After selling the Mystic Ice Fruit, Lin Mo had also traded several rare herbs that the original owner had cultivated.
Combined with his occasional lottery draws, his total assets had reached several million lower-grade spirit stones.
Right now, the only solution to this problem was money.
As the senior brother leading this mission, he was responsible for his junior sisters’ safety.
If he failed to bring them back, the punishment wouldn’t just come from Qingzhu Peak—the entire Qingling Sect would hold him accountable.
Everyone already knew this group of junior sisters was trouble, but Lin Mo hadn’t expected the situation to be this disastrous.
No wonder the other senior brothers had refused to take them along—the reason was painfully obvious now.
But Lin Mo wasn’t the type to take a loss.
Nothing comes for free.
The spirit stones he spent today—he would make sure to get them back from these girls later.
The “500,000 spirit stones” bid had been made on Lin Mo’s behalf.
Only those seated near him on the third floor knew it was his doing.
Their gazes toward him changed once again.
The chubby young man in purple sitting beside Lin Mo let out a hearty laugh.
“Quite the deep pockets, my friend! Fine, I’ll let you have this beauty. Consider it my way of making a new acquaintance.”
Then, he asked curiously,
“Which noble clan do you hail from, brother?”
Lin Mo didn’t bother replying.
He didn’t need to introduce himself to anyone.
The chubby young master’s face stiffened, but this was a regulated auction—causing trouble here was strictly prohibited.
Suppressing his frustration, he merely snorted coldly and turned away.
With no further bids, the auctioneer sealed the deal.
Qu Ruyan was taken offstage.
Xia He’s eyes dimmed even further.
She had no power to change what was happening.
The auctioneer then turned to Lin Mo, smiling.
“Sir, would you like to take her directly with you, or would you prefer to enjoy her in a private chamber?”
Lin Mo responded indifferently,
“Put her in the room prepared for me. I’ll retrieve her after the auction.”
The auctioneer grinned and quickly sucked up to him.
“Hah! As expected of you, sir! Just one girl wouldn’t be enough, would it?”
“Scram.”
“Understood!”
On the first floor, the auctioneer moved on to the next two girls—Xie Zhi’an and Xie Zhiqu.
“These two, like the previous girl, are also at the Qi Condensation tenth level.”
“However, they have a unique situation—they are both sisters, yet at the same time, they could be considered siblings of different genders.”
The crowd was puzzled.
Sisters?
Siblings of different genders?
How does that even make sense?
Sensing the confusion, the auctioneer smirked and deliberately kept the explanation vague.
“To make things more interesting, I won’t reveal the secret. Our esteemed guests are welcome to discover it for themselves—
I guarantee a thrilling surprise.”
This immediately piqued the interest of the guests.
Many turned their attention to Xie Zhiqu.
At first glance, she looked like a woman.
Her features were delicate, her figure elegant.
But was she truly a girl?
In the cultivation world, male furnaces were rare, but not unheard of.
Some people in the audience were particularly fond of such things.
For those who weren’t into such tastes, there was still the mystery to uncover.
If she was indeed a man, they wouldn’t mind experimenting.
Being stared at so intensely, Xie Zhiqu’s eyes filled with terror.
Xie Zhi’an, though weakened, forced herself to move, shifting to shield her sibling.
Her gaze turned ice-cold, sweeping across the predatory faces below.
Among the four, she was the least affected by the drug—or perhaps she simply had the strongest willpower.
Her cheeks were still flushed, but the killing intent in her eyes was unmistakable.
Some of the Qi Condensation cultivators in the audience actually flinched back under her gaze.
The auctioneer grinned and declared,
“No need to be afraid. From what I’ve observed, this elder sister has an extremely strong protective instinct toward her younger sibling.
She also has the fiercest willpower among the four.
So, out of the kindness of my heart, I’ve decided to auction this pair together.
Of course, if any guest wishes to separate them, I would be more than happy to discard my so-called humanitarian principles!”
