It had to be mentioned that Wei Xingâer certainly had a bag of tricks up her sleeve. Somehow, sheâd always had a way to handle men. She had a way of attracting even Jiang Chenâs attention, a man unlikely to fall for her tricks. Of course, what she relied on was not her assets but rather, the fact that she was able to analyze Jiang Chenâs thoughts. Upon seeing his hesitation, Wei Xingâer giggled. âYou evil little boy. Back when this girl fell into your palms, why didnât you hesitate before you spanked me? Could it be that youâre scared right now?â
Jiang Chen exchanged glances with Huangâer. Huangâer didnât seem too scared of this temptress either. She nodded lightly, indicating that Jiang Chen should respond to her. He thought for a second before replying, âWei Xingâer, I donât care what status you have right now or which houseâs young madam you might be. If you dare to do anything unfavorable to me, itâs childâs play for me to take your life, regardless of how many patrons you have.â
Wei Xingâer raised her brows when she heard this. Not only did she not show a trace of fear, a smile graced her lips instead. âI just love how fierce you look. I havenât seen you for a few years but itâs wonderful that youâve become manlier! You hold my life within your palms anyway. Do whatever you want to me, I have no objections.â As Wei Xingâer said this, she shot Jiang Chen a coy glance instead.
Jiang Chen sneered. âYour little tricks have no effect on me.â
Wei Xingâer spat softly. âIâm fully aware that youâre being manipulated by that wench, Ling Biâer. Youâre biased towards her. Hmph, what a hypocritical little girl. In the end, doesnât she still have to watch the two of you flirt from the sidelines, just like I have to?â
Wei Xingâer seemed to carry some innate hatred towards Ling Biâer. One was a publicly acknowledged goddess of the Myriad Domain. The other was a temptress who everyone feared but yearned to get close to. Character wise, the two women seemed to be naturally seemed to oppose each other. Hence, it wasnât hard to understand why Wei Xingâer didnât see eye to eye with Ling Biâer.
Jiang Chen frowned. âYou can stop spewing nonsense now before you go too far. Didnât you say you were going to the auction? Letâs go then.â
Wei Xingâer was delighted when Jiang Chen agreed to go to the auction. âLittle boy, youâve made the right choice!â She walked back to the sedan chair and spoke to the porters and guards, âIâm bringing two friends to the auction. Thereâs no need for the sedan.â
Those people seemed extraordinarily deferential to Wei Xingâer as they did not dare defy her. Since Jiang Chen and Huangâer seemed to be a romantic couple, they probably wouldnât be a negative influence on the young madam. Hence the servants felt at ease simply walking behind the trio respectfully. When Jiang Chen saw the judging eyes of the people around him, he sneered, âYou also seem to be well-regarded nowadays. These people appear as though they respect you, but why are they looking at you like youâre a criminal?â
Heâd originally expected Wei Xingâer to rebuff him. Who would have guessed that Wei Xingâer would only sigh lightly and indifferently reply, âYou were born lucky. You have great potential and can stir up all the wind and rain you want. Iâm just a weak woman. My sect has been destroyed, I have no one to rely on. Being bought by someone without being sold back and forth is already be considered a blessing.â
Wei Xingâerâs words left Jiang Chen speechless. No matter what grudges there had been between the Walkabout Sect and the Regal Pill Palace, they were all matters of the past. As of today, the two sects had already become part of history. Most sect members had already passed from this world too. Grudges from the past had long since been written off with one stroke.
When he thought about this, Jiang Chenâs mood had turned somber. He felt that if he mocked Wei Xingâer any further, it would be an ill thing to do. However, despite his resolution to stop making fun of her, he would keep his guard up around her. As the world had changed, who knew what position Wei Xingâer now occupied? From her appearance, her status in the Great Scarlet Mid Region didnât seem to be that low. If she stood on the side of the Great Scarlet Mid Region, then she would naturally oppose him.
After all, the relationship between their sects had been complicated to begin with. Although tensions had eased somewhat towards the end, they definitely couldnât be considered friends. Once again, they arrived in front of the Dragon & Phoenix. When the wandering cultivators saw Wei Xingâer arrive, they automatically moved aside to form a path for her.
âTsk tsk, whoâd have thought that even Resplendent Emerald Verandaâs young madam would be here. This auction definitely doesnât seem to be on a small scale.
âIndeed, this young madam is certainly breathtaking.â
âHehe, if she wasnât as beautiful as that, with Resplendent Emerald Verandaâs top tier wealth in this region, how could she get a chance to become the young madam?â Various secretive whispers echoed around him, yet Jiang Chen could hear them loud and clear. He couldnât help but glance over at Wei Xingâer. Resplendent Emerald Veranda? Although Jiang Chen didnât know what kind of power Resplendent Emerald Veranda had, he could tell from the tone of the people around him that this entity was definitely a big shot within the Great Scarlet Imperial Capital. Moreover, it was apparently shockingly wealthy. He remained silent as he followed Wei Xingâer into the Dragon & Phoenix.
âOh my, young madam Wei has graced us with her presence today. Please, come in, come in. Will Master Shixuan be present today?â A staff member of the Dragon & Phoenix greeted them enthusiastically.
