When it came to wealth within the sect, no one could rival Song Wanníng.
Her father was the head of the Song clan, and her mother came from an influential aristocratic family. She had more than enough inheritance on both sides.
As a Nascent Soul cultivator, she also received regular offerings from the sect. And on top of that, she was a master alchemist. Spirit stones flowed into her pockets like water through a spring.
It made people envious.
As her foremost disciple, Bai Yang had benefitted immensely. He never lacked for pills or spirit stones. Many others could only watch from afar, their eyes filled with envy.
Ye Chuxue, a fellow core disciple, lived a very different life. Her master had no backing, and she had cultivated purely on her own merits. She had no one to ride on for fortune.
Everything depended on her.
And now, she couldn't help but start to wonder. Was Bai Yang just making excuses to avoid lending her spirit stones?
Seeing the suspicion flicker in her eyes, Bai Yang paused. He hadn't expected Junior Sister Ye to look at him like that. He was even more shocked by her words. Somewhere along the way, she had changed. She was no longer the kind, pure girl she used to be.
"Master hasn't given me spirit stones in over six months. What I have now is all I saved on my own." He hadn't left the sect since their trip to Yaowang Sect. With no other sources of income, his current savings were all from the past.
"How can that be?" Ye Chuxue's heart skipped. She recalled how Song Wanníng had recently expelled An Ze from her tutelage, and something began to feel off.
"Something's wrong with Senior Aunt Song. She's changed too fast!" In the past, every time she clashed with Song Wanníng, the woman would rage and lose control, leaving everyone disappointed in her.
But now, she seemed smarter and calmer. Not only could she control her temper, she even managed to drive them mad without lifting a finger.
It was as if…
As if she had been possessed.
Ye Chuxue's eyes narrowed. Could Song Wanníng have been taken over by someone from another world?
"It's because I stole a pill without permission. That's why Master was disappointed. And with what happened with Senior Uncle Gu…" Bai Yang also felt that Master had changed, but he understood why.
He had made a mistake and broken her trust. Then Senior Uncle Gu had fallen in love with a disciple and broken off the engagement. Anyone else in her place would have changed too.
"Is that so?"
Ye Chuxue still had doubts, but this wasn't the time to dig deeper. The more urgent matter was winning that pearl. But in just a short time, the price had already shot up to 410,000.
She stared in disbelief and slumped into her seat, digging her nails into her palms as her eyes turned red.
That pearl should have been hers. And now…
It was all Song Wanníng's fault.
If not for her, Ye Chuxue wouldn't have needed to spend every last stone bidding on the Heavenly Origin Heart-Nourishing Pill. She would've had more than enough to claim the pearl.
While Ye Chuxue sat drowning in frustration, Song Wanníng calmly pressed the bid button in her suite.
"Five hundred thousand."
She raised the price in one breath, stunning everyone who had been preparing to compete.
The auction room quieted. Many cultivators hesitated to continue.
The pearl was clearly valuable, but no one could say for sure how valuable. If it turned out to be useless in their hands, it would be a devastating loss.
"I actually tried to buy the pearl directly," the auction master said quietly, standing beside Song Wanníng. "But the owner wouldn't agree. Real slippery, insisted on selling it through auction."
He had followed her orders and approached the seller, but the offer had been rejected.
Song Wanníng simply smiled. "Of course. Even with the twenty percent commission, an auction fetches a higher price. Why would they sell directly?"
That was the public reason.
The real reason was that this pearl had been prepared for Ye Chuxue from the start. It needed to appear at the auction, so she could buy it herself. But unfortunately…
This time, she wouldn't be bringing it home.
"Tsk. Just ended up costing more spirit stones in the end."
The auction master muttered a few more words before falling silent.
"Five hundred thousand, going once."
With no other bids, Mo Yuan lifted the hammer to begin the final count.
In the private room, Ye Chuxue was in a panic. She had no idea what to do.
"Senior Brother Bai… I really feel like that pearl is mine!" Tears welled up in her eyes. She bit her lower lip, overwhelmed with helplessness and frustration. That feeling of being stripped of something meant for her was unbearable. Bai Yang's brows furrowed tighter. He wanted to comfort her, but didn't know what to say.
"If the pearl is really yours by fate, then even if someone else wins it, it'll come back to you eventually. Maybe you'll save a fortune in the process."
Ye Chuxue had always been lucky. Maybe this time would be no different.
"Really?" She murmured, staring dazedly at the pearl on the stage.
Maybe Senior Brother Bai was right.
Even if someone else took it away now, so what?
That pearl would return to her hands. It had to.
"Five hundred thousand, going twice."
"Five hundred thousand, going three times."
"SOLD!"
The auction hammer fell, and the pearl found its buyer.
A servant carried the jade tray toward the top floor.
Mo Yuan looked up at the suite above. For the auction house's master to spend half a million on this item, it must be something extraordinary. If he weren't shackled by circumstance, he would have stolen it himself.
The rest of the auction proceeded smoothly. Aside from one spiritual weapon that failed to sell, every item found a buyer.
The auction house had made a fortune, and Song Wanníng had achieved her goal. The smile on her face deepened.
"Activate the teleportation array," she instructed the auction master as she tucked the pearl away.
Once the formation opened, the crowd began to disperse, each person stepping into the glowing formation and vanishing one by one.
The auction had ended.
But the real show was just beginning.
"Come on, let's hurry back to Wentiān Sect. With this pill, Master will definitely wake up!" Ye Chuxue clutched her storage ring tightly, a mix of guilt and determination on her face.
"If he hadn't been injured protecting me, he wouldn't have lost to Senior Aunt Song. He wouldn't be poisoned and unconscious." Her master was ten thousand times more virtuous than Song Wanníng. Only someone as vile as her would strike when he was already down.
"Mm. But something still feels off." Bai Yang grew more cautious. The moment they stepped out of the teleportation array, he began scanning the surroundings.
"The people from Xiangyun City don't seem like the type to let things go so easily."
"You don't think… they've set up an ambush on the road back?"
Ye Chuxue tensed instantly, wariness rising in her eyes.
"Better safe than sorry. We need to get back to the sect as quickly as possible."
Bai Yang gripped his sword and turned to her. "Come. I know a side path. We'll take the shortcut."
"Alright!"
The two hurried toward the side road, thinking they could slip away unnoticed. But as soon as they reached the crossroads, they saw several figures already waiting.
It seemed someone had been prepared for this all along.