Chapter 7 — The Golden Pavilion

Golden Pavilion did not look like a place where cultivators bought forbidden techniques.

That was the first thing Lu Chen noticed.

The second was that Qin Ruoxi had lied about “having an invitation” in the most technically accurate way possible.

She had three.

Three black cards.

Each embossed with a golden lotus and a number.

No names.

No company logos.

No explanation.

Just numbers.

Lu Chen held one between two fingers.

“Why does your grandfather have these?”

Ruoxi adjusted the cuff of her dark evening coat.

“I told you. He buys antiques.”

“At auctions where martial artists purchase cultivation manuals?”

“I didn't know that part.”

“You're surprisingly uninformed for someone whose family owns hospitals, property, and apparently access to secret cultivator markets.”

She gave him a cool look.

“Some of us had normal childhoods.”

Lu Chen glanced at Zhou Wei.

“Did you?”

“No.”

“Thought so.”

Zhou Wei looked deeply offended.

The three of them stood across the street from Golden Pavilion.

From the outside, the building resembled a restored Qing-era mansion.

Dark tiled roof.

Red wooden pillars.

Carved stone lions guarding the entrance.

Warm lanterns hanging beneath the eaves.

Expensive cars lined the curb.

Men and women in suits entered alongside elderly collectors, wealthy businessmen, and elegant women wearing jewelry that probably cost more than Lu Chen's entire neighborhood.

Nothing supernatural.

Nothing obviously dangerous.

Which made Lu Chen trust it less.

Zhou Wei lowered his voice.

“The public auction is upstairs.”

“And the private one?”

“Below.”

“How below?”

“Basement.”

Lu Chen stared at the elegant mansion.

“Cultivators always like basements.”

Ruoxi looked at him.

“Is that a rule?”

“No. Just poor architectural taste.”

They crossed the street.

A young attendant in traditional clothing greeted them.

“Invitation, please.”

Ruoxi presented one black card.

The attendant's eyes shifted to Lu Chen and Zhou Wei.

“Three guests?”

“Yes.”

“One invitation admits two.”

Ruoxi calmly presented the second card.

The attendant immediately bowed.

“Of course.”

Lu Chen leaned toward her.

“You enjoy doing that.”

“What?”

“Solving problems with money and access.”

“I prefer it to acupuncture needles.”

“Your loss.”

The attendant led them inside.

The public floor was already active.

A bronze incense burner stood beneath a painting nearly three meters wide.

Glass displays held porcelain, carved jade, old coins, paintings, antique medical instruments, and several items Lu Chen immediately recognized as fake.

He stopped beside one display.

Ruoxi continued walking.

Then noticed he was no longer beside her.

She turned.

“What?”

Lu Chen pointed through the glass.

A jade bottle sat beneath a card reading:

Han Dynasty Medicinal Vessel — Estimated Value: 1.6 Million Yuan

“Fake.”

The attendant's expression stiffened.

Ruoxi looked at the bottle.

“How can you tell?”

“Wrong carving.”

“That's all?”

“Wrong jade.”

The attendant spoke politely.

“Sir, the item has been authenticated by three experts.”

Lu Chen nodded.

“Then three experts were wrong.”

Zhou Wei coughed into his fist.

Ruoxi smiled faintly.

The attendant's politeness became strained.

“The bottle has documented provenance.”

“It was made about twelve years ago.”

Silence.

Lu Chen continued.

“The artificial aging around the base is good.”

He leaned slightly closer.

“But whoever made it used modern abrasive powder.”

The attendant looked toward the object.

“How could you possibly—”

“The mouth is also too symmetrical.”

Ruoxi glanced at the attendant.

“Should we tell the seller?”

Lu Chen shrugged.

“Not our problem.”

He walked away.

The attendant stared after him.

Zhou Wei followed.

“You enjoy that.”

“What?”

“Making people uncomfortable.”

“I corrected a label.”

“That was not correction. That was murder.”

Lu Chen ignored him.

They reached the rear corridor.

The atmosphere changed immediately.

Public art disappeared.

Security increased.

Two guards stood before an unmarked door.

Not ordinary guards.

Lu Chen saw it at once.

Strong breathing.

Stable stance.

Hands positioned where they could draw hidden weapons quickly.

Body Tempering.

Third layer.

Maybe fourth.

One guard examined the black invitation.

Then looked at Lu Chen.

“First time?”

“Yes.”

“Rules are simple.”

Good.

Cultivators loved rules almost as much as they loved breaking them.

