Xue Qinghe seemed used to seeing this. He turned his head and quietly explained to Lan:
"They're not waitresses."
"This auction house is backed by the Heaven Dou Imperial Family. These women are auction items, sold to the highest bidder."
He paused, his tone still gentle.
"As long as someone is willing to pay, they're no different from slaves."
Lan's brow twitched almost imperceptibly.
"I remember the empire's laws prohibit the buying and selling of slaves."
At that, Xue Qinghe merely smiled without answering. There was far too much unspoken meaning hidden in that smile.
Meanwhile, Ma Hongjun, who had been stopped, was nearly frantic.
"What? Thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins for one?!"
"That's outrageous! They're just ordinary women. Why don't you go rob someone!"
To get this White VIP Card, he had won several consecutive bouts at the Heaven Dou Great Soul Arena. Only by gambling on the fights had he barely scraped together the ten-thousand-Gold-Soul-Coin requirement.
Now, asking him to pay thirty thousand was no different from asking for his life.
He was still carrying the Shrek Academy's funds—one hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins—but he didn't dare touch a single coin.
He had no doubt that if he spent any of it, Tang San and the others would hang him up and beat him when he got back.
"Bang!!!"
Just then, a crisp hammer blow rang out from the auction stage.
A voluptuous female auctioneer in a high-slit gown stepped forward. Her alluring voice, amplified by Soul Power, rang throughout the hall.
"The next item up for auction is the cream of the crop. It's sure to give the male guests here a thrill the likes of which they've never experienced before."
As she spoke, she reached out and yanked the red cloth off a huge cage beside her.
The cloth fell away.
A young woman was curled up in one corner of the cage, knees pulled to her chest, her body trembling slightly.
She wore purple armor plates that covered her body, leaving her snow-white skin exposed. Most striking of all was the slightly raised purple Scorpion Tail behind her, gleaming with a metallic sheen.
Her face was full of fear, but her eyes were as clear as a mountain spring.
The auctioneer pointed at her with a delicate hand, her voice growing even more seductive.
"I'm sure all our esteemed guests can see that this young lady's Martial Soul underwent a curious mutation when it awakened."
"It gave her a human body with the traits of a Soul Beast. The pleasures that entails are for the person who buys her to discover firsthand."
"Bidding starts at seventy thousand Gold Soul Coins!"
As soon as the auctioneer finished speaking, a coarse voice roared impatiently from a corner.
"Seventy thousand!"
It was Ma Hongjun.
His eyes seemed to be spitting fire as he stared at the young woman in the cage. That strange purple Scorpion Tail was like a hook, dragging the Evil Fire he could barely keep in check to the surface.
She was so beautiful, especially with that exotic charm. His blood was boiling all over.
Lan's gaze turned a shade colder.
A trace of pity and anger quietly rose in his heart.
"Seventy thousand and one hundred."
A calm voice rang out. It wasn't loud, but everyone in the room heard it clearly.
The entire hall fell silent.
Everyone turned toward the VIP seats where Lan was sitting.
Ma Hongjun whipped around, the fat on his face trembling with rage.
"Who? Who dares to bid against me!"
He saw Lan, and Xue Qinghe beside him, who carried himself with unmistakable distinction. But by then, desire had clouded Ma Hongjun's mind.
"Kid, I'm from Shrek Academy!"
"If you don't want trouble, don't be a fool!"
He pointed at Lan from across the room.
"One hundred thousand!"
Xue Qinghe glanced at Lan with interest, an amused smile playing at his lips, but said nothing.
Lan didn't even look at Ma Hongjun.
He simply picked up the teacup beside him and gently blew on it, as if he hadn't been the one to bid.
Then he set the cup down and spoke again.
"One hundred thousand and one hundred."
"Three, two, one... sold!"
The auctioneer's eyes flashed. She brought down the hammer with a heavy strike!
Ma Hongjun went rigid. His face shifted from red to green, then from green to white.
Fine, you little punk!
Just wait until we get out of here. Let's see how far you get!
Then your money and that Scorpion Girl will both be mine!
The auction continued.
Over the next while, Lan placed several more bids.
A piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Rubber from the deep sea, highly beneficial to a Soul Master's body.
Several chunks of ore whose use was unknown, but which radiated strange waves of energy.
And a damaged ancient book.
Each time, he bid just a little more than the others, as he had before—precise and efficient. Many in the hall couldn't help watching him.
Xue Qinghe quietly observed Lan's actions. His eyes held feelings too complicated to name: the dignity of a crown prince, and a hint of inexplicable tenderness.
The auction house doors slowly closed behind them, shutting out the clamor and extravagance within.
The afternoon sun in Heaven Dou City was hot against their faces.
Lan narrowed his eyes slightly as they adjusted to the light outside.
Crown Prince Xue Qinghe walked beside him, wearing his usual gentle smile, as if he hadn't been the one secretly driving up the bids in the auction hall.
The Scorpion-Tailed young woman they had bought followed quietly behind Lan, her head bowed. She didn't dare look at anything around her, like a frightened little animal.
The streets teemed with people, vendors' cries rising and falling in a lively bustle.
"Heaven Dou City really is bustling," Xue Qinghe remarked casually, though his gaze discreetly swept over Lan and the young woman behind him.
Lan didn't reply. He simply walked on, calm and composed.
To him, the bustle of the world wasn't much different from the desolation of the Far North.
They were both just scenery.
Just then, the crowd up ahead stirred. Women's startled cries and a man's filthy words drifted over.
A crowd had gathered around a sachet stall.
"That pig again!"
"Throwing his weight around because he's a Soul Master, and harassing those Li Family twin sisters again."
"Yeah, he's awful. Too bad no one dares to step in."
The murmurs around them were quiet, but Lan heard them clearly.
He looked toward the sound and spotted a familiar, corpulent figure.
It was Ma Hongjun.
He was blocking the stall, leering at the vendor's identical twin daughters. He reached out with a pudgy hand, trying to touch one of the girls' faces.
"Don't be scared, little miss. Come home with me, and I'll make sure you live in luxury!"
The girl was terrified, her face drained of color as she backed away again and again.
At that moment, Ma Hongjun seemed to sense something. He swept his gaze across the crowd.
His eyes locked on Lan.
Then he spotted Xue Qinghe beside Lan, and behind Xue Qinghe, the purple Scorpion Tail he'd been dreaming about.
The lecherous grin on Ma Hongjun's face froze, replaced by an uncontrollable greed.
He shoved aside the people around him and strode over, stopping directly in front of Lan.
"Kid, you finally came out!"
The commotion startled the passersby. They scattered, leaving an open space around them.
Xue Qinghe stopped with interest, the curve of his smile widening a little.
Ma Hongjun's gaze roamed brazenly over the Scorpion-Tailed young woman, then returned to Lan's face.
"You're the one who made me lose face at the auction just now!"
"Today, I'm going to teach you a lesson! We Soul Masters live by the law of the jungle!"
"If you know what's good for you, hand over that scorpion girl!"
Before you continue