"Hmph."
The administrator let out a cold snort, casually removed the spiritual sense blockade, and gestured for Yun Ze to step aside. "I have a clear understanding of the situation. Please wait here for a moment, fellow Daoist."
Yun Ze's eyes narrowed.
He saw through the man's pretense and knew exactly what he was up to.
Since he couldn't get any spirit stones from him, he would find another target!
Judging by the previous person's character, it was highly possible that he would even offer half of the Hongyu Silver to this administrator.
"Fellow Daoist, why haven't you left yet?" the administrator urged.
"No hurry."
Yun Ze smiled faintly and asked, "May I know your name, fellow Daoist?"
"Gong Li."
Gong Li uttered the two words indifferently, even adding, "I am an official of the Immortal Mansion stationed in the Xuan Tian Dynasty of the Southeast, handling affairs. If you have any objections to my judgment, you are welcome to apply for a retrial at the Immortal Mansion!"
What arrogance!
To openly solicit bribes and then speak such words, this fellow must have a significant background.
Furthermore, his surname was Gong. Yun Ze wondered what his relationship was with that Gong Xiao.
However...
What if his background wasn't small?
Was his own background small?
When he left back then, Dan Chenyu was still at the academy. Knowing he was going out on business, she gave him a sound transmission jade pendant and told him to contact her directly if anything came up.
She was a princess of the Immortal Mansion, someone who could directly reach the heavens!
Yun Ze smiled calmly and turned back to his stall, waiting in silence.
He watched as the seller of the ancient gold hurried to Gong Li's side, and then another layer of spiritual sense enveloped them, isolating them from the outside.
After a brief ten-odd breaths, Gong Li walked out with the seller.
His gaze swept over everyone, and he said calmly, "This official has understood the matter. Since both parties are willing to trust the Immortal Mansion, you shall hear my judgment."
As soon as he finished speaking, Gong Li turned to Yun Ze and extended his hand. "Fellow Daoist, hand over the purple treasure."
As expected.
Yun Ze raised his hand, shielding Zi Ji behind him, and asked indifferently, "What if I refuse?"
"Refuse, and don't blame me for being ruthless in enforcing the law!"
Gong Li did not attack directly but instead unleashed a wave of pressure!
The Qi Refining stage cultivators around them all took a step back, while the faces of the other Foundation Establishment stage cultivators turned grim.
Only Yun Ze.
Core Formation?
He had killed nearly ten Core Formation cultivators, though not quite ten yet.
He did not retreat a single step. Instead, he strode forward, drawing a spiritual sword. But in the next moment, he sheathed it and took out the Zhen Dan again!
Close call, close call!
Tu Sheng didn't often use swords; he used his zither more. He almost exposed himself.
However, he hadn't entered the path of the zither yet, so he could only take it out to create an illusion.
At that time, he could simply reveal his identity and mention Xiao Yu to resolve the situation. He didn't necessarily have to fight.
"I'll give you one last chance."
Yun Ze sat down cross-legged, his hands resting on the zither strings. "I am..."
"Still daring to take out an instrument! You're seeking death!"
Before Yun Ze could finish speaking, Gong Li took a step forward and attacked Yun Ze with a swing of his hand!
It was just a matter of teaching a Foundation Establishment cultivator a lesson. He didn't need to use a weapon. Moreover... it was the path of the zither. As long as he got close, the opponent would be unable to counterattack.
Yun Ze saw the incoming attack and had no time to react!
He instinctively raised the Zhen Dan, and then...
*Bang!*
The body of the zither, made of Lei Yun Tong wood, smashed directly onto Gong Li's head!
Because it was a reflex, Yun Ze instinctively used the sword qi in his sea of qi. The sword qi rippled out from the zither's body!
Although this sword strike wouldn't kill Gong Li, it stunned him on the spot.
Who would have thought that someone who played the zither would smash it directly into someone's head instead of playing it!
Smashing aside, what was the meaning of sword qi on your zither?
Gong Li clutched his head, feeling somewhat dazed.
