I proved immortality through the imperial examination.

Chapter 145 Second Battle

As the setting sun dipped below the western hills, it bathed the entire Hesui Peak in a golden glow.

The headquarters of Guangfeng Trading Company was located on Hesui Peak.

In Yong'an City, there is only one commercial organization that can dominate the market.

Xue Xiang rushed over to attend an auction held by Guangfeng Trading Company.

When he arrived, the entire venue was already bustling with noise.

A swordsman in blue robes, with a sword at his side, stood as straight as a pine tree.
The young master of a noble family, with a crown and jade belt, exuded an air of inherited arrogance between his brows;
There were also female cultivators wearing wide-sleeved long dresses, with shoulders that looked like they had been carved, and a fragrant breeze wafted through the air as they walked.

There were also some cultivators from other races, with strange and grotesque faces and strong fluctuations of spiritual energy around them.

Xue Xiang wandered around and arrived at the west side of the square.

The room was covered with a thick blue velvet carpet, and long tables were lined up on both sides, with stacks of beautifully printed brochures neatly arranged on them.

Xue Xiang picked up a book at random; it felt warm to the touch. He opened it and saw a series of top-tier auction items.

A young waiter stood to the side, dressed in a dark blue robe. Seeing Xue Xiang looking through the items, he immediately smiled and bowed, saying, "Young master, this auction is divided into three sessions, and today is the first session."

He spoke softly but clearly, “You can get an auction number here first, and then enter the venue with the number.”

As he spoke, he handed Xue Xiang a palm-sized jade number plate, number seventy-three.

Xue Xiang accepted the card, and the green-robed attendant added, "To thank our new and old customers, if you recharge your account before 11:45 PM, the merchant will give you an extra spirit stone for every 100 spirit stones you recharge, as a token of our gratitude."

If you wait until the auction starts to top up, you won't get this discount.

Xue Xiangxi exclaimed, "What a wonderful thing! Take me there quickly!"

The servant in the green robe smiled and led him around to the side door, pushing open a carved wooden door.

Behind the door was a quiet room, covered with a thick brocade carpet, which isolated it from the noise outside.

The indoor lighting was gentle, and the aroma of agarwood rose from the incense burner, soothing and pleasant.

Behind the desk sat a middle-aged man with a calm face, dressed in a silver-gray long robe. He introduced himself as Mr. Hu, a steward of the Guangfeng Trading Company.

In front of him was a fist-sized gray-white stone, its surface engraved with fine spiritual patterns, and a faint glimmer of water emanating from its core, like ripples on water.

Xue Xiang pointed to the grayish-white stone and asked what it was.

Deacon Hu smiled and said, "This is a recording stone. It will record the video of you recharging, so as to prevent your number from being lost and taken advantage of by outsiders."

Because after the auction, there will be a centralized settlement, and during the settlement, the person holding the number plate must match the person in the image.

This way, we reduce our troubles and are also responsible to our valued guests.

Xue Xiang nodded slightly and took out a pile of spirit stones from the talisman.

Deacon Hu was overjoyed. He quickly checked the spirit stones, took out Xue Xiang's number plate, and gently touched it to a jade pendant.

Then a ding-a-ling sound was heard, and a flash of light appeared on the license plate.

Deacon Hu instructed Xue Xiang to focus his thoughts on the number plate, and Xue Xiang did so, indeed seeing the number 1,513 inside.

Clearly, this was the number of spirit stones he had just stored.

Xue Xiang said, "It's convenient for you to do it this way, but if there are no good items left, returning the spirit stones will be a hassle."

Deacon Hu said, “Honorable guest, you can rest assured. Guangfeng Trading Company’s reputation is guaranteed. If Guangfeng doesn’t have any good products, there are certainly none anywhere else.”

"That's not necessarily true. I've heard that the auctions organized by the United Trading Company over at Suiyang Ferry have been quite lively lately."

Xue Xiang wasn't lying; the Rejuvenation Pills and other spiritual pills that Dong Jiacun had exchanged with him caused a sensation as soon as they appeared.

United Commercial Group's auction house has been making quite a splash lately.

