Candle Shadows in the Darkroom

When her slender hand gently pushed, the heavy, soundproofed rosewood door of the VIP room slid open silently. Her face had already adopted a smile honed through countless trials, one that was bone-deep alluring yet perfectly measured, as if the anxious wait had never occurred.

The room was dimly lit, illuminated only by a few glazed lamps embedded in the walls. Soft halos cast ambiguous shadows on the expensive wool carpet.

A faint, elegant scent of premium incense permeated the air.

That familiar figure in the black robe, seeming to absorb all light, stood with his back to the door, motionless before the massive floor-to-ceiling window, like a frozen statue overlooking the star-like lights of Wutan City outside.

His wide cloak enveloped him completely from head to toe, exuding a chilling mystery that kept others at a distance.

"Sir, you've finally arrived. Ya Fei has been waiting for quite some time." Ya Fei's voice was as sweet as honey, soft and melodious, her tone rising slightly at the end with a hint of perfectly calibrated, heart-stirring melancholy and playful complaint.

She moved with a light, feline grace, her steps swaying alluringly as she approached, the high slit of her qipao revealing tantalizing glimpses with each stride.

Mo Lin slowly turned around.

The shadow of his hood completely concealed his facial features. Only a voice, flat and almost indifferent, emerged through the fabric, sounding exceptionally clear in the quiet room, "I was tied up with trivial matters, causing a slight delay. Supervisor Ya Fei, I trust you are well?"

"Thanks to your blessings, sir, the auction the other day was an unprecedented success, a complete triumph." Ya Fei smiled charmingly and walked to the exquisitely carved Zitan wood tea table in the center of the room.

She extended her delicate fingers, elegantly lifting the small silver pot kept warm nearby, and personally poured Mo Lin a cup of freshly brewed fragrant tea.

The tea was amber-colored, steam rising and releasing a refreshing aroma. "Sir, are you here to settle the accounts? That bottle of Purple Crystal Source ultimately fetched one million seven hundred and eighty thousand gold coins. Based on your agreed-upon ten percent commission, the remaining one million six hundred and two thousand gold coins have all been prepared here."

She lightly pushed a Zijing card, its edges gilded and bearing the Mite'er Family crest, in Mo Lin's direction.

Mo Lin's gaze didn't linger on the card representing immense wealth for even a moment.

He cut straight to the core, his voice, passing through the hood, carrying an undeniable penetrative force that instantly dispelled the earlier warmth of pleasantries. "The payment is a minor matter, we can discuss it later. I came tonight because I wanted to hear how Supervisor Ya Fei has considered the matter of the 'Ice Emperor Hai Bodong'?"

Ya Fei's heart skipped a beat, as if gripped by an invisible hand.

So it was true! He had indeed come for this!

Her smile didn't falter in the slightest, but her tone involuntarily became more serious. A sharp glint flashed in her peach blossom eyes. "What you speak of, sir, concerns the rise and fall of my Mite'er Family, a matter of great importance. Ya Fei dares not be negligent. However…"

Her tone shifted, revealing the shrewdness and caution of a merchant. "May I ask how specifically you require Ya Fei's cooperation? And how can Ya Fei be assured that you can truly make contact with Elder Taishang Hai Bodong, who has been missing for many years?"

She needed tangible proof, not castles in the air.

Mo Lin seemed to have anticipated her reaction and did not answer immediately.

He slowly raised his right hand, a hand with well-defined knuckles, appearing quite young.

Under Ya Fei's focused gaze, he lightly rubbed the tips of his index finger and thumb. A wisp of ice-blue airflow, as fine as a hair but crystal clear as if carved from the ultimate ice, materialized silently.

The moment this wisp of airflow appeared, the scene in the VIP room abruptly changed!

It was as if they had instantly fallen from warm spring into a frigid abyss. The moisture in the air condensed into tiny ice crystals at a visible rate, scattering down like falling snow.

