Everyone was silent on the carriage ride home. Wu Jian glanced at Zhou Lihua, who looked to be in a foul mood. He didn’t blame her.

Cì Chuān had completely disrupted the flow of her mini-auction for the last several sets of Meridian Opening and Middle-Grade Chi Gathering Pills. He would bid five hundred thousand spirit coins every time--a price none of the other cultivators present had been able to afford. To make matters worse, Zhou Lihua could not tell the man to piss off. They needed this money for the auction, so while it pained her, she had no choice but to allow him to buy the pills off her. No one else had that kind of money.

“I may have underestimated how much money we’ll need,” Zhou Lihua finally said after several long moments of stifling silence.

Hou Jingshu nodded. “I think you’re right. If Cì Chuān is here for the auction, then he’ll definitely do everything in his power to buy the Ten Thousand Year Spirit Spring Water for himself.”

Cì Chuān was a tier 5 alchemist, which meant he was in the middle ranks of alchemists. That was really impressive for someone only a few years older than them. Most alchemists never even reached tier 5, and the ones who did, often required decades to get there.

“What is a heavenly flame?” asked Wu Jian suddenly.

Zhou Lihua shifted closer to Wu Jian, until their thighs were practically touching. Her master wasn’t present right now. He was still at the Alchemist Association Bazaar, so she was being more forward with him than she usually was.

“I guess I never told you about that, did I?” She reached out to touch his arm, then slid her fingers down until they were laced with his. Her hand was warm. “In order to become a tier 5 alchemist, one must have a unique flame. There are a number of unique flames. Among the unique flames available, the most powerful and most coveted are the heavenly flames.”

Hou Jingshu had not been paying attention to Zhou Lihua at first, but when she turned around and saw how the older woman was holding Wu Jian’s hand, she immediately went for his other hand. Wu Jian found himself trapped between a pair of beautiful women. It was an enviable position to be sure. He also thought Hou Jingshu’s borderline jealous reaction was adorable.

Zhou Lihua continued talking with a slight smile. “There are nine heavenly flames in existence. They are the most powerful flames in existence, birthed by the natural forces of this world. These flames are far stronger than any flame created with chi. When used by an alchemist, they can help refine pills and exponentially increase their effects. The heavenly flames are ranked based on their powers and effects. For reference, the Silver Snow Flame that Cì Chuān uses is ranked ninth.”

“So it’s the weakest among the heavenly flames,” Wu Jian mused.

“Correct, but don’t underestimate it. The Silver Snow Flame not only produces incredible heat but also cold flames too. It can free you, or burn you to cinders. The flames are powerful enough that Cì Chuān could win against a Human Limit Realm cultivator if he used them in combat,” Zhou Lihua warned.

Wu Jian took her warning seriously. These heavenly flames granted their users abnormal power. It didn’t matter if the Silver Snow Flame was the weakest among the nine. It was still strong enough that someone at the Fourth Stage of the Asura Realm could burn a Human Limit Realm cultivator to death.

“We need to come up with a plan to deal with Cì Chuān,” Hou Jingshu said.

“You’re right,” Zhou Lihua agreed. “Now that we know Cì Chuān is here to attend the auction, we’ll need a lot more money.”

They had roughly fifteen million spirit coins right now, but according to Zhou Lihua, that amount of wealth was just a drop in the bucket for Cì Chuān. His pockets were so deep there was no way for them to see the bottom.

“Let’s go through the items we acquired at the White Tiger Sect Ruins and see which among them would be good to auction off,” Wu Jian suggested.

“I think that’s the only thing we can do,” Zhou Lihua admitted.

The carriage arrived at the Zhou Clan estate. The three disembarked and traveled to Zhou Lihua’s room. Zhou Wen came by some time later alongside some maidservants bearing food and drinks. She tried to be discreet, but Wu Jian felt her staring at him numerous times while she was present.

That woman sets me on edge, but I still don’t know why.

Their menu for that day was steamed rice and fish with an assortment of vegetables and a soup. The scent of fish stock and various spices wafted from the soup. It smelled of the sea. He didn’t know what kind of fish it was, but the skin was flakey and the flesh split apart easily as he passed his chopsticks through it. His cultivation stirred slightly as he took a bite.

“So what kind of items did you find in those ruins?” asked Zhou Lihua.

“Mostly weapons,” Wu Jian answered. “However, we also found some ingredients and salvaged parts from magical beasts.”

