“Heh,” the Fourth Demon Prince chuckled a little as he pondered something.
A grin surfaced on his face, making him look even more sinister and cruel. “For now, keep an eye out. Make sure you catch every bit of information about my brother’s companion and report it to me as soon as possible!”
His words were quickly received by the Silent Crows organization, and they started their new mission without the slightest delay. To them, it was like an order from the heavens and failure would mean extermination!
Unknowing of what his brothers were scheming, Jiang Yao observed Luo Xiao as the youth absorbed the essence of the heavens and earth into his body and then refined it into spiritual energy for his soul lake.
In such a manner, three more hours passed until Luo Xiao couldn’t absorb any more. His body felt as if it had been completely saturated with energy, and he felt that his lake of golden energy in his Soul Palace was full.
It would need to be gradually assimilated. Luo Xiao had the feeling that if he were hasty and took in too much, he would experience a backlash from the energy.
When he opened his eyes, he was instantly met with Jiang Yao’s focused gaze.
“Ah!” Luo Xiao gasped. He almost jumped in fright, his eyes wide. Naturally, that expression of his was as if he were the perfect little dessert for Jiang Yao, who laughed. “So, how does it feel to be a Low Sky Ranked cultivator?” Jiang Yao asked.
Luo Xiao blinked a few times, shaking away the surprise Jiang Yao had brought a few breaths earlier before closing his eyes. With that, he spread his sense into his body and observed the changes in himself before opening his eyes once more to look at the other man.
“I feel as if I’m bloated... It’s like if I absorb one more drop of energy, my mind will explode! Also, my golden orb has melted into a sea in my mind, it’s so odd,” Luo Xiao said, “Is that normal?”
Jiang Yao nodded, satisfied with his progress, though a rather unexpected trace of worry appeared in his eyes. The feeling of being completely full of energy was one he knew very well; after all, his own breakthroughs in his earlier years were filled with them!
“It’s normal for the orb to turn into a sea, Xiaoxiao. That way, it can accommodate far more energy than before,” Jiang Yao said, “Your sense should be able to cover a much larger radius now too, and you will even have the energy to cast a few abilities in succession without a problem.”
At the mention of abilities, Luo Xiao opened his eyes, which sparkled with interest “Abilities?” he asked.
Jiang Yao laughed at the excitement in the other’s eyes. “I knew you’d be intrigued by that. I'm going to find you a few once we get home,” he said, “The quality of spells here is pathetic.” He took Luo Xiao’s hand and pulled him up to stand next to him.
“What are we going to do for the rest of the day then?” Luo Xiao asked as he looked around the room, unsure what Jiang Yao’s plans were. After all, the man controlled practically his entire life.
“Want to go to an auction?” Jiang Yao asked with a playful smirk on his lips as he looked into Luo Xiao’s eyes.
Luo Xiao’s face lit up with excitement. It was so easy for one to tell what he felt, and Jiang Yao couldn’t help but sigh a little at his innocence. It really was refreshing.
Luo Xiao had never been to an auction. The word itself had only been mentioned a few times by passing merchants in his small village, and so he knew only the basic idea: rare objects being sold off in front of a lot of people to the highest bidder.
At the same time, that vagueness only made him more excited, but then he remembered that to participate in an auction he had to be rich. That thought immediately made his mood turn sour. “I can’t afford anything…” he said dejectedly.
Jiang Yao almost laughed at that statement - he was the Seventh Demon Prince! What was there in this world he couldn’t purchase, even with his influence alone?
“Don’t worry about money, Xiaoxiao. I’ll get you anything... As long as I get my payment,” he said with a chuckle, “Deal?”
At the mention of the ‘payment’ the white-robed youth’s face instantly blushed a deep red. Payment! This was extortion! But then he thought about getting to go to an auction, and his expression became thoughtful.
On one side, he was getting to go to his first auction and maybe he’d even get something precious, not to mention that it was just a kiss that Jiang Yao wanted. He really wasn’t asking that much of him.
