Undercurrents

Another contender?

Not just the audience below, but even the sucker himself was stunned.

At first, he thought it was a rival who thought he wasn’t miserable enough and decided to keep stirring trouble.

But that was a girl’s voice—sweet and crisp, even through the mask’s distortion.

The earlier “Seven times!” sounded less fierce and more adorably fierce, like a child’s tantrum.

Who brought a kid to a place like this?

Some even entertained the ridiculous thought, but no one laughed out loud.

Instead, they fixated on the two private rooms.

The sucker hunched over, the glass in his hand swaying slightly, only a few drops of liquor left.

He mulled over whether to raise the bid again.

The host’s repeated confirmation drilled into his eardrums.

Finally, the sucker made up his mind. He downed the last gulp and stood up.

“Seven and a half times!”

‘At this point, a loss is inevitable,’ he thought.

‘If I let the Purple Lightning Thunder Pearl slip through my fingers, who knows when I’ll get another chance like this?’

The sucker looked toward the opposite room.

It was on a higher level, so he couldn’t see the full figure of the unexpected challenger.

Seeming to notice his stare, Mù Qīngyǔ, who was eating sliced apples, casually glanced over before ignoring him entirely.

‘Seven and a half times is already an outrageous price for the Purple Lightning Thunder Pearl,’ the sucker mused.

‘Normally, spending that much on this thing would be a total loss.’

But…

“Eight and a half times!”

Mù Qīngyǔ coughed twice and raised the price by another tier.

She needed this item more than anyone.

The spiritual imprint awakened within her was the Azure Dragon Mark, said to grant abilities related to flight and lightning.

In theory, Mù Qīngyǔ could generate lightning herself and didn’t need the Purple Lightning Thunder Pearl’s help.

But that was only true for the original owner.

Now, Mù Qīngyǔ couldn’t even spark a tiny arc.

The power she gained from the mysterious palace was enough to shape her “Qín Yuè” identity, but she couldn’t neglect the “Mù Qīngyǔ” persona.

The eldest daughter of the Mù family was her true form.

She couldn’t very well use the Return to the Void One-Strike Decapitation while fighting in her own face, could she?

Mù Qīngyǔ left home, and Qín Yuè appeared. They even used the same techniques. Coincidence?

Surely no one would suspect they were the same person?

Only a fool would buy that!

So she had to win the Purple Lightning Thunder Pearl, even at a steep price.

She had plenty of money squeezed from those two elders anyway.

The white-haired girl picked up another slice of apple, took a delicate bite, and the crisp texture drew a satisfied murmur from her.

In contrast to her composure, the sucker’s brow was twitching with fury as he glared at the opposite room.

He wished he could leap over and tear apart that ingrate.

‘Last try,’ he thought. ‘I can’t go any higher.’

With that resolve, he deliberately lowered his voice into a suppressed growl: “Nine times.”

At least he wouldn’t lose too badly.

Once he grew stronger, he could easily make back the money he lost today—and get his revenge even more easily.

He noted every face today. He would find each enemy and repay his humiliation a hundredfold!

It was over.

The sucker collapsed onto the sofa.

He instinctively took a sip of wine, only to find his glass empty.

Irritated, he tossed it to the servant beside him.

As he retrieved a refilled goblet and raised it elegantly to his lips—

“Ten times!”

Oh!

“Young master!”

The servant, drenched in wine, ignored his own state and rushed to check on him.

The sucker roared “Get lost!” and shot up, striding to the balcony railing and gripping it tightly.

‘Ten times? What a joke!’ he thought.

‘Buying a Purple Lightning Thunder Pearl for ten times?!’

‘Who’s the prodigal son who did this?’

“Going once!” The host struck the podium with each call.

“Going twice!”

Mù Qīngyǔ had finished the apples and started on a pear.

“Going three times!”

“Congratulations to VIP 25!”

The sucker ground his molars to dust, but could only watch helplessly as the host finalized the owner of the Purple Lightning Thunder Pearl.

When the host stored the pearl away, the sucker retreated with a snarl, as if he could hear the laughter of his usual rivals.

“Young master?” The servant trembled at the murderous look on his face.

“It’s nothing. I’m not angry anymore.”

The sucker had his goblet refilled.

“Young master, don’t worry about it. It’s just a Purple Lightning Thunder Pearl.”

“It’s fine. I’m still set on getting that thing.”

“Huh?”

The sucker took an elegant sip, the corner of his mouth curling into a sinister smile.

His icy gaze never left the opposite room.

After snatching up the Purple Lightning Thunder Pearl, Mù Qīngyǔ remained silent for the rest of the auction, simply enjoying the show.

The multi-hour auction finally ended, and the crowd in the hall rose and squeezed toward the narrow exit.

VIPs like Mù Qīngyǔ didn’t have to suffer that crush.

She had her own private passage.

The girl stood, stretched with a long sigh, and left to complete the final formalities.

Though it was her first auction, she had staff accompanying her the whole time, so there was no worry about fumbling the process.

“Madam, please follow me.”

“Valuables can only be handed over in private rooms.”

“Okay.”

Mù Qīngyǔ was led into a small booth and seated.

The smiling attendant poured her a cup of tea before leaving.

While waiting, she sipped her tea, then suddenly felt a twist in her stomach.

‘Ah, did I eat something bad?’ she thought.

She stood up quickly, figuring the procedures wouldn’t be done soon, and decided to hit the restroom first.

After relieving herself, the white-haired girl strolled back to the booth, accidentally passing a large room’s door.

“Do as I say.”

“You get the pearl, and we’ll handle the cleanup.”

“Is that… really okay?”

“Don’t be stupid! Would I screw you over?!”

Mù Qīngyǔ’s footsteps halted abruptly.

Her gaze locked onto the door.

She checked her surroundings, and when she was sure no one was watching, crept closer to the room.

Peering through the crack in the door, she could just make out the scene inside.

‘A big room? A storage closet?’

‘No, it’s a warehouse for auction items—look at those expensive metal shelves.’

‘When they said “pearl,” could they mean the Purple Lightning Thunder Pearl?’

She entertained a sliver of hope that she was overthinking things, but the next dialogue killed that hope.

“That b*tch!”

“I’ll personally tear off her mask and smash her face!”