Chapter 161: Before Her Highness, There Are No Powerful Families
“I can’t enter?”
Nangong Mian’s temper flared. She wasn’t known for her patience.
Moreover, she had just boasted to the princess, only to be turned away at the door.
Where was her face now?
“Entering the Tianlie Auction House requires a certain level of registered assets. I’m sorry, but you two don’t seem to be registered.”
The guard said impassively, “To provide our guests with the best and most exclusive service, we need to maintain a certain atmosphere. As for you two… please excuse us.”
Mocking gazes came from the surrounding crowd. Although most of the guests, considering themselves high-class, didn’t openly mock them, their expressions weren’t friendly, all waiting for a good show.
“Then let’s register.”
Luo Xue said softly, and only then did the surrounding people notice the small, delicate girl beside the country bumpkin.
“If you qualify, I apologize.” The guard nodded.
“Wait… no!”
Nangong Mian quickly stopped them. She seemed to realize something, hesitated for a moment, then turned to Luo Xue.
“Let’s go to another auction house.”
She had almost forgotten to keep a low profile…
Asset registration required identification. If Luo Xue revealed her Snow Crystal Ring, the symbol of her identity as the little princess, they would have to return to the palace.
Without prior arrangements, Luo Xue couldn’t appear in the Great Qin Imperial Capital as Princess Xue. It would cause a lot of trouble, both for the capital and for herself.
“Pfft!”
Someone in the crowd chuckled, making Nangong Mian grit her teeth, but she couldn’t lash out.
If this were the Nangong Sacred Land, she would have already beaten them up. She couldn’t defeat a Nascent Soul cultivator, but half of the Core Formation cultivators weren’t her match.
Luo Xue naturally wasn’t stupid enough to reveal her identity as the little princess, but there were other solutions.
For example, offering something to be auctioned. An auction house couldn’t refuse someone who wanted to sell something, could they?
Nangong Mian clearly wasn’t very clever, a bit of a simpleton.
Meanwhile, inside the Tianlie Auction House.
Vivienne was one of the most renowned auctioneers of the Tianlie Auction House, having handled countless rare treasures.
Recently, with Princess Xue’s coming-of-age ceremony, the Immortal Emperor, in his delight, had bestowed many of his treasures, including countless heavenly materials and earthly treasures, and even spiritual artifacts.
Due to the unprecedented scale of this event, the Imperial Capital was experiencing unprecedented prosperity, and even the quality of items in the daily auctions had increased.
The Tianlie Auction House had summoned almost all its signature auctioneers from all over the Immortal Dynasty to the Imperial Capital, intending to make a fortune during this prosperous period.
Vivienne had previously been in charge of the auction house in the Nangong Sacred Land, and during this time, she was also in the Imperial Capital, busy at various branches.
Today, she had just finished her work at Branch 3 in the fifteenth ring when she heard a commotion outside and asked curiously,
“What’s going on outside?”
“Nothing, just a country bumpkin trying to get in, but she was stopped.” A colleague looked out the window with amusement. “It’s mainly because after saying ‘I can’t enter?’ she just slunk away, quite comical.”
“I see…”
Vivienne immediately lost interest, but she still glanced out the window.
And she saw a familiar face.
“That’s… Miss Mian? Eh, shouldn’t she be in the inner ring? Why is she in such a remote place? Wait…”
Vivienne’s gaze fell on the small, dignified girl beside Nangong Mian, and her eyes widened instantly.
“Holy shit!”
“Yes, yes, that’s her.”
Her colleague was still laughing at Nangong Mian, but when he turned around, Vivienne was already gone.
…
“What a pitiful child, hahahaha…”
“‘I can’t enter?’ Did you see her expression, ‘I can’t enter?’ Hahaha…”
Nangong Mian was pulling Luo Xue away, but the surrounding crowd had grown.
More and more people were watching the show, and the occasional mocking laughter irritated her.
Luo Xue was silent for a moment, then stopped, not leaving with Nangong Mian.
She touched the Snow Crystal Ring on her finger, the symbol of her identity as the little princess.
Once she revealed it, all those mocking her wouldn’t even run, but would probably kneel down and slap themselves.
But if she did that, this trip out of the palace would be over, and it would be more troublesome to leave the palace privately in the future.
Nangong Mian saw Luo Xue’s intention and anxiously transmitted her voice.
“Your Highness, it’s okay, I can endure it.”
“Enduring… that’s not your style.”
Luo Xue shook her head. She extended her hand, about to reveal the ring, when she suddenly heard an anxious female voice.
“Miss Mian!”
