But unfortunately, what Hua Jian offered was just too much.
Small merchandise personally made by a saintess—that was a one-of-a-kind thing in this world. How could anyone refuse it?
That witch Hua Jian had a firm grip on her bottom line.
“Fine… Fine!”
…
While the Heavenly Demon Sect was robbing people on the road in the Ice Snow Camp, Hua Jian was in a warm room learning how to make cloth dolls with the little sister.
Everyone really did have a bright future ahead.
And so, time flew by for over ten days. In the blink of an eye, it was time for the Secret Realm Qualification Auction Assembly to begin.
The Heavenly Demon Sect had also come knocking twice, asking Ten Thousand Flowers Valley to help process the storage pouches they had looted.
After Hua Jian had enlightened her, Hua Xinhu finally had a breakthrough and conceded some profits when dealing with the Heavenly Demon Sect.
Originally, without Hua Jian’s interference, she would have taken a sixty percent cut.
But now that the Heavenly Demon Sect was a repeat customer, she would reduce it by half a percent.
Consider it a favor to Hua Jian, giving the Heavenly Demon Sect a small discount.
As for the price of these discounts, the Heavenly Demon Sect naturally had to deposit their spirit stones in full into Ten Thousand Flowers Valley’s accounts.
During these ten-plus days, Hua Jian also began to swindle money from the Heavenly Demon Sect.
Instead of just listening to intelligence from mid-level cultivators, or judging how many spirit stones certain individuals had based on one-sided accounts, or figuring out who were the truly threatening competitors this time.
Hua Jian knew that Youye would want these good things, so she directly raised the price by fifty percent.
Faced with the inflated intelligence prices, Youye was suspicious about why the price had become so high, but since she was using the sect’s account anyway, she didn’t hesitate too much in buying.
After obtaining the intelligence, Youye felt it wasn’t a bad deal.
The information provided by Ten Thousand Flowers Valley was quite detailed, even marking roughly how many spirit stones certain Demonic Cultivators would bid for the qualifications.
Ten Thousand Flowers Valley wasn’t ripping people off this time. This intelligence might even be what Ten Thousand Flowers Valley was using themselves.
To prepare for the upcoming auction, Youye led the Heavenly Demon Sect members to arrive at the temporary camp early and occupied a decent piece of land.
Other Demonic Cultivators did the same, and for a time, the temporary camp was packed with people.
Just as these Demonic Cultivators were racking their brains over how to snatch the spots, a group of cultivators from the Southern Region was flying across the snowy plains outside Frozen Winter City at an extremely fast speed, heading straight for the city.
Moreover, their destination wasn’t the City Lord’s Mansion of Frozen Winter City, but the area outside the auction house where Ten Thousand Flowers Valley and the Qian Family’s envoys were.
To avoid any unexpected situations, Hua Jian and Qian Feixue both came to the scene in person.
Hua Jian was a cute newbie little sister. She said she wanted to broaden Qian Feixue’s horizons and pulled her out of the Qian Family.
Qian Feixue had refused at first, but when Hua Jian said she could come along for the fun, she was coerced. Now, being a follower by Hua Jian’s side, she was quite happy.
“Why does it feel a bit cold?” Standing in the clear, transparent hall where one could see the ground at a glance, Hua Jian involuntarily shrank her neck and shivered.
She was wearing the uniform of the Ten Thousand Flowers Saintess. Without being fully activated, the Ten Thousand Flowers Saintess robe wasn’t very effective.
“In this environment, can’t you put in some heating equipment? Isn’t this like holding a meeting on a huge block of ice?”
“Everyone who comes here is a powerful Lingwang Boundary cultivator. What’s a little chill?” Qian Feixue said that if she was afraid of the cold, she shouldn’t come.
If she was going to fight for her life in the Secret Realm, how could she be afraid of some cold air?
“That’s so heartless of you to say. Don’t you think about others? How are you going to get along in society like this? Your future prospects of running for city lord are worrying.”
As Hua Jian muttered, on the auction stage not far away, Hua Xinhu was already wearing a Falling Petals Dress, which, set off by her figure, looked quite charming.
Yes, the host of this auction was none other than Ten Thousand Flowers Valley’s strongest combatant in the temporary camp: Hua Xinhu!
