BVAHEDLA[W Chapter 54

Chapter 54 Ancient 28 He Had Nowhere to Retreat.

Chu Li-fei sat down beside Lu Mo-chen.

From the moment the attendant stepped onto the stage, it seemed even the candlelight dimmed a few notches, the light becoming dim and weak.

The attendant, dressed in black with a strange patterned mask, held a wooden tray covered with a small black silk brocade cloth, vaguely outlining the shape of the first item up for auction.

At that moment, whispers arose from below. Chu Li-fei, with his extraordinary hearing, picked up some information.

First, regarding the auction items themselves—

According to them, the auction items were divided into grades: Celestial and Mortal. It was not difficult to see that Celestial items were far more valuable than Mortal ones. The most obvious distinction was the silk brocade cloth on top: black for Mortal, and red for Celestial.

Of course, the quality was generally indistinguishable to the average person. Maybe if you found a three-year-old child to scribble a few strokes, add a catchy name, people would believe it. But those who came here to participate in the auction were not exactly refined; most were here for their own unspeakable purposes.

So the most fundamental difference between Celestial and Mortal items was the starting price, or how much you were willing to pay for your “future.”

Chu Li-fei whispered this information to Lu Mo-chen, earning him a sneer.

“Celestial?” Lu Mo-chen seemed to think of something interesting. “Looks like my imperial brother’s dreams aren’t small.”

He wondered if he could still laugh when his dreams were shattered.

A cold smile tugged at the corner of Lu Mo-chen’s mouth. It was a pity that when he ascended the throne in his previous life, he forgot to appreciate his Crown Prince brother’s face.

As everyone knew, another name for the emperor was—Son of Heaven.

Therefore, in the Great Yan Dynasty, “Heaven” often referred to the emperor, a supremely honorable word. Generally, it was not used casually.

So Lu Mo-chen’s words were not a problem. Lu Molin’s behavior was indeed presumptuous. If Lu Yuanjing knew, it would be difficult to deal with.

Chu Li-fei’s delicate eyebrows were hidden beneath the black mask. The dim light cast a shadow, highlighting his superior features.

He lowered his eyes, the flickering candlelight reflected in his pupils. As if suddenly remembering something, he blinked and turned his gaze back to the stage.

The attendant ignored the audience’s eagerness and maintained a calm pace until he stopped in the center of the stage.

Under everyone’s gaze, he pinched the corner of the black cloth and paused deliberately. Seeming satisfied with attracting the audience’s attention, the feeling of controlling others’ emotions made the corner of his mouth rise, revealing a hint of smugness, and then, suddenly, he swiftly pulled away the black cloth.

A white, round pearl appeared in the audience’s view, faintly emitting a faint light in the dim environment.

“A luminous pearl!” Someone in the crowd exclaimed softly.

The pearl looked pure white, with a smooth, delicate surface, appearing warm and moist. Even the light it emitted was exceptionally gentle, making people adore it. Moreover, it was as big as an adult’s fist. It was definitely not something you could see outside, making it an eye-catching treasure for the first item of the auction.

Soon, people began to bid one after another.

But Chu Li-fei felt that the luminous pearl looked somewhat familiar.

He soon remembered. A few years ago, a vassal state had presented three luminous pearls to the Great Yan Dynasty. Lu Yuanjing kept one for himself, and another was bestowed upon the Crown Prince.

The last one was given to Chu Li-fei and was currently lying in his vault.

No wonder it looked familiar.

Lu Molin was really daring, taking this kind of thing out for auction, not afraid of being discovered.

Chu Li-fei chuckled. If it were his previous world, he would have given Lu Molin a “6” out of respect.

The bidding from downstairs gradually slowed down from its initial intensity. Soon, the luminous pearl was bought at an absurdly high price. Judging by his figure, Chu Li-fei found him somewhat familiar, probably someone he had seen in court.

The attendant left the stage from the other side with the tray. At the same time, another attendant dressed the same walked toward the center of the stage with another tray covered in black silk.

Chu Li-fei and Lu Mo-chen naturally hadn’t forgotten their purpose tonight. Besides, those auction items were nothing rare in their eyes. After seeing one, they quickly lost interest.

