My Original Self

Having confirmed that she was indeed their target, Mù Qīngyǔ held her composure, careful not to make a sound that would alert the people inside.

In this large room there were two people: one was a young man dressed in luxurious clothes, the other a middle-aged man in auction house uniform.

No matter how harsh the arrogant young man’s words, the uniformed middle-aged man maintained a fawning, respectful posture, showing no sign of impatience.

“Boss Liu, you know that your auction house’s survival to this day is all thanks to my father, don’t you?”

“Young Master Chen, I’ve always remembered Lord Chen’s kindness,” the middle-aged man said with a fawning smile.

“Without Lord Chen, how could my auction house have lasted this long?”

“Good that you know.”

“You should think carefully about who is more important to you: the Alchemical Pact or our family.”

This voice sounds familiar.

It didn’t take Mù Qīngyǔ long to recall where she had heard it.

Wasn’t it that sucker from the auction hall who had been bidding against her?

He called the middle-aged man ‘boss’?

That meant the guy who bowed like a dog was actually the auction house owner?

Feeling a bit intrigued, Mù Qīngyǔ licked her lips and continued eavesdropping, unintentionally uncovering many shocking little secrets.

Although the auction house ostensibly had the support of the Alchemical Pact, their partnership was not only shallow but also one-sidedly oppressive.

The numerous alchemical products presented at each auction were forced upon them by the Alchemical Pact, mostly failed experiments.

The truly good stuff had long been hoarded by the alchemists themselves—why would they be so generous as to auction it off?

Thus, the auction house had to headache over how to dispose of this alchemical garbage, always hyping it up with great fanfare.

Hearing this, Mù Qīngyǔ’s heart skipped a beat.

‘Could it be that the Purple Lightning Thunder Pearl is also alchemical garbage?’

No, if it were garbage, why would Young Master Chen be after it?

On the contrary, it was precisely because the Purple Lightning Thunder Pearl, a true treasure, had appeared among this garbage that Young Master Chen clung to Mù Qīngyǔ like a dog.

Compared to the Alchemical Pact’s one-sided exploitation, the Chen family’s favor was clearly the top priority.

Without their support, the auction house would have long been shut down by the Heaven’s Will Bureau on charges of irregularities.

Thus, no matter how arrogant Young Master Chen’s attitude, Boss Liu had to grovel and please him, hoping the young master would put in a good word for him at home, and the auction house would reap even more benefits.

“I don’t want anything else, just the Purple Lightning Thunder Pearl. Understand?”

“Young master, ordinarily I would have agreed to your request long ago.”

Boss Liu broke into a cold sweat.

“But today’s guest, I think we need to be cautious.”

“What, can she eat us or something?”

“No, that’s not what I mean.”

Boss Liu voiced his inner concerns.

VIP No. 25 was a first-time visitor to the auction house, had immediately qualified for a high-level VIP status, and was so lavish with the Purple Lightning Thunder Pearl.

Ten times the starting price—even Young Master Chen, famous in Danfeng City for his extravagance, couldn’t just whip out that much.

He could only play big this time because he had just had his birthday a few days ago and received many red envelopes.

Boss Liu knew very little about the identity of VIP No. 25 and feared that such an action would invite greater disaster.

“I don’t care.”

“In Danfeng City, there’s nothing my father can’t do,” Young Master Chen’s patience visibly waned.

“If you dare refuse, I’ll expose all your dirty deeds and have your auction house torn down.”

“No, no!”

Faced with the possible disaster, Boss Liu yielded to the wealthy young master before him.

“I’ll arrange it right away, Young Master Chen.”

“I guarantee your satisfaction.”

“Good.”

“Then I’ll take the Purple Lightning Thunder Pearl now.”

“Okay.”

Young Master Chen finally smiled, walked to the cabinet containing the Purple Lightning Thunder Pearl, and skillfully entered the password.

The treasure he had yearned for was finally within reach.

Outside, Mù Qīngyǔ’s mind was still conflicted.

Her first instinct was to flee—better to avoid making enemies whenever possible.

But then she reconsidered.

She wasn’t Qín Yuè now; she was Mù Qīngyǔ, her appearance concealed, the eldest daughter of the Mù family!

Could this Chen family, which only threw its weight around in Danfeng City, really compare to the Mù family?

More importantly, she didn’t have to maintain the same dignified demeanor as when playing Qín Yuè.

Since she had a different identity, she should adopt a different approach.

So—BAM!!

The moment the storeroom door was kicked open, the two inside froze, especially when they saw Mù Qīngyǔ’s familiar white robe and black mask, their expressions becoming even more vivid.

“You, how…”

“It seems someone here thinks I’m a pushover.”

“You’re dead!”

The quickest to react, Young Master Chen lunged forward, his fist crackling with electric arcs as he aimed at the girl.

In an instant, lightning erupted, and the entire storeroom shook violently.

Boss Liu was even blown to the ground.

Young Master Chen was stunned.

His punch didn’t feel like it had struck flesh at all.

Not only did it not move the white-robed woman, but his own fist ached terribly.

Realizing something was wrong, Young Master Chen quickly retreated, his eyes fixed on her.

“W-what Tier of Spirit Wielder are you?”

“Guess?”

Mù Qīngyǔ summoned the Green Fish Sword.

The cyan blade hummed as it slid out of its sheath, its reflected light illuminating two pale faces.

She assumed a stance, her aura beginning to converge.

Say what you will, this feeling was pretty thrilling—no fear of trouble, doing whatever she wanted.

Was this the real me?

The girl sighed inwardly, then, under the gaze of the two about to speak, swung the sword with all her might.

“Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

After the auction, Xǔ Tiānlí and Song Hai found a night market for a late-night snack, celebrating the successful purchase of medicine that could truly help his sister.

“Now your sister can take her college entrance exam with peace of mind, right?”

“Maybe.”

“But medicine is three parts poison.”

“I hope she doesn’t have an allergic reaction.”

“Don’t worry. You siblings will be fine.”

Joyful, they drank a little.

Song Hai had no tolerance for alcohol and was soon clearly drunk.

Xǔ Tiānlí timely advised him to stop drinking, and while he went to the restroom, pulled out his phone to find that the class group chat had already reached 999 messages.

Tapping open, Xǔ Tiānlí frowned.

“Mysterious hero causes havoc at auction house, teaches Danfeng’s wicked young master a lesson.”

The classmates were all praising the mysterious hero’s deeds.

Xǔ Tiānlí skimmed through and then opened a live photo.

Under the night sky, a petite girl-like figure flew through the air, as agile as a swallow.