After a short moment of thought, he nodded.
As soon as confirmation from the other came, Jiang Yao’s playful smirk widened. He’d naturally seen through all of Luo Xiao’s inner emotions, and he knew the other would agree.
A few minutes later, the pair was outside the hotel and walking towards the center of Heavenward City, where the auction house was located.
To be more specific, Heavenward City was so large that there were a few auction houses. There were several smaller ones and a large one in the center named Thousand Gold Leaves Auction House. The smaller houses were mainly for selling relatively uncommon materials and holding small-scale auctions, whereas the central auction house was where there were weekly auctions of rare and uncommon materials sold to the highest bidder.
And, today was the day when the big weekly auction was being held at the Thousand Gold Leaves Auction House!
A large number of people walked towards the Thousand Gold Leaves Auction House’s massive building, making it seem as if the house was about to be flooded with attendees.
As Jiang Yao and Luo Xiao made their way towards the big building, the river of people seemed to split just for them thanks to Jiang Yao’s aura. He was so strong that these people couldn’t help but subconsciously want to move away from him, even if he was merely walking beside them.
As the two of them slowly approached the Thousand Gold Leaves Auction House, more of the intricate building came into view.
To Luo Xiao, it was an absolutely enormous building! At least a hundred feet tall, it was like a grand palace with its thousands of decorations and intricate patterns covering the outer walls. An enormous sign was written in gold and purple ink across the center of the building. It stated in bold letters: Thousand Gold Leaves Auction House.
The sight was completely breathtaking to the young soul cultivator. His eyes widened as he tried to comprehend the luxury he was seeing. However, to Jiang Yao this kind of lavishness was nothing.
He tightened his grip on Luo Xiao’s hand a bit and leaned over to whisper in his ear. “Don’t be awed by this… There are far grander things than this at home,” he said.
His whisper shook Luo Xiao out of his shock but only made him glare at Jiang Yao. “That doesn’t really help!” He said. He almost sounded like a complaining child, but the other’s words did help stifle his sense of awe. When Luo Xiao once more looked at the Thousand Gold Leaves Auction House, he no longer felt too overwhelmed.
“Come on, let’s go in,” Jiang Yao said with a chuckle as he led the way through the crowd toward the entrance of the auction house, with Luo Xiao following right next to him.
As soon as they entered the doorway, a beautiful girl approached the two of them. “Greetings, Masters,” she said with an enchanting smile which when coupled with her ethereal looks made her appear like an immortal.
Jiang Yao’s gaze was rather cold as he glanced at her before he took out the wooden seal from within his robes. “I want a separate booth,” he said as he flashed the insignia for a split second, barely enough for the beautiful women to recognize the symbol before it disappeared from sight.
The girl almost gasped. Her eyes turned wide as she looked closely at Jiang Yao. She’d looked at the two of them at first with her charm mainly because Jiang Yao was such a beautiful, otherworldly person. But now there was also reverence mixed in with her gaze - he wasn’t just handsome, he also had such a great status!
“Your Highness, please excuse me while I consult my seniors!” the girl said with a bow towards Jiang Yao before she rushed inside the auction house.
There were already gazes focused on the pair. They contained envy, greed, surprise, and many more emotions mixed in their eyes, all of which made Luo Xiao inch closer towards Jiang Yao in an attempt to hide.
He always felt uncomfortable under so many gazes, and it felt like those eyes were trying to threaten the two of them. After all, it wasn’t just the pair going to today’s auction, there were many other people, and most of them had no idea Jiang Yao was the Seventh Demon Prince!
A few short minutes passed before the enchanting girl was back with a deep violet jade token in her hands. “Masters, an assistant is waiting inside to lead you to your room,” she said as she bowed and handed the token over to Jiang Yao.
With his sharp eyes, Jiang Yao clearly noticed her slightly blushing face, but he chose to ignore it as he took the token. “Xiaoxiao, let’s go,” he said. His hold on Luo Xiao’s hand tightened a little as he led the way inside.