One was a prince with great power, and the other had been an emperor in his previous life. What good things hadn’t they seen? These items, valuable in the eyes of outsiders, were insignificant to them.

Chu Li-fei quickly turned his gaze elsewhere.

He continued to observe the structure of the entire underground auction house.

If his guess was correct, then the ledger, such an important thing, should be hidden on the third floor.

But how could he get to this hidden third floor?

Chu Li-fei looked around and found several exits near the last row of the audience on the first floor, looking just like the entrance he and Lu Mo-chen had used.

Chu Li-fei’s eyes flashed with thought, but he couldn’t find a way to go up.

His gaze continued to sweep back and forth across the entire auction house until it met the auction items on stage again. Chu Li-fei’s eyes narrowed, and his gaze finally landed behind the black-clothed attendant holding the auction items.

It was a high wall painted wood-colored. From the outside, there was nothing wrong with it. Looking to its left, Chu Li-fei saw an extremely narrow and inconspicuous passage.

He remembered that the first attendant who had held the luminous pearl had left through this passage.

Following Chu Li-fei’s gaze, Lu Mo-chen understood Chu Li-fei’s thoughts at once.

“Should I make an excuse to sneak over and take a look?” Lu Mo-chen moved closer to Chu Li-fei, speaking in a very low voice that only they could hear.

At the same time, he pointed at the auction items below, constantly gesticulating, making it look like they were just commenting on the items.

“No,” Chu Li-fei shook his head. “Acting alone is too dangerous. Have you considered that there must be layers of guards on the way to the third floor? How could they let you in so easily?”

“And even if you get the ledger, how will you retreat?”

Lu Mo-chen was stunned by the question. Indeed, the fact that the third floor was so hidden once again demonstrated the importance of the ledger to them. Such an important thing, even dozens of people wouldn’t be too many to guard it. There must be many obstacles on the way to the third floor.

Moreover, there were only him and Chu Li-fei now. Even if Chu Li-fei could fight ten enemies alone, he would inevitably be injured in the face of a siege. If it were just him, he could take a risk and bear the consequences himself. But if Chu Li-fei had an accident because of his recklessness, he would never forgive himself.

Furthermore, if they successfully stole the ledger, the people of Hongguang Pavilion would surely lock down the entire venue once they discovered something was wrong. At that time, retreat would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.

With so many secrets hidden here, Hongguang Pavilion would never allow anyone to reveal them to the public. To be more ruthless, according to his Crown Prince brother’s character, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill everyone who might know the secrets.

Lu Mo-chen fell silent, continuing to think of countermeasures in his mind.

The auction continued. This time, it seemed to have been bought by the people in the box across from them.

Hearing the sound, the two subconsciously looked up at the opposite side.

The boxes on the second floor were individual small rooms, with a huge window facing the auction stage, using gauze curtains for cover. Whether the guests chose to lift the gauze curtain was entirely up to them. Chu Li-fei and Lu Mo-chen’s box was closed, and only their vague figures could be seen from the outside.

Coincidentally, the box opposite them had chosen to open the gauze curtain. Therefore, Chu Li-fei and Lu Mo-chen could clearly see a robust man dressed as a guard getting up and walking towards the door in the opposite room.

When he returned, he had two more people with him, who seemed to be from Hongguang Pavilion.

One held a tray, similar in shape to those on stage, while the other squatted down, seemingly counting something.

Chu Li-fei instantly had a plan. He just looked at Lu Mo-chen, and unexpectedly, the other person also turned his gaze over. Their eyes collided unexpectedly in the air.

Exchanging glances, Chu Li-fei and Lu Mo-chen tacitly understood each other’s thoughts. Realizing that their thoughts were the same, a smile flashed in both of their eyes, and then they both looked back at the stage.

As for how to retreat after getting the ledger, Chu Li-fei had already thought of a way.

When they got to the third floor, they would inevitably have a fight with the guards there. At that time, they would knock them all down and retreat with Lu Mo-chen as quickly as possible. This was the fastest and safest method.

Of course, this was the most ideal scenario.

