Clouds and Moon Shadow

Chapter 224 Heartbreaking Return

Which quack doctor said that?

So, someone bought it just to cut off its four large paws? Are you crazy?!

"Which bastard said that?"

Gu Qingyue was so angry that she didn't care about how she spoke.

Mu Yun Chu's lips twitched. Wasn't that what she just said? Was she calling him a bastard?

Gu Qingyue only realized something was wrong after she finished scolding him.

"What I mean is, the paws of the iron-eating beast don't have any particularly magical effects. They're similar to the paws of other bears, at most they're just a more nutritious tonic. They're sweet, spicy, and warm in nature, and they do have some effects on replenishing qi and blood, strengthening the spleen and stomach, dispelling wind and cold, and reconnecting tendons and bones. But they're mainly for warming and nourishing the body, and they don't have any miraculous effects at all. Besides, there are only four bear paws, and once they're gone, they're gone. If your hand is really cut off, eating bear paws is completely useless."

"I saw it in a travelogue about Sichuan and Chongqing, but I haven't heard anyone verify it," Mu Yun Chu raised an eyebrow, unconcerned.

"How dare you spout nonsense without verifying it?" Gu Qingyue found this intolerable.

"Iron-eating beasts are extremely rare. I saw one once at the Beast Taming Garden. It should be very difficult for ordinary people to catch one. How can I verify this?"

Mu Yun Chu leaned closer to Gu Qing Yue, and the two of them looked at the people below who were bidding enthusiastically.

At the same time, she heard the brother and sister in the next private room also bidding, and a glint flashed in Gu Qingyue's eyes.

"Five hundred gold coins!" someone downstairs shouted out a high price.

Immediately, the crowd erupted in discussion, and those who had been bidding just moments before fell silent.

Everyone knows that iron-eating beasts are very rare, but is such a small one really worth 500 gold?

Five hundred gold coins are equivalent to five thousand taels of silver. For people in this world, this is a huge sum of money, enough to buy a three- or four-courtyard house in Lizhou.

"Five hundred and fifty," a woman's voice came from the next private room.

"Six hundred gold coins!" the man downstairs continued to shout.

"Six hundred and fifty," the woman's voice continued from the side.

The man downstairs turned around and looked towards the private room, gritted his teeth, and put down the sign in his hand.

"Six hundred and fifty, the first time," Eagle Master called out after a moment when no one in the audience had spoken.

"Six hundred and fifty, the second time!"

"Seven hundred gold coins!" Gu Qingyue couldn't resist; she hadn't intended to buy it.

But if she didn't buy it, she was afraid that such a chubby, cute, iron-eating beast would have its hand chopped off; she couldn't bear that.

Her sudden shout drew the attention of the people downstairs, who all they could see was a blurry figure of a woman in a scarlet dress.

"Seven hundred and one," the woman next door said, her voice rising an octave.

"Seven hundred and fifty," Gu Qingyue said calmly, yet her voice was clearly audible to everyone upstairs and downstairs.

"Eight hundred gold pieces," the woman next to her said, raising her voice another notch.

Mu Yun Chu raised an eyebrow at Gu Qing Yue, "You like it? I'll give it to you."

After saying that, Mu Yun Chu was about to bid when Gu Qing Yue raised her hand to stop her.

Mu Yun Chu looked at Gu Qing Yue's small face with a puzzled expression.

Gu Qingyue sighed and lowered her head. "I just don't want to see its hand being chopped off."

After speaking, she looked at Mu Yun Chu with a hint of resentment, her eyes filled with accusation, as if to say, "How could you all be so cruel?"

Mu Yun Chu suddenly smiled, "There are many ways to prevent its palm from being cut off, why bother competing with others?"

"The one next door..."

“They are the young master of the Thunderbolt Hall in Lizhou and his sister. After this is over, the Thunderbolt Hall will soon cease to exist. You can go ahead and do it.”

Gu Qingyue: ...So you actually knew who the neighbor was all along? And you were planning to wipe out their hideout?

Seeing Gu Qingyue blink in confusion, Mu Yun Chu lowered her head and said, "We just found out these past few days that the leader of the Thunderbolt Hall is a spy planted in the Great Chu by the Great Shaman of Nanzhao."

Gu Qingyue instantly understood. So it was a spy. What was there to hesitate about?

Remembering the man she'd seen in the basement before the auction, she figured there weren't any good people around, so she decided not to waste her money on them.

The two exchanged a knowing smile and continued watching the auction.

At this moment, the iron-eating beast had already been captured by a brother and sister from the Thunderbolt Hall in the next private room for eight hundred gold coins.

Next was a bottle of medicine that was said to have life-extending effects, called "Heartbreak Return".

Is this really not poison?

If your heart is already broken, and it's still poison, why would it prolong your life?

Gu Qingyue expressed her confusion.

However, judging from the items that have been auctioned, none of them are ordinary.

Gu Qingyue flipped through the booklet, which only stated that the medicine came from a reclusive divine physician, and that the soul extraction three months ago was done by the same person.

That's all.

Soul Guidance? Gu Qingyue expressed her doubt.

"Have you ever heard of Soul Guidance?" Gu Qingyue asked Mu Yun Chu.

At least he's been around for a long time, has a lot of subordinates, and is a regular here; you might have even heard of him.

Sure enough, Mu Yun Chu spoke up: "It was auctioned three months ago. There was only one. It is said to be able to bring the dead back to life and revive someone who has lost their mind and is in a deep sleep."

Gu Qingyue: ...There really is such a thing?

It seems this "heartbreak medicine" won't be cheap.

Seeing the rising and falling bids downstairs, with everyone determined to get their hands on the prize, Gu Qingyue also began to get restless.

"You want it?" Mu Yun Chu asked.

"Yes, of course we should bring it back and study it carefully. What if it's real? Wouldn't that be like having an extra life?"

After Gu Qingyue finished speaking, she looked at the commotion below, waiting for everyone to scramble for a while before making a decision.

"Six hundred gold coins!"

"Six hundred and thirty!"

"Six hundred and fifty!"

······

"One thousand gold!" someone shouted from a private room near the corner upstairs.

"One thousand two hundred gold coins!" A man's unhurried voice came over; it was Mr. Hui!

Gu Qingyue twitched the corners of her mouth, revealing a playful smile.

I recalled seeing the two of them hugging and cuddling in the private room and in the Red Jade Pavilion, especially the two of them hugging one last time after they finished talking about important things and were about to part ways.

and many more!

Gu Qingyue finally realized what was wrong!

Since the two were in a guest-middleman relationship, and they did discuss serious business at the time, it can be confirmed that they were not very familiar with each other.

It was our first meeting, so why were we so reluctant to part?

Is Mr. Hui really that charming?

Also, why was the meeting place with the Nanzhao people chosen to be the place where Mu Yun Chu killed those masked men?

Gu Qingyue always felt that the relationship between the two was strange, but now things are finally starting to look clearer.

She closed her eyes and carefully recalled the situation. That's it!

During their final embrace, the fragrant girl deliberately reached out and touched his belt!

Gu Qingyue was getting restless; she really wanted to test her theory.

However, we'll have to wait until after the auction ends.

"One thousand three hundred gold coins," the man in the corner box raised the price again.

"Fourteen hundred gold coins," Mr. Hui began.

"Two daughters," the man's voice rang out beside Gu Qingyue.

Gu Qingyue: ...Big brother, this isn't fair! It's not worth it! That's twenty thousand taels of silver!

As Mu Yun Chu called out the price, everyone upstairs and downstairs fell silent. Gu Qing Yue even heard muffled curses coming from a corner private room.