“You finally showed up! Hurry up and complete the transaction; we need to leave!” Lu Yaoyao shouted.
Wen Zixing was no less arrogant, “Don’t you know how precious our time is?”
The second supervisor apologized, “It’s like this, esteemed guests: one of the items has had an issue, and we need some time to resolve it.”
“This is your auction house’s problem. Bringing out defective items for auction is deceitful. What, do you think we’re an easy target?”
“No, no, sir, you misunderstand. The problem is not with the item itself. Please allow us some time to handle it. To express our apologies, we’ll reduce the cost of this item by ten percent as compensation.”
“Do you think this young lady cares about a ten percent discount?” Lu Yaoyao stood with her hands on her hips.
Wen Zixing chimed in, “Your service is lacking, the quality of your items is questionable, and you keep wasting our time. We’ve heard about your poor reputation, but we didn’t believe it until now. Turns out, it’s even worse than the rumors! I’ll have to warn everyone I know to avoid this place!”
The second supervisor kept his head bowed and his tone humble. “Please be patient, esteemed guests. It was our mistake to keep you waiting. If you would please follow me, the auction house will make amends until you are satisfied.”
“No need,” Lu Yaoyao maintained her dissatisfied look, clasping her hands behind her back. “Since you’re just a lowly supervisor, we won’t make things difficult for you. How about this: I don’t want that problematic item anymore. I’ll just take these. Let’s settle the transaction.”
“But…” The second supervisor hesitated. While it was indeed the auction house’s fault, canceling such a large transaction was not a decision he could make on his own.
“What’s the matter?” An unfamiliar voice suddenly rang out.
Lu Yaoyao’s group turned in the direction of the voice and saw a striking female cultivator approaching with two attendants, immediately recognizing her as the woman they had seen when they left their private room earlier—the one who wasn’t wearing a mask.
Yan Zihui’s eyes flickered as he saw the newcomers. Instinctively, he stepped forward, subtly shielding his juniors behind him.
“Greetings, City Lord,” the second supervisor’s tense expression relaxed slightly as he respectfully bowed. “One of the auction items has gone missing, and we are currently searching for it.”
City Lord? Lu Yaoyao blinked and looked up, scrutinizing the woman. So this is the City Lord of Moxuan City? The former-betrothed-turned-enemy with Master?
She tilted her head, thinking. Does that mean the City Lord is also the secret owner of the auction house?
Yan Zihui cupped his hands, “Since your auction house has lost the item, we won’t press the issue. We’ll just take the items here and leave the other one.” He pointed to the ten or so cages in the courtyard.
City Lord Hua raised his lips and smiled, “How can we just let it go? It’s our fault for the oversight, and we can’t let you suffer this loss. If word gets out, it would reflect poorly on Moxuan City’s hospitality, and I’m sure the Guiyuan Sect would want to seek justice, wouldn’t they, Martial Nephew Yan?”
Yan Zihui’s back instantly tensed. He hadn’t expected the City Lord to know their identities. Was it a coincidence, or had she been targeting them from the start?
Hua Bailing didn’t care about Yan Zihui’s attempts to explain. Her gaze shifted downward, focusing on the small figure, barely reaching his thigh, whom he tried to cover. Her stunning face maintained its smile as she said, “So this is Yaoyao, Senior Brother Mo’s youngest disciple? I wasn’t prepared to meet you so suddenly, and I didn’t bring a proper gift. How about you come back with me to the City Lord’s residence? I’ll host you properly as a courtesy for my acquaintance with your master.”
Yan Zihui’s scalp tingled, and he became even more alert. “Thank you for the kind offer, City Lord, but we have urgent matters to attend to and cannot visit your esteemed residence.”
Lu Yaoyao had been shocked ever since the female cultivator revealed her identity. Seeing the strange smile just now, she knew the woman had ill intentions. Although her senior brother was doing his best to protect them, Lu Yaoyao didn’t intend to hide. She looked up at the City Lord and demanded in a loud voice, “Are the people from your auction house allowed to break the rules?”
