Guided by a serving girl, Xiao Yan stepped into the auction that was already underway.
The moment he entered, the bright surroundings dimmed, and wave upon wave of clamor poured over him from every side, setting the noise-averse youth's brow to a deep frown. The hall was enormous, able to hold more than a thousand people. At its center, beneath a pool of light, stood a beautiful woman in a red gown, her voice of a sweetness so charming it could melt a man's bones, explaining to everyone the function of the object in her hands.
Under that crisp, syrupy tone, the price of what was, truthfully, not a rare item was climbing ever faster.
Finding a remote seat, Xiao Yan settled down quietly, his gaze sweeping over the woman at the center. With his eyes, he could see at once that most of the crowd had come for her alone.
The chief auctioneer of the Mitel Auction House — Ya Fei. In all of Wutan City, few did not know this beauty; her ripe, alluring charm had laid many a man prostrate at her feet.
Seated quietly, Xiao Yan's brow suddenly creased. He tilted his head and looked toward a man hidden in the shadows not far from him, a man whose burning gaze was fixed on Ya Fei, his hands moving furtively about his waist as those red, cherry-like lips parted and closed once more...
"Oh, brilliant." Cursing under his breath, Xiao Yan rolled his eyes beneath his cloak.
He hastily shifted a little further, shook his head with bitter amusement, and once more swept his gaze toward the platform. Watching the red-clad woman's curves, he muttered: "A vixen."
His eyes idled over the object in Ya Fei's hands, and he lost interest at once. He had no such surplus of money as to buy some worthless thing home, however beautiful the seller. His gaze slid away and roamed slowly about the hall.
"Ah... Father?" The roaming gaze suddenly paused. Xiao Yan caught sight of a middle-aged man in the very front row, an odd expression climbing over his face. "Surely Father's not taken an interest in this woman too?"
The thought lasted only a breath before being discarded, for Xiao Yan noticed his father's gaze was not resting on Ya Fei at all. His face was perfectly calm, as though he were waiting for something.
"What could Father be doing here?" Xiao Yan wondered, his eyes sweeping on, only to start with surprise — the heads of the other two great clans on equal footing with the Xiao Clan, the Jia Lie Clan and the Ao Ba Clan, were here as well.
"Something about to be auctioned is drawing them!" His brow arched, and Xiao Yan touched his nose with curiosity. What could be so enticing as to draw all three great clan heads here?
...
It had to be said that this woman named Ya Fei was a fine hand at stirring the atmosphere. Every smile, every flicker of expression, sent the price below skyrocketing, and at just such a moment she would send a coquettish smile to whoever had just topped the bid, at which the one wincing at his own extravagance would instantly revive.
Amid the pretty woman's laughter, half-hidden behind her hand, the hall stayed searing, never cooling.
"Hehe, everyone, the Auction House has just received a new item, and I think you will all take an interest." Having sold off the object in her hands, Ya Fei suddenly spoke with a smile, waving one jade-white hand. A servant hurried over bearing a jade tray upon which lay a small white-jade bottle.
"This is a second-rank medicinal pill." Delicately lifting the bottle with slender fingers, Ya Fei's charming voice brought the hall to a brief hush before a clamor rose at once. On the Dou Qi continent, the most sought-after things of all were the various medicinal pills refined by alchemists.
"This fine thing is called the Foundation Liquid. It only works for those below the rank of Dou Fighter. Bathing in this liquid while cultivating lets those who have not yet reached that rank cultivate faster! Hehe, if any of you wish to see your descendants become young geniuses, do not let this slip by." Her seductive red lips parted, releasing a sweet, drowsy voice that sent shivers down the spines of all present.
"The Foundation Liquid? It can increase the speed of cultivating Dou Qi? Miss Ya Fei, those at that stage... can they withstand the impact of a pill?" Charming though Ya Fei was, the hall was not short of cool-headed men. After a brief silence, someone put the question.
"Hehe, this liquid has been personally appraised by Master Gu Ni of our Auction House. It is of second rank, and there will be no problem at all. You may all rest easy." Ya Fei smiled.
Hearing that it had been appraised by Master Gu Ni, the noise subsided greatly. Everyone knew that Master Gu Ni was a second-rank alchemist — across all of Wutan City, even the heads of the three great clans dared not slight him.
Xiao Yan lounged lazily against his chair, watching the lively scene, and breathed a slight sigh of relief. It seemed this liquid should bring him no small harvest. His gaze slid toward his father, unnoticeably, only to find that his face seemed to have suddenly grown rather excited.
A little startled, then as if remembering something, Xiao Yan felt a touch of warmth rise in his heart.
"Hehe, the starting price of this liquid is eight thousand gold coins. Please, begin your bids!" Ya Fei said with a smile, letting her gaze sweep once around the hall before coming to rest on the heads of the three great clans at the very front. She well knew that it was these three who were the true contenders.
As soon as her words fell, one voice after another called out prices — eight thousand five hundred, nine thousand — until, within moments, the sum had climbed to thirteen thousand.
Xiao Yan's father's expression, though somewhat excited, did not prompt him to bid at once. Half-closing his eyes, he waited for the clamor of the small fry to die down.
The bidding continued for another moment, then the voices finally weakened. At the same time, an old man seated side by side with Xiao Zhan spoke up lightly: "Twenty thousand!"
At that call, the hall fell quiet at once. Looking at the old man whose face showed no emotion, some of the crowd could only slump back into their seats in defeat — they had no strength to compete with the Jia Lie Clan.
"Heh heh, Jia Lie Bi, hasn't your son already advanced to the rank of Dou Fighter? Why are you still setting your sights on this Foundation Liquid?" A middle-aged man turned, smiling with a smile that did not reach his eyes.
"Ao Ba Pa, is it not permitted for me to buy it for my future grandson?" Jia Lie Bi, plainly on poor terms with this man, shot back with a cold laugh.
...
In less than ten minutes, to the stunned stares of all present, the two were snapping at each other like dogs fighting over carrion, driving the price to thirty-one thousand.
"Forty thousand!" Xiao Zhan, who sat with closed eyes, suddenly spoke.
The great hall fell deathly still, and every eye turned to Xiao Zhan. Even Ao Ba Pa and Jia Lie Bi were shaken by this price that had come out of nowhere.
"Heh heh, Clan Head Xiao seems rather determined, doesn't he?" Jia Lie Bi said.
Xiao Zhan shot him a glance and said flatly: "If you want it, bid for it. I will absolutely not follow you further."
Jia Lie Bi's face twitched, weighing the truth of Xiao Zhan's words. After a long moment he shook his head — his goal was that other thing, not the Foundation Liquid.
Seeing Jia Lie Bi draw back, Ao Ba Pa shrugged too and withdrew.
"Clan Head Xiao Zhan bids forty thousand gold coins. Is there anyone who would top it?" Looking over the calm hall, Ya Fei said with a smile.
"Since no one bids higher, then this Foundation Liquid goes to Clan Head Xiao Zhan!" Seeing no one answer, Ya Fei pressed her advantage. The little hammer in her hand tapped lightly upon the table, sealing the buyer.
In the remote corner, Xiao Yan was fit to laugh and cry. After all that scheming, he had picked his father's pocket.
"Hehe, next is the auction that brings down the curtain on this whole session!" Stowing the jade bottle, Ya Fei waved her hand, and the lights dimmed. Bending slightly, she withdrew from the stage a silver tray bearing an ancient, dark green scroll.
The scroll gave off a faint green glow, quite mysterious against the silver tray.
"The Xuan-rank high-grade cultivation method: the Wind Roll Technique!"