Where Immortals Once Walked

Chapter 572: His Family Owns Mines

“All this time wasted over one lousy horn!”

“We came to see the boundless gold!”

If they could not win it, then at least they could enjoy the spectacle.

And so, the auction for the boundless gold began at once.

At the opening, midpoint, and conclusion of each Dun Garden auction, a marquee item would always be brought out either to warm up the crowd, rouse their spirits midway through, or serve as the grand finale.

The marquee lot meant to lift the atmosphere at mid-session was the boundless gold that had just been carried onto the stage.

He Lingchuan narrowed his eyes. The so-called Boundless Gold turned out to be half a broken sword tip.

“What exactly is this supposed to mean?”

In the jade slip catalog, the item description for the Boundless Gold consisted of only a few brief lines, with no accompanying illustration.

Yet this object’s popularity was clearly extraordinary. More and more people kept flooding into Fragrance Hall, and it was obvious they had all come specifically to see it. Before long, the auction floor was packed so tightly there was scarcely room to move.

“This broken sword tip was snapped off the life-bound magical artifact of True Immortal Shou’an. Its vitality has already been lost, but it still contains boundless gold,” Fushan Yue explained. “Once it’s purchased, Dun Garden can extract the boundless gold for the buyer. Of course, if one chooses not to extract it, the sword tip itself can also be kept as a collector’s item.”

He Lingchuan found that odd. “Half a sword tip can count as a collectible?”

“Ours couldn’t. But True Immortal Shou’an’s can,” Fushan Yue said matter-of-factly. “He was once the sect master of the Grand Return Sect.”

“The Grand Return Sect?” He Lingchuan was startled. “The former master of Mount Xu?”

“Exactly!” Fushan Yue continued, “True Immortal Shou’an once fought the gods and survived all the way into the early Middle Era. He was a figure who spanned two eras. Even a scrap broken off one of his magical artifacts would be worth collecting. And this one still contains boundless gold.”

“Alright, fair enough.” He Lingchuan understood well enough how collectibles worked. What mattered was provenance, illustrious origin, and the story behind them. If the story was good enough, the price rose accordingly.

Leaving aside the sword tip’s history itself, the boundless gold within it could transform magical artifacts and may even add an additional property to them.

That was something truly extraordinary.

No such metal existed naturally in the mortal realm. It was a specialty of the divine realm, and even there its quantity was said to be exceedingly scarce. There was no telling from which unlucky god True Immortal Shou’an had seized his portion of boundless gold. After the great war of the Ancient Era, the passage between the two realms had closed, and the gods were no longer able to send the metal down into the mortal realm. Thus, boundless gold lost its source entirely.

The boundless gold that still existed in the mortal realm now was either hidden away in unknown cave abodes or embedded within the magical artifacts of ancient immortals and monsters.

Even for the nobility of Beijia, obtaining it was anything but easy.

So He Lingchuan very quickly got to see just how precious it was.

The opening bid for the boundless gold was 100,000 taels of silver, with each increment set at 5,000 taels.

He Lingchuan carefully did the arithmetic in his head. A hundred thousand taels of silver meant 100 million copper coins. Stack that much money together, and it could crush quite a few people to death.

An ordinary family would never see that kind of wealth over several lifetimes.

And yet here, it was only the opening bid for the boundless gold.

Soon enough, he realized that Dun Garden’s opening price was, in fact, downright generous, because the very first bidder called out, “200,000 taels!”

God damn!

He Lingchuan knew his own station well enough. He had no standing to participate in a bidding war at this level. But this price—

This price apparently failed to intimidate anyone, as the second bidder immediately called out, “250,000.”

He Lingchuan shot a sidelong glance at Fushan Yue. “Why aren’t you bidding?”

“What would I need it for?” Fushan Yue gave a nonchalant snort. “For a ba, the finest weapons are its own two hands!”

Holy shit! Boundless gold is this expensive?

He had not brought that much money out with him! True, as the Crown Prince of Chiyan, he could always buy on credit, but...

Even 200,000 clearly was not the ceiling for this item. It was simply too expensive.