“No fighting.”

“Reasonable.”

“No forced transactions.”

“Also reasonable.”

“No revealing another guest's identity.”

“Useful.”

“No spiritual probing.”

Lu Chen paused.

“Define probing.”

The guard looked at him.

“Do not use spiritual sense on other guests.”

Lu Chen nodded.

That could be a problem.

His Life Meridian perception did not work exactly like ordinary spiritual sense.

But explaining that seemed unnecessary.

“And if someone attacks?”

“You may defend yourself.”

“Generous.”

The guard ignored the sarcasm.

“No killing inside Golden Pavilion.”

Lu Chen glanced at Zhou Wei.

“See? They have standards.”

The door opened.

Behind it was an elevator.

Ruoxi looked mildly disappointed.

“You expected stairs?”

“Something older.”

“Cultivators can use elevators.”

“Apparently.”

The doors closed.

The elevator descended.

One floor.

Two.

Three.

Far deeper than the building appeared to allow.

Ruoxi noticed.

“We're below the foundation.”

“Yes.”

“How far?”

Zhou Wei answered.

“Roughly twenty meters.”

Ruoxi looked at him.

“You've been here?”

“Once.”

“When?”

“Three years ago.”

“Doing what?”

“Losing money.”

Lu Chen nodded approvingly.

“Honest answer.”

Zhou Wei sighed.

The elevator stopped.

The doors opened.

And Golden Pavilion revealed its real face.

The underground hall was enormous.

Not a basement.

A hidden complex.

Dark wood platforms rose around a central auction stage.

Private rooms occupied the upper level behind latticed screens.

Lanterns floated in the air without visible support.

Spiritual formations.

Lu Chen recognized several.

Barrier.

Sound isolation.

Detection.

A concealment formation ran through the ceiling.

Expensive work.

Very expensive.

Ruoxi slowed.

Even she seemed impressed.

“What is this place?”

Zhou Wei lowered his voice.

“Where the wealthy stop pretending the world is normal.”

Guests filled the hall.

Some wore modern suits.

Others traditional robes.

A few carried swords openly.

One elderly woman held a cane carved from spirit wood.

Two young men argued near a display of rare herbs.

A bald man with prayer beads had internal force dense enough that even Lu Chen noticed without trying.

Ruoxi leaned closer.

“How many are cultivators?”

“Enough.”

“That is not a number.”

“You wouldn't like the number.”

She looked around again.

“Fair.”

A woman in gold-trimmed black robes approached.

Perhaps thirty.

Perhaps older.

Cultivators aged unpredictably.

“Welcome to Golden Pavilion.”

She bowed slightly.

“Private box or common seating?”

Ruoxi presented the invitation.

The woman's eyes shifted to the number.

Her expression immediately changed.

“Private box.”

Lu Chen noticed.

“Important invitation?”

Ruoxi glanced at the card.

“I suppose.”

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

The hostess bowed again.

“Please follow me.”

They were led upstairs.

Box Seven.

Inside waited a low table, tea, fruit, and a clear view of the stage through enchanted glass.

From outside, the window appeared opaque.

From inside, they could see everything.

Ruoxi touched the glass.

“Useful.”

“Very.”

Zhou Wei looked around nervously.

“Too useful.”

Lu Chen sat.

“Relax.”

“You say that because nobody here knows your face.”

“Somebody brought me here deliberately.”

“That is why I am not relaxed.”

Ruoxi poured tea.

“Which is more likely?”

“What?”

“That this is a trap or an invitation?”

Lu Chen looked toward the stage.

“Both.”

She nodded.

“I was afraid you'd say that.”

A bell rang.

Conversations faded.

The auction began.

The first ten items meant very little to Lu Chen.

Antique swords.

Spirit stones.

Rare paintings.

A damaged defensive talisman.

A century-old ginseng root.

That one interested him.

Not enough to bid.

But enough to annoy him.

“Thirty-year root,” he said.

Ruoxi looked at him.

“The catalogue says one hundred and twenty.”

“Catalogue is wrong.”

“Again?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“Root rings.”

Zhou Wei leaned over.

“You can count them from here?”

“No.”

“Then how—”

“The scent.”

They both stared.

“You can smell it from a sealed stage?”

“Yes.”

Zhou Wei shook his head.

“Doctors like you shouldn't exist.”

Lu Chen sipped tea.

“Yet here I am.”

The ginseng sold for eight hundred thousand yuan.

Lu Chen looked almost offended.

Ruoxi noticed.

“You're upset.”

