The Things Without A Price

Dieu Thuyen rested one hand on the jade bottle and swept her gaze across the hall before speaking.

“Item fifteen. Many of you have likely already received word, but according to the rules of the Auction House, the item must still be publicly verified.”

She gestured with one hand.

An old man in a gray robe stepped out from behind the stage, accepted the jade bottle, removed the stopper, and carefully examined its contents with his spiritual sense in full view of everyone present.

After a while, he nodded.

Dieu Thuyen turned back toward the hall.

“Body Stabilizing Pill. Extreme-grade.”

The hall immediately erupted into discussion.

Most of those present had already heard the rumors, but hearing the Auction House confirm it personally still changed the atmosphere completely.

“It really is extreme-grade?”

“The Auction House has already examined it.”

“And it’s a Body Stabilizing Pill…”

Dieu Thuyen waited until the voices naturally subsided before continuing.

“The medicinal properties are exceptionally pure, and impurities are almost impossible to detect. Its primary effects are to strengthen the body, nourish the meridians, improve tolerance toward spiritual energy, and assist in recovering from accumulated internal damage. It is not a breakthrough pill, nor can it guarantee advancement, but here in the Western Wastes, every one of you understands what a stronger body can mean.”

Several late-Foundation cultivators below were already staring fixedly at the jade bottle.

Dieu Thuyen continued,

“There is only one pill. The starting price is ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones. Each increase must be no less than one thousand.”

She tapped a fingertip lightly against the table.

“Begin.”

After a brief silence, bids began coming one after another.

“Eleven thousand.”

“Thirteen thousand.”

“Fifteen thousand.”

The price climbed rapidly.

Most of the early bidders were Foundation Establishment cultivators seated below or representatives of various families within the city, while the four distinguished sections above remained silent.

Only after the price passed thirty thousand did the pace begin to slow.

A black-robed cultivator in the left corner raised the bid to thirty-three thousand, after which the hall fell quiet for a moment.

Just as Dieu Thuyen was about to begin counting, a deep male voice came from the southern section.

“Forty thousand.”

The voice was not loud, but it was enough to make many people instinctively turn in that direction.

Hao Nhien did the same.

He knew that the southern section belonged to the Huu Thanh line, but from the voice alone he could not determine who had spoken.

Then an old man seated behind him quietly said to his companion,

“Deputy City Lord Huu spoke personally.”

The other man looked slightly surprised.

“Looks like this pill really caught his interest.”

Hao Nhien heard every word clearly.

Huu Liet.

One of the four Deputy City Lords of Heavenly Eye City, standing above the entire chain of authority that extended toward Huu Thanh.

The first thing Hao Nhien noted was the way he entered the bidding.

There had been no probing.

The moment he decided to participate, he had raised the price directly from a little over thirty thousand to forty thousand.

Immediately afterward, laughter came from the eastern section.

“Brother Huu is as quick as ever. I was still planning to watch a little longer, and you’ve already pushed the price up.”

The speaker leisurely called,

“Forty-one thousand.”

Several people below immediately began whispering.

“Deputy City Lord Tien is here too.”

“I thought he’d only send a representative tonight.”

Hao Nhien looked toward the eastern section.

Tien Phong.

The man who stood above the entire Tien Thanh line, and the level of authority directly above Duong Quang while the latter was still alive.

Unlike Huu Liet, who had raised the bid by a large amount, Tien Phong had added exactly one thousand.

Huu Liet ignored the teasing.

“Fifty thousand.”

Laughter again came from the east.

“Brother Huu truly gives others no time to think.”

“Fifty-one thousand.”

More eyes began moving between the southern and eastern sections.

Huu Liet finally replied,

“If you still need to wait for someone else to finish thinking before placing a bid, why come to an auction at all?”

A few quiet laughs sounded from below.

Tien Phong did not seem offended.

“I’m only worried Brother Huu will buy too quickly and later realize you paid far more than necessary.”

“My spirit stones.”

Huu Liet answered bluntly.

“Fifty-five thousand.”

Tien Phong paused for a breath before speaking again.

“Fifty-six thousand.”

Once again, only the minimum increase.

Hao Nhien stopped watching the jade bottle and shifted his attention entirely toward the two distinguished sections.

The way the two men spoke to each other clearly showed this was not their first such exchange.

Huu Liet seemed to care only about whether he wanted the item.