Sure enough, when he mentioned the United Trading Company, Deacon Hu couldn't hold back for long, but out of professional ethics, he didn't show any emotion and patiently explained the background of Guangfeng Trading Company.

As soon as he mentioned that Guangfeng Trading Company was backed by various powerful families, Xue Xiang's expression suddenly changed. His brows furrowed slightly, his lips tightened, and he looked as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water.

He said in a deep voice, "That won't be necessary. I want to withdraw my prepaid balance."

Deacon Hu asked, "Why is that?"

Xue Xiang snorted coldly, "It seems you don't know me. My name is Xue Xiang, and I'm naturally at odds with powerful families."

I don't deal with their business.

Deacon Hu's eyes widened, and after a long while, he finally reacted and said with a forced smile, "Then please wait a moment, and I will have someone come and handle it for you."

After saying that, Deacon Hu rushed out the door, disappearing like a puff of smoke into the private room behind the auction house.

Deacon Hu pushed open the door and entered, blurting out, "Xue Xiang has arrived."

Several people were sitting in the room, and their colors changed simultaneously.

“It really is true that hard work pays off.”

The speaker sat on the left, slender with graying temples, yet possessing an extraordinary bearing; it was Shen Heng.

"Haha, Brother Shen's wisdom is unparalleled."

Ning Li was overjoyed.

Sitting opposite him was Zun Longzheng, a deputy hall master, who said urgently, "Has the evidence been secured?"

As expected of a discipline officer, he got straight to the point.

"I don't care what you do, you can't take people here."

The middle-aged man in white robes who spoke was Bai Yuntian, the head of the Guangfeng Merchant Guild.

After Deacon Hu quickly relayed the intelligence, Shen Heng, Ning Li, and Long Zheng all breathed a sigh of relief.

Since the recording stone has captured the image of Xue Xiang recharging, the most important evidence has been secured.

"Brother Shen, this is going too smoothly, it's almost unbelievable."

Ning Li asked, "Could there be a trap here?"

Shen Heng said, "Whether it's a trap or not, our chain of evidence is complete."

Besides, that Xue guy is careful enough; I could never have imagined the way he takes bribes in eight lifetimes.

If we hadn't waited patiently and left a small trick at Guangfeng Trading Company, we wouldn't be where we are today.

Xue Xiang has a head bigger than two of other people's; I don't believe he has the ability to predict the future.

"That's exactly right. No matter what, the evidence is now irrefutable."

Long Zheng breathed a sigh of relief. This time, we can finally avenge our previous defeat.

Long Zheng was not from a prominent family, but in the last battle of the Zheng Yi Hall, he and Xie Yuanyou, representing the First Hall, suffered a crushing defeat and lost face.

He was really holding back a lot of energy.

"I can cooperate with you in collecting evidence, but I absolutely cannot cooperate with you in arresting people."

Bai Yuntian, the head of Guangfeng Trading Company, said coldly, "The golden reputation of Guangfeng Trading Company was not built overnight."

If we were to arrest someone at the auction, it would create a huge commotion, and once the news got out, we'd be ruining the reputation we'd built up over the years.

Bai Yuntian glanced around at everyone and continued, "Now that we've collected the evidence, wait for him to go home and then go to his house to arrest him."

Long Zhengdao said, "The key is that if we don't arrest him now, he will have to return the money. Once the money is returned, the evidence will be gone."

Even the clearest images are only supplementary; without physical evidence, the chain of evidence is broken.

All our hard work these past few days will be for nothing.

Shen Heng stood up and bowed deeply to Bai Yuntian, "Brother Bai has managed Guangfeng Trading Company diligently and conscientiously for many years, and his contributions are outstanding."

But today's matter concerns the most important reputation of our great families in Canaan, so I implore Brother Bai to do his utmost to help.

In the battle at Zheng Yi Hall, Xue Xiang won a great victory. Although the various powerful families seemed to be unharmed, their reputations were in tatters.

If Xue Xiang cannot be completely defeated this time, the glory of the various powerful families will be gone.

Without the support of the powerful families, how can Guangfeng Trading Company remain unscathed? I urge Brother Bai to reconsider. "Gentlemen, please make a decision quickly. Xue Xiang certainly can't wait any longer. If this drags on, he'll cause trouble, and then it will be truly uncontrollable."

