Jiang Chen suddenly felt a pang of shame. He had never thought much of Wei Xing'er, and it wasn't because of Ling Bi'er's earlier warning. It was because of Wei Xing'er's previous conduct — far too willful, far too venomous. She would resort to poison after only a few words.
She would stop at nothing to achieve her goals. Naturally, Jiang Chen had not been fond of her.
In truth, Ling Bi'er had not uttered a single bad word about Wei Xing'er. She had merely told Jiang Chen to be on guard. And she had been right, because Wei Xing'er had soon turned her schemes on him personally.
Back then, Wei Xing'er had truly been every bit the villainess.
However, times had changed. The great catastrophe of the Myriad Phenomena Region had given Jiang Chen the chance to see an entirely different side of Wei Xing'er.
Though Jiang Chen had saved many people from the Myriad Phenomena Region himself — rescuing a large number of young geniuses at the entrance to the Myriad Phenomena Extreme Realm, for instance — he had never once expected Wei Xing'er to do what she did.
Yet she had done exactly that.
They simply went about things differently.
As they spoke, the auction house gradually filled with guests. When the on-site host's voice rang out, the auction entered its warm-up phase.
"Prisoners from your Danqian Palace are a complicated matter. They wouldn't normally enter the market, let alone appear at an auction. But it seems that all the various factions place great value on your Danqian Palace right now. They all want to seize a few Danqian Palace disciples to force out the Myriad Longevity Pill formula."
Wei Xing'er explained, "The slave auction is the highlight of this event. But there definitely won't be any Danqian Palace people in it. Everyone's counting on Danqian Palace disciples to line their pockets. Even those who aren't after the Myriad Longevity Pill specifically would love to capture someone from Danqian Palace to lure you out. You must know how much of a bounty you're worth by now?"
Jiang Chen smiled faintly.
If these people truly thought that way, they were simply too naive.
If capturing a single Danqian Palace disciple could force Jiang Chen into the open, then he would have to be out of his mind. There were indeed quite a few people in Danqian Palace he cared about, but there were not many whose capture would leave him no choice but to show himself.
Some people he had absolutely no personal connection with. He would never throw caution to the wind for the so-called greater good of the sect.
That wasn't righteousness — that was stupidity.
"Miss Wei, you mentioned that Elder Wuhen of the Xiaoyao Sect retreated together with Palace Master Danchi and the others from Danqian Palace. Do you happen to have any news of them?"
Jiang Chen suddenly changed the subject.
Wei Xing'er shook her head helplessly. "If I had any news of Elder Wuhen, I would have gone to seek his protection long ago. He is the only person in the sect with true vision — far more broad-minded than that stubborn Sect Master."
Jiang Chen had a deep impression of Elder Wuhen. Back in the forbidden grounds of Huanbo Mountain, when he had obtained a Thousand Illusion Concealing Cloud Pine, this Elder Wuhen had relentlessly pursued him, deploying one scheme after another.
In the end, Jiang Chen had matched wits and strength against him until the Elder finally recognized the impossibility of the task and withdrew.
Speaking of Elder Wuhen, he was someone who knew when to press forward and when to let go. At critical moments, he could read the situation clearly — truly a remarkable figure.
But he, Palace Master Danchi, and the rest were all Sacred Realm powerhouses. Under relentless pursuit, how long could they hold out? Where were they now?
Jiang Chen genuinely broke into a sweat on their behalf.
Huang'er suddenly asked, "Miss Wei, I'm curious — we were all disguised. How did you recognize us? I'd like to think my skills in concealment are nothing to scoff at."
Jiang Chen had been wondering the same thing, though he had never asked.
Wei Xing'er gave a coquettish smile, her bewitching eyes settling on Huang'er with a hint of flirtation. "I'm afraid if I tell you, you won't be happy."
Huang'er chuckled softly and shook her head.
"All right, then I'll tell you. I, Wei Xing'er, was born with an extremely keen sense of smell. I'm especially sensitive to a man's scent. You have no idea how unique and unforgettable your particular scent is to me. Forget standing this close — even a few hundred meters away, I could probably pick it out."
In the world of martial arts, all manner of extraordinary talents existed.
Some were born with extraordinary vision and cultivated various eye techniques to supernatural effect. Others had extraordinarily keen hearing, sensitive to every sound and movement.
Naturally, there were those with a superior sense of smell — born with an exceptional nose.
Who would have thought that Wei Xing'er possessed such a unique gift? Applied to the path of alchemy, this kind of talent was indeed like having divine assistance.
In alchemy, whether identifying spiritual medicines or appraising pills, a keen sense of smell was an extremely important tool.
Just as they were speaking, the auction's warm-up drew to a close, and the event officially began.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the monthly auction at the Dragon Phoenix Restaurant. As always, this auction is divided into two segments: the item auction and the slave auction."