Night had fallen over the City of Celestial Spear.
The Auction Pavilion stood at the center of the commercial district. The street outside was crowded. Noble carriages, mercenaries, and cultivators formed a noisy line, fighting over the few remaining seats on the ground floor.
Zhì Yuǎn's group did not join the line. They walked straight toward the double doors of the main entrance.
Under the illusion veil, they looked like nothing more than another group of dusty, insignificant travelers. The reception manager, dressed in immaculate silk robes, stepped forward and raised his hand, blocking their path.
"The line for the ground floor is outside," he said in a flat, practiced tone. "Proof of funds is required before entry."
Mò Yán did not respond. She simply took the Black Jade Medallion from her sleeve and placed it on the counter.
The manager froze.
His gaze dropped from the ragged group to the black plaque engraved with the Lǐ Clan's jade crest — the personal medallion of the Young Master. For a brief moment, his expression wavered. Then he lowered his head and returned the medallion.
"Understood."
He snapped his fingers without looking back. A young female attendant in fine silk immediately approached.
"Escort the guests to Private Chamber One," the manager ordered.
The woman nodded with a practiced smile and gestured politely toward the side corridor.
The side staircase was narrow. The attendant led them up, her hips swaying exaggeratedly beneath the thin silk. Yù Méi walked right behind her with her hands clasped behind her neck, letting out a long yawn.
"Why are we even doing this?" the youngest muttered, staring at the ceiling. "I slept through half the explanation about the auction and still don't understand why we need to do this."
Yù Qíng, walking while clinging to Zhì Yuǎn's arm, did not even turn her face as she answered.
"Our new sister found a method of entertainment right away," she said calmly. "Why not take advantage of it?"
Yù Méi clicked her tongue.
"Entertainment would be killing everyone at once and ending it quickly," she grumbled, stretching her arms. "Playing auction games feels like a waste of time. It's not like we need their money anyway."
Yù Méi turned toward Zhì Yuǎn and gave him a slow, malicious wink — a direct and suggestive invitation, as if trying to break his composure right there in the corridor.
Zhì Yuǎn let out a low chuckle through his nose. He did not reply, but the dark look he gave her made it clear that her provocation had worked exactly as she intended.
The attendant stopped before a heavy, intricately carved wooden door and pushed it open. The group entered, and she closed the door behind them with a soft click.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
The isolation formations on the walls flickered. The chaotic noise of thousands of cultivators shouting and sweating on the ground floor was completely cut off, muffled by the one-way crystal glass. The interior of Private Chamber One was quiet and refined. Dark velvet seats were arranged neatly, and the clean scent of freshly brewed tea lingered in the air. Outside, tension reeked of desperation. Inside, only boredom reigned.
Zhì Yuǎn walked over to the main seat and sat down without hurry. Yù Qíng naturally slid onto his lap, resting her body against his chest. He slipped an arm around her waist and let his hand rest on her hips — a calm, absent-minded gesture while he listened to Mò Yán speak.
Yù Méi threw herself onto a side divan, crossing her legs and staring at the ceiling with clear boredom.
None of the three paid much attention to the stage visible through the glass.
Only Mò Yán moved toward the front of the chamber. She stopped before the crystal pillar embedded in the wall. Her posture changed — the quiet demeanor giving way to the sharp mind of someone accustomed to reading political schemes.
She took out the Black Jade Medallion of the Lǐ Clan from her sleeve and inserted it into the slot on the pillar. The crystal glowed, linking the chamber directly to the ruling clan's treasury.
Mò Yán placed her hands on the edge of the viewing window. Her scarlet eyes slowly swept across the Host's Chamber on the opposite side of the pavilion.
Patriarch Lǐ sat at the head of the table, wearing a calm and utterly confident smile as he spoke with the guild leaders around him. He clearly believed he held control over the board.
The corner of Mò Yán's lips curved slightly.
She touched the crystal panel. The plaque connected to the heir's medallion glowed, locking the connection to the clan's coffers.
"The pieces are already in place," she murmured, her voice calm and entertained. "The curtain of the play is about to rise."
Zhì Yuǎn listened in silence. His hand continued moving slowly over Yù Qíng's hips, occasionally giving a light squeeze with absent-minded calm, as if her body were a natural extension of himself while his attention remained elsewhere.
Mò Yán turned her face toward Zhì Yuǎn, a dangerous glint lighting up her scarlet eyes.
"Let's see how far they're willing to go, my heaven."
Down below, the auctioneer stepped onto the podium and struck the wooden gavel. The dull echo vibrated faintly against the chamber's glass, marking the beginning of the slaughter.
Mò Yán placed her finger on the crystal panel.
------
The echo of the gavel reached the Host's Chamber on the opposite side of the pavilion.
Patriarch Lǐ sat at the head of a round mahogany table, gripping a porcelain cup tightly enough to turn his fingertips white. In the three seats around him, the leaders of the largest merchant guilds in the city drank tea in silence. Though the air smelled of fine herbs, the tension inside was thick.
The leader of the Gold Guild, a plump man with rings on every finger, placed his saucer on the table and smiled.
"The Lǐ Clan's tea remains excellent, Patriarch," he said, clasping his hands over his stomach. "However, I must admit I miss the energy of youth. Young Master Lǐ Wēi used to open these events. Has he not returned from his journey to the south yet?"
