But at a time like this, he naturally couldn't let the proprietress lose face. He immediately stepped forward and rummaged through the auction items, pulling out ten bottles.
What he took wasn't anything else—just ten bottles of Great Dao Pills. His thinking was that Luo Haiyi had helped out this time, and she happened to need these, so bringing some back to help her condense a Dao Seal wouldn't be a bad idea.
"As someone who belongs to my First Inn, you should have some ambition at least."
Just as Yang Kai was about to stand up, the proprietress's voice drifted over to him, cool and indifferent.
The corner of Yang Kai's mouth twitched. He could hardly miss the subtext—she was saying he lacked ambition for only taking this much. Gritting his teeth, he reached out and picked up the Fifth-Stage True Solar Fire.
Standing nearby, Yun Zhenhua felt his heart bleeding at the sight. This item was one of the grand finale pieces of the entire auction, worth nearly two million Open Heaven Pills. This madwoman was simply too much! But his strength was inferior, and having witnessed her craziness firsthand, he dared not voice his fury.
Since the proprietress hadn't told him to stop, Yang Kai didn't dare hold back. After taking the True Solar Fire, he went on to grab the other two finale auction pieces as well.
"That's about enough—don't push it too far." The proprietress finally spoke.
Yang Kai silently exhaled in relief and hurried back to the proprietress's side. Not far away, Yun Zhenhua nearly spat blood.
The three most valuable items in the entire auction had been taken, and she said he shouldn't push it too far? There were only three items, but their combined value was nearly half of this entire auction's worth. Why didn't she just take everything else while she was at it?
"Manager Yun, you don't look too happy about this." The proprietress gazed at Yun Zhenhua with cool indifference.
Yun Zhenhua said through gritted teeth, "Mountains and rivers have their crossings, Madam Lan. Today's generosity from the Wind and Cloud Blessed Land will be remembered! When we meet again, I hope Madam Lan will still be in such high spirits!"
"Hmph!" The proprietress snorted coldly. "You don't have the standing to represent the Wind and Cloud Blessed Land!"
With a flick of her sleeve, she called out sharply: "Let's go!"
Yang Kai hurried back, hoisted the unconscious Old Bai onto his shoulders, held his head high, and followed the proprietress as she strode away. Behind him, two scorching gazes drilled into his back like leeches.
Long after the proprietress had departed, Elder Yu suddenly spat out another mouthful of blood.
"Brother Yu!" Yun Zhenhua's expression changed. He hastily helped the old man sit down. "How are you feeling?"
Elder Yu waved him off, his expression weathered, as though he had aged several hundred years in an instant. He let out a low, raspy laugh. "Today I've truly been shown a thing or two!" His face twisted into a grimace, and he hissed through clenched teeth: "This isn't over!"
Yun Zhenhua nodded. "Naturally it isn't over. That woman will pay for this. I will report today's events in full to the headquarters, and they will send someone to seek justice from her!"
Elder Yu nodded slightly, then frowned. "Brother Yun, why is that woman so formidable? It's not as though I've never seen a High-Grade Open Heaven cultivator in action. Her strength as a Sixth-Stage Open Heaven seems... excessively powerful."
Yun Zhenhua sighed. "You don't know the full story, Brother Yu. That madwoman once had an excellent chance of reaching High-Grade Open Heaven. But because of some matter, she rushed her advancement and ended up as a Sixth-Stage Open Heaven instead. Though Sixth-Stage is technically Mid-Grade, her foundation is still intact. As a result, below the High-Grade level, almost no one is her match."
"What matter could have made her give up the chance to reach High-Grade Open Heaven?" Elder Yu was stunned. Never mind the fact that Sixth-Stage was only one step from High-Grade—for a cultivator, that single step was like a chasm. Unless forced by dire circumstances, who would abandon such a promising future? True, it wasn't impossible for her to push further down the line, but that would require countless years and boundless effort, and the starting point would be different, limiting how far she could ultimately go.
Yun Zhenhua slowly shook his head. "I'm not entirely clear on that. It seems it was because of a man."
"Hmph!" Elder Yu let out a cold snort upon hearing this. "Sentiment saps a hero's spirit!" Something seemed to cross his mind, and his expression darkened with sudden melancholy.
Seeing this, Yun Zhenhua realized that Elder Yu had likely touched upon a sore subject. As it happened, Elder Yu himself had once stood on the threshold of Sixth-Stage Open Heaven. For the same reason—a matter of the heart—he had been forced to settle for Fourth-Stage. In that respect, he and the proprietress were rather alike.
...
Yang Kai carried Old Bai on his shoulders and followed the proprietress in silence, attracting the curious stares of numerous passersby along the way.
The proprietress said nothing, and Yang Kai didn't dare speak first. He felt a nagging sense of guilt. Today he had witnessed the proprietress's imposing authority in full force, but he hadn't expected things to escalate this far. He felt somewhat remorseful, wondering whether he had brought her any trouble.
A figure approached from the front—it was none other than Luo Haiyi.
Upon seeing Yang Kai in such a wretched state with Old Bai unconscious, Luo Haiyi gasped in alarm, covering her mouth. "Lord Yang, are you alright?"
Yang Kai shook his head. "I'm fine. Thank you for your help this time." If he hadn't sent Luo Haiyi to deliver the message, the proprietress wouldn't have arrived so quickly.
Luo Haiyi said, "I didn't do much. It was a small matter."
While the two were talking, the proprietress was getting further and further ahead. Seeing that she had no intention of stopping, Yang Kai hastily said, "Take this. I'll find you again later."
With that, he thrust three bottles into Luo Haiyi's hands and jogged to catch up with the proprietress.