He Lingchuan looked at him suspiciously, then glanced toward Hong Chenglue not far away.

That man had both arms folded so tightly across his chest that it looked as though he feared even an accidental movement might be mistaken by the auctioneer for a bid.

Clearly, the recently reinstated Qingwu General did not have that much money either.

That made He Lingchuan think again of Hong Chenglue’s miserable circumstances back in Bailu Town. The man seemed born under the star of a prodigal spender, incapable of ever holding on to wealth.

After a few rounds, the boundless gold climbed to 400,000 taels.

Lingxu City truly had no shortage of rich people.

Fortunately, the pace slowed after that, and the increments dropped too, more to the order of twenty or thirty thousand taels at a time.

There was nothing that drew spectators like a fierce bidding duel. By the end, Fragrance Hall was packed three layers deep inside and out. Including the onlookers standing on the open second and third floors, there were at least a thousand people gathered there, and bursts of applause sounded from time to time.

The price had already risen to 670,000, and only three bidders remained.

Then one of them, a scholar in a long robe, raised his plaque and declared in a clear voice, “870,000!”

A collective hiss of indrawn breath rippled.

Bold. That was an increase of two hundred thousand in one go!

He Lingchuan lowered his voice. “Who is that?”

“Ke Yanming, the eldest son of the current head of the Heavenly Spirit Ke Family,” said Fushan Yue. “His family owns mines.”

“...”

“I mean that literally,” Fushan Yue added, turning serious. “His family controls two profound crystal veins.”

“Two profound crystal veins?” This time, He Lingchuan could not suppress his shock. “I thought those were always state-owned.”

There were very few profound crystal veins within Yuan. Every one of them was considered a discovery of the highest importance and was immediately taken into state possession. Private extraction was a capital crime punishable by the extermination of the entire clan or family.

Never mind that the ruler of Yuan often acted with maddening indecision in ordinary matters. Whenever that particular offense was involved, he killed without the slightest softness.

Profound crystals could essentially be regarded as solidified spirit qi, and in this present age of dwindling spirit qi, the importance of such veins hardly needed to be said.

“Most of them are,” Fushan Yue explained. “But the Ke Family performed some service with exceptional effectiveness, and the gods were greatly pleased, so they were granted the right to extract from profound crystal mines. Those two veins were originally rewards bestowed by the Lord Emperor upon founding meritorious officials. Since their descendants had dwindled, the veins were originally meant to revert to state ownership. But then the Ke Family appeared, and the gods renewed the grant in their favor. That particular grace has lasted over a hundred years, and no one else in the realm can compare.”

“What did they do?” So the gods aren’t all that stingy, eh?

“They found some legendary treasure for the gods. I don’t know exactly what it was.” Even Fushan Yue sounded envious. It was not easy even for the ruler of Chiyan to grind out wealth the hard way, whereas the Ke Family sat astride treasure mountains and earned money just by lying still. “The Ke Family is close to the Heavenly Palace. I’ve heard they are regularly permitted to attend the gods at Star-Plucking Tower. That’s an honor most people wouldn’t even dare dream of.” Then he gave a soft chuckle and said, “Actually, those old established noble houses in Lingxu City with long histories look down on the Ke Family a bit. They say those of the Ke Family are boorish outsiders from the provinces—rich, but vulgar. The Ke Family probably throws money around so freely partly to annoy them.”

He Lingchuan understood.

Beijia had stood for nearly six hundred years. It was rich and powerful, and was full of long-lived great families.

Together, they formed a social stratum that had all but solidified. They did not care much for letting latecomers join their games.

The Ke Family had arrived late, yet won divine favor, and then behaved like brazen nouveaux riches on top of it. Naturally, that made them hard to like.

A thought stirred in He Lingchuan’s mind. “Where did the Ke Family come from originally?”

Fushan Yue glanced around before answering, as though the topic made even him cautious. Only then, taking advantage of another swell of applause from the crowd, did he quietly answer, “The State of Yuān.”

He Lingchuan was violently startled. “Seriously?”