“Someone just paid eight hundred thousand for a thirty-year herb.”

“You care?”

“No.”

“You look like you care.”

“I care about stupidity in principle.”

The next items passed.

A bronze cauldron.

Two martial manuals.

A spirit beast tooth.

A bottle of pills labeled Bone Strengthening Elixir.

Lu Chen examined the bottle.

“Poison.”

Ruoxi nearly choked on tea.

“What?”

“Not lethal.”

“That is not comforting.”

“Long-term liver damage.”

Zhou Wei looked toward the stage.

“Should we warn them?”

“No.”

“Why?”

Lu Chen glanced at him.

“Because if I start correcting this auction, we'll be here all night.”

Then item seventeen appeared.

Everything in Lu Chen changed.

The auctioneer gestured.

Two attendants carried a dark green manuscript onto the stage.

Nine leaves decorated the cover.

One gold.

Eight dull.

Exactly as shown in the catalogue.

Lu Chen's hand moved toward his pocket.

The half-jade pendant was already warm.

Ruoxi noticed.

“It's reacting?”

“Yes.”

Zhou Wei stared at the manuscript.

“That is definitely the same book.”

“You're sure?”

“Same cover. Same damage along the lower edge.”

“Two years ago?”

“Yes.”

Lu Chen's eyes narrowed.

The auctioneer began.

“Item seventeen. Anonymous medical manuscript. Origin unverified.”

A few murmurs spread through the hall.

“The manuscript first appeared in Haicheng two years ago, but the transaction was never completed.”

Zhou Wei whispered:

“That is not what happened.”

“No.”

The auctioneer continued.

“The current owner has requested anonymous sale.”

Lu Chen's expression sharpened.

Current owner.

Meaning the woman from the Upper Court had either returned it—

or never truly owned it.

“Opening price: eighty million yuan.”

Silence.

Ruoxi looked at Lu Chen.

“You have eighty million?”

“No.”

Zhou Wei stared.

“Then what are we doing here?”

“Watching.”

“That is not reassuring.”

A light appeared on the board.

Box Twelve — 80 million.

Another.

Box Three — 85 million.

Then:

Common Floor 17 — 90 million.

Lu Chen looked toward bidder seventeen.

An elderly man wearing blue robes.

Strong cultivation.

Probably beyond Body Tempering.

The jade in Lu Chen's pocket became hotter.

The manuscript responded.

One golden leaf brightened.

Nobody else reacted.

Except—

Box Nine.

A curtain moved.

Lu Chen's eyes narrowed.

Someone there had noticed.

The bidding continued.

100 million.

Ruoxi looked increasingly impressed.

“This is becoming absurd.”

“Not for what it is.”

She turned.

“You know what it is?”

“No.”

“Then how—”

“People don't spend one hundred fifty million on paper unless they believe it contains something valuable.”

“That logic is painfully obvious.”

“I never claimed elegance.”

The price reached 180 million.

Then 200.

Only three bidders remained.

Box Three.

Box Nine.

The elderly man below.

The auctioneer smiled.

“Two hundred million. Do I hear more?”

A light appeared.

Box Nine — 250 million.

The hall erupted in whispers.

Zhou Wei leaned forward.

“That jump is deliberate.”

“Yes.”

“Intimidation?”

“Yes.”

Box Three went dark.

The elderly man hesitated.

Then raised his card.

260 million.

Box Nine responded instantly.

300 million.

The hall became silent.

The old man below stopped.

The auctioneer lifted the hammer.

“Three hundred million, once.”

Lu Chen's jade suddenly pulsed.

Hard.

He nearly dropped his tea.

A whisper entered his mind.

Not words exactly.

A sensation.

Recognition.

The manuscript's golden leaf lit.

Then a second leaf.

For less than a second.

Lu Chen stood.

Ruoxi looked up.

“What?”

“Something changed.”

The auctioneer raised the hammer again.

“Three hundred million, twice.”

Lu Chen stared at the manuscript.

The second leaf faded.

A single thought settled in his mind.

Not yet.

The jade warmed again.

No.

Not not yet.

Wrong person.

His eyes moved toward Box Nine.

Whoever was buying it—

should not have it.

“Lu Chen?”

Ruoxi's voice sharpened.

He held out his hand.

“Invitation card.”

She stared.

“What?”

“Give me the card.”

“Why?”

“Because I'm bidding.”

Zhou Wei nearly fell out of his chair.

“With what money?”

Lu Chen looked at Ruoxi.

She looked back.