If it really didn’t work, Chu Li-fei’s gaze gradually turned to the side…

The faint candlelight was reflected in his dark pupils, constantly swaying, and eventually replaced by a dark color.

Then let this place be completely chaotic.

On stage.

The item currently being explained was covered with red silk, which seemed to be Hongguang Pavilion’s Celestial item.

Now that they had a plan, the two of them looked much more relaxed. After all, now they were waiting for the opportunity to come to them.

Everything was ready except for the east wind.

The attendant on the stage unveiled the red cloth, and a landscape ornament was exposed to everyone’s view.

It was an ornament carved from jade. The attendant praised it to the heavens, saying that it symbolized a roc spreading its wings, a bright future.

The jade was mainly white and green, especially the green, which ran through the left and right sides of the jade carving, looking like a clear and agile stream. The color was rare, with a hint of blue in the green. Although it was not as rich as imperial green, it was very beautiful and had a full ice texture. It was a rare good material.

There was only one downside.

That was the carving master’s technique was really not good. The majestic eagle was carved to look like a bald chicken.

The audience below naturally saw this bald chicken. For a moment, the entire auction house fell silent, and no one dared to bid.

Although they were aware of Hongguang Pavilion’s auction items, they really wanted to convince themselves to endure it. But these ornaments were all about symbolism.

Bringing such a bald chicken home, let alone a roc spreading its wings, it would be good if they weren’t beaten like a chick.

This thing was unlucky!

Several people shook their heads in their hearts. Just then, they all heard a clear voice from above: “100 taels!”

The entire venue erupted in a “buzzing” discussion after a moment of silence.

The one who spoke was naturally Lu Mo-chen.

The starting price for Celestial items was 100 taels of silver.

Due to the item’s unique characteristics, no one followed Lu Mo-chen’s bid.

This could be considered a steal in another sense.

Chu Li-fei said that although he didn’t lack silver, 100 taels was the greatest respect he could give to garbage.

As for how the people below looked at them, that was another matter.

Soon, two Hongguang Pavilion attendants knocked on the door.

Chu Li-fei got up, opened the door, and carefully scrutinized the two before letting them in.

The Hongguang Pavilion attendants weren’t surprised. After all, many people who came here were either rich or noble, and they treasured their own lives. If they encountered an assassin sent by their opponents and lost their lives here, it would really be a huge loss.

Moreover, the guard’s duty was to protect the employer. They allowed guests to bring a guard to reassure them. They had seen cautious guards like Chu Li-fei before. Therefore, the two were used to this scene and didn’t have any suspicion. Instead, they sneered at the employer’s fears.

The attendants followed Chu Li-fei into the room one after the other.

One opened the tray for Lu Mo-chen to examine, and the other stood aside.

Lu Mo-chen glanced at the ornament casually and then quickly took out a silver note from his body: “Here.”

100 taels, paid without hesitation. Seeing Lu Mo-chen’s casual attitude, the attendant who had been suspicious dispelled most of his doubts.

He took the silver note, carefully checked it, and nodded to the attendant next to him.

The other attendant then bent down, wanting to place the tray on the table.

Just then, Lu Mo-chen suddenly attacked. Taking advantage of his position, he covered the attendant’s mouth and nose with a handkerchief smeared with sleeping incense. The attendant struggled in vain, and his body softened and fell to the ground.

Seeing that something was wrong, the other attendant was about to shout, but Chu Li-fei knocked him out with a chop to the neck. The whole process was silent.

The two quickly changed into the attendants’ clothes and masks, and then cautiously stepped out of the room.

There seemed to be no one in the corridor. They didn’t even hear footsteps. The two carefully avoided the patrolling guards and finally found the passage to the third floor behind the wooden-colored high wall on the first floor.

Chu Li-fei lowered his footsteps, and a dagger slipped out of his sleeve, a silver light flashing quietly.

Lu Mo-chen took out a soft sword from his belt, which Chu Li-fei had given him before departure.

At the corner between the second and third floor stairs, the two saw two burly men guarding the door. Judging by the footsteps, there seemed to be a patrol team as well.

Chu Li-fei and Lu Mo-chen looked at each other, and the two tacitly solved one each.

