“But it’s a rare experience.” The cold water attack didn’t affect Linglong at all.
She never planned to buy much. She just came because she was interested in the auction itself.
Simply put, she was there to join the fun. Whether or not she bought anything, she had to participate in bidding.
If she saw some interesting trinkets, she could spend some spirit stones to buy them.
There surely wouldn’t be a crowd fighting over the low-grade items, right?
“Oh, just for fun, huh? Then no problem.” Hua Jian had thought Linglong was serious about buying, but if it was just for fun, nothing more to say.
A boss wanted something, she’d help get it done.
Though it was her first time at an auction, Hua Jian trusted her strong adaptability would give Linglong a perfect auction experience!
……
The following days passed quietly. The previously turbulent undercurrents completely vanished.
All people and things related to Yao Mei seemed to have disappeared into thin air.
The Magic Path had no news. Hua Jian’s daily investigation hit a dead end with no useful clues.
The Su Family was temporarily stable. Su Yushu, as the third-generation eldest son, was capable enough to maintain morale for now.
But the family’s decline was inevitable.
What did that have to do with Hua Jian? She had no ties to the Su Family and wouldn’t have gotten involved if not for Yao Mei.
After no progress here, Hua Jian shifted focus to ensuring Linglong’s auction experience.
To figure out the auction’s complete list of items, Hua Jian even splurged to get Han Rui, a young lady, to obtain the full auction catalog.
“I guarantee no cultivator there knows more than I do.” Han Rui handed Hua Jian a jade slip, smiling brightly in her pale yellow dress.
Wow, quite the well-informed one, Hua Jian murmured.
After hearing about Wanhuagu, Hua Jian was a little suspicious of Han Rui’s identity.
A girl so capable yet stuck in a rundown place? She seemed suspiciously connected to Wanhuagu.
Even if not an official member, she should be closely related.
But then again, Wanhuagu was Wanhuagu. Hua Jian had no proof, and Han Rui’s service attitude was good. She chose to stay oblivious.
Everyone was just doing business; overthinking was unnecessary.
“Thanks a lot!” Hua Jian briefly scanned the content with spiritual perception and found Han Rui had highlighted several items worth attention.
They were good things mixed among low-grade lots, even marking recommended and maximum buying prices. Such care was impressive.
“Wow, so detailed!” Holding the jade slip, Hua Jian felt a bit petty for doubting Han Rui. She must be a hardworking girl making a living here!
“Of course. I can’t ruin my reputation. By the way, why didn’t your young miss come with you?”
“She doesn’t like coming here and doesn’t want me here, so I snuck in alone this time.” Hua Jian cleared her throat.
Normally, she would have to accompany Linglong and bring her along.
But things weren’t normal now, and Linglong, a good girl, didn’t like this place. Hua Jian had to take care of her feelings.
So this time, she came alone.
“I see. But your relationship with your young miss doesn’t look like a typical master-servant one.”
“We’re not really master-servant. She’s a young miss out training, I met her by chance and hit it off, then she paid me to follow her.” Hua Jian briefly explained their relationship.
Compared to a bodyguard, she was more like a playmate hired with spirit stones.
“Trust me, she pays super well. I’m always short on money, so I couldn’t resist.”
Listening to Hua Jian, Han Rui realized her misunderstanding.
After buying the information, Hua Jian quickly left Han Rui’s room without lingering.
After she left, Han Rui swiftly cleaned the cup Hua Jian had used.
Just as she planned to hide it for her own use, a figure in a red dress—Hua Xinyuan—appeared behind her and took the cup.
“Senior Sister!” Han Rui puffed her cheeks at the ghost-like Hua Xinyuan behind her. “Let me use it too!”
Hua Xinyuan ignored her, pocketing the teacup. “You can’t touch these things; they’re addictive.”
She wasn’t stingy—some things were beyond the reach of low-level cultivators like Han Rui.
Using floral fragrance for cultivation boosted results, but contact with things Hua Jian had touched was fatal.
For cultivators practicing Wanhuagu Techniques, these items were like highly addictive poisons.
Even Hua Xinyuan dared not use them, only storing them safely away.
“Who exactly is she? Senior Sister, you seem quite familiar with her.”
“A very interesting girl, but I don’t know exactly who she is.” Hua Xinyuan shook her head.
She didn’t know much and couldn’t tell Han Rui. Though Han Rui had potential, she had yet to earn elder recognition or receive the Wan surname.
Without the Wan surname, she wasn’t an official Wanhuagu disciple and had no right to know certain matters.
“So she’s one of ours? Why is she with righteous people then? A secret mission?”
Han Rui’s eyes lit up.
