With the auction item won, the next item gets brought up on stage. This time it's a small wooden box. The handler then flips it open to reveal a weird looking fruit.
"Our next item is a rank 4 herb called Spirit Calming Grass. It is a key ingredient in the spirit calming pill which helps calm the spirit allowing for better comprehension and a slightly stronger soul."
After a moment of suspense and letting people get a good look at it. The hostess says "The starting bid is 2 million gold, and increments must be above 150,000. The biding may commence."
The VIP's instantly start rising the price and quickly goes to 3 million. Fen Chang instead of waiting like normal, he is going to test if his status is enough to prevent them from going against him, especially after what happened with Lu family.
"3.5 million gold" He says.
The audience stunned, as they looked at the other VIP's to see if they were going to bid. With most of the VIP's being nobles they don't want to cause trouble with the prince, and the merchants don't want to get their trade blocked within the empire.
An awkward silence ensued as the VIP's where unsure of if they should bid. The hostess seeing the VIP's reluctant to bid, had to at some point start counting down. Lest the prince get angry.
Meng Yating is annoyed that the prince is using his status to his advantage but it wasn't something he can deal with, so she let it go.
With no one else willing to bid, Fen Chang won the herb at a low price with no competition.
"Now lady's and gentlemen we have the final item of todays auction and is the item that most of you came to see."
The elder Fen Chang saw earlier came on stage with a tiny rectangular box in his hand. Once in the spotlight he opens the box to reveal a scroll.
"This scroll here is a border earth technique and is on par with some low sky techniques. This technique is called…"
Once Fen Chang heard it was a technique, he no longer cared. He stood up and asked Meng Yating to fetch his items as he was not the least bit interested in the technique.
Surprised, Meng Yating could not help but wonder why he was not interested in it, but doesn't dare ask.
Not long later Meng Yating came back with a ring in her hand. "My prince, all your items are in this storage ring."
"Thank you, here is a storage ring with the money. I shall be leaving now but before that. Meng Yating, would you let me touch your head?"
Meng Yating's brain blanked at the weird request. She doesn't understand why but she agrees since he is the prince and has a status high above hers. So, while still in the room with only Fen Chang, Meng Yating and Xuan Huo. He places his hand on her forehead and uses the slave technique to influence her to having feelings for him and making her request to be his maid willingly.
Once done, Meng Yatings eyes flashed dull for a second before coming back even brighter as she looked at Fen Chang.
"My prince, this may be presumptuous of me but please let me be your maid. I am a useless girl with no talent in cultivation but I still have my body and mind. Please allow me to serve you!"
"Are you sure? Are you not needed here at the auction house?" he said in a worried voice, making her feelings for him go higher because he is acting worried for her.
"No my prince. I am only working here because my father cast me out of the main family due to my lack of talent in cultivation. If not for my talent in running business I would have probably already been married off to some lower family in exchange for connections."
"*sigh* That's a sick way to treat one's daughter. Shame on your father, don't worry I will let my father know about how he treated you and will have a few things secretly done to him. Now are you sure you want to be my maid? Once you become mine there is no turning back."
"Yes I am very sure my prince." She says with hearts in her eyes and a few tears dripping down her cheeks. She finally managed to get away of her prison, and find someone she loves so they are tears of happiness for her.
"Ok, then I shall welcome you as my new maid. I will treat you well and make you into a great cultivator maid. Now first, I think we should get revenge on your family for treating you this way. Since this is an auction house, I assume there should be a large stockpile of goods somewhere here?"
"Yes, there is a secret vault in the basement. It houses all our resources, money and other treasures we have been asked to hold on to."
"Great, do you have access to it?"
"Yes master, only myself, the elders and the sect leader have access to it."
"Good, good. Shadows I want you to dress up and cause a commotion. Look as if you are trying to steal the scroll they have on auction right now. Me and Meng Yating will go steal everything in the vault in the meantime. At the end, I want you to state once we are out and away that you have your target. Make them know that was a diversion and your target was the vault, and leave a few subtitle hits that you kidnapped Meng Yating and forced her to open it for you."
'These shadows are my personal ones that father allowed me to put under slave seal. They are each stage 3 level 6 and the leader is level 7. I will have them give father the half truth and tell him I stole a few things but wasn't the one who caused the incident.'
With the order given, a bunch of shadows appeared in the room and quickly dispersed.
*Bang*
With a loud bang Fen Chang knew it was time to make movements. The guards outside came rushing in to protect the prince.
"My prince please follow us as we escort you outside. It appears someone is attacking."
"Ok I will follow you. But first we must make a stop, I haven't got all of my items yet, Meng Yating here is going to lead us to the place to get them. Then we can leave. In the meantime, I want you to stay here while I go get my items and protect Xuan Huo for me."
"But my prince what if …"
"No buts, you have my orders and you will follow them."
"Yes, my prince. I will follow your commands."
So with the guards left behind, Fen Chang makes his way to the vault. Once there he quickly spots large luxurious metal doors with weird patterns on them.
"Master this is the vault room doors. They are refined using tier 3 metals and we had a tier 2 inscription master place defensive inscriptions on it. Please stand back as I open the door."
