Chapter 191
Chapter 191: Could You Choose a Different Time?
Wan Yan Qian glanced at Shi Zi Chu and, seeing her genuine interest, broke into a bright smile.
Thanking her? Of course, she would thank Shi Zi Chu in a way that would warm her heart!
“Pick whatever you want, just let me know, my brother will pay,” Wan Yan Qian said, waving her hand grandly.
The nearby courtesan, quick to sense the situation, immediately knelt down, hoping to avoid any unpleasantness that might spoil Wan Yan Qian’s mood.
Wan Yan Xiang teased, “Didn’t you say you’d be the one to give the gift? Now you’re saying my brother will pay?”
“You pay, I give the gift,” Wan Yan Qian said with complete confidence.
Wan Yan Xiang shook his head in resignation.
However, this exchange also revealed the good relationship between the siblings.
Meanwhile, Shi Zi Chu had finished browsing through the catalog.
The kneeling courtesan closed the book and stood up, stepping aside.
“Young miss, your gratitude doesn’t seem sincere,” Shi Zi Chu teased with a playful smile, then sighed with a hint of exasperation, “The starting price for these dharmic robes is so high, it’s enough to make me hesitate.”
Wan Yan Qian immediately sat up, staring at Shi Zi Chu. “What? Are you poor?”
A woman who held a spirit stone mine in her hand, and she’s telling me she’s short on spirit stones?
Are you joking?
Wan Yan Xiang raised a hand to rub his forehead.
Ah, that temper of hers…
“I’m poor,” Shi Zi Chu replied, placing a hand over her face and feigning weakness. “You don’t know, I have no money at all.”
“…” Wan Yan Qian couldn’t help but roll her eyes before laughing and cursing, “Are you trying to fool me?”
Feeling that wasn’t enough, Wan Yan Qian turned and lay on her side, looking at Shi Zi Chu with a grin. “Why do you remind me of a pixiu?”
If anyone could be called poor, it definitely wasn’t Shi Zi Chu.
“Afraid of being poor?” Shi Zi Chu asked lightly.
Thinking back to the events at Water Road Village, Wan Yan Qian’s teasing smile faded a little. She waved her hand dismissively. “Since you’re so poor, I’ll give you a couple more sets as gifts!”
Then, her tone shifted as she added, “Big brother will foot the bill!”
Wan Yan Xiang shook his head. After a moment of silence, he finally gave in. “Fine, I’ll pay for everything tonight. Is that okay?”
It was only a few spirit stones, far less valuable than cultivation techniques. Besides, Shi Zi Chu was a person worth befriending.
Wan Yan Qian beamed with delight.
Jokes aside, Shi Zi Chu became a little more serious. “If you truly want to thank me, you can give me one set, and I’ll buy the rest myself.”
Wan Yan Qian agreed cheerfully. “Alright.”
As they joked, the auction began.
The water mirror in the room flickered to life, showing the auctioneer.
A sweet, enchanting voice rang out, “Good evening, I’m your auctioneer, Lan Xi, welcoming you to the Warm Jade Pavilion…”
Shi Zi Chu straightened up a little. “Isn’t that the auctioneer from the Cloud Riding Auction House?”
Wan Yan Qian replied nonchalantly, “It’s one of Jun Clan’s businesses.”
Shi Zi Chu lay back down, pointing toward a table nearby where delicate pastries were arranged. “Those.”
The courtesan with red lips and white teeth quickly approached, holding a porcelain plate, and knelt to present it to Shi Zi Chu.
Shi Zi Chu straightened her posture and took the chopsticks from another courtesan, delicately picking up a pastry and taking a bite.
“The first item on the auction block: a mystic rank dharmic robe! Everyone, take a look…” Lan Xi’s professional voice rang out, presenting the item with humor and charm, “The starting price for this dharmic robe is three million spirit stones! Each bid must increase by at least ten thousand!”
“Four million!”
“Bid from the fifth private room on the top floor, four million spirit stones! Four million spirit stones, once!”
The bidding voice coming through the water mirror caught Shi Zi Chu off guard, causing her to cough violently. “Cough, cough, cough…”
She covered her mouth as the shock in her eyes was clear.
