Yan Jing and Director Ouyang were engaged in a subtle verbal sparring match, which Shi Pengpeng found rather dull.
Seeing that the auction was about to begin, she decided to get up and head to the restroom.
At this time, the restroom was nearly empty, with only one elegantly dressed woman touching up her makeup in front of the mirror.
Shi Pengpeng paid no mind and stood two sinks away from the woman.
Just as she was about to turn on the faucet, she suddenly heard a scream from beside her: “Ah!! Toad-“
The woman, caught off guard, was so startled that she reflexively threw her powder compact forward and leaped backward in panic.
She was wearing a pair of stiletto heels at least ten centimeters high.
In her haste, she lost her balance, twisted her ankle, and began to fall backward.
“Ah—”
At the critical moment, a strong arm appeared just in time, catching her firmly by the waist and back.
“Are you okay?” Shi Pengpeng helped her steady herself and glanced concernedly at her foot.
“I-I’m fine…” the woman stammered, her face pale as she gasped for breath, still shaken.
“That really scared me!”
Shi Pengpeng asked, “Where’s the toad?”
The woman was momentarily confused, a look of bewilderment crossing her face.
“What toad?”
“Huh?” Shi Pengpeng was puzzled.
“Didn’t you see a toad?”
“No…” The woman was even more confused.
“What are you talking about?”
Shi Pengpeng: “Then why were you so scared?”
The woman paused mid-sentence, then let out a soft “Huh?” as if trying to recall.
“What was I just doing?”
She then smacked her forehead and laughed, “Oh, it was nothing. I just slipped and scared myself.”
Shi Pengpeng: =.=
The woman’s calm demeanor suggested she wasn’t lying.
It seemed she had already forgotten the scream she had let out moments ago.
Shi Pengpeng sensed something unusual but didn’t show it.
She simply smiled and said, “That’s good.”
She then turned around and walked over to the sink where the woman had been standing.
Looking down, she saw the faucet was slightly open, with a thin stream of water flowing.
A toad, no larger than a palm, was sitting in the sink, quietly letting the water wash over its body.
The toad was quite peculiar.
It had only three legs, its body was smooth and jet black, and there were two swirl-like folds on its head.
The glands on its body weren’t the usual disgusting bumps but rather a series of patterns arranged in a special order across its back.
Shi Pengpeng acted as if she hadn’t noticed anything and reached out to turn off the faucet.
The toad, displeased at having its bath interrupted, turned its head and looked at her with its bulging eyes, its throat puffing out as it croaked, “Ribbit-“
As soon as it croaked, the faucet turned on by itself, and the thin stream of water resumed.
The toad shook its head triumphantly and continued its bath.
Shi Pengpeng couldn’t help but find it amusing.
She didn’t bother arguing with it and instead pulled a tissue from under the mirror.
As she wiped her hands, she casually asked, “Where did you come from?”
The toad paused its showering and looked at her, its bulging eyes widening noticeably.
At first, it had thought the girl was so calm because she couldn’t see it.
But now it realized not only could she see it, but she wasn’t the least bit afraid and even dared to speak to it.
However, this clearly wasn’t the first time the toad had encountered such a situation.
It immediately raised its head and stared directly at her, its black throat puffing out as it prepared to respond.
After a few moments, a faint glow appeared in the toad’s eyes.
The demonic aura of the creature spread like water, condensing into a thin mist that invaded Shi Pengpeng’s spiritual core.
Unfazed, Shi Pengpeng casually formed a hand seal, and the essence of yang fire, like the sun’s rays, instantly burned away the hazy demonic mist.
The toad’s beady eyes widened, and it croaked, “Ribbit-“
Realizing it had encountered a mage, the toad made a swift decision.
With a powerful leap, it jumped into the sink and, with astonishing agility, hopped out of the restroom.
“Running away, are you?” Shi Pengpeng snorted lightly, grabbing two yellow talismans as she quickly followed.
The woman who had been fixing her makeup earlier was still dazed.
Only after the toad and Shi Pengpeng left the restroom did she suddenly snap out of it and said: “Ah, there was a toad”
Just then, another person entered the restroom and, hearing this, was startled and started asking:
“Where? Where’s the toad?”
“Right there” The woman pointed to the sink where she had been fixing her makeup.
“Huh? It’s gone?”
The sink was now empty, with no sign of the toad. Instead, the faucet had somehow been turned on, and a thin stream of water was continuously flowing.
The black toad was incredibly fast and seemed quite familiar with the layout of the venue.
In no time, it had disappeared from sight.
Fortunately, Shi Pengpeng had captured a trace of its aura during her earlier spell.
She immediately lit a tracking incense and followed the direction of the smoke, eventually arriving at a small garden behind the venue.
The auction was about to begin, and everyone was inside the venue, leaving the garden empty.
The only sound was the gentle gurgling of the small fountain in the center.
