The owner of the arithmetic stall waved amiably, calling out his agreement time and again. Only then did I follow Wei Qingming toward the exit of the Green District. Seeing how easily she navigated the path, I teased, "You seem quite familiar with this place! Even Brother Wu, who’s nearly ten years older than you, was completely clueless."
"Chunan Tower only changed its way of doing business four years ago. This night banquet was the new owner's idea. How could Brother Wu know about things that happened after he left the capital?" Wei Qingming replied. "As for me, it is merely a requirement of my duties..."
"Of course!" I grinned, baring my teeth. "It’s not like you could go to the Red District anyway!"
I expected Wei Qingming to be annoyed, but she merely offered a faint smile and whispered, "Miss Su should be better acquainted with the capabilities of the path of illusions than I am. In truth..."
"Eek!" I cried out, covering my ears and jumping three feet away from her. It took a moment for me to recover before I huffed, "Don't you dare try to trick me!"
Wei Qingming chuckled softly and returned to my side, letting me lean against her as we walked.
As I took in the sights, I asked curiously, "It’s strange. Clearly, many of the businesses here are borderline illegal, if not outright so. Why doesn't the imperial court do anything about it?"
Wei Qingming uttered only four words: "Fattening fish for harvest."
"Oh!" I caught on. "You're waiting for Chunan Tower to get fat so you can sweep them up all at once and make a huge profit?"
"Yes and no," Wei Qingming said. "Pleasure is a natural human desire. The laws are harsh and difficult to change, so there must be some leeway in their execution."
I listened with only a half-understanding, scratching my head. "Did you read that in a book?"
Wei Qingming smiled and tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear. "Someone taught me."
I blinked, knowing she wouldn't say more. I decided not to press her and instead pointed at various novelties, asking about everything I saw. Whenever I found something I truly liked, I badgered Wei Qingming into buying it. She was tireless and met every request, even producing a storage ring that looked quite precious to carefully store my worthless little trinkets.
We wandered out of the Green District, and the bustling crowds suddenly thinned. The chaotic, marketplace atmosphere transformed into a row of exquisite, ornate buildings—nearly thirty of the most famous auction houses in the realm. The wealthy patrons moving between them were accompanied by swarms of servants and famous courtesans, making the two of us look rather insignificant by comparison.
Just as I was thinking this, Hong Lu appeared out of nowhere and handed Wei Qingming a piece of white jade. She took it and tucked it into her sleeve. I asked, "Do we need a pass to enter the auction houses?"
"Yes," Wei Qingming said. "We are going to the auction house under the Thousand Colors Palace, Wanbaotong."
I thought she wanted to have some fun, but it turned out to be official business after all. Although I also wanted to find trouble for the Thousand Colors Palace, my heart sank slightly, feeling a bit sorry for her. Fearing I didn't know the details, Hong Lu took the initiative to explain, "The world only knows that the Thousand Colors Palace does great business in Guanzhong, and people in the capital tend to look down on them. However, Wanbaotong has branches all over the country and was one of the earliest auction houses in the capital. It’s been an established name since the reign of Emperor Renzong. The goods of the Thousand Colors Palace are a mixed bag, some of dubious origin, but Wanbaotong only selects the cleanest items to sell."
As we spoke, we arrived at Wanbaotong’s premises. The White District occupied more than a quarter of the underground space, and with the use of spatial techniques, each merchant's area appeared as spacious as a shop on the surface. The doorman inspected the jade token and respectfully led us inside, where preparations for the third round of auctions were underway. The hall was vast and empty, save for a treasure platform covered by a transparent spirit crystal dome. It was currently empty, likely waiting for the items to appear once the auction began. The nobles occupied individual private booths, sparsely filling the three floors.
Wei Qingming and I were in a booth on the second floor, its position unremarkable. Once we were seated, a beautiful maid served tea and snacks, bringing two pairs of long-handled lorgnettes on a brocade tray to allow for close-up viewing of the treasures. Each of us was given a jade slip containing information on all the items in this auction. I took a jade slip and checked it with my spiritual sense, letting out a sharp breath. The very first item was a Nine-Turn Youth-Preserving Pill refined by the Imperial Pharmacy, with a starting bid of ten thousand spirit stones...
