Shui Lanxin soon opened her two ordinary eyes. A strange light flashed through them when she looked at Wen Xian, too quickly for anyone to catch.
“The Nine Transformations of the Heavenly Fox, Spirit Fox Illusory Form, and the Heaven-Burning Foxfire Art. These three manuals truly form one complete cultivation system. Such a set is extremely rare. Are you certain that you wish to sell it to us?”
Shui Lanxin asked for confirmation once more.
Using her rough male voice, Wen Xian answered, “Yes. This system is useless to me. Rather than keep it as part of a collection, I would prefer to sell it to someone who needs it. Only after considering the matter repeatedly did I decide to endure the pain of parting with it and offer it to your establishment.”
The speech was pure politeness. Wen Xian was selling the manuals for one reason: she needed money.
She desperately needed money.
Shui Lanxin naturally understood the hidden meaning, but she was an old spirit who had lived for nearly a thousand years. She would never embarrass an honored guest by exposing it.
In her view, every customer possessed future potential. No one could predict what might happen. Perhaps one of them would someday bring Water-and-Sky profits beyond anything it had seen before.
That was what she always told herself. She treated every customer equally and provided the finest service. If they later wished to auction another treasure, Water-and-Sky would be the first establishment they remembered.
No expense was too great if it achieved that goal.
“Honored guest, this set of manuals is exceptionally valuable. Despite our many years in business, complete cultivation systems have appeared at auction only a few times. By fortunate coincidence, another honored guest has been searching for such a set, and yours suits her very well. I will offer two hundred thousand upper-grade spirit stones for it. Would that satisfy you?”
Spirit stones served as common currency throughout this world. They could replenish and refine spiritual energy or be exchanged for magic artifacts, cultivation methods, pills, and other necessities.
The energy within lower-grade stones was not very pure. Cultivators generally absorbed it directly. Middle- and upper-grade stones contained much purer energy and were more convenient for buying and selling goods.
Two hundred thousand upper-grade spirit stones were worth two million middle-grade stones.
Beneath the veil, Wen Xian’s eyes turned into money signs and glittered with golden light. Shui Lanxin called to her three times before she recovered. She coughed to hide her excitement.
“I have no objection.”
Shui Lanxin smiled and extended one hand. “Thank you for surrendering something so valuable.”
“Not at all. I should thank your establishment for offering such a generous price.”
Without thinking, Wen Xian shook Shui Lanxin’s hand. Then she quickly withdrew it beneath her cloak.
Shui Lanxin gave the cloak a seemingly careless glance before speaking again.
“Our establishment is holding an auction of rare goods today. Would you care to watch? Something you desire may be among the offerings.”
Wen Xian’s interest stirred. She had wanted to attend from the beginning and had merely been waiting for the right chance to ask. The beautiful owner understood her wishes before she even spoke. Wen Xian was delighted, though she still needed to show a little restraint.
“I heard about the auction when I arrived, but I do not possess a Water-and-Sky token. May I still enter?”
Shui Lanxin understood immediately.
“My subordinates failed in their duties. I will have someone prepare a token at once. From this moment, you are an honored token holder at Water-and-Sky. Every purchase you make through our establishment will receive a fifty-percent discount. In return, I hope that if you ever wish to auction other cultivation manuals or treasures, you will consider us first.”
Wen Xian could not have been more satisfied with Shui Lanxin’s belief that the customer came first. Now she understood why Water-and-Sky continued to grow. With such a thoughtful and socially skilled owner attending to every detail, only a ghost could prevent the business from succeeding.
“The auction is about to begin. I will have someone take you there. If anything catches your eye, simply place a bid.”
Shui Lanxin bowed slightly and opened the door. She clapped her hands, and two maids appeared at once. One carried away the cultivation manuals, while the other guided Wen Xian toward the auction hall.
Shui Lanxin watched her departing back with interest.
“How amusing. The young lady is quite cautious.”
The maid led Wen Xian to a private room overlooking the auction floor. Food and drink had been prepared, along with women hired to share both.
Wen Xian stared at the row of pale, beautiful women and the generous curves displayed before her. Her blood began to heat, and she immediately drove all of them from the room.
Why?
Because Wen Xian looked down at her own perfectly flat chest.
Jealousy had twisted her beyond recognition.
Once everyone left, she removed her veiled hat and tossed it onto a side table.
The private room was completely enclosed. A rippling barrier covered the wall facing the auction floor. According to the maid, this was one of Water-and-Sky’s special features, called the Water-Concealment Wall.
People inside could see everything outside with perfect clarity, but no one outside could see through it. The barrier protected the honored guests’ privacy. Only those carrying a Water-and-Sky token received such treatment.
Wen Xian reclined on a cushioned couch. She did not know what spirit beast had provided the fur beneath her, but her body seemed to sink into its softness. It surrounded her like a warm blanket and made her wonderfully comfortable.
