It seemed his momentary kindness had not been misplaced.
Meanwhile, Shen Xiaoyan and the others hurried to the back of the building. Seeing no one around, Shen Xiaoyan waved her hand and gathered everyone into the spatial dimension. She then swiftly darted out of the door and also slipped into the space.
A moment later, a large black cat appeared out of nowhere by the door; it was Luoluo.
Luoluo surveyed its surroundings. With the moonless night and strong winds, it didn't hesitate and immediately sped towards the city outskirts.
By this time, Shen Xiaoyan and her companions had already made their escape. Long Xuan then led the head steward and guards towards the private room where Wu Shuai was locked.
Upon reaching the door and finding it unlocked, Long Xuan's expression turned grim.
Entering, they found only a man lying unconscious on the sofa. It was clear someone had knocked him out.
The head steward stepped forward to examine him and reported to Long Xuan, "He's been unconscious for a long time."
Long Xuan's face grew even more displeased.
This meant that the person who had been bidding against her earlier had no connection to this man.
So where was she supposed to find that person?
Could she just let it go like this?
This was not Long Xuan's style.
After some thought, Long Xuan turned and walked out. If this man didn't know, then the people at the Shengyu Auction House must know.
The head steward didn't delay and quickly followed.
He had already earned Long Xuan's resentment by stopping her from bidding further. If he didn't help find the person now, he could expect a difficult time ahead.
In truth, he had his reasons for stopping her from bidding.
Why insist on bidding? It would be much better to find the person directly and then snatch both the person and the crystal coins.
Didn't they have plenty of crystal coins?
Then they might as well just give them away directly.
The head steward's lips curved slightly, a smile both smug and sinister.
Unfortunately, this smugness didn't last long.
Upon finding the person in charge of the auction house, they did not get the answers they wanted.
The auction house staff replied in a very standardized manner, stating that guest information could not be disclosed casually.
Long Xuan desperately wanted to interrogate them, believing she could extract the full story.
However, she was once again restrained by the head steward.
While a small auction house might be easily dealt with, the Shengyu Auction House's influence was not to be underestimated.
Causing trouble here would be like pulling a single thread and unraveling the whole tapestry.
He wasn't afraid of anything, but it was truly unnecessary.
Furthermore, if this matter were to reach their sect, it would only make Long Xuan appear unreasonable.
Such situations should naturally be avoided if possible.
It took a considerable effort to finally pull Long Xuan out of the Shengyu Auction House, and the head steward felt utterly exhausted.
This outcome was beyond his expectations.
There was no point in staying any longer, so why remain and become a laughingstock?
Just looking at the grim expression on Long Xuan's face, the head steward knew that anything he said now would be useless.
"Miss, I will send people to look for them. Half-bloods are very special, especially with such unique appearances. Anyone who sees them will surely remember them. Such a living person cannot be hidden forever. We will find them eventually, or at worst, we can stay in Yingcheng for a while longer."
Hearing the head steward's words, Long Xuan's expression improved slightly.
Neither of them expected that this search would last for half a month.
Even after half a month of searching, there was still no news.
The half-blood and the woman who had purchased them seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth.
This was a story for later.
Meanwhile, Shen Xiaoyan and her group were concerned. After Luoluo left the city, it quickly arrived in front of the Four Seas Pavilion.
Luoluo gracefully sat on the ground, raised its front paw, and waved it over the empty space in front of it. Almost instantly, Yi Zixie appeared in the air.
Yi Zixie wasted no words. He directly put away the Four Seas Pavilion and then entered the spatial dimension with Luoluo.
Thus, the riverside returned to its former state.
The Four Seas Pavilion, which had been bustling and selling for a month, had thus disappeared from Yingcheng.
When daylight broke, it was the scheduled day to sell the celestial vegetables. However, the buyers arrived to find themselves dumbfounded.
Everything was completely gone. Even the size and position of the trees were exactly as they had been a month prior, with no changes whatsoever.
It was as if the Four Seas Pavilion that had stood there for a month had vanished like a mirage.
Wu Shuai, who had come looking for Shen Xiaoyan and the others, stood among the crowd. Seeing this scene, a thoughtful glint flashed in his eyes.
It seemed that Shen Xiaoyan and the others were indeed not simple.
Perhaps they had received advance notice and were waiting here for that half-blood.
Otherwise, why would they have left immediately after bidding for the half-blood?
They had lived together for a month, yet they hadn't even left him a message.
For a moment, Wu Shuai couldn't quite articulate his feelings.
Just then, Huang Shan approached with a mocking smile.
"What, our Young Master Wu has also been dumped? This is a rare sight."
After speaking, Huang Shan took a few more steps closer and whispered in Wu Shuai's ear, "You used to be unrivaled in Yingcheng. Now, have you tasted what it's like to be discarded like worn-out shoes?"
