allonlinenovel Chapter 303 Special Rules
Chapter 303 Special Rules
Chapter 303 Special Rules
After the two old men were subdued, the battle between Gan Ran and Sikong Nong quickly came to a conclusion. Without the two old men in black holding them back, Gan Ran and Sikong Nong no longer held back. Gan Ran unleashed her Thunderflame Palm technique to its fullest extent, sending bursts of thunderous flames hurtling towards their enemies. Each burst of flame was followed by a nearly transparent ice spike, no more than three inches long—thinner than a chopstick tip. Enemies struck by the flames had to defend against both the scorching fireballs and the steel-thin ice spikes that followed. Gan Ran and Sikong Nong, having been partners for decades, had developed an unparalleled synergy in battle. Gan Ran's supremely powerful and yang-like Thunderflame Palm, combined with Sikong Nong's insidious ice spikes, often caught their opponents completely off guard.
Furthermore, Gan Ran and his companion were already at the peak of the second level of the Heavenly Rank, while their opponents were only at the early stage of the Heavenly Rank and the middle stage of the second level, plus the assistance of three peak Earthly Rank warriors. These three peak Earthly Rank warriors were at most equivalent to the early stage of the Heavenly Rank, and that would require perfect teamwork. Two early-stage Heavenly Rank warriors could at most barely hold their own against an early-stage second-level Heavenly Rank warrior, but wouldn't suffer a crushing defeat. Therefore, without external interference, these five people were simply no match for Gan Ran and his companion.
Just after the two old men in black were defeated, the five attackers all fell. None escaped the combined attack of Gan Ran and his companion. The three peak Earth Rank cultivators didn't even have a chance to retaliate before being killed instantly by Gan Ran's lightning flames. The two Heaven Rank cultivators barely managed to break through the lightning flames, but couldn't avoid Sikong Nong's icy spikes. The early Heaven Rank cultivator was pierced through the heart by the icy spike, critically injured and on the verge of death. The second Heaven Rank cultivator fared slightly better; although he reacted quickly and avoided a fatal blow to the chest, a fist-sized hole was pierced through his left shoulder, which was frozen solid by the cold air, leaving the entire left side of his body numb. His cultivation level instantly plummeted by more than half.
At this moment, the old scholar slammed his cane down, and three emerald green vines emerged from the ground, wrapping around the black-clad old man whose hands were crippled, the second-level Heavenly Rank cultivator who was unable to move half of his body, and the dying first-level Heavenly Rank cultivator. The thorns on the vines were black at the tip, clearly containing poison. After wrapping around the three, the thorns mercilessly pierced their skin, and soon the three lost all their profound skills, their breaths became weak, like people recovering from a serious illness.
"You've left them all here, their cultivation completely destroyed. Even if you release them now, they won't live more than three days. Do with them as you see fit. As for..." The old scholar said to Gan Ran and the other man with a smile.
"Of course! This is the bile of the Golden-Eating Turtle. I've divided it into five portions, one for each person. The sandalwood box was stained with red-headed, blue-tailed honey, a dirty trick they used to track us. I've destroyed it, along with the original porcelain bottle. But the honey had a very faint taste, so I can't guarantee we haven't gotten any on us. However, these small bottles are absolutely safe. I used Thunder Flame to isolate and fill them."
Before the old scholar could finish speaking, Gan Ran took out several small porcelain bottles and handed them to the three old scholars using her Xuan Gong technique.
"That would be disrespectful!"
The old scholar accepted the porcelain bottles, keeping one for himself and distributing the other two to the merchant and the farmer. The three men left without looking back after receiving the bottles.
"Sikong, what should we do with these people?"
After the three left, Gan Ran looked at the few half-dead men in black and said...
"What can we do? Let's see if we can get anything out of them first!"
An hour later, three masked men in black, also wearing wide-brimmed straw hats, arrived in the woods. They inspected the area where Gan Ran and his companions had fought several times, then took out some bottles and jars and fiddled with them for a long time before leaving angrily.
On a hillside a mile away, three farmers stood in the shadows of the trees, watching all of this from afar.
"It seems they've exhausted all their methods and can no longer track Gan Ran and the other two! Ming'er was very thoughtful! Otherwise, bringing this group back to Great Xia would have been troublesome!"
Mo Wen took off his coarse scholar's robe, threw his hair ornaments and walking stick on the ground, and burned them. Fu Ye and Shi Potian also returned to their original appearances.