The surface of the smooth Zitan wood tea table was instantly covered with a layer of frost, as thin as cicada wings, emanating a chilling aura!

Even Ya Fei's exhaled breath turned into white mist pillars in the air.

This coldness was far beyond what ordinary ice-attribute Fighting Energy could achieve! It carried an absolute, extreme chill that inspired awe and trembling from the depths of the soul!

Ya Fei's pupils contracted sharply to the size of pinpricks, her delicate body trembling uncontrollably. She instinctively took half a step back.

Her peach blossom eyes, usually so captivating, were now filled with unconcealed shock and disbelief.

As a core member of the Mite'er Family, her vision far surpassed that of ordinary people!

This aura… this extreme chilling intent that seemed capable of freezing the soul, was absolutely not something an ordinary Dou King could possess!

This was clearly a supreme power that had touched the origin of ice-attribute laws! Could it be… this person before her truly had a deep connection with that Grand Elder who was also renowned for his ice-attribute Fighting Energy?! Or perhaps… he himself was a reclusive, super-powerful ice-attribute expert?

"This… this is…" Ya Fei's voice carried an uncontrollable tremor, betraying the immense shock she felt.

"Consider this a token of my sincerity." Mo Lin flicked his fingertip, and the wisp of ice-blue airflow vanished instantly, as if it had never appeared.

The temperature in the room began to slowly rise, but the soul-stirring chill seemed to be branded onto Ya Fei's heart.

His voice remained calm, but the silence of the moment made it even more oppressive. "I have already ascertained Hai Bodong's whereabouts. He is currently in hiding on the eastern border of the Jia Ma Empire, in the vicinity of the Tagor Desert.

The specific location cannot be revealed for now. He suffered a mishap and his strength was greatly depleted. I, however, possess a secret method that might help him resolve some of his predicament, or even… restore some of his former cultivation."

These words struck Ya Fei's mind like successive bolts of lightning from the heavens!

Tagor Desert! Greatly depleted strength! Restore cultivation! Could it be that Grand Elder Hai Bodong was indeed still alive, and currently in an unprecedented state of weakness?

And this mysterious person before her possessed a heaven-defying method capable of restoring the strength of a Dou Emperor expert?!

The immense amount of information crashed into Ya Fei's mind like a tsunami. The earth-shattering opportunity contained within made her heart pound like a drum, her breathing becoming uncontrollably rapid. Her high-rising chest heaved violently, outlining a breathtaking curve.

Her mind worked at its limit, weighing the risks against the rewards that could elevate her to the pinnacle.

If all this were true… then betting everything on this mysterious person, helping him find and "treat" Grand Elder Hai Bodong, would bring returns that she could never achieve through a lifetime of her own efforts!

It would mean gaining an unshakeable, powerful backing within the Mite'er Family, completely altering the power dynamics!

While the risks were undeniable, what were they compared to the attainable power at the peak?

Moreover, the origin ice-attribute aura he had just displayed was of such a high level that it surpassed her comprehension. This in itself was the strongest guarantee!

After a brief, suffocating silence, Ya Fei abruptly raised her head.

All hesitation, probing, and allure on her face vanished, replaced by a resolute determination akin to burning bridges and a fiercely burning ambition.

Her peach blossom eyes gleamed with a sharpness like a falcon's, as if trying to pierce through the hood's shadow and look directly into Mo Lin's eyes (though she could see nothing). Her tone was decisive and resounding: "Sir! Ya Fei believes you! Please tell me directly how you require Ya Fei's cooperation! As long as it is within my authority, the Mite'er Auction House's resource network spread throughout the empire is yours to command!

Ya Fei asks for nothing else, only that if you truly manage to see Grand Elder Hai Bodong, please speak well of Ya Fei on my behalf!"

She had finally pushed all her chips onto this unknown gambling table!

Beneath the shadow of Mo Lin's hood, the corner of his mouth curled into a satisfied arc of complete control.

This beautiful and shrewd fish had finally bitten the hook after sufficient torment and temptation.