Lin Mo had no idea that the chubby young master in purple was overthinking things so much.
In a way, though, the fatty wasn’t entirely wrong.
Lin Mo was indeed a member of the Lin family, one of the Five Great Clans—but merely from a side branch.
However, neither the original owner of this body nor the current Lin Mo cared much about this connection.
In fact, his relationship with the Lin family was far from friendly.
As Qu Ruyan, Xie Zhi’an, and Xie Zhiqu were one by one taken away,
Xia He’s heart had completely crumbled.
It was all her fault.
Her arrogance, her recklessness—she had doomed her fellow disciples.
She deserved to die.
She truly deserved to die.
Even if someone miraculously came to save them all, it wouldn’t change the fact that she was to blame.
Even if she regretted everything now, it was far too late.
Meanwhile, Lin Mo was receiving a flood of Regret Points—and just by looking at Xia He’s expression, he immediately knew who was responsible.
Over 10,000 points?
This was the most he had ever extracted from a single person.
But really, this had nothing to do with him.
He had warned her.
He had done his part.
But Xia He refused to listen, insisted on jumping into a pit, and was now even handing him free Regret Points.
What was there to complain about?
The auctioneer’s voice suddenly rose with excitement.
“And now, our final lady of the night!”
“This one is truly extraordinary!”
“Rumor has it, she hails from none other than the renowned Xia Family of Jinling!”
A stir swept through the crowd.
A noble heir sitting on the third floor suddenly spoke up.
“Isn’t that the infamous Xia He? The eldest lady of the Xia Family?”
The moment he said this, his eyes gleamed with excitement.
Xia He recognized the voice instantly—
It was Chen Huai, the third son of the Chen Family, her family’s long-time rival.
He had pursued her relentlessly in the past, but she had always rejected him outright.
Her reason?
“You’re ugly, you’re only a dual spiritual root cultivator, and you don’t deserve me.”
That had crushed Chen Huai’s ego beyond repair.
Now, he threw his head back and laughed loudly.
“What an unexpected delight!
To think that I’d find you here, Xia He—
And to think, you’re nothing but an item for sale!”
Chen Huai didn’t care why Xia He had ended up in this situation.
It didn’t matter.
She was a product on display.
And as long as he bought her, she was his.
He could do whatever he wanted with her.
Even if he got bored, he could cripple her cultivation and sell her to the lowest brothels—
That was his right.
And would the Xia Family come seeking revenge?
Unlikely.
After all, he wasn’t the one who captured her—he was merely a buyer.
If the Xia Family wanted justice, they would have to go after Night Raid, not the Chen Family.
That was how the black market worked.
A purchased product belonged to its owner—no questions asked.
Xia He wanted to die.
If Chen Huai won the bid, it wouldn’t just be her dignity that was destroyed—
It would be a lifetime of suffering beyond imagination.
Yet, reality was cruel.
She didn’t even have the strength to kill herself.
And even if she did, Night Raid or her buyer wouldn’t allow it.
The auctioneer continued enthusiastically.
“In addition to her noble background, this fine lady is at the peak of Qi Condensation, only a step away from Foundation Establishment!”
“And, most importantly—she is a once-in-a-million Heavenly Spiritual Root cultivator!”
The crowd erupted.
A Heavenly Spiritual Root furnace who was on the verge of Foundation Establishment?
And on top of that, a stunning beauty?
She wasn’t just a pleasure tool—she was a top-tier cultivation resource.
Using her for dual cultivation wouldn’t just bring bodily pleasure, but would guarantee rapid breakthroughs in cultivation.
Who could resist?
After all—
This was the black market, not a place for righteous scholars or noble gentlemen.
No one here would spend a fortune to buy her just to return her to her family.
Even if the Xia Family offered better rewards, why would they care?
The allure of a Heavenly Spiritual Root was far greater than any wealth.
As expected, her starting price was astronomical.
“Bidding starts at 500,000 spirit stones!”
Even for the wealthy guests on the second and third floors, this was a significant amount.
However, such a valuable item was bound to attract fierce competition.
The noble heirs and rogue cultivators on the second and third floors immediately began bidding aggressively.
Chen Huai, in particular, was determined.
“One million spirit stones!” he shouted without hesitation.
The elderly man beside him hesitated and whispered,
“Young Master, your father might not be pleased if you spend that much.”
Chen Huai’s expression darkened with resolve.
“Even if he breaks my legs, I must win this bid.”
There was no way he would let this opportunity slip away.
He would buy Xia He, torture her, humiliate her, break her completely—
Until she became a pathetic, obedient little dog who couldn’t live without men.
Lin Mo casually sipped his tea, watching Chen Huai’s twisted expression.
He could already guess the vile thoughts running through the man’s mind.
Glancing at his own storage ring, he quickly checked his remaining spirit stones.
If the price went too high, he wouldn’t be able to afford it.
In that case…
Xia He’s fate would depend on her own luck.
After all—
She was the only one stupid enough to reveal her identity.
Out of the four girls, only she had proudly declared who she was, undoubtedly hoping to use her family name to scare off her captors.
Instead, it had backfired completely—
Raising her starting price significantly.
Lin Mo sighed internally.