“I sold one set of manuals, and now they treat me like their greatest guest. I truly must thank the expert who left behind this ring. May they receive an excellent next life and be born with unmatched talent.”
Wen Xian picked up a large, round grape and tossed it into her mouth. Her eyes narrowed with pleasure.
It was wonderfully sweet, though her heart felt even sweeter.
“All right, no one else is here. You can change back now,” she told Bai Yan.
The little white body slid along Wen Xian’s wrist and down to the floor. White light flickered over the tiny snake. A moment later, Bai Yan returned to her form as a young woman and jumped onto the couch across the room. She happily rubbed herself against the soft fur.
“Bai Yan, come eat some grapes.”
Wen Xian continued eating while calling her over. Bai Yan hurried to the table and studied the round purple balls.
“Are they good?” she asked.
“Very sweet!” Wen Xian raised a thumb.
Bai Yan extended her forked tongue and gently licked one grape. Her brows drew together.
“It isn’t sweet at all.”
“Fool, you have to remove the skin. The flesh inside is sweet!”
Amused by Bai Yan’s foolish expression, Wen Xian demonstrated.
Bai Yan watched, then awkwardly copied her movements. Grape juice covered her hands by the time she removed the skin. She licked a little from one finger, and her eyes immediately brightened.
“It’s sweet!”
Now that she understood, Bai Yan wrapped her tongue around the fruit and carried it into her mouth. Her face filled with pleasure as she enjoyed the sweet, juicy flesh.
Wen Xian smiled and shook her head. Someone ought to bring the demoness here and show her that an even more ignorant country fool existed.
“Water-and-Sky’s owner has three eyes. Is she human, a spirit beast, or a demon?” Wen Xian murmured.
This world contained far too many races. Wen Xian had met a fox spirit and traveled with a foolish snake spirit. What kind of spirit was the three-eyed woman?
“Master, are you wondering about that three-eyed woman’s true form?” Bai Yan asked around another grape.
She was growing more skilled at peeling them. Her hands moved faster and faster, and before long, she had eaten more than half.
Wen Xian looked at her in surprise. “You know?”
How could a snake spirit who had only just entered the outside world know something Wen Xian did not?
“Of course. My spiritual awareness is very strong. Don’t look down on me!” Bai Yan protested. She seemed especially afraid that Wen Xian would think poorly of her. “I’m only weak right now. I’ll become strong very soon, and then I can protect Master!”
Wen Xian laughed softly and patted her head as though soothing a child.
“Of course. I’ll wait for you to become strong and protect me.”
Satisfied, Bai Yan smiled. “I don’t know whether her race is powerful, but she’s a leech spirit.”
A leech?
Wen Xian remembered the leeches from her former world. The thought of those creatures twisting through water made her shudder, and goose bumps covered her skin.
Heavens! How could such a beautiful woman possess such a frightening true form? Wen Xian would never be able to look directly at Shui Lanxin’s face again.
The heavens were truly blind to let a gorgeous woman be a leech spirit.
No, the real injustice was allowing such a horrifying creature to take such a beautiful human form.
Wen Xian had even felt a brief flicker of attraction toward Shui Lanxin. It lasted only a few seconds, but now every time she pictured that lovely face, it merged with the leeches from her memories.
Curse her useless curiosity. Why had she insisted on learning Shui Lanxin’s true form?
Nothing could ever return to the way it had been.
Just as Wen Xian sank into despair, Bai Yan called her wandering spirit home.
“Master, the auction has started.”
Wen Xian instantly recovered. She sat up and looked toward the stage. The auctioneer was already in position. In fact, the first item had been sold while Wen Xian’s soul nearly fled her body.
It was a heavy defensive shield. One glance at the clumsy object destroyed her interest. Fortunately, she did not need it, or she would have regretted missing the bidding.
“Congratulations to honored guest number thirty-nine, who has purchased the Black Iron Shield for five thousand middle-grade spirit stones.”
After selling the first item, the auctioneer seemed filled with energy. He immediately began praising the next offering.
“Our second item is called the Soul-Calling Flute, a supreme-grade magic artifact. When played, it disturbs an enemy’s mind and briefly prevents them from moving. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators will feel some effect. Bidding begins at ten thousand middle-grade spirit stones.”
Many people clearly wanted the flute. The price rose without pause until honored guest number twenty-two purchased it for one hundred thousand middle-grade spirit stones.
Wen Xian swallowed.
Were auction items always this expensive? This was only the second offering, yet its price had already reached one hundred thousand. How costly would the later treasures become?
Her two million spirit stones were only a drop in a bucket.
She had believed herself wealthy. In the end, she remained poor!
At that moment, Wen Xian finally admitted that she was an ignorant country fool.
She should have sold another set of cultivation manuals.