“Don’t overthink. Treat her as a stranger you meet by chance. Be friendly, but don’t act strangely or raise suspicion.”
Han Rui’s eyes shone brighter. Hua Xinyuan’s words practically confirmed her guess!
Wow, Wanhuagu really has such a powerful colleague, so young and already on such an important mission!
I have to help her well!
“Got it! Don’t worry, Senior Sister, I won’t let anyone notice anything!” Han Rui said, but inside she thought otherwise.
That little girl seemed very interested in the auction. This must be a key part of her plan. I’ll prepare better for her!
The earlier info wasn’t detailed enough. I’ll work hard to send all the auction information to her before it starts!
Han Rui was fired up!
“There’s someone else’s fragrance on you.”
Linglong leaned over and sniffed Hua Jian’s side, frowning.
“Are you a dog? Your nose is so sharp?” Hua Jian gasped. Linglong could actually smell that?
Her floral scent usually masked even the medicinal aroma in Yao Mei’s blood. Now she could smell Han Rui’s fragrance on her. Ridiculous.
After being scolded, Linglong’s face darkened slightly. “Your scent is different from when you left—there’s something discordant.”
She didn’t know why she could tell the difference, but it was true. Hua Jian’s scent had changed since she left.
Though not obvious, Linglong’s nose caught it.
Half-dragon girls had part spirit beast blood; their sense of smell was far more sensitive than ordinary cultivators.
The added scent was familiar, matching about 70% the scent of a place Hua Jian had taken Linglong to recently.
Putting all clues together, Linglong found the answer: Hua Jian definitely went behind her back to the painting group to chat with the girls, most likely Han Rui!
“You went to see Han Rui, didn’t you?”
“You guessed it? If you’re not Linglong, who are you… Ah, don’t hit my head!”
Hua Jian, interrupted again, helplessly covered her head that Linglong had lightly knocked.
She felt the little dragon girl really needed to fix this habit of hitting first.
She wasn’t so rude to others—only Linglong liked to hit her?
Proof of double standards!
“I asked her for a list of auction items. You’re interested in the auction, right? I had nothing to do the past few days, so I helped you investigate.”
Taking the list from her storage bag, Hua Jian whispered.
Linglong’s pupils contracted slightly, feeling a strange unease.
Hua Jian had gone to Han Rui for her sake, yet she was standing there talking like this… Linglong was surprisingly not angry—too embarrassing.
“Here, many interesting items are marked. Let’s look together and pick a few targets.”
Hua Jian wasn’t upset. Linglong’s question and head pat felt like playful teasing.
Their relationship wouldn’t break over such a small thing.
If she held grudges, she wouldn’t have begged Linglong to stop hitting her at the start.
“What? That was Linglong’s fault?”
Hey, she was just busy struggling in life. What was wrong with that?
In short, Hua Jian’s generosity depended on how many spirit stones the other gave. More spirit stones, bigger heart. Less spirit stones, petty and vindictive.
Linglong gave plenty, so Hua Jian was very magnanimous.
“A single bottle of Rejuvenation Pill sells for so many spirit stones? Why would this spirit herb be priced so high…”
As she began browsing the catalog with ulterior motives, Linglong’s guilt quickly turned into confusion.
The auction prices were off. Why did so many items have such serious markups?
A Rejuvenation Pill that usually sold for 100 spirit stones started at 120 here!
Prices for various spiritual tools were marked up even more, making Linglong unsure whether it was her understanding or the auction that was wrong.
“Markup is normal, so those items weren’t circled.” Hua Jian accepted this. Price tags were never precise.
A gun listed at 100,000 might sell for 120,000. Games were like that, and reality was no different.
“Look, aren’t the prices of these circled items more reasonable?” She pointed Linglong to the circled items—the real targets.
“These are definitely good.” Linglong nodded slightly.
Compared to the heavily marked-up ones, these had better cost performance.
“Huh? This one might be useful for you?”
“Which one?”
Anything Linglong said was useful naturally interested Hua Jian.
Plus, it was in the recommended purchase list, so the price probably wasn’t too steep.
“Jinling Yusui—an ingredient for making various spiritual tools. But because it’s hard to process and the tools made from it are more fragile than those made from other materials, its price has never been high.”
Linglong carefully examined the Jinling Yusui data and felt it was perfect for Hua Jian’s current practice.
“You mentioned something before… Lingji bullets? I think this can be used to make them.”
In recent idle moments, Hua Jian had been seriously studying the Yaochi Sacred Sect’s Secret Method gifted by Fenghua Venerable. She’d mastered the basic theory and was ready for practical work.
But before starting practical work, she faced a big problem: no suitable materials.