Hearing this familiar voice, Nangong Mian’s heart sank. Why was there someone she knew here?
She quickly turned around, frantically signaling to the approaching Vivienne, stopping her from saying “Your Highness Princess Xue.”
Luo Xue paused, retracted her hand, and looked at the woman hurrying towards them.
The woman wore a well-tailored, patterned dress, her black, waist-length hair neatly styled, and her light makeup made her very approachable.
“Miss Mian, and this…”
“My younger sister.”
Nangong Mian quickly said.
Vivienne was slightly stunned, then quickly realized that her earlier guess was probably correct.
Because Nangong Mian wouldn’t have a younger sister she could bring with her…
Her younger siblings in the clan were all terrified of her.
“Hello, Big Sister.”
Luo Xue politely bowed to Vivienne, almost making her kneel.
How could she accept a greeting from Princess Xue, and that “Big Sister”… Vivienne knew that agreeing would only bring trouble, so she quickly said,
“You can call me Xiao Ya, that’s what Miss Mian calls me.”
“Vivienne, who is this?”
Just then, a discordant voice rang out.
A thin man with a monkey-like face stepped out from the crowd, his greedy gaze first sweeping over Vivienne, then glancing at Nangong Mian mockingly.
He had seen the earlier scene and looked down on this country bumpkin.
“Mr. Linnard,” Vivienne’s eyes flashed with disgust when she saw the newcomer, but she still replied politely, “She is a valued customer of our Tianlie Auction House, with many transactions.”
At the same time, Vivienne transmitted her voice to Nangong Mian and Luo Xue. “This person is very troublesome, and he’s been pursuing me recently. I apologize for the inconvenience.”
“Many transactions? More than me?”
Hearing this, the monkey-faced man, Linnard, sneered.
Linnard had seen Vivienne hosting an auction and had taken a fancy to her, following her wherever she went.
He had also used the opportunity of auction transactions to approach Vivienne, sending her many orders.
Linnard was shrewd. If he had directly given her gifts, Vivienne definitely wouldn’t have accepted them.
But sending orders, Vivienne couldn’t refuse, because the auction house wouldn’t refuse business.
Therefore, Vivienne could only endure it for now. She would return to the Nangong Sacred Land soon anyway.
However… compared to Nangong Mian, Linnard’s orders were insignificant.
She was someone who could loot several ancient clan secret realms…
“Several times more.”
Vivienne replied with a smile.
“Hahaha, her?” Linnard burst into laughter, then scoffed. “Vivienne, do you think I’m an idiot?”
He had just been looking for an excuse to talk to Vivienne, but he hadn’t expected her to tell such a blatant lie.
“And I’ve checked, during your time in the Imperial Capital, I’m your number one customer,” Linnard pointed at himself smugly. “Me, Young Master Lin, the number one dandy in the Imperial Capital, understand?”
Hearing this name, the surrounding crowd became even more agitated.
“It’s actually Young Master Lin… no wonder…”
“To be favored by Young Master Lin… tsk, why don’t I have such good luck…”
“Even just a few months with Young Master Lin would bring countless benefits. This woman doesn’t know what’s good for her…”
Vivienne’s face darkened as she listened to the chatter, and Linnard became even more smug, enjoying the current situation.
Luo Xue tugged on Nangong Mian’s clothes and transmitted her voice.
“What kind of family is the Lin family? Are they powerful?”
“…Before Her Highness, there are no powerful families.” Nangong Mian’s eyelid twitched. “I think they’re the family of the General Who Guards the South, right?”
“Oh, that little old man.”
Luo Xue recalled. She had indeed seen someone with the title of General Who Guards the South at the birthday banquet, but he was sitting in a relatively inconspicuous corner.
While Luo Xue and Nangong Mian were chatting privately, Vivienne took a deep breath and said,
“Her orders aren’t from the Imperial Capital, but from the Nangong Sacred Land.”
“Hahaha,” Linnard laughed again, not believing her at all. “Don’t tell me you’re trying to say that she’s actually from the Nangong clan?”
“…How did you know?”
Vivienne was stunned. Knowing she was from the Nangong clan, he still dared to act so arrogantly? Was this Linnard stupid?
“Hahaha… ah? Cou-, could it be…”
Linnard’s laughter gradually died down, and he panicked upon hearing Vivienne’s words.
Based on his understanding of Vivienne, she would never be so bold as to impersonate a member of the Nangong clan.
In other words…
“She… she is…”
Linnard stammered.
“Her name is Nangong Mian.”
Vivienne’s last words confirmed her identity.