Meng Yating walks towards the doors and pulls out a weird looking metal medallion. She then gets a knife and makes a small cut on her finger and lets the blood drip on the medallion.
The doors all of a sudden start shaking, as a crack appears in the middle and slowly gets bigger.
"Master the doors are opening, we should be quick as anyone else with this medallion will be notified when it opens."
Fen Chang quickly rushes in and is stunned by the amount of gold piled up.
'There should be more than 100 million worth. Though all I see is gold, no special artifacts or materials.'
"Master everything but gold is stored in these storage rings hidden over here. There is too much gold for us to store so we keep it in the open, but the valuable stuff we keep in storage rings to save room."
Fen Chang goes over to where Meng Yating is and sees 12 neatly lined up storage rings. They are clearly fancier than the one Meng Yating gave him earlier and seem to be rank 2 with one rank 3 storage ring. Without hesitation he grabs them and throws them in his personal world, he then turns around to the gold and stores all of it in the inner world.
Once everything was cleared out, Fen Chang turns to Meng Yating and gives her new orders. "I will be sending you to my personal world. Unfortunately, you won't be able to go out in public for a while till I come up with an excuse. Because of that you will have to spend most of your time in the palace or in the personal world. Once there you should look around and settle in. I will call you out again later."
Once Meng Yating knew what was going to happen to her, she complied and was then sent to the inner world.
'Well, this was a good haul. I should get out of here quickly, and also tell the guards that some powerful cloaked people took Meng Yating.'
With Fen Chang rushing towards the guards with a bewildered expression he reported that a cloaked person came and took Meng Yating away while they were on their way back.
They noted it down and swiftly left the building. Once they had left the shadows swiftly returned back as well.
Fen Chang not caring about what happens next leaves the area and continues his shopping adventure. Though he didn't forget to have a guard stay and tell them what happened.
…
With it now being early evening and starting to become dark Fen Chang has checked most of the shops and stalls for hidden gems. He found a few more things but nothing noteworthy.
'I guess I should start my orphan hunt in the slums area'.
So, with all guards in tow, he heads to the slums area of the city.
…
While walking through a stinky street, covered in brown and yellow stains Fen Chang and the guards can't help but frown at the sight.
Fen Chang powers though the smell and walks up and down streets. Fen Chang see's a group of malnourished children in torn clothing huddling together in the cold evening. He scans the group of 7 children and finds that 3 of them have pretty decent talent in cultivation, while 1 has good talent in alchemy and the others have no talent.
He goes over to the group of children. Getting a closer look, he sees that there are 4 boys and 3 girls they were around the ages of 8-13.
'I believe 2 boys and 1 girl had the good cultivation talent and 1 of the other girls in alchemy. The others talent is average, I will try to take the select few but if they refuse to leave them behind, I can take them all back and the ones with less talent can become body cultivators. Though I will throw them out if they don't put in the effort.'
"Children, I see that a few of you have talent and I would like to recruit you." He points to the few children, and they had shocked and sacred faces while looking at Fen Chang.
"If you come with me then I can provide you with a food, drink, shelter and a family of others like you. Most importantly I can grant you strength. I am only after the 4 of you, the others have no talent and would be a waste to use resources on."
The children with unsure looks in their eyes looked at each other. The few with talent had reluctance in their eyes while the ones with no talent had frightened and begging eyes.
The two boys and the girl with alchemy talent stood up and said "We are filling to follow you."
The group was filled with shock and anger at how they abandoned them. They harled insults at them, and the boys started arguing back saying they were jealous. The girl just had tears and reluctance in her eyes.
Fen Chang turns to the talented girl left and asks "What about you. Will you stay with them or come with me?"
The girl looks at the younger girl hugging her. She then with a steeled heart turned to Fen Chang. "I will not betray my loved ones."
Fen Chang smiles. 'That's a great answer. It means she is a hard worker and will be a better solider. These boys are disappointing, they can betray them so easily and can do the same to me. They will be nothing but puppets, the other girl on the other hand. She can keep her consciousness but I will tweak her memories and personality a bit.'
"Very good, I like your answer. Then how about this girl, I am willing to also take the other 3. They will have to work extremely hard to make up for their lack of talent but I am willing to allow them a chance. Would you join me then?"
Upon seeing the offer the eyes of them light up and stare at the girl. Seeing that it's the best option she agrees. "If you can take them as well then I will put in whatever effort is necessary and will brunt any pain."
The other 3 then also turn to Fen Chang. "Sir, I am willing to put in the effort. Now matter how much pain, if it gives me a chance, I will do it."
"Me too"
"Me as well"
"Good I will take all 4 of you then. Now let me ask, what are your feeling towards these 3 that betrayed you?"
They turn with a mix of sadness and anger in their eyes to the 3 who left them. The lead girl speaks up. "They are no longer family. We don't care what happens to them anymore."
It seems the rest agree as they nod their heads lightly.
"Good, makes things easier then. Guards can you escort the 2 boys to Ma Tan, they disserve some punishment for betrayal before they can join me."
Fen Chang and company then continued on their way with an ever-growing number of children following behind them.