“Ribbit-Ribbit-” The muffled croaks of the toad echoed around, and then the croaks transformed into a rough male voice.
“You little mage, how bold of you to chase after me. Don’t blame me for being ruthless.”
The water from the fountain shot up, forming a thick water dragon that roared as it lunged at Shi Pengpeng.
“If you’re ruthless, then so am I!” Shi Pengpeng raised her hand, and the yellow talismans soared into the air.
The talismanic energy surged, shattering the water dragon in an instant.
The exploding water droplets turned into a torrential downpour, falling in all directions.
The mist slipped through the gaps in the talismanic energy, forming thin threads that seemed to be drawn toward the talismans in the air.
Unnoticed, the talismans became damp from the moisture, and the cinnabar began to blur, weakening the talismanic energy.
“Little mage, you think you can capture me? You’re far from ready… Aah—”
The toad’s voice was abruptly cut off as the talismans in the air spontaneously ignited.
The flames rose, and the essence of yang fire spread like a tide, instantly evaporating the surrounding mist.
“With one talisman, the demon reveals itself—” Shi Pengpeng pointed with two fingers again, and this time, the yellow talisman appeared directly in the fountain’s pool.
In the next moment, it was as if a red lotus had bloomed in the pool.
The yellow talisman burned fiercely in the water.
The flames, unquenchable by water, flowed like liquid, turning the green water into a rosy hue, creating a stunning spectacle.
The temperature in the fountain rose rapidly, and soon the water began to boil, bubbling with a “gurgling” sound.
But other than that, there was no other movement in the fountain.
“Strange…” Shi Pengpeng muttered to herself.
The water was boiling, yet the toad showed no signs of activity.
Could she have been mistaken?
Was the toad not in the water after all?
With a flick of her fingers, she held a talisman and walked to the fountain, slowly leaning over to peer into the pool.
Beneath the water and fire, the bottom of the pool was pitch black, showing nothing unusual…
Wait, something was wrong!
The bricks of the pool wall were clearly blue, so how could the bottom be black?!
Shi Pengpeng’s heart skipped a beat, and she reacted swiftly, taking two steps back.
At the same time, the pitch-black “pool bottom” rose into the air like a giant black cloth, descending to envelop her.
Shi Pengpeng remained calm, steadying her stance, and with her left hand, she pushed the talisman forward, instantly freezing the “black cloth” at arm’s length.
“Guagua “
The “black cloth” pulsated, emitting a thunderous croak.
But it was no ordinary black cloth-it was a toad that had transformed itself into the size of a hill, leaping up in an attempt to crush Shi Pengpeng with its massive body.
The so-called “black cloth” was actually the skin of the toad’s belly.
However, the toad never expected Shi Pengpeng to possess such strength, able to block it even in that critical moment.
With her right hand still free, she flipped her wrist, pulling out a lipstick and quickly drawing on the toad’s belly.
As the talisman took shape, the toad realized something was amiss.
Its belly quivered, and it let out a terrified croak, “Gua gua—”
Its limbs frantically clawed at the ground, trying to escape, but it was already too late.
The spell was complete, and the cinnabar on its belly glowed, forming a powerful binding that tightly restrained it.
The spell tightened more and more until, with a “pop”, the hill-sized toad exploded into a mist of water.
It turned out this wasn’t the toad’s true form but merely an illusion it had conjured from water vapor.
The hazy mist dissipated like smoke, leaving nothing behind no trace of the toad, nor its presence.
Shi Pengpeng furrowed her brow slightly and reignited the tracking smoke.
However, the drifting smoke merely swirled in the air before fading away, unable to trace the toad’s path of escape.
This was strange.
Could the toad have vanished into thin air?
She was deeply puzzled and searched the area, but the garden had returned to its usual tranquility, with the fountain and greenery as normal as ever.
Only the cement ground beneath her feet was damp from the mist that had fallen earlier.
Upon closer inspection, in the center of the wet patch was a faint black ink stain, roughly the size of a palm, shaped like the toad.
It was as if the toad had dipped itself in ink and stamped the ground.
Shi Pengpeng crouched down, using a talisman to dab at the ink stain.
She observed that the ink spread on the paper just like ordinary ink, with nothing unusual about it.
Just as she was lost in thought, her phone vibrated.
The auction was about to begin, and Yan Jing, noticing her prolonged absence, had called to check on her.
Shi Pengpeng had no choice but to set aside her confusion and return to the venue.
“Why did it take so long?” Yan Jing asked with concern as soon as she sat down.
“Is everything alright?”
“There was…” Shi Pengpeng began but stopped herself.
She remembered Yan Jing had important matters to attend to later, and it was best not to distract him with tales of supernatural creatures at this moment. S
he shook her head, “Nothing.”
“Really?” Yan Jing sensed the abrupt change in her tone and gave her a suspicious glance.
