Chapter 149

The night breeze of Star Luo City blew in from the end of the street, carrying the coolness of early autumn and the lively atmosphere of the night market in the distance.

Yun Jingheng walked at the front, his jacket zipped all the way up, his hands in his pockets, his pace neither fast nor slow.

He had changed out of his outfit from the game and was wearing a thin black jacket over a gray crew neck shirt, looking no different from any other ordinary teenager on the street.

"Jing Heng, slow down!"

Xu Xiaoyan shouted from behind, "So what if you have long legs?"

Yun Jingheng glanced back, but his pace did indeed slow down.

Xu Xiaoyan jogged up to him, stopped beside him, looked up at him for a moment, and then quickly looked away.

"You changed your clothes pretty quickly. I thought you were going to wear that outfit directly to the rest area earlier."

"It's uncomfortable not to wear it," Yun Jingheng said.

"What?"

"I feel uncomfortable after sweating."

Xu Xiaoyan was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"You sweat? I thought you were made of ice."

Yun Jingheng glanced at her speechlessly and didn't reply.

Xie Xie's voice came from behind. "Xiao Yan, aren't you afraid of getting beaten up by the Monster Academy for getting so close to him?"

Xu Xiaoyan turned around and glared at Xie Xie: "Shut up, Mr. Four Minutes."

Xie Xie's smile instantly froze on his face. "Could you please stop mentioning four minutes?"

Four minutes.

Yuanen Yehui walked past him, repeating the same thing expressionlessly.

"Yuan En, you--"

"Four minutes and twelve seconds." Yuanen Yehui delivered the final blow without turning his head.

Xie Xie clutched his chest, feigning a severe injury.

Wu Siduo walked up from behind, patted him on the shoulder with a smile, and didn't say anything, but that smile itself was a knife.

Ye Xinglan, carrying a string of candied hawthorns, caught up with them. "Didn't you say you'd wait for me? Why are you all walking so fast?!"

"By the way, what good stuff is at the auction?"

Xie Xie finally recovered from the shock of the "four minutes" and caught up with Yun Jingheng in a few steps, asking curiously.

"I don't know," Yun Jingheng said.

"You don't know? Then what are you doing here?"

"Coming to buy something, Mr. Four Minutes? Do you have to pay attention to what's sold in the supermarket every time you go in?"

Upon Xu Xiaoyan Xiaoyan's words, Xie Xie's expression was as if he had swallowed a live fly.

He opened his mouth, then closed it, then opened it again, finally managing to stammer out, "How can that be the same? The supermarket doesn't charge admission!"

"There's no entrance fee for the auction," Xu Xiaoyan blinked, looking completely innocent.

"The auction requires money and invitations!"

"We have invitations, and you can also just look without buying."

"Then why did you just say that I need to see what's sold in the supermarket?"

"Because what you said doesn't make logical sense, Mr. Four Minutes."

"Don't call me by that name anymore!"

The two bickered, one after the other. Xie Xie Xu Xiaoyan as nimbly as a sparrow, while Xie Xie chased after her, panting heavily—though he wasn't exactly fast to begin with.

Yun Jingheng and Ye Xinglan, who ran to his side, exchanged a smile.

The group caused a ruckus all the way to the Treasure Pavilion.

Golden lights poured down from the glass dome, illuminating the entire building in a dazzling display.

The waiter at the door saw the group of chatting and laughing teenagers, his gaze lingered for a moment on the insignia on their chests, and then he bowed and gestured for them to enter, his attitude even more respectful than before.

When Xie Xie stepped onto the red carpet, he unconsciously straightened his back and took more serious steps, trying to create an aura of "I'm not here to freeload, I'm a proper VIP."

Xu Xiaoyan walked past him without turning her head and said, "What are you pretending to be, rich guy?"

"How dare you speak like that, Xiao Yan?"

"I saw you turn all the pockets inside out when you bought the chestnuts."

Xie Xie's face flushed red instantly.

"I was looking for change! Change!"

"Mmm, change."

Xu Xiaoyan nodded perfunctorily and quickly followed Yun Jingheng ahead.

Xie Xie stomped his foot on the spot, but finally resigned himself to his fate and followed.