She tried ordinary materials but couldn’t achieve the effect she wanted. The bullets would end up as clunky, heavy lumps.
She’d have to modify her spirit gun into a cannon…
So she decisively ruled out ordinary materials.
But high-grade materials meant huge expenses. She had made some money recently, but compared to the cost of making spiritual tools—a money-devouring beast—it was like a pebble.
Hua Jian just calculated that all her spirit stones combined could only buy a one-and-a-half-foot square block of Duanling Iron.
It was also hard to process and counted as the lowest grade of high-grade materials.
The truly powerful ones were beyond what she could afford, even if she sold everything.
“Huh? Why is this so cheap?”
The Jinling Yusui on the catalog was several times larger than the iron block but priced much lower.
Hua Jian forced herself; she could just afford to buy it.
“Jinling Yusui is a byproduct of mining spirit stone veins. Though it can be used to refine spiritual tools, those made from it are too fragile and easily damaged in intense battles, so the price is much lower than materials of the same grade.” Linglong explained.
“This piece is also poor quality, an offcut. The price is normal.”
In other words, unwanted junk.
Probably only someone with special needs like Hua Jian would be interested.
She wanted to make bullets that didn’t need to be very sturdy—just strong enough to handle the impact when fired.
Whether they shattered on hitting the target didn’t matter.
Because the bullets would break on impact, releasing concentrated Chunqi onto the enemy’s face.
That was the effect Hua Jian desired.
“This is the most suitable material for you right now!” Linglong judged.
Hua Jian trusted Linglong’s judgment in this matter. The Saintess knew far more than she did. No harm in listening to her.
With so many strange materials in this world, Hua Jian barely knew a handful and didn’t want to fall into any traps.
She believed Linglong wouldn’t lead her astray!
“Okay, I’ll buy it then… Hey, wait, I’m supposed to be picking stuff for you, why did it turn into picking for me?”
Watching Hua Jian confused, Linglong smiled faintly. “You’ve helped me so much. I saw what you need, how can I not point it out?”
That’s called mutual help.
“You’re gonna make me all emotional!” Hua Jian covered her face, burying her head.
“If you’re moved, then come with me to Yaochi.”
“No way, I’m not selling myself yet.” Emotions aside, life’s big matters couldn’t be rushed.
Linglong admired her ability to flip moods so fast. Hard to believe a girl barely in her teens could have such thick skin.
Besides, joining Yaochi wasn’t selling out. Was Yaochi some den of dragons and tigers?
“The Ascension Conference is just a few months away. Wouldn’t it be more proper to join Yaochi through the conference?”
Hua Jian wanted to wait a bit and decide after the Ascension Conference.
Linglong was speechless. Her inviting Hua Jian now wasn’t giving her a backdoor but asking Hua Jian to open one for Yaochi.
With Hua Jian’s talent and strength shown so far, she was a genius enough to ignite a frenzy among the Saint Sects.
Not to mention, Wanling Sect and Yaochi had already shown goodwill. Penglai would surely join in once it noticed.
Sword Sect probably wouldn’t come—Hua Jian’s combat style didn’t match theirs.
Heavenly Dao Sect was no big threat; Hua Jian wouldn’t like them anyway.
Most likely, four of the five Great Sacred Sects, excluding Sword Sect, would fight over Hua Jian, and she would pick one from Yaochi, Penglai, and Wanling.
By then, who knew what secret weapons the others would throw out to tempt her?
If she didn’t win Hua Jian’s heart during these few months, the rabbit might get away.
“Don’t look at me like I’m a faithless person; it’s scary.” Hua Jian felt a chill from Linglong’s silent stare.
Maybe it was just her imagination, but Linglong’s attitude toward her had seemed stranger lately.
Probably just her imagination?
……
“So this is the Medicine Valley Secret Realm? Thanks for helping me run this errand. Next time we’ll have tea together.”
“Mm, see you.”
Waving goodbye to a friend working at Linlang Pavilion, Su Xiaoxiao clenched the jade token her friend had sent and began reading its contents.
Purchase date about thirty years ago, correct.
Secret Realm cleared with many battle traces, correct.
The Medicine Valley’s main hall seal was broken. According to decrypted ancient inscriptions found there, what was enshrined in the main hall was likely a half-finished Saint-Grade Elixir.
This elixir had lost much of its potency over time but could be revived—and even advanced to a true Saint-Grade Elixir.
The method was…
Su Xiaoxiao’s eyes widened. Could this really work?
If true, Hua Jian was in danger. The Magic Path would stop at nothing to seize this elixir!
“Senior Sister, something bad has happened! A big problem!!!”
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