Several hours of intense bidding had passed when the gears beneath the floor began to turn. The jade altar descended and a steel platform rose in its place. On it stood a massive carriage, carved from black Ironwood and reinforced with Shadow Steel. Static sparks ran across the defensive formations on the doors.
— The Mobile Palace of the Roads! — the auctioneer shouted. — A fortress on wheels. It withstands landslides and blocks continuous attacks. Starting bid: ten thousand Inferior Grade Qi Stones!
The high price silenced the ground floor. The mercenaries stepped back. The fight now belonged to the private rooms.
— Twenty thousand! — Patriarch Lín's hoarse voice came from Private Room One.
— Twenty-eight thousand! — replied the young man from Private Room Two, arrogantly. — The Iron River will take it!
In Private Room Three, Zhì Yuǎn observed the carriage for a few seconds. The armor seemed solid. It would be useful for protecting the family on the way South.
He touched the copper funnel on the side of the glass and injected Qi into it.
— Thirty-two thousand.
His voice fell from the private room. The entire hall felt its weight.
In Private Room Two, the Young Master of the Iron River slammed his fist on the table. He forced his voice to remain calm through the communicator.
— Thirty-five thousand — he said politely. — This junior admires the wealth of the senior in the third private room. However, the roads of the Far South are dangerous. The wind reaps those who travel alone, and the gravel there is made from the bones of the rich. I suggest the senior leave the carriage to someone who has enough guards to protect it.
The air inside Private Room Three turned cold.
Yù Qíng straightened her back on Zhì Yuǎn's lap. Her nails scratched her skirt. She was about to stand up and head toward Private Room Two.
Zhì Yuǎn's large hand descended and firmly held her thigh in place. The weight and heat of his palm kept her seated. He leaned toward the copper funnel.
— If the roads are so dangerous — he replied, his voice low and drawn-out —, your sect should use today's stones to pay for guards and clean up the filth on the path.
He paused for a second.
— Four hundred Medium Grade Qi Stones.
The silence was immediate.
In Private Room Three, Yù Méi held her breath. She knew that Medium Grade Qi Stones were rare. Since the end of the Transcendent Era, almost no mines capable of producing stones of that level had appeared. What remained was fiercely contested by older cultivators — especially those at the Eighth Mortal Stage — who were trying to reach the Ninth Stage before dying. Because of this, their value only increased with each passing year.
Using four hundred stones of that level to buy a carriage was something no one in the hall had expected. It was an absurd waste.
The auctioneer swallowed dryly and struck the gavel quickly.
— Sold to Private Room Three!
In Private Rooms Two and One, the sound of shattering cups leaked through the walls. The humiliated patriarchs were furious.
Yù Qíng relaxed on Zhì Yuǎn's lap. A small, satisfied smile curved her lips.
---
In Private Room Eleven, Mò Yán watched the dark glass of the third private room across the hall. Her red eyes were attentive.
— Ancestor — she called, her voice low and polite. — Are you certain that man is truly special? Spending four hundred Medium Grade Qi Stones on a carriage… even if it's a good item, it's still something common. With your experience, don't you think this is wasteful?
The old shopkeeper let out a hoarse laugh, without taking his eyes off Private Room Three.
— Wasteful? — he repeated, amused. — Girl, if he has medium-grade stones to burn like that, then he has far more than we imagine. And the way he responded to that brat from Private Room Two… it wasn't provocation. It was just bare truth. Few people would do that.
Mò Yán remained silent for a few seconds, analyzing. Her grandfather was right. The outsider hadn't responded with arrogance or direct threats. He had simply returned the provocation in a practical and sharp manner. And yet, he had spent a fortune on something that, for someone from her sect, would be considered trivial.
— He's intelligent — she murmured. — But he's also eccentric. That makes it difficult to understand his intentions.
The old man turned his wrinkled face toward her. His small eyes held a glint of curiosity.
— Do you want me to introduce you after the auction? I can do that without any problem.
Mò Yán immediately shook her head.
— That won't be necessary. I didn't come here to socialize. If it's fate, we'll meet. I don't need to force anything.
The old man chuckled softly and shook his head.
— Look at you… talking like a hundred-year-old woman. Since when did you become so serious, huh?
Mò Yán kept her posture straight, but her eyes lowered slightly.
— The ancestor has always taught me to be cautious.
— I taught you to be smart, not to be a statue — the old man retorted, laughing again. — Stop calling me "ancestor" all the time. Call me grandpa, like a normal granddaughter.
