Over a Wood Affinity dinner—they didn’t offer Spatial, if there even is such a thing—with her friends, the topic of conversation was the auction. Ai said she went to one before but she was too little to remember it so that didn’t count. As none of them had ever been to one in a meaningful way, they all came up with crazy ideas and plans.

Li was insistent that weapons would be sold. “I’m telling you. They are going to have swords and knives and spears. Probably nothing exotic, but definitely tons of weapons. Especially daggers and short weapons.” Unsurprisingly, Li used those. Small fast melee weapons were generally considered the best for Air Warriors.

Lu disagreed somewhat. “Oh, I don’t know. There might be a few weapons, but I think they’ll have more beasts than just Yu’s. Probably less rare though. A bunch of normal beasts.”

Ai even spoke up in her own soft way. “Herbs and alchemy stuff.”

Yu smiled and said, “Well, I think you’re all right. I bet they’ll have a little of everything. They might have some stuff that is good for our affinities too. Or maybe some really weird and exotic things.”

Li liked that idea. “Ooohhh! Maybe they’ll sell a man-eating plant! Or a map to hidden treasure. Yeah!” Everyone laughed at that but she wasn’t deterred from her fantasies. “What about even more weird things like the skull of an old dead cultivator.”

Lu “ewwed” and then bonked her sister on the head. “That’s gross!”

Even Ai nodded at that.

That turned into a game of thinking up the weirdest things they could sell.

They were all still laughing about some of the unlikely things that could be found when they got to the auction house. Yu saw two lines of people—one was long and moving slowly, another was shorter and moving quicker.

Lei ran up to them and greeted the three other girls and then Yu. Thankfully he was wearing his standard disciple robes, as were they. Li was a little more herself greeting her brother brightly, but still covered in a blush. Ai even spoke and Lei smiled gently at her.

Looking at the signs hanging above the two lines, Yu said, “We have a booth so we go in the left line.” She walked to the end of that line with the others trailing behind.

Poor Bai had to stay behind in the room as bonds were not allowed in the auction building. The managers of the auction did not want the presence of powerful beasts to cause a disruption in any weaker beasts they were holding for sale. Sensible, but frustrating for her cub. He threw a temper tantrum and tore up her bedding in rebellion. Hopefully, her room would still be in one piece when she got back. Thankfully he hadn’t had to pee or poop since they bonded as all he ate was her Qi. If he did, Yu suspected she might find something harder to clean up in her room.

Shuddering at the thought, she listened to the girls and Lei chat. Ai was still holding Yu’s hand the whole time, but she wasn’t hiding behind Yu, which was pretty amazing. Her brother really was good at being a gentle giant. If he was winning Ai over, he could win anyone to his side.

Yu let them talk, just listening peripherally and being there to pat Ai every now and again and remind her she was safe. Once they approached the usher, he looked at them and said snidely, “This line is for private booths only. Why can’t you people read?”

Yu smiled victoriously and held up her silver medallion. He jerked and looked closer at it. Then he bowed deeply and said with a tone of pleading, “I am so sorry, young mistress.”

Ugh. That damn title was back.

Rolling her eyes, she decided she wouldn’t take any further. But in one last-ditch harmless poke, Yu ordered, “Get someone to take me and my guests to my room.”

The man was nearly kowtowing by that point, “Yes, young mistress.” He shakily took a bell out of a pocket and rang it. The line next to them was absolutely shocked at what they were watching. Unsurprisingly, Yu heard a few references to her using her “master’s influence,” and the like. She glared at one particularly rude person who said she must have given up something quite personal to be taken as his disciple. She felt sparks start to crackle on her hands and silver flames begin flickering in her eyes.

Apparently she wasn’t the only one offended as she witnessed a bright blue glow surrounding Lei while wind whipped around Li. Ai gasped and Lu looked like she could chew nails.

Thankfully the usher asked them to step inside and wait for their guide which stopped anything from getting out of hand. Yu stepped in through the entrance but not before Li humphed and said, “A little boy like you with nothing between your legs shouldn’t be envious of . . . greater men.”

Following that rather embarrassing statement, she whipped around and marched in after their group to the laughter and jeers aimed at him. Everyone, including Lei, was gaping at the tiny ball of fury and she blushed.

