That Young Man... Is No Ordinary Person

The armored guard stared fixedly at the pile of spirit stones on the ground, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down.

How should he put it? It wasn’t that the offer was insufficient.

The price was indeed quite generous.

Before today, it would have been more than enough to buy a seat near the front of the first-floor hall.

But the tickets were sold out!

The Treasure Pavilion’s rules were clear: once the opening bell rang, no more guests would be admitted.

And now the tickets were sold out!

There simply weren’t any seats left.

By rights, no amount of money could buy a ticket. That was the rule. It wasn’t as if having more spirit stones allowed one to casually break it.

At the very least, this many spirit stones weren’t enough.

As a mere low-ranking armored guard, how could he dare make an exception?

But the problem was, the man hadn’t even asked for a seat.

A standing ticket?

The Tong Clan’s auction house had been operating in Tianshui City for countless generations. It had likely existed for ten thousand years.

Yet there had never been a precedent for selling standing tickets…

How was he supposed to handle this?

The guard’s mind had turned into a complete mess, and cold sweat trickled down from beneath the rim of his helmet.

Why was he so unlucky? How had he run into something like this?

“What?” Su Ji took another bite of roast meat, tilted his head, and asked indistinctly, “Is it not enough?”

As he spoke, he made as if to reach into his storage pouch again.

“No! No, no, no!”

The guard hurriedly waved his hands, his voice even changing pitch. “Fellow Daoist, it’s not… it’s not about the spirit stones…”

“Oh?” Su Ji raised an eyebrow. “Then are you looking down on me?”

The guard: “…”

Fuck me…

What did those two things have to do with each other?

There was no way to continue this conversation!

The surrounding crowd fell utterly silent.

Everyone’s gaze was focused on the young man who had dared to try to break the rules at the entrance of the Treasure Pavilion.

Who was this man?

Was he a lunatic, or did he have something to rely on?

On the second floor, the window of one of the private rooms was quietly pushed open.

Shu Wanjuan stood by the window, watching the scene below. A trace of icy disdain flashed through his narrow eyes.

“The commander is here!”

Just as the armored guard was on the verge of being driven insane, a commotion arose from the edge of the crowd.

The heavily armored Spirit Armor Guards parted like a tide, and a burly, square-faced, middle-aged man strode forward.

A battle saber hung from his waist. Every step he took carried the murderous aura of battlefields and warhorses.

He was none other than the Commander of the Spirit Armor Guards, Qin Shan.

“What’s going on?” Qin Shan’s voice boomed like a bell. His gaze swept over the spirit stones on the ground before finally landing on Su Ji, his brows drawing together.

The armored guard looked as if he had seen his salvation. He scrambled over and quickly whispered an explanation of what had happened.

Qin Shan’s brows furrowed even more deeply.

He waved the guard away, then walked alone to Su Ji and cupped his fists.

“Fellow Daoist, I am Qin Shan, and I have the honor of serving as the Commander of the Spirit Armor Guards. Tonight, the Treasure Pavilion has distinguished guests from Imperial Court Mountain present, so the rules are especially strict. I hope you can do us a favor and avoid making things difficult for us.”

His tone was courteous, but everyone could hear the warning hidden in his words.

Su Ji finally finished the last bite of his roast meat. He tossed the skewer aside, then clapped his hands.

“Do you need a favor?” He smiled and pointed at the spirit stones on the ground. “I’m being very accommodating. Money for goods, fair and square. No cheating on either side.”

Within his sea of consciousness, the Old Emperor lazily spoke up. “Kid, why waste your breath on him? Just fight your way in.”

“We’re civilized people,” Su Ji replied within his sea of consciousness. “I told you, I’m here to watch the show today. I’m not looking for trouble.”

“You call this not looking for trouble…?”

Qin Shan’s expression darkened.

He could tell that the man before him was determined to cause a scene.

Should he attack?

Qin Shan glanced at the breathtakingly beautiful young woman behind Su Ji, who was clutching snacks with an innocent look on her face. He also sensed the faint yet dangerous aura emanating from Su Ji—an aura that instinctively made him feel threatened.

Moreover, the auction was about to begin. If a battle broke out at the entrance at this moment, he could not simply brush the matter aside with the excuse that he had merely been carrying out orders.

Oftentimes, sitting in a certain position meant considering certain matters.

But if he let the man in, what would Elder Fang Zheng say…?

Qin Shan took a deep breath, his mind spinning rapidly.

Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, a flash of insight passed through his eyes.

“Fellow Daoist, you jest.” Qin Shan forced a smile onto his face. “The Treasure Pavilion has never had standing tickets. That would be against the rules.”

“But…” His tone shifted.

“Since Fellow Daoist is so willing to support us, I believe the Treasure Pavilion would certainly be happy to welcome you.”

Qin Shan bent down and personally picked up the spirit stones one by one. He placed them back into the storage pouch, then returned it to Su Ji with both hands.

Everyone was stunned by the sight.

“We cannot accept these spirit stones.” Qin Shan straightened and once again spoke in a booming voice that carried throughout the entire area. “However, tonight, I will make the decision on the Treasure Pavilion’s behalf and make an exception for Fellow Daoist!”

“How about this? We’ll add a seat for you in the middle section of the first floor.”

Su Ji took the storage pouch Qin Shan offered, weighed it in his hand, then tossed it back.

“Courtesy demands reciprocity.”

Qin Shan: “…”

No, seriously—what kind of strange thought process did this man have?

He had only been expressing his stance. Who cared about these few spirit stones?

Su Ji paid no attention to any of that. After saying his piece, he put an arm around Su Jiu and swaggered toward the entrance of the Treasure Pavilion beneath the shocked gazes of everyone present.

“Lead the way.”

The corner of Qin Shan’s mouth twitched. Should he praise this man for having nerves of steel, or what?

In the end, he still gave the armored guard beside him a meaningful look.

“Fellow Daoist, this way, please!”

…

Third floor. A quiet chamber.

The tightly shut window was slowly pushed open by a hand with long, distinct knuckles.

Fang Zheng stood by the window, expressionless, watching the blue-robed figure below as he entered the Treasure Pavilion under the guidance of the armored guards.

Behind him, the sword-bearing youth stood with his back slightly bent. His voice carried a trace of confusion.

“Master, Qin Shan is incredibly bold! He actually dared to openly defy your order!”

“He isn’t defying me. Rules are dead, but people are alive. The reason the Black-and-White Hall has never been favored at Imperial Court Mountain is that it clings too rigidly to its rules.” Fang Zheng’s voice was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger. “Making occasional adjustments is harmless.”

“Besides, that young man… is not simple.”

“At the very least, under circumstances like these, an ordinary person would not be able to speak and act so fearlessly.”

“He must have encountered many major situations to develop such composure.”

“Or else he possesses absolute confidence.”

The youth was taken aback. “No matter how extraordinary he is, can he really be stronger than you and the decree of Imperial Court Mountain?”

“Why must everything be a contest of who is stronger?”

“The important thing is that he clearly bears little ill will.”

“Or rather, if he truly had the ability to cause trouble, would he have been too lazy to buy a ticket a day in advance?”

“And if he really had the power to cause trouble, would stopping him at the entrance make him give up?”

…

In the end, Qin Shan still turned to the armored guard who had spoken with Su Ji at the very beginning and barked in a low voice, “Didn’t you hear me? Add a seat for this Fellow Daoist!”

The guard’s legs were trembling.

Add a seat?

Where was he supposed to put it?

The seats in the Treasure Pavilion had all been arranged according to status and position long ago. There was one place for each person, and not a single spot was left vacant.

With every seat already taken, adding another one anywhere would be a slap in the face to someone.

But the Commander’s order was not something he dared disobey.

What could the armored guard do?

He was desperate too.

He could only force himself to follow through. In the end, he had a spare wooden chair brought over from a corner.

Under the watchful eyes of thousands, the guard carried the chair, sweat beading on his forehead and his steps unsteady, until he reached the middle of the hall’s central aisle.

It was one of the best spots on the entire first floor, directly facing the auction platform.

The guard’s hands were trembling. He only wanted to set down this hot potato and slip away as quickly as possible.

“Put it there.”

Su Ji’s calm voice rang out.

He pointed to the exact center of the aisle—the most obstructive and conspicuous spot of all.

The guard jolted as if granted a reprieve. He released his grip, and the chair hit the floor with a bang.

Daring not to linger for even a moment, he turned and burrowed into the crowd, wishing he had never appeared in the first place.

Su Ji paid him no mind.

Taking Su Jiu, who was still somewhat dazed, by the hand, he walked straight to the lone chair and sat down on it as casually as if he were returning home.

Then he patted his thigh.

“Ajiu, there’s no seat left for you. Sit here.”