Chapter 176: Protagonist 14

Gongxi Jianchen didn’t find the two he was looking for. His curiosity quickly wore thin, and before long, the whole matter was pushed to the back of his mind.

He picked up the tea on the table and rinsed his mouth, washing away the lingering astringency of the Silver Frost Fruit.

“This auction is a bore,” he said. “Forget it, let’s go. Uncle will take you to a much more interesting one.”

Qian clung to her uncle’s arm and, keeping her head down, took two sips of tea from his hand.

After feeding her a couple of mouthfuls, Gongxi Jianchen saw that not only did she not spit it out, but she even tilted her head back and drank directly. With a hint of disdain, he remarked, “This auction’s too small, even the tea they serve is so bitter and hard to swallow. Stop drinking, let’s go. Uncle will take you for something tastier.”

The auction hadn’t yet ended, but Gongxi Jianchen left midway, taking Qian with him.

His little stalker was busy whispering with Wen Xunzhen about how best to deal with him when he suddenly noticed Gongxi Jianchen leaving. In a hurry, he grabbed Wen Xunzhen and followed after.

Gongxi Jianchen’s bodyguards were elusive and sharp-eyed. As soon as Gongxi Jianchen and Qian stepped out of the Golden Splendor Tower and headed for Golden Radiance City, the attendants had already brought over their mounts.

The Xiao Shou trailing behind quickly retreated two steps, melting into the shadows to avoid the wary eyes of the beast mount guards.

Wen Xunzhen stood behind him, watching Gongxi Jianchen mount his beast. “All his guards are at the Nascent Soul stage. This man must be an important scion of the Gongxi Family.”

Seeing Xiao Shou remain silent, a shadow of gloom flashing across his expression, Wen Xunzhen added, “But he’s bound to be alone at some point. There will be a chance to get back the Silver Frost Fruit. Don’t worry, A-Shou.”

The two of them followed Gongxi Jianchen all the way to Golden Radiance City.

Golden Radiance City was a lavish little city within Gongxi City itself, resplendent in gold and jade. It brimmed with spiritual energy and boasted enchanting scenery, a place where the nobility came for pleasure. There were not just auctions, but also song and dance halls, flower gardens, spring pools, gambling houses, and a beast park.

Gongxi Jianchen was a frequent guest here. As soon as he arrived, dozens of beautiful attendants came out to greet him, welcoming him with just the right blend of warmth and restraint.

Qian walked ahead of her uncle, tilting her head up, looking around curiously.

Even the lowest-ranking attendants who served here had keen eyes. Seeing how the Gongxi Family’s young master doted on the child, many quickly guessed her identity.

The Gongxi Family’s Eldest Young Miss, Gongxi Yue, had a daughter. Two years ago, the family had thrown a grand banquet to formally acknowledge the child. That festive occasion had been the talk of the entire city.

Judging by the child’s looks and age—wasn’t this her?

“This is the pearl of my Gongxi Family,” Gongxi Jianchen joked with a few familiar faces. “I’ve brought her here to have some fun today. You’d better take good care of her. If she doesn’t enjoy herself, I won’t be coming back.”

The women covered their mouths and laughed, teasing back and forth, promising that the little “pearl” would have a wonderful time.

Qian tilted her head, suddenly pointing at her uncle. “Playboy.”

Gongxi Jianchen: “…”

Uncle and niece were surrounded by a garden of flowers, ushered into Gongxi Jianchen’s private pavilion.

Delicacies flowed like water, each dish a feast for the senses. Even the servers were a pleasure to behold.

Behind semi-transparent gauze curtains, musicians sat poised with pipa and qin, their silhouettes hazy and dreamlike like flowers glimpsed through mist.

A steward in azure robes, with red lips and white teeth, stepped forward to ask what the two guests would like to enjoy.

“How’s today’s auction? Anything good?” Gongxi Jianchen sprawled lazily on a soft couch, propping his head up as he asked.

The steward’s voice was clear as he began detailing the evening’s auction offerings. Dense spiritual energy formed a water-mirror before them, projecting the bustling scene from the auction hall.

Gongxi Jianchen listened absentmindedly to the descriptions while watching the attendants, who used to always flock around him like bees to flowers, now all buzzing around Qian. He couldn’t help but say, “Well now, look at you all. Only paying attention to Qian, leaving me all alone.”

The attendants, long familiar with him and unafraid of his complaints, laughed and teased back, “Miss Qian is just too adorable. We’ve all fallen under her spell. Don’t be jealous, Young Master Jianchen.”