Then realized.

“No.”

“Reasonable.”

“Absolutely not.”

The hammer began descending.

Lu Chen reached across the table.

Ruoxi slapped his hand away.

“You are not spending three hundred million of my family's money without explanation.”

“Fine.”

“Good.”

“Three hundred ten.”

“What?”

Lu Chen pressed the box control himself.

A bell sounded.

The auctioneer stopped.

Every head turned toward Box Seven.

The board lit.

Box Seven — 310 million.

Ruoxi stared at him.

Zhou Wei slowly leaned away.

“I do not know either of you.”

Lu Chen looked at the screen.

“Now you do.”

Ruoxi's voice became dangerously calm.

“Do you understand how much three hundred ten million yuan is?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have three hundred ten million yuan?”

“No.”

Her eyes closed.

“Then why did you bid?”

“Because you do.”

Zhou Wei covered his face.

Ruoxi turned toward him.

“Don't.”

“I said nothing.”

“You were thinking loudly.”

Box Nine responded.

350 million.

Lu Chen frowned.

Ruoxi opened her eyes.

“Good.”

“What?”

“They can have it.”

“No.”

She stared.

“No?”

Lu Chen pressed again.

360 million.

Ruoxi stood.

“Lu Chen.”

He looked at her.

The seriousness in his expression stopped her.

“This isn't a book.”

“What is it?”

“I don't know yet.”

“That is not helping.”

“It is connected to my master.”

She became silent.

Lu Chen continued.

“And whoever sits in Box Nine knows that.”

Ruoxi slowly sat.

“Why?”

“They reacted when the second leaf appeared.”

“You saw them?”

“No.”

“Then how—”

“The box formation shifted.”

Zhou Wei looked toward him.

“You can sense that?”

“Barely.”

Ruoxi inhaled.

“Fine.”

She looked at the bidding screen.

“How high?”

Lu Chen paused.

“Until they stop.”

Zhou Wei whispered:

“Rich people are terrifying.”

Ruoxi ignored him.

Box Nine raised.

400 million.

Ruoxi pressed the control herself.

Lu Chen looked at her.

“I thought—”

“If we're doing something stupid, we're doing it properly.”

He almost smiled.

Box Nine.

500 million.

The hall exploded in noise.

Even the auctioneer hesitated.

Ruoxi's finger hovered.

“Still?”

Lu Chen looked toward the manuscript.

The jade pulsed once.

“Yes.”

She pressed.

Box Seven — 520 million.

Silence.

Seconds passed.

Box Nine did not respond.

The auctioneer lifted the hammer.

“Five hundred twenty million, once.”

Lu Chen watched Box Nine.

No movement.

“Twice.”

Still nothing.

“Sold.”

The hammer struck.

“To Box Seven.”

Zhou Wei collapsed back into his chair.

“Half a billion.”

Ruoxi looked toward Lu Chen.

“You owe me.”

“Yes.”

“Not financially.”

“Good.”

Her expression sharpened.

“You owe me an explanation.”

“Less good.”

The manuscript arrived twenty minutes later.

Two Golden Pavilion attendants brought it inside a sealed wooden case.

A senior appraiser followed.

“Congratulations.”

Lu Chen looked at the case.

Ruoxi handled the paperwork.

She did not look at the total.

Wise.

“Payment will be settled through the Qin account.”

The appraiser bowed.

“Of course.”

Lu Chen glanced at her.

“You can do that?”

She looked at him.

“Do not speak.”

Fair.

The case was placed on the table.

The appraiser gestured.

“Would you like verification before transfer?”

“Yes.”

Lu Chen answered immediately.

The appraiser opened the case.

The dark green manuscript lay inside.

Close up, it looked older.

Much older.

The cover was not leather.

It appeared to be treated bark from some spiritual tree.

Nine leaf symbols surrounded the center.

One gold.

Eight dark.

Lu Chen reached toward it.

The appraiser stopped him.

“Please use the gloves.”

“No.”

“Sir, the item—”

Lu Chen touched the cover.

The world disappeared.

He stood in a field.

Not Golden Pavilion.

Not Jiangzhou.

A valley.

Medicinal herbs covered the slopes.

Nine mountain peaks surrounded everything.

Clouds drifted through narrow passes.

At the center stood an enormous stone cauldron.

Lu Chen stopped breathing.

Home.

The Valley of Nine Medicines.

But not as he remembered it.

This Valley was untouched.

Alive.

Disciples moved among the herb fields.

Birds crossed the sky.