But in the next instant, he regained his senses, pointed at Yun Ze, and said, "You... you dare resist the law!"
"Whether I resist the law or not isn't up to you."
Yun Ze casually took out a sound transmission jade pendant and transmitted directly into it, "Junior Sister, are you there?"
"Still calling for help, it seems you have an accomplice!"
Gong Li knew he had lost face and, from his spatial ring, took out a bronze short knife. "Once I subdue you, we'll discuss the matter of combining the two crimes!"
The shadow of the blade fell!
Yun Ze instinctively wanted to retreat using Zhu Ying, but he remembered that Zhu Ying had already been put back into his spatial ring.
With nowhere to retreat, he could only counterattack.
"Senior Brother, what's wrong?"
Just then, Dan Chenyu's voice sounded from the jade pendant.
And Yun Ze, with a flick of his wrist, struck Gong Li's head with the Zhen Dan again!
The usual length of a zither body was three feet six inches and five fen, slightly longer than a typical sword. Moreover, Gong Li was holding a short knife, less than two feet long.
Although Yun Ze's reaction was slightly slower, he managed to smash the Zhen Dan onto Gong Li's head just as Gong Li was about to reach him!
The location was the same as before.
However, unlike before, this time Yun Ze used a wisp of sword qi, employing the Hidden Sword technique, and sent it into Gong Li's mind!
This time, Gong Li fell directly to the ground, spewing a mouthful of blood from his mouth!
"Pfft!"
It was just a wisp of sword qi, not enough to kill him, but it would at least render him temporarily unconscious.
This was a last resort. If he didn't act decisively, he would likely be put on the defensive.
He might even be captured and forced into labor in the ancient ruins before he could even receive a reply from Dan Chenyu.
"Senior Brother?"
Dan Chenyu's voice sounded again. "What exactly is happening on your end?"
"A minor matter. It's like this..."
Yun Ze replied, explaining the situation clearly.
"How could this be!"
Dan Chenyu was very shocked. In her eyes, the Immortal Mansion should not have produced such scum.
But since Senior Brother Tu had encountered it, there must be another reason.
She quickly said, "Senior Brother, I happen to have a friend near the Xuan Tian Dynasty. I'll have him come over to handle this matter immediately. Are you... alright for now?"
"I'm fine."
Yun Ze glanced at Gong Li, who was lying on the ground and spitting blood. He figured Gong Li wouldn't be causing trouble again anytime soon. "It's just that your friend might need to hurry, otherwise, I don't think the witness can hold on much longer."
"Alright."
Dan Chenyu agreed and then went silent.
A few breaths later, she sent another message: "Senior Brother, my friend is also attending the Immortal Gathering in the Xuan Tian Dynasty. Please wait a moment."
"What a coincidence?"
Yun Ze was taken aback. "Who is this friend of yours..."
"His name is Yu Xian, and he's a very, very good person."
Dan Chenyu replied, then whispered, "By the way, Senior Brother, you should be careful when interacting with him later. Perhaps you two can even become good friends."
"Ah? Okay, I understand."
When Yun Ze heard the first four words, he was stunned.
Brother Yu!
Wasn't he in the Northwest Heaven? How did he end up in the Southeast Heaven?
Xiao Yu also told him to be careful when interacting with him. Perhaps she was planning to draw him into the Pure World Society.
But then again...
Given Brother Yu's personality, by the time he arrived, wouldn't it be too late?
Yun Ze dared not be careless. He turned to Zi Ji and threw him a bag of spirit stones. "Zi Ji, go buy a Blood Nourishing Pill."
"Yes."
"No need for trouble."
Just as Zi Ji responded, a voice rang out from the crowd.
The portly merchant from before walked slowly through the crowd, holding a jade bottle, which he tossed to Yun Ze.
Yun Ze caught it, and the merchant said, "If you don't mind, fellow Daoist, I happen to have a Blood Nourishing Pill here. I'll give it to you."
"Thank you for your help, fellow Daoist!"
