Liu Zixuan had already encountered some strange and quirky rules of the Ghost Market, so when Zhou Nian mentioned that the Mandarin Duck Pavilion had its own quirks, he wasn't overly curious!

After registering at the entrance, they walked in together.

This approximately twenty-square-meter space was divided into four areas!

In the center was a large auction stage; to the left of the stage were several spaces resembling private boxes, while to the right was a row of seats, currently filled with people!

Around the edges were various types of counters and stalls.

"Where should we go?" Liu Zixuan asked.

"The private boxes on the left are reserved for people from the Six Gates and some special families or forces, so we should definitely go to the private boxes to stand out a bit." Zhou Nian said with a smile.

Liu Zixuan was a bit suspicious: "I didn't expect the Six Gates to have such a high status in this Ghost Market!"

"This is easy to explain!"

As Zhou Nian spoke, he led Liu Zixuan to sit down in the fourth private box, and said with a smile: "Eighty percent of the items in the Ghost Market come from underground, and throughout the Star Sea, it's the people of the Six Gates who understand underground treasures the best!"

"Of course, my dad also said, there's some big figures who possess our Six Gates' skills, but those big figures wouldn't bother coming here!"

Listening to Zhou Nian's explanation, Liu Zixuan glanced at the adjacent private boxes. They were in the fourth box; if they were seated according to the Six Gates order, the first three should be the upper three Gates' people, but to Liu Zixuan's puzzlement, the upper three Gates' boxes were completely empty!

And behind them, except for Zhou Nian and himself, only one man sat in the last box. Liu Zixuan asked in confusion, "Don't your Six Gates gather together?"

"Though we are called the Six Gates, we aren't one family. Besides Ghost Wood City, there are Ghost Markets in other places, and people from the upper three Gates are mostly in big cities' Ghost Markets like the Celestial Capital."

Zhou Nian shrugged: "This is all what my dad told me; I'm not too clear on the specifics. Honestly, I've only met the people from the other five Gates once, and we weren't all there."

Liu Zixuan nodded; from what Zhou Nian described, the Six Gates seemed like an unusual force hidden in the city.

If they followed Zhou Nian's family's model, people from the lower three Gates might just open a shop in a small city, while the true big figures gathered in what's called the upper three Gates.

Liu Zixuan grew quite curious, and if he got the chance in the future, he definitely wanted to interact with people from the upper three Gates.

Dang!

With the sound of an ancient gong, a girl wearing a Wen Shan and a peony mask walked to the center of the auction stage.

"Watch, there must be some great treasures," Zhou Nian said excitedly.

"How can you be sure?"

"The Mandarin Duck Pavilion's auction has a special rule: the type of flower on the host's mask indicates the level of the auction. The simplest auctions have no colored flowers on the mask, medium auctions feature roses, and high-end auctions have peonies!"

Pausing for a moment, Zhou Nian continued: "My dad says that in the top-tier auctions, where Supreme Treasure Level items appear, the mask displays a Yin Yang Flower!"

"Mandala?" Liu Zixuan exclaimed in surprise.

"Correct, but a Mandala-level auction hasn't appeared in fifty years," Zhou Nian said with a smile.

Just from the information given by Zhou Nian, Liu Zixuan's impression of the Zhou family's astonishing transformation changed drastically.

Previously, he thought Zhou was just knowledgeable about mysticism and could accurately locate graves, but now it seemed far more complex!

After thinking it over, he understood much better.

In the vast Star Sea over thousands of years, such reclusive and unconventional families were not uncommon!

As they operated in the shadows, they could only conduct low-key business and make money discreetly!

No wonder Zhou's secret room had so many treasures!

"Ladies and gentlemen, once again the annual Mandarin Duck Pavilion event opens, and I'm delighted to meet all of you once again. Without much ado, let's get straight to the point!"

The Wen Shan hostess held the microphone with her delicate hand and gave a slight bow to the crowd.

Then she said, "There are four auction items this time; as usual, the highest bidder wins, with no limits on auction prices or increments, bid as you wish."

"Now, let's bring out our first auction item."

Two men walked out from one side, and curiously, both men were somewhat burly, but what they held in their hands was actually quite small! They placed it in front of the Wen Shan hostess, and the two burly men stood on either side of the auction stage!

"This auction item is a painting named 'Imperial Consort Ascends to Heaven.' The death of Yang Huayu, the most beautiful woman of the Huang Dynasty, has been a mystery throughout history. In the Star Sea, there's only her symbolic tomb; it's said she had taken a Longevity Pill at her death and traveled north to the Witch Country. This painting comes from Yang Guifei's Tomb in the Witch Country, depicting the scene of the consort ascending to heaven on auspicious clouds!"

With the host's introduction, everyone present showed an excited expression!

It's widely known that the Star Sea had seen four great beauties over its millennium: Yi Guang, Wang Jiazhu, Diao Juan, and Yang Huayu! In recent years, portraits of the first three have appeared frequently in the market, so they're not particularly rare.

However, Yang Huayu, the most mysterious among the four, rarely had her portraits seen, let alone one found in the Witch Country's consort tomb!

Its collection value was undoubtedly above all else.

"Starting bid at half a million!" the host glanced around: "Ladies and gentlemen, you can start bidding now!"

"A million!"

"One million three hundred thousand!"

"One million seven hundred thousand!"

Soon, people crazily began bidding, but Liu Zixuan's side remained quiet!

The four great beauties weren't anything special to him; those ancient beauties could only be seen in paintings, not engaged with in any other way, so what use did they have?

It would be much better to find some modern beauties by one's side, enjoy the moonlit nights together, and discuss life. Wouldn't that be wonderful!

Soon, the price skyrocketed to over seven million; these wealthy people certainly had money to burn, going crazy over a single painting!

Ultimately, the painting was bought for twelve million by a man in a front private box.

The host returned to the center of the auction stage: "Next, we present our second auction item!"

The two burly men approached from one side carrying an exquisite wooden box.

The host introduced: "The second auction item is rather unique—it's a needle!"

"This silver needle is one of the Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles, known as the Nether Spirit Needle. It's said to be a treasure placed at the gates of the Underworld, capable of connecting yin and yang; inserting this needle into a dying person's philtrum point can extend their life by ten years!"

Upon hearing the words Ghost Gate Needle, Liu Zixuan suddenly shivered!

This time, it was really worth coming!