Chapter 143: Chapter 143

《Advanced Blade and Sword Mastery Manual》—was it worth one hundred and fifty thousand Spirit Jade?

It was. In fact, that price was cheap.

One must know that a single Advanced Footwork Manual could sell for two hundred thousand Spirit Jade in the Great Qi, not to mention such a rare and precious Blade and Sword Manual. But the issue was—Great Qi could demand that price only because it was truly a powerful nation.

Advanced manuals were all produced from Second-Stage Secret Realms, and the military towns that held such realms each had at least one Third-Stage Commander, ten Second-Stage Supervisors, hundreds of First-Stage Officers, and several hundred elite Hundred-Ward Soldiers, together with local noble families who maintained the monopoly. Because of those people, advanced manuals could be sold so dearly, forcing buyers to accept the price with pinched noses.

But this was Eternal Joy City of Shu Mountain—any manual consigned for sale here was certainly of dubious origin, unable to rely on a nation’s backing for a markup. Thus when Zhong Ji offered a bid of one hundred and thirty thousand Spirit Jade, he was confident of certain victory.

If other Protectors’ followers had joined the bidding, perhaps the price would have risen to one hundred and seventy thousand, but apart from him, the rest were all insignificant riff-raff—who would dare compete with Blood Attendant Zhong Ji?

Zhong Ji was not some madman taking advantage either. His offer, though low, was near the average price—ensuring both auction house and seller profited. At most, merchants would grumble about his domineering ways but wouldn’t accuse him of breaking rules through force.

As the younger brother of Blood Aspect, Zhong Ji naturally understood Eternal Joy City’s importance to Shu Mountain. Half the dozen corpses outside the city walls were his doing, but he also knew he couldn’t let those black-market dealers grow too arrogant. So from time to time, he would descend the mountain to “remind” them of proper conduct.

Perhaps talking about “rules” among the Demon Path was laughable—indeed, Shu Mountain had no written rules. And since there were none, no one could exploit them.

So when Zhong Ji heard someone bidding, he didn’t grow angry at first—he assumed some mountain-folk also fancied that manual.

But when he turned his head, he saw no one.

“Who shouted the price?” Zhong Ji frowned. “What nerve—calling a bid then running off? Daring to make trouble before me, Blood Attendant Zhong Ji?”

“Standing right here, Uncle. You need your eyes checked?”

Zhong Ji rose, only to see a little girl standing beside the hall. She was munching on candied hawthorn, carrying a longsword nearly as tall as herself. Unlike most people there—who hid beneath hats, cloaks, and veils—she wore bright, elegant clothes openly. The gauntlets on her hands and boots on her feet, though not glowing, still clearly radiated the aura of valuable Tokens.

Had this been Chang’an or Jiangnan, her noble bearing would have drawn respect—but this was Eternal Joy City, and she was an outsider.

At that moment, everyone turned toward her. Some were startled, some sneered, some quietly slipped out. No one had expected an outsider to offend the Blood Attendant.

She was only a little girl, yet no one dared look down on her—for who among those in Eternal Joy City could be ordinary?

Zhong Ji’s subordinates moved in, surrounding her wordlessly, their cold eyes fixed upon the girl who dared speak so rudely.

Those who worked with Zhong Ji were naturally not good men—each had dozens, even hundreds of lives on his hands, their faces twisted with savagery or chill malice. Ordinary folk meeting the gaze of such Demon-Path Messengers would likely collapse in terror.

Yet surrounded by them, the girl showed no fear. Finishing one stick of candied hawthorn, she pulled out another, clicking her tongue as though admiring caged beasts.

Suddenly, Zhong Ji’s men were shoved aside. A cloaked, masked figure stepped up beside the girl, Spirit and Blood surging openly—

A Third-Stage Messenger!

Zhong Ji’s expression darkened. No wonder they were so bold—it was an outsider Third-Stage. A Creeping Ivy summoned by some other Protector? Or perhaps a Cross-River Dragon hoping to share in Shu Mountain’s spoils?

But before me—dragon or tiger alike must crawl!

“My apologies. May I ask your honored title?” he said with a sinister smile. “If you intend to explore the mountain, I could introduce you to my elder brother, Blood Aspect. Without protection from the Three Great Protectors, even a Third-Stage Messenger cannot move freely within Shu Mountain.”

Ignoring the veiled threat, Medicine Master Wen placed a hand on the Bunny Heroine’s shoulder, lowering her voice seriously. “With me here, I’ll ensure you leave safely.” Thıs text ıs hosted at novel⸺fire.net

She had already arranged for Wu Qiu and Shi Dong—once fighting broke out, the two attendants would follow quietly, drawing little attention.

“Big Sister, I called out only after walking here—so I wouldn’t trouble you.” The Bunny Heroine spoke softly, then raised her voice: “This heroine’s here to buy, not register residency! I’ve already offered fifteen hundred thousand—why won’t you sell it to me?”

