The Youngest Prince of the Zhou Family - Chapter 15

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Youngest Master of the Zhu Family (15)

Two days had passed in a flash.

During that time, I was able to earn quite a bit of pocket money(?) as compensation for being Elder Sister’s sparring partner and helping her with her martial arts.

“Nice.”

I discreetly pulled out the bank notes I had tucked away.

There were three bank notes in total.

“Thirty thousand nyang.”

This was the reward I received from Ju Seung-kyung for three days of effort.

Usually, one nyang is enough to order noodles and a decent bottle of alcohol at an inn.

About twenty nyang would be enough for an ordinary family of four to survive for about a month if they saved as much as possible.

So then, just how large an amount is thirty thousand nyang?

You could buy a decent Small Estate, or build a three-story luxury inn in a good location and still have money left over.

But even these thirty thousand nyang were actually an insufficient amount to buy a Great Return Pill.

“Combined with my money, it should be roughly enough.”

After all, the Great Return Pill would be priced at whatever they wanted to charge.

Well, still, the auction hosted by the Golden Tiger Gang itself isn’t that big of an operation, so it should be fine, right?

If push comes to shove, I can just ask the Yu Family for help.

“Young Master, everything is ready.”

As soon as I left the training ground, Mu Ying approached me and whispered.

Last night, a message arrived from Jang Saeng, the general manager of the Golden Tiger Gang.

The auction would be held today.

Since I had intervened, it seemed they had opened the auction a bit earlier than planned.

“Alright, let’s go.”

The sun would set soon.

And that was exactly when the auction would begin.

I headed straight to Poyang Lake.

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* * *

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Northeast of Jiangxi Province, near Poyang Lake.

Even as evening came, the crowds at Poyang Lake showed no signs of diminishing.

No, rather, it could be said that things were just getting started.

The night at Poyang Lake was brighter than the day.

The red lanterns lit at the numerous pleasure houses nearby sparkled so brilliantly they were dazzling.

“…Hmm.”

As I began walking through the entertainment district, it wasn’t long before all sorts of courtesans came flocking to me.

“Hey there, handsome Young Master? Won’t you come play with us?”

“Oh my, you’re so dignified, how wonderful… would you like to have a drink with me….”

“I could show you something special….”

Brushing off their temptations while walking was quite an ordeal.

‘Blue Sea Pavilion.’

Somehow I escaped the entertainment district and entered a quiet alley.

Though there were fewer people than in the entertainment district, there were still quite a few people coming and going.

Among them, I approached the Blue Sea Pavilion visible in the distance.

This was the location where today’s auction would begin, as Jang Saeng had told me.

“Wait, who might you….”

A guard who had blocked my path looked at me and immediately widened his eyes.

Then he quietly lowered the hand that had been blocking me.

‘Did they talk about this in advance?’

I nodded and passed through the door.

The interior led straight from the door into a long corridor, and there was also a familiar figure standing in that corridor.

“Please come this way.”

It was Jang Saeng.

He was wearing a mask and led me toward a room.

“What are you doing?”

“Ah, there’s still a little time left before the auction begins.”

I quietly nodded at Jang Saeng’s words.

“Hehe, before that, I wanted to show you the item first….”

Along with those words, Jang Saeng pulled out a small wooden box.

It seemed to be for the purpose of determining whether this was really a Great Return Pill or not.

“Open it.”

Jang Saeng swallowed his saliva and slowly opened the wooden box.

When the wooden box opened, there was a round pill inside.

Usually, when people talk about spirit medicine, they spout nonsense about how some pure fragrance fills the room and just smelling it clears your mind….

That’s all bullshit from people who’ve never seen a real spirit pill.​

A blackish color, roughly formed into any old shape without care.

‘That’s right.’

I immediately recognized that spirit pill as a Great Return Pill.

It was even easier to judge because I had seen it in my previous life.

“That’s right. It’s a Great Return Pill.”

