Volume One: The Emperor’s Sword Chapter 98: Master of Deception

A magical artifact valued at two hundred spirit stones had its price called out at ten times its worth as soon as the auction began, leaving even the cultivator who had presented the Submerged Water Lamp dumbfounded.

Never before in the history of the Qingfu Pavilion auction had there been such an increase—tenfold, unheard of!

No one could have predicted that today’s fastest-rising item would not be the Earth Escape Talisman, nor the Qixia Sword, nor the Blackscale Armor, but rather a simple Water Repelling artifact.

When he saw the smile at the corner of Yun Que’s lips, Chu Hu immediately realized he’d been duped.

He’d been swindled—and swindled badly!

A few hundred spirit stones mattered little to him; even a thousand was within his means. But two thousand spirit stones far exceeded his fortune.

What’s more, in this transaction, he was losing eighteen hundred spirit stones. If his family found out, he’d be lucky to escape with only half a beating.

Chu Hu’s broad face turned blue with rage, utterly furious.

He was not foolish—on the contrary, he was quite clever. Many had been deceived by his burly appearance, mistaking him for a reckless brute.

Chu Hu never bothered to explain; in fact, he often exploited this misconception, making himself seem dull and honest, which had caused more than a few to suffer losses.

Especially during last year’s Sword Competition, Chu Hu had played to his strengths, defeating opponents of the same rank three times in succession and reaping considerable rewards.

This time, he’d thought that the minor Marquis of Coldwater would soon be crushed in his palm, only to find himself overturned in the gutter.

The auction had its rules: whoever called out a price had to pay it. If someone bid without the money, the lightest penalty was expulsion from the auction, forever barred from attending—effectively blacklisted.

Chu Hu gnashed his teeth, glaring and shouting at Yun Que, “You little brat! You set me up!”

“Did I?” Yun Que spread his hands innocently. “I’ve been sitting here the whole time, how could I possibly set you up?”

Indeed, Yun Que hadn’t moved. He’d merely relied on the logic of habitual thinking.

His previous bids had trained Chu Hu to a fixed pattern—whenever Yun Que named a price, Chu Hu would immediately double it.

Of course, mere habit was not enough to ensnare Chu Hu.

Yun Que had waited patiently for the perfect moment—the final appearance of the Water Repelling artifact.

Earlier, Chu Hu had snatched one of these artifacts, and in his subconscious, he’d decided that Yun Que was most interested in Water Repelling artifacts and must be prevented from obtaining another.

At the very moment the artifact appeared, Yun Que had leaned forward slightly, further convincing Chu Hu that Yun Que was determined to win it.

Habitual thinking, the Water Repelling artifact, and a vivid display of body language—all combined, forming a bottomless pit into which Chu Hu inevitably fell.

Now it was Yun Que’s turn to enjoy the spectacle.

As a seasoned trickster, anyone falling into the hands of the Marquis of Coldwater was bound for misfortune.

The proprietor, Yu Qingfu, coughed lightly and asked if anyone wished to raise the price.

Of course, no one did.

An artifact worth two or three hundred spirit stones had jumped straight to two thousand—unless one was a fool, who would dare bid further?

“Two thousand spirit stones—sold!”

Yu Qingfu’s gaze landed on Chu Hu, waiting for him to pay.

Chu Hu’s eyelid twitched as he pointed at Yun Que. “He broke the rules first! He was the one maliciously raising the price. I’m the victim!”

“Playing the villain and complaining first?” Yun Que chuckled. “You still haven’t learned. I wasn’t maliciously raising the price—I was intending to buy the artifact, so I made my bid.”

“A starting price of two hundred spirit stones, and you called out a thousand? Who would believe that! You can’t even produce a thousand spirit stones, yet you claim you weren’t maliciously raising the price!” Chu Hu thought he’d found his counterattack, convinced Yun Que couldn’t come up with such a sum.

“Who said I can’t produce a thousand spirit stones? Only a fool would underestimate me.” Yun Que laughed and flicked his finger, sending a black stone onto the wooden platform.

Yu Qingfu caught it, glanced at it, and his expression changed slightly.

“One thousand spirit stones starting price,” Yun Que said casually.

Chu Hu burst out laughing, cursing, “You dare ask a thousand for a broken stone? You must be mad for spirit stones! This is an auction, not a comedy show! Nobodies shouldn’t make a spectacle of themselves!”

Not only Chu Hu, but hundreds of cultivators present were ready for a joke, certain that Yun Que was overreaching and could not possibly produce a treasure worth a thousand spirit stones.

A thousand spirit stones was no small sum. Even ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators might struggle to produce it, let alone a disciple of Sword Palace.

The crowd couldn’t tell Yun Que’s cultivation, but they recognized a Sword Palace disciple by his attire.

Luo Xiaoyu was unconcerned, but Han Jiao was worried for Yun Que.

Fraud at an auction meant making an enemy of the establishment. The proprietor, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, was not to be trifled with; anger him, and the three of them might not leave the place alive.

While Han Jiao fretted and Chu Hu waited for a show, Yu Qingfu raised the black stone and announced:

“A soul stone over a hundred years old, of excellent quality—an ideal material for crafting top-tier soul-type magical artifacts. Its value is at least a thousand spirit stones. This will be the highlight of today’s auction. Interested patrons should prepare accordingly.”

An uproar swept the hall.

“It’s genuine! What a wealthy man!”

“I remember a mid-quality soul stone appeared half a year ago and sold for eight hundred spirit stones. This one is even better—worth well over a thousand!”

“Soul-type artifact? That’s a treasure capable of housing demon souls! Finished products fetch at least two thousand spirit stones!”

“Two thousand spirit stones for a top-tier soul artifact? Dream on! If that were the price, I’d buy as many as there were!”

“Finally, a soul stone! Fellow sect members, if anyone has extra spirit stones, lend them to me—I’ll repay them in full in a month!”

Han Jiao finally breathed a sigh of relief, surprised that Yun Que had produced a soul stone worth over a thousand spirit stones.

As neighbors from Yanmen Town, Han Jiao knew Yun Que’s fortune well—if not exactly, then at least eighty percent.

The Marquis’s household wealth hardly matched the Han family.

Han Jiao, as the Han family’s second daughter, could produce a mid-grade artifact for the sword trials, while Yun Que, after five consecutive years, could only manage a low-grade artifact.

There was no need to compare their fortunes—the difference was clear at a glance.

Yet, after little more than a month at Sword Palace, Yun Que could casually bring out a soul stone worth over a thousand spirit stones. Clearly, he’d had some stroke of fortune.

“Seeking opportunities…”

Han Jiao repeated Yun Que’s advice. Amid her shock, her confidence in breaking the Dragon Spirit Root grew.

Luo Xiaoyu wasn’t thinking about the soul stone; her wide eyes were fixed on Chu Hu, waiting to see how embarrassed he would become.

Anyone who crossed Senior Yun was bound for trouble—this belief was deeply rooted in Luo Xiaoyu’s heart.

Chu Hu was utterly stunned.

He stared blankly at the soul stone on the platform.

He’d never dreamed that a mere sword-servant could casually produce a treasure worth a thousand spirit stones.

And it seemed the soul stone would fetch well above a thousand.

Impossible!

Chu Hu simply could not believe it—the fallen Marquis of Coldwater, now so wealthy!

Not even he, a Sword Child, nor any of the elders could toss out a thousand spirit stones without blinking.

As the commotion died down, Yu Qingfu, standing high above on the platform, looked coldly at Chu Hu and said:

“He can produce a thousand spirit stones, so there was no malicious bidding. Now, it’s your turn to pay.”