PCJ – Chapter 549 The Auction

Since the moment Zheng Wendong learned that supernatural phenomena truly exist in this world during his time aboard the Creek Cloud treasure ship, he has been pestering Zhang Jiaohua every day, hoping to learn more about the cultivation world.

“Zhang Jiaohua, how do you think our relationship is? Just say it—could you tell me more about that supernatural power thing?” Zheng Wendong pulled Zhang Jiaohua out of the classroom, checked to ensure no one was around, and quietly asked.

“Our relationship is okay. Didn’t I tell you, it’s better you don’t know about such things? Knowing too much could actually harm you,” Zhang Jiaohua replied. He didn’t have a spell that could make Zheng Wendong forget everything he had experienced, even if he did, Zhang Jiaohua would be very cautious about using it. What if someone lost their memory? That would be going too far. As for the treasure ship, Zhang Jiaohua believed that ordinary people would never have another chance to get close to such a ship again.

“Hey, why are you like this?” Zheng Wendong huffed in frustration.

Zhang Jiaohua remained unmoved, “Forget about it. I won’t tell you no matter what.”

Zheng Wendong was angry. “Zhang Jiaohua, you’re so unreasonable! Don’t think that just because you won’t tell me, I can’t figure it out. One day, I will get to the bottom of it!”

Fuming, Zheng Wendong stormed off, clearly upset with Zhang Jiaohua.

Zhang Jiaohua sighed and shook his head. This issue still left some aftereffects. But he didn’t care. Zheng Wendong didn’t have good cultivation talent, so even if Zhang Jiaohua forcibly dragged him into the cultivation world, it would only harm him. Cultivation requires time, effort, and even large amounts of money. Without talent, forcing cultivation would lead to failure. Living a lifetime of cultivation with no hope for immortality could be an even greater suffering for an ordinary person.

“What happened to Zheng Wendong?” Xu Xiaoting walked over and, seeing Zheng Wendong’s angry look, asked in confusion.

“I don’t know. He’s just gone mad,” Zhang Jiaohua said, helplessly watching Zheng Wendong walk away.

“Did you say something to him?” Xu Xiaoting wasn’t concerned about Zheng Wendong; she was worried about Zhang Jiaohua.

“I didn’t say anything. He’s just confused about some things. Don’t worry, he’ll figure it out eventually,” Zhang Jiaohua smiled, watching Zheng Wendong’s retreating figure.

“Zhang Jiaohua, thank you for making our class’s weekend so enjoyable,” Xu Xiaoting said sincerely.

“Don’t mention it. I also had a relaxing and enjoyable weekend. We’re all classmates, no need to be so polite,” Zhang Jiaohua responded.

“So, I won’t be polite. Zhang Jiaohua, I noticed you like reading classical books. Are you interested in antique auctions?” Xu Xiaoting switched the topic.

“Antique auctions?” Zhang Jiaohua asked, puzzled. He didn’t know much about this field. Fatty, though, liked to play around with this.

“Things like ancient collections, antiques, old books, and some strange items from ancient times. Once, someone brought an ancient cauldron to our auction house, claiming it was an ancient alchemist’s furnace. It still hasn’t sold. Everyone doubts it because, back in the Han Dynasty, alchemy was widespread, but those who ate the pills didn’t live forever; they mostly died from poisoning,” Xu Xiaoting laughed.

“Do you have any ancient books on alchemy for auction?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

Xu Xiaoting giggled, “What? Do you really believe in alchemy?”

“Yeah, maybe it’s real. If I ever make the elixir of immortality, I’ll give you one,” Zhang Jiaohua said.

“Why would you give it to me?” Xu Xiaoting blushed, no longer continuing the discussion on the truth of alchemy.

“Isn’t it a good thing to make you immortal?” Zhang Jiaohua said it casually, not noticing Xu Xiaoting’s change in expression.

“How about this Friday night? I’ll take you to an auction hosted by our family’s auction house. The alchemist’s furnace will be one of the items. I heard someone’s bringing a batch of ancient books, maybe some on alchemy that might interest you,” Xu Xiaoting said, then quickly ran off.

“The alchemist’s furnace?” Zhang Jiaohua was suddenly interested.

The class bell rang, and Zheng Wendong only returned to the classroom after a while. From the start to the end of class, Zheng Wendong didn’t turn around to chat with Zhang Jiaohua as he usually did. After class, when he saw Zhang Jiaohua outside, he acted as if he were a stranger.

