Auction Day pt 6

As a small bonus, here are some pictures of Shu Ying and the triplets! will place here

Xia Tao

As we flew back to the cottage, the atmosphere in the cloud cabin grew noticeably tense. I mentally reviewed all the treasures we'd acquired. It had been a successful haul, but it seemed that the trip had stirred up something else—an undercurrent of rivalry and simmering tension among the women.

Breaking the silence, Zhen Yinglong turned to me, her voice calm and composed. "Xia Tao, once we return, I'll need to leave for a short while, but I'll return shortly" She said it casually, as if it were the most natural thing in the world for her to come and go as she pleased.

Li Meiying's lips curled into a mocking smile "Leaving so soon, Yinglong? You're already halfway out the door." She gave an exaggerated flick of her wrist and added in a sing-song voice, "Why don't you just… stay in the inner sect for good?" and she began waving her hands dramatically in Zhen Yinglong's direction, as if she were trying to shoo her away like an annoying insect. "Shoo, shoo... not sure anyone here would miss you."

Zhen Yinglong's eyebrow arched, her expression icy but controlled. "Oh, wouldn't that be convenient for you, Meiying?" she replied smoothly, her tone cutting. "But then again, the outer sect does seem to be your… natural habitat. Perhaps you're the one who should consider a permanent stay here."

Li Meiying's smile sharpened, her eyes flashing with irritation. "Natural habitat? And yet here you are, Yinglong, mingling with the outer sect when you supposedly belong somewhere… higher." She tilted her head, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. "Maybe not everyone here needs your advice. Or your presence."

Zhen Yinglong leaned in slightly, her voice soft and venomous. "Advice? I wouldn't dream of advising you, Meiying. I'm simply… surprised. For a 'Holy Daughter' with 'limitless potential,' you seem quite content to remain in the outer sect."

The two exchanged looks that could have sparked flames, each word wrapped in layers of scorn. Despite their polite smiles, the tension between them was sharp enough to cut through the air. I leaned back, thoroughly entertained—whatever rivalry had been simmering between them was now fully ablaze, and I was content to sit back and enjoy the show.

When we arrived at our cottage, Lin Qing was already seated on the veranda, sipping some sort of herbal drink. She looked up, her eyes softening as I approached.

"Hello, did you miss me?" I asked, settling into the chair across from her.

"Yes, Master, it was a little dull here without you." She offered a small, almost shy smile. "Plus, I've got a bit of a headache from all that time spent controlling the golem. Thankfully, this calming drink is helping—though only a little. But don't worry," she added quickly, "by evening I'll be fine. Nothing will interfere with our evening plans."

"Is that so?" A voice chimed in from the side, light and teasing. Zhang Jing joined us, a grin on her face so smug that even the Cheshire Cat would be envious.

"Oh, look who's practically glowing with joy!" Lin Qing remarked, her eyes narrowing playfully. "Care to share the reason?"

"Oh, trust me—you'll be the first to know," Zhang Jing shot back, then turned her attention to me. "Master, how was the auction? Pick up any cool new toys?"

"All in all, it was very successful," I said, letting my gaze shift between them. "We bought a lot of interesting items, and we learned a few things too."

"Come on, come on!" Zhang Jing leaned in, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Tell me—what did you buy?"

"We bought a selection of natural treasures," I said, leaning back in my chair. "I've already asked Mei to arrange most of them in the fortress, but a couple of items will stay here—a Wind Stone, which we'll place by the cliff, and a small piece of hardened lava. I have a plan for that one… creating hot springs."

"Hot springs?" Lin Qing's curiosity lit up as she tilted her head.

"Oh, trust me, this is going to be one of the most popular spots on our mountain." I couldn't help but smile at the thought. "If we use water from our pond, which already enriched by different energies, it'll be absolutely perfect."

"Uh… I'm not sure I like the idea of bathing in boiling water," Zhang Jing said, her expression skeptical as she looked me over.

"Don't worry, girls," I chuckled. "All in good time. Speaking of which, can one of you send for the head of the construction crew—the one who built our houses? I'd like to go over the building plans with him personally."

"Yes, Master," Lin Qing replied.

"Now then," Zhang Jing continued, her curiosity clearly still piqued, "let's not spend all day on the hot springs. What else did you buy?"

"A few new recipes, some minor techniques, odds and ends… but the big items were these: a soul cultivation technique—which, by the way, cost us quite a fortune. Mei is studying it as we speak. Then there's the Blunt Sword technique—it's a peculiar style that emphasizes blunt, smashing strikes rather than cuts. Strange, but interesting enough to investigate. And finally, we got the Thunder Swaha technique—named after the swift, unpredictable attacks of the Swaha Beast. It's a body cultivation technique focused on agility and rapid reflexes. Best option we could find. Oh, and there's a demon horn too… though I'm not sure what we'll use it for just yet."

Zhang Jing looked momentarily disappointed, but then a sly grin crept onto her face. "Well, I should get going. Until next time, Master!" She laughed and skipped away, putting an exaggerated sway into her steps. Clearly, she was making a point, and it seemed Lin Qing noticed, too—her gaze sharpened as she watched Zhang Jing leave, lips pressing together in a subtle line.

Once Zhang Jing was out of sight, a calm silence settled between us. Lin Qing and I stayed by the pond, simply watching the fish gliding gracefully through the water, letting the quiet of the moment envelop us.

Ding. A soft chime echoed in my mind—an alert from the system.

System update available—

The system prompt popped into my head, as usual, with that detached, almost smug clarity:

"Description - Option to pause the reward system. When you need to step away, the reward multiplier won't reset, and you'll receive 2 seeds or seedlings known to the owner.

