People are drawn to strength.
Even those of high status, brimming with pride, sometimes cannot escape this underlying instinct of human nature.
Thus, when Yun Mu put the Broken Sword up for auction and Qin Luoyi and Xia Qingyao fiercely competed for it, the next few “appetizers” on the block all became hot commodities.
Although none fetched a sky-high price like the first Broken Sword, the prices were all still somewhat inflated.
Everyone was gambling, betting that Yun Mu would bid on the next item, thereby proving it had some hidden value.
But… until the last appetizer was auctioned off, they never heard the anticipated shout from their hearts.
Of course, anyone able to participate in this auction was backed by significant family strength.
Even the few unaffiliated cultivators had all been vetted by Wanbao Pavilion and were considered talented individuals of good character.
So, in terms of “willing to lose what they bet,” they generally had a much higher threshold than ordinary people, usually just laughing at themselves before pocketing their new acquisitions and moving on.
Except… for one room, one family’s young master, who didn’t take it so well, having spent his own money to buy his own item.
“Damn it! You bastard in No.1 Room, how dare you play me for a fool! Do you even know who I am? Damn it!”
An angry shout came from within the room, followed immediately by the sound of furious pounding that echoed through the entire inner chamber.
“Sigh, so there’s always someone looking to stir up trouble, huh?”
Ripple glanced at the noisy room near the back, frowning slightly.
This wasn’t hard to resolve, but normally, someone making such a commotion would’ve been dealt with already.
[Mo Er, what are you doing?]
Listening to the continuing noise of fists pounding on the door, she sent a voice transmission to the maid inside the room — Mo Er.
[Ah, Ripple-jiejie, don’t be anxious! You know what they say, haste makes waste, right?]
[It’s not about being anxious or not. You’re just taking too long to resolve this, understand?]
[Oh come on, don’t worry. Just open up the live Shui Mu feed on this room in a minute, I’ll patch things up for you.]
[Wait, Mo Er, don’t—]
But the girl didn’t listen at all.
Another loud crash sounded against the door, and this time, instead of cursing, there was an incoherent wail.
It was a kind of sound, something akin to a scream of pain.
“This girl is at it again.”
[Mo Er, haven’t I told you not to be so extreme in how you handle things?]
[What do you mean? I’m just following the rules. You wouldn’t want this punk going to bother the honored guests in No.1 Room, would you?]
As she spoke, the pounding grew even louder, but the cries of pain had lessened.
[That’s not what I meant, you… Never mind… Just make sure, when the Shui Mu opens, don’t let the one you beat up show his face, got it? Oh, and… remember, don’t kill—]
[Got it, got it.]
Bang, bang!
Two more heavy thuds rang out.
“Um, Yinger, was that guy just now coming to find us… beaten up?”
“Mhm. So, Mr. Yun, you don’t have to worry about him barging in.”
“Hm? You people aren’t even going to try to hide something like this?”
“We’ll still cover things up, Miss Huaizhi.”
As she spoke, Yinger gestured to the Shui Mu projection rising before them.
On its surface stood a petite girl, beaming brightly.
It was just a bit eerie that her face was spattered with blood.
“Hi there, everyone at the auction! I’m Mo Er. That guy who wanted to cause trouble has been calmed down by me already. No need to thank me, guests of No.1—it’s just what I do.”
[Mo Er, the blood on your face—]
“Oh, it’s fine, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it, everyone. It’s not my blood. I’m all right! Please enjoy the rest of the auction.”
With that, she turned to leave, but just as the Shui Mu faded, she glanced back and whispered,
“Don’t cause trouble, okay?”
The hall fell silent—even Tu Shan Huaizhi.
The contrast was so great, she had to rub her eyes several times to believe what she’d just seen.
“She’s… she’s so small…” she gestured slightly.
“Yeah, Mo Er really isn’t very tall, but she’s probably older than you.”
“Hiss…”
Huaizhi couldn’t help but suck in a breath.
As for Yun Mu, he didn’t feel anything in particular.
With his current senses, he couldn’t clearly visualize what the Shui Mu was showing.
But hearing Tu Shan Huaizhi’s description, he more or less formed his own first impression of Mo Er—‘Violent Loli’.
Of course, at an auction, these sorts of things were just minor interludes.
The people here had seen all kinds of chaos before, so the matter was soon forgotten.
Ripple stood on the stage, watching the last appetizer leave, her gaze shifting to the first main item as it was brought out.
Her expression returned to normal—the corners of her lips curving in a practiced business smile.
“Everyone, the first half of our auction comes to a close here. Although a few interesting things have happened, that’s part of what makes an auction so much fun. So…”
She gently placed her hand on the cloth covering the next item, her voice rising.
“The next treasure, at the seller’s request, will be auctioned off by a new method—Wanbao Pavilion’s first-ever ‘joint auction’.”
She lifted the cloth.
There was no dazzling light, no overwhelming presence, not even the protective cover seen earlier.
There was only a black robe embroidered with bamboo and crane, lying quietly on the table.
“This… Pavilion Master Ripple, what exactly do you mean by ‘joint auction’?”
Before Ripple could introduce the treasure, an impatient voice cut in.
“In simple terms, it means ‘buy one, get one free’.”
“Buy one, get one free? Sure, that robe looks decent, but you don’t have a second treasure up there, do you?”
“Yeah, since when did Wanbao Pavilion start these kinds of gimmicks?”
A cacophony of discussion broke out, mostly from the rooms in the back.
The upper rooms remained silent, quietly listening to the chattering, slightly disguised voices.
They seemed to wear masks, but in reality, they’d taken their masks off.
That’s what many high-status people said about these guests.
Ripple was unhurried; she was used to this and didn’t mind the ridicule.
After all, she was a merchant.
All that mattered to her was profit.
Of course, there were three rooms that stood apart from the crowd, neither joining in the spectacle nor the idle chatter.
Yun Mu and Tu Shan Huaizhi in No.1 Room, Qin Luoyi in No.2 Room, and Xia Qingyao in No.3 Room.
None of them cared for the noise.
All three rested their hands on their bidding buttons, nervously awaiting Ripple’s next words, barely daring to breathe.
Yun Mu and Tu Shan Huaizhi were interested because it was a robe.
They couldn’t be certain it was the one Hu Delu needed, but as long as it was clothing, they had to win it for him.
Qin Luoyi, on the other hand, had sensed the aura unique to a Stele Fragment—one that Ripple hadn’t introduced yet.
So even though she hadn’t seen any stone tablet on stage, she was already determined to win.
As for Xia Qingyao, her motivation was a bit more interesting.
These two treasures were the ones she herself had consigned for auction, and the decision to auction them together was something she’d discussed with Wanbao Pavilion in advance.
All she should have needed to do was sit quietly, sell her items, collect some spirit stones, and maybe spend a little to buy something she liked.
But ever since she and Qin Luoyi had battled over the Broken Sword earlier, Xia Qingyao had a persistent sense of foreboding.
She felt sure something would happen when these two items went up for sale as well.
So, even though she didn’t want to experience buying her own items again, she had to prepare herself for that possibility.
For a moment, these three, though they hadn’t met, were locked in an invisible showdown.