Massages come with risks

Leng Yaozhu raised her hand, and the soul vehicle waiting by the roadside slowly drove over to the three of them.

Yaluo Auction House, Shrek City's foremost den of extravagance.

Beneath the night sky, the spired building stabbed toward the heavens like a pitch-black greatblade. Its exterior walls, laid with whole slabs of white-jade composite soul-engineering stone, shimmered with a cold, pale-gold halo under the refracted glow of the Soul Guidance Neon Lights.

The entrance consisted of sliding crystal doors with high-precision soul-energy sensors, with a dark-gold sound-dampening carpet laid outside.

The Soul Masters serving as ushers on either side all had steady auras and kept their eyes straight ahead.

Two neat rows of people already stood before the entrance.

At their head was Yaluo Auction House's chief steward, Manager Mo, a middle-aged man wearing a dark-green, old-fashioned robe. Behind him stood a group of senior managers, along with Ruoling, the chief auctioneer who would wield the gavel that evening.

Not far away, an understated black flying soul vehicle pulled up. Its door slid open, and Leng Yaozhu stepped out first in an elegant, unadorned white dress. Though she had shed her daytime sternness, the air of authority unique to those in power still seemed to thicken the air around her.

With both hands in his pockets, Tang Qingye followed calmly at her side.

Leng Nu Jiao stayed half a step behind. Her wine-red high ponytail swayed gently in the night breeze, her face expressionless-a dutiful guard.

"Greetings, Your Excellency Heavenly Phoenix." The instant Leng Yaozhu set foot on the ground, Manager Mo bent at a humble angle, fine beads of sweat seeping onto his forehead.

Tokens of identification were for ordinary people or those of insufficient rank. Leng Yaozhu clearly did not fall into either category; her face was a pass granting the highest level of access.

"Manager Mo, it's been some time. Your information is still as timely as ever." Leng Yaozhu gave him a faint glance, her voice devoid of emotion.

"Your presence honors our establishment, Your Excellency. We've been waiting for you." Manager Mo turned slightly to clear the main passage and gestured with one hand. "Heaven No. 1 has been prepared. Please follow me, Your Excellency."

The translucent crystal doors slid open without a sound.

Tang Qingye stepped onto the red-and-gold carpet, laid with shock-absorbing and sound-dampening arrays, and surveyed his surroundings. High-precision soul projections embedded in the white wooden walls on either side of the passage silently cycled through that evening's top auction items.

Behind Manager Mo, Ruoling, a chief auctioneer of considerable standing, was holding a white-jade tea tray with bated breath, not even daring to raise her head. Only as they passed did she steal a sidelong look at the boy beside Heavenly Phoenix, whose calm expression nonetheless carried an air of nobility.

The group passed through the exclusive supreme VIP passage and went straight into Heaven No. 1 on the auction hall's highest floor.

"Humm..."

The heavy metal door closed behind them, and the world suddenly became so quiet that only the sound of heartbeats remained...

At the front of the private room was a one-way soul-glass curtain wall that blocked probing. Looking down, they could take in the entire tiered auction hall, while those below could not hope to glimpse even a fraction of what lay inside.

The room's soul control console displayed an ice-blue virtual screen.

Manager Mo waved the unnecessary attendants away, leaving only Ruoling and the maids serving tea at their side. He respectfully presented a glowing soul-device catalog to Leng Yaozhu and bowed. "Your Excellency, this screen contains a list of all the auction items, with their origins and appraised values recorded. Has anything caught your eye?"

Leng Yaozhu looked quietly, and Manager Mo waited in silence. Beside them, Tang Qingye stood with his arms folded, watching the large screen, his thoughts unknown. Leng Nu Jiao imitated her young master's posture, folding her arms and outlining a gentle, soft curve-a curve.

Seeing the boy remain silent, Ruoling, who stood nearby, knew just what to do. She quietly walked behind the seated boy, her slender, jade-like fingers settling naturally onto his shoulders as she slowly kneaded them with soothing pressure. She did not know Tang Qingye's identity, but his connection to Leng Yaozhu was enough, and her enthusiasm naturally grew. She was very confident in both her looks and her figure. If she could leave a good impression on this young master, perhaps there would be a chance to take things further in the future. Even becoming a maid would do.

Leng Nu Jiao: Stealing my livelihood?

The boy tacitly permitted her actions and leaned back slightly. The girl beside him instinctively curled her lips, a trace of defiance flashing through her eyes. She grumbled inwardly that kneading someone's shoulders and neck like this was hardly difficult; if she did it herself, she would only do a more attentive job.

A flicker of delight crossed Ruoling's eyes. She leaned forward, letting the boy feel her softness.

A faint, clean fragrance emanated from Ruoling. It was not perfume, nor was it unpleasant. Her smile was gentle as well. Though her looks were not breathtaking, she possessed the beauty of an urban belle.

Unfortunately, Tang Qingye merely regarded Ruoling as a massage therapist. Her technique really was quite good; he could consider adding another session.

After browsing all the recent auction items, Leng Yaozhu spoke evenly. "Introduce that Engraving Knife first."

"Yes, Your Excellency Heavenly Phoenix." Manager Mo inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that something had caught her eye.

The three beside her all turned their gazes toward Leng Yaozhu at once. The only blemish was that, as he turned, Ruoling bumped into Tang Qingye with her pair of balls, leaving him a little dazed.

"Your Excellency, this knife is half a foot long. Its body was forged from ten-thousand-year Far North ice marrow mixed with ice-soul gold. Pale-blue frost patterns cover its surface, and its handle is wrapped in Deep Sea Ice Jiao tendon and engraved with Ice Seal runes. It was painstakingly crafted two thousand years ago by a Level 8 Soul Engineer from the Far North."

At this point, Manager Mo paused before continuing his introduction. "By the selection standards for ranked Engraving Knives ten thousand years ago, this Engraving Knife would easily place in the top thirty. Unfortunately, it inherently possesses an extreme-cold erosion property. Ordinary Soul Masters who hold it for extended periods will suffer frozen meridians and damage to the foundations of their Soul Power, so its ranking was greatly reduced."

"But with your abilities, Your Excellency, this Engraving Knife's drawback is clearly no problem." This was not flattery on the manager's part. As a Limit Douluo, how could Leng Yaozhu's Heavenly Phoenix True Fire fear this extreme cold? Unfortunately, he had mistaken the intended recipient.

Leng Yaozhu paid no attention to Manager Mo beside her. Instead, she turned toward Tang Qingye and saw her disciple enjoying Ruoling's softness.

Leng Yaozhu raised her eyebrows, her expression unchanged. Heavenly Phoenix True Fire brewed within her, ready and waiting for a certain someone.

"What do you think, Qingye? Do you have a way to subdue this Engraving Knife?"

Tang Qingye pondered for a moment. "Of course, but I'll need a little time."

"Good, then," Leng Yaozhu said evenly.

Looking at his master's stunning face, Tang Qingye kept feeling that something was strange, but he could not put his finger on it. And why did he have a sense of danger? I must have used up too many brain cells.

And so, Tang Qingye found a new angle against that softness and once again enjoyed the pleasant massage.

Though Manager Mo was puzzled that this Engraving Knife was actually intended for the boy, he still hurriedly bowed. "Your Excellency Heavenly Phoenix, I'll go make the arrangements right away."

Under the auction's rules, auction items could not be sold directly. But once someone's status reached a certain threshold, a premium of around twenty percent over the estimated price was all it took for the auction house to negotiate with the consignor and provide a definite answer. If their status reached an even higher level, the auction house would simply bypass the consignor and make the decision itself, fulfilling the request first and negotiating afterward.