Mò Yán remained silent for a moment. Then she replied, still in a low and respectful voice:
— …Understood, grandpa.
The old man looked at her for a few seconds and let out a sigh, shaking his head.
---
The steel platform descended, and the gears beneath the floor turned for the last time that night.
The granite altar rose once again. On the black velvet lay four simple ceramic vials, stained with dry earth, looking completely out of place amidst so much luxury.
— The final lot! — the auctioneer shouted. — Golden Essence of Rebirth. Starting bid: five thousand Medium Grade Qi Stones per vial!
The hall fell into an incredulous silence.
Mò Yán narrowed her red eyes. She immediately recognized those vials. Before she left, her father — the Sect Master — had been very clear: she needed to bring back at least one vial of this Essence. The owner of the trading consortium, an old friend of her father, was the one who had leaked the news about its high purity to attract the major figures. Now her father wanted the item for himself.
Even though the Essence was powerful enough to help someone reach the Transcendent Realm, Mò Yán knew that not just anyone could use it easily. Only older cultivators with extremely solid foundations would have a chance of absorbing something so pure without destroying their own bodies.
— Grandpa — she called, her voice low and serious. — This is why the Sect Master sent me. I need to secure at least one of these vials.
The old shopkeeper glanced at her sideways. Then his eyes returned to the altar.
— Don't worry — he murmured. — I came with the same intention. We'll take two of them. I suspect that old miser is also here to claim one.
On the ground floor, a scarred mercenary leader stood up from the second row. He had been stuck at the Eighth Mortal Stage for over a hundred years.
— Do you think we're idiots? — he spat. — Charging the price of an entire sect for an unknown elixir? I want proof before I throw my money at this.
The auctioneer smiled and held up the first vial. He pushed the stopper upward, and a thread of dense vapor escaped. With a quick motion, he threw the smoke directly into the mercenary's face.
The man inhaled the vapor.
At that exact moment, the Qi sealed inside his body exploded. The energy surged with such force that he dropped to his knees, cracking the jade floor. The veins in his neck and arms swelled. His bones cracked as his body was forced to endure a new density. Within seconds, the pressure of the Ninth Mortal Stage burst forth from him.
He remained kneeling, gasping, tears mixing with sweat. His body trembled, but his eyes were alive once more.
The hall exploded with greed.
Several older cultivators began circulating their energy, ready to fight for the vials. The atmosphere turned heavy and aggressive within seconds.
Zmmmmmmmm.
An overwhelming pressure of Void Condensation descended over the entire hall. Mò Yán's grandfather was exerting his aura. Most of those present felt their bodies lock up.
— Let's calm down, friends — the old man said in a calm but heavy voice. — We don't want to stain the walls of this prestigious auction house. Everyone will have a chance to acquire these heavenly liquids. Let's not lose our civility now.
The pressure disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. The cultivators present regained their breath and composure.
Back in Private Room Eleven, Mò Yán turned to her grandfather and raised an eyebrow.
— You said you wouldn't involve yourself with the martial world anymore. Why interfere now?
The old man let out a low laugh.
— Where do you think I'm getting the funds to pay for this purchase, girl? — he retorted with a half-smile. — That old miser didn't want the items to be stolen. Like I said, he's going to win one of these vials.
---
The pressure evaporated. The ground floor regained its breath.
The auctioneer wiped his forehead with his sleeve and grabbed the first ceramic vial.
— The first elixir is open! Starting bid: five thousand Medium Grade Qi Stones!
The crowd on the ground floor immediately lowered their bamboo plaques. The use of Medium Grade Qi Stones eliminated any chance of participation from mercenaries and smaller clans. They had witnessed the miracle, but now they could only watch the financial war between the major powers.
Mò Yán's cold, polite voice came through the communicator from Private Room Eleven.
— Ten thousand Medium Grade Qi Stones. The Central Pillar claims the first elixir.
The name of the most feared sect in the province, combined with the direct jump to double the starting bid, froze the other private rooms. No one dared to contest it. The oak gavel descended.
The auctioneer immediately moved on to the second vial.
— The second elixir! Starting bid: five thousand Medium Grade Qi Stones!
— Ten thousand five hundred! — The hoarse voice of an elderly alchemist echoed from Private Room Five. It was the Stone Cauldron Sect, the alchemists from the East, clearly desperate for the purity of the liquid.
In Private Room Eleven, Mò Yán's grandfather clicked his tongue in irritation.
— Twelve thousand.