Deacon Hu urged him urgently.

After struggling for a while, Bai Yuntian clapped his hands heavily and said, "Fine, let Elder Sun take the lead."

Everyone's eyes lit up.

Elder Sun is the only guest elder in the Core Formation Realm kept by Guangfeng Trading Company.

"If Elder Sun were to take action, it would be foolproof. He would be able to bring Xue Xiang into the First Hall without anyone noticing."

Long Zheng said with a smile.

Shen Heng said, "We still can't be careless. Don't forget, this fang has a shadow lock on its body."

This damn thing has caused us so much trouble.

Since we're going to make a move, we must strike decisively and seize the recording device immediately. We absolutely cannot allow the footage of the arrest to leak out.

"That's how it should be."

Bai Yuntian instructed Steward Hu to stall Xue Xiang, and then voluntarily handed over the command to Shen Heng, who was in full charge of the operation to capture Xue Xiang.

Shen Heng bowed to Bai Yuntian in thanks, then slowly raised his eyes, his gaze as deep and cold as a pool. "This time, we absolutely cannot lose again."

The short sentence carried immense weight in everyone's ears.

Everyone understood what Shen Heng meant by "we cannot fail".

In the last battle at Zhengyi Hall, although the aristocratic families appeared to be unscathed, their foundations had actually been shaken.

In that battle, the powerful families made numerous promises, vowing to eradicate Xue Xiang completely.

However, Xue Xiang was unharmed, while Wang Bodang and others who cooperated with the aristocratic families were completely wiped out and exiled thousands of miles away.

This outcome made two things clear to outsiders: the power of aristocratic families was not unshakeable; and the promises of aristocratic families were not always kept.

If we suffer another defeat this time, the prestige of our aristocratic family will collapse completely.

After expressing his determination, Shen Heng began to make arrangements.

He first arranged for people to clear out the area around Xue Xiang's quiet room, and then had protective and concealing formations set up at the same time.

Shen Heng also agreed with Bai Yuntian's concerns that the news of Xue Xiang's arrest at Guangfeng Trading Company must not be leaked.

Otherwise, Guangfeng Trading Company would surely lose its reputation.

After a short while, everything was ready. The sleepy-eyed Core Formation expert, Elder Sun, showed absolutely no interest in capturing a mere Qi Refining junior.

As it turns out, Mr. Sun deserves this pride.

He drifted into the quiet room like a ghost and easily pinched Xue Xiang's Dazhui acupoint.

Throughout the entire process, Xue Xiang neither resisted nor even reacted.

Only after being apprehended by Old Sun did he angrily shout, "Conspiracy! This is a conspiracy!"

His voice was as loud as a bell, causing the array patterns outside the quiet room to tremble slightly, but those present were not shaken in the slightest; on the contrary, their smiles deepened.

Shen Heng's eyes gleamed coldly, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, as if he were watching a trapped beast's last struggle.

Ning Li stood with his hands behind his back, looking relaxed, but his eyes were full of pleasure, as if he was waiting to see Xue Xiang fall into the abyss of eternal damnation step by step.

Long Zheng walked closer, pinched his fingers, and removed the Shadow Button from Xue Xiang's lapel.

The tiny magical artifact twirled in his palm, gleaming with a cold, eerie light.

"I've been waiting for you for so many days,"

Long Zheng sneered and said in a low voice, "You finally gave yourself away."

Before he could finish speaking, he waved his hand and shouted sharply, "Take him away!"

The stewards of the first hall pounced on Xue Xiang like wolves and tigers, lifting him up.

With a flash of spiritual light, Xue Xiang was locked up and quickly stuffed into a carriage.

…………

The night was deep, and the wind in Yong'an City carried a chill, but it could not stop the liveliness and hustle and bustle inside the Shen family compound.

The hall lamps hung high, and the golden incense burner emitted fragrant smoke. In the dim light, a mountain of delicacies and a river of fine wine were laid out on the long vermilion table.

Shen Heng sat upright at the head of the table, his face flushed, and a smile almost overflowing from the corners of his eyes.