Nangong Mian’s expression was helpless. She didn’t want to flaunt her Nangong clan background, but now that her identity was exposed, there was nothing she could do.
“Hmm?”
The onlookers who had been enjoying the show were suddenly startled, and the mocking laughter subsided.
Nangong…
That was the Empress’s clan…
Within the Great Qin Immortal Dynasty, the Nangong clan’s status was almost equal to that of the imperial family.
And since the Nangong clan was an ancient clan, they also possessed an ancient prestige, making them even more formidable.
“She’s actually the young mistress of the Nangong clan?”
“Holy…”
Hearing this, most of the onlookers immediately dispersed.
Who would dare to watch the Nangong clan’s jokes…
Those who had mocked her earlier were ashen-faced and fled without looking back.
The guard who had stopped Nangong Mian earlier quickly came over to apologize, but Nangong Mian waved her hand dismissively. She knew that the guard was just following the rules.
Linnard’s face turned pale, his legs weak, and he quickly changed his attitude.
“Miss Nangong…”
“Get lost.”
Nangong Mian wasn’t polite, but she couldn’t attack either.
She didn’t like using her Nangong clan identity because with that surname, she couldn’t act recklessly.
If not for the princess being nearby, she would have given these people a “small boxing lesson.”
“Yes, yes, Miss Nangong, may you be blessed…”
Linnard, relieved, looked at Vivienne with a mournful expression.
Why didn’t you tell me you had such connections earlier? If you had, I wouldn’t have bothered you…
Being able to talk to someone from the imperial family or the Nangong clan, even if their status was low, they would still have some standing in the Great Qin Immortal Dynasty.
After saying that, Linnard quickly left, probably not daring to bother Vivienne again.
Actually, besides Nangong Mian, Vivienne also knew several other members of the Nangong clan, but she didn’t use them as her backing.
If she casually used the Nangong clan’s name, if they found out one day, even if she wasn’t punished, Vivienne wouldn’t be able to survive in the Great Qin Immortal Dynasty.
“Thank you, Miss Mian, for today.”
Vivienne smiled and bowed to Nangong Mian, then looked at Luo Xue, hesitating whether to kneel.
“Can we go in and take a look?”
Luo Xue asked at the right time. To avoid embarrassing Vivienne, she didn’t address her as “sister” out of politeness.
“Of course,” Vivienne quickly said. “Miss Mian is our valued customer. She practically supports the daily auctions of our branch in the Nangong Sacred Land…”
“That’s right.”
Nangong Mian said proudly, her ego inflated after being flattered.
Luo Xue looked deeply at Vivienne. This auctioneer seemed to have interacted with Nangong Mian quite a bit and knew how to handle this Nangong clan prodigy.
“This way, please,” Vivienne led them in another direction. “To apologize for today’s incident, the Tianlie Auction House would like to offer you some compensation. You can choose anything from our exhibition hall.”
“Wow, how nice!”
Nangong Mian was immediately overjoyed. She loved getting free stuff.
Luo Xue asked with concern, “You’re not deducting it from your salary, are you?”
Vivienne was stunned, not expecting Luo Xue to ask this, then replied after a moment of surprise,
“Don’t worry, the Tianlie Auction House isn’t that petty.”
…
Vivienne led Luo Xue and Nangong Mian through the staff passage. After all, even using the VIP passage now might cause trouble.
Especially with someone whose identity was already troublesome…
Vivienne glanced at Luo Xue and found that she was just looking around curiously, without the arrogance or petulance of a princess.
Even Nangong Mian, although casual, still had an air of superiority.
But this little princess didn’t seem to have any of that…
Luo Xue looked at the slightly shabby surroundings with a hint of nostalgia. In her previous, previous life, she had worked a summer job at a supermarket, and she always used this kind of passage.
This shared experience made her feel closer to Vivienne, which was why Vivienne found this little princess particularly approachable.
The staff passage wasn’t long, and they soon arrived inside the Tianlie Auction House.
Upon entering, Luo Xue realized that the space inside was at least three to four times larger than it appeared from the outside. They must have used some kind of spatial formation.
It made sense. In the Imperial Capital, where every inch of land was valuable, using a formation to expand the space was much more cost-effective than renting more land.
“The fifteenth ring is quite remote. If you’re not satisfied with what’s here, you can come with me to our headquarters in the inner ring. There should be treasures there that will satisfy you.” Vivienne said with a professional smile, bowing slightly.
Besides the first ring, which was exclusively for the imperial family, the second to fifth rings were considered the inner ring, where the officials and nobles of the Great Qin Immortal Dynasty resided. Naturally, there were also many corresponding facilities there.