Waterfalls descended from cliffs.

Then all sound stopped.

A figure stood beside the stone cauldron.

An old man.

Back turned.

Gray robes.

White hair.

Lu Chen's heart slammed against his chest.

“Master?”

The figure did not move.

Lu Chen stepped forward.

“Old man.”

Nothing.

He moved faster.

The distance did not shrink.

“Master!”

The figure finally raised one hand.

One finger pointed toward the sky.

Lu Chen looked up.

The heavens had turned black.

A crescent appeared between the clouds.

Then another symbol behind it.

A throne.

No.

Not a throne.

A gate.

Above the gate—

nine chains.

The old man's voice echoed.

“Medicine saves the body.”

Lu Chen turned.

The figure was disappearing.

“Master!”

“Cultivation strengthens the self.”

The Valley began burning.

“No.”

“But if Heaven itself falls ill…”

Flames consumed the mountains.

Disciples vanished.

The stone cauldron cracked.

The old man finally looked over his shoulder.

Lu Chen could not see his face.

Only two tired eyes.

“…who will treat Heaven?”

The world shattered.

Lu Chen came back violently.

He stumbled backward.

The chair overturned.

Ruoxi caught his arm.

“Lu Chen!”

His breathing was uneven.

The appraiser looked alarmed.

“What happened?”

Lu Chen stared at the manuscript.

His hand burned.

A symbol had appeared on his palm.

A golden leaf.

The same shape as the first leaf on the jade.

Then it faded.

Zhou Wei looked pale.

“You saw something.”

Lu Chen did not answer.

The manuscript had opened by itself.

Page one.

Blank.

Page two.

Blank.

Every page—

blank.

The appraiser looked uncomfortable.

“This was disclosed.”

Ruoxi's head snapped toward him.

“What?”

“The manuscript contains no visible writing.”

She stared.

“You sold us a blank book for five hundred twenty million?”

“It was listed as an anonymous medical manuscript.”

“You omitted the word blank.”

“It was available for inspection.”

Ruoxi looked ready to buy Golden Pavilion just so she could fire everyone.

Lu Chen touched the first page.

A single gold character appeared.

Then another.

Only he reacted.

The appraiser saw nothing.

Ruoxi saw nothing.

Zhou Wei saw nothing.

Interesting.

The characters formed:

FIRST MEDICINE: LIFE

Lu Chen's pupils contracted.

Below it:

Heal one hundred lives without seeking reward.

A second line.

Then the first gate shall open.

The words vanished.

The page became blank again.

Lu Chen looked toward the jade.

The first golden leaf had become brighter.

Not complete.

Waiting.

One hundred lives.

He almost laughed.

Of course his master would leave him a cultivation inheritance that required more work.

It was exactly the kind of thing the old man would find amusing.

Ruoxi watched him.

“What did you see?”

“Instructions.”

“Can you read it?”

“Yes.”

“There are no words.”

“For you.”

Zhou Wei stared.

“Bloodline inheritance?”

“Maybe.”

The appraiser became visibly interested.

Lu Chen immediately closed the book.

“Transaction complete?”

Ruoxi answered before the man could.

“Yes.”

The appraiser bowed and left.

The door closed.

Ruoxi immediately turned.

“Explain.”

Lu Chen looked at the manuscript.

“One hundred patients.”

“What?”

“I need to heal one hundred people.”

Zhou Wei blinked.

“That is the secret?”

“Part of it.”

Ruoxi looked offended.

“We paid five hundred twenty million yuan to be told to do your job?”

Lu Chen thought about that.

“Yes.”

She stared at him for five full seconds.

Then sat down.

“I hate cultivation.”

“Reasonable.”

A knock sounded.

Not the polite knock of an attendant.

Three slow taps.

Zhou Wei immediately stiffened.

Lu Chen looked toward the door.

“Come in.”

The door opened.

A woman entered.

White dress.

Long black hair.

No jewelry except a red ring.

Zhou Wei's face lost color.

“It’s her.”

The woman from the Haicheng auction.

Two years ago.

The one from the Upper Court.

She closed the door behind her.

Her gaze went directly to Lu Chen.

For several seconds, neither spoke.

Then she looked at the manuscript.

“The first leaf recognized you.”

Lu Chen stood.

Ruoxi remained seated, but her hand moved toward her phone.

The woman noticed.

“You may call whoever you like.”

Ruoxi stopped.

“That is usually what dangerous people say.”

The woman smiled faintly.

“Then she is observant.”

