"..."
"..."
"You... really came?"
Mo Zhiran asked, looking at Mei Xuan with narrowed eyes, speechless.
Although Xiao Lan invited her yesterday, wasn't it because she was embarrassed?
He didn't believe this smart girl didn't know.
"What? Senior Xiao also invited me. Why can't I come?"
Mei Xuan asked with an innocent look, as if confused. But inside, she didn't know why she suddenly felt a little better.
"I mean, why are you even coming to this auction? You ranked tenth and only got fifty low-grade spirit stones. What do you think you can buy there?"
Zhiran said, completely annoyed. He felt she was clearly playing around here.
'Does she think I don't know her real identity? What the heck is she planning?'
He felt there was something fishy going on, but couldn't tell what.
"Okay, don't fight. Zhiran, I did invite her to attend this auction. I have enough invitations to accommodate her, so don't worry."
Xiao Lan, who was standing awkwardly behind, finally spoke, clearly not wanting things to escalate further. Besides, it didn't feel right to leave Mei Xuan behind after she already came, did it?
After silencing them, she pointed at the huge city below, sprawling like a coiling dragon around the mountains.
"Look, we've already arrived at Azure Flame City. The Mystic Exchange Alliance is holding its auction at the center. Let's go, I think it's already time."
She said before the spirit boat began its rapid descent, landing directly in front of the massive gates. Azure Flame City didn't allow any unidentified flying objects inside, so they had to be careful.
"Xuaner? What are you doing here? Why are you here with him?"
As soon as they landed in front of the massive gates of Azure Flame City and walked out of the spirit boat, a sharp male voice drew their attention.
"Tianyu? You're here too."
It was none other than Mo Tianyu, who was staring at Mei Xuan and Mo Zhiran with eyes full of suspicion.
He didn't know why, but for some reason, he didn't like seeing her close to Zhiran.
Even though he knew there was nothing between them. After all, it was just yesterday Zhiran threw Xuaner out of the ring mercilessly.
"Mmm... I came here to attend an auction. Are you here for that too?"
Mo Tianyu smiled at Mei Xuan after seeing her distance herself immediately from Zhiran. Moreover, he also noticed the senior behind them, which relieved him immediately.
"Yeah... Senior invited me."
Mei Xuan pointed at Xiao Lan, then quickly came near him, asking with a smile,
"Since we're going to the same place, how about I tag along? I have something to ask you, too."
She spoke timidly, like an innocent girl. Her behavior was in stark contrast to how she acted with Zhiran.
Even though Tianyu lost to Zhiran in the competition yesterday, she still took him as her golden egg to infiltrate the Divine Cauldron Sect.
After all, she knew about his hidden talent to some extent.
"Hmm... cough... Xuaner, I have important things to do today. So... let's meet another time? For now, why don't you just attend the auction with Senior Xiao?"
Surprisingly, when Mei Xuan asked Tianyu to tag along, he showed an embarrassed smile and directly refused her.
"Look, the auction is about to start, and I don't think you should leave Senior Xiao alone and come with me."
Tianyu tried changing the subject before entering Azure Flame City with the crowd.
Since they were disciples of the Divine Cauldron Sect, they didn't need to pay anything; just their robes with the azure pattern were enough.
"Is that so?"
Mei Xuan was stunned by his refusal, but didn't bother to pressure him. She was just curious why he behaved that way.
"Yeah... don't worry. We'll meet at the end of the auction."
Tianyu breathed a sigh of relief after seeing how understanding his Xuan'er seemed. So, he smiled lightly and advised,
"Just stay with Senior and don't leave her side. If someone dares to do anything to you, tell me, and I'll make sure they regret it."
He said this while giving a side glance to Zhiran, who was completely ignoring his existence.
"Okay, I'll enter the venue first."
After saying that, he bowed slightly to Xiao Lan and left immediately. He seemed to be in quite a hurry.
"Oh... o-okay..."
He didn't even wait for Mei Xuan to reply.
"..."
"Xuan'er, are you sad that your lover left you all alone?"
Just as the silence reigned in her surroundings, Mei Xuan suddenly heard someone's voice right by her ear, followed by a warm breath that tickled her senses.
"W-what..."
Mei Xuan was startled and quickly stepped back, turning around only to see the smirking guy in front of her, his eyes full of teasing amusement.
It was none other than Mo Zhiran, who was completely ignoring their interaction just moments ago.
"The heck is wrong with you?"
Mei Xuan couldn't help but curse Zhiran in anger, completely breaking her innocent look in seconds. Really, she couldn't stand this guy at all.
'I really shouldn't have come with this guy just to save a few spirit stones.'
Mei Xuan took a deep breath, trying to cleanse her soul of this cringe.
To be honest, because of this guy, she was beginning to hate the term Xuan'er.
"Haha... look, the moment Tianyu disappeared, you came back to your true form. Sigh... why don't you just stop your act all the time?"
Zhiran sighed and shook his head dramatically, causing Mei Xuan to gnash her teeth in anger.
Xiao Lan, on the other hand, was already trying hard to suppress her laughter from the side.
But Zhiran didn't care. Without letting Mei Xuan refute, he pointed at the auction venue.
"Anyway, about you being sad after being left alone... do you know the real reason Tianyu walked away from you?"
He asked with a slight smirk. He didn't believe Mei Xuan wasn't curious. After all, this girl had already set her sights on that guy for her own goals.
In fact, she indeed did that in her previous life. Just... that later she changed her ways midway, maybe because of some protagonist plot, who knew?
"What do you think? If you pay me fifty low-grade spirit stones, I'll tell you the reason."
Zhiran smiled and asked while rubbing his hands like a merchant.
"In your dreams."
Unfortunately, Mei Xuan wasn't stupid enough to waste her spirit stones on him. So, although she was curious, she just rolled her eyes at him and looked at Xiao Lan awkwardly.
"Senior, let's enter the auction house. If we keep listening to this idiot, we might really be late."
One of the reasons she came with Xiao Lan was that, as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Xiao Lan could get a private room on the first floor.
By tagging along, Mei Xuan wouldn't have to squeeze in with the crowd on the ground floor or stand among them.
Although now, she was starting to feel like she might have made a mistake.
"Cough... o-okay then. Zhiran, let's go. I'll tell you about the auction house as we head in."
Xiao Lan coughed lightly to hide her faint laughter, then gracefully led them toward the auction house.
As a merchant alliance that spanned across the entire continent, even the auction pavilion owned by the Mystic Exchange Alliance in Azure Flame City looked incredibly impressive.
Tall marble pillars, intricate carvings, and faintly glowing runes gave the entire building an aura of majesty that looked even grander than the city lord's residence.
To be honest, being affiliated with such a merchant alliance wasn't much different from joining a first-rate sect, just that their methods of promotion and influence varied depending on the region.