Patriarch Lǐ tightened his grip on the cup. The question was not born of concern — it was a tactical probe. If the guilds became certain that the heir had disappeared and the clan was short on reserves, tax payments would stop the very next morning.
The Patriarch forced his breathing to remain steady and took a sip of tea.
"Lǐ Wēi is on his way," he replied calmly. "He should arrive at any moment. Tonight's auction is merely to clear some relics from our coffers that no longer serve us."
The three guild leaders exchanged silent, skeptical glances. The plump man's smile did not waver, but he said nothing more.
At that moment, the chamber door opened without a sound. An attendant walked quickly to the Patriarch's side, leaned in, and whispered near his ear:
"Patriarch… the Young Master's personal medallion has just activated the crystal pillar in Private Chamber One."
Patriarch Lǐ's spine lost its rigidity instantly. His shoulders slumped slightly, and he exhaled the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Genuine relief washed over him.
Finally.
He and his son had planned this before Lǐ Wēi departed for the lower world. The boy was supposed to use the medallion to enter the main chamber and gradually inflate the bids, helping raise the final prices without drawing too much attention. The goal was simple: display strength and make the guilds spend more.
The Patriarch leaned back in his chair. The tension vanished from his face, replaced by a genuine, relieved smile. He said nothing about his son's arrival. He simply looked at the guild leaders with a calm expression and took another sip of tea.
On the other side of the pavilion, behind the dark glass of Private Chamber One, someone had already connected the medallion.
The plan was in motion.
------
The master of ceremonies stood at the granite podium in the center of the ground floor when the sound of the wooden gavel marked the beginning of the event. The noise of conversations gradually died down.
"Welcome, everyone!" the auctioneer's voice echoed through the pavilion. "To open tonight's auction, the Lǐ Clan presents a true wonder of nature — the Golden Lotus of the Ninth Heaven! Harvested from peaks where tribulation lightning touches the earth, this flower stabilizes the mind and wards off heart demons! Starting bid: five hundred Spirit Stones!"
On the ground floor, a mercenary raised his bidding plaque.
"Six hundred!"
"Seven hundred!" another voice called out.
Inside Private Chamber One, the silence was absolute.
Yù Qíng remained lying on Zhì Yuǎn's lap, her head resting against his chest. She looked at the golden flower displayed on the stage through the thick crystal and narrowed her eyes slightly.
"It's a parasitic herb," she murmured, her voice low and disinterested. "It absorbs sunlight during the day and glows at night. The Qi within it is thin, almost nonexistent. To mortals, it may seem precious. To us… it's not even fit for tea. The taste is bitter and stabilizes nothing beyond the imagination of those who believe in legends."
Mò Yán stood before the bidding panel, her pale hands resting on the wooden edge. Her scarlet eyes coldly analyzed the hall below.
"Exactly," she replied, her voice calm and clinical. "It's merely an expensive decoration. And that is precisely why we will bid on it."
She touched the crystal panel. The plaque connected to the heir's medallion glowed.
On the ground floor, the bidding matrix above the auctioneer flickered.
"Private Chamber One offers…" the auctioneer choked slightly, "…two thousand five hundred Spirit Stones!"
Yù Qíng opened a small, satisfied smile upon hearing the auctioneer's reaction.
The entire hall fell silent.
Two thousand five hundred stones for a flower that was, at its core, just a plant that glowed in the dark. It was not a bid — it was a declaration. Someone in the main chamber was willing to pay five times the actual value just to take the item.
Inside the Host's Chamber, the porcelain cup cracked in Patriarch Lǐ's hand.
Hot tea spilled over his fingers, but he barely noticed. For a moment, his mind went blank. Spending such an amount on a mere decorative flower was not part of the plan he had made with his son.
He slowly raised his head and looked toward the dark glass of Private Chamber One. His eyes narrowed.
This is not Lǐ Wēi.
Cold sweat ran down his temple. He forced his breathing to calm and, with visible effort, replaced his shocked expression with something more composed — a mix of surprise and satisfaction. He placed the cracked cup on the table and wiped his fingers on his sleeve.
When he raised his face again, his smile was wide and welcoming.
"It seems the Lǐ Clan has attracted a rather generous sponsor tonight," he said, his voice clear and satisfied as he looked at the three guild leaders. "A benefactor willing to invest heavily in our auction. How fortunate."
He pushed his chair back and stood up with elegance.
"I shall personally go and greet this esteemed guest. Surely his presence deserves our direct thanks."
The three guild leaders also rose almost simultaneously. The leader of the Gold Guild opened a wide smile, his eyes shining with interest.
"If the Lǐ Clan has found such a generous supporter, it would be rude of us not to pay our respects as well," he said. "Allow us to accompany you, Patriarch."
Patriarch Lǐ felt his chest tighten for a second, but he had no choice. Refusing would only raise more suspicion.
He maintained his smile and simply nodded.
"Very well. Let us go together."
As he ascended the stairs toward the second floor, followed by the three guild leaders, Patriarch Lǐ could feel their gazes on his back — curious and sharp.
He did not know who was waiting behind that door.
But he knew that whoever it was had just placed the Lǐ Clan in an extremely delicate position.
And now, he had no choice but to find out.