Chapter 34 – To the Golden Auction

  Guardian Zhai Tielong brought Diyuan to a private hidden space in the Sunset Garden’s building. It led down below ground and was operational for escape purposes, but there were rooms as well; perhaps for special kinds of dealings.

  The room they stopped at had the meditating Left Guardian who, to put it nicely, was the female version of Guardian Zhai Tielong. She was big, and had thick arms, and was probably taller than Diyuan. Her hands looked bigger than his as well. She had the physique of someone who looked like they focused on body cultivation artes.

  Her cultivation level was level 2 Foundation and was weakening even further. When she heard them enter, she looked up at them.

  “Brother Tielong!” She said in a voice that was probably the deepest a woman could ever reach.

  “Sister Xiaomao, I’ve come!” Guardian Zhai Tielong said in a…cutesy voice.

  She stood and went to him and he to her. The impact of their bodies when they hugged probably caused a shockwave. The two looked similar, and it sounded like they were siblings, so Diyuan couldn’t help but wonder what their parents might look like.

  “Junior Diyuan,” Guardian Zhai Tielong said as he broke from the hug, but still had a hand around her hips. Rather un-sibling like, that. “Meet my wife, Zhai Xiaomao, my cute little kitten.”

  “Wife?” Diyuan blurted before he could stop himself.

  The two laughed, causing a rumble in the house.

  “Yes, I’m sure you’re wondering the same as everyone else,” Guardian Zhai Tielong said. “You’re wondering how such a Jade Beauty picked me for a husband.”

  No, that wasn’t what he was wondering.

  “Oh my,” Left Guardian Zhai Xiaomao lifted her foot up and blushed.

  “Yes, that’s what I was wondering,” Diyuan decided to say.

  Guardian Zhai Tielong began to explain the situation to his wife, with how Diyuan was able to permanently deal with the Ancient Miasma. He revealed that both he and Auntie Mei Yi had already been cured. When Guardian Zhai Xiaomao heard that, she stomped over and picked Diyuan up in a tight hug that activated Bonegrit Dreadflesh.

  In a short amount of time, Diyuan burned away the miasma that was eating away at her. She would soon be restored to her Spiritweave great realm in a short amount of time.

  When all that was done, it was decided that the Left Guardian would remain hidden for now, to reveal herself when the time was right.

  For now, he left them be and met up with Feng Xueying, who was waiting outside. The both of them walked together to the Infinite Wealth Auction House. To others, it would look like she was his bodyguard. It was late afternoon, not yet time for the full auction to begin, but they were going early to shop through the immortal market that would be available.

  They had received news on the different immortals who had already come into the city so far. The Virtuous Wind Sect had arrived, which was just one person as Auntie Mei Yi’s information had said, and all three members of the Sect stayed with the Niu family. Rumors of an early attack on the Black Brigade died down once people learned Niu Wuxuan remained at the Sect. Nevertheless, the city felt the calm before the storm.

  The other immortals stayed with the more powerful families and would randomly oppress the weaker cultivators, but no outright killing and no one bothered non-cultivators. Diyuan got the feeling they were explicitly instructed not to do anything yet.

  One thing that was a surprise was how two immortals were staying at the Sunset Garden at Auntie Mei Yi’s invitation. Regulars from previous auctions from what he was told. They would be willing to fight for her if it came to that.

  This was the first time Diyuan traveled with Feng Xueying so he was noticing the reactions of the commoners towards her. Those that noticed would pointedly see her two scars and whisper something privately to their companions.

  “Do you see that? Why didn’t she use the Beautification Pill to heal herself like the others?”

  “I think some perverts get excited when someone’s ugly…”

  Since Diyuan could hear them just fine with his heightened senses, it was likely Feng Xueying could as well. She showed no reaction or anger. It was something she was used to.

  Their attitude was still odd to Diyuan. It sounded like they would rather live in excrement than have permanent scars on their own faces.

  They continued their walk in silence. Diyuan got distracted for a moment when he felt movement within his storage ring; Di Guilin’s egg was shifting some more, ready to hatch soon. How different his Avatar Incarnation would become was something he looked forward to.

  He then thought back to his practice sessions he did before going out to heal the Left Guardian. Now that he had Extinction, he had wondered what the limitless version of it would do. In the end, it was essentially the exact same thing, but it could double up the charge speed when used together with the normal version. There wasn’t any other change; no increase in power, no restrictions unlocked, just the increase of charge speed. In the end that did little, as the charge speed in itself was still slow enough that enemies would identify him using it long before he was ready to unleash it.

