Chapter 569: A Stunning Spectacle of Exquisite Treasures

Chapter 565: A Grand Garden Full of Treasures

The scene was picturesque.

Most visitors preferred to walk up the mountain, enjoying the boundless autumn scenery along the way.

Dunyuan covers nearly six hundred mu. It originally occupied only half a mountain, but a century ago, its neighbor on the other side of the wall fell into decline and sold their property to the Golden Horn family. This is how Dunyuan came to occupy an entire mountain today.

The small mountain boasts seven or eight famous scenic spots. As He Lingchuan ascended, he saw cascading waterfalls and springs, clouds drifting over pine-lined streams, and maple and phoenix trees lining the path. Such a magnificent garden, designed to appear natural and artless, required far more painstaking effort and labor than an ordinary estate. In contrast, the various buildings and houses within the garden, designed to complement the scenery, served as mere embellishments.

He Lingchuan strolled along the path, his feet rustling through the endless fallen leaves. This garden was so vast that walking through it was tiring; it offered countless spaces to be freely enjoyed. It was also the largest estate He Lingchuan had seen since entering society. Reflecting on this, he realized that in the past year or so, he had traveled extensively but had never stayed in one place for more than two months. Some were constantly on the move, while others possessed immense wealth. Considering the astronomical land prices here, where every inch was precious, what would such a large mountain estate be worth?

Attentive young servants were present in the pavilions along the path, welcoming guests, providing directions, and answering questions. Halfway up the mountain, several tall buildings, all three stories or more, were separated by sparse vegetation, allowing sounds to carry but keeping people out of sight. A servant explained that the auction would be held simultaneously in these buildings: the Fragrant Hall, the Danshishu Residence, and the highest point, the Sky Rain Pavilion. Guests could move freely between these venues. Naturally, at the forefront, in the Fragrant Hall, the hosts were present to greet guests.

As Fu Shanyue ascended the steps, a man stepped forward, full of enthusiasm: "Your Highness, long time no see!" The man wore a brocade robe, was over forty, had a pale complexion, no beard, and slender but spirited eyes.

"Manager Fang, are you well? Where is Old Golden Horn?"

The man chuckled, "General Jin has not yet returned to Lingxu City, but he has sent three letters instructing us to proceed with the auction."

"This is He Xiao," Fu Shanyue said, turning to introduce He Lingchuan. "He Xiao, this is Manager Fang Canran, a first-rank chief manager under General Golden Horn. All properties, including Dunyuan, are under his care, and he is also the head organizer of today's auction."

He Lingchuan and Fang Canran exchanged greetings, and He Lingchuan's gaze instinctively fell upon Fang Canran's hand, causing him to momentarily freeze. Fang Canran, in turn, exclaimed, "Seeing is believing! Young Master He, your reputation has recently soared; truly, you are a formidable young man..." Seeing He Lingchuan staring blankly at the back of his hand, he couldn't help but ask again, "Young Master He?"

He Lingchuan quickly snapped back to attention and smiled, "You flatter me."

As Fang Canran clasped his fist in a salute, He Lingchuan noticed a red signet ring on his middle finger. Signet rings were not uncommon, but He Lingchuan was certain he had seen a ring with the exact same shape, size, color, and pattern just a few days prior. It was identical to Shao Jian's signet ring! No, it was likely the very same one, because the ring was engraved with a conch shell pattern, and the spiral had exactly five turns. Shao Jian had even explained its significance to him: he, as the founder of the merchant guild, had a five-spiral conch on his signet ring, while others in the guild had at most two or three spirals on theirs. How many founders could a merchant guild have? Spanning over a century of time, he unexpectedly saw this signet ring again. So, what was the connection between Fang Canran, the chief manager of General Golden Horn, and Shao Jian, the exile from Yuan a century ago?

Before He Lingchuan could ponder further, Fang Canran handed each of them a luminous jade token: "To participate in the auction, simply raise this token. Come, let's go inside for tea!"

Fu Shanyue shook his head, "No tea for me. First, tell me, have the Zhongsun family or the Cen family arrived?"

Fang Canran paused, "The eldest young master of the Zhongsun family is in the Sky Rain Pavilion. The Cen family and the Grand Minister of Agriculture's family have not yet arrived." Cen Boqing had just been escorted back to the capital by the Du Yun Envoy; his crimes were too severe, so the Grand Minister of Agriculture and the Cen family might not be in the mood to attend this auction.

Fu Shanyue chuckled, "Good." The Zhongsun family, however, had representatives, as if certain that the immortality elixir case wouldn't implicate them.

The two walked into the Fragrant Hall. The interior design of Dunyuan's buildings was, of course, exquisite. A six-hundred-year-old capital emphasized grandeur yet elegance, wealth without losing refinement. He Lingchuan felt an extraordinary aura the moment he stepped inside, yet he couldn't pinpoint exactly what made it different. Perhaps it was the ancient tree swaying in the courtyard for a thousand years. Perhaps it was the intricately crafted eaves tiles that tinkled like music whenever it rained. Or perhaps it was the enormous jade screen in the hall, depicting a sunrise illuminating countless golden mountain peaks. This jade screen, fifteen feet high and sixty feet wide, spanned the entire hall, exuding a magnificent presence.

