Chapter 326: Su Ming: Where’s the Trust Between People?

Off to the side, Dugu Yan muttered, "It's unbelievable that someone could actually steal from Tian Dou's auction house. Who's going to trust them with valuable items after this?"

Su Ming shook his head. "It's no surprise; Shi Nian's martial spirit is really unique. Without proper defenses, even a high-level Soul Douluo could fall victim to it."

But Su Ming was puzzled. That ten-thousand-year spirit bone was incredibly valuable. Who would store it in an auction house for sale? And if it was owned by the auction house, why not keep it for themselves? A spirit bone over ten thousand years old is priceless; if it were easy to obtain, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would have soul bones for Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and Bone Douluo.

Su Ming shook his head, dismissing the thought. Since Shi Nian had stolen it, he had to find a way to retrieve it. This spirit bone, even if it wasn't a hundred-thousand-year one, was exceptional enough to grant Ning Rongrong an ability akin to a domain.

When Su Ming and his group arrived at the auction entrance, they were indeed stopped and asked to show proof of wealth or items for sale to enter.

Without hesitation, Su Ming took out the gold card given to him by Ning Fengzhi. The gatekeeper's eyes widened at the sight—a gold card! He immediately put on a big smile and said, "No need for verification, sir. This gold card is all the proof of status we need. Please, let me have someone guide you inside."

Moments later, a beautiful masked auction attendant approached Su Ming, bowing respectfully. "Sir, is this your first visit to our auction house? Would you like me to explain the process?"

The woman leaned forward slightly, her posture deepening to emphasize her figure before Su Ming.

Before he could react, Xiao Wu and Ning Rongrong covered his eyes.

Ning Rongrong frowned. "Just lead the way; we know the rules!"

Su Ming chuckled helplessly. "Alright, alright, I wasn't even looking. I'm not that easily tempted!"

Ning Rongrong gave him a skeptical look. "Xiao Wu, do you believe that?"

Xiao Wu shook her head. "Not at all."

Su Ming: Doesn't anyone have a little faith in me?

Seeing his resigned expression, Zhu Zhuqing and the others chuckled. They knew Su Ming's character well enough. He might not pursue such women, but they doubted he wouldn't at least glance in appreciation!

The attendant remained unbothered; this was part of her job. Besides leading guests, her role was to ensure they enjoyed themselves.

Soon, Su Ming and his group received their numbered tokens and took their seats, waiting for the auction to start.

Xiao Wu looked around and noticed several guests with attendants, some of whom were behaving quite provocatively. She frowned and asked, "Big Brother, isn't an auction house supposed to be for auctions? Why are these people acting like this?"

Pointing out a few instances, she added, "I don't get it. This place is high-end, not some sleazy spot, but some of these noble-looking men are getting a little too handsy."

Su Ming shook his head. "Maybe Ning Rongrong can explain."

Ning Rongrong spoke up. "Those attendants are carefully selected by the auction house. Their job isn't just to guide guests but to ensure they spend extravagantly. To achieve that, they sometimes become nothing more than toys for the guests."

"It's all orchestrated by the auction house. High society can be surprisingly sordid, and the auction house is actually tame compared to some places."

Being raised as the next head of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Rongrong knew even the darker aspects of high society.

Xiao Wu, taken aback, said, "But why don't these attendants resist? Couldn't someone buy their freedom?"

Just then, a familiar voice came from behind. "These attendants are numb to it all. They're like caged birds in the auction house. Even if freed, they wouldn't know how to live otherwise."

"They've grown accustomed to this life of excess, and without looks or charm, they have no skills to survive. While they're alive, their spirits are long gone."

Recognizing the voice, the group turned and saw Ning Fengzhi.

"Father! What brings you here? We didn't see you when we arrived." Ning Rongrong hurried over to him.

Ning Fengzhi patted her head, smiling. "We only just arrived ourselves and saw you here, so we thought we'd come over and say hello."

Beside him, Bone Douluo spoke with feigned indignation. "So now, all our little princess can see is her father? She's forgotten all about her Bone Grandpa; this is so sad."

Ning Rongrong giggled and hugged him. "No, I was just about to come to you next. Don't be upset, Grandpa Bone."

Bone Douluo, immediately appeased, let out a pleased chuckle.

Su Ming, noticing that Bone Douluo was here instead of Sword Douluo, was a bit surprised.

The others also knew Ning Fengzhi, so they respectfully greeted, "Hello, Sect Master Ning and Elder Bone!"

Once they exchanged pleasantries, Su Ming asked, "Uncle Ning, Bone Grandpa, did something at the auction draw you two here? Some treasure?"

Ning Fengzhi laughed. "You really have a sharp eye! There was indeed something special that brought us here—a valuable item that, unfortunately, was stolen before it could even go up for auction."

Ning Fengzhi glanced at Su Ming's companions. They were all women; Su Ming seemed quite popular.

Su Ming, catching his gaze, felt a bit awkward as the only guy among them, given his connection with Ning Rongrong.

But with a shrug, he thought to himself, My skin's pretty thick. Uncle Ning won't bring it up outright.

Ning Fengzhi kept his amused gaze on him for several seconds before Su Ming returned it with equal calm, a subtle tension rising between them.

Ning Rongrong couldn't take it any longer and dragged her father and Bone Grandpa over to sit with them. She then curiously asked, "Father, what treasure did you come for? With our resources, I didn't think there was anything you'd need to come in person for. Unless…"

Ning Fengzhi nodded, lowering his voice. "You guessed right, Rongrong. We came for a soul bone, over ten thousand years old, and it would have been perfect for a support-type soul master like you. I was planning to win it for you, but it was stolen."

Bone Douluo grumbled, "Unbelievable! If I find the thief…! Who knows how long it'll take to find another soul bone suited for Rongrong?"

Ning Rongrong felt a bit disappointed, but she accepted it with a sigh.

Ning Fengzhi turned to Su Ming. "Su Ming, thank you again for helping Sword Douluo. After that trip, he broke through to level 97. He said it was thanks to you that his understanding of swordsmanship deepened."

Bone Douluo chimed in, "Now, you've helped Sword Douluo reach level 97, and here I am, stuck at level 95! I used to match him in strength with my defensive and spatial abilities, but now he's stronger and rubbing it in my face. He wanted to show off his new Heaven-Splitting Sword technique, and no matter where I tried to teleport, he'd just lock onto me and hit me dead on!"

"It's ridiculous! Su Ming, you can't just give Sword Douluo all the pointers!"

Su Ming chuckled. "Bone Grandpa, that was just luck, really. How could I help with your Bone Dragon martial spirit? Honestly, I have no insights for that."

He paused and then continued thoughtfully, "But, Bone Grandpa, it's possible your mentality is affecting your progress. Like Sword Grandpa, you're competitive, but maybe Sword Grandpa's advancement is also due to his ability to embrace a fearless heart in his swordsmanship. Your defensive style may be holding you back in a way. I'd suggest that you focus on 'cultivating your mind' to advance."

"Cultivating my mind?" Bone Douluo muttered. He felt Su Ming's words made sense, but "cultivating his mind" sounded like a tall order. He wasn't Sword Douluo, after all—someone who embodied "mindful cultivation" as much as swordsmanship itself.