Magical beasts had many parts that could be salvaged. Their hides made for great clothes and armor, their flesh could be turned into a delicious food for cultivators, and their organs were often used in alchemy. Some organs like the liver and heart could also be eaten. It was thought that eating the liver of a strong magical beast would increase a person’s longevity.

They showed Zhou Liha the items they had stored one by one, and she quickly appraised them all.

“All of this will earn no less than ten million spirit coins… but I don’t know if that will be enough,” Zhou Lihua confessed.

“Would Cì Chuān really pay more than twenty million spirit coins for a single ingredient?” asked Wu Jian.

“Were we talking about anyone else, I would say no one would be willing to spend that much money on a single ingredient--at least, not for one that can only be used in pills up to tier 4. However, this man isn’t just anyone. Cì Chuān was not only born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but he has no issue spending his money frivolously. He is the kind of person who does things just because he can.”

“I already don’t like him,” Wu Jian said with a sigh. He summoned the ingredients needed for the Three-Layered Red Yin-Yang Pill and set them on the table. “I think we should auction these too.”

“Wu--” Hou Jingshu began, but Wu Jian held up a hand.

“I know what you’re going to say, and I am thankful. Truly. However, please think about this. I can always find these ingredients again. It will take time, but I can find them. However, your father’s time is limited. We do not know how long he’ll survive. Can we really afford to risk not being able to outbid Cì Chuān here?”

Hou Jingshu bit her lip in conflict. “But… those are yours…”

“And I’m giving them to you,” said Wu Jian. “You’re more important to me than these ingredients and the pill you can make with them. I don’t want you to regret not being able to save your father. That’s not… not something I ever want you to have to deal with.”

Zhou Lihua and Hou Jingshu both went quiet. They both understood that Wu Jian was speaking from experience. Nothing they could say would be able to overcome the raw gap in experience, no amount of logic could be used to bridge it.

“Lihua… how much would those ingredients go for?” asked Hou Jingshu.

Zhou Lihua took a deep breath. “It’s hard to say. Ingredients of this caliber normally don’t sell well at auctions in the Shang Kingdom because there are not that many tier 4 alchemists. However, if we can discreetly release the news that ingredients for the Three-Layered Red Yin-Yang Pill are being auctioned off, we might get a lot of alchemists coming to bid. Depending on how many we get, we could make upwards of sixty million spirit coins.”

“Would that be enough to outbid Cì Chuān?” asked Wu Jian.

“Maybe, especially if we can get him to spend most of his money on the Three-Layered Red Yin-Yang Pill ingredients,” said Zhou Lihua.

They discussed the matter a bit more and decided that this was the best plan they could come up with. Zhou Lihua agreed to take all the items they had given her to the Zhou Family member in charge of the auction on their behalf. It was already quite late, so Wu Jian and Hou Jingshu returned to the imperial royal palace.

Since they had been out all day, Wu Jian decided to take a bath. The palace had several large baths. He was using the one attached to his guestroom. It was smaller than the others, but still large enough to hold around ten people. This bath had three separate areas. A room for changing, a sauna, and the bath itself.

Wu Jian removed his clothes and wrapped a towel around his waist, then went into the sauna. This was a wood-burning sauna. It used a very fancy-looking wood burning heater with a chimney to vent smoke. The maids had already lit up the furnace, so the room was hot and dry as he sat down on a long bench that spanned much of the room. He took in a deep breath. The scent of cedar filled his nose.

While he was trying to relax and get his mind off all the troubles facing him, the door to the sauna opened. Wu Jian had closed his eyes, but they popped open and snapped toward the door, where a completely naked Hou Jingshu stood.

“Ah…”

Wu Jian wanted to say something but found himself speechless. Hou Jingshu was not wearing a single stitch of clothing. Only a small towel was being used to cover her front, but it wasn’t large enough to hide her bust nor most of her hips. The exposed skin made his dry mouth water. He could see something pink peeking out from behind her towel.

“What… ah… why are you… here?” Wu Jian finally asked.

“I-isn’t it obvious?” asked Hou Jingshu. Her face looked like a bonfire. “Please don’t make me say it…”

Wu Jian took a deep breath. “You really shouldn’t be here. We agreed not to do anything more, and I don’t have enough self-control that I can stop myself if you show up like this in front of me.”

“I-I know we promised, but surely, it would be fine if it was just a little bit,” Hou Jingshu said.

“There’s no way I can be satisfied with just having a taste,” Wu Jian muttered dryly.

“Th-that’s okay too! F-father said I should do what makes me happy.”

