Chapter 17: Verdant Zither
The Premier Merchant Guild of Azure Cloud City was a towering structure situated at the very heart of the inner city. Its soaring rooftops were tiled, and the entrance was guarded by twin stone lions that pulsed with defensive arrays. Today, the seasonal grand auction had drawn the absolute elite of the region.
Through the archways walked arrogant disciples, wealthy clan elders, and influential figures from distant sects/families.
Lin Yuan and Bai Qingyue arrived without drawing any unwanted attention. Thanks to the illusion cast over them, nobody knew them. Instead, the guards and attendees saw a mysterious grandmaster with an unfathomable aura, accompanied by an ethereal, veiled fairy who glided flawlessly by his side.
The sheer density of Lin Yuan’s aura, purposely leaked just a fraction, was enough to make the Guild’s head steward break out in a cold sweat. Without asking a single question, the steward immediately escorted them to a luxurious VIP suite on the second floor, overlooking the massive auction stage below.
Once inside the suite, Lin Yuan gently lowered Bai Qingyue onto a divan. He took a seat beside her, offering a reassuring smile as he poured them both a cup of tea.
Through the one-way window, Bai Qingyue looked down at the bustling auction floor. Her breath hitched slightly. Seated in the front rows and the adjacent VIP rooms were several prominent figures she recognized—including Elder Bai Mo, the very man who had coldly discarded her just days ago.
"Do not worry," Lin Yuan whispered, sensing her tension. He placed a warm hand over hers.
Down below, the head auctioneer stepped onto the stage. He struck a gong, silencing the chaotic chatter of the crowd.
"Welcome, esteemed guests, to the seasonal grand auction! We shall not waste time with empty words. Let us bring out the first batch of treasures!"
The initial items were standard fare for a grand auction: mid-grade spiritual weapons, rare medicinal herbs, and low-tier martial arts manuals. Lin Yuan watched with mild disinterest, while the wealthy clans below fought tooth and nail, throwing thousands of Spirit Stones at each other to secure the goods.
To Lin Yuan, Spirit Stones were no longer a concern. Over the past three days, he had various investments to his wife, triggering a massive multiplier, flooding his inventory with an enormous amount of Spirit Stones. He currently possessed more spirit stones than any clan throughout the city.
About an hour into the event, the auctioneer cleared his throat, a reverent expression crossing his face as two beautiful attendants carried a long, rectangular object onto the stage, covered by a red velvet cloth.
"For our next item, we have something truly special," the auctioneer announced, pulling the cloth away.
A collective gasp echoed through the hall. Resting on the display stand was a magnificent zither, radiating a chilling, beautiful aura.
Bai Qingyue’s eyes instantly locked onto the instrument. Her hands, resting in her lap, twitched subconsciously. The sheer longing in her gaze was palpable.
"This is the Verdant Zither," the auctioneer declared proudly. "It once belonged to the legendary Fairy Mo Yin, a famous zither master who roamed the Nine Provinces three centuries ago. While it is not an offensive combat artifact, the spiritual resonance of its strings can calm inner demons and purify the mind. The starting price is five thousand Spirit Stones! Each bid must increase by no less than five hundred!"
Five thousand Spirit Stones was a steep price for a non-combat item. Many of the battle-hardened cultivators lost interest immediately.
"Six thousand!" a voice called out from the main floor.
"Seven thousand," a merchant countered.
Before the bidding could slowly crawl upward, a crisp, melodious voice echoed from VIP Suite Number Four, situated directly across from Lin Yuan’s room.
"Ten thousand Spirit Stones."
The crowd fell silent. Ten thousand was double the starting price, an exorbitant sum for a mere musical instrument. The voice belonged to a young lady. Through the crystal window of Suite Four, one could faintly make out the silhouette of a female cultivator. She wasn’t exuding the typical arrogance of a spoiled young miss; her tone was respectful but carrying an undeniable determination.
Lin Yuan glanced at Bai Qingyue, seeing the way her eyes lingered on the zither. He didn’t hesitate for a single second.
"Twenty thousand," Lin Yuan’s voice, amplified by his qi and disguised by the illusion to sound deep and ancient, rolled out from his VIP suite.
The entire auction house erupted in shocked whispers. Twenty thousand?!
