Chapter 132: Prelude to the Auction

Zhang Guodong could not concern himself with affairs in the East; managing the chaotic mess in Dragon City on behalf of Ling Tianzhi was already enough to drive him to distraction.

Ling Tianzhi had been full of grand ambitions, determined to reform Dragon City, but the moment the Zhao family was brought into the fold, he had used every excuse to wash his hands of the matter, incidentally promoting Zhang Guodong in the process.

Despite the promotion, the old man was far from happy. There was too much to handle—suppressing public opinion, quelling various rumors, and stabilizing the situation in the city.

Because of this, he had warned Jiang Xiaotian: grab whatever you want on your own turf, but do not let anyone die. Conflicts among one's own people were easy to mediate, but if the East and Huaxia were involved, the trouble would be immense.

Jiang Xiaotian understood this well. He was no bloodthirsty maniac; why would he kill so casually? Besides, the people from the East were currently riding high and had brought a Divine Strength expert with them. It was unclear who would end up killing whom. Hadn't Jiang Xiaotian called Zhang Guodong specifically to ask for some support?

However, seeing how Zhang Guodong was barely keeping his own head above water, he decided against it. Divine Strength experts did not just appear on command, and Jiang Xiaotian did not want to add to his burden.

After hanging up, he reflected on the events that had just transpired. Eastern swordsmanship and blade arts were renowned, while the essence of Huaxia martial arts lay not in weapons, but in the strength of one's own body and the power of the martial path. Therefore, at the same rank, one was at a disadvantage against the Easterners.

In truth, it was no surprise that Furukawa Yui had lost to Jiang Xiaotian. The Dragon Clan’s secret arts were far beyond the capabilities of ordinary people, and when coupled with the Easterners' deep-seated, instinctive fear of the dragon, Jiang Xiaotian had held every advantage. If it had been any other practitioner of the middle stage of Internal Strength, it would have been difficult to gain the upper hand against Furukawa Yui; a moment of carelessness would have meant certain defeat.

Jiang Xiaotian did not sleep all night. He was too excited and curious—after all, this was his first time attending such an auction, and it would be a lie to say he wasn't stirred.

As a special invitee, Brother Long had gone to the venue early, specifically instructing the staff to guide Jiang Xiaotian so he would not get lost. Although it was only a little past seven in the morning, the hotel lobby was already packed with people waiting for the auction doors to open.

Jiang Xiaotian scanned the crowd. Even the lowest-level martial artists were at the middle stage of External Strength, and there were no shortage of those with Internal Strength. For the martial arts community of Jiangzhou, this would have been a monumental event—the arrival of even a single Internal Strength practitioner would have been enough to warrant a city-wide welcome, let alone this many. It was clear just how intense the interest in the Flowing Flower Path was.

Of course, there were also those who were not particularly strong but were wealthy, there to broaden their horizons or hunt for treasures; after all, anything worth auctioning was rarely mediocre. Aside from the martial artists, the rest were either staff or super-wealthy tycoons. Most of them were worth tens or hundreds of millions, and having brushed against the world of martial arts, many already employed martial artists as bodyguards. They understood the terror of these masters and came not only to make connections but to see if they could purchase a treasure or two. If they were lucky enough to buy something that caught the eye of a powerful master, they would gift it directly; the favor of a martial artist was far more valuable than money.

Jiang Xiaotian spotted many familiar faces in the crowd, including the Easterners led by Ito Hiroshi, and Chu Ran, who was draped over Li Xiaoqing. The latter seemed to notice him, smiling and waving without the slightest pretense of avoidance.

Li Xiaoqing, whether out of a sense of feminine shame or lingering sentiment for her cousin, did not mock him; she did not even glance his way. Jiang Xiaotian, naturally, ignored Yang Feng. In truth, among the enemies he was to face today, that guy was the most ridiculous, and he didn't hold him in the slightest regard. As for the Easterners, they were all eager and confident; Ito Hiroshi looked particularly radiant, likely believing the Flowing Flower Path was already his.

As the hour struck, the venue doors swung open. The crowd did not rush in but formed an orderly queue, entering group by group. Jiang Xiaotian soon noticed that the flow of people was very slow. Standing on his tiptoes, he saw that those at the front had to pass through rigorous security checks and identity verification, which was quite troublesome.

