Chapter 968: I’m Just Here for the Noise

"I'm going to kill him!" Sun Ji, with his dead-fish eyes, glanced at the elder beside him.

The elder transmitted a message: "Don't worry, our people will find him once he leaves Carefree Pavilion."

Only then did Sun Ji calm down slightly, and he led his people towards the venue.

After both parties had left, the guards of Carefree Pavilion gathered around the steward. "Elder Wei," one said, "that jade token was given out too easily. Although the cornflower blue gem is precious, it doesn't warrant the pavilion treating him with such deference."

Clearly, they didn't understand why the pavilion would offend a well-known figure in Yi Commandery for this arrogant young man.

The steward replied, "Of course, a single cornflower blue gem isn't enough reason. However, this type of gem is only found on certain islands in the mysterious South Seas, which is the territory of the Sea Race. Ordinary people cannot acquire it. I suspect he might have a Sea Race background, which is why we made an exception to issue him a jade token, hoping to foster good relations with the Sea Race."

The other guards sighed. "What good is the Sea Race? They may dominate the oceans, but they have little power on land. Now that he has offended Young Master Sun, he might not leave Yi Commandery alive."

Thinking of the arrogance in Zu An's tone, the steward couldn't help but frown. "We have already done our part. What happens to him next is no longer the pavilion's concern."

***

Meanwhile, Zu An entered the venue. A server quickly approached him, and seeing the jade token in his hand, his expression grew even more respectful. He led Zu An to a private box. "Esteemed guest," he said, "when the auction begins later, if you see anything you like, you can raise your jade token to bid. Our staff will see it."

Zu An observed the layout. It closely resembled a theater from his previous life. The central area at the bottom was the main hall, where staff were busy preparing items for the upcoming auction.

The many rows of seats below were presumably for ordinary guests, while the top floor featured a circle of small private rooms. These rooms were furnished with precious teak tables and chairs, cushioned with soft cashmere pads.

High-quality sandalwood incense burned in the corners, and the porcelain cups on the tables were on par with those found in the imperial palace. Zu An became increasingly impressed by the profound background of Carefree Pavilion.

"Would the guest prefer tea or wine? We have famous beverages from all over the world," the server asked with a smile.

"A pot of Sparrow Tongue tea, please," Zu An replied, recalling the secret code Gao Ying had given him on the way, and casually ordered a type of tea.

The server nodded, then handed over a small booklet. "Does the guest have any familiar ladies on the second floor? If needed, you may call them up for service. As a holder of the most esteemed jade token, you are free to summon any of the courtesans from the second floor."

Zu An curiously took the booklet and found that each page featured a vibrant and enticing portrait of a beautiful woman, ranging from pure to alluring, with every style imaginable.

It had to be said that the artists in this world, unlike those in his previous life who focused on impressionistic styles, leaned more towards realism. Each woman in the booklet was lifelike, like a photograph, yet with an added sense of vibrancy that even photographs lacked.

Each portrait was accompanied by a detailed introduction and a list of their unique talents, such as proficiency with musical instruments like the xiao flute.

Zu An was filled with emotion, thinking, *This is truly an industry leader! In my previous life, those foot bath parlors would ask if you had a familiar technician, but how was I supposed to know without even seeing their faces?*

"No, thank you," Zu An said, closing the booklet and returning it. He wasn't particularly interested in courtesans. Besides, if one happened to be serving Pei You and he accidentally summoned her, their friendship could easily capsize.

"Please feel free to call me if you need anything," the server said, not lingering. He took the booklet and slowly withdrew.

Zu An went to the window. He noticed the clever design: he could clearly see the situation in the main hall, but it was difficult for those outside to see into the private box, creating a sense of ambiguity between public and private space.

He couldn't help but have a strange expression. No wonder the server had mentioned summoning the courtesans from the second floor; some people must enjoy that kind of atmosphere.

Unable to see into the other boxes, he scanned the entire hall, realizing that the guests in the seats below were truly formidable; many of them had high cultivation levels.

His gaze fell upon a gaunt man shrouded entirely in a black robe. The man seemed to be deliberately concealing his energy fluctuations, but with Zu An's current cultivation, he could still perceive some, at least indicating an eighth-rank.

In addition, he sensed the aura of a ninth-rank master in the hall, though he couldn't pinpoint their exact location.

"It seems to be coming from backstage," he mused. "It must be someone from Carefree Pavilion. No wonder they can maintain order in such a chaotic place."

While Zu An had seen a fair number of grandmasters, that was in the capital, a place where influential figures converged. Grandmasters were not common in daily life; a ninth-rank cultivator was already considered the peak for martial artists, capable of walking unchallenged anywhere.

Before long, a beautiful hostess walked to the center of the hall. Dressed in a form-fitting gown similar to a cheongsam, she moved with graceful elegance. Although the distinguished guests in the hall were accustomed to beauty, they couldn't help but cast a few extra glances at her.

"Carefree Pavilion certainly knows how to impress," Zu An chuckled. Although he no longer paid much attention to such beauty, appreciating a pleasing sight was still a delightful experience.

