"Sabu Chu, are you bullying people again?"
The newcomer wore a pale yellow long dress. She had a graceful figure, and a thin veil covered her face, obscuring her full features. Her eyes showed neither joy nor sorrow.
"What are you saying? I… I'm…" Upon seeing who had arrived, Sabu Chu became flustered, a trace of shame appearing on his face as he dared not look at the woman.
"You've really gone too far this time, haven't you?"
The woman in yellow spoke calmly, yet her words made him lower his head.
Ye Qiu watched quietly, never letting down his guard for even a moment.
"Friend, can you let him go now? I can guarantee your safety…"
"Lingling… I can handle this myself…" Sabu Chu tried to speak, but his words were cut short by a single glance from her.
"I've already said it—call me Ye Lingling." Her voice was cold and distant.
Ye Lingling? The owner of the Nine Heart Begonia, a member of the Royal Fighting Team!
What a coincidence…
Ye Qiu hadn't expected that the one who intervened would be Ye Lingling, a woman burdened with death from the moment of her birth.
"Alright, Lingling! Everyone, hurry up and put away your martial spirits. Don't scare the child," Sabu Chu said, acting as if he hadn't heard her correction, hurriedly calling out to his followers.
Ye Lingling merely raised her eyebrows slightly.
"Kid, did you hear what Lingling said? Let him go now! Ouch!"
Seeing that the situation had calmed down, Ye Qiu pushed Sabu Chu away.
He cupped his hands toward Ye Lingling.
"Thank you very much, young lady!"
"No need. I only intervened because of the young girl," Ye Lingling replied calmly, avoiding Ye Qiu's gaze.
"Then… then thank you, big sister!" Xiao Lan jumped out from behind Ye Qiu, copying his salute with surprising accuracy.
A faint smile finally appeared in Ye Lingling's eyes.
Seeing this, Sabu Chu—who had just been freed—immediately stopped groaning and shamelessly moved closer to her.
Ye Lingling nodded once toward Ye Qiu, ignored Sabu Chu entirely, and turned to leave. The young man hurriedly followed after her.
"Lingling! Lingling~ Wait for me! How was I just now? Wasn't I obedient? As long as you marry me, I promise—"
Watching their figures fade away, Ye Qiu shook his head. It seemed that among the nobles, there were plenty of sycophants. At least Sabu Chu hadn't dared to abuse his family name openly.
Suddenly, Ye Qiu's eyes narrowed.
When Sabu Chu turned back, a flash of hatred flickered in his eyes.
Looks like… I need to be more careful. If he dares to come again… I'll send him off for good.
As the commotion ended, the surrounding crowd gradually dispersed.
Ye Qiu knelt down and gently wiped the lingering tears from Xiao Lan's eyes with his thumb.
"Are you alright?"
"Xiao Lan is fine… it's just that the candied hawthorn is gone~" She pouted, still thinking about the skewer crushed on the ground.
"Brother will buy you more."
"Then I want two!" She raised two fingers in a scissor gesture, her bright blue eyes sparkling.
"No problem!"
This time, Ye Qiu didn't dare let her wander around and directly picked her up.
"Mwah~ Brother is the best! Haha…"
The sticky sweetness lingered on Ye Qiu's lips. He glared at Xiao Lan, which only made her giggle even harder.
Not far away, as Ye Qiu's Sharingan briefly flashed during the clash, a luxurious carriage slowly passed by.
It belonged to Crown Prince Xue Qinghe of the Empire.
He had just finished a small gathering with his teacher, Ning Fengzhi of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
Inside the carriage, Xue Qinghe—who had been resting—suddenly frowned.
For a fleeting moment, his martial spirit trembled, as if something had tugged at it.
He lifted the curtain slightly and looked toward the crowd.
"Go see what's happening over there."
A subordinate immediately went to investigate.
"Your Highness, it was the son of Count Sadio who clashed with a commoner…"
By the time the report ended, the crowd had already dispersed.
Xue Qinghe frowned. That strange sensation had vanished almost instantly.
Looking in that direction, he only saw the back of a blue-haired youth holding a little girl.
"Forget it. Let's return to the palace." He rubbed his temples and waved his hand. Perhaps he was simply too tired.
Ye Qiu hadn't walked far when he subconsciously glanced back toward the carriage.
Earlier, when he tried activating the Sharingan, it had felt oddly excited, scanning its surroundings—but nothing unusual appeared.