“Starting price: 250,000 spirit stones!”
“Alternatively, they can be bid on separately at 125,000 spirit stones each!”
This price immediately eliminated all first-floor bidders.
Though they had no real chance of affording anything, they still enjoyed watching the show—
Whether it was gazing at the beauties or watching the noble heirs bid like madmen, it was entertainment nonetheless.
The bidding war escalated steadily.
Both sisters’ prices rose to 200,000 spirit stones.
Then, a Golden Core rogue cultivator suddenly placed a bid of 350,000 for Xie Zhiqu alone.
The bidder was an elderly man with white hair and sunken eyes, his aura sinister.
Several in the audience immediately recognized him.
“Isn’t that Elder Mei Du from the Blood Blade Sect?!”
“I heard he has… a certain ‘fondness’ for young men.”
“Yeah… he prefers those with delicate features. None who fall into his hands have ever remained… intact.”
“This old pervert is determined to take that one.”
Xie Zhiqu also noticed the elderly bidder.
The skeletal figure, the bulging eyes, the twisted smile—
A chilling terror seized her heart.
She trembled violently, her voice shaking.
“Sister… I’m scared!”
Xie Zhi’an held her brother close, her eyes burning with pure rage as she glared at Mei Du.
Yet, no matter how much she wished to kill him, she was helpless.
Mei Du let out a low chuckle.
“Quite the fierce little thing… But, little girl, I don’t care for women.
You and your brother will have to part ways.”
From 200,000 to 350,000 in a single bid—
The entire auction house fell silent.
Most bidders had only been driven by curiosity, not true desire.
To seriously spend such a high price on someone whose gender was in question?
Only those with certain… preferences would go this far.
More importantly, Mei Du was a well-known figure in the cultivation world.
A Golden Core perfection-stage expert, his legendary curved blade was rumored to have slain a Nascent Soul cultivator before!
Who would dare provoke such a man?
Who would spend even more just to offend him?
No one was that stupid.
Or so they thought—
Until a voice suddenly cut through the silence.
“80,0000 spirit stones for the sister pair.”
The entire hall erupted in shock.
Everyone turned to see who had made such a reckless bid.
Who was this lunatic throwing double the price for these two?
More importantly—
Did they really not fear Mei Du?
But Lin Mo’s seat was positioned deep inside the third floor, making it impossible for those below to see him.
However, Mei Du saw him clearly.
His bulging eyes gleamed, lips curling into a twisted grin.
“Oh my… what a fine young man. Truly exquisite…”
His gaze lingered on Lin Mo’s face.
Handsome features, pale skin, youthful elegance.
His tongue flicked over his lips.
“Wonderful… simply wonderful…”
Lin Mo’s face remained expressionless—
But inwardly, he felt sick to his stomach.
This old bastard… the way he’s looking at me is disgusting.
How the hell has this creep not ascended to the afterlife yet?!
Meanwhile, on the third floor, the chubby young master in purple turned to an older attendant beside him.
“Old Li, what’s that guy’s cultivation level?”
Though the young master was only at mid-Foundation Establishment, the older man beside him had far more experience.
After studying Lin Mo for a moment, he replied:
“Foundation Establishment perfection.
He could break through to the Golden Core stage at any moment.”
The chubby noble was shocked.
“Even so, how dare he go against someone like Mei Du?!”
The older attendant hesitated before speaking cautiously.
“It’s possible that this young man is from one of the Five Great Clans of the Upper Realm.”
The chubby noble scoffed.
“Hah! If he were from the Five Great Clans, why would he need to buy women from an underground auction?!”
The older man shook his head.
“Perhaps he is not from the main branch—only a side branch.”
The Five Great Clans of the Upper Realm—
Xiao, Ye, Lin, Chu, Han.
Even their side branches were not to be trifled with.
The chubby noble frowned, eyes narrowing toward Lin Mo.
“But he doesn’t have any bodyguards with him…”
The older man’s expression darkened slightly.
“They could be hidden.”
