As they made their way back to Misty Grove City, the morning lights were cascading down a golden hue over the trees as they rode in silence, even the ever hyper Yin'er was being relatively quiet resting on Jin Shu's shoulder, quietly humming a tune. Having received Long Qing's inheritance, Jin Shu's thoughts were drifting to the future. Now that this journey was coming to an end, he wasn't sure what he'd do next, this was his second chance at life and he didn't want to waste it. He was done fighting, and now he just wanted to enjoy a peaceful lifestyle.
As they approached the gates, Jin Shu could see the city coming to life. Merchants were setting up their stalls, and people were already crowding the streets. The auction would begin soon, but for now, there was no need to rush.
"Looks like we're a bit early," Jin Shu noted as he saw a sign hung next to the auction house that listed the time the auction started. "Let's drop off the horses at Lingling's inn and freshen up before heading to the auction."
Su Bing nodded, her mind seemingly elsewhere. She had been unusually quiet since they left the tomb, and Jin Shu suspected it had something to do with the spirit, Long Qing.
If he could read her thoughts, he'd know that she was thinking about the inheritance she had gotten, and how it didn't align with what she wanted, not entirely anyways, as it did have the blessing that allowed her strength to grow by killing. Although she didn't want to go around killing people, she did want to experience the life her father lived, as a righteous assassin.
Arriving at Lingling's inn, they were greeted warmly. The cozy inn had an inviting atmosphere that made it feel like a second home. Lingling stood behind the counter, with a serene smile, and two steaming cups of freshly brewed tea.
"I've just brewed some tea, would you like some?" she asked. "Given by your smile, I'd assume your trip went well?"
"It went well," Jin Shu replied, smiling. "We found the tomb, and things... Well, they turned out interesting, to say the least."
Lingling nodded knowingly, but she didn't pry further. "Are you heading to the auction today?"
"Yes, actually," Su Bing had sat down at the counter while sipping tea, she replied, having seemingly come out of her absent-mindedness. "We came back to leave the horses and freshen up."
After settling their horses in the stables and taking a short break, Jin Shu approached Lingling before leaving. "Would you like to come with us to the auction? You've been so hospitable, it would be a nice treat."
Lingling chuckled softly, shaking her head. "I appreciate the offer, but I'll stay here. The inn needs tending, and besides, I'm not too fond of large crowds. I'm sure you'll enjoy yourselves though."
Jin Shu nodded in understanding. "We'll see you later then."
---
Arriving at the auction house, Jin Shu and Su Bing were met with a flurry of activity. The large building, ornately decorated with gold accents and crimson banners, was filled with cultivators and wealthy merchants. A servant greeted them at the entrance, bowing deeply.
"Welcome to Misty Grove Auction House. Have you already purchased your tickets? Or would you like to purchase now?"
"We do not have tickets. We'd like a private booth."
The servant looked over them skeptically, they weren't dressed in very noble clothing, so he wasn't sure they could afford the price of a private booth. "A private booth costs one hundred gold, can you afford that?" The servant said with a sneer forming on his lips.
Jin Shu frowned, he didn't like this man's attitude, he silently pulled a bag of coins out of his space ring and tossed it toward the servant.
The bag struck the servant's chest, and fell to the ground. "Led the way." Jin Shu said forcefully.
The servant scrambled to pick the coins up from the ground where they had spilled before leading them to a secluded room with a perfect view of the auction floor. It was a quiet space, lined with velvet cushions and furnished with a low table. Yin'er flew around the room checking everything out, before becoming bored quickly when she couldn't find anything fun. She came to float beside Jin Shu, her eyes wide with excitement as she peered over the balcony.
The auction began soon after they had settled into their seats, the room filled with the murmurs of conversation quieted as the people seated in the crowd below, fixed their eyes on the stage as the auctioneer took his place.
The first few items passed by without catching Jin Shu's interest. But when a beautiful jade hairpin was brought out, his attention sharpened. The hairpin was not only exquisitely crafted but also imbued with a rare rune that increased the wearer's cultivation speed.
Jin Shu had come to realize after acquiring Long Qing's inheritance that there was no set of runes that came with it, he would have to study the runes of others to learn and create new ones, so he wanted this rare rune to learn its properties. He also thought of his mother, Sun Mei'er. She was always looking for ways to increase her cultivation speed, and this would be perfect.
"And now, we have this one-of-a-kind jade hairpin," the auctioneer announced. "Starting at five Qi stones, or 250,000 gold!"
Jin Shu's eyes glinted as he leaned forward. This was the first item to cost Qi stones, the others had been bid on using silver and gold. Luckily he had a few Qi stones left from that strange skeleton he'd fought previously.
"Five Qi stones!" He called out.
"Five stones from the private booth number 3!" the auctioneer called out. Another bidder raised the price to six stones. The bids flew back and forth, and eventually, Jin Shu made his final bid of twelve Qi stones and 100,000 gold.