“This… heroine has bid one hundred and fifty thousand Spirit Jade. Any higher offer?” The auctioneer, as if suddenly returning to his senses, resumed the auction in a flat tone.

“One hundred sixty thousand,” Zhong Ji barked, then turned to them. “Ladies, this manual’s a birthday gift for my nephew—his birthday’s soon, and my elder brother dotes on him as his only son. Even I dare not offend the boy. If you yield this to me, I’ll be sure to convey your goodwill to my brother.”

Then he bared his teeth in a grin. “It’s just a manual—no need to ruin our relations and waste money, right?”

Medicine Master Wen stiffened—Zhong Ji had invoked Blood Aspect.

His message was clear: You’ve already made me pay three thousand more. Step back now and all’s forgotten—but keep pushing, and don’t blame us for being ruthless.

Even without mentioning Blood Aspect himself, Zhong Ji alone—a Third-Stage Demon-Path Messenger—could rally a dozen skilled fighters at his word. No matter how confident Medicine Master Wen was, she knew she couldn’t beat that mob head-on.

Were she alone, she would’ve swallowed the insult—after all, the Duke of Jin’s Mansion had fallen, and even if it still stood, she would’ve endured.

A noble’s child doesn’t sit beneath a crumbling wall—why waste one’s life quarreling with mad dogs? Revenge could wait for another day.

Yet… Medicine Master Wen glanced down at the Bunny Heroine. The girl looked back, her face as calm and joyless as ever—like a child who’d just eaten Bitter Melon.

For some reason, Medicine Master Wen could sense her concern and smiled. “Don’t worry about us.”

The Bunny Heroine nodded lazily. “I bid one hundred seventy thousand Spirit Jade.”

Zhong Ji’s face darkened. “Eighteen—”

“Two hundred thousand Spirit Jade,” the Bunny Heroine said lightly.

The hall fell silent. Though called an auction house, most goods here were stolen. Two hundred thousand Spirit Jade was an enormous sum. But now, no one cared about the money—they all stared between the girl, Medicine Master Wen, and Zhong Ji. To them, this was no mere bidding war—it was an outsider challenging Blood Aspect’s faction.

Everyone knew not to offend Shu Mountain’s Three Great Protectors. Conversely, whoever dared must have come with purpose—clearly, storms were brewing in Shu Mountain.

Zhong Ji abruptly rose; the air trembled, many instinctively retreating to the edges.

Was he about to start a fight—here, now?

“You really have two hundred thousand Spirit Jade?” he laughed angrily. “Little girl, leave bidding to the adults. Get out of the—”

A Grand Treasure Chest materialized before the Bunny Heroine. She flipped open the lid, revealing strings of dark-green Hundred-Jade. The emerald glow silenced the hall; several people swallowed audibly, drawn a step closer.

“One string, a thousand; ten strings, ten thousand. Two hundred strings, exactly two hundred thousand!” She patted the chest. “Now you see I’ve got the money. What about you, Uncle? Don’t tell me you’re a broke fraud!”

Zhong Ji stared into the chest, expressionless. He cast a long look at Medicine Master Wen and the Bunny Heroine, then turned and left.

His men followed, but not before drawing their thumbs across their throats at the women, grinning as though already gazing at prey.

Since Zhong Ji had yielded, the Blade and Sword Manual naturally went to the Bunny Heroine. Counting the Spirit Jade took some time, and by the time they left the auction house, many people were already waiting outside. They didn’t approach—just trailed at a distance, like foul, clinging shadows.

As expected… Medicine Master Wen had foreseen this.

The impact of producing two hundred thousand Spirit Jade at once was immense. Even she only carried two or three thousand herself; Zhong Ji likely hadn’t that much either and would’ve needed credit until funds arrived from Shu Mountain.

If the Bunny Heroine could produce two hundred thousand instantly, others would assume she had far more. Even without her Tokens glowing, everyone would believe she carried precious relics—and indeed, she did.

After such an incident, and with night falling, no one was in the mood to linger. The Bunny Heroine also followed their lead.

Wu Qiu couldn’t help asking, “Heroine, why spend so much on an advanced manual? You’re already Second-Stage—you shouldn’t need it anymore.”

“Your brother?” They all froze.

Meanwhile, within the Thieves’ House, Yan Qing looked at the 《Advanced Blade and Sword Mastery Manual》 in his hands—and without hesitation, used it.

Vital Energy surged—swelled—boiled!

The increase in Vital Energy, Spirit, and Agility from the Second Stage was twice that of the First, and the rush made Yan Qing groan involuntarily.

His body trembled violently. Drenched in sweat, he collapsed onto the bed, feeling strength fill every part of him—and at the same time, an overwhelming clarity of mind, sight, and spirit, as though the world revealed new colors he’d never seen before.

Second Job Change—complete!

And his chosen path—was the mightiest among all Second-Stage classes:

—the Blade and Sword Messenger!