  How to apply that arte in real active combat was something he needed to think about.

  They reached the Infinite Wealth Auction House at last. The entrance was a grand archway with markings on them indicating a formation of some sort. At the front was a burly guard—level 5 Foundation. He allowed people he recognized to pass without saying anything. When his eyes rested on Diyuan, recognition came, but also hostility.

  Feng Xueying approached and took out their invitation that they had received earlier in the month.

  The guard took it and grinned. “One ticket. One entry. The other must stay behind.”

  He had an attitude of someone who just successfully trapped his opponent. Kind of idiotic. Diyuan looked around to see what gave him confidence. A few people passing down the street slowed to watch. Inside the auction house, two Spiritweave cultivators were waiting and watching.

  Those two would be some of the ones that had come for the Golden Auction. They wore short sleeve green outfits and had black painted fingernails. Some of their demeaner reminded Diyuan of the Honglie clan.

  More importantly, someone purposefully looking down on the Black Brigade after his tyranny declaration could only be met with violence.

  “Feng Xueying, break his arm,” Diyuan commanded.

  She swiftly moved and had the guard by the arm in an instant. The burly man looked behind to see the two Spiritweave cultivators making their move. Preplanned, it seemed. But it didn’t matter as Diyuan stunned them with limitless Stunlock Bind. They froze mid step, unable to move as Feng Xueying had the man on one knee and snapped his arm with a crack!

  The guard shouted out in pain and collapsed to the ground, writhing and holding his arm. Feng Xueying stood and dusted her hand on her clothes like she had touched something dirty.

  Both Diyuan and Feng Xueying walked inside without a care in the world.

  The stun arte wore off on the two Spiritweave cultivators. They stood straight and acted like nothing had happened. If they admitted they wanted to help the guard but failed to do so, they would lose face, so perhaps it was better to just pretend they never intended to help in the first place.

  “Hmph. To recklessly attack a member of the Infinite Wealth Auction House. Who do you think you are?” one of them asked. “We are the—”

  Diyuan walked past them without giving them a glance. Feng Xueying followed suit.

  He didn’t need them to say who they were; Diyuan already knew. Each time a new Spiritweave cultivator entered the city, he was briefed on who they were and what to expect from them. For these two men in green robes, they would be the Earthen Brothers from Yelan city, up to the northwest of Fengpo city. Their arte had to do with shaping the earth beneath and using it however they desired.

  [Brother, save it,] the other one said. [We’ll teach them what happens when they’re arrogant to us. From what I’ve heard, she only became an immortal just earlier this week.]

  Diyuan ignored them and looked around the Infinite Wealth Auction House. The entrance room was like a pavilion in itself. The room was circular and the ceiling was high. Spiraling stairs followed the circular walls up to the second floor, leading to private rooms. This room wasn’t the real auction area, that would be further inside the building. There were branching wings that led to a place known as the immortal market. He had an interest in visiting there.

  As for the people, there were plenty of prominent families that lingered in groups and made discussions or connections. Some of them went up the steps to one of the private rooms, where all sound within was cutoff, preventing talks from leaking. Others filled the area, walking from one entranceway to another. Some had women on each arm, others had several bodyguards trailing behind them. These hallways led to different things and standing in front of them were female hosts, informing the guests what they could expect in each section. They were all lookers, hired for their beauty no doubt.

  A woman stood with her hands clasped at the center of the room, dressed in a manner that revealed a bit of skin. “If our entry guard gave offense, please forgive him,” she said and bowed.

  Before Diyuan could answer, one of the two Spiritweave cultivators from behind called out.

  “Aren’t you the hypocrite?” The man spoke loudly for everyone to hear. “I heard the Mortal Tyrant of Fengpo uses his strength to protect other mortals, but what did we just witness? Didn’t you send your dog to break the arm of a mortal?”

  Deacon Hu came in through one of the hallways. He squinted and watched. The other people stopped their conversations to listen.

  “Who is a mortal? Who is an immortal?” Diyuan asked.

  “Trying to talk your way out of this?”

  “Then did you ask a question only to listen to your own voice? All of you Spiritweave cultivators call yourself an immortal, but that’s a statement of the arrogance in itself. A frog at the bottom of the well. You only have yourselves to compare to and you give yourselves the highest prize. None of you are immortal. A true mortal is someone who has never cultivated a day in their life. And a true immortal is someone you would struggle to even look at.”