Behind them, the pretty girl looked at the pair whose figures disappeared inside the Thousand Gold Leaves Auction House. She sighed, and the blush on her face intensified a little, though she knew that it would be impossible for her to ever enter Jiang Yao’s eyes.
With a small smile on her face, she turned back and continued greeting the people entering the auction house.
Inside the auction house, the decorations were nothing short of breathtaking. Every detail was luxurious to the extreme, and even though Luo Xiao kept Jiang Yao’s earlier words in mind, he couldn’t help but look around with wide eyes.
“Greetings, Your Highness,” said a new feminine voice from one side.
“My name is Mu Bing’er, and I’ve been assigned to take care of your every need during this auction. Please follow me to your room,” she said. She was a beautiful woman with her voluptuous body barely covered by a light pink and gold outfit. Her phoenix eyes radiated calmness, and her long hair hung loose. To a normal cultivator, she would’ve been like a piece of meat hanging in front of them ready to be taken.
Unfortunately, Jiang Yao and Luo Xiao weren’t ordinary cultivators. After nodding briefly while Luo Xiao looked curiously at Mu Bing’er, Jiang Yao followed her as she led the way towards their room.
Luo Xiao had been silent this entire time, only looking in awe at their surroundings as the three of them walked through a few corridors and long staircases, all decorated with care and expensive materials.
It seemed like a lot of time passed while they navigated the corridors, but it really was just a few minutes before they arrived at a door.
“Here is the booth you requested, Your Highness. I will bring you tea and snacks,” with these words, Mu Bing’er opened the door to the room before bowing and walking away to get the promised tea.
Jiang Yao completely ignored Mu Bing’er’s words as he looked at the room.
The inside of the small room was well lit and had a few comfortable-looking armchairs. One shouldn't forget to mention that the view of the main hall was incredible. Luo Xiao’s eyes turned wide once again when he noticed that their room had a balcony at the top of the hall with a perfect view of everything happening below them. This included the cultivators streaming into the auction hall.
In Jiang Yao’s eyes, there was another little detail which Luo Xiao couldn’t see. There was a spell around the room which prevented others from seeing who was inside. It was indeed convenient, he thought as he sat down on one of the comfortable seats.
“Xiaoxiao, come over,” he said to Luo Xiao, who was still looking around the hall.
The youth blinked a few times before withdrawing his gaze from the almost full hall to Jiang Yao.
With a smirk, Jiang Yao beckoned the other over once more. “Sit over here, it will start shortly,” he said.
Luo Xiao glanced once more at the hall, with his wide eyes before he nodded and walked over to the other free armchair. Just as he was about to sit down, Jiang Yao’s hand shot forward, grabbed Luo Xiao’s arm, and pulled him over.
“Not there, Xiaoxiao,” he said with a low, sultry whisper as Luo Xiao found himself sitting on the other’s lap.
“Jiang Yao!” Luo Xiao said, his voice jumping an octave. His face turned bright red the moment he realized that Jiang Yao wanted him to sit on his lap throughout the entire auction. “You can’t do that here!” he said.
In the same moment Luo Xiao said this, Mu Bing’er returned. She carried a tray with a delicate porcelain tea set and some sweet treats atop it. The moment she walked into the small room and saw Jiang Yao holding Luo Xiao rather intimately, her eyes quickly moved to the side, pretending it was none of her concern.
Unfortunately, even she, a trained professional of the Thousand Golden Leaves Auction House, couldn’t hide the faint blush that crept up her cheeks as she closed the door and continued further into the room.
“I’ve brought our finest tea, made from the leaves of the rare Brilliant Sunset Flower. I hope it will be to your liking, Your Highness,” Mu Bing’er said as she bowed slightly and put the tray down on the small table between the two armchairs. She did this while doing her best to avoid looking at the two of them.
“Xiaoxiao, sit here,” Jiang Yao said as though he hadn’t heard Mu Bing’er. His hands closed around Luo Xiao’s waist, completely cutting off any way for Luo Xiao to retreat from his embrace.