Having her as the host was partly because Hua Jian thought it would let Hua Xinhu show her face, so that everyone wouldn’t only focus on her, a single demoness.
Secondly, Hua Xinhu was strong enough to suppress any dissent among the Demonic Cultivators. If something unexpected happened, Hua Xinhu could handle it quickly.
Hua Xinhu had no objection to this request from Hua Jian; in fact, she was even a little happy.
By the way, that Falling Petals Dress she was wearing probably had a built-in effect.
Pale pink petals kept floating around Hua Xinhu, making her look like she wasn’t a demonic cultivator from Ten Thousand Flowers Valley.
With that aura, many people would believe she had run away from a Saint Sect.
This made Hua Jian very unhappy. Why was Hua Xinhu’s Spiritual Garment so normal, while hers looked like something no upright person would wear?
It wasn’t fair!
But no matter how unfair she felt, there was nothing she could do.
The Valley Master of Ten Thousand Flowers thought it was perfectly reasonable. Could she go argue with the Valley Master?
“The Heavenly Demon Sect is trying to buy that side. I’m going to go over and take a look.” After making a round in the Ice Crystal Hall and finding no problems, Hua Jian decided to leave early.
Youye really wanted to meet Hua Jian. Hua Jian had already seen her when she came by yesterday.
Now was the time.
“Do you want me to send someone to protect you?”
“No need. They wouldn’t dare lay a hand on me, and besides, I’m not afraid of them making a move.” Hua Jian shook her head.
The Heavenly Demon Sect would have to be crazy to make a move at a time like this.
Did they think Hua Xinhu was easygoing, or did they think a few Lingwang cultivators could kidnap her and escape under the noses of a bunch of other Lingwangs?
Hua Jian’s current strength hadn’t reached the Lingwang level, but for people who feared death, even attacks formed by Lingwang-level spirit formations couldn’t harm her.
She got into the carriage that had come to pick her up.
As for Qian Feixue… she still had her contracted spirit beast lazing around in her Godsoul Space. If something really happened, she could still fight.
“See you~” Hua Jian said goodbye to Qian Feixue and turned into petals, disappearing in the hall.
Of course, Qian Feixue could still see Hua Jian’s figure, watching her fly down from where she had just come up.
After all, the floor here was a physical obstacle. Hua Jian couldn’t just crash through the ice crystal platform in front of her and fly out.
…
Tomorrow was the day of the Secret Realm spot auction. Youye was a bit nervous.
Even though she knew that among the many forces, the Heavenly Demon Sect’s auction funds should be enough to buy two spots, she was afraid of encountering some strong competitors.
She was afraid of the old uncertainties.
She feared that some Cheng Yaojin would suddenly appear halfway and disrupt her original plans.
She had calculated many times. The current funds in hand could only afford three of the highest-tier spots. For this operation, having only three people enter was far from enough.
They had quite a number of people here. If they could secure a few more spots, their advantage in the Secret Realm would be even greater.
But that might require making trade-offs elsewhere.
For example, reducing one highest-tier spot… Youye didn’t know if such a trade-off would be a loss, and it made her very anxious.
Asking Hua Jian for help was also a sign of her desperation, trying any remedy.
But Hua Jian didn’t agree to her meeting request. Perhaps Hua Jian thought she had no value now?
Just as Youye was feeling frustrated, one of her subordinates suddenly burst into the tent she was staying in. “Ten Thousand Flowers… Ten Thousand Flowers Saintess…”
Seeing her subordinate’s breathless appearance, Youye couldn’t help but frown, her mood growing more irritable.
“What about the Ten Thousand Flowers Saintess? Is she dead?” Feeling angry, she asked harshly.
Before the subordinate could answer, a wisp of faint floral fragrance accompanied by pink petals flashed into Youye’s room.
Almost instantly, Youye’s room was covered in a layer of petals, as if preparing for someone’s arrival.
Footsteps of someone walking on petals sounded outside the tent. A girl dressed in pink stepped on petals and entered Youye’s dwelling.
The hem of her skirt fluttered for a moment in the eyes. “Oh my, so Miss Youye hates me that much? Just watch, next time I won’t come to help~”
“You…” Youye’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe the pink-skirted girl in front of her. This time, Hua Jian had actually come in person?
