Duo Long wasn’t alone. An elderly man was with him. He did not look like much, but Wu Jian could not see his cultivation. He was at least at the Human Limit Realm. His hair was white and his eyes gray. He had a fu manchu that went past his shoulders and wore a yellow yomeno on his head, which matched the color of his imperial hanfu.

“I heard the Zhou Family was auctioning off the ingredients for a Three-Layered Red Yin Yang Pill. I simply had to come,” said Duo Long. Although it seemed like he was looking at Hou Jingshu, Wu Jian felt the murderous intent aimed at him.

“I suppose that is natural. The Three-Layered Red Yin Yang Pill is rare in nations like ours,” agreed Hou Jingshu.

“Indeed.” Finally, Luo Dong turned to Wu Jian, and the murderous intent pouring from him increased. “And who is your mysterious companion? Why does he hide his face behind a mask?”

Wu Jian shivered but pretended he didn’t feel the killing intent as he gave the man a traditional martial bow. “My name is Jian Wu. I disgraced myself many moons ago and wore this mask to hide my shame.”

The killing intent increased, though Duo Long’s expression remained unchanged. “Hoh. You are quite the earnest young man. What would you do if I demanded you remove that mask?”

“I would have to politely deny you.” Wu Jian placed a hand on his mask. “This mask must remain on until the shame I feel has been abolished.”

A stifling tension filled the atmosphere. A cultivator at the Asura Realm denying a man at the Human Limit Realm was like an ant trying to lift an elephant. These two realms were worlds apart. It was also considered a grave insult when someone of lower standing denied someone in a higher position than them.

But that general rule could be overturned if there was an honest justification.

Shame was a concept with nearly the same power as prestige. All nations across the Xaio Continent shared the same beliefs on shame and prestige--that shame was an emotion as well as a human capacity that directed a person inward for self-examination and motivated them toward a socially and morally desirable change.

Wu Jian was telling this man that he was shamed, and that he had vowed to never remove his mask until he absolved himself of his shame. Admitting his shame like this was seen as an act of courage. Duo Long could ill-afford to simply force the issue, especially because of their social standing. It would be seen as nothing more than the strong bullying the weak.

It would cause him to lose face.

“I had not realized you felt so strongly about your shame. That’s quite admirable of you. Keep working hard,” said Duo Long. The tension in the air dissipated as though it had never existed.

“I shall do so. Thank you,” said Wu Jian.

Duo Long and the man beside him made their way up the stairs toward the auction house, leaving Hou Jingshu, Wu Jian, and Húndàn Wang behind.

“I see the Four Great Pavilions haven’t changed much. They still don’t put sects like my own in their eyes. He completely ignored me,” said Húndàn Wang, clenching his fists.

Hou Jingshu shrugged. “That can’t be helped. You only have one person at the Human Limit Realm in your entire sect. Meanwhile, every elder in their sect is at that realm. Their sect master is also close to the peak of the Human Limit Realm. He’s not going to pay attention to us unless he has no choice.”

“Yes, you are correct,” agreed Húndàn Wang. He sighed, then shook his head. “Anyway, why don’t we head into the auction together. You can use the room I reserved with me.”

“Thank you, but I’m afraid I already have a room reserved,” Hou Jingshu said.

Húndàn Wang’s smile became fixed. “So I see. All right. Then I’ll speak with you later, when time permits.”

“Of course.”

Wu Jian and Hou Jingshu watched as Húndàn Wang walked up the stairs, his movements stiff like a board.

“Phew,” Hou Jingshu pressed a hand to her chest.

“That was a tense situation, wasn’t it?” asked Wu Jian.

She nodded. “It was. It really was, but let’s not dwell on that now. Come on. We also need to get into the auction.”

Hou Jingshu took Wu Jian by the hand and began walking up the stairs. Several guards blocked the entrance to the auction house, turning away those who lacked an invitation or the money necessary for the entrance fee. A young woman stood at the front. She was checking invitations and jotting down the names of those who paid the fee. Wu Jian recognized her.

It was Zhou Wen.

Wu Jian and Hou Jingshu walked up to the door, causing Zhou Wen to smile as she looked up from her board.

“Your Highness and her friend. Welcome. We have been expecting you. Please, head inside. Someone is already waiting to show you both to your VIP room,” she said.

“Thank you,” Hou Jingshu said with a nod.

The two walked into the auction house’s entrance hall, which looked larger on the inside than it had the outside. A ceiling far overhead was decorated with paintings of qilins. Their footsteps clicked underneath the marble floor, unheard amidst the sounds of dozens of voices. Columns held the ceiling aloft, and there were two staircases on either side of the room. At the far end was a hallway that curved around the main auction hall and led to the general admittance seating. That was where most of the people were traveling toward.

A pretty young woman with pale skin, blue eyes, and light hair greeted them with a bow.

“Your Highness, please follow me to your room.”

“Lead the way.”

Hou Jingshu tightened her grip on Wu Jian’s hand as they walked up a flight of stairs, then another. Their room was located at the very top of the auction house. The maidservant opened the door and led them into a luxurious room the likes of which Wu Jian had never seen. This was even more incredible than the room he and Huǒ Shuchang had used during the auction they attended.

“I will be standing right outside this door. Please, let me know if you need anything,” the maidservant said.

“We will,” said Hou Jingshu.

The woman bowed, left, and closed the door behind her. Wu Jian and Hou Jingshu walked over to a couch near a glass window, which overlooked the auction hall. The window spanned the entire wall. According to Hou Jingshu, this was a one-way window, meaning they could see out but no one could see in.

They sat down, and Hou Jingshu snuggled into him. He welcomed her. The sensation and warmth of her body was soothing. While they hadn’t stopped sharing a bed, they had been very cautious to avoid public displays of affection. The most they had done was hold hands.

