Chapter 102 - The Auction Begins
The walls of Qiancheng rose tall along the western road, inscribed deep with protective runes. The city sat at the crossroads of three spiritual valleys and several mortal kingdoms. No sect owned it. No empire claimed it. From several li out, incense and street food already hung in the air, and the wall arrays hummed under it all.
Su Ming stepped off his flying sword near the eastern gates. Travelers packed the road. Cultivators, merchant caravans, and city guards all filled the place. The formation runes on the entrance gate gave off a dull silver glow.
If the rumours were real, the presence of a Saint-rank powerhouse was the real reason the major powers left Qiancheng alone.
Inside these walls, fighting was forbidden. Golden Core elders and Nascent Soul seniors pulled their auras tight before they crossed. Draw a weapon here, and the arrays would crush you and throw you out, permanently banning you from the city.
Su Ming adjusted his white robes. The Mist Jade Pendant hung at his neck, hidden beneath his collar. It held his aura at early Golden Core. To others, he appeared to be an ordinary Heavenly Cloud Sect elder. He joined the line, paid the entry fee like everyone else, and walked through. No one stopped him. No one looked twice at his cultivation.
The market came first. Herbs, talisman paper, weapons, and excavated items were sold as treasure.
A few outer-hall elders from his own sect stood at a spirit-herb stall in blue-and-white robes. They saw the elder’s token and the early Golden Core aura, cupped their hands, and went back to bargaining. None of them recognized his face. Su Ming returned the greeting and walked on.
He had arrived a day early, so he explored the market. He bought a Jade Snow Tea Jar and a packet of Frost-Dew Leaves for Bai Qingxian, a Vermilion Jade Waist Sash for Yunxiao when she woke up. For Wang Tian and Lin Yao, he bought a finely carved Jade Phoenix Waist Pendant and Jade Sword Waist Pendant, matching in craftsmanship but bearing different spirit-beast carvings. Finally, he bought a jar of Amber Jade Wine for Elder Bai. Nothing rare.
He stored the purchases in his storage ring and headed for a tea house near the city center.
The place was full of talk about the auction. Bids, lots, who had come from which sect. At the next table, one man said the main lots came from the Sunken Ruins of Kongtan, dug out by merchant guilds last month.
Su Ming sipped his tea silently. This was the place he was supposed to meet someone.
A middle-aged man in merchant robes entered, scanned the room, and stopped at Su Ming’s table. He bowed.
"Are you Peak Master Su?"
"I am."
"This junior is a steward of the Wang Clan. Patriarch ordered us to wait for Senior. He could not come himself, but he said to assist you in any way. This is the Purple Gold VIP Card for the Qiancheng Grand Auction House."
The card was cold, carved with mystical runes on its face.
"Private Room Nine in the upper pavilion," the steward said. "Entry fees are already paid. If Senior needs anything else before tomorrow, send word to the Wang Trading House on East Market Street."
"Tell Patriarch Wang I appreciate it."
The steward bowed and left. Su Ming turned the card once between his fingers, then put it away. He finished the pot, found an inn near the auction hall, and rested early. Carriages kept rolling in long after dark.
***
The next morning, the Qiancheng Auction Hall opened early. Dark stone, three tiers, a wooden stage in the middle. The floor roared with ordinary cultivators. People shoved for seats. Messengers ran along the upper corridor with jade slips and bid tokens.
Su Ming showed the Purple Gold card. A maid took him to the second tier and left him in Private Room Nine.
Red carpet. A wide window over the stage, sealed by a thin light barrier. From outside, it looked black. It blocked any divine senses. Voices went through an array to change it. Anonymity was the point. Su Ming poured himself tea from the set on the side table and sat. The stage below was empty. No lots. No pedestals. Only wood and waiting. He did not push Essence Sight into the other rooms. There was no need yet. He watched the floor and drank.
Elsewhere along the private pavilion, the other rooms filled.
Elder Bai Cang of Heavenly Cloud Sect’s Alchemy Peak sat with his beard between his fingers, silent. Elder Yu of the Heavenly Phoenix Sect kept a veil over her face and watched the floor without moving. Situ Lang, the young master of the Frost Blade Sect, sat behind a small ice-fox; the beast’s bandaged leg twitched each time the hall noise rose. Shen Tianyu, the heir of the Nine Rivers Clan, leaned back with cold eyes. Teacher Ling Muyu of the Heavenly Dawn Academy held a wooden book and did not open it. In the farthest room, a shrouded figure sat without aura, without sound.
In another room, a young woman in royal silks, the Wu Princess, tapped a finger once against the armrest. Behind her stood a mysterious attendant, head straight, quiet as a shadow. Word on the floor said he had risen fast in fame and power, and that he had put down the beast tide of the nearby Wu Kingdom alone. No one on the floor could see them. Neither the ones in the other rooms.
Further down, Elder Jing of Sword Peak rested a cold sword across his knees. His gaze never left the empty stage.
The floor noise thinned as Elder Feng walked to the wooden podium. He rested one hand on the gavel, but he did not strike it yet. Eyes turned up from the floor seats. Even the private pavilion went still. His voice carried through the stage array, calm and clear.
"Welcome, fellow daoists, to the Grand Auction of Qiancheng."