Right, tomorrow was the auction. It wasn’t surprising that Hua Jian, the mastermind behind the scenes, had arrived early.
Still, she asked cautiously, “This time, it’s really you?”
Hua Jian gave a faint smile. “Perhaps. After all, the Saintess is just a piece of clothing, not that person. Anyone with a similar appearance to me who wears this outfit becomes the Ten Thousand Flowers Saintess.”
To Youye, this answer sounded like Hua Jian was talking nonsense.
How could there really be someone in this world with the exact same figure, face, and even the same flower bud hair ornament on top of her head?
But Hua Jian insisted it was the truth, so she had to believe it was true.
Ten Thousand Flowers Valley’s methods could easily produce a few substitutes similar to Hua Jian’s appearance.
In dangerous places, they could be used to take Hua Jian’s place and be consumed.
“Alright, enough of that. Tell me why you wanted to see me.”
Hua Jian sat down opposite Youye very familiarly, reached out to take the small teapot Youye had on the table, and poured herself a cup of tea.
“After what we discussed earlier, I’ll cut straight to the point. This stuff—you people drink it? Your Heavenly Demon Sect sure has expensive tastes.”
“If you don’t have good tea, I can give you some.”
“No need. I prefer this flavor.” Youye shot a glance at her flustered subordinate, signaling him to leave the tent and go outside.
What she was about to discuss with Hua Jian wasn’t suitable for others to hear.
After the subordinate left the tent, she cleared her throat and told Hua Jian about her current dilemma.
She had no other choice. It was desperation that drove her to seek Hua Jian’s help.
“Tomorrow is the auction. It’s not like she can go rob another rich household tonight.”
“Is your Heavenly Demon Sect this poor financially? I admit the base price for these spots is a bit high for Lingwang level cultivators, but your Heavenly Demon Sect is a major Demonic Sect. You can’t even afford this many spirit stones?”
“Ordinary Lingwang cultivators don’t have an easy time getting that many spirit stones, but your Heavenly Demon Sect is a major Demonic Sect!”
“How can you not afford such a small amount? Just go out and rob some!
“Look at the other Demonic Sects that came. Which one is as stingy as your Heavenly Demon Sect? They can bid for three spots. The rest of their people only need three spots. You bid for three spots and still have some spirit stones left—are you really able to bid for these three spots?”
“This…”
“With your financial situation, to be blunt, don’t even think about competing for the best position. You can’t outbid the other Demonic Sects.” Hua Jian shook her head, her tone full of contempt for the poor.
“Hey, I’m wondering, did the Heavenly Demon Sect not allocate any operation funds to you?”
As soon as she said that, Hua Jian saw Youye’s expression darken even more.
Wow, so they really didn’t allocate any operation funds. No wonder these Heavenly Demon Sect cultivators were out robbing people on the road.
Tsk, tsk. This Heavenly Demon Sect was truly impressive.
This was a matter of life and death for the Venerables, and they didn’t even give out operation funds. That was absolutely ridiculous.
“Want the horse to run but not let it eat grass. Tell me, what’s the point of staying in the Heavenly Demon Sect?”
The corner of Hua Jian’s mouth curled into a mischievous smile as she rubbed salt in the wound.
“Speaking of which, last time in the Secret Realm, you were alone too, right? If you hadn’t been lucky enough to get that treasure, wouldn’t you have left your life in there?”
“Shut up. Don’t say anymore…” Youye interrupted Hua Jian angrily. But what she said was only…
“I’m just… just… just using you as a consumable?” Hua Jian marveled at Youye’s background inwardly, while continuing to fan the flames beside her.
“At a time like this, you can’t even… The Heavenly Demon Sect’s First Genius Venerable? That First Genius Night herself has a high position, so how did she end up like this?”
“Are you living well yourself? Weren’t you also alone in that Secret Realm back then?”
“My mission wasn’t to snatch food from a tiger’s mouth. I just had to accompany that Saintess Miss, play around, and make her happy. Compared to your mission, mine was way too easy.”
Youye bit her lip. At that moment, she truly realized the disparity in the world.
She really was pitiful!
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