Tien Phong, on the other hand, appeared to enjoy bidding while lightly probing his opponent’s reactions with remarks that sounded almost playful.

At that moment, a cold voice came from the northern section, carrying almost no discernible emotion.

“Sixty thousand.”

Hao Nhien tilted his head slightly.

Someone nearby whispered,

“Deputy City Lord Ta has entered too.”

Ta Minh.

He gave only the price and added nothing else.

Dieu Thuyen looked toward the north.

“Sixty thousand, first call.”

No one moved.

“Sixty thousand, second call.”

Just as the hammer in her hand began to rise, a deeper but more even-tempered voice came from the west.

For a source reminder, the author's official page publishes this chapter; the version here was taken without permission.

“Sixty-five thousand.”

Several people immediately turned.

“Deputy City Lord Trung.”

Trung Vu had entered the bidding.

He continued,

“I have no wish to drag this out with everyone. I happen to have a use for this pill. If the price remains within reason, I will continue trying.”

There was no attempt to pressure others into yielding and no display of authority.

He simply stated that he genuinely needed the pill.

All four distinguished sections had now spoken.

From that point onward, the price increased more slowly.

Sometimes Tien Phong remained silent for several rounds before suddenly reentering. Huu Liet continued bidding decisively. Ta Minh occasionally raised the price once, only to disappear from the rhythm again, while Trung Vu followed only as long as the price remained within what he considered acceptable.

By the time the price reached eighty-five thousand, almost no one from the lower seating area remained in the bidding.

Huu Liet spoke.

“Ninety thousand.”

Tien Phong immediately followed.

“Ninety-one thousand.”

Huu Liet did not hesitate.

“Ninety-five thousand.”

Tien Phong laughed.

“Brother Huu is still the same. If someone takes one step, you insist on taking two.”

“I’m bidding on the pill.”

Huu Liet replied.

“Not on your words.”

This time, the laughter below became more obvious.

Tien Phong laughed as well.

“Very well. Then Tien shall stop bothering Brother Huu for now.”

He truly stopped.

Hao Nhien remembered that.

This man did not simply enjoy competing.

He also enjoyed watching the other person’s reactions while competing.

A short while later, Trung Vu spoke.

“One hundred thousand.”

The entire hall fell quiet.

He waited a moment before continuing,

“Everyone, I genuinely need this pill to strengthen my body before entering seclusion. If anyone is willing to yield this time, Trung will remember the favor.”

Hao Nhien lightly rested one hand on the armrest.

Dai Ninh had once said that the most expensive things in Heavenly Eye City often had no price written on them.

A single promise of I will remember this favor from a Deputy City Lord was precisely that kind of price.

Whispers began spreading through the lower seats.

“A favor from Deputy City Lord Trung…”

“Not cheap.”

“But an auction is still an auction.”

“If you have enough spirit stones, you can still raise the bid.”

“You dare?”

“I don’t have enough.”

Several quiet laughs followed.

Dieu Thuyen did not interfere.

From the eastern section, Tien Phong spoke first.

“Since Brother Trung has said it so clearly, Tien naturally has to consider it.”

He paused, then laughed.

“But Brother Huu was bidding so enthusiastically just now. I thought you were determined to have it.”

The barb was light, yet it still pointed directly toward the southern section.

Huu Liet immediately replied,

“If I want it, I bid. If I no longer want it, I stop. What is there to explain?”

“I’m merely curious.”

“You are curious about too many things.”

This time, several people in the hall burst out laughing.

Hao Nhien watched the eastern section a little longer.

Tien Phong clearly enjoyed prodding Huu Liet with comments that sounded insignificant on the surface, while Huu Liet had no interest whatsoever in playing around with him.

The northern section remained silent.

Dieu Thuyen waited a little longer before beginning to count.

“One hundred thousand, first call.”

Ta Minh finally spoke.

“One hundred and two thousand.”

No explanation.

No response to Trung Vu’s request for others to yield.

A stir immediately spread through the lower seats.

A young man behind Hao Nhien muttered,

“So he’s not giving him face?”

The person beside him quickly tugged his sleeve.

“Watch your mouth.”

The young man fell silent.

Hao Nhien lightly tapped one finger against the armrest.

Quan Nha glanced at him briefly before looking forward again.

A nearly imperceptible glimmer passed through her eyes.

Her Charm Art merely brushed against emotions that already existed. It did not alter anyone’s thoughts, but it made words that had already been held back slightly easier to release.

