Tumor Sword Immortal

Chapter 246 Elder Li Xu

Pei Xia has no way to clear herself of suspicion for the time being.

He could only try to work on others first.

Elder Li from Su Baozhai is a renowned figure in the inner sect, named Li Xu. Pei Xia originally thought that it might not be easy for someone of his status to pay homage to such a person.

Unexpectedly, Ji Shaofu pointed out: "Elder Li Xu is the host of today's auction. If you want to see him, you can try your luck at the auction of items at today's Divine Treasures Celebration."

The auction is held twice a day, with a midday break in between. This break is used for rest, but more importantly, it provides a consignment auction space for interested cultivators.

The so-called "hosts" are all highly experienced practitioners of Su Baozhai, with amazing eyesight, so they also take on the task of appraising treasures.

Pei Xia looked up at the sky. If she went now, she could make it in time for Li Xu's halftime break.

If you can produce a valuable treasure, you will get the chance to meet him.

Pei Xia looked at Ji Shaofu: "Please take good care of this girl, Uncle. I'll be right back."

The daytime celebration auction is not like last night's night market, where anyone can enter.

To be precise, although the Changjing Sect is a prominent sect, Pei Xia, as an outer sect elder, cannot represent the sect and is not allowed to enter the venue.

Fortunately, Ji Shaofu didn't come, so he could still put on a brave face and, after confirming his identity with the disciples on duty at the gate, he was allowed to pass.

The venue for the auction was a spacious hall under an inverted cone-shaped dome.

As the top "business" in the martial arts world, Su Baozhai naturally has a grand and respectable sales area. The materials used here are mostly black, but they also subtly reveal a touch of vibrant red. The inverted cone dome is surrounded by dazzling light strips, providing soft lighting.

Those who could enter were all influential figures. They sat around small tables, usually a few people from a sect, enjoying the spiritual tea and dried fruit provided by Su Baozhai while browsing the auction items.

Perhaps Pei Xia arrived at a convenient time, during her lunch break, or perhaps it was the first day of the auction and many people weren't interested in it anyway. In any case, nearly half of the tables and chairs were empty, with no one sitting down.

Pei Xia saw a table with a wooden sign that read "Changjingmen" but did not stop. Instead, she continued walking inside.

Along the way, Pei Xia also saw many sects she had heard of, including Xuan Yi Mountain, Jiu Jie Valley, and Zi Ya Eleven Caves. These were all sects that would compete with Chang Jing Sect for the qualification of Liancheng Illusionary Realm in the future, and Pei Xia had been paying attention to them for a long time.

As he walked past the middle table, his eyes fell on the wooden sign above it, and he paused slightly when he saw the words "Yunhu Mountain".

Yunhushan actually came too?

Those who can represent the sect in this major state are mostly highly skilled Taoist masters who should rarely participate in such activities on a regular basis.

The tables and chairs were empty, and the herbal tea prepared by Su Baozhai had not been touched. It seemed that Yun Hushan was not present today.

Pei Xia withdrew her gaze, looked away again, and walked straight towards the backstage area.

There were also disciples guarding the backstage area. Outside the innermost room, there was even a Tongxuan disciple. Judging from his attire, he should be an inner disciple of Su Baozhai.

Pei Xia heard him announce that he was Elder Li Xu's personal disciple.

Pei Xia's excuse was that it was an appraisal and consignment sale, and her identity was that of a genuine elder of the outer sect of Changjing Sect, so Li Xu had no reason not to see her.

There was another curtain after the door was pushed open. When it was lifted, a kind old man with a slightly plump figure was sitting on the soft couch.

A rosewood tea table sat in front of him. He raised his eyebrows, saw Pei Xia enter, and smiled slightly at him.

Pei Xia politely bowed first, saying, "I have long admired Senior Li's name."

Li Xu was very approachable. He gestured for him to sit down and even poured him a cup of hot tea. He said with a smile, "I was hoping to find some peace and quiet, but it's only my first day hosting the auction, and I can't find a moment of leisure amidst my busy schedule... Young friend, if you have any treasures, please show them to this old man."

