Wu Jian had never met a girl as strange as Huǒ Yulie. It was more than just her manner of speaking. She seemed to derive some weird enjoyment from his scent. Did he really smell that good? Wu Jian was pretty sure he stank most of the time since he spent so much of it sweating. Of course, he made sure to take baths, but then he should just smell like soap.

In either event…

“Was it a good idea for you to bid on that item?” asked Wu Jian.

“What doth thee cullionly? Did thee not wish for that item?” asked Huǒ Yulie.

“I did, but I’m worried about your identity being discovered.” When all Huǒ Yulie did was tilt her head, Wu Jian pressed a hand to his temple. “What I mean is… won’t your brother recognize your voice? It would be bad for us if he recognizes you and decides to cause problems.”

“Ahh. Yond is what thou art worried about. Fear not. Mine own kin hast never seen me before. The only family who hath met me in person is mine own brother and father. Nay one else hast seen me since I cameth of age.”

Meaning no one had seen her since she turned sixteen, but that also meant they had seen her before then. It was still possible Huǒ Pànguó would recognize her voice if they had interacted before she became a cultivator.

From what he understood, Huǒ Yulie’s father had taken great care not to let anyone interact with her too much, including her brothers and other members of the family. He did wonder about that. Was her father just super overprotective of his daughter? He’d heard there were fathers out there who kept their daughters locked up for fear they would be defiled… and Huǒ Yulie was quite beautiful. Her fair skin like polished jade, large eyes, and ardent hair gave her a doll-like beauty. It was easy to imagine her father going overboard to protect his daughter from the wiles of men.

“There is still a possibility they could discover who you are,” Mei Xilan said. “In fact, I think the possibility is highly likely. Only members of the Huǒ Clan can use this booth, yes? That means someone from your family is in here right now, and the person who did all the bidding sounded like a young woman. How many young women are in the Huǒ Clan? How many can use this booth? I doubt there are a lot. You should probably leave before you cause trouble.”

Huǒ Yulie glared at Mei Xilan. “What sophistry are you speaking? Thee hast no way of knowing how many young mistresses art in mine own clan. Speak not of things thee has no knowledge on. It makes thee come across as an arrogant bumpkin.”

“You have quite the mouth for such a pampered princess,” Mei Xilan snapped. It was the first time Wu Jian had actually seen her look angry. Even when she was annoyed, her expression rarely changed, so seeing her like this was new… though he couldn’t say it was good.

“A pampered princess, am I? Thee hast no idea what I’ve been through!”

“I could say the same of you! You don’t know a single thing about me!”

“I knoweth thou art frigid!”

It wasn’t long before the two were standing so close their noses were practically touching as they argued. Huǒ Yulie’s hair was bursting with sparks as though it would ignite any second, and icy snowflakes had appeared all around Mei Xilan. They really looked ready to come to blows.

“Are you not going to stop them?” asked Hua Xue. She had been sitting in her chair this entire time, calmly observing the argument. She didn’t seem troubled at all.

“No. Why should I? They’ll just start arguing again over something else.” Wu Jian glanced at the pair again. They had devolved into name calling now. How childish. He looked away. “Though I do wonder why they’re fighting so much.”

“Hmmm. I suspect it might have something to do with their cultivation.”

“Oh?”

Hua Xue paused. “Cultivation methods that rely on harnessing the powers of a specific element can often cause dramatic changes in one’s personality. Mei Xilan practices the Ice Phoenix Cultivation Method, which allows her to embody the traits of an ice phoenix. The cold personality and emotionless expressions members of the Ice Phoenix Sect have is because of this method. I do not know what method Huǒ Yulie cultivates, but it’s obviously a powerful fire method that lets her embody the traits of a phoenix. Ice and fire are polar opposites. The ice phoenix and phoenix are even greater extremes.”

“So you’re saying they don’t get along because their cultivation methods are diametrically opposed?” asked Wu Jian.

Hua Xue smiled lightly. “Yes. I’m pleased you were able to pick up on that so quickly.”

Wu Jian was not good at many things, which was why he studied hard to acquire knowledge and power. A cultivator couldn’t just be strong. They had to be smart. The cultivators who thrived were not the ones that were all brawn and no brain, but the ones who cultivated both their minds and bodies.

“Thine emotionless facade sickens me!”

“You’re manner of speech makes you sound like an old man!”

“You take that back!”

Wu Jian took a deep breath as the two women’s argument reached a new degree of childishness. He stood up, ready to intervene, when someone knocked on the door. The argument ceased. Huǒ Yulie and Mei Xilan glanced at the door, then at each other. Wu Jian worried they would just start arguing again. However, they nodded and returned to their seats--and Wu Jian once more found himself squashed between two beautiful women.

I would like this so much more if I was sitting between Jingshu and Lili…

“Excuse me? Um… I have brought the item you won,” a voice said from the other side.

“Come in,” called Huǒ Yulie, summoning a bag. It appeared within her hand, jingling slightly.

The door opened and a woman walked in… then came a man Wu Jian recognized. He was a few years older than Wu Jian. His hair was a dark shade of red and his eyes were a deep crimson. His facial features were similar to Huǒ Schuchang but still different enough that it would have been hard to tell they were related at first glance. He was handsome, but it wasn’t the kind of girly handsomeness that most men seemed to embody these days.

