Su Xuan heard Liu Lixue’s voice almost breaking with urgency.
His heart sank. There was less than half a stick of incense’s time before the auction would begin.
The three of them were already seated in Room No. 1, Room Xuan. The room was divided into small compartments by a dozen or so screens, and they were seated in a corner.
Sang Dai whispered, “What’s wrong?”
Why was Liu Lixue suddenly so anxious?
Tan Huai pricked up his ears and quietly set up a soundproof barrier.
Su Xuan spoke calmly, “You’re talking. What is it?”
Liu Lixue said directly, “That miasma is caused by the growth of Jiexin Grass. I didn’t know Jiexin Grass had the property of producing miasma. Hurry back!”
Sang Dai and Tan Huai, unfamiliar with what Jiexin Grass was, both asked in confusion, “What is Jiexin Grass?”
Liu Lixue began to explain, “That thing is—”
“I understand. Let’s leave it at that for now.”
Before Liu Lixue could finish, Su Xuan had already disconnected the jade tablet.
Liu Lixue: “?”
Sang Dai: “…”
Tan Huai: “Beast King, Young Master Liu hasn’t finished speaking…”
The little fox remained calm, sipping tea as he replied, “A type of immortal herb with mild toxicity. It might be poisonous to ordinary cultivators, but we’ve all awakened Heaven-grade spiritual roots. It’s no big deal.”
He spoke so naturally that Tan Huai actually believed him.
The monk nodded in understanding. “I see. Then it doesn’t matter; we’ll only stay for a short while.”
Sang Dai, however, remained expressionless, staring intently at Su Xuan.
The little fox didn’t even raise his head, continuing to sip tea.
Sang Dai, sitting right next to him, tugged at his sleeve. “Let me take a look at you.”
Su Xuan: “…There’s nothing to look at.”
Sang Dai didn’t believe a word he said. Liu Lixue’s urgency clearly indicated something serious. Whatever Jiexin Grass was, Su Xuan’s explanation was definitely not the whole truth.
She wanted to hear the little fox’s inner thoughts. But no matter how she tugged at Su Xuan, he stubbornly refused to turn toward her, his posture unyielding.
Tan Huai’s expression grew complicated. He asked softly, “Are you two about to fight?”
“No.”
Both answered in unison.
Sang Dai withdrew her hand. “You’re not even willing to let me take a look at you?”
The sword cultivator’s voice grew colder, as though she was getting angry.
Su Xuan’s grip on the teacup tightened, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly.
“…No, it’s not that.”
He finally composed himself, turning to meet Sang Dai’s gaze.
Sang Dai stared intently into his eyes, then heard:
[I want to kiss her. Dai Dai is so beautiful.]
Sang Dai: “?”
[When will the auction end? I want to hug Dai Dai and kiss her. This is so unbearable.]
Sang Dai: “…”
She quickly turned her head away and downed her tea in one gulp.
As expected, she had overthought it. If the Jiexin Grass truly had other harmful effects, Su Xuan wouldn’t have let her stay here. He would have taken her away immediately.
A glimmer of amusement flashed in Su Xuan’s eyes.
Sword cultivators were truly easy to deceive, so simple-minded that it took little effort to mislead them.
As for the Jiexin Grass…
The little fox’s long lashes lowered, casting shadows over his eyes, concealing his emotions.
With only half a stick of incense left before the auction began, there was no way they could leave now.
If the Chunying Sword truly appeared, they couldn’t afford to miss it.
Sang Dai and Tan Huai both focused on the hazy auction platform outside the screen, unaware that the little fox had opened his spatial pouch and swallowed several pills in one go.
When he lifted his gaze again, his emotions were already suppressed, leaving only an air of calm indifference.
Sang Dai happened to glance back at him and caught his eyes. For some reason, Su Xuan looked away, his gaze fixed intently on the auction platform outside the screen.
She frowned slightly. Su Xuan never avoided her gaze. Whenever they looked at each other, it was always Sang Dai who turned away first. Why had he looked away twice already today?
“Dai Dai, it’s starting.”
