Chapter Sixty-One: The Sole Daughter of a Reclusive Family

The aftermath of the dance lingered in everyone’s minds, leaving a trace of enchantment. Many women now noticed that although Tao Tao’s attire was revealing, it possessed a distinct allure. They wondered, if such a dress adorned their own bodies, would they too be so dazzling?

A matron voiced the collective curiosity, “Your dress is so beautiful. Where did you buy it?”

Tao Tao pressed her lips into a smile. “The First Pavilion. It may be available for sale later on.”

“If so, will we be notified in advance?” Another graceful lady asked.

“The First Pavilion accepts reservations. All styles are custom-made to your measurements!” Tao Tao replied.

Upon hearing this, many women silently resolved to acquire such a dress. Floating like a fairy, an unmarried girl would captivate her future husband; for those not yet wed, walking the streets would surely attract admiring glances. One look at the crowd, whose eyes nearly bulged with amazement, was proof enough.

“Dear guests, have you noticed the bidding boards at your side? The upcoming auction will proceed via the prices you write on them. You may reuse your boards as often as you wish~!” Tao Tao’s lilting tone struck directly at the souls of the men present, sending shivers down many spines.

“Let our ceremonial maidens display the auction items!” she announced.

A maid, dressed in the First Pavilion’s uniform, carried the auction item around the central stage for all to see.

“Although this gemstone appears unremarkable, it hails from the depths of Crescent Lake—a rare Moon Spirit Stone! It is said to bring good fortune, and rumor has it, wishes may be granted~!”

Tao Tao gently tapped the rising platform with a small hammer. “Starting price: thirty thousand!”

Thirty thousand was insignificant for these attendees, but to spend it on a stone with no practical use seemed wasteful. Few raised their boards, and the Moon Spirit Stone was ultimately sold for fifty thousand to a jeweler, who claimed it would serve as the centerpiece of his collection.

The second item was a handwoven landscape painting from a neighboring small state, Chao Chu. The scene appeared chaotic, but when sprinkled with water, it transformed into a vibrant panorama of blooming flowers—a worthy collectible.

Starting price: twenty thousand; it was finally acquired for thirty thousand by a wealthy man with a protruding belly.

The subsequent items were mostly luxury goods, auctioned at relatively low starting prices. Such items were typically used to warm up the event; seldom did they yield profits, as the real treasures were reserved for the finale.

In the back, Old Painting busied himself tallying up the accounts with others, reaping a decent harvest. After deducting the consignors’ commissions, they netted around one and a half million from the luxury items alone—not bad at all.

Next, Tao Tao began auctioning items beneficial to spiritual cultivation: secret manuals, spiritual herbs, and medicines.

“Now presenting a five-hundred-year-old Dragon Pattern Grass. You all know its origins—it’s only encountered by chance in secret realms, exceedingly precious. Starting price: two hundred fifty thousand!”

The entire herb was a pale gold, its leaves veined with red. The medicine refined from it could rapidly enhance one’s spiritual power and might even advance one’s cultivation; the five-hundred-year variety was most potent.

No sooner had Tao Tao finished speaking than the VIP rooms began their bidding war. Jun Muxuan took the lead, his offer astonishing everyone.

Three large characters appeared on the VIP suite’s wall. Tao Tao announced, “Six hundred thousand! Any higher bids? Three, two, one!”

She struck the platform lightly. “The Dragon Pattern Grass now belongs to the distinguished guest in Suite One!”

Below, Ning Xue’er could not see inside the suite but felt a strange familiarity. Though she desired the Dragon Pattern Grass, it was not a finished medicine, and the price was exorbitant. No matter how wealthy her father was, he could not afford such extravagance, so she set her sights on the finished elixirs to come.

Jun Muxuan, on the other hand, had no such qualms. Even if it wasn’t a finished product, the palace boasted master-level alchemists. While the quality could not be guaranteed, a master’s pills would never be subpar.

Others in the adjacent suites scoffed at the extravagance—such a price for a single herb!

Amusingly, the self-styled Young Master had not won a single item. Old Painting, curious, changed his clothes, carried a tray of pastries, and decided to investigate personally.

“Young Master, you spend too much…”

“Hm? Me, spendthrift?”

“Isn’t it so? Otherwise, why would Master limit your allowance? Now it’s only a million, all spent on your suite—when we return, we’ll be punished again…”

Stepping into the suite, Old Painting mused that this little page had survived so long thanks to his blunt honesty.

Old Painting flashed eight teeth in a smile. “Sir, these pastries are specially prepared for you by the First Pavilion. I hope you enjoy them.”

He set down the pastries and quickly retreated, lest he be caught in any trouble.

Descending the stairs, Little Rascal nearly suffocated with laughter in the spiritual space. [Master, isn’t that fellow a bit dim? I’ve watched him since morning—his cultivation isn’t bad, but his mind is another story, hahaha…] He pounded the ground with tiny fists. Nearby, Bonegrass and Mirage Spirit suspected Little Rascal had gone mad, but after learning the truth, they joined in the silly laughter.

Old Painting never understood what amused the trio; he simply felt he was accompanied by three oddities.

“Finally, the moment you’ve all been waiting for! Bring up the elixirs!”

Several maids carried all the bottles of pills to the stage, arranging them neatly.

Tao Tao wasted no words. She casually picked up a pill bottle from the Cleansing Elixir and Spirit-Boosting Elixir, pouring out a single pill.

“Everyone, our First Pavilion claims these elixirs are extraordinary. To clarify just how extraordinary, we’ll select a few lucky guests for live trials. Who wishes to try?”

Many raised their hands. Tao Tao chose two from the back rows, one plump and one thin, giving each a pill—one tried the Cleansing Elixir, the other the Spirit-Boosting Elixir.

The plump fellow swallowed the pill and felt an intense heat suffuse his body. Tao Tao advised him to channel his spiritual energy to better expel impurities.

He complied at once.

Soon, beads of sweat covered his forehead, and black impurities seeped from his skin, astonishing everyone present.

Ordinary Cleansing Elixirs were used to open the meridians and ease cultivation, but none had ever heard of one that could expel bodily impurities so directly!

After a stick of incense’s worth of time, all eyes waited in quiet anticipation. The plump man finally rose, now resembling a mud ball freshly emerged from a cesspit.

Tao Tao covered her nose and mouth, summoned attendants, and erected screens for an immediate wash. When he emerged, he was no longer plump—having expelled the impurities, he’d lost a whole layer of weight!

Indeed, his slimmer figure enhanced his looks, leaving him less greasy and even a touch handsome.

Seeing the results, the crowd erupted in cries for the auction to begin. Women wanted it, men wanted it—not just for cleansing, but for weight loss and impurity removal, which was a bargaining chip in itself!