— Sixteen thousand! — the alchemist from Private Room Five countered, his voice cracking with tension.
The old man frowned. He activated the communicator again, his rustic voice scraping across the hall.
— Eighteen thousand Medium Grade Qi Stones. And if the Stone Cauldron Sect tests my limit one more time today, I'll pay a personal visit to your courtyard tomorrow morning.
The threat immediately silenced the alchemists. Private Room Five placed no further bids. The gavel struck for the second time.
The auctioneer raised the third and final vial, sweat running down his face.
— The last vial of rebirth! Starting bid: five thousand Medium Grade Qi Stones!
The entire hall braced for a fierce fight. Several old monsters were already calculating how to divide the vial among themselves.
It was then that a soft, honeyed female voice cut through the dome from Private Room Eight.
— Thirty thousand Medium Grade Qi Stones. The Consortium claims the last one.
The silence that followed was different from the previous ones. It wasn't just shock. It was the heavy realization that the game was over.
No one dared to bid. Thirty thousand medium-grade stones was a sum that few sects in the province could gather even if they combined all their reserves. And even if they did… everyone present knew that the owner of the Consortium would still have far more.
The gavel descended for the third and final time.
In Private Room Eleven, Mò Yán's grandfather let out a rough laugh.
— Thirty thousand all at once… — he muttered, shaking his head. — That bastard owner of the consortium. He throws double the price on the table to scare the room and doesn't have to sweat bidding penny by penny. And he even uses his concubine's voice on the communicator to show off to the entire World. Pathetic.
Mò Yán adjusted her silver-gray mantle, her posture upright and formal. Her mission was complete. The vial was secured.
On the other side of the pavilion, in Private Room Three, Zhì Yuǎn remained reclined in his armchair, observing the chaos below with his usual calm expression. Yù Qíng was lying on her side across his lap, wearing a small satisfied smile.
The auction had ended.
---
Almost an hour passed before everything was ready.
The Appraiser appeared in the loading courtyard near midnight, sweating coldly. He approached Zhì Yuǎn, who was standing beside the carriage, and handed him an ebony plaque with the transfer seals.
— Senior — he said, bowing. — We have already collected the full amount and credited the Medium Grade Qi Stones directly into the reinforced safe of your new carriage. We also sent men to the Nine Clouds Inn with the key you gave us. They brought all the luggage and the Inferior Grade Qi Stones that were in the room. Everything has already been loaded.
Zhì Yuǎn took the plaque, gave it a quick glance, and stored it in his tunic pocket.
Yù Qíng and Yù Méi stood beside him, waiting. The eldest observed the carriage with interest. The youngest looked tired, but didn't complain.
Zhì Yuǎn looked at the two of them.
— We'll return home first — he said, his voice low and drawn-out. — Then we head South. The carriage is large enough to carry everything. Let's go.
Yù Qíng nodded without saying anything, simply moving closer to him. Yù Méi also agreed silently, clutching her cloak against her body.
Zhì Yuǎn climbed onto the driver's seat and took the thick reins. The two copper-scaled beasts snorted when they felt the weight. Yù Qíng and Yù Méi boarded the passenger cabin. The heavy door closed behind them with a dry click.
Zhì Yuǎn snapped the reins. The beasts began to move, dragging the tons of the carriage out of the courtyard. The guards opened the gate and stepped aside.
The Mobile Palace left Qīngshí through the eastern gate, heading south into the darkness of the early morning.
Inside the passenger cabin, the sound of the road barely reached them. The repulsion formations on the chassis absorbed the jolts, leaving the interior in comfortable silence.
Yù Méi was sitting beside her sister. She stretched her arms forward, opened and closed her hands a few times, observing her own fingers with a curious expression.
— The trip was fun — she murmured, still looking at her hands. — I feel… different now. Like I'm another person.
Yù Qíng glanced at her sideways. A small, crooked smile formed on her lips.
— I thought it was fun too — she replied, her voice low. — Especially discovering how much my little sister has grown and become bold.
Yù Méi turned her face, surprised. Yù Qíng continued staring at her with that corner-of-the-mouth smile, her black eyes gleaming faintly in the dim light of the cabin.
Outside, Zhì Yuǎn guided the carriage in silence, focused on the wind and the creaking of the wheels. He deliberately ignored the sound of muffled slaps and the low crying of a young girl that escaped from the passenger cabin.
The Mobile Palace moved farther and farther from Qīngshí, cutting through the darkness of the plain toward the south.
The night grew quieter as the distance increased.
And they would never return to that city again.