Volume 5, Chapter 283 – Do You Suspect Me?

“Unfortunately, judging by recent events, it seems the mole isn’t limited to just those few people.”

Liu Yingyue gave a helpless smile, her delicate face showing clear signs of exhaustion.

“What do you mean by that?”

Qi Huang pressed for an explanation.

“Young Master should know that while our auction house holds regular auctions every night, precious items like Cat’s Tears require advance promotion to fetch a good price. The longer the buildup, the better. So, five or six days after you left, we held another auction for Cat’s Tears. At that time, only two bottles were sold, each fetching close to thirty thousand taels of silver.”

Liu Yingyue recounted the events in detail.

“Why were only two bottles auctioned in one session?”

Qi Huang was stunned. She hadn’t expected her estimate of three or four bottles to be too high.

“Young Master, you may not be aware, but the value of Cat’s Tears lies precisely in their scarcity. The dozens of bottles you provided would last the immortal sects of Yongning Province for several months. If we released too many at once, the market would be flooded, and the price would plummet. Hence, we must release them slowly, this is what they call ‘rarity breeds value’.”

Liu Yingyue patiently explained, though she left out another reason: the longer the auction period, the more it would boost the reputation of the Golden Fortune Auction House in Yongning Province.

“Ah… My apologies, I must seem quite foolish.”

Qi Huang suddenly felt rather embarrassed.

“Young Master isn’t in this line of work, so it’s only natural you wouldn’t understand the market.”

Liu Yingyue was very understanding, but her expression quickly darkened. “To fetch the highest price, I initially planned to hoard the goods and drive up demand. But who could have predicted that plans would change so drastically? From that day onward, our auction house’s consignors began to be killed one after another. Forget auctions for Cat’s Tears, even regular auctions could hardly proceed as scheduled. Every time the officials came, they would investigate for days. And now, they intend to shut down our auction house entirely.”

“It seems the mole hasn’t been completely eradicated.”

Qi Huang nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly frowned. “Wait, why would the government office want to shut you down? What does this have to do with the Golden Fortune Auction House?”

“I don’t know either. Perhaps, as Constable Peng said, because the victims are always our consignors, we’re under heavy suspicion.”

Liu Yingyue’s mood was gloomy.

“But that doesn’t fit the government office’s usual behavior. Before, they were colluding with your Manager Fu, embezzling the belongings of the deceased. Why are they suddenly so diligent now? Instead of seizing wealth, they’re targeting you.”

Qi Huang found this inconsistency hard to explain.

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“I suppose it’s because you helped me eliminate Manager Fu, the mole. The corrupt officials were frightened and decided to turn over a new leaf.”

Liu Yingyue speculated.

“Is that so?”

Qi Huang smiled noncommittally. She felt this explanation was far too naive, but lacking concrete evidence, she could only suppress her doubts and complain irritably, “Manager Liu, forgive me for speaking bluntly, but since this has happened repeatedly, you should have tightened security. I can’t always arrive in time to help.”

“Young Master, you may not know this, but ever since consignors at Golden Fortune started being targeted, I’ve done everything possible to improve confidentiality. Especially after the last incident, I dismissed all the clerks responsible for registration and personally received all guests in this very room. Aside from occasionally having Xia Wei assist me, no one else knows who is a consignor and who is a bidder.”

Liu Yingyue explained earnestly, her delicate face showing a helpless expression.

“Xia Wei?”

Qi Huang mulled over the name.

“You can rest assured about Xia Wei. She was an orphan adopted by my father and has been like a sister to me since childhood. There’s no way she could be the mole.”

Liu Yingyue quickly clarified.

“Then could someone have sneaked in and looked at the registry?”

Qi Huang ventured a guess.

“Young Master, I hate to admit it, but ever since the incidents at our auction house, not a single consignor has dared to leave their real information. They all use fake names. So even if someone saw the registry, it would be useless.”

Liu Yingyue gave a self-deprecating smile.

“Then this is strange. If the registry contains fake information and is useless to outsiders, how did the mole identify the consignors?”

Qi Huang was somewhat exasperated.

“Exactly. I’ve been racking my brains over this. I even had this room meticulously renovated, not only is the soundproofing excellent, but there are no gaps or cracks. No one outside could possibly see inside.”

Liu Yingyue added.

“See?”

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Qi Huang muttered to herself, then her eyes lit up. “Could it be…?”

“Has Young Master thought of something?”