Lu Chen's voice remained calm.

“Who are you?”

The woman looked at him.

“Someone who knew your master.”

Every muscle in Lu Chen's body tightened.

“Name.”

“Bai Shuyue.”

“Upper Court?”

Zhou Wei whispered.

Her gaze shifted to him.

“You remember me.”

He swallowed.

“Yes.”

“Then you also remember that speaking too much causes trouble.”

Zhou Wei became silent.

Lu Chen stepped between them.

“He's my patient.”

Bai Shuyue looked back at him.

Something resembling amusement touched her eyes.

“So the rumors were true.”

“What rumors?”

“That even after losing everything, you still cannot stop collecting troublesome patients.”

Lu Chen's expression hardened.

“You knew me.”

“Not personally.”

“Then stop speaking as if you did.”

She accepted the rebuke without offense.

“Fair.”

Lu Chen placed one hand on the manuscript.

“You arranged this.”

“Yes.”

Ruoxi looked at her.

“The auction?”

“The opportunity.”

“You made us pay half a billion yuan for your opportunity?”

Bai Shuyue actually looked puzzled.

“I assumed the Qin family could afford it.”

Ruoxi stared at her.

Lu Chen almost laughed.

Almost.

Bai Shuyue turned serious.

“The money was necessary.”

“Why?”

“If I had simply handed the manuscript to him, every observer inside this building would know we were connected.”

Lu Chen looked toward the walls.

“Observers?”

“Upper Court.”

“You are Upper Court.”

“Was.”

That single word changed the room.

Lu Chen's eyes narrowed.

“Was?”

Bai Shuyue removed the red ring from her finger.

She placed it on the table.

A symbol was carved inside.

Three lines.

A crescent.

No.

Not quite.

The crescent had been crossed out.

“I left three years ago.”

Zhou Wei whispered:

“Nobody leaves the Upper Court.”

Bai Shuyue looked at him.

“Correct.”

“So how are you alive?”

“Carefully.”

Lu Chen watched her.

“Why help me?”

She looked toward the manuscript.

“Because your master saved my life.”

“Where is he?”

Silence.

Lu Chen stepped closer.

“Where.”

Bai Shuyue did not retreat.

“I don't know.”

His jaw tightened.

“Then why did you have half his jade?”

“Because he gave it to me.”

“When?”

“Five years ago.”

The room became silent.

Lu Chen's voice dropped.

“Before the Valley fell?”

“During.”

His pulse changed.

“You were there.”

“Yes.”

The air seemed to become heavier.

Ruoxi stood.

Zhou Wei stopped breathing.

Lu Chen's eyes became very cold.

“You were at the Valley of Nine Medicines the night it was destroyed.”

Bai Shuyue nodded.

“Yes.”

“Which side?”

She looked directly into his eyes.

“The wrong one.”

No one moved.

Lu Chen's hand slowly left the manuscript.

“What did you do?”

Bai Shuyue's face lost its calm for the first time.

“I opened a gate.”

His expression changed.

“What gate?”

“The western gate.”

Memory struck.

Fire.

Screams.

Enemies entering from the western herb terraces.

A barrier that should never have failed.

Senior Brother Jian shouting that the defensive formation had been opened from inside.

Lu Chen looked at her.

“You.”

Bai Shuyue did not deny it.

“I was ordered to disable the western barrier.”

“You let them in.”

“Yes.”

Ruoxi's gaze moved toward Lu Chen.

His face had become unreadable.

That was worse than anger.

Bai Shuyue continued.

“I did not know what they intended to do.”

“You opened a sect barrier during an attack.”

“I knew there would be arrests.”

“Arrests?”

“Yes.”

“You expect me to believe that?”

“No.”

Her voice remained steady.

“I expect you to decide whether to believe me after hearing everything.”

Lu Chen took another step.

“You have thirty seconds.”

Bai Shuyue looked at him.

“Your master caught me at the western gate.”

Lu Chen stopped.

“He should have killed me.”

No one spoke.

“He didn't.”

“Why?”

“Because I was dying.”

Of course.

Lu Chen almost laughed from the cruelty of it.

His master.

Even then.

Even during the destruction of his own sect.

A dying enemy would become a patient.

Bai Shuyue touched the red ring.

“The technique I practiced had damaged my heart meridian.”

Lu Chen's eyes narrowed.

“Upper Court technique?”

“Yes.”

“Yin-based?”

“Partly.”

Similar to Han.

Interesting.

“Your master treated me while the Valley burned.”