The beautiful hostess sweetly smiled as she introduced the auction's procedures and rules to the entire hall. There must have been a sound amplification array in the venue, as her voice, despite her ordinary cultivation, reached every corner clearly.

Soon, the first item was put up for auction. The hostess picked up a brocade tray, unveiled the silk covering it, and revealed a beautiful sapphire. She smiled and introduced it: "This exquisite cornflower blue gem comes from the depths of the South Seas..."

Her lavish praise was so convincing that even Zu An, the original owner, felt a pang of reluctance to sell it. *This woman's eloquence, if she were in my world back then, would undoubtedly make her another top live-commerce streamer,* he thought.

Zu An hadn't expected the first item to be his own. It seemed Carefree Pavilion held this gem in very high regard.

Carefree Pavilion set the starting bid at 100,000 taels of silver, with each subsequent bid not allowed to be less than 5,000 taels.

Soon, bid paddles rose one after another from below. Although this sapphire offered little aid to cultivation, its appeal to women was undeniable, making it quite useful for winning a lady's favor.

However, once the price reached 150,000 taels, the bidding frequency slowed down, with only two or three people remaining in contention. After all, this item had no use for cultivation, and everyone had an expected value in mind.

Just then, a taunting voice came from one of the private boxes: "Two hundred thousand taels!"

Zu An frowned, recognizing the voice of Sun Ji, the dead-fish-eyed man from before.

At this declaration, the entire hall instantly quieted. Although the gem was valuable, 200,000 taels was clearly an excessive premium. Moreover, many recognized Sun Ji's identity, so naturally, no one dared to compete with him.

"Is Young Master Sun buying it to pursue a lady from some family?"

"I heard Young Master Sun has been pursuing a stunning beauty named Qiu recently. I wonder if this is for her."

"Perhaps not. Maybe it's just to vent anger, given what happened at the entrance earlier..."

Soon, murmurs spread among the people below, as the conflict that had occurred outside moments ago circulated through the entire venue.

A showdown between two jade token holders! The onlookers excitedly munched on melon seeds.

Sun Ji was now standing at his window, basking in the gazes of awe and shock from the crowd. He loved to show off, so even in Carefree Pavilion, where everyone wore masks to maintain anonymity, he didn't mind revealing his true identity.

*Is this guy an idiot?* Zu An thought to himself. *He's clearly against me, yet he's sending me extra money?*

Soon, a server from Carefree Pavilion delivered the sapphire to Sun Ji's private box. Sun Ji played with the gem in his hand for a moment, then suddenly slammed it against the railing. The sapphire instantly shattered into pieces.

A gasp went through the hall, and even the Carefree Pavilion staff were anxious. "Young Master, what are you doing?"

Sun Ji replied, "It's nothing. I just bought it to hear it crack. The payment will be made."

Hearing that he would pay as promised, the Carefree Pavilion staff breathed a sigh of relief.

But everyone else was stunned. 200,000 taels of silver just to hear something shatter?

This was outrageously extravagant!

Those who didn't recognize Sun Ji began to inquire about who this extraordinary person was.

Even the elder, Yang Long, frowned. He leaned in and whispered to Sun Ji, "Young Master, this is truly wasteful. Your father might be displeased if he finds out."

"Don't worry," Sun Ji said, "Once we leave Carefree Pavilion, we'll just take the money back from him. I've lost nothing and gained a lot of prestige. Besides, if that guy can auction off a gem like this, he must have even better ones. He's a ripe lamb for the slaughter. Later, I'll find an even bigger and more beautiful one to give to Miss Qiu." Sun Ji was almost convinced by his own cleverness.

Yang Long showed a surprised expression, thinking that he had underestimated the young master. Although Sun Ji was arrogant on a daily basis, he clearly knew who he could afford to offend and who he couldn't.

This current person, for instance, was clearly not a prominent figure from Yi Commandery. Judging by the gem he offered for auction, he likely came from the South Seas. Even if he were a jiaolong from the Sea Race, he would have to lie low on Yi Commandery's territory.

Yi Commandery had a fierce populace, with demonic cults and bandits rampant. It was common practice to rob wealthy merchants and then directly blame it on demonic cult bandits – an unspoken secret among many in the circle. After all, living a lavish life solely on imperial stipends wasn't easy.

Thus, he stopped trying to dissuade Sun Ji, having already written Zu An off as a dead man in his mind.

At this moment, Sun Ji grew increasingly excited with his thoughts. He provocatively looked towards Zu An's box. "Some people think that with a mere broken stone, they can be considered my equal. What a pity, your pride is utterly insignificant in my eyes."

Everyone understood then; this was clearly a grudge match.

Everyone waited to see how the owner of the other private box would respond, but considering the power of the Sun family, that person would likely have no choice but to swallow their anger. Simply leaving here safely would be a good outcome.

Who knew, the moment Sun Ji's words fell, a dark streak of light shot out and instantly struck him in the face.

With a sharp crack, Sun Ji screamed and stumbled backward, barely managing to get back up, his mouth full of blood, several teeth missing.

At that moment, Zu An's figure appeared at his window. He smiled slightly and said, "My apologies, I just wanted to hear a crack too."