Wu Jian bit his lip as he underwent a massive internal struggle. He had been able to avoid doing anything more with Hou Jingshu by not allowing himself to be in situations where anything sexual could happen. While they hadn’t promised to stop sleeping with each other, they had agreed it would be for the best if they avoided having sex again until they were married.

Can I really deny Hou Jingshu now that she’s presenting herself to me like this? Wouldn’t that be akin to insulting her? It would be like saying I don’t find her desirable… wouldn’t it?

A moment passed before Wu Jian held out his hand. Hou Jingshu flushed an even deeper shade of scarlet as she walked over, placed her hand in his, and let him pull her onto his lap.

“You really have become bold. Wu Meiying would be proud,” Wu Jian said.

“Do you think so? I think I just got sick of her teasing me about how proud I was. Now she has nothing to make fun of me over,” said Hou Jingshu.

“Oh, she’ll still make fun of you. But now it will be about your promiscuity rather than your prudeness.”

“So, you’re saying I’m going to get made fun of no matter what?”

“Pretty much.”

“I guess I’d rather get made fun of for being experienced than for being inexperienced.”

Hou Jingshu tilted her head and began kissing his jawline. Wu Jian breathed deeply as she squirmed on his lap. He pulled her towel away, revealing the woman’s splendid body. She was like a jade sculpture hand carved by the gods themselves. Her body was a perfect balance of softness and muscle.

He reached up to cup her chest. Hou Jingshu paused what she was doing before she began kissing, sucking, and licking his neck. She didn’t respond much when he played with her chest, so he slid his hand down her stomach, then slipped it between her legs. Hou Jingshu’s breathing grew heavy and she was forced to pause several times as a heavy moan escaped her bewitching lips.

“You're wet,” Wu Jian said.

“W-who’s fault do you think that is?” demanded Hou Jingshu.

“Yours. For putting yourself in this situation.”

“Th-that’s--”

Wu Jian didn’t know what Hou Jingshu wanted to say because she never finished. He spread her legs, slipped two fingers inside of her, and curled them. The woman on his lap nearly screamed as her entire body went stiffer than a board before shuddering from head to toe. She clung his neck as though to keep from falling off, but her body became limp and pliable as he pumped his fingers in and out of her.

“Wu Jian… Wu Jian… I… I…”

Hou Jingshu’s mouth opened wide as she gasped. Wu Jian had moved his other hand until it was underneath her backdoor and stuck his finger inside. Her cheeks clenched. She jerked so hard that Wu Jian worried she might fall off his lap. The full-body shudders she’d been undergoing grew stronger, and then she went almost completely limp. Her head rested on his shoulder as she took several heavy breaths.

“That… wasn’t fair… I barely got to do anything,” Hou Jingshu muttered.

“It’s not my fault you’re so sensitive,” Wu Jian said with a shrug.

Hou Jingshu bit his collar bone.

She needed several seconds to recover, but once she did, Hou Jingshu stood up and turned until her backside was facing him. He looked at her magnificent rear end. She had the largest hips of anyone he knew, but they were also the strongest. Hou Jingshu could probably crush heads with her legs.

“Um… I know we agreed not to have sex… but it should be fine if you do me in the back… er… what I mean is…”

“You want me to take you in the butt?”

“D-don’t say it like that!”

“There’s no other way to say it, but fine. Anyway, I don’t think it makes a difference at this stage, but it sounds interesting, so let’s try it.”

Wu Jian stood up and lined himself with her backdoor. He pushed his way inside, gritting his teeth as he realized this might be an even tighter fit than the other side. Hou Jingshu groaned as he found himself fully sheathed.

“I… I feel like a stuffed turkey,” Hou Jingshu muttered. “This is so embarrassing.”

“You should have thought of that before offering,” Wu Jian said as he grabbed her hips.

He rocked back and forth, cutting off whatever Hou Jingshu had been about to say. The woman was bent over completely, gasping and moaning as her body rocked and swayed with the motion of his hips.

Wu Jian sat back down, pulling Hou Jingshu with him. He hooked her legs over his and spread them apart. He used one hand to cup her chest and the other went between her legs. Hou Jingshu’s entire body jerked as he played with her.

“W-wait! I’m gonna lose it if you do that!”

“Do you really want me to stop?”

“…”

“That’s what I thought.”

He continued thrusting his hips and using his fingers to play with her. Hou Jingshu was like a puppet in his hands. All she could do was jerk her body and moan as he played with her like a marionette whose strings were being manipulated by a puppet master.

It would be a long time before they left that sauna and actually got clean.