The group walked through the lobby on the first floor and, guided by a waiter, went up to the second floor.

The staircase was covered with a dark red carpet, and the handrail was decorated with gold carvings. On each step stood a staff member in uniform who smiled and bowed to the guests, making you feel like you were walking on air.

"This place..."

Xie Xie lowered his voice, "I don't even dare to walk loudly in this place."

"Then why were you shouting so loudly downstairs just now?" Xu Xiaoyan asked.

"I didn't shout, I was speaking at a normal volume!"

"Normal people don't discuss whether they have money in their pockets at the entrance of an auction house."

"You--"

"Arrive."

The waiter stopped in front of a private room, lifted the beaded curtain, and stepped aside.

Six people filed in.

The private room was more spacious than expected, with sofas arranged in a semi-circle around the coffee table. A potted plant about half a person's height was placed in the corner, and a landscape painting hung on the wall. Through the floor-to-ceiling window in front, one could overlook the entire auction stage.

Xie Xie plunged headfirst into the innermost single sofa, sinking in completely and letting out a satisfied sigh.

"This is where people should be."

"You said the same thing at the food street."

Xu Xiaoyan sat down opposite him and picked up the auction catalog on the coffee table to flip through it.

"The food street and the places where people stay do not conflict."

"Xiao Yan, you've changed. Ever since you met Jing Heng, you're no longer the cute and considerate Xiao Yan you used to be," Xie Xie, clutching his chest in feigned pain.

"She hasn't become less adorable and considerate; it's just that her adorableness and consideration now belong only to Jing Heng," Yuanen Yehui said with a smile, raising an eyebrow at Yun Jingheng.

Yun Jingheng an awkward smile and turned to study the scene outside the floor-to-ceiling window.

Ye Xinglan, holding the leftover bamboo skewer, approached him with a half-smile.

She gently poked his waist with a bamboo skewer and whispered, "Did you hear that? My cuteness and thoughtfulness belong only to you~"

"Ahem, Xing Lan..."

"Hmm~"

"I remember you seem to be missing a piece of jewelry, right? I'll find one for you later?"

"Tch~ Who cares?"

In a private room on the second floor of the opposite building in the east section, the beaded curtain was slightly lifted from the inside.

An eye peers out through the gap.

It was a very beautiful eye, with a deep pupil color, like obsidian soaked in ink.

The owner of the eyes was looking in a very clear direction—not at the auction stage, not in the lobby on the first floor, but directly opposite, in this private room in the west wing.

Specifically, it was the black figure standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.

The eye looked for about three seconds, then the beaded curtain silently fell back into place.

Inside the private room, a girl turned around.

She was about sixteen or seventeen years old, wearing a plain white dress with a silver ribbon tied around her waist. Her long hair was loose over her shoulders, with only a hair clip behind her ear.

Her face bore a striking resemblance to Yun Biechen, but Yun Biechen possessed a gentler demeanor and was less aloof.

Her eyes were exactly like Yun Biechen's —black, deep, as if they held many secrets.

The Yun Zhishui.

She lowered the beaded curtain, turned around, walked back to the sofa, sat down, picked up the teacup on the coffee table, gently blew away the foam, and took a sip.

Then she looked up at the other two people in the private room and said two words.

"They've arrived."

These two words sounded light and airy, like a falling leaf, but everyone present could hear the weight they carried.

A burly young man with broad shoulders and a thick back, a buzz cut, a square face, thick eyebrows and big eyes, looked five or six years older than his actual age.

He was wearing a dark brown leather jacket, the zipper only half-zipped up, revealing a black T-shirt underneath, and the muscle lines of his chest were faintly visible.

Zheng Yongkang.

"Are you sure it's him?" Zheng Yongkang's voice was deep, like muffled thunder.

Yun Zhishui put down his teacup and slowly circled his finger along the rim.

"Confirmed. Black coat, gray crew neck shirt, standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. There are five other people next to him, one man and four women. The pretty blonde girl next to him should be Ye Xinglan, and the others should be members of the same Shrek Academy team."

"You can see that clearly?" Zhang Jinghong walked out from the corner.

