CH71 — Conclusion
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This is not the chapter you are looking for. (probably)

The continuation of the actual story has replaced the previous chapter.

“what the heck was that back in there?” Walking side by side towards the hall where both the auction and an honorary banquet would be held, Ku Lo asked Gingge in a low voice so as to not let it reach their merry Huang followers.

“later.” She whispered. “too many people around.”

Suppressing the feeling of déjà vu, he entered through the dark wooden doors covered in ornamental carvings. Behind lay a room not entirely dissimilar to the Huang family hall, but much larger and without a throne at the far end.

Instead, long tables were arranged in a disconnected half circle. A few contestants were already seated at the lefthand one, which Gingge led him towards.

But as she tried to sit down, she staggered and Ku Lo had to catch her before she fell off the bench. “are you alright?” Despite his hand being on her shoulder, he could not feel any of the familiar connection to his Qi inside her.

“yes, don’t worry about me. just a bit tired.” She straightened her back, but her eyes still lacked focus. 

More people entered the hall, but it quickly became apparent that they kept their distance from the two of them. Whether this was out of respect or fear, he was unable to tell, his mind in a state possessing only slightly more clarity than Gingge’s.

After most had gotten their seats, the announcer stepped into the center of the ring of tables. “You all have shown your heroism once again. Calling you their descendants is Tihandu’s pride and honor! And every feat is worthy of reward. So feast on the beasts you hunted!” On her clap, servants began to carry in plates piled with dishes, cauldrons containing soups, and barrels of most likely alcoholic content.

The formerly empty middle turned populated again as the food was distributed. People next to Ku Lo spoke unknown names and received in response what he assumed were the dishes. 

For the meat parts, the names were straightforward; while he had little clue of their taste, attempting to eat the monsters’ Qi rich flesh might even aid his cultivation.

Everything else left him unsure, which led him to throw a glance at Gingge. She had gotten her food already, a flesh broth that was delivered to her mouth with lethargic movements, her porcelain spoon left resting in the bowl for long breaths. Recalling his first experience of Qi deprivation, he could guess why.

A servant approached them, holding a platter with grey meat in small slices. He put it down on the table in front of Ku Lo. “With Miss Jiao’s congratulations, the rock grizzly young master has hunted.”

He still had no other dish, but he decided to simply start with this and bother Gingge later if necessary. I sincerely hope you are worth the trouble it was hunting you… 

Pinching a piece with his chopsticks, he could feel its toughness. As far as he knew, wild animals did not necessarily have delicious meat and with it stemming from a being that lived in symbiosis with the mountain rock face, his expectations for taste were drastically lowered. Perhaps some cathartic fulfilment of eating what he had hunted.

But when he brought it to his mouth, an explosion of flavors hit his tongue. The flesh was chewy as expected, but still had a pleasant rustic aroma complemented by a savory coating.

The first and second bite were pure bliss to his exhausted mind and body, but by the third, he regretted not asking for something to balance out its intense taste.

By raising his hand, he called one of the servers and asked him for a piece of bread, the sole food item he was certain of knowing. Despite the initial surprise showing on his face, the man soon returned with a loaf and left it on his table. In hunger, he wolfed down about half of the marinated dish. 

Slowly, an earthy Qi spread from his stomach to the rest of his body. Absorbing it caused him to feel rested and calm. Having his culinary desires met, Ku Lo attempted to offer some of the dish to the despondent Gingge next to him.

After failing to notice him for a while, she sluggishly shook her head. She had been trying to stay upright, but the drain from her secret ability was apparent.

Thus, he disregarded her rejection and held a piece of the rock grizzly’s meat up to her lips. “that, here, ” as she tried to tell him off, he pushed it inside.

“If you don’t want it, then smile. But hurry up, else the sauce will run down your lips.”

Though it was hard to tell in the flickering light of torches, she seemed to turn red. The light pinch of his hand however he was very certain of.

The initially drawn out chews soon sped up and by the fourth slice, she reached for the next with her own chopsticks.

Her expression turned less dazed, but the meal hadn’t brought her back in full. 

“Please quiet down. The auction will begin in a moment.” Behind her, two sect members brought in a locked chest. 

Opening it with a key she had taken from her ring, the announcer revealed its contents to be ornamental metal tokens. Each bore a few letters that he assumed to be locations. 

Ku Lo took out the leather bag that contained his collected points in the form of sixty-four light blue pearls that each had a complex rune engraved.

Turning to his side, he called out to Gingge in a hushed voice. “i will deal with the bargaining, but you have to tell me how much each claim is worth.”

She grasped his hand under the table, giving him a slight smile. “no need, lo’er. thank you for worrying about me, but i’m fine. eating something helped a lot.”

The announcer took out one of the plates and held it before her. “We shall begin with the great ridge vein. The starting price is thirty points. Please place your offers.”

Gingge immediately called out. “Thirty-five.”

What followed could not be called silence as the servers still moved about distributing food, but none of the tournament participants voiced a counteroffer.

Until Ingen Zhen raised his own bag. “Fourty.”

Wasn’t he supposed to have twenty-eight? But a quick glance around the room that revealed ‘Sho’s’ absence explained his wealth. If it had been given to him, the total would amount to forty-one points.

“Forty-one.” Came Gingge’s counter offer. 

Her rival gritted his teeth and sat back down with a huff. 

But although he didn’t look satisfied, he had ramped up the cost of the mine. And since it didn’t cost him, he could force them to pay those forty-one points for every claim they bought.

“The Huang clan obtains the great ridge claim for forty-one points. As per the tournament rules, the Ingen will have to leave the site within a week.”

A sect member received the badge from the announcer’s hands and made his way towards Gingge to finalize the transaction, taking the pearls that she had already counted out with her.

“Next is the frenzied valley. Starting at twenty-eight points, please place your offers.”

Someone in the robes of the Za who sat nearest to Gingge called out to her. “We hope the Huang can leave us face to reacquire our own claim.”

A few bystanders showed displeasure at her behavior, but seeing Gingge give a short nod, they made haste to hide it.

No one else bid for it, so the Za member who held onto the equally absent Huan’s points obtained it for an optimal twenty-nine points.

“Lower peak. Staring at thirty-four points.”

“Forty-one!” Ingen Zhan shouted, glaring aggressively at Gingge, who stayed silent until his offer was accepted.

With a satisfied grin, he took the plate and handed over his bag of points.

Wait, he wasn’t forcing up the bids? Seeing him quite proud of himself when Ku Lo had expected immense displeasure and perhaps even open rage, he felt stumped.

The Za speaker had called him Ingen's successor. And now it turned out that someone who would have to lead one of the three big clans in a city state was this stupid?

He would have to inquire a lot about Tihandu’s peculiarities from her after experiencing their oddities for a full day, but this matter required immediate attention. “how did someone like him become the ingen’s heir?”

Gingge giggled, but answered. “he’s strong. that’s what ingen value the most. and so long as it does not involve scheming or public relations, he is fairly capable, too.”

There were the Wuu siblings, but they appeared rather passive, so with their most aggressive adversary taken out of the bidding, she managed to obtain a few more expensive mining claims.

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