"Will you be attending any of the auctions?" Tian Liu asked, his gaze shifting discreetly to Yu Lan, clearly on edge after Jian Hao's response.
Yu Lan placed her chopsticks beside her bowl and paused to think. After considering Tian Liu's words, she replied, "I want to buy some healing herbs and supplies, so I'll need to find out where to go first."
Tian Liu, aware of how many spirit stones Yu Lan had in her storage space, chose not to comment on her plans.
"I hope you find what you need. Now, we need to leave," Tian Liu said. All three stood and quickly left, leaving most of their food untouched in their rush.
"Yes, okay. I hope you find your friends soon," Yu Lan called after them, slowly eating her soup while reflecting on Tian Liu's words.
Tian Liu and his companions hurriedly descended from the second floor, leaving Yu Lan with the remaining food.
After pondering the encounter, Yu Lan finished her soup and stored the leftover side dishes in her storage space. She then left the inn and headed toward the house where she had previously met Bei Mo.
Upon arriving and entering the house, Yu Lan searched for Bei Mo. This time, Bei Mo wasn't selling herbs and was nowhere to be found. Yu Lan asked around but couldn't find any clues about her whereabouts.
Unsurprised, Yu Lan left the house. 'Maybe Bei Mo has already left the city and returned to her sect,' she thought as she walked away. Her next destination was one of the auction houses to gather information about the auctions' locations, schedules, and any entry restrictions.
*****
Yu Lan wandered for a long time until she arrived at a large pagoda in the eastern part of the Green Zone.
As she stepped inside, she was greeted by a stunning interior. A sudden surge of hot air rushed toward her, making her feel as though she might fall asleep on the spot. The pagoda bustled with people buying, selling, and bargaining with attendants over prices.
Overwhelmed by the natural energy within, Yu Lan felt weak, and the urge to sleep grew stronger within minutes. She searched for a place to sit and shake off her drowsiness. Spotting an empty table, she sat down, unaware that it was reserved for trading and selling goods. Exhausted, she fell asleep as soon as she settled into the chair.
*****
When Yu Lan opened her eyes, she found herself in a bed. The sun was high in the sky, its light shining directly into her face. As she rolled over, she felt as if she were in heaven, but then froze in fear, realizing she wasn't at home.
Looking around, she found herself in a massive room with a cultivation mat and a giant cauldron in the center. The room felt ancient, adorned with a massive painting on the ceiling depicting a living dragon seemingly trying to escape from the cauldron, as if breaking out of the room itself.
'Where am I, and who brought me here?' Yu Lan quickly inspected her body and sighed in relief, finding that nothing bad had happened. She got up and looked around, trying to figure out where she was and what had happened at the auction house.
"Is anyone here? Where am I?" Yu Lan called out, but there was no response. After moving around to confirm she was alone, her curiosity landed on the cauldron in the middle of the room.
The cauldron stood ancient and imposing, its dark surface etched with a faded carving of a dragon. The dragon's form coiled around the cauldron, its claws stretched toward the rim as if desperately trying to climb inside, though its efforts seemed forever frozen in time.
Yu Lan was so fascinated by the cauldron that she forgot to investigate why she was there. She sat back on the bed, pulled out a canvas and brushes, and began drawing. It took her more than four hours to sketch the cauldron.
Yu Lan was dissatisfied with her drawing, feeling she couldn't capture the cauldron's essence on the canvas. She tried to perfect her painting, but after more than two hours, she still wasn't satisfied.
Her eyes were bloodshot, and she felt compelled to continue. With each stroke of the brush, she grew more despairing, convinced she would never create the perfect picture.
Yu Lan was so focused on her painting that she didn't realize she had been drawing for over five hours, slowly losing herself in the process. Streams of blood began to flow from her eyes as she desperately sought answers to finish the painting.
Increasingly consumed by despair, her focus remained unbroken until she glanced back at the cauldron and noticed a figure approaching her.
The figure was imposing, with a menacing aura, clad in a dark, flowing robe adorned with red accents. Horns protruded from its skull mask, and its eyes glowed with an eerie red light, exuding an overwhelming presence.
"What are you doing?" an old man asked, his voice resonating with cultivation power.
Yu Lan was struck by the force of his words, and blood began to flow from her nose. As the blood gushed out, the old man appeared beside her and, with a swift movement, knocked her out. Yu Lan didn't even register that she had been struck, so engrossed was she in her drawing, completely cut off from the world.
Yu Lan didn't realize she had been knocked out until hours later when she woke up once again in bed. Her head ached, and her eyes throbbed with pain. As before, she tried to determine what had happened between the time she was drawing and now, but she found herself in the same poor state she often ended up in after encounters with cultivators.