He was half a head shorter than Zheng Yongkang, rather thin, and wore round-framed glasses, making him look like a frail scholar.

But his fingers were long, with distinct knuckles, and thin calluses on his fingertips—marks left from years of drawing a bow.

He held a glass of red wine, but didn't drink it; he just swirled it gently in his hand.

"I've learned the Tang Sect's Purple Demon Eye," Yun Zhishui said. "Don't you know about it too?"

Zhang Jinghong adjusted his glasses, neither denying it nor denying it.

Zheng Yongkang stood up, walked to the window, and, imitating Yun Zhishui, lifted a gap in the beaded curtain to peek outside.

His gaze fell on the floor-to-ceiling window of the west wing VIP box across the street, where a black figure stood with his hands in his pockets, his posture casual, but his back ramrod straight.

"It's him."

Zheng Yongkang lowered the beaded curtain, turned around and walked back. "During the competition, I could feel that aura even from that distance. Now that we're less than a hundred meters apart, it's even more obvious."

"What kind of aura?" Zhang Jinghong asked.

Zheng Yongkang thought for a moment and chose a word: "Moon."

Yun Zhishui's fingers stopped at the rim of the cup.

She lowered her eyes, her eyelashes casting a small fan-shaped shadow on her cheek.

After a moment of silence, she said softly, "My brother is right, he really is."

Zhang Jinghong placed the wine glass on the coffee table and adjusted his glasses.

"What else did your brother say?"

Yun Zhishui raised her head, her dark eyes reflecting the light of the crystal chandelier.

He said that when the moon rises, there's no need to look up; the light will fall on its own. How much you catch is up to fate, but at least you should reach out your hand.

Zheng Yongkang picked up a piece of candy from the coffee table, unwrapped it, popped it into his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and mumbled, "So when are you planning to reach out?"

Yun Zhishui did not answer.

She picked up her teacup again, took a slow sip, then stood up and walked to the window.

This time, she didn't lift the beaded curtain; she simply looked through the thin curtain towards the west wing of the private room.

The dark figure was still there by the French windows.

She looked at it for a long time.

Not now.

She finally spoke, "It's too early now. He has to go his way, and we have to go ours. We can reach out when our paths are close enough."

Zhang Jinghong stood up from the sofa, walked to Yun Zhishui's side, and followed her gaze to the opposite side.

"Let's not talk about that now. Let's discuss how we should approach him today."

Yun Zhishui paused, her eyes darting around, her fingers circling the rim of the teacup once, then again.

She lowered her head, staring at the pale amber tea in her cup, as if the answer she needed floated within it. "I... my brother didn't say..."

"Didn't you say?"

Zheng Yongkang's voice rose a half-octave, and he almost spat out the candy in his mouth, "Your brother arranged for you to come here, but didn't he tell you how to approach him?"

Yun Zhishui's ear tips turned slightly red.

She placed the teacup on the coffee table, crossed her hands on her knees, and straightened her back, trying to use her dignified posture to cover up her momentary unease.

"My brother said he'd take care of everything, but he didn't say exactly how..."

Zhang Jinghong pinched the bridge of his nose and said with a wry smile, "You two siblings are really... I don't even know what to say. One of you is a sister-obsessed brother, and the other is a brother-obsessed brother. You two might as well just go for incest..."

Yun Zhishui kept her face down and didn't speak, but the blush on her ears didn't lie.

Zheng Yongkang stood up. "How about this? Keep it simple, take some pictures of things and give them to him, saying you've heard so much about me and came here because of my reputation."

Zhang Jinghong looked at him, expressionless. "You mean, use our money to bid on our things and give them to our people?"

"... Anyway, in the end the whole industry belongs to him, so no one else benefited, right?"

Downstairs, the auctioneer cleared his throat, his voice amplified through the Amplifying Soul Tool, echoing throughout the hall.

"Distinguished guests, welcome to tonight's auction at the Treasure Pavilion. The first item for sale—"

She paused deliberately, whetting everyone's appetite, then waved her hand, and the display stand behind her slowly rose, soft light shining on a transparent display case.

Inside the cabinet, a pendant lay quietly.

The pendant has a simple design: a silvery-white crescent moon set among tiny blue gemstones, resembling the moon surrounded by stars in the night sky.

