Shen Xiaoyan clutched her heart and looked at the auction stage below, saying, "I'm not leaving."
These simple two words conveyed Shen Xiaoyan's resolve to everyone in the room.
Although they didn't know why Shen Xiaoyan had suddenly become like this, none of them insisted further. Instead, they all turned their gaze to the auction stage below.
They saw four burly men carrying a large cage, covered with a cloth on top, so what was inside couldn't be seen.
However, it was this cage that captured Shen Xiaoyan's attention.
The thing in the cage didn't seem heavy, as the four burly men's steps were exceptionally light, and their expressions were quite calm.
Very quickly, they reached the auction stage, and the cage was placed before Concubine Xiang.
The cage landed with a bang, but Shen Xiaoyan felt as if something had struck her chest.
Biting her lip, she stared at the cage, wishing she could rush down immediately, remove the cloth from the cage, and see what was inside.
Zheng Wei watched Shen Xiaoyan's state with great anxiety.
"Mimi, stop biting, your lip will break if you keep biting."
Shen Xiaoyan ignored Zheng Wei's words; her eyes were fixed only on the iron cage.
Fortunately, Concubine Xiang didn't waste any more words this time. With a meaningful smile on her lips, she reached out and slowly lifted the cloth from the cage.
As the cloth moved away from the cage, the contents within were revealed in their entirety.
It was not something else, but a living person, or rather, a young boy.
Judging by his appearance, he seemed to be about thirteen or fourteen years old, but he was so thin it was heartbreaking to see.
He was wearing white robes, but they were covered in dirt, and he looked quite distressed.
None of this was strange. What was strange was that the youth had cat ears growing on his head. Although he was sitting in the cage, one could still see a tail pressed beneath him.
The youth was hunched over his knees, so his face couldn't be seen clearly, but Shen Xiaoyan was already in tears.
Others might not recognize him, but how could she not know? That was Shen Xiaoming.
Shen Xiaoming, you left me and came to the Sacred Spirit Continent?
But, how did you get yourself into this state?
And how did you fall into the hands of the Sacred Language Auction House?
And why are you being auctioned?
...
In an instant, Shen Xiaoyan's mind was filled with countless questions, but unfortunately, no one could answer them now.
At this moment, she heard Marshal Wu exclaim, "No wonder so many people came this time, it's because of this!"
Shen Xiaoyan looked at Marshal Wu upon hearing this, "What do you mean by that?"
Marshal Wu continued to look at the cage below and said, "Although there are some rare treasures this time, they are not enough to attract so many people. Only when I saw this youth did I understand why this auction is so lively. The Sacred Language Auction House has kept it very secret. Even I didn't know, and I misjudged them. Otherwise, why would so many people come, and I actually looked down on this young master..."
Seeing Marshal Wu's words becoming more and more outrageous, Shen Xiaoyan frowned and said coldly, "Get to the point."
"The point is, this youth, he is not alone."
Shen Xiaoyan frowned. This was her younger brother Shen Xiaoming, how could he not be human?
Marshal Wu continued, "Or rather, he might have been human before, but now, he is a half-human."
Zheng Wei also realized that something was wrong and quickly asked, "What is a half-human?"
Hearing Zheng Wei also inquire, Marshal Wu realized that Shen Xiaoyan and the others seemed to have something unusual going on.
He looked at Zheng Wei's intent gaze and could only say, "A half-human, as the name suggests, is half human. You've seen his cat ears and tail, right? This indicates that he must have become this half-human, half-demon form due to some special reason."
"Is that so rare?" Zheng Wei pressed.
"Not rare."
This time, it was not Marshal Wu who spoke, but Yi Zhiye.
Yi Zhiye slowly stood up and walked towards the window, his face showing a rare seriousness.
After looking at the cage below for a while, Yi Zhiye spoke again, "Half-humans are not uncommon on the Sacred Spirit Continent, but half-humans like him are rare."
Shen Xiaoyan felt incredibly anxious at this moment. Couldn't they just say it directly and quickly?
Why were they being so hesitant?
However, Shen Xiaoyan's impatience didn't last long, as Concubine Xiang below had already spoken.
"Alright, everyone has seen it. The final auction item today is this half-human. As we all know, although half-humans have strong abilities and monstrous physiques, they are all ugly in appearance and violent in temperament. But this half-human today is different. Not only does he have cat ears and a cat tail, but his appearance is also delicate and charming, and his temper is very cute. Naturally, he possesses the physique and strength of a half-human as well."
"If such a half-human is purchased and well-trained, not only can they become your right-hand man, but they can also warm your bed. Why not? Hehehehe..."
Concubine Xiang's seductive laughter resonated in the quiet auction hall, sounding particularly invigorating.
Perhaps influenced by Concubine Xiang's laughter, Shen Xiaoyan clearly saw the gazes of those below towards the cage become fervent.
This made Shen Xiaoyan feel tormented, and she instinctively clenched her fists.
"I have said all I need to say. Now, let the bidding begin. The starting bid is 10,000 Qing Jing coins, and each increment must not be less than 1,000 Qing Jing coins."
Although she had already heard Yi Zhiye and the others say that Shen Xiaoming, this half-human, was not simple, Shen Xiaoyan was still greatly surprised when she heard the price.
But after the surprise came boundless rage.
That was her younger brother, who gave them permission to auction him?
"I bid 20,000 Qing Jing coins!"
"I bid 22,000!"
"25,000!"
"30,000, such a gem is not to be missed!"
In just a moment, there were already four bidders.
And these four people were all men, with lecherous expressions on their faces. Without thinking, one knew why they were bidding.
Shen Xiaoyan felt as if her mind had been struck with a heavy blow.
At this moment, the youth who had been hunched over his legs slowly raised his head, his gaze cold as he looked at those who were bidding.
This face was a little different from Shen Xiaoyan's memory.
Although the features were the same, there was much more weariness in his eyes.
His indifferent gaze made it seem as if he was not the one being auctioned.
But it was precisely because of this that Shen Xiaoyan felt immense heartache.
It hadn't been long since Shen Xiaoming left her, yet he had changed so much.
What had he experienced during this time?
Being auctioned like a commodity, what were his feelings now?
Looking at Shen Xiaoyan's appearance, Lu Taobao's eyes almost popped out.
He had been wondering why this youth looked so familiar, and it turned out to be Shen Xiaoming.
No wonder Shen Xiaoyan had suddenly become so strange.
But what should they do now?
"Brother, Sister-in-law..."
As if she knew what Lu Taobao was about to say, Shen Xiaoyan wiped the tears from her face and said directly, "I want to save Xiaoming."
Lu Taobao nodded heavily. This was necessary.
However, they didn't have that much jing coin on hand.
If they tried to snatch him, the chances of success were even slimmer.
As Lu Taobao was pondering this, Shen Xiaoyan's hand already produced a cloth bag.
She threw the cloth bag onto the table with a bang and said to Marshal Wu, "Please ask someone to appraise the value of the items inside."
Marshal Wu was still surprised by what Shen Xiaoyan and the others had said earlier, but in the next second, Shen Xiaoyan threw a cloth bag in front of him.
Just from the sound of the cloth bag landing on the table, one could tell that the contents must be heavy.
However, what could be worth 10,000 Qing Jing coins?