Clouds and Moon Shadow

Chapter 223 The auction begins

While she was making wild guesses, Gu Qingyue saw a middle-aged man rush into the house with a leather whip, pick up a pretty girl and throw her to the ground.

The girl wore a pale yellow dress, with very pretty features. Her eyebrows were slender and long, with slightly upturned corners of her eyes. She had a pert nose and petal-shaped lips. It could be said that her features were very outstanding.

"Tell me, did you leak the information?" The man had a square face, a mole on his nose, and an extremely ferocious expression.

"Don't even think about running away. Your sister ran away, so you'll have to take her place."

As he spoke, he kicked the girl again.

The woman arched her back in pain, her brows furrowed tightly, beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her face turned pale instantly.

But she held her head in her hands, remaining motionless and silent.

The man grew increasingly furious. He untied a leather whip from his waist and demanded, "Will you talk or not? Talk now! How did you manage to send the message out?"

The other women in the room, some sitting and some standing, all looked numb. Their eyes darted over the beaten girl once before returning to their original state.

It was as if everything in front of me was just air.

Something's not right, these women are acting strangely!

Gu Qingyue carefully observed the faces of the women. They rarely blinked and just sat there woodenly, motionless.

"Master Eagle!" A woman's voice rang out from outside the door.

Following the sound, a woman in a blue cloak entered. Wow, isn't that the one who performed the double act in the Nine Wood Pavilion?

"We've found out that it is indeed Young Master Qin. We can't afford to offend him, but he has a woman in a scarlet dress with him today. According to Xiao Liu, the woman's demeanor suggests she works in a brothel."

After the woman in blue finished speaking, she stood quietly in place, waiting for the middle-aged man to give his instructions.

Gu Qingyue raised an eyebrow. Was her performance that successful?

So the person spying on her outside was one of her people?

She hadn't even checked the private room yet, but she brought it up herself first.

"Confirm their identities before proceeding!"

The middle-aged man threw down his whip and walked out the door with the woman in blue.

Gu Qingyue withdrew her gaze and looked around.

Next to the house where the girl was being held, a young man was kneeling beside a low table, drinking alone.

His gaze was calm and unwavering, completely unmoved by the sound of the whip coming from next door.

"Sir," said Master Ying, the middle-aged man who had just slapped someone, bowing at the door.

"Come here," the man's voice was very young.

"We haven't caught that little girl yet, you see..." Eagle asked cautiously.

"It's alright, keep looking, until you find a place that's cleaned up properly."

The man finished his drink. "How long until the auction starts?"

"It's about to start," Eagle replied quickly.

His gaze remained cautiously fixed on the man's profile, showing obvious apprehension towards him.

"I'll leave as soon as the auction is over; my master can't wait any longer," the man said, pouring himself another glass.

"Yes, yes, the auction is over. We will immediately present our tribute. Please wait a moment, sir."

After saying that, Eagle bowed and left the room.

Seeing this, Gu Qingyue guessed who the man was. It seemed that the money and goods obtained from the auction here would have to be donated.

Who is the mastermind behind all this?

Watching Master Ying walk towards the auction hall on the first floor, Gu Qingyue turned her gaze to the private rooms upstairs.

Ah, I know someone here!

I saw them this morning. The seats, two private rooms away from theirs, belonged to Mr. Hui and his little sweetheart, Xiangxiang.

The two were rolling around on the couch in the private room, kissing passionately and reluctant to part.

Gu Qingyue raised an eyebrow, thinking, "I hope I don't get a sty." She quickly looked away.

They then took a closer look at the situation on both sides of their private room. On one side was an elderly man in gray clothes, calmly resting with his eyes closed. On the other side appeared to be a brother and sister, but their relationship seemed to be strained.

Gu Qingyue opened her eyes and whispered what she had seen into Mu Yun Chu's ear.

Throughout the entire process, Mu Yun Chu's expression remained unchanged.

After listening, he simply nodded to indicate that he understood.

After saying that, Gu Qingyue raised her eyebrows, signaling him to let go. This time, he gently loosened his grip.

As soon as Gu Qingyue stood up, Mu Yun Chu hugged her again before letting go.

And then he revealed a smile that could charm the world.

Gu Qingyue: Cheating!

Does this guy already know? That I'm actually completely overwhelmed by his good looks?

Gu Qingyue immediately turned around and nimbly sat back down in her chair.

At that moment, a drumbeat sounded from below.

Gu Qingyue straightened up and looked down. She saw a large table already placed on the wide platform, with a small golden box on the table.

A servant in gray robes stepped forward, took out a key from his pocket, and opened the small golden box.

Everyone instinctively craned their necks to look, and a round jade bead, about the size of an egg, appeared before their eyes.

A gasp of surprise immediately erupted from the crowd, followed by whispers.

Gu Qingyue examined the quality of the beads from a distance and opened the booklet in her hand.

The first page contains an introduction to this bead.

This bead is called the Emerald Jade Bead, and it was carved from a piece of top-quality warm jade that had been stored for a century deep in the Luyuan Mountains.

It has the effects of calming the mind, nourishing the body, and promoting health.

Wearing it around you year-round can also help treat headaches and body aches.

After reading the introduction, Gu Qingyue remained noncommittal. How should I put it? She really didn't need it.

As I was watching, I heard a familiar voice coming from the auction hall below. It was Master Ying!

He took a small hammer and tapped it on the table. "Please be quiet!"

After a long, emotional opening speech, the bead was formally introduced, and as soon as it was finished, bidding erupted one after another.

"Do you like it?" Mu Yun Chu asked, noticing Gu Qing Yue looking at the booklet without raising her head.

Gu Qingyue shook her head. "Not interested."

After saying that, he continued watching.

Mu Yun Chu seemed to be deep in thought. Aren't most women very interested in jewelry and jade?

Did I make a mistake?

After the first few items were sold, two servants carried up an iron cage containing a cub of a metal-eating beast.

Gu Qingyue finally looked up from the booklet.

She wasn't sure what was going on when she saw the information in the brochure, but now she is.

The iron-eating beast downstairs looks to be only a few months old and is quite small.

Gu Qingyue immediately released her mental energy to get closer and take a look.

"Distinguished guests, this is an iron-eating beast that our Liujintang has just captured. Don't let its young age fool you, it's incredibly strong. This kind of beast..." Eagle began to show off his silver tongue.

Gu Qingyue's eyes widened; she was now certain.

This is a national treasure of China in my previous life, but I never expected it to be sold as a pet here.

"You guys, cough cough, do people here buy these iron-eating beasts as pets?"

Gu Qingyue asked tentatively.

"No, it's said that the four large paws of the Iron-Eating Beast have medicinal value; they are a very precious medicine that can regenerate broken bones," Mu Yun Chu said casually.

Gu Qingyue felt like the hair on her head was about to stand on end! Broken bones regenerating?