Condition - Accept a few external disciples onto the mountain. When the time comes, the system will indicate who(host no need to worry, it will bring benefits to the host)." [Yes/No]

It sounded a little shady, if I was being honest. The system thrown me garbage before—well. And the idea of being able to pause the reward multiplier? Yeah, that sounded very convenient. Plus, 2 free seeds or seedlings? Just for letting a few outsiders onto the mountain? That didn't seem too high a price to pay.

An image flashed through my mind, though—of a young girl staring at me with those big, unblinking eyes. There'd been something off about her, something that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. But… whatever. She was just a kid. What was she going to do, really? And besides, if I thought back to the last time I agreed to a system condition, that reward—the golem—had come in very handy.

Hell, if worst came to worst, I could always throw them off the mountain if they turned out to be a problem. It's not like the system said I couldn't.

So I chose [Yes].

"Choice made. Please select the seeds you wish to receive."

Blueberry seeds. No idea why, but I'd been craving blueberries lately. Maybe it was nostalgia.

"Blueberry seeds. Confirm first choice?" [Yes/No]

[Yes].

"Choice made. Please select a second seed/seedling."

Peaches crossed my mind for some reason, but then I paused. Why the hell was I wasting this? If I could ask for anything…

I quickly canceled the peach choice.

Yggdrasil.

"Yggdrasil. Confirm second choice?" [Yes/No]

[Yes].

The moment I confirmed, a bundle appeared on the table—a packet of blueberry seeds and a small, twisted root that practically hummed with energy. Just holding it, I could feel an ancient power thrumming under my fingertips, like the pulse of something primordial.

I grabbed the root and headed outside, heading toward a spot near the clumps of blue grass left behind by the magical geese, just close enough to the beehives. I felt a smug satisfaction blooming in my chest—look at me, clever enough to get my hands on Yggdrasil itself.

Then it hit me.

"Wait… I used my first choice on blueberry seeds?!"

"Fuck!" The curse came out loud, and I barely stopped myself from kicking the ground like a frustrated child. I could've asked for any mythical tree, any magical fruit. And I'd gone and wasted it on fucking blueberries.

I could practically hear the universe laughing at me. What kind of idiot…

Swearing under my breath, I continued walking, clutching the precious root and that ridiculous little packet of blueberry seeds.

Lin Qing

After leaving Master, I headed toward Mei's study to get a debrief from her side of things and see if there were any further instructions. I knocked on her door.

"Enter," I heard Mei's voice from inside, clipped and sharp. She was clearly not in the best mood today.

"Mistress" I said, stepping in and bowing slightly.

"You did well with the golem control," she said, giving me a quick once-over. "Judging by the reports, there's no suspicion directed at us, no negative attention." She paused, seeming to consider something, then continued, "Tomorrow, when he comes around midday, he'll likely ask about our strawberry elixirs. Some of the disciples have started training in alchemy, so we'll have a steady supply of these pills soon. The stronger our sect, the safer we'll be. Here." She slid a sheet of paper across the desk toward me. "This is a description of the terms and quantities we'll supply. Study it, and be prepared to offer it to him tomorrow. If he tries to haggle, tell him there won't be any negotiations—take it or leave it. If he really pushes, you can hint that there are plenty of other sects who'd be interested in securing these for their distant relatives and allies. But overall, I don't foresee any issues; we're setting a reasonable price."

"Understood, Lady Mei," I replied, taking the sheet and beginning to skim through the details.

"And one last thing," she added, her expression darkening. "The Master… well, he's 'requested' that I stay out of his chambers at night for the next week. So, that'll be on you. You can bring in Li Meiying if you like—I doubt she'll have any objections." She gave a wry smirk. "But keep Zhang Jing out of it. Not until she's mastered the Web Technique at least to the level of the newer disciples. She's been far too smug lately, but I haven't seen her training with the spiders. Means she's been slacking, so she can go without. Let her prove she's serious first. I'll be busy studying the new soul cultivation technique in the meantime."

"Can I ask why the Master imposed this… restriction for the week?" I asked, unable to resist my curiosity.

"That's none of your concern," she snapped, though I noticed her ears had gone pink. Interesting… It took a lot to get a reaction like that from Mei. Oh, I am definitely asking Master about this later.

"Apologies" I said, bowing my head again to hide my smirk.

"You're dismissed. We'll review everything with the Elder tomorrow before the meeting. You're free to go."

Later that Evening

I made my way toward Master's quarters in high spirits, practically bouncing with each step. The whole week with Master all to myself… oh, I could definitely make the most of that. Maybe spend a few days teasing him, just enough to get him wound up and on edge, so that when he finally couldn't take it anymore, he'd be more aggressive, rougher, less in control. Mmm, yes… maybe that's what I've been craving lately. The thought sent a pleasant shiver down my spine.

After all, if I played my cards right, I could push him just to the point where he'd snap, make him take me like he used to—unrestrained, hungry. And as long as I kept watch, I'd make sure no one else would be around to interrupt us. Yes, it was shaping up to be a very, very interesting week.

I was so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I almost didn't notice when I passed the same hallway corner twice. Strange, I thought. I could have sworn I already went down this way. I shook it off as exhaustion, turned, and continued on my path.

But twenty seconds later, I was back at that same damn corner.

"What the hell?" I muttered, a frown creasing my brow. I tried moving faster, practically sprinting, but no matter what, I'd end up right back at that same spot within seconds.

"What the fuck is going on?" I hissed, frustration mounting. And then I heard it—a soft, mocking voice from somewhere nearby.

"I told you, didn't I?" Zhang Jing's voice purred, laced with smug satisfaction. "You'd be the first to know why I'm so happy. Ahahahahaha!"