“Won’t you remove your mask?” asked Hou Jingshu as she tilted her head to stare at him. She reached out and brushed his mask with her fingers.

Wu Jian sighed, then removed his mask. He smiled down at the woman. “Better?”

“Much,” Hou Jingshu beamed.

Wu Jian pulled Hou Jingshu so that she was sitting across his lap. He leaned down and began kissing her, first her lips, then her neck. Hou Jingshu sighed as she threaded her fingers through his hair and tilted her head. She giggled when he nibbled on her neck. Then a surprised moan escaped her parted lips when Wu Jian bit her hard enough to leave a mark.

“N-not here! I don’t have anything to cover it up!”

“I won’t bite hard enough to leave a permanent mark. It’ll go away soon. Besides, you’re the one who started this.”

“W-well, that might be true… but there’s still a time and place! And all I wanted was a kiss!”

Hou Jingshu’s neck had turned red. Wu Jian chuckled as he kissed his way up her neck, along the soft line of her jaw, and then her beat-red face.

“There’s no need to be embarrassed,” he said. “We’ve done much naughtier things before.”

“D-don’t call them naughty,” Hou Jingshu mumbled.

Wu Jian grinned. Hou Jingshu really was too cute for her own good. Her reactions made him want to tease her even more. He wondered if he could get away with seducing her in this room. Now that he had someone he actually cared about in a VIP room with him, he could understand why Huǒ Shuchang had spent so much time feeling that maidservant up. There was something thrilling about committing such acts in a public space. He imagined pushing Hou Jingshu against the glass window and taking her from behind.

“Owch!”

His thoughts were halted in their tracks when Hou Jingshu pinched his nose.

“Don’t even think about it,” she warned.

He put on an innocent face. “Think about what?”

“Don’t play innocent. I saw the look on your face. Do you think I don’t know you were having lecherous thoughts about me? Well, you can forget it. Kissing is the furthest I’ll go here,” she said with a glare that was more cute than intimidating.

“All right. I promise not to go any further than this,” said Wu Jian.

The lights in the auction hall soon dimmed. Wu Jian and Hou Jingshu ceased their playful banter and looked down at the stage as a single light appeared, revealing a person they were both intimately familiar with.

“Woah,” Wu Jian murmured.

“She looks gorgeous in that dress,” said Hou Jingshu.

“Yeah…”

Zhou Lihua stood on the stage, wearing a heavily modified cheongsam that looked as if it was designed to accentuate a woman’s figure. The dress clung tightly to her skin, revealing her heavenly bust, tiny waist, and wide hips. The ends traveled to the floor. It was so long that her feet would have been invisible if not for the slit running up one side. Her neck was hidden by a high neckline, held together by a golden clasp, but there was a large cutout in the front that revealed a good portion of her milky chest.

“Welcome, one and all, to the Zhou Family auction house. My name is Zhou Lihua. I will be your auctioneer for today’s auction. I confess, this is my first time hosting an auction here.” Zhou Lihua paused, placed a hand on her chest, and smiled. “I hope you’ll all go easy on me and bid as high as you can.”

Her words elicited an enthusiastic response from the crowd, especially those in the general seating. Wu Jian could not hear what was being said individually. He only had the cacophony to judge the situation by, but the amount of voices shouting at once was telling enough.

“There are many items to be found in today’s auction, and our time is short, so let us start with the first item on the list.”

Zhou Lihua gestured toward someone behind her. Zhou Wen appeared in the light, pushing a car with a chest on it. She stopped the cart before Zhou Lihua, who opened the chest, revealing a pair of brilliantly gleaming silver gauntlets inside. Wu Jian thought they resembled claws.

“These are called Dragon Gauntlets. They are middle-grade profound earth spirit weapons that increase the wearer’s strength. What makes these gauntlets special is that they increase their strength proportion to the wearer’s cultivation rather than increasing it at a fix percent. For example, someone at the Asura Realm will become twice as strong, but someone at the Human Limit Realm will become three times as strong. The only reason they are earth ranked and not spirit ranked is because there is a limit to how much chi they can withstand. These gauntlets are useless to anyone beyond the Human Limit Realm. Now, the starting bid is 50,000 thousand spirit coins. I hope one of you will be able to take these off my hands.”

Zhou Lihua finished with a wink, causing the men in the auction hall to go ballistic.

“50,100 spirit coins!”

“50,500 spirit coins!”

“70,500!”

Wu Jian observed as the bidding climbed higher and higher until it had surpassed 80,000, then 90,000, then 100,000 spirit coins. Every time there was a lull in the bidding, Zhou Lihua would toss out a comment that made it commence again. It didn’t take long before the item became more valuable than his high-grade earth profound spirit armor, but Wu Jian wondered if the reason was because of the items in question or the person who was auctioning them off. It seemed to him like these men were just hoping to impress Zhou Lihua with their wealth.

One thing he noticed was that no one in the VIP booths around them bid for this item. They were clearly here for the Three-Layered Red Yin Yang Pill ingredients. At least, he hoped that was what they were here for. He did not want to have too many people bid on the Ten Thousand Year Spirit Spring Water.

The gauntlets were eventually sold for 205,000 spirit coins, a ridiculous sum. Another item was brought out, then another. Each item sold for no less than 100,000 thousand spirit coins. It was clear that Zhou Lihua was a master at making the crowd spend more money than many of these items were worth. It was just like when they auctioned off those pills at the Alchemy Association’s bazaar.

“The next item on today’s auction is a special treat,” Zhou Lihua said after several items were auctioned off. “We have acquired all the ingredients necessary for a Three-Layered Red Yin Yang Pill, and we have decided to sell them as a set rather than individually. The starting price for this is 500,000 spirit coins.”