Pei Xia has quite a few treasures.

Both the Sea-Patrolling Twin Spiders are top-grade magical artifacts, and the Glazed Immortal Elixir and the Pure Blood of Returning to Emptiness are so potent that even Li Xu couldn't discern their value. However, these items are either for personal use or of great importance, so it's impossible for him to examine them. After thinking for a moment, Pei Xia pretended to reach into her robes and took out a Dragon Heart Vine from her jade pendant, placing it on the tea table.

Li Xu narrowed his eyes slightly, examined it carefully for a moment, and nodded in satisfaction: "Dragon Heart Vine is a superior material for refining weapons. If the technique is excellent, it can be used to refine rare items, and even Xuanbao (mystic treasures) can be tried. Not bad."

After saying that, he extended a bit of his spiritual power and gently guided the piece of emerald vine to float in front of him: "Hmm... this one of yours is exceptionally thick and sturdy, with solid wood and abundant spiritual power. I've never seen such a fine piece of wood in all these years. But... why does it smell a bit rotten?"

Pei Xia stared intently at his face and suddenly said, "This item was actually obtained from a stinky pond in a remote mountain village on the west coast of Xiao Chen Kingdom. It was quite a coincidence that Senior Song Huan of the Golden Bell Sect was by my side at the time, otherwise I really wouldn't have been able to obtain such a treasure."

He wanted to see if Li Xu's expression would change when Song Huan was mentioned.

some.

The old man's eyes widened slightly, then his smile deepened: "Song Huan of the Golden Bell Sect? Haha, that's a disciple of a friend of mine. What a coincidence, she's also at Su Bao Zhai this time, right on the mountain. If you're interested, you can visit her later. That child has quite the talent; she's only thirty-five and has already reached the Open Mansion Realm. Her future is limitless, tsk tsk..."

Seeing his composed demeanor, Pei Xia abruptly said, "She's dead."

Li Xu was taken aback. The spiritual energy in his hands dissipated, and the Dragon Heart Vine landed on his crossed legs.

The old man stared blankly at Pei Xia: "What did you say?"

“I said, she’s dead. Her body was just discovered this morning in the woods to the west of Su Baozhai. The murderer hasn’t been found yet,” Pei Xia asked him. “Didn’t you hear about this, senior?”

It's normal that Li Xu didn't know.

The incident only happened this morning, and as the host for today, he must have been preparing for today's celebration auction long ago.

It is true that an elder like him is highly respected in the sect, but because of his advanced age, he is generally not specifically informed of many matters of the sect unless he is directly in charge.

Without Pei Xia, he probably wouldn't have learned of Song Huan's death until the auction ended this afternoon.

"My nephew Song is dead? Dead at Su Baozhai?!"

Li Xu swayed. As a cultivator at the Opening Mansion Realm, he suddenly felt his blood rush to his head, his vision went black, and he almost collapsed.

This Elder Li... seems to be in poor health.

In the moment of panic, Pei Xia keenly noticed that although Li Xu's spiritual power was balanced and stable, his blood and qi were unstable and his body was deficient.

These symptoms cannot be considered an illness.

It is generally referred to as "old".

Given Li Xu's current condition, it would be difficult for him to kill Song Huan.

Moreover, in that instant, his spiritual power did not move, so the state of his body could not be faked. He seemed to have truly been impacted by Song Huan's death, affecting his mind, spirit, and blood.

Could it be that the character "木" (wood) doesn't refer to him?

Pei Xia reached out to support Li Xu, while outside the door came the concerned voice of his disciple.

Elder Li regulated his breathing, called out "It's alright" several times towards the door, and then looked up at Pei Xia with a strange gaze.

The old man was shrewd and realized Pei Xia's purpose: "You're here to investigate the murder?"

Pei Xia did not deny it: "Elder Meng of your sect does not seem to care about this matter. This is a last resort for me."

Li Xu straightened up and sighed, "We can't entirely blame Meng Xiao. He's under a lot of pressure right now and probably doesn't have time to spare."

(End of this chapter)