It took a long time for his turn to come. Seeing the preparations of those ahead, it seemed that even the money had to be prepared in advance. He quickly consulted those around him and learned that a martial arts auction was different from a normal one; one had to purchase chips beforehand, use the chips for bidding, and settle the difference afterward. Otherwise, if a powerful master came in, bought everything, and then didn't pay, what would happen? Thus, the money had to be paid upfront.

Jiang Xiaotian blinked. He hadn't brought any money with him. What was he to do?

When his turn arrived, the registration clerk looked at him and then proactively filled out the forms for him. Before Jiang Xiaotian could ask what was happening, the clerk handed him a card—a substitute for chips, with each card worth fifty million.

He was stunned, standing there in a daze. Seeing his reaction, the clerk asked, "Your name is Jiang Xiaotian, right?"

Jiang Xiaotian nodded, and she told him that was correct—someone had already paid the money for him.

Hearing this, Jiang Xiaotian had a flash of realization. He didn't need to think twice; it must have been Brother Long who had prepared everything for him. After all, no one else here would be so kind. Brother Long was truly generous—a fifty-million-dollar gesture. It had genuinely shocked him; he had never seen that much money in his life.

However, once he entered the main hall, he had no special privileges; he didn't even know where Brother Long was. The interior was incredibly luxurious, fully equipped with fine food, wine, and even beautiful attendants. Jiang Xiaotian, realizing he hadn't eaten breakfast, picked up a plate and began to select some food, figuring there was still plenty of time before the event began.

He hadn't even gathered much when he heard laughter behind him. He turned to find Yang Feng and his group. His eyes were full of mockery, looking at Jiang Xiaotian as if he were a beggar.

"A talent! Truly a talent! Everyone else who enters is busy making new friends, yet here you are, eating away at such a golden opportunity. As expected of Jiang Xiaotian—people from the boondocks really do have their own style!"

Li Xiaoqing shook her head, feeling mortified. "Jiang Xiaotian, the food is laid out here, do you see anyone else eating?"

"Why, can't I eat?" Jiang Xiaotian retorted, already annoyed by their presence.

Yang Feng nodded immediately. "You can! Of course! Eat up! Try to eat it all so this trip doesn't go to waste. Do you think this is a buffet?"

Jiang Xiaotian ignored him, walked away with his food, and found a seat to eat, completely indifferent to the gazes of others. Yang Feng kept mocking him from a distance, but Jiang Xiaotian remained unmoved. Finding it boring, Yang Feng eventually cursed a few times and took Li Xiaoqing to find seats elsewhere.

The others were, as Yang Feng had said, busy networking and making friends, so no one noticed the boy hiding in the corner eating—except for one woman.

"Jiang—Xiao—tian!" Jiang Xiaotian felt a weight on his shoulders and a familiar, fragrant breeze as a young woman pressed against his back. He didn't even need to look to know it was Ouyang Ziqian; knowing a woman by her scent was no myth.

Ouyang Ziqian clung to him like a koala, immediately drawing the attention of many. Unfortunately, Yang Feng and Li Xiaoqing were not there; they had run to the front to see the "big shots."

"Alright, alright, get off. There are so many people watching, and you're the young lady of the Ouyang family," Jiang Xiaotian coughed.

However, Ouyang Ziqian was not pleased. She pouted, looking aggrieved. "I have plenty of people chasing after me, you know. You're chasing me away—don't you miss me?"

It had to be said that as a woman, she was truly as gentle as water, capable of melting one to the bone. Even when her tone was unhappy, it sounded like a flirtatious tease.

"I do, I do!" Jiang Xiaotian couldn't handle her whispering in his ear and quickly pulled her to his side.

Ouyang Ziqian sat down beside him, hugging his left arm, looking perfectly content. "Hehe, it seems I came to the right place. Hmph, you used to call me 'Fairy Sister,' now you're so cold to me!" Ouyang Ziqian complained again. Her affection for Jiang Xiaotian was an open secret; not only the Ouyang family but every martial artist who had been in the city park that day knew a thing or two about it.

Yet, no one would say a word. A hero and a beauty—it was a perfect match. As for the martial artists who had come to protect Ouyang Ziqian, seeing that Jiang Xiaotian had her in his grasp, they dispersed to avoid being intrusive. They knew that at home, the young lady had been talking about Jiang Xiaotian for a long time.

"Oh, right, you must be hungry. I saw you took a pile of snacks—put those aside, I brought you something delicious!" Ouyang Ziqian excitedly pulled a lunch box from her small bag.