“Hmm… Young Master, have you ever seen a Great Return Pill in person before?”

Oh?

It seems he doesn’t trust my words.

“Why, don’t spirit pills usually have a fragrant aroma….”

“That’s all bullshit, so don’t believe it. It’s definitely a Great Return Pill.”

Though it looked really shabby on the outside, the efficacy of the Great Return Pill was truly remarkable.

‘That one pill contains two cycles of internal energy.’

Even ordinary people who haven’t cultivated internal energy are said to live long and healthy lives the moment they take a Great Return Pill.

Why else would it be called a treasure of Shaolin?

“Ahem, then trusting Young Master, shall we put this up for auction?”

“Yes. What will the starting price be?”

“If this is really a Great Return Pill, starting from ten thousand nyang….”

That’s a perfect amount.

I currently have a total of forty thousand nyang, combining the thirty thousand nyang I received from Elder Sister Ju Seung-kyung with my own ten thousand nyang.

If it starts at ten thousand nyang, it’s definitely worth competing for.

“Did you spread the rumors?”

“Yes, as you instructed, we properly spread rumors for two days. I don’t know for certain, but all the wealthy people in this Gangxi Territory must have flocked here.”

Saying that, Jang Saeng handed me something.

It was a half mask like the one he was wearing.

“What’s this?”

“Usually items that are hard to obtain are put up for auction here. Naturally, we can’t expose the identities of those who buy them.”

Well, this is an illegal auction to begin with.

I don’t know what kind of items will appear, but you can tell just by looking at Shaolin’s Great Return Pill.

“Good.”

I immediately took the mask.

Mu Ying also received a mask from Jang Saeng and put it on his face.

‘If the Blood Hand Poison Emperor makes a move….’

Of course, what I’m targeting here isn’t the Great Return Pill, but the Blood Hand Poison Emperor himself.

What method will that bastard choose?

Would they obediently appear here to bid in the auction?

Or would they follow whoever won the final bid for the Great Return Pill, kill them, and steal it?

‘If not that, then they’d kill everyone in this auction house.’

Hehe, either way, it was a good opportunity for me.

Thanks to Shaolin declaring their isolation at just the right time and fighting internally, one Great Return Pill had been released.

And with that, I could draw out one of the Twelve Demon Lords of the demonic path.

I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes.

After being tormented by Elder Sister for the past few days, I was quite tired.

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* * *

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The bell rang, and I got up from my seat and moved exactly as Jang Saeng had instructed.

When I opened the door and went out, several people were already sitting with masks on.

I also found a suitable seat and sat down.

There was a bidding token placed at each seat.

“Thank you all for waiting so long!”

The interior quickly filled with people.

And before long, a familiar fellow stepped up onto the platform.

It was Jang Saeng.

“The auction starting at our Blue Sea Pavilion is….”

As usual, the stage of explaining the auction house’s history and what kinds of items had been sold.

I let it go in one ear and out the other while observing my surroundings.

‘….’

My qi sensing was calm.

I wanted to confirm whether the Blood Hand Poison Emperor had indeed made a move, but it wasn’t time yet.

“Now, let’s bring in the first item!”

When Jang Saeng gestured, guards from the Golden Tiger Gang brought something out.

‘A sword?’

Anyone could see it was a sword.

It didn’t have fancy decorations, but instead it was a sword with an unusual shape.

‘I’ve seen this somewhere? What is it?’

Since the sword’s appearance was distinctive, there’s no way I wouldn’t remember it.

It was hazy.

“From the master craftsman! A masterpiece from Iron Martial Workshop of Jincheon, ‘Dark Night’! Starting bid begins at one hundred taels!”

The explanation was brief.

Rather, not attaching a long explanation seemed to guarantee the item’s value itself, which was reassuring.

‘Good at business.’

I realized anew that Jang Saeng’s business acumen was extraordinary.

I continued to focus on the auction.