The hands around his waist made Luo Xiao’s face become even redder. His heart pounded in his chest as he struggled to wriggle free. However, he was unable to move Jiang Yao’s hands which were as strong as a vice.
“Jiang Yao, we can’t do that here!” He whispered, briefly glancing at Mu Bing’er, who pretended to see nothing.
Jiang Yao’s smile widened as he held Luo Xiao closer, chuckling slightly. “Don’t worry, it’s not like anyone really cares... Plus, nobody can see us from here. Relax, Xiaoxiao. The auction will begin soon,” he said.
Those words only made Luo Xiao blush even more than before, but afterwards, he took a deep breath. He had to calm down! Besides, Jiang Yao’s embrace was actually quite warm... It was not too bad, Luo Xiao thought just before a voice sounded out from the hall, pulling his gaze to the stage.
“Welcome to the Thousand Golden Leaves Auction House’s weekly auction! My name is Mu Xiu, and I’m tonight’s auctioneer. I assume all of you know the rules - if you want it, spend more money than the previous bidder! The one with the highest bid wins and the token you received at the start will be used to verify you’re the bidder!” said a middle-aged man with a bald head. His eyes looked through the crowd, briefly stopping at the area where Jiang Yao and Luo Xiao were seated. Smiling, he looked back at the crowd below.
“Now, we’ll begin with the first item for tonight’s auction! This is a beast bone, originally from a Three-Horned Black Centipede, however, it was submerged in an area of extreme cold, causing it to gain an icy aura! The starting price will be fifteen gold bars!” As soon as he said that, an object was brought to the stage causing a cold aura to permeate the air. However, that wasn’t a problem for the audience. After all, the majority of them were strong enough cultivators that it didn’t bother them.
“Sixteen gold bars!” someone quickly called out, and with that, the bidding started.
“Seventeen gold bars!”
“Nine Earth Grade spirit crystals!”
It seemed chaotic, but the bald man on stage was able to keep up with extreme accuracy, clearly used to this. By the time, the highest bid ended, it was at forty-five Earth Grade spirit crystals, and with that, the first item was sold.
Luo Xiao’s amazement rose as he listened to the bidders, before sighing as he glanced at the beast bone. “Is this what an auction is like?” he asked.
“Back in my hometown, the bidding is much more ferocious. There are people that are willing to pay with blood for some items…” Jiang Yao’s voice trailed off as he mentioned blood, not specifying any more details.
The reason he didn’t go on was because of the slight flinch of Luo Xiao. The prince had almost forgotten that Luo Xiao was completely terrified of blood and death.
“Want me to tell you about the items?” Jiang Yao asked, smoothly diverting Luo Xiao’s attention from his previous words to the second item, which had just been sold while the two of them talked.
Instantly, Luo Xiao’s gaze brightened as he nodded.
“Alright. You heard the name of what was just sold, right? The Jade Snake Flower is a very powerful healing medicine. To people under the Moon Rank, its nine leaves are practically life-saving treasures - one leaf can restore a finger, three can restore a limb, and five can restore a body!” Jiang Yao chuckled as he explained briefly.
Luo Xiao’s eyes sparkled as he nodded, understanding how truly incredible that flower was.
“However,” Jiang Yao said, his voice turning slightly colder which startled both Luo Xiao and Mu Bing’er, “If you eat seven leaves, your body will not recover faster, but will disintegrate instead! If you eat all nine, you will live, but for the rest of your life you will be plagued by Green Jade Snake poison, for which there is no cure!”
Luo Xiao gasped, glancing in fear this time at the flower which was being put away by Mu Xiu. While he didn’t doubt the preciousness of the flower, he suddenly felt dread towards it.
“Don’t worry, Xiaoxiao, once you get to the Moon Rank, the Jade Snake Flower has no effect. Most people know of its uses and drawbacks, so you don’t have to fear it,” Jiang Yao said with a smile as he rubbed Luo Xiao’s back a little and pulled him closer to his body, reassuring him.