The young man who had just fallen silent muttered again,

“I just think that if a single request for face is enough to make everyone afraid to bid, then what kind of auction is this?”

Someone nearby heard him and chuckled.

“That’s not wrong. Deputy City Lord Trung has the right to ask. Others also have the right not to yield.”

No one insulted Trung Vu.

But differing views had begun surfacing.

The western section remained quiet until Trung Vu finally called,

“One hundred and five thousand.”

His tone remained calm, showing no reaction whatsoever to the discussions below.

Hao Nhien remembered the way he handled it.

If words had value, use words.

If words were not enough, continue with price.

Huu Liet spoke again.

“One hundred and ten thousand.”

Tien Phong followed almost immediately.

“One hundred and eleven thousand.”

Someone seated near the eastern section chuckled.

“Deputy City Lord Tien is obviously trying to provoke Deputy City Lord Huu.”

The person beside him disagreed.

“Not necessarily. This is an auction. Anyone with spirit stones can raise the price. Deputy City Lord Huu is the one making such large jumps. Can he blame someone else for following?”

Elsewhere, a middle-aged cultivator shook his head.

“I just think Deputy City Lord Tien likes talking around things too much. If he wants the pill, then bid. Why add so many remarks?”

Another person laughed.

“And isn’t Deputy City Lord Huu too straightforward? One little jab and he raises the price by several thousand.”

“What’s wrong with being straightforward?”

“I didn’t say there was anything wrong with it. It just makes that kind of person easier to read.”

The scattered comments gradually spread into several different streams of opinion.

No one was entirely right.

No one was entirely wrong.

Some disliked the way Tien Phong kept nudging his opponent with half-joking remarks, while others felt Huu Liet was too direct and therefore exposed his limits too easily.

The atmosphere in the hall became slightly disorderly.

Not enough to lose control, but it was clearly no longer as calm as before.

Huu Liet raised the bid.

“One hundred and fifteen thousand.”

Tien Phong followed.

“One hundred and sixteen thousand.”

More whispers appeared below.

“Exactly one thousand again.”

“He’s doing it on purpose.”

“Maybe he’s just testing the price.”

“Testing what? The price, or Deputy City Lord Huu?”

A suppressed laugh followed.

Tien Phong appeared not to care about those comments and continued leisurely,

“Brother Huu really doesn’t like anyone standing above you, even by a single step.”

Huu Liet answered bluntly,

“I’m competing for the pill, not competing with your mouth.”

“I’m only talking.”

“Then talk less.”

Several people below laughed again.

Someone else shook his head.

“See? Those two have never gotten along.”

“Not necessarily. Maybe Deputy City Lord Tien simply enjoys teasing people.”

“If you keep teasing the same person over and over, it stops being ordinary teasing.”

That remark caused several people nearby to fall silent for a moment.

Hao Nhien heard it clearly.

That was exactly what he wanted to see.

Quan Nha’s Charm Art had not created any new thought.

It merely made judgments that already existed in people’s hearts easier to surface, allowing him to see how the crowd viewed the relationship between the two factions.

After a while, the familiar deep voice came from the southern section.

“I’m out.”

Only two words.

Huu Liet did not continue raising the price simply because of Tien Phong’s teasing, nor did he explain why he stopped.

Laughter came from the eastern section.

“Brother Huu is as decisive as ever.”

Huu Liet did not respond.

But this time, Hao Nhien noticed that the two guards standing outside the southern section both glanced instinctively toward the east for a brief moment before looking away.

A very small reaction.

But enough for him to remember.

Below, Dieu Thuyen continued.

“One hundred and sixteen thousand.”

Trung Vu entered again.

“One hundred and twenty thousand.”

Tien Phong fell silent.

Ta Minh did not move either.

Dieu Thuyen began counting.

“One hundred and twenty thousand, first call.”

A voice suddenly came from the north.

“One hundred and twenty-one thousand.”

Ta Minh added exactly one increment and fell silent again.

Hao Nhien looked toward the northern section but still could not read the intent behind it.

Perhaps Ta Minh truly wanted the pill.

Perhaps he was testing Trung Vu.

Perhaps he simply did not want to withdraw too early.

Any of those explanations were possible.

Trung Vu waited a long time before speaking.

“One hundred and twenty-five thousand.”

Tien Phong chuckled from the eastern section.

“Brother Trung is certainly determined tonight.”

“I already said I happen to need it.”