  “This ignorant brat,” the green robed cultivator said. “I bet you’ve never even seen a Dharma immortal. Their existence is beyond anything you’ve ever experienced. I’d like you to say they aren’t immortal after seeing them!”

  [Brother, let it go. He’ll get what’s coming. Even earlier than what’s planned if you want. After the auction?]

  The green robed man turned away. “Hmph. Not worth my time.” Then privately he spoke. [Agreed. We don’t need to wait for the Golden Alliance’s plans. We can take him and the woman. That’ll solve the problem of which group gets to keep his storage ring. They can’t keep it if they never find it.]

  Diyuan and Feng Xueying walked towards the hallway that led to the immortal market. He had gained a small bit of information just then. They, as in the Golden Alliance, had already set a planned time as to when an attack would come. He would need to listen in or get them to start whispering amongst themselves about it.

  But a “surprise” ambush after the Golden Auction was something to look forward to, at least.

  The immortal market was another big room with displays of various things. Herbs, demonic beast parts, weapons, armor, and more. The herbs themselves were low grade things, meant for tier one recipes. Diyuan looked for things that didn’t exist in the Tribulation Shroud and intended to buy them. According to Feng Xueying, most of the better quality spiritual herbs were found in the Fortune Forest, west of Fengpo city. But they would only grow in the deeper parts, where the demonic beasts were more ferocious and stronger.

  After purchasing some of the unrecognizable things for a few spirit stones each, he also purchased a storage pouch. It was redundant in that he already had the superior storage ring, but the pouch could prevent future problems by misleading other cultivators to think he didn’t have a storage ring.

  The armor section held no interest for him. While these were of higher quality than the other shops in Fengpo city, it was still weaker than simply having a good circulation and good cultivation. They were categorized by its defensive strength compared to what level demonic beast was required to crack it.

  In the pill section there was a display of a bunch of low-grade and mid-grade pills, for both tier one and tier two pills. No high-grade pills. The mid-grade tier two pills were displayed like the main attraction of the section. Healing, strength bursts, body enhancements, and so on.

  There were pills that interested Feng Xueying, various ones involving stealth and avoiding detection. She bought some and stored them in the storage ring he had given her, though she pretended to slip it into a storage pouch. Diyuan found her interest in those pills to be interesting in itself.

  There was a talisman section. However, it only contained low-grade talismans that did things similar to what he had experienced in the Niu family: where the talisman conjured weapons to attack. These had no interest for him. There were also no message talismans.

  [You don’t seem to like these,] Feng Xueying said, watching him look over the talismans. [Why not?]

  [In my opinion, talismans should be used for tactical things like crowd control or level breakers. But the ones here all seem to want to act as a replacement for the sword in your hand. It won’t be useful against more skilled cultivators, and relying on them may make you less proficient in your own abilities over time.]

  There were also jade tablets with artes, but everything was at the Foundation realm. To have something better perhaps required joining an official cultivating group, like a sect.

  With nothing of real interest here, Diyuan wondered what the Golden Auction might have.

  But they weren’t the only ones to think that. Two people had entered the market with veiled hats. A girl, perhaps 14 years old, and a male. They had caught Diyuan’s attention for two reasons. First, they wore veiled hats that must have been a forged item since he couldn’t sense their cultivation level at all. The second thing that caught his attention was the unknown man’s stride. There was a silent grace that exuded a level of a deadly threat; this man’s martial skills were far beyond anyone else’s in the city. It was closer to the level of one of the Yuhan Elites back home.

  There was no information about them from any of the reports Diyuan had read.

  “Silent Wolfy, comes look at this,” the veiled girl said to the man. “They actually sell pills with only one line. Isn’t that pitiful?”

  Some of the market employees grimaced, split between telling the girl off and not wanting to offend someone of unknown standing.

  “Everyone must make a means to live,” the man nicknamed Silent Wolfy said.

  There was a level 1 Spiritweave cultivator shopping with a Foundation cultivator and spoke to their partner through sound transmission. [It’s best if we stay away from unknown people. If they’re hiding that they’re weak, then sure, we can get their hats. But if they’re from a strong family, then expect your entire household to be wiped out if you offend them.]

