Xu Tianzong's gaze fell upon the admission ticket in Li Qi's hand, a hint of surprise flashing through his eyes.
However, this surprise quickly dissipated, as if it had been anticipated.
Indeed, during this period, the only event that could keep many cultivators lingering seemed to be the Azure Auction.
"I said, Daoist Li, you have other matters to attend to. So you're also attending the auction. With your wealth, not to mention the top-tier treasures at the auction, even some of the more ordinary ones, you could certainly afford them."
Xu Tianzong said.
"But since Daoist Li also intends to attend the auction, rather than occupying a regular seat, wouldn't it be better to join me in the VIP section then?"
Li Qi's expression remained unchanged, but in reality, the moment he replied to Xu Tianzong, Li Qi had already altered his original plan.
Had Xu Tianzong not obtained this admission ticket and instead returned to the Small Yan District peacefully, he would have naturally disguised himself and personally purchased the Dao Integration stage Heavenly Dao Will he needed.
But now that Xu Tianzong was also going, the plan naturally had to be slightly adjusted.
Not to mention whether his disguise would be seen through.
If he were to reveal any wealth, even disguised, it would be difficult to avoid leaving some traces.
Li Qi couldn't help but think to himself.
"It would be better to summon another Natal Spirit Puppet from the Di Xu Realm to attend the auction in my stead. My main body can then accompany Xu Tianzong to the VIP section. This seems much safer."
What was initially a troublesome encounter with acquaintances at the auction, with a slight shift in Li Qi's thinking, became even more covert.
With this thought, Li Qi's mind moved, and he instructed one of the Natal Spirit Puppets in the Di Xu Realm, which was setting up formations, to hurry on its way and come to the Void Black Market.
As for the Natal Spirit Puppet already in the Void Black Market, it naturally had to continue refining pills and could not be wasted by helping him attend the auction.
Li Qi casually stuffed the admission ticket in his hand back into his spatial ring, a wry smile reappearing on his face.
"I do have that thought. Then when the auction begins, I'll head over with Daoist Xu. As for this admission ticket I obtained myself, if it goes to waste, so be it."
"That's quite good as well."
The two of them immediately finished their discussion and made plans to attend the auction together.
Suddenly, a Plane Lord standing nearby interjected.
"Then Senior Xu, what about us? Should we continue to wait here for you to finish at the auction?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Tianzong's brow furrowed again in thought.
After a brief contemplation, he shook his head slightly.
"No. There are still more than half a month before the auction begins, and by then, more experts will likely arrive in this Void Black Market, bringing more trouble. It's not safe for you to stay here."
"Let's set off now while the auction hasn't started. After I send you back to the Small Yan District, I'll return here."
With Xu Tianzong's strength, it wouldn't take half a month for him to make the round trip to the Void Black Market.
It was better to go through some trouble now than to have a conflict occur when experts converged, leading to the complete annihilation of the Plane Lords from his Small Yan District.
Having discussed it, Xu Tianzong wasted no more time and prepared to leave with the other Plane Lords from the Small Yan District.
As for Li Qi, he remained in the Void Black Market and did not return with them.
This was because they had agreed that they would meet again in this small courtyard after Xu Tianzong had escorted the cultivators from the Small Yan District back.
Without any acquaintances by his side, and looking at the now empty courtyard,
Li Qi clearly felt much more at ease, his breathing becoming lighter. He casually found a stone stool in a corner and sat down.
Li Qi couldn't help but sigh.
As an old schemer, he now had more and more secrets. When familiar people were around, it was truly inconvenient for him to act freely.
And now, with a slight movement of Li Qi's divine sense, his perspective shifted.
In the Di Xu Realm, the Natal Spirit Puppet that had received the order and was heading towards the Void Black Market was already on its way.
All he needed to do now was wait for the Natal Spirit Puppet to arrive and for the auction to begin.
...
And at this moment, in a certain VIP room of the Cangyan Medicine Pavilion.
The surrounding attendants were silent.
Huang Hao, the steward, had panic in his eyes and was trembling uncontrollably.
Equally panicked and trembling were Chen Fang and several other captain-level guards beside Huang Hao, who had failed in their attempt to capture the Number One Natal Spirit Puppet.
Before them sat a man with a stern face.
Suddenly, this stern-faced man raised his hand, grabbed a ledger from the side, and slowly flipped through it.
No sound was made during this process, but the more he flipped, the more intense the trembling of Huang Hao and the others became.
Then, the stern-faced man's hand, which was flipping through the ledger, suddenly stopped. His cold eyes fixed on Huang Hao and the others.
"Speak. Give me an explanation. Why are the resources earned by this branch of your Cangyan Medicine Pavilion decreasing year by year?"
At these words, dense beads of sweat appeared on Huang Hao and the others' foreheads.
"Master Fang, it's not our fault. Someone in this Void Black Market is counterfeiting our Cangyan Medicine Pavilion's pills and selling them at ridiculously low prices. Now, many hawkers selling fake medicines have appeared. We are powerless to manage it."
"And then?"
Fang Qingpei raised his head indifferently, his cold eyes sweeping over them, radiating the dangerous aura of a seventh-level Dao Integration cultivator.
The words that Huang Hao and the others were about to speak stopped abruptly in their throats, and their eyes showed sheer terror.
"Master Fang, spare us. Give us a little more time, and we will definitely find a way to deal with the mastermind behind the sale of counterfeit pills."
But upon hearing this, Fang Qingpei's tone became even colder. He let out a cold snort.
"Hmph, there's no need to give you more time. You've already been given so much time and still can't handle it. Giving you more time won't help. I didn't come from headquarters to hold you accountable."
"I want to see who dares to compete with my Cangyan Medicine Pavilion for business. Do you have any information about those fake medicine hawkers?"
Hearing this, Huang Hao and the others' expressions improved slightly. Huang Hao nodded.
"Naturally, we do. It's just that we haven't acted yet."
"Oh? Why?"
Hearing this, Fang Qingpei raised his gaze slightly, asking with confusion.
Huang Hao replied.
"Master Fang, these fake medicine hawkers have now been divided into tiers. The higher the tier, the more troublesome it is to investigate their whereabouts. Some even involve Dao Integration cultivators.
Although our Cangyan Medicine Pavilion's intelligence has indeed obtained some information about high-level medicine hawkers, these hawkers are all Dao Integration cultivators. It might not be possible to successfully capture them with the combat power of the branch's cultivators. If we alert them, it will be even harder to capture them next time."
Hearing this, Fang Qingpei glanced at Chen Fang and the other Dao Integration third-level cultivators beside Huang Hao, and he couldn't help but snort.
"Alright, I understand. Stop the nonsense. I will personally take action this time. Give me all the information you have."
Upon hearing this, Huang Hao hesitated no longer. He subtly moved his hand over his spatial ring and took out a portrait.
The portrait depicted Huang Anchang.
"Sir, this is the identity of the highest-level fake medicine hawker we have under our control. His current location should be at..."
Before long, all the known information about Huang Anchang, such as his cultivation and name, was clearly revealed by Huang Hao.