Famous auction houses like the Tianlie Auction House had their headquarters in the inner ring, for the convenience of doing business with the most esteemed people in the Great Qin Immortal Dynasty.
“Let’s take a look around first.” Luo Xue nodded slightly.
Hearing this, Vivienne knew that the little princess didn’t need her to accompany them and immediately bowed and excused herself.
After Vivienne left, Nangong Mian looked at her receding figure and muttered, wondering why she left so readily this time.
“An old friend?”
Luo Xue asked.
“Well… sort of,” Nangong Mian scratched the back of her head. “Mainly because she speaks nicely, hee hee…”
Anyone who agrees with you, you find them pleasant…
Luo Xue had figured out Nangong Mian’s simple mind and couldn’t help but smile.
Then, she turned her attention back to the exhibition hall, her expression turning serious.
The fifteenth ring was considered the suburbs of the Imperial Capital, but the Tianlie Auction House was a large chain, and even in the suburbs, the exhibition hall was still quite impressive.
The entire hall was filled with exhibits, ensuring that there was always something within sight, no matter where the customers went.
There weren’t many customers around, and they were all quietly browsing—after all, since this was where Vivienne had brought the little princess and Miss Nangong, the items here were definitely not low-level.
Nangong Mian’s purpose was simple. Since the Tianlie Auction House was offering compensation, she would definitely choose the most expensive item, checking the price of everything.
Luo Xue, on the other hand, was excitedly looking at the heavenly materials and earthly treasures of this world. It could be seen that the Ancient Demon Lands weren’t fundamentally different from the nine provinces and four domains, not to the point where even the rules were different, like in the post-apocalyptic world.
Luo Xue had even seen most of these heavenly materials and earthly treasures in the nine provinces and four domains, and even for those she hadn’t seen before, she could roughly deduce their effects and properties.
Furthermore, the artifact refining level of the Ancient Demon Lands wasn’t significantly higher. Spiritual artifacts were still rare, and so were high-level magical artifacts.
The same went for cultivation techniques. Although there were some differences due to the presence of demonic bloodlines, the overall difference wasn’t significant.
In other words, if someone from the nine provinces and four domains suddenly came to the Ancient Demon Lands, they could adapt quickly.
The more Luo Xue looked, the more she felt that the nine provinces and four domains were truly a cage…
But why did such a cage exist?
Luo Xue didn’t know and could only speculate.
…Bloodline?
Almost everyone in the nine provinces and four domains was human, and even those with demonic bloodlines were a minority.
While in the Ancient Demon Lands… pure humans were the rarest. Even mortals possessed some demonic bloodline, allowing them to barely embark on the path of immortality.
What exactly happened, to create such a caged world…
It was still unknown.
After browsing for a while, Luo Xue’s gaze was drawn to a drop of blood, flickering with flames.
This drop of blood, like a fire sprite, moved within a transparent container, occasionally emitting sparks.
“Is this… Phoenix blood essence?”
Luo Xue looked at the label and blinked.
The Phoenix blood essence she had seen before wasn’t like this… although this one looked much cooler.
“Xue, are you interested in this?” Nangong Mian leaned over and touched her chin. “Probably some clan member who’s short on money, selling their own blood essence?”
“Clan member?” Luo Xue asked with confusion. “But it says Phoenix…”
“The Phoenix is the bloodline of the Nangong clan. What’s wrong with calling it Phoenix blood essence?” Nangong Mian looked at her strangely. “Don’t tell me you thought it was the blood essence of an ancient divine beast Phoenix? Even the Empress probably doesn’t have something like that…”
“In the entire Great Thousand Worlds, I don’t know if you can even find a single drop.”
“I see…”
Luo Xue nodded thoughtfully.
Nangong Mian didn’t seem to know about Phoenix Venerable’s existence, which meant that most of the Nangong clan didn’t know about this.
The Empress might know, but Luo Xue didn’t have a chance to find out.
Nangong Mian’s eyes darted around, a mischievous smile appearing on her face.
“Xue, if you really want Phoenix blood essence, you don’t need this inferior stuff. I have some!”
She patted her chest and said proudly,
“I’m a direct descendant of the Empress’s lineage, and I cultivate the Desolate Extinction Scripture. The purity of my blood essence is unmatched in the entire Nangong clan. As long as you pay for the nutrients, I’ll give you a drop!”
For Nangong Mian, blood essence wasn’t something she couldn’t give away, but it required a suitable price.
Clearly, the reason she didn’t offer it at the banquet was simply because the imperial family’s return gift wasn’t enough.
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