“If I remember correctly, one of the rules of this auction house is to respect the guests’ privacy, not to inquire about their background, and not to expose their identities, right?” Her childish voice rang out, far and clear. “Regardless of whether we are the people you think we are, as the owner of the auction house, does City Lord Hua think she can ignore the rules and blatantly break them?”
“If words get out, I doubt anyone would dare come to your auction house anymore. After all, this isn’t a legitimate business. Although its existence has always been an open secret, what do you think will happen if people find out that even the owner doesn’t follow their own rules? Would the guests feel safe coming here?”
Hua Bailing’s perfectly composed smile cracked, and her expression twisted for a moment. “You little brat, are you threatening me?”
Lu Yaoyao responded calmly, “How could I? You’re overthinking it. I’m simply stating the facts and kindly reminding you that in business, it’s important to set an example by following the rules. Otherwise, you’ll be heading toward self-destruction.”
“Well said!” Wen Zixing couldn’t help but cheer with excitement.
Yan Zihui felt invigorated as well. Indeed, they had all concealed themselves carefully, and as long as they didn’t admit their identities, would City Lord Hua dare to forcibly unmask them? If she tried to detain them, they wouldn’t hesitate to expose the auction house.
With that thought, Yan Zihui cupped his hands and said, “City Lord Hua, we are not the people you think we are. We are just ordinary guests who have spent over a hundred million spirit stones and countless rare materials at your auction house. We are not worth the trouble of a special invitation to your esteemed residence. If word of this were to spread, people might misunderstand and think the auction house is trying to rob its own customers. Wouldn’t that bring all of Moxuan City under public siege?”
Seeing a group of brats teaming up against her, Hua Bailing let out a laugh of anger. “You all have quite the sharp tongues! It seems I, this City Lord of Moxuan, have underestimated you.”
With that, Hua Bailing’s demeanor shifted, and the oppressive aura of her late Nascent Soul stage cultivation bore down on them.
Yan Zihui and Baitong quickly reacted, stepping forward to shield Lu Yaoyao and the others. They circulated their spiritual energy to resist the overwhelming pressure. Baitong formed a hand seal and stood in front of Yan Zihui, saying, “City Lord Hua, what is the meaning of this?”
“Do you really think you can threaten me?” Hua Bailing’s gaze swept coldly over Lu Yaoyao, the malice in her heart growing stronger.
Baitong raised his hand and removed his mask, his tone was serious, “It appears to me that City Lord Hua is willing to disregard Moxuan City’s reputation. How the elders will react when they hear of this, I wonder? How will you explain it to them?”
“You?!” Hua Bailing’s expression changed dramatically. She came to a sudden halt, clearly having a reservation. After a moment, she grudgingly said, “Fine. For your sake, I won’t pursue this matter today. But don’t think this is over!” With that, she turned on her heel and left with her two attendants, her departure as sudden as her arrival.
Yan Zihui and his juniors sighed in relief. Thankfully, she was gone at last!
“Senior Brother Bai’s influence is really that strong?” Lu Yaoyao asked in surprise. Wasn’t Senior Brother Bai just a cultivator who loved gossip and collecting information? Did he have some hidden identity?
Yan Zihui also gave his old friend a curious look. He also had no idea that this guy had such influence!
Under five pairs of curious eyes, Baitong remained nonchalant, “City Lord Hua didn’t inherit her position as the City Lord of Moxuan City purely through strength.”
With her Nascent Soul cultivation, Hua Bailing couldn’t have maintained her position as the City Lord of Moxuan City based on strength alone. The political and power struggles that secured her position were far too complex to explain in a few words, but to put it simply, there were several forces in the city that she couldn’t afford to cross recklessly.
“Your real trouble will start the moment you leave here,” Baitong said with a knowing smile. It was clear that although City Lord Hua had let them go this time, she simply did not want to cause a scene in the auction house. The moment they exited the premises, they were guaranteed to encounter an ambush.
Lu Yaoyao’s eyes flicked over the iron cages as a thought briefly flashed through her mind. She glanced at the second supervisor, who was standing silently nearby.
She blinked, then suddenly smiled. “Mr. Supervisor, how does your auction house handle shill bidding?”
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