The little fox reminded her without shifting his gaze.
The auction was about to begin, so Sang Dai had no choice but to withdraw her attention.
The screens obscured her view, and she couldn’t tell if Wu Hanshu was present.
But if the Chunying Sword appeared, then Wu Hanshu would undoubtedly come.
In the silent auction room, faint footsteps echoed. Someone entered from outside, walking up to the auction platform.
The room fell into a quiet stillness, with only the sound of the attendees’ breathing.
Through the thin fabric of the screen, Sang Dai could make out a figure on the auction platform—it was a woman, based on her build.
She stood there, seemingly observing the crowd below. For the first half of the incense stick’s time, she said nothing, until someone grew impatient.
“Are you going to sell it or not?”
The woman covered her lips and softly chided, “Why are you in such a rush? Auctions at Manxiang Pavilion must happen at the designated time. Starting early or going overtime would be… unlucky.”
Her tone stretched out at the end, giving it an ethereal quality.
The people in this room were mostly wealthy patrons, many of whom were regulars at Manxiang Pavilion, and they understood the coded language.
“Wu.”
That meant it was a priceless treasure.
Everyone waited quietly until the incense in the censer burned out, and then the sound of a drum reverberated through the entire Manxiang Pavilion, piercing the ears.
Simultaneously, auctions began in all 199 rooms.
The woman smiled faintly and clapped her hands.
The curtain behind her was slowly lifted, and a person pushed a small wooden cart onto the auction platform.
On the cart sat a tall box draped with a layer of red brocade cloth. Sang Dai couldn’t discern what it was.
Instinctively, she leaned forward slightly, her gaze focused through the screen on the object beneath the red cloth.
Tan Huai also grew tense, his attention entirely on the auction item hidden under the brocade.
Su Xuan lowered his head, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. He picked up his tea and took another sip.
“Today, in Room No. 1, Room Xuan, the auction item is named ‘Wu’, a Heaven-grade magical artifact, with a starting price of 3,000 superior-grade spirit stones.”
A hammer struck.
Sang Dai and Tan Huai stared unblinkingly.
The red cloth was lifted, revealing the true nature of the item beneath.
The auction room fell into silence. No one raised a bid.
After a long while, whispers began to spread.
“What is this? A sword?”
“It looks like a sword. But what kind of sword could be called a priceless treasure?”
“It’s not the Zhiyu Sword, is it? A sword forged from Tianyu Stone—now that’s the number one sword under the heavens. There are only a few swords among Heaven-grade magical artifacts.”
“Miss Sang’s Zhiyu Sword, Sect Master Shen’s Su Huai Sword, the Beast King’s Qingwu Sword, and…”
Suddenly, silence fell.
There were only a few Heaven-grade magical swords in the Four Realms, all well-known. Excluding two legendary swords that had gone missing, only four Heaven-grade swords remained:
Sang Dai’s Zhiyu Sword, Shen Ciyu’s Su Huai Sword, and Su Xuan’s Qingwu Sword.
And—
Immortal Lord Ying Heng’s Chunying Sword.
The other three swords were all in the hands of their rightful owners. So the sword that appeared here…
Someone trembled as they spoke, “This must be… Chunying.”
The sword that Immortal Lord Ying Heng of Sword Sect seized at the Heroes’ Conference was called Chunying Sword. As he possessed a wood-type spiritual root, the sword intent of the Chunying Sword was simple and robust.
Sang Dai suddenly felt all the strength drain from her body.
The woman leaned against the auction platform and teased, “What’s the matter? No one wants to bid?”
Someone stood up, stepped outside the screen, and pointed at the woman while angrily berating her:
“Who gave you the guts! Ying Heng was a criminal of the Four Realms, undeserving of life. Back then, he used this Chunying Sword to slaughter 3,000 people at the Cangwu Daoist Temple. This sword should have died with him!”
“You dare to sell a forbidden artifact? This is Ying Heng’s sword!”
“The sword of a criminal of the Four Realms—who allowed you to sell it?”
One after another, people stepped out from behind the screens to echo these sentiments.