Looking at the collection made me dizzy and short of breath. Hearing that there was still fifteen minutes before the third round began, I couldn't sit still and stood up to walk around. Wei Qingming, however, didn't even touch her jade slip. Instead, she took out her own book and read it, rolled up in her hand. Seeing me leave, she gave Hong Lu a brief instruction to follow me and then returned to her reading without looking up.
I poked around, squeezing into wherever the crowds were thickest. Unexpectedly, I followed the throng into the back hall—the place where transactions were settled after a round of bidding. I watched as large bags of spirit stones rolled into the Thousand Colors Palace’s accounts like boulders in a flood. Thinking of Meng Tingwu, I felt a surge of indignation. I rolled my eyes and told Hong Lu to fetch Wei Qingming.
Before long, Wei Qingming strolled over. I tugged on her sleeve and whispered, "The Thousand Colors Palace is making a killing today. Can we cause some trouble and stir things up?"
After hearing me out, Wei Qingming pointed casually at a short, stout man wearing a black bear mask. "That man is the nephew of Su Qing, the Governor of Pingjing. He’s known as Su the Second, a notorious rascal."
I understood and looked closely at Su the Second. Seeing that the relative of a high-ranking official in charge of security looked more like a bandit than the actual criminals, I was somewhat speechless. I asked, "That golden Bodhisattva statue he’s about to trade for seems to be made of solid gold essence. It’s not as fine as Yangyang’s, but it’s thick and sturdy. With your skills, can you break that thing?"
"I can," Wei Qingming answered without hesitation.
"Great!" I rolled up my sleeves happily. "Then watch me!"
The weather was warm, and Su the Second had a maid fanning him on one side and a servant holding ice on the other. His squinty eyes were so buried in fat that his features were barely visible. Four workers from Wanbaotong carried out a transparent spirit crystal chest half the height of a person. This chest was carved from pure, clear Grade Two spirit crystal. Such a large and complete crystal was rare enough, but to hollow it out into a chest made it even more precious. Because it preserved spiritual energy well, Wanbaotong used these chests for all items, regardless of size, and included the chest with the purchase. Su the Second waved a short hand. "Open it and let me see!"
The Thousand Colors Palace was indeed arrogant; the workers didn't even blink as they removed the lid and hauled the golden statue out like a sack of grain, holding it before Su the Second as if it weren't particularly valuable.
Su the Second reached out to touch it, leaving greasy fingerprints all over the statue. As he was feeling it, he suddenly pulled back, knitted his sparse brows, and roared, "Why is the color coming off?!"
Several of Su the Second’s servants crowded around, shouting, "Damn it, it’s a fake!"
A manager from Wanbaotong walked over, offering a placating smile as he inspected it. "There is no problem with the item. It must be the golden lamps in the room playing tricks on your eyes, Master Su. You’re seeing things." As he spoke, he held up his own palm. "Look, is there even a speck of gold on me?"
Little did he know that under the influence of an illusion, Su the Second and his group saw gold powder falling from his palm even more heavily, fluttering to the ground like snow. The Bodhisattva’s perfectly fine face now appeared to be missing a thumb-sized chunk of gold, looking both pathetic and ridiculous. Su the Second grabbed the manager’s hand and twisted it, instantly breaking it. The manager screamed in pain, and his temper flared.
A dozen or so armed guards hired by Wanbaotong swarmed out, shielding the manager and glaring at Su the Second’s servants. Su the Second rolled up his sleeves and said sinisterly, "I bought this golden statue to honor my mother. Now that it’s brought bad luck, I don't want it. Aside from returning my principal, you’ll add another ten percent as an apology!"
The manager said furiously, "Master Su, why don't you go out and ask around? In six hundred years of business, when has Wanbaotong ever dared to let a fake through its doors! If you want to break the contract, pay the thirty percent penalty first!"
"To hell with you!" Su the Second threw a punch. Wei Qingming saw her chance and gently sent a surge of spiritual power, pushing the golden statue held by the four workers directly into Su the Second’s round fist. The golden statue instantly shattered into pieces, sending the workers howling in pain.