They carefully avoided the patrol all the way, flipping through each room as quickly as possible. If they occasionally encountered unavoidable ones, they had to eliminate them all.

Chu Li-fei had originally been paying attention to Lu Mo-chen’s situation, but he was slightly surprised when he saw how easily Lu Mo-chen was handling things. This was slightly beyond his expectations. With that, Chu Li-fei relaxed and concentrated on dealing with the enemies in front of him, fighting without distraction, and quickly knocked down a large number of them.

The two dragged the fallen people into hidden corners. After all, before they got the ledger, they still had to be careful.

The later they were exposed, the more confident they would be in their retreat.

Chu Li-fei and Lu Mo-chen moved quickly, and basically all the rooms had been searched. Now there was only one left—

That was at the end of the corridor.

Of course, there was also the possibility that the ledger was not in Hongguang Pavilion.

But no matter what, the two had to investigate.

Chu Li-fei walked in front with a dagger, and Lu Mo-chen stayed behind him, paying attention to the surrounding situation.

Confirming that no one was chasing after them, Chu Li-fei opened the door.

There were many ledgers inside. It seemed they had found the right place.

A look of joy flashed in Lu Mo-chen’s eyes, but he knew that they couldn’t take so many ledgers with just the two of them.

The most urgent thing now was to find the part about Qi Fu. It would be even better if they could find a list of personnel.

The two looked at each other, separated, and quickly started searching.

There were many ledgers, and even with a speed of reading ten lines at a glance, they still hadn’t found the one they were looking for.

Just then, there was a burst of urgent footsteps outside the door.

Someone was coming!

Chu Li-fei made a decisive decision: “You continue to look, I’ll stop them!”

As soon as he finished speaking, a man in dark green clothes kicked open the door.

Chu Li-fei held the dagger horizontally in front of his chest.

“I didn’t expect Prince Qin and Fourth Prince to come. I’m sorry for not welcoming you. It’s my fault.”

Then, his eyes turned fierce, and he revealed a ferocious look: “But since you’re here, leave your lives here!”

Chu Li-fei and the man in dark green clothes and a group of black-clothed men behind him quickly became entangled in a fight. Fortunately, the room was not big, and the black-clothed men were holding long weapons, which restricted their movements.

Lu Mo-chen listened to the sounds of fighting in his ears, sweat constantly sliding down his forehead, even blurring his eyes. The stinging sensation constantly impacted his eyes, but Lu Mo-chen didn’t dare to rest for even a moment and even continued to speed up.

Finally—

“Imperial Uncle, I found it!”

Hearing this, a murderous intent flashed in the eyes of the man in dark green clothes. He knew that once things were exposed, no one would be able to get away with it, and his movements became even more unbridled.

Lu Mo-chen also used a soft sword to fight alongside Chu Li-fei.

Chu Li-fei and Lu Mo-chen fought with the other party all the way from the room to the corridor. The man in dark green clothes saw that they wanted to retreat and waved his sword, knocking down the candle lamps on the wall. Flames burst out, instantly blocking the two’s path.

Chu Li-fei’s eyes turned cold as he looked at the rising flames behind him: “You’re courting death!”

“Hahahaha! It’s worth my life to have two members of the royal family as backup!” The temperature rose rapidly, and the man’s mask lifted a corner, becoming loose.

Who knew that he would directly tear off his mask, revealing a rough face underneath, covered with large and small scars, making it look particularly terrible. He laughed hideously: “Let’s die here together! Ah ha ha ha ha ha!”

Lu Mo-chen frowned and said, “He’s crazy. Imperial Uncle, what should we do now?”

Chu Li-fei blocked the opponent’s attack while observing the situation. The candle lamps knocked over by the man in dark green clothes, the fire spread out, and the downstairs was now in a panic, with people screaming from time to time.

Taking advantage of the gap between parries, he shouted at Lu Mo-chen: “I’ll count to three, two, one in a moment, and you leave with the ledger first!”

“But…” Lu Mo-chen couldn’t believe it.

“There’s no time! Go quickly! I’ll find you later!” Chu Li-fei handed his dagger to Lu Mo-chen, drew the soft sword from his hand, and slashed forward, instantly knocking down two people. “Be good, trust me.”