Her voice became quieter.

“Then he gave me half the Valley Master Seal.”

Lu Chen's hands tightened.

“Why?”

“He told me to find you if you survived.”

“Why trust you?”

Bai Shuyue looked toward the floor.

“I asked him the same thing.”

“And?”

Her eyes lifted.

“He said…”

She paused.

“…because a physician must believe a patient can become better than the person who arrived.”

Lu Chen closed his eyes.

That sounded exactly like him.

The old fool.

“Where did he go?”

“I don't know.”

“What happened after he treated you?”

“He returned toward the central peak.”

“And you?”

“Ran.”

“You left him.”

“Yes.”

No excuses.

No justification.

Lu Chen opened his eyes.

“Coward.”

“Yes.”

The answer took some of the force out of his anger.

Bai Shuyue continued.

“I spent two years searching for him.”

“Nothing?”

“One trace.”

Lu Chen's attention sharpened.

“Where?”

She looked toward the manuscript.

“Beyond the Heavenly Gate.”

Zhou Wei frowned.

“What does that mean?”

Bai Shuyue ignored him.

Lu Chen did not understand either.

But something in her tone made him wait.

“The Heavenly Gate is not a literal gate.”

“Then what?”

“A sealed boundary.”

“Where?”

“Not yet.”

Lu Chen's gaze hardened.

“You don't get to decide what I am ready to hear.”

“No.”

She looked toward the jade in his pocket.

“Your master did.”

That stopped him.

“The second half of the Valley Seal contains the path.”

“Yes.”

“And he told me not to seek it until the Nine Medicines Seal awakened.”

“Yes.”

“You know why.”

“Yes.”

“Explain.”

Bai Shuyue looked at the manuscript.

“The Nine Medicines Seal is not merely an inheritance.”

“What is it?”

“A key.”

“To the Heavenly Gate?”

“One of them.”

One of them.

Lu Chen stored that away.

“How many?”

“Nine.”

Of course.

Nine medicines.

Nine leaves.

Nine gates.

His master had always lacked subtlety.

“What happens when all nine awaken?”

Bai Shuyue looked at him.

“You become capable of finding him.”

Hope hit Lu Chen harder than any technique.

He hated it.

Hope created weaknesses.

Expectations.

Things that could be taken away.

He forced himself to remain calm.

“If he is alive.”

Bai Shuyue's gaze softened slightly.

“If.”

Lu Chen looked at the manuscript.

One hundred lives.

The first medicine.

Life.

And potentially one step closer to his master.

“Why did the first leaf light two years ago?”

Bai Shuyue froze.

Interesting.

She had not expected that question.

Zhou Wei looked between them.

“When she opened the book in Haicheng.”

Bai Shuyue's expression changed.

“You were there.”

“I saw it.”

She looked toward Lu Chen.

“The seal reacted because you were alive.”

“Even eight hundred kilometers away?”

“Yes.”

“Then why didn't it lead you to me?”

“Because the first leaf only recognizes existence.”

She paused.

“It does not reveal location until awakened.”

Lu Chen nodded slowly.

“Why auction it again?”

“To force you to touch it publicly.”

Ruoxi stared.

“You deliberately exposed him?”

“No.”

“You just said—”

“I needed certain people to believe the manuscript had chosen someone.”

Lu Chen's eyes narrowed.

“Box Nine.”

Bai Shuyue's expression became serious.

“Yes.”

“Who was inside?”

“A representative of the Upper Court.”

Ruoxi's face changed.

“They now know Box Seven bought it.”

“Yes.”

“That invitation belongs to my grandfather.”

“Yes.”

Ruoxi stepped forward.

“Then you placed my family in danger.”

Bai Shuyue looked at her.

“They were already in danger.”

“That doesn't excuse—”

“No.”

Bai Shuyue's voice remained quiet.

“It doesn't.”

Ruoxi stopped.

Another person who accepted blame too easily.

Lu Chen noticed the similarity between her and Zhou Wei.

People who had lived with guilt long enough stopped defending themselves.

“What happens next?” Lu Chen asked.

Bai Shuyue looked toward the door.

“You leave.”

“Simple.”

“Immediately.”

“Why?”

“Because the representative in Box Nine isn't the only Upper Court member here.”

Lu Chen's gaze shifted.

“How many?”

“Four.”

Zhou Wei went pale.

“Cultivation?”

Bai Shuyue looked at Lu Chen.

“Strong enough that the current you cannot defeat them.”

Lu Chen disliked the phrase current you.