"Shouldn't Old Ji and his gang from Yingzhou have shaken off their tails by now?" Mo Wen asked.
"I just got in touch with them. Luckily, they discovered it early and everything was taken care of. Old Li has safely taken everything we bought, and we'll be back in Daxia in a few days," Shi Potian replied.
"Old Mo, how did you get in touch with Afu? You haven't been back to Daxia yet, have you?"
"Hehe, I found Brother Mo. In a few days, Qingling City will hold a large alchemy and artifact trade fair, so I rushed over to see what I could buy. Coincidentally, Brother Mo was staying at the Fushan Hotel in Qingling City. So I told him about the changes in Daxia and what had happened recently. Just then, the young master told Gan Ran and the others about something through the Soul Jade, so I came over with Brother Mo."
"That's fine. Let's accompany Gan Ran and the other person around Qin Kingdom for a while, and see if we can buy some treasures. Then we can go back to Great Xia together."
“Let’s go. Si Rongnong and Qing Xiuniang are already waiting for Gan Ran and the others in Tianxin City. Let’s go to Qingling City first and see if there’s anything we want at the trade fair. We can meet up with them afterwards,” Shi Potian said.
As the capital of the Qin Kingdom, Tianxin City is considered one of the few large cities in the Tianxuan Continent, many times larger than Zhongyuan City. Its area is roughly the size of the nine counties under Zhongyuan City's jurisdiction combined. Its population reaches tens of millions. The towering city walls stretch as far as the eye can see, and the city gate towers are even more magnificent, piercing the sky like giant swords.
The city is divided into two areas by the central axis at the center of the main gate. One side is the imperial city, where most of the royal family, nobles and high-ranking officials live. Hundreds of thousands of imperial guards are stationed there to protect these precious people day and night.
On one side is the sphere of influence of the Qiu family, a powerful clan with the same surname as the royal family. As a family that can rival the royal family, the Qiu family is one of the six hegemons of the Tianxuan Continent. The ancestor of the Qiu family is Qiu Zeyu, one of the nine strongest people in the Tianxuan Continent.
As descendants of the Qiu family, one of the Six Hegemons, the entire clan is martial. Within the Qiu family's sphere of influence, shops abound, attracting all sorts of people from all walks of life. The Qiu family members are responsible for maintaining the smooth operation of these businesses. Unlike the strictly hierarchical imperial city across the border, in the Qiu family's territory, there is virtually no distinction of status or rank. Whether you are an emperor, a general, or a humble villager, everyone is treated equally within the Qiu family's jurisdiction. The only rule here is that any dispute must be resolved in the presence of a Qiu family member as a witness. The method of resolution is simple and brutal: a one-on-one duel in a designated area. Regardless of who is right or wrong, whoever wins is in the right. However, private duels are strictly prohibited within the city limits. If the parties involved fight without a Qiu family member as a witness, they will face severe repercussions and punishments from the Qiu family, the lightest punishment being expulsion from the city and a lifetime banishment from Qiu family territory.
Legend has it that the ancestors of the Qiu family, one of the Six Hegemons, and the royal family of Qin were brothers. The two brothers worked together to carve out their own territory; the elder brother became king, while the younger brother, uninterested in power, pursued martial arts. Due to their differing goals, they coexisted peacefully for a time. However, as their descendants multiplied, various conflicts arose, leading to friction between the two branches. To resolve the dispute, the brothers made a clean break and established an ancestral precept: all descendants of the younger brother could possess special zones in all cities of Qin, where they were exempt from imperial laws. However, they were forbidden from participating in the struggle for imperial power, holding official positions within the empire, or recruiting private armies. The imperial government had no right to interfere in the affairs of these special zones; even if a member of the royal family was killed within a special zone, the rules of that zone would apply.
Over thousands of years, the descendants of the two clans grew numerous and their power expanded. The elder brother's descendants continued to expand their territory, establishing the Qin Kingdom, one of the five kingdoms, while the younger brother's descendants became one of the six overlords of Tianxuan. This unique family-state structure was well preserved, and the two Qiu families lived in peace, with no disputes ever arising among the descendants of the Qiu family over the centuries.
