Chapter 201: Yu Luo is a Fiery Little Pepper
The well-dressed nobleman turned slightly, letting his gaze pass over Tao Ming and land once again on Yu Luo’s somewhat tanned face.
He had to admit that, although her skin was a bit darker, her features were delicate, carrying a feminine softness.
If not for the faint fragrance unique to women that he caught the moment he sat down, he wouldn’t have been so sure.
But just now—
When she was exposed, she had reacted furiously, a clear sign of a guilty conscience.
The more Ye Lu looked at her, the more convinced he was that if she dressed as a woman again, she would undoubtedly be an exceptionally beautiful lady.
But whose daughter was she?
Who would have the audacity to disguise herself as a man and sneak into Feng City?
Such courage was not something an ordinary woman could possess.
Did she have any idea what would happen if her true identity was exposed in this city? Especially with her looks!
Ye Lu withdrew his gaze from Yu Luo’s face.
Yu Luo instantly felt a bit more at ease.
She exhaled softly and ran her hand over her face and the tattered cloth hat on her head.
Her disguise was flawless—she had spent an entire day in Feng City without anyone noticing.
How had this man seen through her so quickly?
As Yu Luo pondered, unable to find an answer, a man in flowing white robes suddenly leaped onto the center stage using qinggong.
Immediately after, a young man dressed in fitted martial attire stepped up and stood beside a large drum.
The white-robed man had a handsome face and appeared to be around thirty years old. His moon-white silk robe and gemstone-adorned silver crown made him look refined, exuding an air of nobility rather than the rugged presence of Feng City’s martial world.
The moment he appeared, the previously noisy venue fell into complete silence.
Yu Luo noticed even Zhang Hu beside her was holding his breath.
“Is he very powerful?”
“Mm. Rumor has it that he is the second-in-command of Feng City. They say he hosts every monthly auction. Just by observing his qinggong earlier, you can tell his internal energy is incredibly strong. At least…”
Yu Luo lowered her voice and whispered her question to Zhang Hu.
Zhang Hu also whispered back, but just as he was about to reveal more, he suddenly stopped.
His abrupt silence only heightened Yu Luo’s curiosity!
She was about to press further when the second-in-command of Feng City suddenly raised a drumstick in his hand and struck the large drum beside him.
The deafening sound reverberated through the entire venue, shaking everyone’s eardrums.
Yu Luo straightened her posture, momentarily setting aside her curiosity, and focused her attention on the auction, hoping there would be real treasures on display.
Even if she couldn’t afford anything, it would still be worth seeing.
“I, Chi Qiu, on behalf of Feng City, welcome all distinguished guests. Today’s auction will be different from usual…”
Before Chi Qiu could finish his sentence, murmurs spread across the audience.
It was clear that the attendees were highly anticipating whatever was unusual about this auction.
For Yu Luo, this was her first time attending an auction in Feng City. She was intrigued no matter what was being sold.
“Alright, I won’t keep you in suspense. There will be a total of five auction items today. Let’s begin with the first!”
As Chi Qiu spoke, the drumstick in his hand had already been passed to an attendant.
Upon his signal, the attendant struck the drum three times in succession, each beat resounding through the venue.
The room, which had begun to grow noisy again, instantly fell silent once more.
As the drumbeats faded, a hidden door beneath the opposite spectator stands slowly opened.
Then, a wheeled iron cage was pushed out from the darkness.
Like everyone else, Yu Luo’s eyes were fixed on the cage, full of curiosity and anticipation.
But when the cage finally emerged into the light, her expression changed drastically, and her heart clenched tightly!
“Why is it a child?!”
Before Yu Luo could even voice her shock, Tao Ming—who had even less experience with such things—looked on with a pale face, his eyes filled with sympathy.
As soon as he spoke, Ye Lu turned to glance at him, raising an eyebrow in amusement at his naïveté.
“Brother, why are you so surprised? Selling people at an auction is perfectly normal. Besides, it’s just a child.”
Indeed, in ancient times, buying and selling people was legal.
And in a place like Feng City, an auction involving people was hardly shocking.
The child in the cage was frail and emaciated, his small limbs bound by iron chains that stretched him into a spread-eagle position. A black cloth covered his eyes, obscuring his face, but Yu Luo could still vaguely make out that he was a boy.
Despite the harsh restraints, the boy clenched his teeth in defiance, his stubbornness faintly visible.
Hearing Ye Lu’s words, Tao Ming’s face turned red with embarrassment, though the sympathy in his eyes did not wane. Awkwardly, he glanced at the nobleman he had just disturbed and offered an apologetic nod.
“First time here?”
Ye Lu’s voice was low and casual.
Sitting between them, Yu Luo frowned immediately.
She turned her head and locked eyes with Ye Lu.
Without hesitation, she glared at him.
“Why do you care if my guard is here for the first time? Stop talking to us!”
Yu Luo deliberately acted fierce, trying to shut down his probing. She then coldly withdrew her gaze.
Tao Ming, caught in the middle, hurriedly shut his mouth and focused straight ahead at the stage.
“Heh.”
Ye Lu smirked.
So this girl was a feisty little pepper.
She wouldn’t even let him casually chat with her guard.
Still, her level of vigilance was impressive.
She was lucky she had encountered him today instead of someone else. Otherwise, she might have ended up kicking an iron wall.
“Interesting,” Ye Lu murmured to himself, the corners of his lips lifting slightly as if he were in a good mood.
Tao Ming sat stiffly, afraid to move.
Yu Luo ignored Ye Lu completely, keeping her eyes fixed on the stage.
The small boy was pushed onto the high platform. Yu Luo wasn’t the only one intrigued—many others in the audience were also curious.
“Mr. Chi, what’s so special about this kid? Why is Feng City making such a big deal out of him as the first auction item?”
Someone in the audience couldn’t hold back their curiosity and called out.
Chi Qiu smiled faintly and gestured with a wave of his hand.
Immediately, an attendant stepped forward and removed the black cloth covering the boy’s eyes.
Perhaps due to being blindfolded for too long, the boy instinctively squeezed his eyes shut, furrowing his brow as he struggled to free himself from the iron chains that bound him.