“It’s not that I don’t want to help, but spirit stones aren’t unlimited, you know?”
Meanwhile, the chubby young master in purple had also joined the bidding.
“1.05 million!”
Oh?
Lin Mo raised an eyebrow.
It seemed even this guy couldn’t resist the temptation of a Heavenly Spiritual Root furnace.
After all, this same chubby noble had backed down earlier when Lin Mo bid 500,000 for Qu Ruyan.
Clearly, top-tier talent was just too irresistible.
For the rogue cultivators, however, none could keep up.
Even Mei Du, the infamous elder of the Blood Blade Sect, had only managed to bid 500,000 before reaching his limit.
Thus, the competition became a battle between noble families.
The chubby young noble was particularly stubborn.
When Chen Huai bid 1.3 million, he gritted his teeth and raised it to 1.5 million.
Chen Huai hesitated before adding another 50,000.
The chubby noble looked frustrated, but the middle-aged man beside him quickly stopped him.
“Young Master, we only brought 1.5 million spirit stones. We can’t bid any higher.”
Despite his reluctance, the chubby noble backed down.
Chen Huai sighed in relief.
If the price had gone any higher, he wouldn’t just lose a leg—he might get beaten to death.
But in the end, it was worth it.
Spending 1.55 million spirit stones for Xia He?
A bargain.
At that moment, Lin Mo raised a finger.
The attendant beside him swallowed nervously.
“Sir… three girls aren’t enough for you?”
Lin Mo shot him a cold glance.
“Less talking, more bidding. There’ll be a reward in it for you.”
The attendant immediately shut up, nodding eagerly.
This young master had already spent an absurd amount tonight—
And yet, he still wanted to spend more?
Clearly, he was incredibly wealthy.
Still, when Lin Mo whispered his bid amount, the attendant hesitated.
“Sir, the current bid is only 1.55 million. Are you sure you want to raise it by that much in one go?”
“If you raise it little by little, you might save some spirit stones…”
Lin Mo responded calmly,
“Just follow my instructions.”
The attendant no longer dared to argue.
After all, a man who could throw money around so effortlessly had to be someone important.
Taking a deep breath, he shouted the bid at the top of his lungs—
“2.5 million spirit stones!”
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Everyone in the auction hall froze.
Chen Huai turned to stare at Lin Mo, his face turning pale.
In that moment, he completely abandoned the idea of raising the bid.
2.5 million was no small amount.
If he insisted on competing, he could afford it—
But there was no guarantee that his father wouldn’t beat him to death when he returned home.
More importantly—
The young man who had bid 2.5 million looked completely unfazed.
Not a single trace of hesitation.
This meant he likely had far more wealth to spare.
In truth—
Lin Mo only had a little over 2.5 million spirit stones left.
He had barely scraped together this bid.
His calm demeanor?
Pure acting.
If he had raised the bid slowly, some of the other noble heirs might have gotten carried away and continued bidding.
By jumping straight to an overwhelming number, he eliminated the competition instantly.
And just like that—
No one dared to bid further.
Xia He was officially sold to Lin Mo for 2.5 million spirit stones.
Once she was taken away, Lin Mo finally stood up, revealing his identity.
He casually tossed a storage ring filled with spirit stones to the auctioneer.
“Count it. If everything’s in order, take me to my rooms.”
After confirming the amount, the auctioneer’s face lit up with a smile.
“Of course, sir! Please, follow me!”
The other guests murmured in shock.
They had not expected the winning bidder to be such a young man.
And more importantly—
He had bought all four girls at once.
Everyone was buzzing with curiosity about his true identity.
Among them, the chubby young noble, Mei Du, and Chen Huai all had different expressions as they watched Lin Mo leave.
Meanwhile, Xia He, Qu Ruyan, Xie Zhi’an, and Xie Zhiqu were held in separate rooms.
As Lin Mo followed the attendant, he asked,
“Do you have the antidote?”
The attendant’s eyes gleamed mischievously.
“Ah, sir… you want to ‘conquer’ them with your own strength?”
Lin Mo shot him a glare.
The attendant wisely shut up.
After rummaging through his belongings, he awkwardly admitted,
“I only have three antidotes… We don’t usually stock many because, well, most of our clients… don’t need them.”
Lin Mo took the three pills and nodded.
The attendant gestured toward the rooms.
“The rooms are arranged in the order you bought them. From left to right.”
After dismissing the attendant, Lin Mo entered Qu Ruyan’s room first.
She was curled up on the bed, her entire body flushed red.
When she saw Lin Mo, her voice was weak and hazy.
“Senior Brother… I feel… weird…”
Lin Mo sighed and patted her head gently.
“Swallow this. You’ll feel better soon.”
Qu Ruyan obediently took the antidote, her breathing gradually stabilizing.
Just as Lin Mo was about to leave for the next room—
He suddenly noticed something soft and furry on the bed.
Out of instinct, he grabbed and tugged at it.
“Yah!”
A delicate, breathy moan filled the room—
And Qu Ruyan suddenly collapsed into his arms.
Lin Mo looked down at the fluffy object in his hand—
And froze.
“…Wait. Is this… her tail?”