This was essentially fourteen Qi stones, as the auction house allowed 50,000 gold to substitute one Qi stone. This was actually a fairly high price for this hairpin, however Jin Shu didn't mind, he didn't have as strong a need for the Qi stones as many others did.
"Sold!" the auctioneer shouted, slamming down his gavel.
Yin'er squealed excitedly. "Daddy, you won! But isn't that hairpin for girls?"
Jin Shu smiled, "I bought it for my mother." He felt elated with the purchase, he knew his mother would love the jade hairpin, however he was thinking of making her one himself, and using this one to study the rune inscribed onto it.
Su Bing giggled when she saw how happy he looked, she had noticed over the years she'd spent with his family, Jin Shu loved gifting his mother with ornaments and jewelry. She was positive that he gifted them for the sole purpose of receiving his mothers praise, and his mother always praised him endlessly, in those cases.
After a few more items went by without peaking their interest, a set of cultivation techniques specifically designed for blacksmiths came up near the end. Jin Shu thought of his father, who had always been passionate about forging, and decided this would be an excellent gift.
"This set of techniques, perfect for any cultivator with an interest in blacksmithing, starts at four Qi stones or 200,000 gold!" the auctioneer called.
Jin Shu bid again, this time securing the technique for ten Qi stones and 50,000 gold. With both purchases complete, now having spent all of his Qi stones and most of the gold he brought he felt satisfied, ready to leave.
---
As they exited the auction house, they noticed that the morning had transitioned into evening, they had spent an entire day attending the auction. Now the streets were alive with the sounds of the city's nightlife. Jin Shu, Su Bing, and Yin'er were just about to head back to Lingling's inn when a strange slurred voice called out.
"Hey! Ib's you!"
Jin Shu turned to see a drunk man staggering toward them. His face was flushed, and there was a wild look in his eyes. It took Jin Shu a moment to recognize him as the man Galaxy had tossed like a ragdoll the night before.
"Oh! It's the pretzel guy!" Yin'er shouted, she had recognized the man as he looked like a pretzel after Galaxy tossed him.
"You... You're dat woman!" the man slurred, pointing a wobbly finger at Su Bing. "I saw you wast night... beautiful woman like you, you shoud talk ta me!"
Yin'er giggled as she listened to the man's slurred speech. "Hehe! You sound funny!"
Su Bing's eyes narrowed in irritation, and she turned her back on him, clearly uninterested.
"Leave her alone," Jin Shu warned, stepping forward.
The drunk man's face twisted with anger at being ignored. "You fink you're too good for me, huh!?"
Without another word, the man swung his fist toward Su Bing. But before the punch could land, Su Bing dodged effortlessly, her movements graceful as she sidestepped his clumsy attack.
"You should leave before you regret it," she said coldly.
But the man was too far gone in his drunken rage to listen. He lunged again, Jin Shu made to intercept him, but Su Bing was faster.
She pulled out the baton that she kept in her sleeve, extending it with a flick of her wrist. She struck towards the man's fist, blocking it with the tip of her baton, and by the sounds of the crunching that came from the man's fingers, it seemed they had broken.
"Next time, think before you act," Jin Shu said quietly, his tone laced with warning.
The man groaned in pain as he lay sprawled on the ground. Yin'er, ever curious, floated down to look at him. "Silly man," she giggled. "You shouldn't mess with Big Sister Bing-Bing!"
Some men that looked like guards for the drunk man ran up, picking him up from the ground.
Jin Shu expected them to start berating them, leading into a brawl, however contrary to his beliefs, one of the guards stepped forward and bowed to Su Bing.
"Thank you for showing leniency!" The guard spoke with gratitude.
"You're thanking me for beating that man up?" Curious Su Bing asked.
"Ah, you probably don't know as you aren't from here, this man is the city lords second son. The city lord has specified that if he causes trouble we are only to step in if he's about to die. He hopes that his son can snap out of his current state after suffering a few beatings." The guards turned out to be the city lords personal guards, and judging by the way the locals weren't interested when they noticed who was laying on the ground, it seems what he said was true.
"Why would the city lord order his own son to be beaten?" Jin Shu asked.
"Uh, he didn't exactly order his son's beatings, it's just that his second son was once this city's greatest genius, he had been a proud cultivator and the favored son, however when his mother died, he fell into despair, and wiles away his time drinking." The guard answered.
"Hmm… Well, is there anything more you need from us?" Jin Shu was initially excited after the auction and wanted to get back to the inn to study the rune on the jade hairpin he'd bought, before they'd been interrupted by this supposed city lord's second son.
"Um, no you're free to go, sir." The guard bowed again before turning and heading off after the other guards who'd taken the city lord's son away for treatment.
With the situation handled, Jin Shu and Su Bing walked away. As they made their way back to the inn, Jin Shu couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. The auction had gone well, the night was still young, and the future was bright with possibilities.