Under the lights, the blue gemstones gleamed with a Youyou, understated light, not the kind of ostentatious brilliance, but a quiet, restrained light, like the deep sea.

"The provenance of this item is not something that Treasure Pavilion can disclose."

The auctioneer's voice became more solemn, "However, after joint appraisal by multiple appraisers, it has been confirmed that this pendant contains an extremely pure energy, with the rare attribute of moon. For Soul Master possessing a moon-attribute Martial Soul, the value of this item is self-evident."

A low murmur arose in the hall.

Moon-attribute Martial Soul are extremely rare, and most of the people present have no use for them.

But for those who can use it, its value is immeasurable.

The auctioneer raised his gavel and looked around.

"Starting bid: 8 million Gold Soul Coin. Each bid must be at least 100,000 Gold Soul Coin."

After a brief silence, someone raised a sign.

"Eight million one hundred thousand."

"Eight million two hundred thousand."

"Eight million five hundred thousand."

Prices are rising slowly but steadily.

There were only three or four people bidding, and they were very cautious each time they raised their bids.

After all, moon-attribute Martial Soul are too unpopular; if you buy one and can't resell it, it's just an expensive decoration.

In the private room in the west wing, Yun Jingheng stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, his gaze fixed on the crescent moon pendant, motionless.

He looked at it for about five seconds.

Then he turned around, walked to the sofa, picked up the price quote device on the coffee table, pressed a few numbers, and pressed the confirmation button.

The movements were fluid and seamless, without hesitation or pause, as if they had planned what to do in advance.

The auctioneer downstairs was taken aback.

The price quote came through her earphones. Her eyes widened slightly, her mouth opened and closed repeatedly, and finally she read out the number in a somewhat uncertain tone.

"The guest in the West Wing VIP box has bid—30 million."

The entire hall fell silent.

Everyone turned to look towards the west section of the second floor. Behind the beaded curtain, shadowy figures were visible, but no one could make out who they were. However, that number clearly struck everyone's heart.

Thirty million.

From 8.5 million to 30 million, the difference is 21.5 million.

No one raised the price anymore.

It's not that I don't want to, it's that I don't dare.

Even if a pendant has the attribute of moon and its energy is pure, it's not worth 30 million.

Anyone who pays that price is either insane, has too much money to burn, or finds the pendant worth that much.

The bidding paddles remained silent; no one raised them.

The auctioneer waited a full ten seconds to make sure no one else raised the price before the sound of the gavel falling was particularly crisp in the quiet hall.

"Make a deal."

In the private room in the west wing, Xie Xie almost dropped the teacup in his hand.

He sprang up from the sofa, his eyes wide as saucers and his mouth agape enough to fit an egg.

"Thirty... thirty million?"

His voice was trembling, "Jing Heng, are you crazy?"

Yun Jingheng put the bidding device back on the coffee table, walked back to the French windows, put his hands in his pockets, and looked at the pendant that the staff had put away on the auction stage.

"I told you I'd buy you a piece of jewelry," he said without turning his head.

Xie Xie's mind hadn't quite caught up yet, and he subconsciously asked, "For whom?"

Ye Xinglan's hand froze in mid-air.

She was peeling a candy, and her fingers stopped moving after she had only torn the wrapper halfway through.

She looked up at Yun Jingheng's back. The black figure stood in front of the French window, the light from the street lamp shining in from outside, casting a silvery-white outline on him.

"For me?" Her voice was slightly unsteady.

"Didn't you say you didn't care?" Yun Jingheng turned around, leaned against the French windows, and looked at Ye Xinglan.

There was a slight curve at the corner of his mouth.

"I..." Ye Xinglan opened her mouth, but the candy wrapper slipped from her hand and floated onto the coffee table.

"But that thing isn't jewelry."

Yun Jingheng looked at her, his tone becoming more serious, "It's a moon-attribute one, you won't use it. I'll pick out another one for you later."

Ye Xinglan lowered her head, stuffed the half-peeled candy in her hand into her mouth, and chewed it a couple of times.

"Who asked you to choose?"

Her voice was muffled, but the color of her ear tips gave her away.