  Diyuan left with Feng Xueying and returned back to the entrance hall when they ran into Yao Luchen and two older men at his sides. Yao Mu was one that Diyuan had recognized from their first Alliance meeting. Both of the older men were level 5 Foundation, so they could hit level 1 Spiritweave if they prepared properly. Or if Diyuan simply gave his last remaining breakthrough pill. He wouldn’t do that as he had other plans for his pill.

  Yao Luchen saluted. “Senior Brother, the spots on the balcony of the auction room is reserved for the prominent powers in the city. You’ll be two down from us.”

  Diyuan nodded. “And your father’s jade tablet, have you confirmed it’ll be put up for auction?”

  “Yeah, unfortunately. We have the funds to pay for it. Problem is, so does everyone else.”

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  When their greetings were out of the way, Diyuan and Feng Xueying went down another hallway, where people could put things up for auction if they wanted. An old appraiser was there who checked items before determining if they should be added to the immortal market or the Golden Auction event itself.

  The appraisal room had all sorts of paintings and oddities, like bells or cauldrons, and some random rolled up rugs and other fabrics. Behind a desk was an old man with a monocle. He saw them enter.

  “Looking to put up an item or wanting to do something else?” he asked.

  Diyuan made a pill appear and placed it on the desk. “A breakthrough pill.”

  “Breakthrough to what?” The man took the high-grade pill and squinted at it through his monocle. “High-grade tier two. That’s pretty good. If I didn’t know better, I’d say this was a pill to breakthrough to the Spiritweave realm.”

  “That’s what it is.”

  The man’s mouth opened and looked like it was trying to form a word that got stuck in his throat. He cleared his throat and blinked a few times. “Well. Well, can’t say I was expecting this. Even the Virtuous Wind Sect only gets four allotted to them a year, but we’ve one right here, don’t we? And a high-grade one to boot? Someone could take this at the Perfect Harmony Stage and become an immortal just like that.” He snapped his fingers.

  “How much can it go for?” Diyuan asked.

  “Hard to say, honestly. We probably don’t even need to set a minimum bid since we can expect many families to spend their entire fortune to get it if need be. But you might even be better off selling it to the Virtuous Wind Sect—you won’t be hunted down for your riches after if people catch wind of who you are. This will be quite the Golden Auction considering what else we got lined up. As good as this pill is, it still can’t be the final item. We got something better for the finale. Ah! I shouldn’t have said that.”

  After Diyuan got all of that set, he left and prepared to go to the main auction room. He was interested in knowing what the final item was, but he would find out soon enough.

  The main event hall was a wide semi-circle room, with a stage at the end of the room to showcase whatever goods they were planning to reveal. There were chairs set up on the first floor, facing the stage, much like one would have to watch a show play. Around the curve of the room was a second-floor balcony, where special guests were allowed to sit and look down on the room. Thanks to the golden invitation that the Black Brigade had received, they were one of the parties allowed to sit up there.

  Each private booth on the second floor was separated by a short divider, allowing everyone to see everyone else. The seat reserved for the Black Brigade was predetermined to be the furthest one on the left side.

  Diyuan and Feng Xueying were alone in their booth, sitting side-by-side with refreshments prepared for them. They were among the first there since they had come early. On the opposite side of them was a level 1 Spiritweave cultivator with a woman next to him. They were eating fruits and giggling to one another. He had a fan and would sometimes cover their faces as they leaned in for a kiss. The Yao family was entering a few spots over on Diyuan’s side.

  After some comfortable silence, Feng Xueying spoke up.

  [Leader Diyuan, do you remember the conversation with Yao Luchen about the Intent Realms?]

  [I do,] Diyuan said. He still had the parchment paper that said Sword on it in his storage ring.

  [You remember how he mentioned both the Sword Intent and…the Killing Intent realms?] She looked over at him, gauging his reaction for something.

  [Yeah, I remember Yao Luchen mentioning that a non-cultivator can achieve Killing Intent if they murdered enough people.]

  Feng Xueying didn’t speak up right away. She must have been thinking about her words. But once she figured it out, she spoke again. [I noticed that you…kill people quite freely. Do you think you’ve entered the Killing Intent realms?]

  Diyuan shrugged. [Hard to say. I don’t know anything about that to say if I did or didn’t.]

  She took a deep breath. [I think you did.]

  [Oh?]

  [Remember when you first entered the Black Brigade? When I begged for my life?] Feng Xueying revealed a smile that showed she found it amusing to think about.