“What? He was so rude. I can’t believe he said that about Yu. Gods. She’d never do that. As if she had to. . .” Yu smiled at Li both for the support and again as she saw Lei’s expression change to assessing, his eyes roving up and down Li.

Li unintentionally helped Yu’s roiling emotions and she was laughing both at the slap and at her brother’s new attention to her friend. Only moments later a lovely young mortal lady came up in an expensive and showy violet and gold Qipao. To Yu’s sensitive nose she gave off a strong but not unpleasant smell of jasmine, which was probably very subtle and correct for mortals and normal cultivators. It was an unusual perfume and Yu found she liked it. Maybe she would see if she could find some. It had a nice balance between being gentle enough not to overwhelm her senses but strong enough to overpower some other less pleasant odors.

The woman bowed and said “Hello. I am Auction Assistant Mo. I have been assigned as your server today.” Yu thought it was a very appropriate name but didn’t interrupt. “May I see your auction badge please?” Stepping forward, Yu showed the lady her silver medallion. The woman waved her own white badge over it and said, “Please follow me. I’ll take you to your silver suite.”

Yu blinked. Suite? She was told it would be a booth. Maybe it was a wording thing. Upon reflection, Yu figured that auction houses were fancy and such so a “booth” might be a “suite” as a way of advertising.

Ms. Mo took them through a number of hallways filled with open entrances to the tiered floor housing thousands upon thousands of seats. Then she took the group up a few flights of stairs. Yu noticed they passed hallways with doors made of steel, copper and finally silver. But they passed the first floor with silver doors and took them to the next one above that. Finally, she walked them down the hall to a pair of doors labeled “Silver Suite - 843.”

The woman pointed at the label and said, “Tap your silver badge on that. It will allow you to enter at your leisure at any time, whether there is an auction or not. It is one of the services we offer our silver suite-level customers.”

Yu coughed and pushed the double doors aside, stepping in with the others behind her. Yu gaped at what she saw. Lei and Li both swore and Lu nearly tripped upon entry. The only one not to react with shock was Ai.

The suite had a large main room with an entire wall acting as a window looking out onto the auction stage and crowd. Three couches were spread out in front of the one-way glass. Before the couches were tables with tea sets with a steaming pot and silk-wrapped silver chopsticks next to spaces clearly for eating. The food apparently came from beyond a door to the right which led to a small kitchen with a young woman pleasantly waiting to be told what to make. To the left was something of a half-office half-bedroom with a desk, ether lamps, and a large bed. When Yu looked into that room she saw another room off of that one that led to a small self-care and bathing area.

Auction Assistant Mo waited until they checked it out before asking, “Is everything to your satisfaction?” Yu nodded to her, somewhat dazedly. The mortal woman smiled. “You will find a bidding tool by the one-way window. Simply touch the jade tablet and enter or raise a bid. You will find four settings, which increase the bid by ten points, one hundred points, one thousand points, and ten thousand points. The same is available for auctions that are paid in silver but the numbers will be a hundred times higher. When you win an item, it will be brought directly to you by me and you will pay when it arrives. Your anonymous seller and bidder number is 843, matching your suite. Any sounds made in this suite will be blocked from outside so do not fear being overheard. Do you have any questions?”

Yu looked around at the others who shook their heads. So Yu turned back and said, “No. Thank you. I think we’re set.”

The woman bowed fully at the waist and said, “Enjoy your accommodations and the auction, young mistress.” Then she left.

Thinking quickly and smiling to herself, Yu whispered something to Lei. He whispered back and she nodded. Yu called out, “Everyone order whatever food you want. I’ll make some tea. Lei, can you ask for some rice, meat, and vegetables for me? Whatever is fine.”

They sat spread out among the couches and relaxed. Yu sat in the middle and started fiddling with the bidding device. It was basically a jade tablet with four embedded stones. Next to her sat Ai who was looking over her shoulder. Li was on the couch to the right and shoved Lu away when she tried to sit next to her sister. She called, “Lei, why don’t you sit here?”

Lu rolled her eyes and sprawled out on the opposite couch, which she had all to herself.