In Suite Four, the young lady frowned. She stepped closer to her window. "Twenty-five thousand. Senior in the opposite suite, this junior is Yun Xi of the Heavenly Sound Pavilion. Fairy Mo Yin is the founding matriarch of my master’s lineage. I genuinely wish to return her personal instrument to our sect. I hope Senior might show some leniency."
Her words were polite, lacking any forceful threat, relying solely on sect relations and sentimental value. The crowd nodded in understanding. It was a noble pursuit.
Lin Yuan, however, remained completely unmoved. "Thirty-five thousand."
The crowd gasped. He had instantly raised it by another ten thousand! This was no longer an auction, but a slaughter!
Yun Xi gritted her teeth, her competitive spirit igniting. She was a prodigy of the Heavenly Sound Pavilion and had brought a massive sum specifically for this artifact. "Forty thousand!"
A mind game battle of wills began.
"Fifty thousand," Lin Yuan replied instantly, his voice entirely devoid of emotion.
"Fifty-five thousand!" Yun Xi countered, her voice beginning to show a trace of strain. She was trying to gauge his limit, hoping to find a ceiling to his madness.
"Seventy thousand."
The auction house was dead silent. Even the Bai Clan Patriarch, sitting in another suite, wiped sweat from his brow. Seventy thousand Spirit Stones could fund a small sect for an entire decade! For a zither?!
Yun Xi’s hands trembled. She tried a different approach. "Senior, the Verdant Zither is a historical artifact, yes, but its strings are fragile! It cannot be used to channel any violent qi. It has absolutely no martial value in a fight! Spending such a fortune is a supreme waste of resources!"
"Value is entirely subjective, little girl," Lin Yuan’s disguised voice echoed calmly. "One hundred thousand Spirit Stones."
One hundred thousand.
The head auctioneer nearly dropped his gavel. The attendees on the floor felt their knees go weak. It was an astronomical sum.
In VIP Suite Four, Yun Xi slumped back into her chair. Her funds were entirely exhausted. She had been outbid, and completely crushed. She had lost.
"One hundred thousand going once! Twice! Sold to the esteemed guest in Suite Seven!" the auctioneer screamed, his face flushed with excitement.
Unable to contain her utter bafflement and sheer frustration, Yun Xi pushed open the window of her suite, stepping out onto the small balcony. She glared across the massive hall at Lin Yuan’s window. She wasn’t angry about losing a fair auction, but her mind was completely shattered by the sheer absurdity of how much he spent.
"Senior!" Yun Xi cried out. "I concede defeat! But I must know! Fairy Mo Yin’s zither is a beautiful relic, but who in their right mind spends one hundred thousand Spirit Stones on a mere zither?!"
The entire auction house held its breath, eagerly awaiting the answer. Was he a hidden music fanatic? A collector of ancient antiquities? A Nascent Soul monster who used music to suppress a terrifying lingering?
Inside Suite Seven, Lin Yuan reached out and gently stroked his wife’s hair.
He leaned toward the array crystal that projected his voice to the outside world, his tone entirely casual and perfectly calm.
"My wife wanted it."
The silence that followed was so profound that one could hear a pin drop.
On the balcony of Suite Four, Yun Xi choked on air. She physically stumbled backward, her eyes wide, her hand clutching her chest as if she had just taken a critical blow from a flying sword.
She lost... she lost a bidding war... because some outrageously wealthy person was buying a gift for his wife?!
Down on the main floor, several older cultivators coughed violently. The young masters of various clans stared at Suite Seven with profound respect. The sheer flex of spending one hundred thousand Spirit Stones just to make a woman smile was a level of domination they could not even begin to comprehend.
Inside the privacy of their VIP suite, Bai Qingyue was no longer just blushing; her entire face was a brilliant, burning crimson. She buried her face into Lin Yuan’s shoulder, too embarrassed and overwhelmed to even look out the window.
"Lin Yuan..." she mumbled against his robes, her heart hammering wildly with a mixture of utter shock and joy. "You are crazy."
"Perhaps," Lin Yuan chuckled, wrapping an arm around her waist as an attendant hurriedly brought the Verdant Zither to their door to collect the payment. "But I told you, Qingyue. What is mine, I pamper to the heavens."