After escorting the two to their destination, the old man wisely took his leave.
For the next few days, Liang Rujing took Ye Fan on a grand tour of the Imperial City.
Truth be told, Ye Fan himself wasn't particularly interested.
While the Imperial City of the Yard Empire far surpassed that of the Great Liang Kingdom, in Ye Fan's eyes, it still fell somewhat short.
Conversely, Liang Rujing was having an absolute blast herself…
Since arriving in the Yard Empire, she had spent most of her time at the Pure Heart Sect.
The last time she had visited the Imperial City, she was too busy with matters to properly explore.
Now, she was in her element.
Everything she saw was fascinating and amusing, much like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden…
At noon, the two arrived at a bustling food street.
Wealthy individuals naturally frequented the grand restaurants, but this area catered to ordinary cultivators.
Ye Fan chose this place not because he was short on money, but simply because he found the environment more down-to-earth.
In fact, the food in those so-called grand restaurants wasn't necessarily any better than the fare sold at these roadside stalls.
People who went to those places were mostly seeking prestige; the taste of the food was secondary.
Thinking of this, Ye Fan recalled an amusing incident.
In the town at the foot of their Purple Cloud Sect's mountain, there was a moderately famous restaurant. Next to the restaurant, there was also a similar food street.
The amusing part was that the restaurant didn't cook its own dishes; they "sourced" them directly from those roadside stalls…
For the exact same items, the price immediately quadrupled once they entered the restaurant.
As Ye Fan was also hungry, he casually found a stall.
"Ye Fan, look," Liang Rujing pointed to the sign in front of a stall.
Ye Fan glanced over and immediately chuckled.
The stall was hosting an eating competition.
If one could consume the portion specified by the stall owner, their meal would be free.
If they exceeded the required amount, the excess would be refunded as cash.
If they failed, they would naturally have to pay for whatever they ate.
"How about you give it a try?" Liang Rujing said with a look of amusement.
The portion specified by the stall owner was fifty catties, which for Ye Fan was barely enough to whet his appetite.
"Wouldn't that be a bit unfair?"
Ye Fan chuckled and walked towards the competition area.
He wasn't trying to save money, but rather to find some entertainment for himself.
By then, more than a dozen cultivators were already in place, looking full of determination.
Other cultivators gathered around to watch, occasionally making comments.
For instance, they might analyze which contestant seemed to have a bigger appetite, and some even set up betting pools on the spot.
Ye Fan casually found an empty seat and sat down.
"Is there anyone else who wants to challenge?" the stall owner asked the crowd.
Seeing no one respond, he signaled for the competition to begin.
The participating cultivators immediately began to devour their food, looking as if they could swallow the plates and bowls along with it.
Ye Fan, unhurried, picked up a piece of demon beast meat and joined the fray.
Since it was mealtime, cultivators who weren't participating also sat down to order food.
Seeing the business at this stall booming, nearby stall owners began to feel uneasy.
Some stall owners even brought out signs, preparing to imitate the promotion.
Fifteen minutes later.
Two of the participating cultivators had clearly overestimated their appetites and were eliminated.
After reluctantly paying their dues, they slunk away.
Another fifteen minutes passed, and the remaining contestants were all full.
In the end, only three managed to receive extra cash rewards.
However, no one was paying attention to them anymore.
Because all eyes were on Ye Fan!
What the hell!
He's already eaten nearly two hundred catties!
How did he manage that?
And judging by his demeanor, he wouldn't be stopping anytime soon!
The stall owner, who had been beaming with joy earlier, was now on the verge of tears…
After about an hour, Ye Fan finally concluded his "battle."
With tears in his eyes, the stall owner handed the money to Ye Fan…
Ye Fan's massive consumption meant that the owner's profits for several days were wiped out…
As for the surrounding stall owners who had planned to imitate the promotion, they had long since hidden their hastily written signs…
In the following days, Ye Fan became a celebrity on this food street!
Come mealtime, the stall owners would crane their necks, transforming into statues of longing.
The moment Ye Fan appeared, they would eagerly surround him!
There was no other way; Ye Fan's appetite was simply enormous!
Just securing him as a customer meant a day's worth of business!
Ye Fan, in turn, placed a large food order with them, ensuring he wouldn't have to worry about food for a considerable time.
Several days passed quickly.
Early one morning, the old man personally arrived at Ye Fan's residence.
He then led Ye Fan to the auction house venue and into the VIP suite.
By the time they arrived, the main hall of the venue was already quite crowded.
Fortunately, Ye Fan used a private passage, so he didn't attract any attention.
Those who had arrived earlier were now chatting in small groups.
The auction was originally scheduled for two days prior, but the auction house had recently announced that a highly significant item would be added.
However, they remained tight-lipped about its exact nature.
Naturally, these guests were incredibly curious.
The auction house's deliberate postponement for these two days was clearly a signal to the guests to prepare their funds!
If they were given two days to prepare their money, the importance of the item must be considerable!
Damn it!
They should at least leak a little information.
Not mentioning a single word is just toying with people's curiosity…
Inside the VIP suite.
After the old man had Ye Fan take a seat, he handed him the list for the auction.
Ye Fan casually glanced through it; it contained all sorts of miscellaneous items.
However, there were question marks next to three of the entries, which he assumed were his three auctioned items.
Ye Fan wasn't particularly interested in these items.
He could create them himself, and his creations were far superior.
On their way, the old man and Ye Fan had learned each other's names.
The old man's surname was Wu, and he had worked at this auction house for over five hundred years.
"Young Master Ye," seeing Ye Fan's lack of interest in the items, Wu De cautiously asked, "Do you happen to have any more of those things from before…?"
After Ye Fan left, Wu De had informed the owner of the auction house about the matter.
The owner was greatly shocked upon seeing the items and expressed immense interest!
Although the auction house was located in the Imperial City, its owner was not part of the royal family's influence.
In fact, their power base was not located here; the auction house in the Yard Empire was merely one of many branches.
As for the true identity of this owner, Wu De was unaware.
He only knew that their influence was vast.
So vast that the auction house had operated in the Yard Empire for over a thousand years without anyone daring to provoke them!
Not to mention major powers, even the Yard royal family had to show them deference!
Initially, there were indeed those who had designs on the auction house, and even took action.
Unfortunately, they were unable to stir up any ripples, and those individuals simply vanished forever!
The owner's instruction was for Wu De to inquire if Ye Fan possessed any more items of that caliber.
If so, they would purchase them all!
Price was not an issue; they were even willing to pay a premium!
"I'm sorry, I don't have any at the moment," Ye Fan replied politely.
A flicker of excitement flashed in Wu De's eyes!
Ye Fan's simple response conveyed a great deal of information!
"Not at the moment" implied that he might have them in the future, meaning those initial three items were not obtained by Ye Fan by chance!
Behind him, there must be a formidable hidden power!
What else could you call someone who could casually put items of the sixth or seventh rank up for auction, if not formidable?!
As for why he believed it was Ye Fan's backing power…
Ultimately, Ye Fan was too young; his bone age was only around twenty.
He didn't believe these were things Ye Fan had concocted himself.
Of course, this did not affect his attitude towards Ye Fan.
As long as they could foster a good relationship with Ye Fan, there was a possibility of connecting with the power behind him.
Yes, just a slight possibility!
But that was enough for him to act!
Although Ye Fan hadn't agreed to anything yet, he hadn't refused either.
This meant there was still an opportunity!
"By the way, Mr. Wu," Ye Fan inquired, "do you happen to have any high-grade demon cores at your auction house?"