The hatred for Ying Heng across the Four Realms was immense, impossible to quantify. Even children would be taught by their parents:
—“Don’t be like Ying Heng of the Sword Sect. Despite awakening a Heaven-grade spiritual root, he failed to protect the common people, massacred Cangwu Daoist Temple, destroyed the Guixu spiritual vein, and attempted to annihilate Guixu. His death was well-deserved.”
Sang Dai listened to the filthy accusations, her clenched fists trembling at her sides.
Tan Huai cautiously tried to calm her. “Uh… Miss Sang, once we clear Immortal Lord Ying Heng’s name, they won’t say things like this anymore.”
He feared Sang Dai might lose control and disrupt their plans. Yet, in truth, Sang Dai remained seated, her expression calm from start to finish. If not for her clenched fists, they might have believed she didn’t care at all.
Her clenched fist was suddenly enveloped by a warm hand. The heat of the palm against the back of her hand brought her back to her senses.
She turned her head to look—and saw two furry ears emerging from Su Xuan’s hair.
His face was slightly flushed, his eyes glimmering with moisture, and his palm was scorching hot.
“Su Xuan, what’s wrong with you?”
Tan Huai turned his head and saw the fox ears standing upright. “This… is this something the Beast King enjoys doing?”
Su Xuan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he reopened them, the ears had disappeared. His voice remained calm.
“It’s nothing. It’s just a bit warm in here with so many people.”
Whether it was because the Nine-Tailed Fox’s body temperature was too high or because there were genuinely too many people, Sang Dai and Tan Huai did notice the room felt slightly hotter.
The little fox tightened his grip on her hand and avoided her gaze. “Let’s see what that woman has to say. Wait until the crowd quiets down.”
Tan Huai chimed in, “Exactly, Miss Sang, don’t rush. If everyone is too angry to buy it, then the Chunying Sword will end up as ours.”
Sang Dai paused briefly before replying with a muffled sound of agreement.
But they all knew one person hadn’t shown up yet.
Wu Hanshu.
He wasn’t among the crowd shouting insults.
The woman remained leaning against the auction platform, lightly tapping her hammer with one hand while holding a handkerchief to her mouth, laughing softly.
She listened to the angry accusations but never responded, her demeanor appearing quite composed.
Finally, she raised a hand in a gesture and said, “Well, if no one is willing to buy it, then please, see yourselves out.”
“Who would want to buy the sword of a criminal?”
Someone slammed the door and left.
“If Manxiang Pavilion dares to sell Ying Heng’s sword today, the Four Realms will besiege you tomorrow!”
“Let’s go! This is utterly unlucky!”
“Today was a complete waste of time. Let’s leave!”
In less than half an incense stick’s time, almost everyone in the room had left.
Only the screen shielding Sang Dai’s group remained closed, as well as the one opposite them.
The woman on the platform smiled cheerfully and asked, “Honored guests, are you interested in purchasing this Chunying Sword?”
A voice came from behind the opposite screen: “I haven’t even seen the sword. How would I know if it’s real or fake?”
The woman chuckled softly, stepped down from the auction platform, and stood between the two screens.
“At Manxiang Pavilion, we never refuse to let our guests view the auction items. If we dare to sell it, we’re not afraid to stake our reputation. If you want to see it, please, take a look.”
With a wave of her sleeve, both screens opened.
Sang Dai was caught off guard, her eyes meeting those of the person opposite her.
The sword cultivator’s gaze was emotionless, her expression calm.
The man across from her was lounging in a wooden chair, sipping tea leisurely.
His gaze shifted past Sang Dai, landing on the figure behind her. “Master Tan Huai.”
Tan Huai hesitated before responding, “…Greetings, City Lord Wu.”
Wu Hanshu was acquainted with Tan Huai due to Linglong Town, which was overseen by Zen Sect, and Tan Huai was the young master of the sect.
The woman smiled and remarked, “So, you two know each other. City Lord Wu, it’s surprising to see you here as well.”
Wu Hanshu curved his lips into a faint smile, his eyes briefly sweeping over Sang Dai and Su Xuan.