Sky City didn't just float; it loomed.
It was a metropolis built on the back of a colossal, slumbering Spirit Turtle. Palaces made of white jade spiraled into the clouds, connected by bridges of solid light. Flying carriages pulled by griffins zipped through the air, and the streets were paved with gold. Actual gold.
"It's tacky," Jiang Fan commented, looking out the window of their luxury carriage. "It looks like someone vomited money."
"It is the trade capital of the continent," Boss Pang said, wiping sweat from his forehead with a silk handkerchief. He was vibrating with nerves. "Please, Brother Jiang. Don't insult the architecture. The Turtle might hear you."
Gu Ling sat across from them. She was in her new, sleek wheelchair-body, wearing a hooded cloak to hide her mechanical limbs. Her violet eyes scanned the passing buildings.
"The defensive arrays are impressive," she admitted. "But the energy consumption is inefficient. I could optimize this city in a week."
"Please don't hack the city, Senior Sister," Boss Pang pleaded. "We are here to spend money, not rewrite the laws of physics."
They arrived at the Golden Vault, the only bank powerful enough to handle the Heavenly Dao Token.
Ten minutes later, they walked out. The token was gone.
In Jiang Fan's hand was a Black Card. It was thin, matte black, and pulsated with a terrifying amount of purchasing power.
"One hundred million high-grade spirit stones," Jiang Fan sighed, flipping the card. "I feel heavy just holding it."
"That's the burden of wealth!" Boss Pang beamed. "Now, to the Auction House! We have a VIP box waiting!"
THE AUCTION
The Sky City Auction House was a coliseum of greed.
The VIP boxes floated above the main floor, separated by one-way spirit glass. Jiang Fan's box was plush, stocked with rare fruits, and had a massage chair that Jiang Fan immediately claimed.
"Wake me up if they sell a pillow," Jiang Fan told Boss Pang. He pulled his hat over his eyes.
The auction began.
"Item 1: A 500-year-old Fire Ginseng! Starting bid: 5,000 stones!" "Item 5: The Sword of the Thunder King! Starting bid: 50,000 stones!"
The crowd went wild. Young Masters from powerful clans shouted bids, flexing their wealth.
Jiang Fan slept through it all. Snack, the Void-Eater kitten, slept on his chest.
Gu Ling watched the auction with mild interest, occasionally critiquing the weapons. "That sword is unbalanced. The pommel is too light."
Two hours passed.
"And now," the Auctioneer's voice dropped an octave, becoming serious. "Lot #42. A special item. Found in the ruins of the Fallen Celestial Sect."
The lights dimmed. A cage was wheeled onto the stage.
Inside the cage sat a woman.
The entire arena went silent.
She was stunning. In Jiang Fan's previous life on Earth, she wouldn't just be a model; she would be the kind of supermodel who stopped traffic on Fifth Avenue.
She was tall, with legs that went on for days, even while curled up. Her skin was the color of pale moonlight. She had long, raven-black hair that cascaded down her back like a waterfall of ink.
But her most striking feature was her eyes. They were gold—burning, defiant gold.
She wore tattered white robes, and heavy spirit-suppressing chains were clamped around her wrists and ankles.
"This is Yun Xi," the Auctioneer announced. "Formerly known as the Saintess of the Celestial Sect. She possesses the 'Heavenly Sword Physique'."
The crowd murmured. A Saintess!
"However," the Auctioneer continued, "She is cursed. Her meridians are shattered. She cannot cultivate. She cannot use Qi. She is physically stronger than an ox, but she is essentially... a mortal."
"Trash!" someone shouted from the floor. "What use is a broken vase?"
"Ah, but look at her!" The Auctioneer gestured. "She is a collector's item! A fallen Saintess to warm your bed! Or perhaps a servant to show off your prestige!"
Yun Xi looked at the crowd. She didn't cry. She didn't beg. She looked at them like they were bugs she wanted to step on.
Inside the VIP box, the System chimed.
[ DING! ][ Rare Target Detected. ]
Jiang Fan opened one eye. He looked at the woman in the cage.
[ Analysis Complete ]
Target: Yun Xi
Status: Cursed (Meridian Lock).
Hidden Trait: [Domestic Goddess (SSS Rank)] - This unit possesses supernatural efficiency in cleaning, organizing, and tea brewing.
Hidden Trait: [Bodyguard (S Rank)] - Physical strength scales with loyalty. Currently suppressed.
Potential: Mythical.
Jiang Fan sat up.
"Domestic Goddess?" he whispered. "Does that mean she can do laundry without complaining?"
[ System: Affirmative. She can fold a fitted sheet perfectly. ]
Jiang Fan gasped. She can fold a fitted sheet? That's impossible magic.
"I need her," Jiang Fan said firmly.
Gu Ling looked at him, then at the beautiful woman in the cage. Her eyebrows shot up.
"Jiang Fan," she said, her voice dropping to absolute zero. "You want to buy a... bed warmer?"
"What? No," Jiang Fan waved his hand dismissively. "Look at her hands, Gu Ling. Those are steady hands. She's organized. Do you know how messy the Pocket Dimension is getting? Snack keeps shedding void-fur everywhere."