Any mention of that state was no different from hitting a thorn in the Monster Emperor’s heart. Mention them by accident, and people could die for it. How, then, could a noble family from the State of Yuān have received enfeoffment and favor?

And besides, had the State of Yuān not been destroyed more than a century ago? Were not its descendants supposed to live in the Twilight Plains, generation after generation, the men as slaves and the women as prostitutes? How could people of Yuān have ended up as officials here?

“Back then, the Ke Family saw the light and defected,” Fushan Yue said, his lips barely moving. “They informed against the State of Yuān, exposing one of its plots. Because of that, they rendered great service.”

Informed against them?

He Lingchuan’s breathing paused for an instant.

So before the King of Yuān ever rose in rebellion, the Ke Family had already turned traitor.

Fushan Yue continued, “Those two profound crystal veins of the Ke Family also supply ore to Lingxu City year-round.”

So they’re a designated state supplier?

No wonder they’re rich beyond measure.

He Lingchuan and Fushan Yue sighed at the same time.

Not far away, Hong Chenglue turned to look at them, faintly baffled.

Which showed that, in truth, he had been keeping an eye on He Lingchuan the whole while.

Fushan Yue glanced at Hong Chenglue and asked He Lingchuan, “You’ve got a grudge with him?”

Straight to the point. Fushan Yue was no fool. How could he have missed the dangerous undercurrent between the two of them? Hong Chenglue had looked ready to draw his blade at the slightest provocation.

“I do.” He Lingchuan sighed again. “Old matters from the past. We exchanged a few words just now, shared a drink, and the grievance was smoothed over.”

“Oh. I seem to recall he spent time in the State of Fu as well.” Since everyone had their own irritating little secrets, Fushan Yue did not press further. “If you need help, just say so.”

He Lingchuan gave his shoulder a grateful pat. “Not for the moment. I was just startled. I’d heard he’d long ago been exiled elsewhere. How did he suddenly end up in Lingxu City again?”

“He made his name early. More than ten years ago, he was already a young man of great promise, full of spirit and talent. But the waters in Lingxu City run deep. He didn’t wade them well in his earlier years and had no choice but to hang up his seal and leave. I’ve heard State Preceptor Shuang Ye pleaded for him repeatedly, and only then was he brought back from abroad and restored to office.”

“State Preceptor Shuang Ye?” He Lingchuan suddenly remembered something, and his heart gave a violent jolt. “Then does that mean he’s close to State Preceptor Shuang Ye?!”

“Close?” Fushan Yue laughed. “He’s long since been counted among the forces under State Preceptor Shuang Ye’s faction.”

“I see.” He Lingchuan’s gaze shifted, and something clicked into place within him. Several lines of thought suddenly connected all at once. “I see!”

In that instant, many things became clear.

He Lingchuan took a sip of wine. “It seems to me this General Hong carries a good deal of frustration, and doesn’t quite fit the atmosphere here today.”

“He’s only just returned to Lingxu City, so he naturally has to restrain himself a bit.”

“Waiting for the chance to lead troops and earn merit?”

“Exactly. State Preceptor Shuang Ye got him brought back, but he still has to prove himself.” Fushan Yue smiled. “It’s a strange thing. Men who seem dazzlingly gifted out in the wider world often can’t help but fade once they enter Lingxu City.”

He Lingchuan silently thought to himself, That’s because Lingxu City’s waters are too deep, and too muddy.

In a capital that had stood for six hundred years, could any talented newcomer truly find a fair chance to display what they were capable of?

Fushan Yue pointed to himself. “Of course, I’m the exception.”

And he was right. At the moment, he was one of Lingxu City’s hottest topics, enjoying every bit of his moment in the sun.

On the stage, the bidding for the boundless gold finally ended. As expected, it went to the Ke Family.

Ke Yanming had displayed an unmistakable determination to win, forcing all other bidders to withdraw.

Then again, it might also have been because the other families had no desire to compete with the Ke Family in raw spending power. For most people, trying to outspend the Ke Family was simply asking to humiliate themselves.