They had all long been curious about the famed Eldest Young Miss of the cultivation world—known as its number one beauty and a sword cultivator at that. But she had never once set foot in a place like this. Now that they could finally lay eyes on her daughter, seeing that snow-fair, jade-delicate face, one could easily imagine just how breathtaking the Eldest Young Miss herself must be.

Qian lay half-reclining among a cluster of beautiful sisters, her tiny hands being sneakily held and played with countless times. Two of the prettiest girls sat on either side of her, feeding her treats.

With each peeled sweet fruit that went into her mouth, her cheeks puffed up adorably.

One particularly attentive sister noticed her reaching up to scratch at her hair and gently asked, “Is your headband too tight? Would you like me to loosen it and comb through your hair for you?”

Her aunt had been determined to adorn her with every jewel and trinket she could find, and Qian’s head had been aching for ages. She’d been shaking her head nonstop, trying to shake it all off, but her uncle hadn’t noticed at all.

At last, her head felt light again. Soft fingers massaged her scalp and little head, moving down to rub her neck and shoulders.

Others kneaded her chubby arms and legs.

Sitting to the side and fanning himself, Gongxi Jianchen couldn’t help but call out, “Why are you all giving Qian a massage and ignoring me?”

Every time he came here, the two red-lipped courtesans from the Red Pavilion would always be at his side, acting as his confidantes. Today not one of them spared him a glance—they were all completely smitten with his niece. Her uncle felt aggrieved.

Drowsy from the massages, Qian’s head lolled to the side. Yet as soon as the sweet fragrance of food drifted by, she instinctively opened her mouth.

A chorus of soft giggles rose around her.

Meanwhile, Xiao Shou and Wen Xunzhen—penniless and without any social standing—were stopped right at the gates of Golden Radiance City.

Wen Xunzhen was about to suggest giving up, but seeing the dark, stormy look on her beloved’s face, she hesitated and, after a moment’s thought, produced a jade bottle.

“I’ve heard your auctions collect rare treasures from all over. I have here a Heaven and Earth Bone-Changing Pill. Would you accept it?”

The Heaven and Earth Bone-Changing Pill was an exceptionally rare and arcane elixir, notoriously difficult to refine, used to transplant bones between two cultivators.

If it weren’t for Xiao Shou’s poor spiritual roots and desire for a transplant, Wen Xunzhen wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to concoct something like this.

“So the honored guest is an alchemist. Please, come inside and speak with our steward.”

Thanks to Wen Xunzhen’s pill, the two were finally allowed into Golden Radiance City.

Giving Xiao Shou a reassuring look, Wen Xunzhen waved a sleeve and released a Medicine Worm to quietly track down Gongxi Jianchen’s whereabouts.

The auction at Golden Radiance City had begun, and bursts of five-colored fireworks bloomed across the sky. Awakened by the noise, Qian rubbed her eyes and, upon seeing the dazzling display outside, cupped her cheeks and let out a delighted “Waaah!”

“Qian, come over here! It looks even better from this side!” her uncle called from not far away.

The pavilion had an extended platform, where spiritual springs now flowed over jade stones, covering the floor just past their ankles. Misty steam drifted through the air, mingling with the fragrance of wine and sweets.

Gongxi Jianchen sat on a jade platform, barefoot in the spring water, raising a cup of wine and draining it in one go.

Qian ran over, splashing through the water, eyes wide as she gazed at the sky full of fireworks.

The group who had been gathered around Gongxi Jianchen now surrounded Qian instead, deftly gathering her loose hair into two adorable little buns, securing them with freshly picked, fragrant jade plum blossoms.

Her uncle, relishing the leisurely life, watched his niece rush toward him, wet feet stepping all over his clothes.

“Qian! My clothes are soaked!”

But Qian didn’t care at all. She jumped onto him, shaking his shoulders and arms, pointing up at the sky. “I want to play with fireworks too!”

“If Miss Qian wants to play, we’ll have some brought over at once,” one of the maids said warmly.

The fireworks arrived quickly, and before long, shrieks of surprise rang out from within the pavilion.

Because when Qian held the firework tube, the moment it was lit, it heated up and lurched forward, startling her. Instinctively, she lowered her hands, and instead of shooting skyward, the firework accidentally launched straight at her uncle.

It exploded right at his feet. Gongxi Jianchen threw his cup aside and nearly jumped out of his skin.

Clutching the still-burning tube, Qian whimpered for her uncle and chased after him, seeking help. The result was that the fireworks kept blasting toward Gongxi Jianchen as she ran.

He took off at a sprint, flailing his fan in front of his face. “Qian! Lift the firework! Point it at the sky! Not at your uncle!”

His exaggerated antics had the child giggling uncontrollably.

The pavilion filled with the crackle of fireworks, the maids and musicians nearby laughing so hard they doubled over. Suddenly, one rogue firework shot toward them, scattering the group with shrieks and laughter.