Lei started delivering everyone’s food until he was the last and he joined Li and ate. It turned out they could make affinity-strengthened food but it cost an additional twenty points each. As Yu told Lei to do secretly, he had the chef prepare their food with their affinities. The girls all called out in surprise when they felt the pleasant burn in their bodies.

Yu smiled and stuck her tongue out at them. “Too late. It’s done and there’s nothing you can do about it.” The twins grumbled but that was the end of it.

She poured everyone pre-prepared tea and they ate with only light chitchat for the next half hour when everyone heard a single ding reverberate throughout the auction house. The lights dimmed in the large audience hall but not their suite. Ether lights slowly rose in brightness on the raised stage showing a red carpet leading from a hanging curtain made of translucent cloth of the same scarlet. Two wooden stands were to the right and left of the carpet. One was as tall as Yu and had a flat table-like top. The other was what she recognized to be a tall weapon stand with a hollowed-out center and pegs at the top able to prevent a weapon from falling off. Just in front of the curtain and raised high enough for all to see was a green jade board empty of any content.

The curtain separated and a stunningly beautiful woman walked forward wearing a black qipao with golden tigers spread around it. Her long black hair was down to her rear and swished slightly back and forth as she stalked forward, bringing attention to that portion of her body. Her eyes were a warm brown and a sultry smile welcomed everyone while pulling their attention from whatever they were doing—which was clearly less important than the beauty in front of them. Her posture though was one of command, telling them the stage belonged to her and they would be privileged to share it.

Yu was impressed with the message being sent by the woman. She drew their attention like a moth to a flame, and at the same time reminded them that she was the fire and the show was hers to control.

When she finally spoke, it was as if bells were ringing. “Welcome to the Treasure Pavilion’s Black Dragon Sect Auction House branch. Every four weeks we gather wonders from the world over and present them to the greatest sect in the empire for perusal and purchase. Tonight we have a few special items which may cause some of you to. . .”

She smiled sulkily and didn’t finish her sentence. Moving to the center she said, “It is our humble hope that you will enjoy the evening and, perhaps, walk away with a treasure of your own. For those that are new, the rules are as follows. There is no violence permitted in this hall or the perpetrator will be banned from all Treasure Pavilion properties on the continent. The sellers will remain anonymous, as will any who bid from the boxes above. Payment is due upon receipt.” Then she smiled widely, held her sleeveless smooth arms out wide, and said, “Now, let us begin.”

Yu could hear just fine through the glass as everyone spoke to their excitement of the event. As Lei said the other day, the massive room below held at least ten thousand people. Yu saw a healthy mix of disciples and elders. Interestingly, Yu also saw a good number not wearing sect robes.

Two mortal helpers, nearly as beautiful as the woman in the center, carried a brown cloth-covered box as tall, wide, and deep as Yu’s arm and placed it on the tabletop stand.

After they left, the woman in the center said, “As always, we will start the evening off with a bang. You heard me say that we have a few very special items available tonight. Well, this is one of them. A mighty cultivator from your sect risked their life to provide what we are offering tonight. They battled a mighty beast that few are able to kill, never mind track back to their home through a dangerous forest. Our first item of this night’s auction is. . .” And she reached over and removed the covering cloth with a flourish. “An Illusory Fox cub.”

The place went a little nuts with that announcement and the sight before them. Yu saw a number of people stand and get shoved and sit back down. Some were pushing others to get a closer look.

Yu turned to Lei and smiled widely. He looked at her with a curious expression and then his eyes widened. “No way!” The girls laughed uproariously and Yu nodded.

“How in the nine hells did you find one of those?” he asked exasperatedly.

Yu smiled innocently while asking, “Who said anything about one?”

Before he could respond the woman took back control of the auction house. “Yes. This male Illusory Fox cub is perfectly healthy and ready for bonding. I will share what we have learned of its provenance. First, we know with absolute certainty that one of his parents was a grade 3 beast. More specifically, it was grade 3 when it birthed the litter this handsome little boy came from. Based on the Qi density in its coat, eyes, and bones, we have determined with 75% certainty that its second parent was at least grade 3, possibly grade 4. We can provide documentation of our test results proving this to the purchaser.”

