Price of Pursuit

The sun hung high in the sky, and the entrance to the Xieyue Pavilion in the bustling Pingwu Market was already jammed with carriages and horses. Disciples of the Xuanming Sect in dark robes, family scions fanning themselves as they strolled, and plainly dressed brokers all flowed in and out of the vermilion-lacquered gate.

The Xieyue Pavilion was one of the many industries under the Xuanming Sect, but its operations differed from the Shuiyue Pavilion. When Shuiyue Pavilion received high-quality spiritual items, they would be sent to the Slanting Moon Pavilion for auction.

The Pavilion held auctions every three days, though more notable, large-scale auctions typically occurred once a month or once every three months. Today's event, which Chen Jinshu had come to attend, was one of the larger-scale auctions, featuring numerous high-grade spiritual items.

Upon arrival, Chen Jinshu used her status as an inner sect disciple to secure a private room on the second floor. The entire Shuiyue Pavilion was built with a hollow center. The second floor was lined with intricately carved railings, but each private room was protected by formations during the auction, making it impossible for anyone, even from adjacent rooms or upper and lower floors, to see inside.

Chen Jinshu suspected that Li Chenliang, the one who had ambushed her in the past, might attend this auction. However, she hadn't yet confirmed his location — or whether he might have disguised himself before coming.

The only clues she had to go by were his face and voice from that prior encounter. If he were careful, he would likely conceal both.

"Xiao Yin, are you certain you still remember that man's aura?"

It had been years since the incident, and for Xiao Yin to recall Li Chenliang's aura would be an extraordinary feat.

"Mm, it's a bit blurry. But he carried the scent of bee-type spirit beasts. That's still easy to identify," the sparrow replied.

"I see!" Chen Jinshu instantly understood.

It was likely due to Xiao Yin's innate traits — highly sensitive to insect-type spirit beasts — that it could remember the scent of those bee creatures.

"Good. If you catch even a trace of that scent, let me know immediately."

Spirit bees were rare among cultivators. Only sects like Insect Valley commonly reared such insects, making it easier to narrow down the target.

"Fellow Daoists, greetings! I am Yu Yaxin, your host for today's auction."

Soon, a beautiful female cultivator with Foundation Establishment cultivation took the center stage. Her elegant temperament and phoenix-embroidered yellow dress made her stand out.

"I won't dwell on the rules. Let's begin with the first item."

"A South Sea Merman Pearl, Foundation Establishment grade, Tier Two, low quality. Usable for crafting. If refined into a spirit artifact, it will be quite beautiful. Starting bid: 500 low-grade spirit stones. Minimum raise: 100 stones. Let the bidding begin!"

No sooner had her words landed than the crowd began shouting bids:

"600 stones!"

"700 stones!"

...

Eventually, the pearl was sold for 1,000 stones.

Because of the volume of items being auctioned, high-grade and mid-grade spiritual items were mixed together to keep buyers engaged throughout.

"Master, I sense the bee aura. It's faint, but definitely there. There are two sources, in different directions, but close."

Xiao Yin's voice made Chen Jinshu alert. She got up and wandered along the corridor beside the second-floor private rooms, letting the sparrow pinpoint the source. Moments later, Xiao Yin confirmed: the aura was coming from five rooms down from hers — and one directly across from hers.

"Not far at all... But which one is Li Chenliang?"

Returning to her room, she continued to watch the auction while keeping tabs on the two suspect rooms. Half an hour passed, and finally, the highly anticipated Foundation Establishment Pills were brought out.

"Next up is likely what many of you came for — Foundation Establishment Pills."

The moment the pill was revealed, the auction hall — from the open seats on the first floor to the private rooms above — erupted in noise.

"The Xuanming Sect is auctioning five pills today. Feel free to bid boldly."

"Starting bid: 8,000 low-grade spirit stones, with a minimum raise of 100."

In just a few breaths, the price soared past 10,000.

"I can afford one of these pills with my current wealth," Chen Jinshu thought. "If needed, I can trade rare spirit herbs."

She resolved: as soon as either of the suspicious rooms placed a bid, she would follow suit and raise the price. Her goal: force them to spend heavily.

When the price of the first pill hit 12,000, bidding slowed. Then finally, a voice came from the private room across the hall.

"That room is more likely the one!"

If the other room also bid, she'd have to reassess. But it didn't. Even as the price reached 13,500, it remained silent. It was nearly a steal for the room across. So Chen Jinshu bid again, driving it up until the other party raised to 15,000. Only then did she stop. She could faintly hear muffled curses from that room.

Usually, a pill like this would go for 12,000 to 13,000 tops. Anything beyond that wasn't worth it. They'd bid high out of urgency, letting her bleed their wallets. That trick wouldn't work a second time. For the second pill, prices returned to around 13,000.

And until the final pill was auctioned, the room next to her — the other with the bee scent — never once bid.

"That pretty much confirms it's the guy across the hall... But the one next door can't be ruled out. What if he's planning to rob instead of bid?"

After all, Li Chenliang had ambushed her once before.

"I'll wait a bit longer. Might catch something interesting."

Chen Jinshu kept calm. Her next target was a Phoenix Blood Stone — the only other item on the list worth bidding for. The rest were too miscellaneous. She successfully secured the stone for 1,000 stones, a fair price for a Tier Two item.

"Master, both bee auras just vanished!" said Xiao Yin causing Chen Jinshu to frown.

"Could they both be from Insect Valley?"

She rose, paid for the Phoenix Blood Stone, and exited the pavilion.

Outside, Xiao Yin caught the scent again — the two auras moving off in the same direction.