Chapter 4130 — A Letter

As for the rest, though they lamented having let the top-grade Golden Core Pill slip through their fingers—and there was only this one in the entire auction—they had nonetheless taken note of the name Heavenly Pill Pavilion.

Every one of them secretly nursed a hope, thinking they must find the time soon to visit that little shop of obscure reputation. It had no fame to speak of, but if Heavenly Pill Pavilion could produce one top-grade Golden Core Pill, then perhaps it could produce a second—who could say?

After this, Wei Zhao also put out three top-grade Golden Core Barrier-Breaking Pills. Like the Golden Core Pill, they were all grade five; only their price was far below that of the top-grade Golden Core Pill.

The three top-grade Golden Core Barrier-Breaking Pills fetched a combined final price of only one hundred thirty thousand spirit jade—and even that they owed to the top-grade Golden Core Pill, which had whetted everyone's appetite; otherwise the price would have been lower still.

But by this point, this Central Island Grand Auction had already been a sweeping victory for Heavenly Pill Pavilion. Not only had four pills fetched the sky-high sum of three hundred thousand spirit jade, lining Wei Zhao's pockets handsomely; more crucially, the three words "Heavenly Pill Pavilion" had, like the Central Merchants' Guild before it, been carved firmly into the mind of every person present. From this day on, its name would resound throughout Central Island.

As for the Famous Medicine Sect, which had set its heart on suppressing Heavenly Pill Pavilion—Tong Yangxi and Diao Huanshan—they now would not even bring the matter up. From the moment the top-grade Golden Core Pill was brought out, they had been struck so dumb they could not speak, knowing that all their preparations had been a fool's errand.

By the look of things, in the eyes of everyone present, this newly opened little Heavenly Pill Pavilion was likely far more attractive than their venerable Famous Medicine Sect. It was enough to drive a man to despair, and yet they were powerless to do a thing but stare at one another.

First the Central Merchants' Guild rose to power, and then the unknown Heavenly Pill Pavilion—today's Central Island Grand Auction had become a stage for these two alone. The sensation stirred by every other lot before and after fell far short of these two, and none left so deep an impression.

The auction proceeded in orderly fashion. Strange treasures kept appearing, but none drew the eye as those had. Still, as the end drew near, the Central Merchants' Guild released another bombshell.

"The next lot is provided by the Central Merchants' Guild. It is very special—not a natural treasure, not a divine weapon or pill, not any rare curiosity. It is simply a letter." Here the female auctioneer paused deliberately.

Sure enough, the hall erupted in an uproar at her words. At the mention of the Central Merchants' Guild their eyes had all lit up—and then it turned out to be a letter. What kind of treasure was that?

To their astonishment, the auctioneer's next words startled them: "Distinguished guests, do you have kin in the mortal realm? Descendants? Friends? If so, have you wished to contact them, only to find no means to do so?"

At this, Wei Zhao's eyelid gave a sudden twitch. Recalling the secret that the Central Merchants' Guild could travel to and from the mortal realm, he had already guessed roughly what this letter meant.

"This letter, provided by the Central Merchants' Guild, can give you that chance. This is not a conventional auction—for a flat price of one hundred thousand spirit jade, you may obtain one opportunity to exchange letters with the mortal realm. Do not think this is a swindle, for it is a two-way service: once your letter is delivered to the mortal realm, the Central Merchants' Guild will bring back a reply for you as well. So there is no deceiving anyone." Thus the female auctioneer drew them in.

For a time the atmosphere in the hall turned distinctly strange. To the great majority present, this letter-delivery service offered by the Central Merchants' Guild was utterly meaningless—they had no ties to the mortal realm at all, and naturally no need to write. But for certain special people, it was an unexpected gift from heaven.

Some still had family and kin in the mortal realm, still had relatives and friends; some—like Wei Zhao himself—were cultivators who had come up from the mortal realm outright. Hearing of such a service so suddenly, it would be sheer falsehood to say they were not stirred.

Yet to pay the sky-high price of one hundred thousand spirit jade merely to write a single letter—that was a cost few could bear. Had one hundred thousand spirit jade bought some rare treasure, it might at least aid one's strength; but this letter, apart from easing a little homesickness, what could it do? Could it buy one more chance at life, or raise one's power?

To squander a full hundred thousand spirit jade just to have someone deliver a letter—that was the height of folly. Few possessed such ample means, and in the eyes of most, only a fool with water where his brains should be would do something so absurd.

Yet after a moment of silence in the hall, someone did take the bait after all.

"Count me in." Wei Zhao hesitated only briefly before suddenly speaking up first. He had earned a full three hundred thousand spirit jade from the pill auction this time; one hundred thousand was outrageously dear, but he could still afford it.

Truthfully, over these past six months or more on Cloud Stair Island, Wei Zhao's longing for the mortal realm had grown stronger by the day. Nearly every day he wondered how things stood over there—whether all was well, or whether some unforeseen mishap had arisen. But with no means of contact, he could only crush that worry and yearning deep down in his heart.

And now the Central Merchants' Guild had dropped from the sky, offering this letter-delivery service—to Wei Zhao it was coal in the snow. Even knowing there might be risk in it, he could not help wanting to try. One hundred thousand spirit jade, no more—he could afford the gamble.

At once every gaze in the hall focused once more on the pavilion marked Jia Twelve, amid mocking, suspicion, and a buzz of discussion.

"Just what is this brat's background?" In Wei Shenjin's heart now hung the same question that lingered in everyone else's. He had already resolved to find a chance to do away with this troublesome youth, yet Wei Zhao's conduct still set his heart pounding.

To sit with Cai Zhongxuan, to casually produce the ample means of one hundred thousand spirit jade, and to have ties to the mortal realm—these three halos layered together made Wei Zhao's identity all the more mysterious and unfathomable, setting imaginations racing.

With Wei Zhao leading the way, a scattered few others in the hall went on to bid for the service—three from the Jia section and one from the Yi section, all surely people of deep background. Whether they, like Wei Zhao, were cultivators from the mortal realm, or merely had kin remaining there, one could not say. R1152