Residue in the Bones

At this point, everyone bidding is only increasing the bid by the bare minimum amounts that are required, unlike before when it only took a few minutes for the bid to surpass 1,000. Slowly but surely the bid climbs up, eventually, we've reached the point where it's approaching 2,000, currently at 1,864.

With the price as high as it is, I can't help but ask, "Are people really that obsessed with getting their hands on some bones, are they really so special?"

"For most people, they don't mean much. But today all the alchemist and blacksmiths came out of hiding for this. The bones of a Taotie can be used by alchemists to create various pills to different effect, the blacksmiths can similarly use them to create several different kinds of tools, but I don't know how they do it. This is practically the entire skeleton so there is no way those people will give this up without a fight," Wanjing says.

The bidding slows down and the price settles on 1,934 strings of large coins. "1,934, going once, going twice," the auctioneer calls out, but just before the price is finalised, Wanjing lights up our sign.

"2,000!" she calls out, directly raising the bid by 66.

From the position where Lia and I are, we can't really see anyone but the auctioneer, however, I do hear someone cursing after Wanjing announces her price. If I had to guess, it's probably the person who thought he was going to get the Taotie bones until her intervention.

The final call for the bones come and as most of the people who fill the auction hall don't have much use for them and the handful that do have a use for them don't have the money to keep competing, the bones are sold to us for a price of 2,000 strings of large coins. If my conversions are right then a single large coin worth somewhere around the same as a gold coin, so 2,000 strings should be close in value to two platinum coins. All this money just for some bones.

Calling out to Wanjing, I ask, "so how much will I be paying for?"

"Pick, 500 and I don't buy any more ingredients and we cut back on food expenses, or 400."

"Fine, take you can have the 500, but I expect this money to be returned later, and don't forget my weekly interest rate. You can pay it off my either returning money or buying me some good food, I don't care which."

"20%, so an increase of 100 per week... with my ability to make money I think this is doable," Wanjing says after taking a moment to think.

Following the bid for the Taotie bones, there was nothing that caught our attention. Aurelia and Wanjing had nothing better to do so they were watching from the balcony, but Lia and I remained on the couch playing card games.

From what I could hear, there were a few things that surpassed the Taotie bones in price and the crowd got really noisy as the last few items were brought out. But in the end, everything sold without any incidents so far and the auction is finally brought to an end as Dai Jiang comes up to bring us to the backstage to receive the money I got and the Taotie bones for Wanjing.

As we arrive, I have Dai Jiang deduct 500 to help pay for the Taotie bones and receive a total of 976 strings of large coins. Unlike most the people around here who have some sort of spacial equipment for storing their money and few other important possessions, I just eat all the money I receive. Although Dai Jiang was initially taken back by this, Wanjing informed her of my stomach storage.

"I think I understand why you had me close my eyes earlier, if what I'm thinking is correct, then I really don't want to see her take something out."

After dealing with the money from the guns, we move on to the Taotie bones. Dai Jiang hands over a large case with the bones inside to Wanjing, and as she opens it to check the contents the bones begin to glow and shake slightly. After a few moments the glowing intensifies before the light leaves the bones, flying into the air and condensing, eventually, they take the form of a Taotie.

Being familiar with souls, both Aurelia and I can safely say this isn't a soul, but Aurelia continues further, "this is more like the residue lifeforce of the Taotie left in the bones, seems like it only came out because of Wanjings presence."

Upon seeing this, Wanjing's pupils begin to change, eventually morphing into something resembling a cat's eye. Her canine teeth also visibly grow longer and sharper, but not by much. She then opens her mouth and as if it were a vacuum, she drags the residue of the Taotie into her mouth. Fully consuming it, Wanjing closes her mouth and the bones lose their lustre and stop shaking.

"Just what did you do," we all ask.

"Uhh... I don't actually know. I just felt compelled to do, well, that, it was nothing but pure instinct. But after absorbing the leftover lifeforce of the Taotie, I understand how to extract the qi out of people now, and it wasn't what I just did."

"Do you even need these bones then anymore?" Dai Jiang asks

"I don't think so, according to my status and the System, I've partially awakened my bloodline. Now it's just a matter of eating the qi of humans."

A smile begins to creep onto her face as Dai Jiang says, "in that case, can you sell the bones here again? You should be able to make a bit of money off this. Moreover, you should know that you buying these bones puts you in the line of fire for those alchemists and blacksmiths, so keeping them here to be sold can keep them off you backs once you leave, allowing you to avoid the bloodbath. Well, from the more sane ones anyway, I'm pretty sure there might be a few who will come after you and not listen."

"This what you mentioned before?" I ask.

"Yep, at least here in Shiping, we shouldn't have to worry about being attack the moment we leave the Treasury, even the more unhinged people wouldn't cause trouble in a Provincial Capital, but I'm sure that once we leave the city there will be a few coming after us, even after it's announced that the bones will be here to be sold again."

"That's fine by me, I actually welcome them to try. They will serve as a nice warm-up for our next little adventure, raiding the tomb. Let's make our preparations, I want to leave soon and not keep these guys waiting too long."