After enjoying the show for a few moments, Jian finally pulled his gaze away from the surrounding crowds. Once he returned his attention to the inside of the carriage, he found the maidservant looking at him with fond amusement.

"We're drawing a lot of attention," he said.

"It's only natural," she replied. "Every time Master Wang departs the estate, he causes a stir."

"Won't we cause a commotion when we get out?" Jian asked.

If the old man could cause rumors just by riding around in his carriage, Jian thought it would be even more newsworthy for a guest to be riding in it. He didn't want to cause too many waves in the capital. He'd struggle to keep his head above water if he got into any real trouble.

"Of course," she said, nodding.

"But there's no problem?" Jian asked.

"Of course not," she replied. "The old master likes to shake things up every now and then."

Well, Jian didn't mind borrowing a tiger's pelt for a day to look more impressive, especially if the tiger was offering it to him of its own volition. It was probably too much to hope that he would actually receive a discount on any of his purchases at the auction house, but he could at least hold out hope that they would take his request more seriously. As long as the Wang patriarch was going to take care of any resulting attention, there was no reason for him to worry.

Of course, trouble from outsiders wasn't the only thing that he had to worry about. Jian turned his gaze to Shan, receiving a quizzical stare in return.

"You'll be speaking for me again," he said.

"Oh, yeah," Shan replied. "Uh, it was living jade, right?"

Jian nodded, holding back a sigh. When it came to sweet talking a client and securing a deal, he was confident in his own abilities. When it came to sounding like an old man to match his appearance, he was less confident. Letting Shan speak for him let him avoid the danger of being caught out as a fraud, but relying on Shan's composure and acting ability in order to get what he wanted was almost as troubling.

Jian thought about giving Shan some last minute advice, but in the end he decided against it. Shan would only get himself in trouble if he tried to pretend to be anything other than who he was. Sometimes tricking people wasn't so much about being clever at it was about showing them what they wanted to see.

Their carriage never seemed to slow down as it moved through the streets. Everybody else on the road must have been scrambling to get out of their way. Jian certainly would have, if he had seen those fierce horses coming up behind him. They were soon pulling to a halt in front of the auction house.

The Treasure Pavilion did its business in an enormous building that had been constructed to the size of a fortress but to the style of an elegant place of business. By reputation, it was the greatest treasure house in the Empire, only overshadowed by the imperial vaults. The pavilion's employees bought and sold goods worth mountains of spirit stones every day, reserving a small portion of the money passing through their hands as the pavilion's profit. It was a vast enterprise, and was considered one of the pillars of the Empire together with the sects and the noble clans.

While Jian was admiring the impressive edifice before them, the maidservant didn't hesitate to get out of the carriage. She held the door open so that Jian and Shan could exit. When Jian stepped out, she even offered a deferential bow before taking the lead and guiding the pair of them into the building. Whatever else was going on, she seemed to be having a good time playing up Jian's role as an important guest.

It worked, at least to the extent of convincing the staff of the auction house. Instead of registering at the front desk behind the line of ordinary visitors, a young woman wearing the uniform of a Treasure Pavilion employee stepped out and ushered them into a private office. Jian did his best to act unimpressed by the sumptuously decorated surroundings, although he couldn't help but rest his eyes on a painting hanging on the wall.

Jian would be the first to admit that he didn't have the soul of an artist, but he did have a hobby of learning about expensive things. The painting looked like a reproduction he had once seen of an original piece of art that had sold at auction for a ludicrous quantity of spirit stones. It had stuck in his mind because the simple scene of a willow tree hanging over a river, while pleasing to the eye, seemed quite ordinary for something that cost so much.

Now that he was looking at the original, he still thought it was a ludicrous price. He frowned slightly and scolded himself. Of course a painting of such value wouldn't be on display in a front office. This must be another reproduction. He gave it another look. Despite his continued effort, he still couldn't see why everybody was so excited about it.

"Senior has excellent eyes," the employee said. "That painting is Master Zhao's masterwork. When it came up for auction, our manager couldn't bear to let it leave and insisted on bidding from his personal funds."

Jian stifled his shocked reaction. Instead he just grunted, nodded as if he had known all along, and moved to stand next to Shan by the desk near the back of the office. She didn't react to his rude reply, simply proceeding to her place behind the desk as though they had just made cordial conversation.

"Now, Miss Wu," she said, addressing the maidservant, "you'll be here to pick up the orders for the Wang estate."

The maidservant nodded. The employee took a note, then turned to Shan. "And how can I help you?"

Shan started slightly, then cleared his throat. "Ah, yes, my grandfather requires living jade."

"Oh?" she asked, making a note. "How much?"

Shan looked over at Jian for a moment in panic, before taking hold of himself. "That depends how much you have."

Jian had to struggle to maintain his disinterested expression. His money pouch held twenty-six spirit stones, seventeen of which were fully charged. He didn't know exactly how much living jade cost, but no high level material was cheap. He hoped Shan would at least look to him confirmation before he actually committed him to spending any money.

As kind as the old man had been to the two of them, Jian didn't want to borrow money from him that he would use to strengthen himself for a duel against his own granddaughter.

"I see, I see," the employee said, not missing a beat as she took down another note. "Let me go check on our stockpiled supplies."

She bustled out of the room, leaving the three of them in silence. Shan looked to Jian with a big smile on his face. Jian just shook his head. Some people just couldn't be taught.

A few moments later, the employee returned with a stack of packages held in her arms. Jian watched with mild alarm as he wondered just how much jade he was going to have to find an excuse not to buy. When she set the packages down in front of the Wang family servant, it was all he could do not to sigh in relief.

The employee sat down and looked at Shan and Jian apologetically. "I'm afraid we don't have any living jade in stock at the moment. It's a material that's always in high demand."

Jian rubbed his fingers against his chin in contemplation. If the Treasure Pavilion didn't have the material, it was unlikely that he was going to find it anywhere else in the capital. He'd try, of course, although in all likelihood the easiest thing to do would be to have the Treasure Pavilion handle the transaction for him.

"Do you know when you'll get any?" Shan asked.

"Unfortunately, I can't say with any precision," she said. "It has been hard to come by lately. I can put in a note to contact you when some jade becomes available."

"Very well," Shan said. "Oh, I should ask: how much does it usually cost?"

"Ordinarily, living jade would cost one hundred spirit stones per jin. Considering the current scarcity, the price has gone up to one hundred and fifty," she said, before glancing at the maidservant and smiling. "Of course, for you, the price will still be one hundred."

Shan had gone a bit pale when she quoted the price. He soldiered on admirably, though.

"Very well," he said. "Please do tell us if some arrives."

"Naturally," she said, taking a note. "In the meantime, we have a few items going up for auction shortly, if you'd like to take a look."

Shan looked to Jian, who nodded. They might as well. As soon as she'd started quoting specific prices, any hope of buying anything had flown out the window. All he could do was watch from the sidelines, so he might as well enjoy the show.