Wen Xian sighed. She could only trust her Luck and hope to find a rare treasure that everyone else overlooked.
If nothing appeared, she would have to give up.
She could not sell another cultivation system. How could a clever leech spirit like Shui Lanxin fail to realize that Wen Xian might possess even more? If the woman decided to murder her and seize the ring, the system would return to find nothing but a cold corpse.
“Our third offering is three bottles of middle-grade Energy Recovery Pills. They rapidly restore spiritual energy. Bidding begins at ten thousand middle-grade spirit stones.”
Magic artifacts, cultivation methods, and spells were all important in this world. Pills, however, were even more valuable—and far more scarce.
Alchemy demanded harsh conditions. It required large amounts of medicinal material and endless patience from the alchemist. Success rarely came after one or two attempts. Some alchemists refined hundreds or thousands of cauldrons only to produce a few dozen pills, sometimes merely a handful.
When the time came to open the cauldron and see the result, many could not endure the disappointment. They had poured in all their effort but received less than one-tenth of what they hoped for.
Far too many people abandoned alchemy. As a result, skilled alchemists became rarer, pills grew scarcer, and their prices soared.
The moment the three bottles of Energy Recovery Pills appeared, most of the hall began shouting bids. Everyone sounded determined to obtain them.
While competition raged outside, Wen Xian relaxed in her private room with tea and fruit. When she became bored, she fed Bai Yan. The girl waited obediently for each piece, and Wen Xian tossed fruit into her mouth as though playing with a pet.
Pills did not interest Wen Xian. Why would she need them when she possessed the absurdly powerful Super Recovery ability? It worked far better than any pill.
The three bottles eventually sold to honored guest number ten for one hundred and twenty thousand middle-grade spirit stones. The buyer let out such a proud, wild laugh that every hair on Wen Xian’s body rose.
One auction item after another flowed onto the stage and disappeared just as quickly. During that time, Wen Xian spent only fifty thousand spirit stones on an unnamed supreme-grade sword artifact. Nothing else caught her attention.
“How boring…”
The auction was nearing its end, yet Wen Xian had not seen what she truly wanted.
Then the final item was brought onto the stage.
Bai Yan, who had spent the entire auction eating without pause, suddenly raised her head. Her eyes fixed on the object hidden beneath a red cloth.
“Honored guests, this is the final offering of today’s auction: the Blood-Remnant Sword, a lower-grade mystic artifact. I will say no more. Please experience its presence yourselves. Bidding begins at five hundred thousand middle-grade spirit stones!”
The auctioneer tore away the cloth.
A crimson longsword appeared.
Its straight blade shone as red as blood. The point was sharp, and the metal as thin as a cicada’s wing, yet it looked capable of cutting through anything. A lifelike blood dragon curled around the dark-red hilt. A stone of mingled red and black sat beneath the blade, making the whole weapon appear several levels more impressive.
Although the sword lay motionless on the stage, it radiated a cold desire to kill. It seemed to have consumed endless blood and now warned everyone that it wished to drink more.
The moment Wen Xian saw it, she sat upright.
Her blood began to boil. Every part of her body sent the same demand to her mind.
She wanted that sword.
Wen Xian knew the desire did not belong to her. It came from the edgeless sword that had already become one with her.
It was warning her not to miss this opportunity.
She had to obtain the Blood-Remnant Sword.
“Master, that sword is dangerous… terribly dangerous. I’m frightened of it without knowing why.”
The sight had destroyed Bai Yan’s appetite.
White Jade Rouge Pythons possessed exceptionally powerful spiritual awareness. Even as a young creature, Bai Yan could rival a Nascent Soul expert like Feng Lingruan. Her awareness could even see through appearances and sense the true nature of an object.
The sword felt deeply unnatural to her. Every instinct filled her with fear.
Wen Xian could not answer. She was struggling to suppress the wild hunger in her heart. After a long effort, she finally forced it down and steadied herself.
“I know. I want that sword very badly, but…”
There was no room for her to bid.
The auction hall had erupted the instant the weapon appeared. Competition was several times fiercer than it had been for the Energy Recovery Pills.
Wen Xian refused to wait helplessly, but she would not act without thought. She needed an opportunity—some possibility of taking the sword for herself.
The price had already climbed to a shocking height. Fewer people continued bidding until only the occupants of private rooms one and two remained.
“One million five hundred thousand!”
“Two million!”
“Two million two hundred thousand!”
“Two million five hundred thousand!”
The two bidders answered each other without pause. The determination in their voices showed that neither intended to surrender the sword.
An idea flashed through Wen Xian’s mind. Her lips curved into a smile.
Bai Yan saw the expression, hugged herself, and trembled in the corner. She had a feeling that her master was about to do something terrible.
“Four million!” Wen Xian shouted in her rough male voice, raising her bidding token.
Every eye in the hall turned toward her room. The Water-Concealment Wall prevented anyone outside from seeing her true appearance.