"You want to buy a Fallen Saintess... to be a maid?"
"Efficient delegation of labor," Jiang Fan corrected.
Down below, the bidding had started.
"10,000 stones!" yelled a fat merchant.
"20,000!" shouted a lecherous-looking old man.
"50,000!"
A voice boom from the VIP box opposite Jiang Fan's. It was a young man in purple robes, fanning himself with a golden fan.
"I am Young Master Zhao of the Bloodfire Sect," the man sneered. "I need a new servant to wash my feet. 50,000 stones! Who dares compete with me?"
The crowd went silent. The Bloodfire Sect was dangerous. No one wanted to offend Young Master Zhao over a broken vase.
"50,000 going once..." the Auctioneer called.
Young Master Zhao smirked, looking at Yun Xi with possessive eyes. "Don't worry, darling. I'll teach you obedience."
Yun Xi closed her eyes, resigning herself to her fate. Better to bite my tongue and die than serve him, she thought.
"One million."
The voice was calm, lazy, and slightly muffled, as if the speaker was yawning.
The entire auction house froze.
Young Master Zhao dropped his fan. "What?"
The Auctioneer blinked. "I... did someone say one million?"
"Did I stutter?" Jiang Fan spoke into the voice amplification array in his box. "One million high-grade stones. Pack her up. And include the cage key, I don't want to pay extra for a locksmith."
"Who is that?" Young Master Zhao screamed, standing up. "Who dares humiliate me? Do you know who my father is?!"
"I don't even know who you are," Jiang Fan replied. "Are you the valet? Can you bring my carriage around?"
"You—!" Young Master Zhao turned purple. "Two million! I bid two million!"
He didn't have two million. He was bluffing to save face.
"Five million," Jiang Fan said instantly.
The crowd gasped. Five million? For a mortal servant? That could buy a small city!
"Ten million!" Zhao shrieked, losing his mind.
"Fifty million."
Jiang Fan didn't hesitate. He dropped the number like he was ordering a side of rice.
Silence. Absolute, terrifying silence.
Boss Pang, sitting next to Jiang Fan, was hyperventilating. "Brother Jiang! Fifty million?! That's half the token! She's just a maid!"
"She can fold fitted sheets, Pang," Jiang Fan said seriously. "You can't put a price on that."
Young Master Zhao sat down. He was trembling. He couldn't bid anymore. If he bid fifty million and couldn't pay, the Auction House would skin him alive.
"Sold!" The Auctioneer screamed, his voice cracking. "Sold to the guest in Box 9 for Fifty Million Spirit Stones!"
THE MEETING
Ten minutes later, the door to the VIP box opened.
Two guards dragged Yun Xi in. She was still in chains. Up close, she was even more breathtaking. Her height was imposing—she looked Jiang Fan in the eye. Her tattered robes couldn't hide a figure that was sculpted from marble.
She glared at Jiang Fan.
"If you think I will serve you," she hissed, her voice low and husky, "you are mistaken. I will kill you the moment you take these chains off."
Gu Ling spun her chair around, her mechanical spider legs clicking. She looked Yun Xi up and down.
"She has spirit," Gu Ling noted. "And good bone structure. Jiang Fan, if she tries to kill you, can I use her for target practice?"
"No one is killing anyone," Jiang Fan sighed.
He stood up and walked over to Yun Xi.
He reached out. Yun Xi flinched, expecting a strike or a grope.
Instead, Jiang Fan tapped the lock on her collar.
Click.
The heavy spirit-chains fell to the floor with a loud crash.
Yun Xi froze. She stared at the unlocked chains, then at Jiang Fan.
"You... you released me?"
"Those looked heavy," Jiang Fan said, walking back to his massage chair. "And you can't work if you're tied up."
"Work?" Yun Xi narrowed her eyes. "What work? I will not warm your bed. I will not dance for your amusement."
Jiang Fan tossed a heavy bag at her. She caught it instinctively. It was a set of high-quality, black-and-white maid robes (which Jiang Fan had custom ordered from the System Shop, obviously).
"Go change," Jiang Fan commanded. "Then, peel these grapes for me."
Yun Xi stared at the maid outfit. She stared at the grapes.
"You spent fifty million stones... to make the Saintess of the Celestial Sect... peel grapes?"
"Also, the cat needs brushing," Jiang Fan pointed to Snack. "And my pillow needs fluffing. Chop chop."
Yun Xi stood there, trembling. She was confused. She was insulted.
But... she was free.
She looked at this strange, lazy man who had bought her for a fortune just to do household chores. She looked at the woman in the floating chair who was ignoring her to read a blueprint.
For the first time in years, the fire in Yun Xi's eyes dimmed, replaced by a strange curiosity.
"Fine," she whispered. She grabbed the maid outfit.
"But if you touch me, I will break your fingers."
"Deal," Jiang Fan yawned, closing his eyes. "Wake me up when the grapes are ready."
[ System Alert: New Party Member Acquired. ][ Name: Yun Xi ( The Battle Maid ) ][ Loyalty: 10/100 (Skeptical) ][ Passive Bonus: "Clean Environment" - XP Gain increased by 20% due to lack of clutter. ]
Jiang Fan smiled in his sleep.
Worth every penny.