Chapter 4018 — The Reason We Do Not Acknowledge Each Other

Yet even with all of them combined, their supply of top-tier elixirs amounted to no more than a tiny fraction of the Hong Clan Merchant Guild's stock. It was enough to leave anyone utterly speechless.

"Manager Hong, it seems the Hong Clan Merchant Guild will not merely avoid capsizing in a ditch this time. You are going to shine brilliantly instead. After accomplishing such a tremendous feat, I imagine your position within the guild will be rising once this is over. Allow me to offer my congratulations in advance." Steward Song congratulated Manager Hong before the assembled crowd.

"Not at all, not at all. The auction has yet to begin. Steward Song, your words could almost be taken as praise meant to bring about my downfall." Hong Zhong chuckled with an air of humility.

That was what he said, but any sane person knew that top-tier elixirs were strategic resources that could never possibly go unsold. Even before the auction began, the mere appearance of more than a hundred such elixirs had already doomed the Hong Clan Merchant Guild to seize the top spot and become the greatest winner of this Four Islands Auction Exposition. There was absolutely no room for surprises.

By comparison, the other great merchant guilds, such as the Wealthy Consortium and the Wantong Grand Gathering, were completely outclassed. Even the Five Elements Apothecary, ranked first, could only stand aside this time. It was simply not in the same league as the Hong Clan Merchant Guild.

"Humility is no bad thing, but taken too far, it can start to look like affectation. In any case, once this is over, I shall host a private banquet in your honor. The two of us can have a proper reunion and reminisce over old times." Steward Song threw back his head and laughed before turning and walking up onto the high platform. He would personally serve as host of this Four Islands Auction Exposition.

"That Steward Song is certainly a realist." Seeing this, Wei Zhao could not help laughing. When Steward Song had encountered Hong Zhong earlier, he had been nowhere near so enthusiastic.

"There is nothing strange about it. It is only human nature. Young Hero Lin, you probably do not know that this fellow was still trading with Wang Tong and the others yesterday to move against the Hong Clan Merchant Guild. Although he already knew we had brought out a hundred top-tier elixirs, what he did was still quite underhanded. That said, compared with the others, his relationship with our Hong Clan Merchant Guild is somewhat closer. There is nothing blameworthy about a merchant pursuing profit." Hong Zhong had long since grown accustomed to such things. He had come to North Island dozens of times, after all. Paying off a few informants was only to be expected, and the actions of the Zhenbei Guard yesterday had naturally not escaped his notice.

"Then he really is one of a kind." Wei Zhao was left laughing helplessly.

Just as the two of them were speaking, another commotion swept through the venue. This time, it had been stirred up by the arrival of the group from Middle Island.

Tianchan! Wei Zhao's eyes immediately locked onto that yellow-clad figure. Just as when he had seen her yesterday, she was still dressed in yellow. If the darkness of yesterday evening had left even the slightest possibility that he might have mistaken her for someone else, then this time Wei Zhao was a hundred percent certain that the woman was Tianchan and no one else.

Tianchan showed no reaction whatsoever to Wei Zhao's gaze, just as she had the previous night. It might have been attributed to the sheer number of people present, but Wei Zhao knew she had certainly seen him. For some reason, however, she was deliberately ignoring him.

At that moment, Wei Zhao's brows twitched. Among the people from Middle Island, he had spotted an exceptionally conspicuous red-haired man with a frivolous expression. The man was actually reaching out, preparing to put an arm around Tianchan's slender waist.

Wei Zhao could barely restrain his fury. He had already begun to suspect that this man was the true reason Tianchan had refused to acknowledge him all along.

Half a year had passed since he had ascended to Cloud Stair Island. It was neither a long time nor a short one. In this entirely unfamiliar and brutal cultivation world, anything could happen.

It was not impossible to understand why a woman from the mundane world might seek a powerful backer by getting involved with another man. Even Murong Zhen, a woman who had come from a village on Cloud Stair Island, had done as much, to say nothing of people from the mundane world. One only had to look at the way Kang Jingming groveled and fawned to understand.

But Tianchan was different. In Wei Zhao's eyes, there was absolutely no way she could do such a thing. Their feelings had been forged between life and death. They should not have been so easily corrupted.

And yet, looking at the scene before him, even Wei Zhao, who had always remained composed, could not suppress the towering fury erupting from the depths of his heart.

"Young Hero Lin, do not act rashly!" Hong Zhong instantly sensed Wei Zhao's change and hurriedly pressed him down with one hand. He did not know why Wei Zhao had suddenly become so agitated, but he knew very well that if Wei Zhao lost control here, even he would be unable to protect him.

With Hong Zhong's strength, suppressing Wei Zhao was effortless. Combined with Wei Zhao's own restraint, this prevented anyone else from noticing anything amiss.

"I am fine now." Wei Zhao regained his composure in an instant, because he had just seen Tianchan subtly evade the red-haired man. That at least proved she was not with him of her own free will.

So long as Tianchan was unwilling, everything else was nothing but drifting cloud and passing mist in Wei Zhao's eyes. It could not disturb his state of mind in the slightest.

"Good. As long as you are all right. Whatever you wish to do, Young Hero Lin, this old man will help you. But in all things, you must judge the circumstances clearly, act within your means, and wait for the right moment." Hong Zhong offered his words of counsel.

Warmth spread through Wei Zhao's heart at that. His relationship with Hong Zhong had originally been nothing more than one of mutual interest, but it had gradually developed into a friendship between men of different generations. For a merchant like Hong Zhong to say something so utterly selfless showed that the great favor Wei Zhao had done him had not been in vain.

"Manager Hong, do you know who that red-haired man is?" Wei Zhao asked instead.

Hong Zhong studied the man carefully before replying, "I saw him several times when I was at the Middle Island headquarters. His name is Zheng Tianjie, and he is a member of the Pill Hall. His grandfather seems to be a vice hall master of the Pill Hall. His seniority and connections are both extraordinarily deep, and he holds a very lofty position within the Pill Hall."

"Zheng Tianjie? Then he is another cultivator born into a family of cultivators, I suppose." Wei Zhao nodded thoughtfully.

With the arrival of the people from Middle Island, every faction had now taken its seat. Under Steward Song's resonant introduction, this rare Four Islands Auction Exposition finally entered its final prelude.

Generally speaking, at the beginning of any auction, the items put up for sale could only be considered appetizers. Anything truly valuable was inevitably reserved for the grand finale.

This Four Islands Auction Exposition, however, far surpassed all previous North Island auctions in both scale and caliber. Even the very first item brought out merely to set the stage was something extraordinary.

"A sea demon hatchling. The starting bid is three thousand spirit jades." The moment Steward Song finished speaking, the entire venue fell deathly silent. Every person stared blankly at the tiny, emaciated figure inside the cage.