CHAPTER 294: CHAPTER 294: THE WORLD IS FULL OF WONDERS

Thinking of this, Zhou Yun’s face had softened considerably, and his posture was much more humble, "Miss Xia, please don’t be angry. The reason I can’t say where I’ve been is because, in our line of work, there are some unavoidable hard choices."

With Zhou Yun lowering his stance, Xia Mian did not continue to confront him and gently curled her lips, "There’s no need to guard against me. If it weren’t for Mr. Ming having some ties with me, even if you offered an enormous price, I’m afraid you still couldn’t have invited me to treat you!"

Xia Mian’s words weren’t false. She knew too many things, too much and too varied. There were few things that could stump her in this world, and her willingness to treat someone depended both on relationships and on her mood.

She had no ties with the owner of this auction house before her, nor had he given her any good mood, so why indulge him?

"What the young lady said is true." Zhou Yun quickly recognized the situation.

Xie Chengming had followed him for so many years, and even pulling out a hair strand, it was empty—smart and meticulous. Anyone who could make Xie Chengming lower his stance and invite, could not be simple.

"Please have a seat, young lady. I’ll explain slowly." Zhou Yun leaned against the headboard and spoke amiably.

Zhou Yun, being able to run such a large auction house, was naturally not a simple character.

Xia Mian gave him a deep look, pulled over a chair, and sat by Zhou Yun’s bed, "Go ahead."

Lu Zechuan stood silently behind Xia Mian, looking at the man on the bed with interest.

Even though this man’s complexion wasn’t good, his eyes were full of intelligence. Such people usually have quick minds. Did he really go somewhere, get poisoned, and injured?

Under Lu Zechuan’s scrutinizing and suspicious gaze, Zhou Yun slowly said, "Our auction house’s source of auction items is varied, one of which is from those who willingly sell to us. Another is accidental gains by our auction house personnel during their excursions. The third is that I descend into ancient relics and Secret Realms to find them myself..."

Ancient relics and Secret Realms?

Xia Mian’s eyebrows shot up.

She’d encountered those during missions in the Three Thousand Worlds. Do they exist in the Mystical World too?

"I accidentally entered a Secret Realm and found a Divine Hall. Inside were several statues. At the foot of one statue, I picked up a black box. Before I could open it, a white light flashed in front of me, and I was ejected from the Secret Realm... Luckily, before being ejected, I held onto the box tightly, so it wasn’t entirely a fruitless endeavor..."

Zhou Yun wore a bitter smile, "After bringing that box back, I began experiencing symptoms of weakness throughout my body, and it seemed like my bones were softening. Three days later, my legs could no longer stand."

Xia Mian squinted, seemingly deep in thought, "Where is that black box?"

Zhou Yun’s expression turned serious, "The box is truly strange. For fear that others might experience the same situation upon contact, I sealed the box in the auction house’s secret chamber."

Upon hearing this, Xie Chengming chimed in, "If the young lady wishes to see it, I can take you there!"

Zhou Yun furrowed his brow slightly, "Ah Ming, the box is peculiar. If the young lady gets harmed by it upon visiting, we won’t be able to explain it to the Divine Clan."

Xie Chengming looked troubled and gazed complexly at Xia Mian, "Young lady, this..."

"It’s fine. I just want to take a look, nothing major will happen." Xia Mian was calm.

A black box could turn Zhou Yun into a weakling like this. Then, what exactly is inside the black box?

Thinking of what Song Yi had mentioned about the so-called Alien Species, Xia Mian wondered if this black box had any connection with that mysterious race.

Doubt arose in Xia Mian’s mind, and driven by curiosity, she was all the more eager to find out.

"Then, young lady, please follow me!" Xie Chengming nodded slightly and, before leaving, gave Zhou Yun a deep look.

The four of them, along with Xie Chengming, left the courtyard and headed to the auction house. Along the way, they didn’t encounter many of the auction house’s people.

Xia Mian frowned slightly, "Mr. Ming, the auction house is very quiet today!"

Xie Chengming chuckled, "Previously, those people from the Artifact Refining Sect caused trouble, and everyone was injured. So, tonight, I gave everyone a holiday to rest well."

Xia Mian’s eyes flickered slightly, "Everyone has gone to rest. Aren’t you afraid that some ill-intentioned people might return?"

Xie Chengming still wore a smile, "Rest assured, young lady, our auction house has protective spells set up. During the spell’s activation, if someone tries to intrude, we will hear it."

Xia Mian nodded, "Who helped you set up these spells in your auction house?"

Xie Chengming smiled subtly, "Young lady, that’s something I cannot disclose."

Xia Mian did not press further. It was just an array, whether Xie Chengming talked or not didn’t really matter.

As they spoke, Xie Chengming had already led Xia Mian and the others to the auction house’s secret chamber.

The secret chamber was located at the southeast corner of the auction house, and the door to the secret chamber blended seamlessly with the surrounding walls.

If it weren’t for Xie Chengming leading the way, no one would think that there was a secret chamber behind this wall.

Xie Chengming lightly tapped the wall three times, which then resonated with echoes as the wall slowly rotated, revealing the secret chamber inside.

Xie Chengming led Xia Mian and the others into the door of the secret chamber.

The door of the secret chamber then slowly closed.

The secret chamber was very spacious, with many empty niches on the walls, each holding a box covered with red cloth.

One by one, densely packed, looking a bit eerie at a glance.

Xie Chengming said with a smile, "These are treasures our owner acquired through multiple life-and-death escapades during secret realm adventures."

Upon hearing this, Xia Mian’s lips curled up, "Your owner really would risk life for fortune, huh."

Xie Chengming chuckled softly, "There’s no other way. We come from ordinary backgrounds without the protection of a big family, no connections, we can only become our own backers."

Xie Chengming’s words made Xia Mian give him an extra glance.

This guy is quite adept at stirring inspiration.

"That black box is in the innermost niche. Please, follow me, young lady!" said Xie Chengming as he walked forward.

He covered his face with a layer of gauze while walking, "Young lady, the box is very peculiar. When I uncover the red cloth, everyone should hold their breath and try not to touch the black box directly."

Xia Mian nodded, turned to look at Lu Zechuan and the others behind her, "You guys stay a bit further back."

Lu Zechuan frowned, distancing himself half a step from Xia Mian.

In Gubei Town, they were complete outsiders and needed to remain cautious of everyone.

If this black box truly were problematic, at least one of them needed to maintain full combat readiness in case of unforeseen events.

Though the distance was short, it took Xie Chengming a full five minutes to walk it.