…


    Mu Zhi’an sipped his tea leisurely, a smirk on his lips as he heard the silence below.


    He had spent almost half the hundred thousand Spirit Stones he had acquired from Master Huang, but he still had fifty thousand left. It was a small fortune.


    He didn’t know what that root was for, but if Ye Yu wanted it… he would bid against him.


    The Chosen One was a fat sheep, ripe for the shearing.


    He took another sip of tea, offered by the servant beside him.


    “One thousand Spirit Stones,” a clear, sweet voice called out.


    He looked towards the source of the bid.


    That voice… it was Ye Lingxuan!


    She’s standing up for him? He felt a pang of jealousy.


    Then, a thought occurred to him. If I bid against her, would she back down?


    However, he couldn’t risk revealing his presence.


    “Keep bidding. No matter what price they offer, keep raising it,” he instructed the servant.


    He set down his cup and left the room.


    “One thousand one hundred Spirit Stones.”


    “One thousand two hundred.”


    The servant continued to bid, and Ye Lingxuan’s voice echoed from the other room.


    Mu Zhi’an’s eyes narrowed. He spotted the room in a secluded corner. “There she is”


    He quickened his pace, heading towards the Ye sisters’ private room.


    …


    Ye Qian sat quietly, her youthful beauty as radiant as ever, her arm linked with Ye Lingxuan’s.


    “Sister, why are you bidding on that thing?” she asked softly.


    “For Brother Ye Yu?”


    Ye Lingxuan glanced at her. “He’s still a member of the Ye family. We might not have been close these past few years, but if he wants it, I’ll get it for him. It’s better to give it to family than to a stranger.”


    She would be leaving Tianxuan City soon. After that, she wouldn’t have much contact with him. This would be her farewell gift.


    Ye Qian nodded silently.


    Then, she murmured, “I wonder where Brother Mu went. He promised to meet us here.”


    Ye Lingxuan scoffed. “I knew he wasn’t a good person. How could you expect him to keep his promise?”


    Ye Qian looked at her, her brow furrowing slightly. “Then why did you dress up this morning?”


    Ye Lingxuan chuckled. “Qian’er, wouldn’t you dress up for such an important occasion?”


    She tapped Ye Qian’s lips playfully. “You, on the other hand, usually prefer a simple style, but today you’re even more elegant than I am.”


    “Are you trying to impress Mu Zhi’an?” she asked, her eyes twinkling mischievously.


    Ye Qian blushed, her gaze downcast. “What are you talking about, Sister? I dressed up for the same reason as you… because it’s an auction.”


    Ye Lingxuan, seeing through her friend’s denial, took a sip of tea, then continued, “Whatever your reasons, that Mu Zhi’an, he’s not a good person. He promised to meet us, yet he’s nowhere to be found.”


    “He’s probably… entertaining another woman.”


    Ye Qian’s face fell, but she didn’t argue.


    He had broken his promise. Perhaps her sister was right.


    “One thousand three hundred Spirit Stones,” a voice called out from a nearby room.


    The price was far beyond what most young cultivators were willing to pay. It wasn’t that they lacked the funds, but spending so much on a withered root wasn’t worth it.


    “One thousand five hundred.”


    Ye Lingxuan frowned, her competitive spirit ignited.


    Ye Qian placed her hand on her friend’s arm, her voice soothing. “Sister, calm down. It’s not worth it. It’s just a useless herb.”


    Helping Ye Yu out of past affection was one thing, but wasting so many Spirit Stones.


    “I want to see how far they’re willing to go,” Ye Lingxuan said, her voice cold.


    She was clearly annoyed, unwilling to back down.


    She was about to bid again when the curtain to their room was suddenly pulled open.


    They looked up to see a handsome young man standing there, a sheepish smile on his face.


    “Sorry I’m late.”


    Ye Lingxuan blinked, then her expression turned cold. “Young Master Mu, I thought you weren’t coming.”


    “I couldn’t find you. If I hadn’t heard your bids, I probably would have searched all night,” he replied with a chuckle.


    He paused, then added, “If I hadn’t arrived, you two would have driven the price up to ten thousand.”


    “Even I would feel the pinch at that price.”


    They exchanged glances, their eyes wide with surprise.


    The one bidding against them… it was the Mu family’s young master?


    …


    Ye Yu stared at Feiying on stage, his heart pounding with anxiety.


    “Strange, why did Qian’er stop bidding? Does she not have enough Spirit Stones?”


    He couldn’t allow that Dragon Soaring Tendril to fall into someone else’s hands. It would be a waste. Only those with exceptional alchemical talent could nurture it. In anyone else’s hands, it would remain useless.


    He had to acquire it. It would be a valuable asset in the future. He hurried towards a private room on the second floor, his gaze fixed on the withered root.


    “This must be it… I heard Lingxuan’s voice coming from here.” Sёarch* The N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    He reached for the curtain, about to enter.


    “Qian’er, I told you I was searching for you. Don’t you believe me?” a familiar voice echoed from within.


    “You smell like another woman’s lipstick, Young Master Mu. Were you entertaining someone at a pleasure house?” Ye Lingxuan’s voice was cool and clear.


    “That’s your lipstick. Smell it.”


    “Behave yourself, Young Master Mu!” she scolded, but her tone was playful, not angry.


    Ye Yu’s heart sank as he heard their laughter. He pulled open the curtain.