He wore elaborate robes embedded with expensive lace depicting a phoenix ascending into the sky. The garment’s dep crimson further enhanced the phoenix’s majesty. The way the robe shimmered as the man walked was a testament to how expensive this article was. Wu jian still wondered what it was made of.

It was Huǒ Pànguó.

“Well, now. This is an odd assortment of people. What are you all doing in this booth? Do you not know that it is reserved for members of the Huǒ Clan? How did you get in here?” asked Huǒ Pànguó, an arrogant sneer on his face.

Wu Jian cursed. Huǒ Yulie had definitely not gone unnoticed. It was clear to him now that the young woman had not thought at all about not getting caught. He should have known. She knew nothing of the world. This was evident in how she tried to buy a simple meal with spirit coins.

Huǒ Pànguó glanced at them all, though he paused upon seeing Hua Xue and Mei Xilan. The arrogant look became lecherous. He did furrow his brow, however, when his eyes landed upon Huǒ Yulie, who had once more donned her cloak and facemask. Then he looked at Wu Jian and frowned. There was a slight recognition on his face, but it was obvious he couldn’t figure out where he’d seen Wu Jian.

“My apologies, young man,” Hua Xue stood up and, slowly releasing her cultivation, offered a graceful martial bow. “My companions and I are on friendly terms with a member of your clan. They offered us a token when we expressed an interest in taking part in your auction, which is why we are here now.”

Huǒ Pànguó licked his lips as he eyed Hua Xue up and down. Though her hanfu covered most of her body, it could not mask the womanly curves hidden within. Somehow or other, Hua Xue was able to remain smiling, even when the man glanced at her chest.

“Mmm. Is that so? Well, you would have to have our token to get in here… but I’m gonna need to see it for myself. We’ve had a string of fake tokens recently. I’d like to verify that it’s the real deal, if you don’t mind,” Huǒ Pànguó held out his hand and gestured.

What a load of crap.

It was clear to Wu Jian that this man was lying through his teeth. There was no way the people of this auction house wouldn’t be able to recognize a fake from a real. He could only imagine how much trouble they would be in if they let someone with a fake token slip through. Huǒ Pànguó just wanted to cause problems, pure and simple.

“Of course.” Hua Xue glanced at Huǒ Yulie. “If you don’t mind, can you show them the token we got?”

Huǒ Yulie nodded, stood up, and held out her hand, summoning the token from her palm. She walked over to Huǒ Pànguó and handed it to him. He took it, though his eyes were locked firmly onto the cloaked girl, who remained silent. It seemed even she understood that speaking right now would be a bad idea. He looked at the token in his hand, which could not be faked at all. Even he had to have noticed the chi surrounding it, identifying it as the real deal. He clicked his tongue as he looked back at the silent Huǒ Yulie.

“You. Take off that hood and mask now,” Huǒ Pànguó ordered.

Huǒ Yulie merely took a step back, causing the man to scowl. His aura flared. His cultivation base was released. Wu Jian grimaced as the incredible power in this man’s body pressed down on him.

It was usually impossible to figure out someone’s cultivation when they were at a higher realm than you. Just like how some people could only see specific colors, cultivators could only see a person’s cultivation when it was close to their own. However, there were exceptions. When a cultivator released their cultivation to its full extent, it was possible for even someone weaker to get an estimation of their cultivation base.

That was how Wu Jian knew.

This man was half a step into the Seeker Realm.

Those who reach this realm are few and far between. Also known as the Realm of Knowledge, this is the realm where cultivators begin to truly understand the world around them. It went without saying that their power was far beyond that of ordinary cultivators. Most people who reach this realm didn’t do so until they are hundreds of years old. Huǒ Pànguó was likely somewhere in his late twenties or early thirties. That he had achieved such a cultivation at his age was more than just impressive.

Mei Xilan placed a hand on her chest as she staggered backward. She might have fallen over if Hua Xue hadn’t caught her. The poor woman who had come in with Huǒ Pànguó was even worse off. She had already fallen to the floor, dropping the box in her hand. Wu Jian was also feeling the pressure, but he had been bathed in Loong Chen’s overwhelming cultivation base more times than he cared to count, which was why someone of Huǒ Pànguó’s cultivation didn’t affect him as much. Huǒ Yulie was the real surprise. She wasn’t reacting at all. It was like she couldn’t even feel his cultivation, which made Wu Jian wonder how strong she was.

“I won’t ask again. Take off your hood. Now,” Huǒ Pànguó commanded.

This was not good. The situation was devolving. Wu Jian had no idea what he should do.

Fortunately, someone arrived at that exact moment.

“What’s going on in here? Don’t you guys know you’re disturbing the other guests?”

The man who stepped into the room hadn’t changed at all. He was taller than Wu Jian by about two heads, had long orange hair with a single blue bang trailing over the left side of his face. His eyes looked like burnished gold. He had sharp brows, a defined chin, and a strong body covered in a much plainer hanfu than Huǒ Pànguó. It was a combination of orange, red, and gold. Wu Jian knew who this man was. Even the snarky grin on his face was the same as he remembered.

Huǒ Shuchang.