Two hours later, Qin Xiao walked out of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion feeling satisfied.
"Master, I really can't understand. What is the point of wanting to take them as disciples?"
Having held back until now, Lin Shimeng still couldn't figure out why Qin Xiao was doing this.
"What point?"
Qin Xiao had no idea what Lin Shimeng was asking about.
"You're taking them in privately, we won't get any benefits from it, and if things go wrong, we might offend the sects behind them. Why would you do something that brings a hundred harms and not a single benefit?"
Not to mention Lin Shimeng, even Yun Man didn't quite understand, though she kept quiet. Such behavior truly offered no advantages.
"This can't be explained clearly to you. You just need to trust your master; there's naturally a reason behind it. Do you really think your master would do something that offers zero benefits? You need to learn more from Senior Sister Yun Man."
Qin Xiao naturally couldn't mention the System to them. Besides, even if he told them, who would believe it?
"Fine, fine. Do whatever you want."
Seeing that she couldn't get a straight answer, Lin Shimeng simply stopped caring.
The three hadn't walked far before they found the Immortal Dao Merchant Association's auction house in Pure Yang City, as many people were already heading in that direction.
Just as they reached the entrance of the auction house, Qin Xiao spotted the group he had dined with earlier, standing together and conversing.
"What a coincidence. You haven't gone inside yet?"
Out of the eight people from the meal, seven were present. Ling Ruoxue was already inside attending to matters.
"We're about to head in. We didn't expect Brother Qin to arrive as well."
Su Lin was the first to greet them. After all, both of his junior sisters had wagered against Qin Xiao, so he wanted to maintain a cordial relationship. Regardless of who won or lost, it was best to avoid any bad blood.
"Oh, then let's go in together. Come with us, I have a private room."
Qin Xiao generously invited them along. After all, the VIP private room was quite spacious, and a few more people wouldn't make it crowded.
"Thank you, Brother Qin, but our sect's elders have already gone ahead. They have their own private rooms, so we won't trouble you," Cang Xing said politely.
"Our private rooms are all on the third floor as Purple Card members. Even though Sect Leader Lin holds a purple card, that doesn't make this your private room," Yu Shaoqing chimed in unhappily. Qin Xiao had completely stolen his thunder during the meal, and he had been itching to get back at him.
"Oh? So Young Master Yu possesses a VIP membership card?"
Qin Xiao probed Yu Shaoqing's background first, making sure not to walk into a trap.
"I might not have one, but my father does. Just how rare is a VIP membership card? In the entire region around Pure Yang City, aside from my father and the Pure Yang Sect, there probably isn't a third one."
Yu Shaoqing looked at Qin Xiao as if he were an ignorant bumpkin, clearly thinking, Do you even know what a VIP membership card is? You dare ask if I have one?
"Then I'm afraid I have to disappoint Young Master Yu. I happen to be the owner of that third one."
Yun Man sensibly produced her membership card at that moment.
"How is that possible? How could you possibly have a VIP membership card?"
Yu Shaoqing was once again stunned. Who on earth was this kid? Wasn't he just a disciple of the Tianyuan Sect? How could he possess a VIP card when even Sect Leader Lin didn't have one?
"As for how I got it, that's not for public discussion. Otherwise, why do you think Eldest Miss Ling was willing to vouch for me? Without some financial backing, could I secure tens of millions in guarantees?"
Seeing his display of status succeed, Qin Xiao was quite pleased.
"Even if you have a VIP membership card, so what? We all have our own private rooms. We wouldn't lower ourselves to enter yours," Yu Shaoqing retorted stubbornly.
"If you won't, then so be it. Brother Cang, Brother Su, would you care to join us?"
Qin Xiao's targets had always been these particular Heavenly Spirit Root geniuses-specifically Cang Chen and the two Luo sisters.
"No need. Our elders already arranged private rooms for us," Cang Xing refused.
"Same here," Su Lin replied.
"Little Senior Brother Cang, two Senior Sister Luos, why don't the three of you come to my private room instead? Sitting with your sect elders must feel rather stiff anyway. Besides, each of you has a ten-million-spirit-stone credit limit with me here. If you see anything you like, you can actually bid on it. Why stay stuck with them?"
Realizing he couldn't sway the others, Qin Xiao shifted his focus to the three individuals he had wagered with, dangling the bait of spirit stones.
"Little Brother, can we draw on that credit in advance?"
The first to crack was Luo Yunshuang.
"Of course. If you win the wager, I have to hand over ten million to you anyway. If you lose, you become my disciples, and I'll owe you disciple-entry gifts. Either way, you're guaranteed to come out ahead by ten million. An advance is entirely fine."
Seeing that his tactic was working, Qin Xiao pressed his advantage.
"Senior Brother Su, I won't be sitting with you guys. I'm going with Little Brother Qin Xiao. Sister, come with me too-just in case it's not enough and I need to borrow your limit as well."
Not only did Luo Yunshuang agree on the spot, but she also pulled her sister Luo Yunbing along.
Faced with her younger sister's mischief, Luo Yunbing could only sigh in resignation, though she offered no opposition.
"Look at that, both Senior Sister Luos are on board. Little Senior Brother Cang, don't hold back. Let's head inside."
Without waiting for Cang Chen's confirmation, Qin Xiao simply grabbed him by the sleeve and pulled him toward the entrance.
Cang Chen had actually been tempted all along, but didn't know how to voice it. Since Qin Xiao gave him an out, he smoothly went along with it and entered the auction house.
"Forget it, let them go. I may not know what Brother Qin is plotting, but since he's promised benefits to our junior sister and junior brothers, we shouldn't interfere. It's just an auction, after all."
Cang Xing felt somewhat helpless. If anyone else had pulled such a shameless stunt, he would have put his foot down, but this was Qin Xiao-someone who had saved their lives. Unless the request was completely unreasonable, they couldn't bring themselves to object.
Shortly after, Qin Xiao and his group arrived at the auction house. After presenting their VIP membership card, they were promptly escorted to a fourth-floor private room.
This auction was on a completely different scale from the one in Tianyuan City, drawing a massive number of members. The third-floor Purple Card rooms were mostly occupied, the second-floor Gold rooms were completely packed, and those without reservations were forced to sit in the main hall, leaving Silver members and non-members with virtually no choices at all.
"Is this a VIP private room? It really is luxurious."
As soon as she entered, Luo Yunshuang casually claimed a large, plush sofa and sat down.
Qin Xiao didn't mind in the least, walking straight to the main seat and making himself comfortable.
"Don't stand on ceremony, everyone sit wherever you like. The room is so large that it feels a bit empty with just a few people, which is why I invited you along."
Qin Xiao offered a casual excuse to put the three guests at ease.
About a quarter of an hour later, the door to the private room swung open, and Ling Ruoxue walked in.
"Oh? What's going on here? Qin Xiao, how on earth did you manage to lure these three into your room?"
Ling Ruoxue looked at Cang Chen and the Luo sisters, momentarily bewildered.
"Ah, don't worry about that. Eldest Miss, shouldn't you be busy managing the auction? What brings you here?"
Qin Xiao asked with a puzzled expression.
"The preparations are practically finished, and several supervisors are handling the details. I'm completely free now, so I came to relax. What? Am I not welcome?"
Despite her words, Ling Ruoxue had already walked right in and seated herself comfortably beside Yun Man.
"Not at all. Welcome, welcome."
Qin Xiao wouldn't dare offend Ling Ruoxue; she was the actual master of this establishment.
"Welcome, esteemed guests, to today's auction. This old man, Cai Mu, will be serving as your host."
Down on the stage, an elderly man stepped forward and spoke in a steady voice.