Zombie Bodyguard
Chapter 550 - 547: The Auction Begins

Chapter 550: Chapter 547: The Auction Begins

He said this precisely because he wanted to use his authority to pressure others. As the Family Head of the Li Family, Li Zhengyang’s words represented the Li Family itself. Once he had spoken thus, most people would no longer dare to show any disrespect, for fear of acting recklessly. And the consequences of such recklessness, presumably only Li Zhengyang knew.

Mrs. Xiao frowned, about to speak, but Lin Tian waved his hand to stop her. Although she had severed her ties with the Li Family, the blood relationship could not be severed. Some things were not easy to say. Even if not for that reason, she also represented the Xiao Family, and therefore, her every action and word could not be so casual.

Lin Tian was serving as a bodyguard for the Xiao Family, but he was still an outsider after all. Some things were better stated by him.

"Since Mr. Li Zhengyang insists, I, as the younger generation, also cannot fall behind. I insist too," Lin Tian said indifferently.

Li Zhengyang stopped talking and just stared at Lin Tian, with his eyes motionless, calmly watching him. If it had been someone else standing in Lin Tian’s position, they would probably be unable to withstand Li Zhengyang’s gaze for even three seconds.

Perhaps Li Zhengyang had no martial arts skills, but behind him stood the entire Li Family. This intangible pressure was not something that just anyone could bear.

Yet Lin Tian remained indifferent as he met the gaze without a care, thinking to himself with a slight sense of disdain.

No one spoke, and the atmosphere in the private room became a bit oppressive. Suddenly, a crisp "ding" sounded from outside, piercing the heavy air of the room.

Li Zhengyang’s stern face thawed into a smile as he said, "A very fine young man. With you by my little sister’s side, I can rest assured. The auction is beginning; you may head out."

It turned out that the crisp bell was a signal heralding the start of the auction, but Lin Tian couldn’t understand what Li Zhengyang meant by his statement. Was he testing me? But Mrs. Xiao indeed had a strained relationship with her older brother. Or was Li Zhengyang looking for a way to save face?

Regardless of the reason, Li Zhengyang was too astute; he hadn’t spoken outright. Sometimes, irreparable incidents often arise from a single, harsh sentence that pushes both sides to a point of no return, leading to an uncontrollable situation.

Since Li Zhengyang made no further move, Lin Tian acted as if nothing had happened, and Mrs. Xiao didn’t speak to her brother either, leading the way out first.

Once outside in the corridor, Lin Tian recalled Li Zhengyang tapping on the table and curiously asked, "Miss, your uncle... oh, that Li Zhengyang, is he an Ancient Martial Artist? The rhythm of his tapping on the table felt somewhat extraordinary."

The Miss shook her head and said, "Li Zhengyang isn’t an Ancient Martial Artist, but in his youth, he followed an old Zen master in study and retained this habit. The evening drums and morning bells in temples are most effective in upholding righteousness and warding off evil, awakening the deaf and the dumb, and clearing the mind. I think only someone with some understanding of Zen could produce that kind of sound."

"Oh, I see. If he’s so fond of Zen teachings, why doesn’t he practice Ancient Martial? The Buddhist sect should also have cultivation techniques, like the palm technique that descends from the sky, which I believe is called the Rulai Divine Palm, right?" Lin Tian asked with curiosity.

"What Rulai Divine Palm? I’ve never heard of such a thing. You’ve been watching too much television," the Miss glared at him, then continued, "Do you think that cultivating Ancient Martial is something fun? Ancient Martial cultivation requires a lifetime of dedication. I haven’t focused solely on cultivation and thus haven’t broken through to the Innate Realm to this day."

"Li Zhengyang once said that life rarely lasts beyond seventy years, with half that time spent eating and sleeping. What else can you do with the remaining thirty years, and what can you gain from cultivation? At most, you live a bit longer and are a bit stronger."

"But if you earn money, having plenty of it can also achieve longevity through the best medical care. As for being strong, however capable you are, can you surpass money? And even if you’re strong, you still need money to eat," the Miss articulated in the manner of Li Zhengyang.

"So, he just doesn’t learn, spends more time to earn more money?" Lin Tian was somewhat at a loss and couldn’t help but admire his way of thinking.

"Everyone will choose his own path," Mrs. Xiao suddenly said.

Lin Tian nodded in understanding, then asked, "Miss, why do you practice Ancient Martial arts then?"

"Me? I don’t know. The master wanted to take me as a disciple, and that’s how I started practicing," the Miss pondered for a moment, but without any result, she had to leave it at that.

Seeing her eyes filled with confusion, Lin Tian suddenly had a realization. The Miss had been unable to break through the stage of Postnatal Perfection and reach the Innate Realm, not only because of the distractions from the Xiao Family matters, but also perhaps because of the confusion in her heart which was her biggest obstacle.

The most important thing on the path of cultivation is to have a goal in mind, to be brave and diligent. It comes back to the most primitive question, you, why do you want to practice Ancient Martial arts? If you cannot clarify this question, you may never be able to break through your realm.

"Pangu created the world from chaos to separate the churning confusion, Nuwa formed humans from clay to bring vitality to the world, Suirenshi made fire by drilling wood to ensure the survival of the Human Clan, and Fu Xi invented the Innate Eight Diagrams to bring civilization to the Human Clan, and to educate the world. Miss, what for?" Lin Tian said earnestly.

"For what?" the Miss asked herself again.

But there wasn’t enough time for her to think further, as "ding ding ding" three consecutive bell tones sounded, followed by the noises of doors and windows shutting in the auction hall, and black curtains were drawn as well.

The entire hall suddenly became pitch dark, as if it had entered a night without any lights, and no one other than Lin Tian could see anything around them in the hall.

This darkness did not last long, as a bright light shone down from the top of the hall, landing perfectly on the glass display on the auction stage.

Two rings of small lights then lit up around the display, as if they were ignited by the column of light in the center. Just by the presentation alone, the expectations for today’s auction were high.

"Miss, take the time to think about it properly. If you figure it out, you might break through your realm. If Ancient Martial arts were invented, they surely wouldn’t be worthless as Li Zhengyang said. I actually find his perspective quite sad. Alright, I’m heading down," Lin Tian gently patted her shoulder, turned around, and went downstairs, leaving the thoughtful mother and daughters behind.

Lin Tian descended to the first-floor hall and sat down next to Zhou Botong. At that moment, the staff also took a microphone, tested it, and then placed it on the glass showcase.

"Hey, Brother Lin, did you know? The auctioneer for today’s auction is a real beauty," Zhou Botong whispered to Lin Tian after he had taken a seat, his expression lecherous.

"A beauty? Is she as beautiful as Miss Ou Mengmeng? Sigh, I just met your wife upstairs, and she told me to keep an eye on you, to make sure you don’t make any fundamental mistakes," Lin Tian teased.

This trick always worked wonders, and Zhou Botong immediately dropped his lecherous look, adopting a serious expression. He said with great rectitude, "Of course, no matter how beautiful the auctioneer is, she can’t compare to Mengmeng in my eyes, that’s beyond doubt."

No sooner had he spoken these words than a woman came out from the inner door of the hall.