  Diyuan remembered that moment. He shattered the doors—which cost them a few spirit stones, a terrible deal—and intended to wipe out anyone who resisted his attack. Feng Xueying instead dropped to the ground and slammed her head, begging for mercy. It confused Diyuan because he hadn’t yet shown his skills to them, so she wouldn’t have known how strong he was.

  He had asked her how she knew he would win, and she said that he presented a pressure similar to an immortal when they use their gravity well, but not quite that. He hadn’t really thought on it since.

  [I think I felt your Killing Intent then,] she continued. [When I heard about Yao Luchen talk about all this when you were practicing with the Sword Saint's paper, I remembered that moment. I felt your killing strength, which told me that you could kill everyone if you wanted to.]

  [I see,] Diyuan said. He didn’t know what to do with that information. He recalled how she was the only one who seemed to have identified his strength, but everyone else didn’t feel what she felt. Though, she was also able to react to the Sword parchment paper, which did nothing for others. If he started to piece together why she was talking about this…

  [Are you trying to cultivate Killing Intent?]

  [I just…was wondering about it. Do you ever get a strong desire to kill? Stories about people with Killing Intent are usually about madmen.]

  [No. Killing is just a matter of duty or self-preservation.]

  She looked disturbed for some reason. She looked down at the gathering crowd below but wasn’t really seeing them. He couldn’t exactly give her advice about any of the Intent Realms since he himself had no clue about them—hence why he wanted to meet with the Mistress of the Brush at the Virtuous Wind Sect.

  He did, however, understanding wanting to go out and explore an unknown road.

  [We’re all cultivators here,] Diyuan started. [We’re on the same road for now as we travel together, but that won’t always be the case. The clouds gather, then part, part and gather once more. You can do whatever you want since you’ll have to follow your own path without regret.]

  He heard her chair creak as she leaned back. [You sound like an old man.]

  [Until recently, my companions were only old men. We even held monthly debates.]

  When their conversation died down, Diyuan listened and watched as the time grew closer to the start of the event. People shuffled into the room and would whisper about what they heard would be sold today, while others used sound transmission for private conversations.

  One person revealed that there would be a Body Cleansing Pill up for auction, which any immortal would need if they ever hoped to reach Middle Spiritweave Stage. That wasn’t a pill Diyuan was familiar with, so he asked Yao Luchen, from two booths away, about it.

  [As cultivators circulate their energy, their body can’t keep up,] Yao Luchen explained. [That bad buildup prevents someone from advancing to Middle Spiritweave Stage, which is already hard enough to reach. You probably never heard of it because the circulation you taught the Black Brigade prevents that from happening. Unfortunately for me, I will need that pill or something like it eventually.]

  What a nice tutor the young genius was.

  The balcony seats started to fill one-by-one. Diyuan was surprised to see who was moving to sit at the booth next to him.

  Auntie Mei Yi was moving with two level 2 Spiritweave cultivators by her side. She was chatting them up and they were feasting on her appearance, glad to be walking next to a beautiful woman. And Auntie Mei Yi knew she was beautiful. She dressed up even fancier than ever, using her elegance to put everyone else to shame. Her hair held an expensive hairpin. Her robes flowing with a silk that just asked to be touched. Every gesture a spell to keep hold of her captives.

  If the Yuhan Elites trained in martial skills, then Auntie Mei Yi trained in these mesmerizing arts.

  [I hope you won’t be too distracted with our booths next to each other,] Auntie Mei Yi said. She was facing away from him as she continued to entertain her two immortal guests.

  [You seem to have the distraction yourself,] Diyuan said.

  [Jealous, dearest nephew?]

  [Who’s more handsome, them or me?]

  [Naturally, you. I know of a poem about two single people who were fated to meet each other.]

  Somehow, Auntie Mei Yi was able to hold a conversation verbally while also talking to him through sound transmission. Auntie Mei Yi gave a frolicsome chuckle to her people and left Diyuan to his devices. He watched as the other main people finally came in.

  The Virtuous Wind Sect had a spot on the opposite half of the room from him. They consisted of three people: the two Immortal Maidens he already knew, Xiaoya and Min, and a stern young hero-looking man with a spear on his back. That would be the man who replaced Niu Wuxuan and came to the city in his stead. Yao Luchen informed Diyuan that his name was Youzhi.

  Youzhi was a level 3 Spiritweave cultivator with a decent stable breath. While his cultivation might be at the same level as Deacon Hu, Youzhi had the better foundation.