This sudden turn of events turned the manager’s red face deathly pale. Su the Second, however, was unhurried. He pulled back his fist and looked at it as if it were a curiosity; the lump of flesh was unharmed, though coated in a layer of gold powder. His servants took the opportunity to flatter him. "Master, what a punch! Even eight hundred pounds of gold essence was crushed by you!" Su the Second laughed loudly. "Forget a piece of junk like this—even if I smashed this whole bird-shop tonight, no one would dare fart in front of your grandpa!"
The manager waved his hand, and four or five guards lunged forward. Su the Second was not one to be trifled with, and soon the two sides were locked in a brawl. Wei Qingming, thinking it wasn't enough, occasionally used her spiritual power to nudge one person or trip another. This caused the goods of other customers to be smashed as well, and more and more people joined the fray...
Though Wanbaotong had many guards, they couldn't use blades to truly harm these nobles. They were gradually losing ground. Just as they were at their wits' end, several people emerged from the depths of the back hall. Leading them was a maid in a bluish-gray dress, followed closely by a petite woman. I grinned as soon as I saw her—it was Meng Tingwu!
Though the maid was a servant, she had a dignified appearance, and her status seemed no lower than Meng Tingwu’s. While she calmly scanned the room, Meng Tingwu had already shouted irritably, "Stop! What kind of boor dares to run wild on Wanbaotong’s grounds? Beat them! If they die, it’s on me!"
Hearing a spicy girl with a delicate voice, Su the Second let out a "Heh." "Little wench, you have the guts to try and hit your grandpa?" Seeing that Meng Tingwu was quite pretty, he gave a lewd smile. "Don't hit me here, hit me on my bed..."
Meng Tingwu was so angry she immediately drew a dagger, but she was stopped by the maid in blue. "Sister Tingwu, you mustn't."
Meng Tingwu glared at her but could only resentfully put away her weapon. The maid in blue bowed gracefully to the room. "We have disturbed our honored guests; it is the fault of our establishment. This humble one is named Xi Lan, a maid under the Palace Master of the Thousand Colors Palace, the owner of Wanbaotong. The Palace Master is already aware of the situation. For those guests whose goods were damaged, our shop will refund double the principal. If you wish to exchange them, you may select an item of equal value from our warehouse. For the other guests who were disturbed, our shop will bear the ten percent transaction fee as an apology."
The crowd erupted in discussion. Su the Second was no fool; he knew when to quit while he was ahead. He said, "I don't care about your bird-money. I just want a treasure from the Buddha Kingdom from your warehouse to honor my mother."
Xi Lan bowed again. "Master Su is magnanimous. Please, feel free to choose from the treasures in the warehouse."
Su the Second walked past Meng Tingwu triumphantly, leaning in close to her face. "I respond to the carrot, not the stick. If you were as gentle and lovely as this sister here, I might consider asking your master to let me buy you!"
Meng Tingwu’s face turned blood-red with rage, but she was helpless. She could only stomp her foot hard at Su the Second’s retreating back.
As the instigator, I was thoroughly satisfied with this show, but Wei Qingming’s focus had already shifted to something Xi Lan had said. It seemed the Palace Master of the Thousand Colors Palace might have personally descended upon the White District tonight...
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 万宝通 | Wanbaotong | The name of the auction house; literally "Universal Treasures." |
| 宿二 | Su the Second | Su Er; nephew of the Governor of Pingjing. |
| 宿庆 | Su Qing | The Governor of Pingjing. |
| 金精 | Gold Essence | A dense, high-quality metallic material often used in cultivation. |
| 九转驻颜丹 | Nine-Turn Youth-Preserving Pill | A high-grade pill used to maintain a youthful appearance. |
| 夕岚 | Xi Lan | Literally "Evening Mist"; a high-ranking maid of the Palace Master. |
| 灵晶 | Spirit Crystal | A crystal containing concentrated spiritual energy, used as currency or for storage. |
| 神识 | Spiritual Sense | A cultivator's ability to perceive their surroundings or read jade slips using their mind. |