The area Gan Ran and the other old men had arrived at was the territory of the Qiu family, one of the Six Tyrants. In the center of this city was a large plaza covering thousands of acres, at the heart of which stood a colossal building hundreds of feet tall—the headquarters of the Qiu family. On the seventh floor of this building was a large auction house, where a major auction was held every five days. Due to the Qiu family's unique management style, all sorts of shady and dubious treasures from various places could potentially be sold here. And the owners of the auction house amassed enormous fortunes through these auctions.
The auction hall is divided into six areas, each with auctions taking place at different times. Each auction lasts for one hour. Announcements of the items to be auctioned are made two days in advance, detailing which hall will be auctioning which items, their condition, and the starting price. Anyone interested in a particular item then proceeds to that specific auction hall to participate.
The Qiu family's auction house has another unique feature: everyone entering the venue is assigned a specific number. Buyers bid by holding up their numbered tickets, and each bidder must wear a mask and is prohibited from shouting, revealing their martial arts cultivation level or identity. This ensures that everyone can bid on their desired treasures in an absolutely fair manner.
However, in order to demonstrate the power of the Qiu family, or to make more money, the Qiu family auction house has a peculiar rule: after a treasure is successfully auctioned, the last person among those who did not win the bid can challenge the winner on the spot, which is a gambling match.
The challenged party can refuse, but will have to pay an additional commission to the auction house as a guarantee. If they accept the challenge and lose, the treasures they obtain belong to the challenger; if they win, they win the money from the challenger's final bid for the treasures. In a life-or-death situation, everything belonging to the deceased belongs to the victor, including the corpse. While most people are unlikely to be interested in corpses, there are exceptions. Regardless of the outcome, the Qiu family will take 10% of all the spoils as commission.
After paying a hefty entrance fee of one gold coin each, the two purchased admission passes for two auction houses: the second and the fifth. Both auction houses offered treasures that the two desired.
The auction took place the following day. The two didn't linger, and after completing their business, hurriedly left the auction house. Several streets away, Shi Potian and the others had been waiting for some time at the Fuyuan Restaurant. Tianxin City was one of the few cities with two Wushuang Restaurants. In the imperial city, Jia Shan and his companion also owned an even larger Wushuang Restaurant, frequented by high-ranking officials and nobles, which naturally needed to be even more grand and luxurious.
"This auction house will be auctioning both Thunder Concealment Stones and Earth Flame Crystals at the same time. Fortunately, they are not in the same session, otherwise everyone would know how to participate in the auction!"
Upon entering the hotel, Gan Ran couldn't wait to tell Shi Potian and the others about the news they had received from the auction house. After purchasing a few miscellaneous materials at the trade fair in Qingling City, Shi Potian and the others headed to Tianxin City that same day.
"No matter what, even if it means taking some risks, we must acquire these two treasures! They are exactly what we need," Shi Potian said confidently after hearing this.
“But Brother Tieqiao said that buying these two items together would arouse suspicion, especially now that person, Blood Wolf, is already eyeing these treasures. It’s impossible for such a large auction house as Tianxin City not to have their spies,” Sikong Nong said worriedly.
"Aren't these two treasures being auctioned in different sessions? We'll split into two groups. The two of you will bid in the morning, and once you win the bid, immediately make it look like you're leaving. In the afternoon session, Qing Xiuniang and Si Rongnong will bid. Anyway, the auction is all anonymous, so all you need is a bidding paddle and gold coins."
After the auction, we'll meet at the Peerless Restaurant near the Imperial City to discuss how to get rid of the spies and return.
“But the Qiu family auction house has a special rule: after the auction, we have to accept challenges from the losers. If someone challenges us, we can’t leave immediately,” said the wealthy man.
"Brothers and sisters, I have an idea for you. My suggestion is to switch the participants for the two auctions. Sister Qing and her companion can go in the morning session, and Brother Gan and you can go in the afternoon session!" Jia Shan, who was sitting to the side, said. The Fuyuan Restaurant in Tianxin City had only been open for a short time, and Jia Shan and Master Fu had been handling things there.
"What are the benefits of switching them like this?" Shi Potian asked, puzzled.
"Because Qingjie and her companion are women, they can dress up as wealthy ladies. Even if someone challenges them after they win the bid, they can refuse in a high-profile manner, simply by paying more money. Those meddlesome people won't be able to say anything."
As for the afternoon session, you guys can do whatever you want; that way, the two things are hard to connect. However, Sister Qing, when you go to the auction, it's best to use gold coins to buy everything, and don't exchange weapons or elixirs. If you also bid on a few worthless luxury items at the auction as a cover, the effect will be even better!