Wu Shuai raised his eyes to look at the smug expression on Huang Shan's face. He scoffed inwardly and ignored him, turning to walk towards the city gate.
Seeing Wu Shuai's decisive departure, Huang Shan's expression froze for a moment, then quickly returned to normal.
He wondered how long Wu Shuai's arrogance would last.
However, why did the seller of celestial vegetables leave without a word?
If he couldn't buy celestial vegetables anymore, what should he do?
Thinking of this, Huang Shan frowned again.
There was no point in lingering here, so it was better to return quickly and discuss a plan.
The crowd slowly dispersed.
In the following days, people still came to check every day.
Most of them held onto hope, perhaps Shen Xiaoyan and the others had just temporarily left due to some urgent matter and would return soon.
But the result could only bring them disappointment.
Shen Xiaoyan and the others never returned.
Finally, after ten days passed, no one came to check anymore, and peace was restored by the city gate.
Meanwhile, after Luoluo and Yi Zixie entered the spatial dimension, they immediately went to the room where Shen Xiaoming was.
Shen Xiaoming was placed on the bed. His pale face was devoid of color, which was heartbreaking.
"Why hasn't Xiaoming woken up yet?"
Shen Xiaoyan stared intently at Shen Xiaoming's face, not daring to blink, for fear that Shen Xiaoming would disappear if she so much as blinked.
Zheng Wei sat beside Shen Xiaoyan, holding her hand and comforting her, "The auction house people were probably afraid Xiaoming wouldn't cooperate, so they gave him something that made him faint. Didn't you see he was fine during the auction?"
Hearing Zheng Wei's words, Shen Xiaoyan also remembered.
Assured that Shen Xiaoming was temporarily out of danger, Shen Xiaoyan let out a long sigh.
She then turned to Yi Zixie, who had just entered, and said, "Can you tell me what a half-blood is?"
Upon hearing this, Yi Zixie's expression instantly became solemn.
"A half-blood is someone whose bloodline is only half human." After a long pause, Yi Zixie finally said this.
"Then what about the other half?" Shen Xiaoyan pressed.
"The other half..."
Yi Zixie gave a wry smile and continued, "The other half can be anything."
Shen Xiaoyan frowned. What did that mean?
Namuzhong sighed, "The other half could be a beast, a spirit beast, an elf, or another race."
Hearing Namuzhong say this, Shen Xiaoyan finally understood.
So, half-bloods were essentially hybrids.
However, Shen Xiaoming was her little brother, and like her, he was human. He could absolutely not be some half-blood.
Then what on earth was going on?
Yi Zixie also understood Shen Xiaoyan's confusion. In fact, he was equally puzzled.
He had spent a considerable amount of time with Shen Xiaoming. If Shen Xiaoming had any other race's bloodline, he would have detected it somehow.
However, he found nothing.
This could only mean that when Shen Xiaoming was with them, he was indeed still human.
As for how he became like this later, they would have to wait for Shen Xiaoming to wake up and tell them himself.
Shen Xiaoyan thought for a moment and then asked, "Do you know which type Xiaoming belongs to?"
Shen Xiaoming had cat ears on his head and a cat tail on his backside.
If this were her previous life, it would be the most successful cosplay.
But here, it had become a plaything that everyone fought over, and even Shen Xiaoming's death warrant.
This change filled Shen Xiaoyan with a deep sense of helplessness.
Seeing that Shen Xiaoming wouldn't be waking up anytime soon, Shen Xiaoyan couldn't just sit there and wait. The triplets were already hungry, and Lu Taobao was trying to comfort them, but she probably couldn't hold on for much longer.
Fortunately, the spatial dimension had everything needed for cooking. They wouldn't have any problems even if they never left the space.
Shen Xiaoyan stood up and walked towards the kitchen with Namuzhong, skillfully preparing a meal.
While cooking, Shen Xiaoyan didn't forget to make a few dishes that Shen Xiaoming loved.
Shen Xiaoming had been away for so long; he must have missed her cooking?
However, who would have thought that Shen Xiaoming would sleep for ten days?
Of course, this was ten days within the spatial dimension.
However, this time had still passed in reality, causing Shen Xiaoyan immense worry.
But Yi Zixie and Namuzhong were not healers, and they only had a partial understanding of this situation, unable to explain the cause and effect.
As the days went by, Shen Xiaoyan became increasingly anxious, even developing blisters on her lips.
Logically, she had already undergone marrow cleansing and was a cultivator, so such a situation should not occur. However, Shen Xiaoyan was truly frantic with worry and could not be judged by normal standards.
Time flew by, and another five days passed.
Shen Xiaoyan could no longer wait.
Shen Xiaoming lay there unconscious, his life or death unknown. Waiting like this was not a solution.
Even if Shen Xiaoming was still alive, how could his body withstand half a month without eating or drinking?