Yun Ze said, but he still threw the bag of spirit stones to the merchant. "However, one thing is one thing. It's our first meeting, and I don't accept favors without earning them."
The spirit stones landed in the merchant's hand. He didn't refuse and directly put them into his spatial ring.
"Fellow Daoist is a straightforward person."
The portly merchant cupped his hands at Yun Ze. "I am Xu Caiwan of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion. May I know your name, fellow Daoist?"
"Tu Sheng of Tongtian Academy."
Yun Ze replied calmly, took out the Blood Nourishing Pill from the jade bottle, but didn't intend to feed it to Gong Li right away.
Given his Core Formation stage strength, even if he was weak, he wouldn't be killed by two zither strikes. He could at least hold on for a while longer.
It wouldn't be too late to feed him the medicine when he was on his last breath. He couldn't just waste a Blood Nourishing Pill on a dog, could he?
"Xu Caiwan!"
The old man surnamed Yi from the Antiquity Pavilion saw him approach and yelled angrily, hands on his hips, "What's wrong with you today? Are you determined to follow me around!"
"Hey, Old Yi, you can't say that,"
Xu Caiwan said with a smile, hands behind his back. "My Myriad Treasures Pavilion has distinguished guests arriving today, so we naturally need to prepare some rare treasures for auction. Hongyu Silver is common, but Hongyu Ancient Silver is rarely seen, especially such a large piece of ancient silver. Besides, even if I didn't come, wouldn't this fellow Daoist Tu have come looking for me?"
"Hongyu Ancient Silver?"
Yun Ze saw that Gong Li was still breathing and turned to Xu Caiwan. "Fellow Daoist Xu, what is that..."
"Fellow Daoist, you can just call me Old Xu."
Xu Caiwan smiled. "Hongyu Silver is a specialty of Qinghong Valley. Although precious, it can be traced. However, Hongyu Ancient Silver is different. It is Hongyu Silver left from ancient times. Although they are of the same origin, after years of spiritual energy washing, it is already sufficient to forge a third-tier spiritual artifact. Its value is far beyond what fifteen thousand spirit stones can fetch."
"I see."
Yun Ze truly didn't know this. He and Zi Ji hadn't noticed it, nor did they know this information. However, someone should have known.
He turned to look at the person from the Antiquity Pavilion and found that the old man was looking up at the sky again, as if he hadn't heard anything.
His thick skin was truly remarkable.
"If you don't mind, fellow Daoist, why not hand this ancient silver over to our Myriad Treasures Pavilion? We happen to have an auction tonight, and we can sell it there."
Xu Caiwan said with a smile, "As long as you agree, I can waive half of your handling fees. After a successful auction, you only need to pay one percent of the fee."
"That would be excellent."
Yun Ze said, then turned to Gong Li on the ground. "However, Shopkeeper Xu, you might have to wait a little longer. I still need to handle this matter."
"Fellow Daoist, don't worry, I can wait,"
Shopkeeper Xu said with a smile.
The Myriad Treasures Pavilion not only collected rare treasures but also liked to gather information. Since they were setting up a pavilion here, they naturally had to be fully prepared, such as identifying the envoys of the sects participating in this immortal gathering.
Tu Sheng.
This name had appeared before him seven days ago.
Along with it were two other names: Yun Xiao and Dan Chenyu!
Yun Xiao was Master Yun, known throughout the Nine Heavens! And the other name was equally thunderous! The daughter of an Immortal Venerable!
Would such an existence be unable to deal with a collateral branch of the Gong family? Although the Gong family originated from one of the elders of the Immortal Mansion, let alone a collateral branch, even the direct descendants of the Gong family would have to show respect to her!
This Hongyu Ancient Silver would never fall into the hands of outsiders.
Everyone waited.
About fifteen minutes later, a donkey's braying sound came from outside the crowd!
*Hee-haw!*
Yun Ze's ears twitched, and he looked in the direction of the sound.
Then, another human voice rang out.
"Ha~"
Starting with a yawn, the lazy voice spoke again. "Everyone, please make way. I have something to take care of!"