He raised his wine cup and looked around. He saw that the room was full of key members and confidants of various powerful families. The elders of the Shen family sat on both sides, and Ning Li, Long Zheng and others were prominently displayed, all looking spirited and high-spirited.

"Gentlemen," Shen Heng began slowly, his voice slightly slurred with drunkenness yet still powerful, "this battle was a piece of cake. Xue Xiang, that troublemaker, has finally been caught in our net!"

Laughter erupted throughout the room, and glasses clinked. Even the usually composed head of the Shen family, Shen Junyuan, couldn't hide his smugness as he raised his glass to clink with Shen Heng's from afar.

“Brother Shen, you are mistaken,” Ning Li said with a smile. “Without your strategic planning, how could we have enjoyed such a pleasant experience today?”

Someone chimed in, "Yes, these past few months, Xue Xiang has been causing trouble for the aristocratic families, and they've been holding their breath for a long time. Now they've finally gotten their way."

Some even joked, "It won't be long before the whole county knows the consequences of offending a powerful family!"

Laughter filled the hall, and the aroma of wine mingled with the warmth of the lamplight, casting a peaceful glow over the entire Shen residence.

Shen Heng never expected that his joy would only last one night.

The next morning, he was woken up from his hangover by his butler, who said that Vice Hall Master Zunlong had invited him to the yamen immediately.

Shen Heng was startled and rushed over. When he arrived, Ning Li and Bai Yuntian were already there.

"Something's happened." Long Zheng slammed a neatly folded copy of "Yun Jian News" onto the table.

The paper unfolded with a "snap," the ink still fresh, and the headline prominently displayed the words: Guangfeng Trading Company secretly arrests Xue Xiang, detailed on-site footage.

Shen Heng grabbed the newspaper and quickly read it through. The location and time of the arrest were clearly written on it.

He glanced at Bai Yuntian, whose face was as black as charcoal and whose eyes were filled with regret.

“I told you long ago that I shouldn’t get involved, and I shouldn’t get involved, but you wouldn’t listen. Now Guangfeng Trading Company’s reputation is ruined, and people are even saying it’s a scam. Should I handle the next two auctions…”

Bai Yuntian's eyes were red, and he spoke hoarsely.

Shen Heng said, "There are no secrets in the world. Brother Bai, you don't need to worry too much. As long as the Xue case is concluded, Guangfeng Trading Company's reputation will be restored in no time."

"That makes sense. No matter how you look at it, Xue Xiang will be the first to go down."

Ning Li looked at Long Zheng, "Vice-Chairman Long, how's the interrogation going? Faced with such overwhelming evidence, has Xue Xiang confessed?"

Long Zheng snorted coldly, "Still crying foul. If his immortal talisman hadn't been taken away, I would make him regret being born."

Ning Li leaned back in his chair, his gaze indifferent. "Whether you confess or not, it's all the same. The chain of evidence is already complete."

Just then, Xie Yuanyou, the esteemed leader of the Zhengyin Hall, pushed open the door and entered. His face was cold and hard. As soon as he entered, he skipped the unnecessary pleasantries and his eyes swept over Long Zheng like a blade. "What exactly happened, Long Zheng? How long are you going to keep this from me?"

Long Zheng said with a forced smile, "Master, this time is different."

The chain of evidence is now airtight; Xue Xiang has absolutely no chance of overturning the verdict.

As he spoke, Long Zheng briefly recounted the entire course of events from beginning to end.

Xie Yuanyou's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and the coldness in his eyes lessened. "If what you say is true, then this case is airtight."

However, we must proceed cautiously and absolutely avoid repeating the embarrassing mistakes of last time.

Long Zheng bowed in agreement, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes.

Just then, a middle-aged man strode over. He was dressed in a dark blue official robe, with a cold expression. His gaze swept over everyone's faces as he spoke, "By order of the Prefect, all of you shall follow me."

Xie Yuanyou subconsciously replied, "Long Zheng and I can go."

The messenger remained expressionless, but interrupted, saying, "The Prefect has said that none of those present can be missing."

As soon as he finished speaking, the room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

(End of this chapter)