“Then Tien will no longer compete.”

Tien Phong withdrew completely.

Dieu Thuyen looked toward the north.

“Deputy City Lord Ta?”

Silence lasted for a while before Ta Minh finally replied,

“It is a good item, but not worth continuing for.”

No one knew whether he stopped because of the price, because of Trung Vu, or because he had never wanted it that badly in the first place.

Hao Nhien did not guess.

Dieu Thuyen raised the hammer.

“One hundred and twenty-five thousand, first call.”

No one spoke.

“Second call.”

All four sections remained silent.

“Third call.”

The jade hammer fell.

“Extreme-grade Body Stabilizing Pill, sold for one hundred and twenty-five thousand mid-grade spirit stones to Deputy Lord Trung of Trung Thanh.”

Applause spread through the hall.

Hao Nhien remained seated.

A pill that had started at ten thousand had been pushed to more than twelve times its opening price, but those spirit stones were not the most valuable thing he had gained tonight.

The final item was an ancient defensive artifact that had been partially damaged.

Had it appeared earlier, it would have drawn considerable attention, but after the extreme-grade Body Stabilizing Pill, neither Hao Nhien nor Quan Nha had much reason to study it closely.

When the final hammer fell, the two rose with the crowd and slowly left the Heavenly Eye Auction House like ordinary guests.

The moment they stepped through the main doors, the night wind of the Western Wastes swept over them, making the air feel immediately more open.

Quan Nha walked beside Hao Nhien, glancing at him from time to time with a faint smile.

After a while, Hao Nhien finally could not help asking,

“What are you smiling at?”

“Nothing.”

“Then stop looking at me like that.”

“I wasn’t looking.”

“You looked three times.”

Quan Nha laughed.

“You were counting?”

Hao Nhien stopped talking.

The two boarded the Sand Beast carriage they had rented in advance.

Once the curtain fell, the noise of the street gradually faded.

After a while, Quan Nha finally asked,

“What do you think of the four of them?”

Hao Nhien leaned back against the carriage wall and thought for a moment before answering.

“If I judge only by tonight, Huu Liet is fairly straightforward. If he wants something, he competes. If he decides it’s no longer worth it, he stops. No matter how Tien Phong provokes him, he doesn’t actually lose control.”

“And Tien Phong?”

“A little sly.”

Hao Nhien laughed.

“He likes testing people, speaks more indirectly, and clearly enjoys needling Huu Liet.”

Quan Nha laughed as well.

“I thought so too.”

“Trung Vu knows when to advance and when to withdraw. When the price is still worth paying, he uses price. When words themselves carry value, he uses words. But when others refuse to yield, he doesn’t turn hostile over it.”

“And Ta Minh?”

Hao Nhien was silent for a moment before shaking his head.

“Not sure yet. How much can one auction really reveal?”

He looked outside through the narrow gap in the curtain.

“I also don’t want to define someone based on a single night.”

Quan Nha nodded lightly.

After a while, Hao Nhien spoke again.

“But one thing is fairly clear.”

“Tien Phong and Huu Liet?”

“Mm.”

He smiled faintly.

“It’s not enough to call it hatred, but those two clearly weren’t only competing over a pill. Maybe their personalities simply clash. Maybe there is something else behind it.”

Quan Nha did not ask further.

Hao Nhien did not rush to a conclusion either.

That was precisely what made it interesting.

None of the four men had lost reason over a single pill, nor had any of them openly turned hostile because of a few barbed remarks.

What had surfaced were only a few tiny cracks in things that had already existed beforehand.

Hao Nhien turned toward Quan Nha.

“Dai Ninh was right.”

“About what?”

“In Heavenly Eye City, the most expensive things often have no price written on them.”

Quan Nha tilted her head slightly.

“One hundred and twenty-five thousand was merely the easiest thing to count tonight.”

“And the things that can’t be counted?”

Hao Nhien lifted the carriage curtain slightly.

Behind them, the Heavenly Eye Auction House was still brilliantly lit, while the streams of people from the four distinguished sections were gradually dispersing in different directions.

He watched for a while before letting the curtain fall.

“Those are the things worth watching.”

The carriage continued rolling through the night.

For the first time since entering Heavenly Eye City, the four names Dai Ninh had once mentioned to Hao Nhien had begun to take shape.

And among those four emerging outlines, two had already touched each other more clearly than all the rest.

Tien Phong and Huu Liet.