Although Wei Xingâer had spoken to Jiang Chen with a faceful of seduction, she did not bother putting up a facade for others. Her tone was bland as she replied, âHe doesnât have time.â
âMaster Shixuan is a diligent and hardworking man. Itâs natural that he does not have time. Young madamâs presence here is the same.â That person added with a harried smile as he seemed to have detected the distaste in Wei Xingâerâs tone.
Wei Xingâer remained silent. She simply walked inwards according to the staff memberâs instructions. Jiang Chen and Huangâer followed Wei Xingâer in with silent amusement. Jiang Chen hadnât thought that Wei Xingâer would have racked up such a immense reputation during her time in the Great Scarlet Mid Region. Heâd truly underestimated her.
After crossing a few long corridors, they arrived at a spacious site. The staff member said, âYoung madam, every VIP of this area has their private area thatâs been separated from the outside. As Resplendent Emerald Verandaâs representative, please enter this private room.â
The auction hall was extremely luxurious. Although the private room wasnât big, it was cosy enough for the few of them. However, it was indeed a private room removed from the outside world. This small private room actually provided a significant advantage. When other people competed against each other, they could all see each otherâs conditions. However, they werenât able to see those people in private rooms. There were around fifty private rooms. The other guests were all in the hall, which could comfortably contain about two or three thousand people. To tell the truth, Jiang Cheng wasnât that interested in the auction.
After all, heâd seen auctions of much higher value in the Veluriyam Capital. Back when heâd been at the Joined Ridges Pavilion in Veluriyam Capital, the auction there had naturally been better. And it was during that auction that Jiang Chen had gotten to know Ji San and entered the upper echelons of society.
The private room wasnât that big but it contained three rows of seats that could house about nine people. Since only three people had entered, it was naturally very spacious. There was no conversation after they had entered the private room. The atmosphere turned heavy in an instant. There was still some time before the auction. As Wei Xingâer looked at Jiang Chen and Huangâer, a trace of envy was unconsciously revealed in the corner of her eye. However this look passed in a flash and was subsequently well-hidden. The other two hadnât noticed. Wei Xingâer stared at Jiang Chen. âArenât you curious?â
Jiang Chen shrugged. âAbout what?â
âCurious about Resplendent Emerald Veranda or about what Iâm doing here? Curious about why I dragged you to this auction? Curious about why theyâre looking at me like Iâm a criminal?â
When Jiang Chen heard her questions, he laughed but didnât answer. He was naturally a bit curious. However, he was following the principle of not asking unless necessary regarding Wei Xingâerâs matters. At any rate, he was always on his guard against this woman. It was best if he remained at a respectable distance from her.
âResplendent Emerald Veranda has a lot of money. With money, comes power. If weâre only talking about wealth, then perhaps there might be a number of people in Great Scarlet Mid Region wealthier than us. If weâre talking about power, we can still enter the top twenty.â Unexpectedly, Wei Xingâer volunteered this information. However, as she introduced this party, there wasnât a shred of pride on her face, much less any trace of showing off.
âYouâre definitely looking down on me, thinking that Iâm dependent on a sugar daddy.â Wei Xingâer laughed self-deprecatingly. âHowever, all that is already irrelevant. I know you two are on your guard around me. Thatâs also natural. Weâve all changed. Even if weâd been in the same sect, you two would still be cautious around me after so long. Moreover, our previous relationship has never been very good.â After entering the private room, Wei Xingâer put away her bubbly facade.
Jiang Chen did not comment. Instead he asked, âYou asked me to come to this auction. Why?â
Wei Xingâer laughed. âNow, youâre thinking of clarifying everything then leaving, arenât you? Youâre scared of me. Youâre scared of this succubus, scared that Iâd report you at any moment? Youâre scared that by interacting with me, youâll raise the ire of that beautiful girl beside you?â
When he heard the hint of anger that had entered Wei Xingâerâs speech, Jiang Chen sighed softly. âYouâre thinking too much.â
Huangâer also smiled slightly. âI donât know whether youâre a succubus. But I donât mind if you two want to reminisce about your past. If you need me to, I can take a step back too.â
Huangâer remained as open as ever. It was as though she was willing to accept anything that happened in this world, even if the girl opposite her was called a temptress and harbored some complicated feelings towards her man. Her womanâs intuition told her that this girl called Wei Xingâer probably had butted heads with Brother Chen previously. But as of today, she didnât feel any enmity emanating from her. Conversely, her declaration caused Wei Xingâer to be rather stunned, as though she was seeing Huangâer for the first time. Wei Xingâer carefully examined her for a long time before she sighed softly, âI know now.â
âWhat do you know?â Huangâer laughed softly.
âI know why Ling Biâer lost to you. Her attitude is too aloof. Sheâs as pretty as a portrait but not as magnanimous as you,â Wei Xingâer exclaimed.
Huangâer laughed softly and shot a glance at Jiang Chen. Actually Huangâer was fully aware of what happened between the Ling sisters and Jiang Chen. She had even seen Ling Huiâer grab Jiang Chenâs hand and press it against her abundant bosom. Only, at that time Huangâer had used some clever way to cover for Jiang Chen. Sheâd never nagged about this matter, nor did she deny it. In reality, her impression of the Ling sisters wasnât even bad. In particular, Ling Biâer had given up her own life to save Jiang Chen in the Paramount Realm, something that Huangâer really respected her for. Hence, when Wei Xingâer said that Ling Biâerâs personality wasnât as good as hers, she didnât preen, but rather calmly accepted it.