  The Niu family also came in. Well, to call them the Niu family would be inaccurate. It was two people that had arrived and made room for someone who wasn’t there yet. Diyuan had thought they were servants until Auntie Mei Yi identified one of them.

  [That would be Gaoshe, the traitor,] Auntie Mei Yi said, her casual glance at him identifying his thoughts. [If he’s still alive before this crisis is over, I will sink my teeth into him until his heart stops.]

  Auntie could be scary at times. The only time Diyuan heard about Gaoshe was when he first met Auntie Mei Yi, as Gaoshe had sold out their location to the Niu family. Nobody important otherwise.

  [Gaoshe looks sleazy; you’re telling me you didn’t think he would betray you? With a face like that?]

  Auntie Mei Yi sent an annoyed but amused sigh. [That’s why he worked well as a spy. The problem is, he turned on me when he discovered that the Niu heir had found an opportunity in the Virtuous Wind Sect. I seem to always fall into these situations where people leave my side.]

  [I thought you said you prided yourself when it comes to reading people?] Diyuan commented.

  [Bah. I do. It’s why I had my backup plan.]

  The other person with Traitor Gaoshe was an older man with a full white beard. That man got the ire of the Yao family. Yao Luchen and that older man eyed daggers to one another. It didn’t take a genius to put together that this man was the overthrown false patriarch that Yao Luchen deposed.

  [I still can’t get used to our grand uncle being on the Niu family’s side,] Yao Luchen said privately to his uncles. [I feel like such an idiot for not putting the pieces together.]

  Yao Luchen was young and did not grow up in the cutthroat world that Diyuan had. There were some lessons that needed to be learned the hard way, but perhaps Diyuan should help out during this period of growth.

  The patriarch of the Niu family then came in. The man was originally level 7 Foundation but had broken through to level 1 Spiritweave earlier that week. It was odd to Diyuan that the man had originally entered seclusion to heal but ended up breaking through instead.

  Diyuan didn’t think much about seeing the man, but the others had a different response. Feng Xueying, Yao Luchen, and even Auntie Mei Yi reacted with either a gasp or some sign of shock. Curious, he asked them why.

  [His appearance has changed drastically,] Auntie Mei Yi said to them. [He’s almost 80 years old, but he looks like he’s 30 now. Not a spec of white hair anymore.]

  Diyuan frowned. Advancing from the Foundation realm to the Spiritweave realm shouldn’t change appearances that much. It would usually lock a person’s appearance and slow their aging a good bit. That was one of the reasons why Yunya borrowed millions of spirit stones from him, so she could quickly advance in the prestige Foundation realms rather than cultivate to them naturally over decades.

  [Beautification Pill?] Diyuan offered.

  [Doesn’t work on men,] Feng Xueying said.

  Yao Luchen added his input. [And it isn’t just that. I’ve heard he tried to take breakthrough pills before, but he could never advance. Like he was cursed with a heart demon or something. So to see him as an immortal doesn’t sit right with me.]

  Heart demon. Diyuan heard that term before from Lady Pagoda. If someone couldn’t advance even with a breakthrough pill, couldn’t that be because they’ve cut off their path by breaking a vow or something? If that was the case, then how did Niu Bolin overcome that?

  Well, it wasn’t Diyuan’s problem, nor did he care too much. At the end of the day, these low level Spiritweave cultivators couldn’t match him. People may plot and have ploys, but overwhelming strength trumped all.

  With the main players in the house, Diyuan’s strategy to obtain information was now in motion. There would be no spies. No fancy artifacts or information networks. Nope, he would use his own trade secret method to get the information he wanted. It was quite simple, really.

  He would just snoop in on their conversations.

  People tended to speak very openly when they believed their sound transmission was safe from prying ears. And, something Diyuan had learned, they often recapped plans for whatever reason, as if saying it in private made them feel superior or something. He was going to trust in that habit.

  [I take it he’s the man who killed Xingtao?] Niu Bolin asked, pointedly looking at Diyuan. His conversation was limited to just the two people behind him. Niu Bolin’s face had a permanent scowl, and a dark resentment aimed specifically for Diyuan.

  But to Diyuan, Niu Bolin was just another man. He may have been formidable to others in the city, but Diyuan wouldn’t be intimidated.

  “Yes, Patriarch,” Traitor Gaoshe said, pouring a drink into Niu Bolin’s cup. “But justice is on your side.”