Wen Xunzhen and Xiao Shou, hidden under a flowering tree not far away, listened to the laughter inside the building.

“Debauched young master. Only knows how to chase pleasures,” Wen Xunzhen muttered.

After a while, the chaos upstairs finally quieted. Several maids, still chatting and laughing, came down together to tidy their clothes and makeup, while another group carried fresh food and incense back upstairs.

Wen Xunzhen and Xiao Shou exchanged a glance, concealed their presence, and followed silently behind.

A faint, fragrant mist spread from Wen Xunzhen’s sleeve.

Upstairs, Gongxi Jianchen was inspecting the sleeves and hems of his clothes with a mix of exasperation and amusement. He pinched his niece’s chin.

“Look at this! You burned holes in my clothes, and you’re still laughing!”

“Grandfather will make you new clothes,” Qian said, hugging his leg and giving it a little shake, her cheeks flushed bright red from running and laughing, heat radiating from her whole body.

“You can’t just bully your uncle. When you get back, you have to play like this with your aunt too, understand? Go give her a scare!”

Her uncle egged her on, then, feeling concerned, touched her back.

“You’re drenched in sweat. Later, let Lizhu take you to the bath.”

Only Lizhu and Tongying remained upstairs now. They managed dozens of maids and were known for both their beauty and their meticulous care.

“It’s nearly the year’s end. You’ll need to head back before midnight. It’s getting late. Why don’t I take Miss Qian to the springs now?” Lizhu suggested.

Just then, the maids who had brought in the new food and incense quietly withdrew, leaving only a lone shadow lingering outside the curtain.

Tongying noticed and turned her head to ask, “What is it? Do you have something to report?”

The figure remained silent.

Tongying suddenly felt something was wrong. This wasn’t anyone she recognized.

“Who are you? Why are you here?” she demanded. As the words left her mouth, a wave of dizziness hit her.

At the same moment, a man wearing a bamboo hat emerged from the shadows, sword flashing as he charged straight for Gongxi Jianchen.

Tongying was shocked. If anything happened to the main branch heir of the Gongxi Family here, Golden Radiance City would surely face dire consequences.

The jade bracelet on her wrist instantly enlarged, spinning through the air to block Xiao Shou.

Lizhu, meanwhile, shielded Qian tightly, smashing the lamp that signaled peace and safety upstairs, hoping to summon the surrounding guards. But after a long moment, no one appeared.

“All the nearby guards are unconscious,” came Wen Xunzhen’s voice as she approached, her face hidden behind a veil. “Don’t bother struggling. We haven’t come to kill, only to deliver a small… lesson.”

Lizhu felt her strength draining away. Worse still, when she tried to summon her spiritual tool, no power gathered within her body.

This person… must be a formidable alchemist, capable of rendering even two Golden Core cultivators like her and Tongying powerless.

Wen Xunzhen cast a glance at Qian, still woozy and held protectively behind Lizhu, but paid her no mind. Instead, she turned toward Xiao Shou, who was already locked in combat with Gongxi Jianchen.

Tongying had fallen behind Gongxi Jianchen, her pomegranate-red dress now slashed with sword marks, pale skin exposed beneath the torn fabric.

Gongxi Jianchen’s cultivation wasn’t high. He’d never enjoyed cultivating, always preferring the life of a wastrel. But he never imagined someone would dare attack him right here in Gongxi City.

With no real combat experience, he was quickly forced into a sorry state, each strike from the man in the bamboo hat pushing him back. Yet, infuriatingly, his attacker remained precise—always stopping short of lethal blows—so none of his life-preserving spiritual tools or talismans had been triggered.

Noting that Xiao Shou was venting frustration rather than trying to kill, Wen Xunzhen stood nearby, waiting a moment and keeping track of time. “A-Shou, that’s enough. Someone will be here any minute.”

Xiao Shou, for once enjoying himself, thought grimly: Just a little longer. Once people arrive, he’d tell Wen Xunzhen they had no choice but to snatch the child and flee.

Once they had the kid… whether it became an “accidental death” or a quiet disappearance would be entirely up to him.

Wen Xunzhen grew increasingly uneasy and urged again, “A-Shou, hurry.”

Suddenly, a piercing sword cry split the air beside her ear.

Her pupils shrank. In a flash, she looked up.

The entire sky around them froze.

The flowing spiritual spring beneath their feet turned to ice with a sharp cracking sound.

A white figure, like a streak of lightning or falling starlight, descended from the heavens. Countless colossal blades of frost followed in her wake, piercing through the entire pavilion. In an instant, this place became a Sword Domain.

“It’s Gongxi Yue!”