“Master, we don’t have that many spirit stones,” Bai Yan whispered.
Wen Xian gave her a wicked smile. “I still have you. White Jade Rouge Pythons are extremely valuable. I’ll sell you and use the money.”
Terrified, Bai Yan hurried to Wen Xian’s side and carefully gripped the edge of her clothes. Tears filled her eyes.
“Master… I’ll become very, very powerful someday. Please don’t sell me. All right?”
Bai Yan’s human form was an adorable young woman. Her pitiful gaze melted Wen Xian’s heart. Wen Xian stopped teasing and patted her head.
“You foolish snake. You believe everything. I was joking. I won’t sell you. I have another plan.”
Bai Yan brightened visibly. Once her mood improved, she returned to clearing the fruit from the table. The speed of the change made Wen Xian shake her head with a smile.
What a foolish snake. Bai Yan was fortunate that Wen Xian was a good person.
How would she survive without her master?
The atmosphere inside their room was cheerful. Outside, the air smelled of gunpowder, and the bidders seemed one step away from drawing real weapons.
Young Sect Master Ming Yuan of the Blood Demon Sect occupied private room one. He had come specifically for the Blood-Remnant Sword.
He possessed plenty of artifacts but lacked a life-bound treasure. His standards were so high that he had never accepted one.
By chance, he learned about the Blood-Remnant Sword and came to inspect it. To his surprise, its nature matched his extremely well. It was also a lower-grade mystic artifact. The proud and demanding Ming Yuan finally decided to refine it into his life-bound treasure.
He had to possess it.
Yet two fools who did not fear death dared fight him for something he wanted. If causing trouble inside the auction house were permitted, he would have slaughtered them already.
Private room two raised the price again, directly offering four million two hundred thousand spirit stones.
Ming Yuan had brought only three million eight hundred thousand. He could no longer compete.
“Those two pieces of filth deserve to die!”
A lower-grade mystic artifact was normally worth no more than three million. Then Wen Xian had suddenly entered the bidding at four million and destroyed his plans.
Ming Yuan wanted to skin both rivals alive.
“Young Sect Master, please be patient. Anything you desire will eventually belong to you.”
An old man sitting beside him stroked his snow-white beard. His face appeared gentle and kind, but his words made the heart tremble.
“Let them compete for now. Once they leave Water-and-Sky, a few deaths will be perfectly ordinary.”
Ming Yuan raised a brow, and his impatience faded. He grinned, making no effort to hide the killing intent in his eyes.
“Then when the auction ends, whoever owns that sword will not live to see tomorrow’s sun.”
Wen Xian had already accomplished her purpose. She could not raise the price again because she truly did not possess enough stones.
Now she merely had to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight.
In the end, private room two purchased the Blood-Remnant Sword for the enormous price of four million two hundred thousand middle-grade spirit stones. The final sale brought the auction to a close, and guests began leaving.
“Bai Yan, use your spiritual awareness to follow the people from rooms one and two. Tell me the moment they leave Water-and-Sky,” Wen Xian instructed.
Bai Yan patted her small chest with confidence. “Don’t worry, Master. I’ll keep a very close watch on them!”
Wen Xian raised her right hand. Bai Yan understood at once. She changed into a little white snake, coiled around Wen Xian’s wrist, and once again pretended to be a white jade bracelet.
After putting on her veiled hat, Wen Xian left the private room.
Shui Lanxin stood a short distance away.
The sight of her face made Wen Xian shudder. She warned herself again and again.
*She is a leech spirit. Do not let that appearance fool you!*
Shui Lanxin approached with graceful steps. Wen Xian’s heart trembled every time she moved closer.
It was not attraction. It was fear.
The person approaching was no beauty. She was a leech spirit!
Wen Xian instinctively retreated half a step.
Shui Lanxin raised a brow. “Honored guest, are you… afraid of me?”
This woman—no, this leech spirit—was far too observant.
Wen Xian groaned silently. She forced herself to remain calm.
“Boss Shui worries too much. Men and women should observe proper boundaries. It would be best if we kept a little distance.”
“Boss?” Shui Lanxin repeated. Her delicate brow rose, and her voice turned thoughtful as she considered the unfamiliar word.
Oh no.
Wen Xian had carelessly used a modern expression. Would the leech spirit become suspicious?
She wanted to slap herself, but the mistake had already happened. She could only continue pretending to be calm while wailing inside.
“What an interesting title. No one has ever called me that before.” Shui Lanxin’s voice rose playfully, carrying a hint of flirtation. “Does our honored guest wish to claim a special place in my heart?”
Wen Xian froze.
She did not. She had not. She wanted nothing of the kind!
After denying it three times inside her heart, Wen Xian nearly wept. She did not want the leech spirit to misunderstand her this way. She would rather have the demoness make the same mistake.
A fox spirit was still far better than a leech spirit!