Tears had already flowed from Lu Mo-chen’s eyes. At this moment, he hated his own powerlessness, but he had to admit that Chu Li-fei’s approach was correct.

Staying here would only be a burden.

Lu Mo-chen bit his lower lip tightly, drawing blood almost instantly. He forced himself to calm down.

His eyes reflected the firelight, but it was replaced by the unyielding ice in his eyes.

“Three.”

The two continued to retreat.

“Two.”

Chu Li-fei swung his sword, and a head fell to the ground.

“One.”

A horizontal slash was unleashed again. The powerful sword wind carried a sound of tearing through the air, causing the flames behind him to extinguish for a moment.

Lu Mo-chen seized the opportunity, tightly guarding the ledger in his arms and fled out.

But in the next moment, a tongue of fire rose from the ground, even higher than before, instantly engulfing Chu Li-fei’s figure.

Lu Mo-chen suppressed the unease and anxiety in his heart, took a deep look at the figure in the firelight, and then hurried downstairs.

The fire was still spreading, and most of the buildings in the auction house were made of wood, which quickly began to collapse.

Lu Mo-chen had to deal with the scattered enemies in front of him while being careful not to be hit by falling beams and sparks.

By the time he reached the first floor, he was already dizzy.

He couldn’t help but cough, then bit the tip of his tongue to keep himself awake, and then followed the crowd and tried to run towards the exit.

He didn’t know how long it had been, and even Lu Mo-chen felt that his head was about to explode. A ray of light finally appeared in front of him.

Moonlight pierced through the heavy clouds and spilled a faint light.

The flames behind him were still rushing upwards. Lu Mo-chen suddenly pounced and fell heavily to the ground.

He took a deep breath and barely managed to escape the oxygen deprivation.

After recovering slightly, Lu Mo-chen began to observe his surroundings—

This was not the entrance where he and Chu Li-fei entered Hongguang Pavilion. It seemed to be the back door.

After seeing Lu Mo-chen leave, Chu Li-fei slashed again with his sword, piercing the enemy’s body.

The last one was also taken care of. Now there were only him and the man in dark green clothes left.

Chu Li-fei suddenly drew out his sword, and the black-clothed man fell to the ground, the bright red blood spraying on his face as the sword was withdrawn, making him look more murderous.

The man in dark green clothes clapped and laughed: “Prince Qin is indeed worthy of his reputation. What a pity.”

Chu Li-fei was not provoked. He lowered the hand holding the sword: “If I’m not mistaken, the list of personnel is on your body.”

The man’s pupils enlarged unconsciously, and he gritted his teeth as if he had been exposed: “How did you know…”

“Heh…” Chu Li-fei smiled casually. His expression was as if he was walking in the back garden of his mansion: “I just said it casually. Why did you really fall for it?”

“In that case,” Chu Li-fei’s eyes suddenly became serious, “then I have no choice but to kill you before I leave.”

Knowing that he had been tricked, the man felt dissatisfied but had nowhere to vent. He immediately drew his sword and pointed it at Chu Li-fei.

Chu Li-fei’s eyes turned cold. He raised his sword and slashed across the wall, and in an instant, several more candle lamps fell, the wax and flames dripping on the long sword, as if it had been quenched with fire.

With a slash of the sword, a heat wave instantly surged out, and sparks splashed along with the force of the sword, like fireworks during the New Year, blooming in the air and then falling. The dazzling red illuminated the faces of the two.

“Clang—” The two swords collided.

The two figures constantly exchanged positions, their speed so fast that it was almost impossible to see clearly.

Again, “Clang—”, the two figures brushed past each other.

Finally, a dark green figure widened his eyes unwillingly. “Thud—” his knees hit the ground heavily. As if belatedly, he looked at the wound on his abdomen. A bloody hole appeared in his eyes, the surrounding blackness the marks of being burned by the flames.

He fell to the ground in despair, not closing his eyes until death. The color of the leaping fire became the last color in his world.

Afterward, a slender hand with distinct joints picked open the pocket on his chest and pulled out a small booklet.

Behind him were raging flames, and he had nowhere to retreat.