  Another thing Diyuan learned was that provoking people usually resulted in them cursing him in their private speak. Which was why he needed to provoke the Niu family now and see if he could gain anything useful.

  Diyuan stood and walked to the edge of the balcony and saluted the Niu family. “Greetings, Niu folks. I’m pleased to finally make your acquaintance. I hope we can have a drink together three days from now. Maybe spill one out for Niu Xingtao; I heard he died recently. A tragedy, I’m sure.”

  The conversations below quelled as they watched Diyuan speak to the Niu patriarch. The other cultivators on the second floor balcony also listened in.

  Traitor Gaoshe stood and spat to the side. Just as he was about to say something in his overzealous defense, Patriarch Niu Bolin raised a hand to stop him.

  [Your spirit is commendable, but don’t say anything publicly that might warn them off. I’ll allow you to speak for me tomorrow evening when we attack in recognition to your contributions.]

  And just like that, Diyuan learned they were going to attack tomorrow evening.

  Niu Bolin turned his attention to Diyuan. “I know little of you, Black Brigade leader, except that you are…quick to kill. But I suppose you recognize how strange that is, as you yourself have named you a tyrant.”

  “I suppose you’re right.” Diyuan nodded sagely. “I should learn from the Niu family and call people demonic cultivators first before killing them. Who’s going to question the fact that they don’t come back to life afterwards? Doesn’t matter then, as they’re dead.”

  Niu Bolin lips curved into a knowing smile that Diyuan didn’t like. “There are other ways to prove demonic cultivation. But I think we’ve bothered the good people here tonight as is with our conversation. We shall speak no further.”

  Conversations throughout picked up some more as the room was almost full. But just because Niu Bolin stopped speaking to Diyuan didn’t mean he stopped his planning.

  [Yao Luchen,] Niu Bolin spoke privately to him. [I know you have grievances with my family.]

  [That’s one way to put it,] Yao Luchen said, crossing his arms.

  [I think it would be best if we put that issue behind us and focus on the bigger problem of a demonic cultivator being in the midst of this city.]

  [My Senior Brother is right; you often call people demonic cultivators without any proof. And why should I put anything behind us? Your son killed my father. My grand uncle was rather quick to join your side when he was dismissed from ours. Why is that?]

  [A tragic accident. Both my son and your father were friends and fought earnestly. Little Wuxuan could not have known your father’s spirit energy would be dispersed by poison.]

  [Claiming to innocent? If not you, then who? My grand uncle? If it’s him, then why is he standing by your side?] Yao Luchen’s face was getting redder by the minute.

  [I do not jest when I say a demonic cultivator is in our midst. The threat of a demonic beast wave is real. If you wish justice upon your kin, I can assist. But that can only happen after our city is at peace and all threats have been settled,] Niu Bolin said with a serene face.

  Yao Luchen visibly huffed. [If you think I’ll turn on my Senior Brother, you’ve got another thing coming. His strength is his own. His alchemy skills are his own. He is no demonic cultivator.]

  [When did I say anything about Yuhan Diyuan? If you brought him up…]

  [Don’t play word games with me,] Yao Luchen spat back. [Not everyone will fall for it. I will not betray my benefactor.]

  [I’m not asking you to do anything right now. Just that…when evidence is shown, perhaps you’ll make the right decision. Until then, we will treat you as his ally.]

  The conversation died down between them. Yao Luchen was young and inexperienced, so conflict like this was good. Diyuan was also wondering what the young genius would do when the time came.

  [You’re right about one thing,] Niu Bolin said privately to the Yao grand uncle next to him. [That upstart of yours is fiery. If he clings to his moral high ground, he will be the one to stab Yuhan Diyuan in the back for us. When that is done, we can rid of him and no longer be concerned about anyone discovering our plot that killed the Phantom Swordsman.]

  The Yao grand uncle nodded but said nothing out loud as he couldn’t respond with sound transmission.

  Once again, listening in on sound transmission gave Diyuan information. Both the Yao grand uncle and the Niu patriarch had schemed together to bring down Yao Luchen’s father. It wasn’t a surprise to Diyuan, but it was confirmation.

  Youzhi the spearman stood and approached the balcony’s edge to get everyone’s attention. “My Virtuous Wind Sect greets everyone here. Since this is the Golden Auction, I understand if people might be concerned about giving my Sect face. You don’t need to worry about that. We’re all cultivators here who need to do what we can to advance. Do not feel that you must withdraw your bid simply because we have bid on something.”

