Because of the owner’s reputation, the auction house thrived. Most people in Chang’an chose to auction their items there. It was located at the end of North Street in a tall building.
As long as one wasn’t deceitful, all were welcome, with no requirement for status.
He Sui’an looked up at the tall building.
She felt her neck almost getting sore.
The tall building stood between heaven and earth, adorned with jade railings and eighteen red lanterns that would be lit at night. There was no one guarding the entrance, and people were coming and going from time to time.
Qi Buyan ascended the steps, followed by He Sui’an lifting her skirt and stepping up the dozen or so stairs. Shen Jianhe, somewhat familiar with the place, led the way, telling the auction house staff they wanted to auction a jade pendant.
The auction house attendant examined the jade pendant and asked them to wait a moment.
After a while, the steward of the auction house came, picked up the jade pendant for a more detailed examination, and recognized it as one of the world’s only five water jade pendants.
The steward handed the water jade pendant back to Qi Buyan: “Please follow me.”
Auction items classified as superior needed the owner’s approval, along with the presence of the consignor and the item, as per the auction house rules.
They were led by the steward into a room divided by a thin veil. They stayed near the door, while on the other side, someone was sipping tea. The steward said, “This item is superior.”
The tea drinker unhurriedly put down the cup and asked, “What is it?”
The steward replied, “Water jade pendant.”
Aunt Cui lifted the thin veil and walked out: “A water jade pendant? That’s indeed a superior item.”
Upon seeing Aunt Cui, He Sui’an’s first reaction was to look at Qi Buyan, recognizing the woman who had played the xun and countered the poison Gu controlling him that night.
Qi Buyan looked at Aunt Cui as if seeing a stranger, remaining very calm.
Not a native of Chang’an, yet owning such a large auction house and not being squeezed out by local competitors, standing firm—it was clear she was no ordinary person. He Sui’an couldn’t help but scrutinize her.
Aunt Cui suddenly smiled slightly at He Sui’an.
She said, “Where’s the water jade pendant?”
He Sui’an took the water jade pendant from Qi Buyan’s hand and handed it to Aunt Cui, their fingertips briefly touching. Aunt Cui thoughtfully observed this interaction, then accepted the pendant from He Sui’an.
Aunt Cui examined the water jade pendant much more carefully than the auction house attendants and the steward.
The water jade pendant was unique and difficult to counterfeit, though not impossible, given its value. The auction house couldn’t risk auctioning fakes and ruining its reputation. Aunt Cui had to eliminate any such possibility.
Upon seeing the small flaw on the pendant, Aunt Cui felt she had seen this slightly flawed water jade pendant somewhere before. She couldn’t recall where at the moment but didn’t show it.
Aunt Cui agreed to accept the water jade pendant as an auction item, scheduling it for the night after next.
Good auction items deserved a good day.
The auction house held an annual grand auction night featuring the finest items, attracting many people. Tomorrow night happened to be that event, a fortunate coincidence for them.
They needed to retrieve the pendant and bring it back on the auction night. After three evaluations by the auction house, it could be put on the auction block.
Aunt Cui’s auction house rarely kept auction items for consignors, not wanting the responsibility.
Her rules were different from others.
Other auction houses took a 20% commission from the auction proceeds, but Aunt Cui only took 10%. After discussing these necessary details, she indicated they could leave.
Before they left, Aunt Cui casually glanced at He Sui’an again.
He Sui’an had a slim waist, wore a pink dress, and hadn’t styled her hair. Her long hair was braided into a single plait falling over her left shoulder, adorned with small silver bells.
She wore silver ornaments not only in her hair but also at her waist, producing a slight jingling sound as she walked, making her seem very lively.
Few people would dislike such liveliness.
Aunt Cui was genuinely puzzled.
When had Qi Buyan acquired a young girl by his side? Wasn’t he only interested in refining Gu? Could he be planning to create a Gu human? Unlikely. He preferred poisonous Gu over people.
There was another possibility.
But Aunt Cui found this less likely. Could Qi Buyan feel affection for someone? She knew he was born lacking emotions and unable to empathize with others.
So why would the usually goal-driven Qi Buyan keep He Sui’an by his side? Aunt Cui wondered but didn’t want to meddle, watching them leave her auction house.
Outside, He Sui’an absentmindedly jumped off the last step of the high building.
The bells on her jingled.
Qi Buyan turned his head.
He Sui’an landed right in front of him, her eyes catching the indigo color of his clothes.
She straightened her back, her head just reaching Qi Buyan’s shoulder. He was a full head taller than her. Standing in front of her, his shadow completely covered her.
He Sui’an looked up at him, and Qi Buyan looked down at her. Neither spoke.
With a clatter, a silver necklace fell from Qi Buyan’s waist, where he had casually tucked it after meeting Aunt Cui.
The silver necklace, catching the sunlight, glinted like a bright moonbeam.
He Sui’an heard the sound of it falling.
She picked it up.
The silver necklace was made of two thin intertwined chains, simple in design yet evidently crafted with care. The chain had intricate hollow patterns, with a blue butterfly in the middle.