Dark Night started at one hundred taels and sold for a total of one thousand three hundred taels.

When an item was won at auction, you would receive the item and pay after the auction ended.

After Dark Night, countless treasures appeared in the auction house.

‘Impressive.’

I was a bit surprised inside.

It was questionable how the Golden Tiger Gang could pick and bring such items so precisely.

‘The Eight Immortals Talisman from Sichuan Mysterious Gate, the Butterfly Secret Painting from Golden King Secret Pavilion… where do they get such things?’

Treasures that would make your jaw drop just hearing their names kept appearing.

Of course, I had no interest in such things whatsoever.

Finally, the end of the auction.

The guards cleared the platform, and Jang Saeng took out something with a grave expression.

“You’ve waited long. Let me introduce the final treasure of our Blue Sea Pavilion.”

The surroundings, which had been murmuring even slightly, became quiet all at once.

It seemed everyone knew what item was coming out this time.

“This is an item we barely managed to obtain from Songshan. The very treasure that even His Majesty the Emperor who rules this continent would find difficult to obtain… is here at Blue Sea Pavilion!”

With those words, Jang Saeng opened the wooden box and showed the Great Return Pill to everyone.

At that moment, the hall began to stir.

“That’s supposed to be a Great Return Pill? Really?”

“It looks shabby? Isn’t it fake?”

“Sigh, I’m an idiot for expecting anything. There’s no way it’s a real Great Return Pill.”

As expected, most didn’t believe it.

Jang Saeng paid no attention to the surrounding atmosphere and continued speaking.

“The starting bid begins at ten thousand taels!”

As soon as those words ended, tokens went up from various places.

Even if they didn’t believe it, the influence of the name “Great Return Pill” was tremendous.

In the blink of an eye, the auction price had already far exceeded twenty thousand taels.

“Thirty thousand.”

Only when the responses became sluggish did I raise my token.

Jang Saeng, looking at me, smiled imperceptibly.

“Yes! Thirty thousand taels! We have it! Anyone else? It’s the Great Return Pill, the famous Great Return Pill from Songshan!”

That’s when it happened.

“Forty thousand taels.”

A calm voice.

It was a voice with no emotional highs and lows, but one too familiar to me.

‘He’s come.’

The Blood Hand Poison Emperor.

It was definitely his voice.

I slightly turned my head toward the direction the voice came from.

In an instant, our eyes met.

He was looking at me too.

The opponent smiled at me.

Even though he wore a mask, I could fully recognize who he was.

How could I forget?

‘Blood Hand Poison Emperor.’

He was looking at me with a deep smile.

‘So he decided to bid after all?’

I had expected this to some degree.

The distance between this place and the Zhu Family Estate was less than half a hour.

If he caused a massacre to obtain the Great Return Pill in such a place, Father might move personally.

No matter how he was one of the Twelve Demon Lords, the Blood Hand Poison Emperor could never be a match for the Sword Master.

‘Can’t be helped.’

The Blood Hand Poison Emperor had finally revealed himself.

I picked up my token.

“Fifty thousand.”

At that sight, the Blood Hand Poison Emperor laughed loudly as if amused and raised his token.

“Sixty thousand.”

“Seventy thousand.”

Not to be outdone, I continued raising the amount.

At this unexpected competition, people inside the auction house began murmuring.

Seventy thousand taels was an enormous sum.

“Hmm.”

The Blood Hand Poison Emperor stroked his chin and put down his token.

Did this mean that anything above seventy thousand was too burdensome for him?

Time passed, and finally….

“Yes! Congratulations! The treasure from Songshan! Final winning bid of seventy thousand nyang!”

Jang Saeng looked extremely delighted.

In the end, the Great Return Pill came into my hands.

‘Give up just like that? Not a chance.’

Of course, the real beginning was starting now.

The Great Return Pill that would complete his Secret Technique had been stolen from him?

Given the Blood Hand Poison Emperor’s temperament, he would never just let this slide.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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