  Several Spiritweave cultivators, including those who were with Auntie Mei Yi, stood and saluted back. Small murmurs on the first floor had people remind their neighbors that such instructions did not apply to mortals such as themselves.

  Yao Luchen spoke up privately to the Yuhan Alliance members. [Youzhi is a man who cares a lot about public appearance. If there’s even a hint of demonic cultivation fabricated against you, he’ll likely attack and ask questions later. That said, the Immortal Maidens Xiaoya and Min may not join him since they answer to Immortal Zi Qin, not him.]

  Feng Xueying chipped in. [If Youzhi attacks you to kill, will you kill him back? Per etiquette?]

  [Of course not,] Diyuan said and switch to a teacher’s tone. [Etiquette is no replacement for intellect. Killing Youzhi, even if we’re in the right, would not be giving the Virtuous Wind Sect face. If we spare him after an overwhelming show of force, they would need to consider giving us compensation instead—especially following a false accusation. We gain a greater benefit from keeping him alive.]

  And compensation would be entry into the Sect. The sooner Diyuan could learn about the Intent Realms from the Mistress of the Brush, the better.

  [That’s wise,] Yao Luchen said.

  [That’s a shame,] Feng Xueying said to Diyuan alone. The tone was so serious that it made Diyuan stifle a laugh.

  She was joking, of course. Diyuan doubted that she intended to kill anyone from the Virtuous Wind Sect.

  Hopefully.

  Auntie Mei Yi was smoothly serving the two cultivators with her and started questioning them, asking if they knew the great Niu Bolin. They provided offhand comments about hearing of his reputation, but nothing more than that.

  However, they had their own private sound transmission.

  [Well, we also know Niu Bolin for letting us take Madam Mei Yi with us when everything is done,] one of the cultivators joked to the other.

  They bantered off of each other, laughing with their private knowledge in mind. Based on the small snippets Diyuan was learning from them, they would turn against the Sunset Garden and wipe them out, then strike at a different location.

  Diyuan reached out to Auntie Mei Yi. [Auntie, did you plan to have those two immortals with you guard your Sunset Garden?]

  [That was the initial plan until recently.] The way she said that suggested she knew something more.

  [Are you aware they intend to betray you?] Diyuan eyed her to see any small reactions she might have. There was no evidence of any shift or stiffness. Quite the disciplined woman.

  Though she did send a sigh through sound transmission. [We already learned that, unfortunately. I didn’t have concrete proof and was hoping for something more, considering my past relations with them, but hearing you say that must mean you’ve learned something?]

  [They’ll turn against you and then become part of a flanking force that’ll attack our territory. If they’re attacking places where we don’t have forces, I imagine its purpose is to put fear into commoners from leaving the Niu faction.]

  [I’d be curious to know how you got that information. I’ll have their skulls crushed and then leave my Left Guardian to defend potential targets, then. She alone is more than capable of handling whoever may come.]

  [Remind me not to get on your bad side.]

  [Dearest nephew, I have a different bad side you might be interested in.]

  [You’ve gotten much friskier ever since the miasma burned out of you.]

  [How could I not when you’ve put so much of your warm energy—]

  [Ahem.] He didn’t want to hear his Pungent Poison Purifier and Phoenix Fallen Flight talked about like that.

  Though Auntie Mei Yi may act like that, Diyuan knew she wasn’t being serious.

  Hopefully.

  Diyuan continued to listen in on private conversations as the final seats filled. The last balcony booth filled with those two veiled hat people.

  Every now and then, Diyuan would stretch, whistling a tune to draw attention to himself from random people. His goal was to change people’s conversation to him and see what he could learn.

  The three Virtuous Wind Sect people brought him up in their three-way conversation. The spearman Youzhi would ask about Diyuan’s combat style and Xiaoya would answer about what she saw when Diyuan had attacked the Niu family. There wasn’t much information to go off of since the battle was too one-sided; other than when they were stunned by his Stunlock Bind, no arte had been used from their perspective. They did tell Youzhi how Diyuan had his Wind’s Edge dagger. They didn’t talk about any plans or the sort.

  Coming out onto the stage were two Spiritweave cultivators. One was Deacon Hu. The other should be the owner of the auction house, a level 3 Spiritweave cultivator. Her prowess was more akin to Youzhi’s stable foundation, rather than Deacon Hu’s flimsy cultivation.

  Everyone quieted as the Golden Auction began.