"Brother, what are you looking at? Hurry up and buy more candied hawthorns!"
"Alright, I'll buy them right away…"
Urged by the little glutton, Ye Qiu set aside his doubts and quickened his pace.
...
After buying two more skewers, Ye Qiu and Xiao Lan continued searching for a place to stay.
Looking at the three remaining gold soul coins in his pouch, Ye Qiu sighed inwardly. Spending the night inside the Divine Might Space seemed inevitable.
"Ah~"
"Brother, what's wrong?" Xiao Lan asked curiously while licking her candied hawthorn.
"Nothing—huh?!"
In Ye Qiu's line of sight appeared a massive building crowned with a golden dome. From afar, it looked at least five hundred meters in diameter, dazzling and impossible to ignore.
"The Heavenly Dou Auction House! How could I forget!" He slapped his palm excitedly.
Only now did he remember the soul bone from the four-thousand-year-old Jade-Eyed Cloud-Winged Tiger stored in his Divine Might Space.
This alone could fetch several million gold soul coins!
"Little Blue, come on! Brother is taking you to the auction house!"
"What's an auction house?" Xiao Lan asked, her short legs struggling to keep up.
"It's a place that sells things. Once I sell something, I'll buy you lots of delicious food!"
"Yay! But Brother… could you walk slower? Xiao Lan is tired~"
Ye Qiu stopped, finally noticing her flushed face and uneven breathing.
"Haha… sorry, that's my fault."
He picked her up again.
At the entrance of the auction house, Ye Qiu was struck by its grandeur. To occupy such a vast area in the capital—where land was worth its weight in gold—was sheer extravagance. Even the marble doorframes were embedded with gemstones.
"So pretty!" Xiao Lan exclaimed, her eyes glued to everything sparkling. Even her candied hawthorn lost its appeal.
"Brother~ the ladies at the door are pretty too!"
Several young women stood at the entrance, greeting guests.
They appeared around twenty years old, with similar heights, elegant figures, and gentle smiles. Their white floor-length dresses were embroidered with silver threads, exuding refinement.
Xiao Lan's voice was loud enough to be heard.
"You have such a sweet mouth," the closest attendant said with a sincere smile. "But not just anyone can enter."
"What are the requirements?" Ye Qiu stepped forward politely.
Only then did she truly notice his appearance. A faint blush appeared on her face as she bowed slightly.
"Young master, there are two ways. First is bidding qualification certification, with the lowest tier requiring assets of at least ten thousand gold soul coins…"
She glanced up before continuing,
"The second is consigning an item for auction. Items appraised at over one thousand gold soul coins qualify. If sold, we take a commission."
"I see. Could you introduce me to an appraiser? I have items I wish to auction."
"Of course. Please follow me."
She turned gracefully and led the way inside.
As Ye Qiu followed with Xiao Lan, the attendants on both sides couldn't help sneaking glances at him.
"Brother, they're all peeking at you!"
Ye Qiu felt his ears heat up.
"I'm looking at you instead. You're the cutest," he whispered, pinching her cheek and apologizing with a nod to the attendants.
"Look… their faces are red—mmph!"
Ye Qiu quickly covered her mouth and shot her a warning glare.
The corridor inside was lavish, with dragon and phoenix carvings on marble walls and glass cases displaying rare treasures.
"Hehe…" the guide laughed softly. "She's so cute."
"Thank you, miss. You're beautiful too—but doesn't swaying your hips like that get tiring?"
The woman froze, her face instantly flushing as her steps turned awkward.
"Ouch—!"
"Haha… kids say the strangest things," Ye Qiu laughed dryly, tapping Xiao Lan's head.
"Say one more word and I'll sell you."
"No! No! Xiao Lan won't!" She clung to his neck, whining until she finally calmed down.
They entered a spacious hall where seven elderly men sat around a round table, each wearing monocles. Shrewd light gleamed in their cloudy eyes.
"What would young master like to auction?" one of them asked, gesturing for Ye Qiu to sit.
A brocade box appeared in Ye Qiu's hand.
"This is a head soul bone from a four-thousand-year-old Jade-Eyed Cloud-Winged Tiger."
Tap.
The box was placed on the table and pushed forward.
"Soul bone!"
Several of the appraisers stood up instantly—soul bones were unimaginably rare.
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Every 100 power stone= 1+chapter
Hi guys if you like this fanfic please add it to you library and please give me some stones.