The highest price for a mystic rank magic artifact usually topped a hundred thousand spirit stones, but the starting price for a mystic rank dharmic robe was three million!
A young, handsome gentleman in a refined manner rushed over and patted Shi Zi Chu’s back to help her catch her breath, his voice filled with concern. “Young lady, are you alright?”
Shi Zi Chu waved him off, taking the tea offered by another courtesan. After sipping a few mouthfuls, she shook her head in awe. “The first dharmic robe, and it starts at three million spirit stones… I really am not worldly.”
Sitting on the noble consort couch, Wan Yan Qian smiled brightly. “Don’t worry, I’ll take you out more often to see the world!”
Shi Zi Chu gave her a mock-glare.
Just after coughing so violently, Shi Zi Chu’s face was tinged with a light blush, her peach blossom eyes misty, giving off a look of allure. The corners of her eyes, flushed with red, looked like rouge spreading, adding to her beauty.
That delicate, playful glance left Wan Yan Qian momentarily lost in thought.
At that moment, she deeply regretted not being a man!
Beside them, the true man Wan Yan Xiang kept his gaze steady, embodying the perfect gentleman.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
Wan Yan Xiang glanced at the two women, then said, “Come in.”
With a creak, the door opened, and someone stepped in.
Shi Zi Chu looked up and saw a long, beautiful hand—like jade carved by a master—lifting the beaded curtain. A familiar figure then entered with slow, graceful steps.
Ye He Qi?
Ye He Qi’s elegant stride met Shi Zi Chu’s stunned, glistening peach blossom gaze.
So beautiful.
Beautiful enough to make one want to keep it for themselves.
Suppressing the strange emotion that flared up in her chest, Ye He Qi’s gaze swept the room before turning to look at Shi Zi Chu.
Sitting on the noble consort couch, Shi Zi Chu looked slightly disheveled. Her pale face was flushed, and the corners of her eyes had taken on a rosy hue.
With her appearance, surrounded by courtesans, it was hard not to draw inappropriate thoughts.
Although nothing had actually happened, the fleeting killing intent in the air was so strong that Ye He Qi couldn’t ignore it.
Some things had indeed changed.
Shifting her gaze, Ye He Qi flashed a warm, elegant smile. “Young Lord Wan Yan, Eldest Miss Wan Yan.”
Wan Yan Xiang and Wan Yan Qian stood up and greeted him with a bow. “Clan Chief Ye.”
The courtesans near Shi Zi Chu felt a chill down their spines when Ye He Qi’s gaze moved away, their faces paling as though they had narrowly escaped death.
Ye He Qi, his smile gentle and noble, said, “I’m sorry for the sudden interruption, but I need to discuss something with Daoist Shi.”
Wan Yan Xiang and his sister were not surprised by this.
Shi Zi Chu waved her hand. “Could you choose a different time? Cough, cough…”
She coughed twice before lowering her head to take a sip of tea.
“Urgency calls for immediate action,” Ye He Qi said, taking slow, measured steps toward Shi Zi Chu. The courtesans instinctively stepped back.
Wan Yan Qian narrowed her eyes.
This scene… why does Clan Chief Ye look like he’s here to capture her?
This is weird!
Shi Zi Chu handed the tea cup to Ye He Qi and, putting on her shoes, stood up.
Before leaving, she smiled at Wan Yan Qian. “Eldest Miss, I’m bidding on the seventh item.”
Wan Yan Qian nodded.
Ye He Qi placed the tea cup on the table and, with Shi Zi Chu walking behind him, they left.
As the door closed behind them, Wan Yan Xiang and Wan Yan Qian exchanged a look.
They said nothing, but their expressions spoke volumes.
Meanwhile, outside the room, Shi Zi Chu turned to Ye He Qi. “Clan Chief Ye, are you here to indulge yourself?”
Ye He Qi took a long stride past her, speaking as he walked, “Let’s go this way.”
Shi Zi Chu followed, her voice mischievous. “Did I guess it right? Don’t be shy, Clan Chief Ye, it’s perfectly natural.”
Ye He Qi pushed open the door to the private room, his smile playful as he turned to look at Shi Zi Chu.
Her eyes scanned him, and something about his smile made her feel uneasy as she stepped into the room.