Liu Yingyue pressed eagerly.

“If the mole includes a cultivator at the Unity Realm or above, these four walls would indeed be meaningless, they wouldn’t stop divine sense.”

Qi Huang voiced her suspicion, then briefly explained the ability of Unity Realm cultivators to project their divine sense outward.

“Then what do we do? I have no way to defend against a cultivator’s divine sense.”

Liu Yingyue panicked instantly.

“Defending alone isn’t enough. You can’t guard against it forever. The safest method is to take the initiative and uproot them completely.”

Qi Huang proposed her solution.

“Uh…”

Liu Yingyue’s expression grew increasingly awkward. Her jade-like fingers nervously twisted the hem of her skirt before she finally spoke. “It’s just… I don’t know where to start investigating. And even if we find them, my subordinates may not be able to handle a Unity Realm cultivator.”

“No matter. I can help you resolve this.”

Qi Huang immediately volunteered.

“Really? That’s wonderful!”

Liu Yingyue’s face blossomed like a flower, her worries vanishing instantly.

“However, you’ll need to do me a favor in return.”

Qi Huang seized the opportunity to make her request. Though she admired beautiful women, she wasn’t about to become a mindless sycophant, after all, without hormones clouding her judgment, her rationality remained intact.

“Please speak, Young Master. If it’s within my power, I’ll do everything I can.”

Liu Yingyue eagerly promised.

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“Heh, Manager Liu is quite straightforward. You didn’t even consider before answering, aren’t you afraid I’d take advantage and demand something like a kiss?”

Qi Huang teased, her heart itching mischievously.

“Uh… I trust Young Master’s character.”

Liu Yingyue’s face flushed crimson as she spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito’s hum.

“I’d like Manager Liu to help me gather information on a few rare medicinal herbs and large-capacity spatial artifacts. If you can acquire them, even better—of course, I’ll cover the cost.”

Qi Huang suppressed her wandering thoughts with difficulty.

“No problem. Though I was forced to come to Yongning Province, my connections in the capital remain intact. I’m certain I can assist you.”

Liu Yingyue confidently assured her.

“Good.”

Qi Huang also relaxed, then listed the three herbs she needed.

“Heavenly Red Earth White, Ten-Thousand-Year Bloodvine, and Red-Edged Giant Parasol.”

Liu Yingyue repeated them, her expression turning serious. “I’ve studied some medicine, these three herbs are indeed rare. But as long as they exist in the Western Radiance Dynasty, I’ll find them for you. It may just take some time.”

“No rush. Just do your best, Manager Liu.”

Qi Huang was very understanding. If her main body failed to secure a spot in the top twenty of the Immortal Seed Ranking, she’d simply fight her way in herself. She refused to believe any of her peers could defeat her.

Since Liu Yingyue had agreed to help, Qi Huang naturally had to fulfill her promise to uncover the mole.

After a moment’s thought, inspiration struck.

“Manager Liu, doesn’t something strike you as odd?”

“Please enlighten me, Young Master.”

Liu Yingyue listened respectfully.

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“You’ve kept confidentiality so tight that even within the Golden Fortune Auction House, few know the identities of the consignors. So who is this so-called ‘informed source’ Constable Peng mentioned? How did they know the victim at the inn was the owner of the Everlasting Prosperity Scroll?”

Qi Huang voiced her doubts.

“Did Constable Peng say that?”

Liu Yingyue seemed uncertain.

“Of course he did. He said it right here in this room, to your face. Otherwise, why would he come directly to trouble you?”

Qi Huang reminded her.

“True. Before, when my security was lax and the auction house was riddled with moles, it made sense for Manager Fu to collude with the government office. But now, only Xia Wei and I know the consignors’ identities. So who is this ‘informed source’?”

Liu Yingyue pondered.

“No need to hesitate. This so-called ‘informed source’ is undoubtedly the killer.”

Qi Huang declared without hesitation.

“You’re right.”

Liu Yingyue agreed.

“I didn’t expect to uncover them so quickly.”

Qi Huang grinned triumphantly.

But then, Liu Yingyue’s expression shifted. She looked at Qi Huang with wary eyes.

“Wait a minute… How do you know what Constable Peng said to me earlier? If I recall correctly, you hadn’t even entered the main gate at that time, had you?”

“Huh?”

Qi Huang froze. Only after a long pause did she realize the problem.

“…Do you suspect me?”