The blue butterfly was not a silver ornament but carved from a sapphire, with the character “砚” (Yan) engraved on the back. It was set and reinforced with silver, securely hanging from the chain.
The necklace now lay on He Sui’an’s small hand, the chain threading through her fingers, looking exquisite.
He Sui’an had seen most of Qi Buyan’s silver accessories, but this necklace was new to her. Nonetheless, it wasn’t a significant matter whether she had seen it before.
She tucked it back into Qi Buyan’s waist.
He let her do so.
As He Sui’an tucked the necklace back, she worried it might fall out again, considering how valuable it seemed.
She thought of finding a safer place for Qi Buyan to keep it, but he didn’t have such a place on him; he was quite casual about storing things.
“How about I keep it in my pouch for now?” He Sui’an suggested.
Qi Buyan agreed, “Okay.”
He Sui’an retrieved the necklace from his waist again. It wasn’t large but very delicate, and while it was easy to lose in his belt, it was hard to find when needed.
She was used to searching through Qi Buyan’s belt, so she didn’t think much of it.
Shen Jianhe silently averted his gaze.
Who did he offend to have to watch these two young people being all lovey-dovey?
He Sui’an searched and searched, practically feeling around Qi Buyan’s entire waist. For a moment, he wanted to grab her hand, but she found the necklace just then and stopped touching him.
Once she found the necklace, He Sui’an opened her small pouch and placed it inside.
She would be reluctant to lose even a small silver ornament, let alone a valuable silver necklace, so she made sure to keep it safe. After placing the necklace inside, she tightened the drawstrings of her pouch to ensure it wouldn’t come loose.
Suddenly, Shen Jianhe smacked his forehead.
He remembered he had an appointment in the afternoon to deliver the last item he sold. He quickly asked where they were staying in Chang’an, promising to find them later.
Since he had taken them to the auction house for the water jade pendant, he intended to see it through to the end. He planned to join them on the night of the auction.
He Sui’an told him the name of the inn.
Shen Jianhe noted the inn’s name and left.
Qi Buyan continued to watch He Sui’an, pondering the reason behind her growing melancholy. It seemed to have started when they met Shen Jianhe today, and her mood had changed because of it.
He Sui’an, seeing Shen Jianhe walk away, turned back to Qi Buyan and gently hooked her pinky around his, giving it a light tug: “What do you think of Senior Shen?”
Qi Buyan’s lips curved slightly as he responded with a question: “Why do you ask?”
“I just wanted to ask.”
He Sui’an tugged his pinky again: “Now answer me.”
Qi Buyan replied in a gentle tone: “He is inconsequential to me, both in the past, now, and in the future.”
They started walking down the street.
“Has Senior Shen ever hurt you?” He Sui’an didn’t know when in Qingzhou Master Sanshan had hurt Qi Buyan, but since he never lied, if he said it had happened, then it must have.
If that was the case, was it possible that Senior Shen had also hurt Qi Buyan without her knowing? She needed to find out.
“No,” he said.
Qi Buyan seemed to find the question amusing: “If he had ever hurt me, how could he still be safe and sound in Chang’an now?”
True, he was someone who would settle his scores before moving on. He Sui’an let out a low “Oh” and asked, “You don’t dislike Senior Shen, do you?”
Just because someone hadn’t hurt you didn’t mean you couldn’t dislike them for some reason.
She asked all the possibilities she could think of.
“Why would I dislike someone who is inconsequential to me?” Qi Buyan’s eyebrows moved slightly as he raised his hand, his fingers brushing through her hair, fastening the silver tassel back to her strands.
He Sui’an felt her heart settle a bit.
Qi Buyan caressed the silver tassel at the end of her hair before letting his hand drop: “You’ve asked three questions about him today. Is there a reason?”
Her eyes flickered: “No.”
Qi Buyan gently brushed the corner of He Sui’an’s eye, making her meet his gaze: “Really?”
He Sui’an pressed her lips together.
“Alright, you do have a reason for asking these questions, but…”
“But you don’t want to tell me the specific reason,” Qi Buyan finished her sentence.
“Just like the last time on Dengyun Mountain, you wanted to figure something out before asking Qi Shu’s name. Now you don’t want to say it yet. When you figure it out, you’ll tell me.”
Qi Buyan almost perfectly repeated He Sui’an’s own words.
He Sui’an lowered her eyes as she listened.
“Alright, I’ll wait for you, He Sui’an. But remember, don’t lie to me. People from our place do not tolerate betrayal.” Qi Buyan had once told He Sui’an the latter half of this statement.
In the Tianshui Village of Miaojiang, betrayal was not tolerated. Betrayers must die.
Qi Buyan wanted to keep He Sui’an.
He didn’t want to kill her.
Qi Buyan bent down, and He Sui’an looked up slightly. Their breaths intertwined slowly.
He gently lifted a strand of her hair: “He Sui’an, promise me you will never betray me, alright…”
But what if otherwise?