The next item was shown and sold just like that, but Jiang Yao didn’t feel the need to explain what it was. It was just a pill, and he felt that Luo Xiao had no interest in pills.
The fourth item to be sold did catch Luo Xiao’s attention as he bit into one of the sweets delivered by Mu Bing’er. “What is that glowing orb?” he asked curiously while looking at the item being presented.
It was a light purple orb with twirling golden dust inside of it. It seemed otherworldly with its gentle golden glow, and Mu Xiu introduced it to the audience as a Moonless Starlight Orb.
“That isn’t something naturally created,” Jiang Yao muttered while looking at the Moonless Starlight Orb. “It’s made using the starlight gathered from one hundred moonless nights, and it’s a defensive item that can annul up to three attacks from a Moon Ranked expert. Do you want it?”
Luo Xiao glanced at the orb as he heard the next bid that was around a hundred Earth Grade spirit crystals before he shook his head and finished his snack.
The mere sum of a hundred Earth Grade spirit crystals scared him. It was too much for him to even think of obtaining the Moonless Starlight Orb, even though he had a feeling that Jiang Yao had plenty of spirit crystals to spare.
Sighing, Luo Xiao picked up another treat and bit into it as the auction continued.
Roughly twenty different items followed, all going for different prices - some of the items sold in gold and some in spirit crystals. The highest price reached had been three hundred and fifty Earth Grade spirit crystals for a set of armor rumored to have been an ancient treasure, and the guy who bet seemed as if he was crying on the inside.
The prices made Luo Xiao realize just how rare Earth Grade spirit crystals were in this region. A second later, he remembered the ease with which Jiang Yao had paid the old man at the caravan for the hairpin and bracelet, which made him wonder if they were less rare where Jiang Yao came from.
“Our next item is a rare Elusive Mist Fruit! Rumored to be one of the rarest fruits in the region. One of its uses is to raise someone’s soul power and help with breakthroughs! The starting price is ten Earth Grade spirit crystals!” Mu Xiu suddenly announced as a smooth oval object was brought to the stage.
Gentle silvery mist drifted off the fruit as Luo Xiao and Jiang Yao looked at it. It had a few swirly lines on its surface, and although it had no luster or glow, one could tell that it wasn’t something common.
Quickly, voices raised in the hall as the bidding commenced, though Jiang Yao frowned a little as he watched the fruit.
As the price steadily rose, Jiang Yao calculated. Originally, he had taken Luo Xiao because he had a use for his Astral Soul, and that reason had not truly changed. He needed Luo Xiao to get stronger.
But he couldn’t allow himself to be impatient with achieving his goals because he didn’t want to hurt Luo Xiao in any way, especially since Luo Xiao was now his little lover. Smiling a little, he suddenly spoke up, overshadowing the woman who had just bid two hundred Earth Grade spirit crystals on the fruit.
“One Sky Grade spirit crystal.”
Instantly, the hall went silent. Mu Bing’er who was right beside Jiang Yao and Luo Xiao couldn’t believe what she had just heard.
One Sky Grade spirit crystal? That was worth one thousand Earth Grade spirit crystals!
Instantly, at least thirty gazes moved to glance up at the room where Jiang Yao and Luo Xiao were situated, trying to see who was inside and gauge their strength.
Someone with such wealth clearly didn’t have a simple background, they thought as vague coldness seeped in their hearts. However, they were obviously unable to see who was in the room.
Mu Xiu, the auctioneer, coughed lightly to break those few breaths of absolute silence. As the auctioneer, he knew who was in that room - the Seventh Demon Prince! That wasn’t someone who could be trifled with, and Mu Xiu already had a cold sweat running down his back.
“Nobody else?” he asked dryly, but it was clear that no one would dare to even say as much as a word. If someone had one Sky Grade spirit crystal, they most likely had more. Fighting for the Elusive Mist Fruit was now futile, and everyone gave up.
“Alright, sold for one Sky Grade spirit crystal,” Mu Xiu announced before continuing with the auction as if nothing happened.
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