“Zheng Wendong is so rude. Without you, he wouldn’t even have made it onto the school team. Now he’s ignoring you completely. This guy is really too much. You haven’t done anything wrong to him,” Li Wenjuan said, very dissatisfied with Zheng Wendong’s attitude.

Xu Xiaoting, however, was a very patient person, “Forget it, we’re classmates. He must be having a hard time figuring things out. When he does, things will change.”

“Xu Xiaoting, you didn’t see how Zheng Wendong treated Zhang Jiaohua. Zhang Jiaohua hasn’t done anything wrong to him. Zhang Jiaohua has helped the class so much—who didn’t benefit from his help? Zheng Wendong is being greedy!” Li Wenjuan said, very unhappy.

Zhang Jiaohua smiled, “Let him be. I can still live without interacting with him. Stop making a fuss, I need to go over the auction details for Friday night. Xu Xiaoting, where’s the information on the alchemist’s furnace?”

Xu Xiaoting smiled, “The information here is all about the main items for this auction. The alchemist’s furnace is just a joke. If it weren’t for a customer insisting, it wouldn’t even be on the auction list. Our Xu family auction house still has some reputation.”

“So, if I buy the alchemist’s furnace at the auction, will it embarrass you?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

“Do you really want to buy the alchemist’s furnace?” Xu Xiaoting giggled.

“Yeah. It’d be interesting to research how the ancients made their alchemical pills,” Zhang Jiaohua said.

“How about this: I’ll talk to my parents, and we can just buy it directly from the seller instead of auctioning it off,” Xu Xiaoting suggested.

“Forget it, I’ll just bid for it at the auction. That way, you won’t be stuck in the middle,” Zhang Jiaohua shook his head.

Zhang Jiaohua got the necessary details for the auction from Xu Xiaoting, so he wouldn’t be unprepared when the time came.

Zhang Jiaohua attached great importance to this auction and hoped to find something that would interest him. The cultivation world was declining, and many ancient cultivation families had fallen. The precious cultivation resources they once held would eventually be scattered. For these fallen families, these items were worth nothing, but for Zhang Jiaohua, they could be priceless treasures. Although Zhang Jiaohua had received ancient knowledge, it was only a fragmentary memory attached to a magic artifact. It wasn’t very comprehensive. He could only explore things slowly during his cultivation process. If he could get some valuable cultivation-related information, it would be invaluable to him.

Xu Xiaoting’s family ran a medium-sized auction house that was somewhat well-known. When she got home, she immediately told her parents that she wanted to invite her classmates to the auction on Friday night.

Her mother, Tang Jingxian, immediately sensed something unusual and asked, “Is your classmate a boy or a girl?”

Xu Xiaoting didn’t immediately answer and quickly explained, “Last week, we went to Creek Cloud Reservoir, and my classmate invited stars Tang Yan, Chen Cheng, and Chen Haibo, even renting a luxury yacht. Everyone had such a good time. Yesterday, I told him about the big auction at our auction house this weekend, and he said he was interested. He wants to come and bid for that alchemist’s furnace.”

Tang Jingxian noticed her daughter’s excited expression and knew she had taken a liking to someone. A guy who could invite big stars like Tang Yan couldn’t be ordinary—he must be someone important. She was worried that her daughter, who had been sheltered, might fall for someone with ulterior motives. She quickly asked, “What does your classmate’s family do?”

Xu Xiaoting didn’t understand the reason for the question, “Mom, why are you asking that? His family is from a rural area in the South. He’s actually from the same hometown as Chen Cheng. He played the little hunter in The Great Tomb Chronicles—he’s the one who met Tang Yan and the others.”

“Is that so?” Tang Jingxian seemed to relax a little. “Does he often ask you out?”

“No, it’s always me who goes to find him,” Xu Xiaoting replied without thinking, but immediately realized she had said something wrong, and her face turned bright red.

“Ha, you naughty girl! You still have a crush on him!” Tang Jingxian chuckled.

“Mom, stop saying that! Zhang Jiaohua and I are just regular classmates!” Xu Xiaoting protested, clearly upset.

Tang Jingxian silently thought to herself: I don’t believe you.

“I’m telling you now, make sure everything’s set for him to join the auction. He’s really coming,” Xu Xiaoting reminded her mother.

“Alright, don’t worry, I’m not forgetful! You’ll grow up and forget your parents for your husband,” Tang Jingxian replied teasingly.

“Mom, what are you saying?” Xu Xiaoting’s face turned bright red. But inside, she wondered: When she grew up, if she married Zhang Jiaohua, would she think of her parents more, or him? The thought was too embarrassing. Xu Xiaoting quickly retreated to her room, afraid her mother would read her mind.