Junior Brother Lu seemed to like pretty women!

The clamor of the auction came in waves, while brilliant Spirit Stone lights bathed the entire hall in golden splendor.

After hearing Qin Nanyue out, Lu Yang's first impulse was to agree.

An opportunity to raise her favorability had landed right in his lap. Only a fool would turn it away!

But just as the words reached his lips, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck him, and he forced himself to swallow the "yes" back down.

Wait...

Wasn't this the perfect chance to give her the Cinnabar Sword-Binding Silk?

Qin Nanyue was longing for a Supreme-Grade Law Artifact waistband, and he had the Cinnabar Sword-Binding Silk right in his hands. Its quality was even a cut above the Gold-and-White Sword-Scar Waistband on the auction stage!

If he gave it to her now, how much would her favorability rise?

Just imagining those favorability numbers jumping up made Lu Yang's heart beat a little faster.

Qin Nanyue watched Lu Yang's expression shift. The light flickered in his clear eyes, and she had no idea what he was plotting.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly added, "If it's inconvenient for you, Junior Brother Lu, forget I asked."

She genuinely thought Lu Yang was a good person. He looked after Yingying in every way, and he had even given her a Beauty-Preserving Pill before, something money couldn't buy.

No matter how much Qin Nanyue wanted the waistband, she wouldn't let a few Spirit Stones create a rift between them.

Standing nearby, Lin Ying parted her red lips slightly, instinctively wanting to say something to help her dear friend out of the awkward situation, but she swallowed the words back.

She didn't want to put Lu Yang in a difficult position either.

For a moment, the air around them seemed to grow quieter. The distant calls of bids from the auction stage only made their little corner seem all the more silent.

Just then, Lu Yang came back to his senses.

He looked at Qin Nanyue, a hint of a smile in his eyes, and said slowly, "It's not that it's inconvenient. I was just thinking that the waistband on the stage isn't quite right for you, Senior Sister Qin."

Qin Nanyue froze for a moment, then rolled her eyes at him in exasperation, her pretty eyes tinged with reproach. "You brat, do you think I'm not worthy of using a Supreme-Grade Law Artifact?"

Lu Yang shook his head, the curve of his lips deepening.

"Of course not." His voice was unhurried as his slender fingers brushed lightly over his Storage Bag. "What do you think of this one? It suits you better."

As the words left his mouth, a dazzling crimson suddenly bloomed in his hand.

The Cinnabar Sword-Binding Silk appeared in his hand.

In that instant, even the Spirit Stone lights around them seemed to dim.

Spiritual light flowed over the silk like rippling water. It was vivid yet regal, like a streak of sunset glow frozen in place, or a flame bound fast.

Qin Nanyue and Lin Ying's gazes were drawn to it almost at the same time.

"So beautiful..." Lin Ying murmured.

Qin Nanyue's breath caught for an instant.

Her gaze was glued to the strip of red silk, her pupils widening slightly as the flowing spiritual light reflected in their depths.

Several full breaths passed before she exclaimed softly, "This... this is a Supreme-Grade Law Artifact too?!"

Her voice trembled uncontrollably.

Compared to the Gold-and-White Sword-Scar Waistband on the stage, the Cinnabar Sword-Binding Silk was far more beautiful.

The red silk resembled flowing cinnabar, every inch of it radiating both sharpness and splendor.

If the Gold-and-White Sword-Scar Waistband was sharp-edged with a touch of icy aloofness, then this red silk was flamboyant yet naturally graceful.

For female cultivators, beauty itself was an important consideration when choosing a Law Artifact.

Even the Qin Household's direct-line daughter was no exception!

Lin Ying was even more astonished, her gentle almond eyes widening slightly as she stared, speechless.

When Lu Yang had "lent" her the Supreme-Grade Law Artifact Purple Cloud Pill-Nurturing Robe, she had thought it was a privilege reserved for her alone.

But now Lu Yang had casually produced another Supreme-Grade Law Artifact, and an extremely rare waistband at that!

What kind of background does Junior Brother Lu have?

Lin Ying lowered her eyes, her long lashes casting faint shadows beneath them.

In her eyes, Junior Brother Lu was handsome, with an ethereal, immortal air about him and a gentle temperament. His background was unfathomable, and he was outrageously generous to boot.

There were probably more female cultivators who liked a man like Lu Yang than she could count.

And what about her?

She was just an ordinary Alchemist, with an unremarkable family background and talent that was far from the best.

She even felt she wasn't worthy of Lu Yang.

The inferiority in her heart wound around her like a vine, quietly tightening until her palms grew cold.

Lu Yang didn't notice the change in Lin Ying's mood. His attention was entirely on Qin Nanyue.

Smiling, he held the Cinnabar Sword-Binding Silk out to Qin Nanyue. His tone was light and casual, as though he were offering her a wildflower picked by the roadside rather than a Supreme-Grade Law Artifact that countless cultivators would fight tooth and nail to obtain. "This Supreme-Grade Law Artifact can not only increase the power of Sword Dao Law Techniques, but also amplify Sword Qi. You specialize in Sword Dao, Senior Sister Qin, so it should suit you better than the one on the stage."

Qin Nanyue stared blankly at the red silk before her and couldn't help swallowing.

But as a member of the Qin Household's direct line who already owned two Supreme-Grade Law Treasures, she was far more composed than the average cultivator.

She quickly came to her senses, drew a deep breath, and hurriedly asked, "Junior Brother Lu, are you selling it to me? How many Spirit Stones? Name your price!"

She spoke quickly and urgently, as if afraid Lu Yang would change his mind.

Lu Yang, however, waved a hand and said lightly, "This Supreme-Grade Law Artifact is too feminine. It doesn't really suit me, so I'll give it to you, Senior Sister."

Qin Nanyue: "????"

Her expression froze completely.

The warm yellow glow of the spiritual lights in the private room fell across her delicate face, illuminating her stunned expression.

Her lips moved, but she couldn't get a single word out.

Give... give it to me?

A Supreme-Grade Law Artifact, and a rare waistband-type one at that, just... given to her?

Seated beside them, Lin Ying lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the fabric of her sleeve.

A sour ache surged up from the bottom of her heart, tightening her throat.

The Purple Cloud Pill-Nurturing Robe had made her think she was different, that she was special to Junior Brother Lu.

But now it seemed... she wasn't at all...

He was giving Nanyue a Supreme-Grade Law Artifact too...

That sour ache churned in her chest, refusing to go away.

Strangely, though, the inferiority that had wound around her heart had faded somewhat because of it.

She didn't know why, either.

Perhaps it was because, this way, Junior Brother Lu wasn't quite so perfect after all?

At the very least, Junior Brother Lu was rather naughty, and... and rather lecherous?

Lin Ying considered herself somewhat pretty, and Nanyue was even prettier than she was.

Her face was striking and magnificent, her bearing heroic and dashing, her figure slender and shapely—the kind of woman countless male cultivators dreamed of.

Junior Brother Lu seems to like pretty women!

When the thought surfaced, Lin Ying felt like crying, but held it back with all her might.

She lowered her head and kept muttering to herself inwardly. Her thoughts were a tangled mess, and even she couldn't tell what she was feeling.

Although her mind was blank, her gaze rose of its own accord. She stole a cautious glance at Lu Yang, then another at Qin Nanyue.

Qin Nanyue was still in a daze when she suddenly noticed Lin Ying's fleeting glances from beside her, and her heart tightened.

That gaze held a hidden sourness beneath its caution. Pretending not to care, yet unable to stop watching, she was like a little animal guarding its territory without daring to make a sound.