Mostly because it was probably true.

Ruoxi reached for her phone.

“My security—”

“Useless.”

She glared.

Bai Shuyue corrected herself.

“Against ordinary threats, probably excellent.”

“Better.”

“But against these people, useless.”

“Worse.”

Lu Chen closed the manuscript.

“How do we leave?”

“Not through the elevator.”

Bai Shuyue walked toward the rear wall.

“There is a service passage.”

She pressed one panel.

Nothing happened.

Then she placed her red ring against a carved lotus.

The wall opened.

A narrow corridor appeared.

Zhou Wei stared.

“You know Golden Pavilion well.”

“I helped build parts of it.”

Ruoxi looked increasingly unhappy.

“Is there anything tonight that isn't connected to you?”

Bai Shuyue considered.

“The tea.”

Lu Chen almost laughed.

Ruoxi did not.

Then an alarm sounded.

One low chime.

Bai Shuyue's expression changed instantly.

“Too late.”

Lu Chen looked toward the door.

“What?”

“The manuscript.”

“What about it?”

“Removing it from the box activated the ownership record.”

Ruoxi stared.

“That's standard auction procedure.”

“Yes.”

Bai Shuyue looked toward the hidden corridor.

“But the Upper Court just sealed the lower exits.”

Zhou Wei's face became pale.

“How do you know?”

The lanterns outside extinguished.

One by one.

Then voices disappeared.

The entire auction hall became silent.

Too silent.

Lu Chen felt pressure spread through the building.

A formation.

Powerful.

Someone was locking Golden Pavilion from inside.

Bai Shuyue looked at Lu Chen.

“The Upper Court is done watching.”

A knock came from the door.

Three soft taps.

Then a man's voice.

“Guest from Box Seven.”

Polite.

Calm.

“By order of Golden Pavilion management, please remain where you are.”

Bai Shuyue's face hardened.

Zhou Wei whispered:

“They know.”

The voice continued.

“We only wish to retrieve an item that was sold in error.”

Ruoxi looked at the manuscript.

“Five hundred twenty million yuan error?”

Lu Chen picked it up.

The jade in his pocket warmed.

The first golden leaf pulsed.

Once.

Twice.

A strange calm settled over him.

“Do they intend to refund us?”

Everyone looked at him.

Ruoxi blinked.

“What?”

“If they're taking the book.”

She stared.

“Lu Chen.”

“I am asking a reasonable question.”

Bai Shuyue almost smiled.

The voice outside came again.

“Please place the manuscript outside the door.”

Lu Chen looked toward it.

“No.”

Silence.

Then:

“Sir?”

“No.”

The pressure in the corridor increased.

Lu Chen continued.

“We paid for it.”

Bai Shuyue whispered:

“They can kill everyone in this room.”

Lu Chen looked at her.

“Then perhaps they should have bid higher.”

Ruoxi stared at him.

Zhou Wei covered his face.

Outside, something cracked.

The lock.

Bai Shuyue moved.

“Passage. Now.”

Ruoxi grabbed the case.

Zhou Wei followed.

Lu Chen remained one second longer.

His hand rested against the consultation manuscript.

Not consultation. Weird. Let's correct mentally—medical manuscript.

The door began opening.

A thin blade of spiritual light appeared through the gap.

Lu Chen looked at it.

He was weak.

Broken.

Outnumbered.

And for the first time in five years, standing inside a secret cultivator auction with half a billion yuan of borrowed money and four enemies outside the door—

he felt strangely alive.

He turned.

Entered the hidden passage.

The wall closed behind him.

A second later, the door exploded inward.

In Box Nine, an elderly man in black robes opened his eyes.

A younger cultivator bowed before him.

“The manuscript is gone.”

The old man said nothing.

“The woman Bai Shuyue was seen entering Box Seven.”

His fingers tightened around the armrest.

“So she finally chose.”

“Should we pursue?”

“Yes.”

“Kill?”

The old man's gaze shifted toward the sealed corridors.

“No.”

The younger man looked surprised.

“Sir?”

“The Ghost Physician must remain alive.”

“Why?”

A faint smile appeared.

“Because the Nine Medicines Seal has awakened.”

The younger cultivator froze.

The old man stood.

“For five years, the Upper Court believed the Valley's final inheritance had been lost.”

His smile faded.

“We were wrong.”

He looked toward the underground passage.

“Bring me Lu Chen.”

“And the woman?”

“Bai Shuyue made her choice three years ago.”

His voice became cold.

“She may die.”