The screen displayed an animated image: white clouds rolled, and mountains appeared lush green. Standing close, one could feel a chill, as if mist were blowing directly onto their face. He Lingchuan recognized it at once as the craftsmanship of Songyang Manor. A small animated screen from Songyang Manor's Dunyu branch, only about half the size of a door panel, cost two hundred taels of silver. How much would a custom-made giant screen like this one cost? It was well known that the larger the screen, the greater the difficulty of its craftsmanship. However, Songyang Manor was effectively placing a large advertisement here. He wondered if they would offer Dunyuan a discount when it came time to collect payment.

The Fragrant Hall comprised three main halls, two secondary halls, several side rooms, and corridors, all currently displaying auction items. Of course, guards stood before the display cabinets, their gazes silently warning, "Look, but do not touch." An auction session would be held in the main hall every hour. Guests shuttled through the hall, all prominent figures from Lingxu City. He Lingchuan observed that about eighty percent were human, with distinguished guests and beauties conversing and laughing everywhere. Many guests gathered, exchanging greetings, sipping drinks, and conversing in low tones. Clearly, this was also a rare social occasion. Fu Shanyue took him around and introduced him to two groups of guests. Everyone was very interested in the Baishaju Incident and the Eastern War. While Fu Shanyue was still holding forth, He Lingchuan quietly slipped away from the crowd to explore other areas.

As he passed the giant animated screen from Songyang Manor again, someone approached him and whispered, "Young Master He Xiao?"

He Lingchuan's expression remained unchanged: "You must have mistaken me for someone else."

The person chuckled, "It's a request from the Marquis."

He was sent by Li Qingge? He Lingchuan let out a soft "Oh" and took the black iron ring the person handed him. It was a storage ring. He Lingchuan's spiritual sense penetrated it and found a booklet inside. The person turned and pointed to the giant screen, as if explaining it to He Lingchuan, but actually said, "The Marquis also wants to ask you for a favor. The guest currently viewing weapons in the West Wing Room Two might be someone you know. The Marquis would like you to re-acquaint yourself with him under a different identity."

He Lingchuan raised an eyebrow: "And then what?" Was it time to start repaying the favor he owed Li Qingge?

"Then we'll talk more—those are the Marquis's exact words." The person bowed with a smile and returned to their original position.

He Lingchuan left the main hall and strolled to a corridor, choosing a deserted bamboo grove to stand in before taking out the booklet from the black iron ring. The writing inside was neat and detailed, containing information on the Cen and Zhongsun families, including family members' names, ages, habits, temperaments, occupations, and recent activities. It was indeed the work of Songyang Manor's master, as thorough as ever. If He Lingchuan, an outsider, had to gather this information himself, it would be time-consuming, laborious, and incomplete. Since the Cen family hadn't arrived, He Lingchuan quickly reviewed the information to be well-informed.

"Zhongsun Ce, the eldest young master of the Zhongsun family?" He focused on Zhongsun Ce's profile and discovered that this fellow, despite mingling among Lingxu City's elite, had no accomplishments to his name. It seemed Zhongsun Mou was actually the most outstanding among his peers? Well, his actions had almost completely ruined the Zhongsun family. Fearing that Li Qingge's request might slip away, he put away the booklet after a brief look and started walking toward West Wing Room Two.

At that moment, the Divine Bone Necklace suddenly grew warm. Hmm? What delicious thing had it taken a fancy to this time? This was an auction, filled with dazzling treasures—a self-service supermarket for the Divine Bone Necklace, wasn't it? He Lingchuan wasn't in a hurry. With his hands behind his back, he casually wandered around the venue, occasionally pointing at exhibits and asking questions, all the while subtly sensing the Divine Bone Necklace's changes to pinpoint exactly which item it desired.

Soon, he stopped near the balcony. There was a row of display cabinets, each containing four or five items. The display labels read: Unknown Wonders. As he reached this point, the Divine Bone Necklace stopped heating up.

"What are these?"

A nearby servant immediately approached and explained, "These are rare items whose uses have not yet been identified. The starting price is set by the seller but is generally not high. Many esteemed guests enjoy 'treasure hunting' here; sometimes, they can find valuable items, like picking gold from sand."

"I see." In essence, it was like opening a blind box, an addiction many indeed had. Next to the display cabinets, only two people were actually handling items, while a crowd watched with interest. "May I take a look?"

"Certainly, I'll retrieve it for you. Which item would you like to see?" Since they were "unknown wonders" with no attached descriptions, who would buy them if they couldn't be handled and examined?

"Let's see this one," He Lingchuan said, pointing to something resembling a discus. To be cautious, he didn't immediately approach the cabinet that the Divine Bone Necklace seemed interested in. The servant handed it to him, and He Lingchuan weighed it. Ha, its weight was also like a discus, heavy in his hand. The material felt like cold iron, as it was much colder to the touch than ordinary metal. He thought the object really resembled a curling stone, just without the handle on top. After he picked it up, the discus was closer to the Divine Bone Necklace, but the necklace showed no reaction. It was probably not this item.

As soon as He Lingchuan picked it up, guests gathered around to watch. Someone asked him, "Can you tell what it is?" He Lingchuan shook his head. The discus seemed to have been broken off from some kind of apparatus, but when he probed it with his true energy, there was no reaction. Then again, if it could be easily identified, it wouldn't be sitting in the "Unknown Wonders" cabinet.

The servant chuckled, "Actually, several strange items from this very display cabinet at Dunyuan have been auctioned off and later identified as rare treasures. One even turned out to be an immortal's relic; the buyer, with their keen eye for treasure, purchased it for less than one percent of its true value, which was an incredible bargain."

Someone nearby interjected, "What about the many more people who spent money on useless items and took them home? Why don't you mention that?"

(End of Chapter)