After a brief pause, he still leaned in closer, unable to shake his unease.
“Go,” he whispered softly, “If you’re feeling unwell, just say so. I can have someone take you to rest or get you a cup of hot water?”
Shi Pengpeng in her mind thinking: ‘Where is this guy’s imagination running off to? And why has the young master suddenly become so considerate? It’s quite unsettling, actually.’
Shi Pengpeng couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time, “Really, I’m fine.”
As they spoke, the auction officially began.
This auction house truly lived up to its reputation as an industry leader, starting off with several priceless antique collections.
Yan Jing had a clear goal in mind and showed little interest in these items, not raising his paddle once for quite some time.
On the other hand, Shi Pengpeng occasionally marveled at the prices, which amused Yan Jing.
He leaned in closer to her ear and began explaining the knowledge behind those antiques in a soft voice.
Having grown up in a family involved in this trade, he had absorbed a lot of information over the years.
Now, he was exceptionally patient, speaking in a gentle and detailed manner.
Shi Pengpeng was listening intently when she suddenly noticed a staff member entering through a side door, carrying a tray with a long, pitch-black sword.
Her spirits lifted, and she quickly turned to remind him, “Brother, the Zigan sword…”
Their heads were already quite close, and Yan Jing, wanting her to hear clearly, was still facing her direction.
As she turned, they ended up face to face, their noses brushing ever so slightly.
It was light, like the touch of a feather, carrying a faint tickle.
“Uh…” Shi Pengpeng paused, hesitated for a moment, then silently moved her head back a bit, chuckling awkwardly, “Brother, your nose is quite high.”
Yan Jing: “…..”
The warmth in his ears instantly faded.
He closed his eyes briefly, then chose to smile, “Thank you for the compliment. Let’s focus on the auction.”
“Oh, right.” Shi Pengpeng quickly shifted her attention back to the stage, “The main event is here.”
On the stage, the auctioneer began introducing the Zigan sword:
“The Zigan sword has been passed down since the Northern Song Dynasty. It measures three feet nine inches in length, one and four-tenths inches in width, and three and a half tenths in thickness, with a nine-inch end.”
“Those in the mystical arts believe this sword to be a yin-yang treasure. If placed in a tomb, it can assist the deceased in achieving immortality…”
Down below, Shi Pengpeng silently recited an incantation, her fingertips subtly pointing towards the dark sword.
As the incantation resonated, a look of joy appeared on her face, “Brother, this sword is genuine, truly a top-tier magical artifact!”
“That’s good.”
Yan Jing also breathed a sigh of relief.
“However…” Shi Pengpeng glanced worriedly towards the other side of the venue.
Sitting there, Director Ouyang seemed to sense something and turned to look over.
Their eyes met, and Director Ouyang gave a refined smile, pointing towards the Zigan sword on the stage, exuding an air of determination.
Shi Pengpeng sighed, “Brother, it seems you’ll have to spend a fortune today.”
“Hmm.” Yan Jing had already prepared himself mentally and simply said, “Money is just an external possession.”
“True, compared to money, safety is more important.” Shi Pengpeng agreed wholeheartedly, “And with your abilities, earning it back won’t be difficult.”
Yan Jing chuckled, “You seem to know a lot?”
“Of course, even if I haven’t eaten pork, I’ve seen pigs run. After all, you’re the CEO of Cat’s Paw. I have a lot of confidence in you.” Shi Pengpeng gave him a firm look, mixed with a bit of emotion, “Once you have this sword, I won’t need to keep following you around, and you’ll save a lot of trouble…”
Yan Jing:”…..”
Is this really about saving trouble?
Can’t she think of something better?
At this moment, the auctioneer finally finished the introduction and announced the starting price for the Zigan Sword.
“The starting bid is one million.”
From the side, Director Ouyang raised his paddle and called out, “Two million.”
After speaking, he turned his head with a sense of interaction, glancing at Yan Jing and gesturing a “please” to signal him to bid.
Yan Jing pretended not to see it, sitting coldly without moving.
Shi Pengpeng thought he was still evaluating the price and whispered, “Brother, how much are you planning to add first?”
Yan Jing replied expressionlessly, “Zero.”
“What?” Shi Pengpeng thought she had misheard.
“How much?”
“Zero,” Yan Jing repeated, glancing at her from the corner of his eye, his voice calm.
“The starting price is too high, it’s beyond the budget. I’m not buying.”
Shi Pengpeng: ???
Wait, seriously?
The CEO of the country’s top video platform, and a price of one million is already over budget?
Shi Pengpeng thought for a moment and said, “But the salary you’ve paid me over this period is almost three hundred thousand.”
“Exactly. Saving,” Yan Jing looked at her, letting out a helpless chuckle.
“Because keeping you by my side is expensive, so I have to save elsewhere.”
Shi Pengpeng: “……”