Once again the place got loud and the woman recovered the cage, probably to avoid getting it upset. Yu nodded in approval of that. The poor thing didn’t need to be more traumatized.

“As you know, this species of demonic beast is one of the only known to use Light Qi to make illusions and thus could make an excellent and rare bond for those lucky enough to have that affinity. The seller is asking for dragon points as the currency and bidding will start at five thousand. Do we hear five thousand?”

5,000 appeared on the large green board but it immediately rose to 5,100. And it kept rising, barely staying on a single number for a moment. The rising started to slow as it reached 6,000, but it kept going until it reached 7,000. Then it slowly rose by ten until it hit 7,110 and stopped.

Smiling, the woman said, “We have a high bid of seven thousand one hundred ten. Anyone else?” After a few breaths of no change, she said, “Seven thousand one hundred ten. Going once. Going twice. Sold to an individual on the auction house floor. Congratulations.”

Yu noticed it was one of the non-sect participants.

The same pair of helpers came out and carried the covered cage to the back and eventually its winner while another helper carried out a cloth-covered object that was taller than her. It was obviously a polearm—likely a spear—so Yu sat back and ignored it. None of the four in her suite used a polearm either so they all looked towards Yu.

Lei said, “You are going to make out like a bandit.”

Yu nodded, grinning hugely.

Lei leaned back on the couch with his arms out and said, “And I thought I was so clever for making six thousand off your arena fights.”

Li, who was next to him, leaned back, over, and slightly against him. He didn’t seem to mind.

Yu said, “Well, I have many more arena fights coming. I am going to have to place in the top fifteen thousand by the end of my fourth month.” They all looked at her in surprise and asked why in various forms. She just shrugged and said, “My master said so.”

Lei, Lu, and Li all winced. Ai leaned against Yu and laid her head on her shoulder. Yu did what she always did when Ai tried to comfort her that way, and put her arm around the girl’s shoulder. A few minutes later the spear was sold for 2,240 points. Yu did not pay attention to who won it, just that it was someone on the floor.

The lady moved onto the next item which was a Qi plant. It looked like a brown vine wrapped around a bamboo rod that went up about as high as the length of Yu’s forearm. The auctioneer described its uses. “This is a forty-year-old Dirty Cleansing Vine. For those who don’t know, a Dirty Cleansing Vine creates between three and eighteen beans every fifty years when it blooms. Those beans have three purposes. First, they can be planted in the right conditions to grow another vine. It is considered difficult to successfully grow them, but it is possible for the right kind of herbalists and cultivators. Second, they can be used in various alchemical concoctions to create numerous low to mid-grade potions, pills, and powders. And thirdly and most commonly, they are planted throughout fields for the purpose of cleansing them of vermin, pests, diseases, molds, and all sorts of nasty things that hurt crop production. This vine is verified to bloom within the next decade. Bids start at one thousand five hundred points.”

Obviously, it didn’t interest Yu but she watched as the number slowly rose to 1,950. Two inner sect elders were trying to outbid each other on the auction’s open floor. They even started throwing insults back and forth.

“Gang. I need that for my potions. Don’t you dare try to outbid me, you old coot!”

Said old coot shot back, “I’ll bid on what I want, you old hag.”

It went on from there until the old hag won it for 2,090 and the old coot was livid.

Yu’s suite wasn’t the only place filled with laughter at the two. Li fell off the couch, she was in such hysterics.

The auction continued with nothing of interest to Yu until the woman said, “We have reached the half-way point and just before our intermission. As such, we have a second special item to show.” The two assistants brought out another brown cloth-covered box identical to the last. “Did you miss out on the male illusory fox early in the evening? Well, you get another chance. Because we have another.”

Taking the cloth off to show off the prize, the woman continued, “This little boy is from the same litter as the first and thus has the same provenance. As before, bidding starts at five thousand points.”

The place was so excited that the displayed number shot up higher than the first and ended at 9,310. Apparently, folks were upset at missing out on such a thing and a second chance made the person in private box 198 bold.

The woman closed out the first session with, “Well, that was an exciting opening. Our best items await for the second half of the auction though, so don’t miss out. I will see you back after a fifteen-minute break. Please enjoy the food and drink. Everything is at a very reasonable price, I assure you.”