The Third Cut - Chapter 8 preview (Patreon)

“This set of paired ge was purchased from a wandering cultivator two months ago from a branch department over a thousand li away,” the auctioneer was announcing, waving at the dagger-axe polearms that the two young and willowy female attendants displayed as they walked up and down the stage before him. “As you can tell, they are unenchanted and of the Saint-level of quality, with a maker mark from the infamous Brother Dan of the Five Gorges.”

At his last pronouncement, whispers broke out from those below. The auctioneer smiled, allowing the audience to speak for a short moment before he began the bidding process. Of course, he set it high enough that majority below were immediately locked out, though a few groups quickly put their funds together to attempt to acquire the polearm.

Up on the second floor, Wu Ying noted the quiet discussion amongst one family as they considered the purchase. Not so far away, one of the martial sect leaders was watching the family as well, his fingers caressing his storage ring.

All this, Wu Ying sensed via the shift of the winds, the gentle murmurs of his spiritual sense in the background whilst he stared at the stage below.

“So, you like them shorter and curvier, do you?” Yang Mu said by his side.

“What?” Wu Ying frowned, bringing his attention back to the present and her.

She jerked her chin to indicate downstairs and the young attendant Wu Ying’s eyes had been idly tracking as he paid attention above.

“No.” Wu Ying said, slightly offended. “Though that ge’s haft is damaged. There’s a minor structural fault that will have the weapon give way soon enough if it is not reinforced. Or replaced.”

Yang Mu raised an eyebrow at Wu Ying’s quick correction, though she proceeded to extend her senses and sharpen them. After a moment, ascertaining the truth of his words, she gave him a nod and sat back, picking at the cookies on her plate disconsolately.

The second half of the auction had continued to bore them. Whilst the pair had placed the occasional bid, nothing that appeared had been of great interest to the well-equipped pair. Yang Mu had the best equipment available, gifted to her by her parents or taken from their stores. Wu Ying had traded the majority of what he needed from her very mother for the majority, only his weapons and the skin-tight scaled armour he wore beneath his robes from travels before.

On occasion, other items like the dagger-axes appeared, but for them, it was of little use. That was the truth all over, weapons or pills or herbs that had little utility for the pair. But, thankfully, the event was coming to an end at last.

“And finally, the item that you have all been waiting for…an untouched, high grade Core Formation equivalent spirit beast stone. Water-aspected from a Deep River Golden Carp,” the auctioneer announced, waving to the young lady who walked forward, opening the jade box that they had found to contain the core. She tilted the box down, showcasing the stone for all to see even as it began to draw the enivornmental chi towards it. Beside the young lady, a pair of guards stood, glowering at the audience and any who might have any ideas.

Of course, Wu Ying knew, those guards were mostly for show. None of the Core Formation cultivators above would be foolish enough to act. Such a theft would set the others against them, begin a series of retaliatory actions until a new balance was achieved, where face and standing was confirmed.

Funny, how so many things in life could be settled if people were just willing to talk and play by the rules – spoke or unspoken.

“The auction is going well,” Yang Mu murmured, breaking Wu Ying’s idle musings.

He smiled agreeably, listening to the others bid upon his core. It had easily passed what he would have considered a reasonable amount. His eyes glittered with amusement as a jian, a dao, a magnificent guan dao were offered, a Black Faced, Heaven Sundering, Ghost Beating Formation was offered. That one, had him leaning over.

“What is that?” he whispered.

“Ghost banishing formation. Works against the soul so it will affect even spirits and cultivators at this strength. I would assume it’s in the Saint-stage, much like the others,” Yang Mu murmured in reply. “I would need to read the inscriptions themselves and run a few tests to verify, of course.”

“Of course.”

Other, stranger artifacts were offered. An enchanted war flag, that would instill confidence and strength in those standing beneath its banner. Driving the chi within those who fought underneath, boosting the overall strength of the unit.

An enchanted jade flute, streaks of white and green running through its body alongside the gold inscriptions that calmed the natural chi flows in the surroundings and made the flow of the dao more apparent. It encouraged moments of enlightenment when played, the instrument useful even for those in the Nascent Soul stage.

A movement technique based upon the hottest part of a flame, the portion that one could not see. The Hidden Flame movement technique was explosive and blistering quick, though it could only be used in short bursts. A technique for combat rather than longer travels.

And, of course, the surplus amounts of pills, lower grade cores, taels and low grade equipment that would make up the same equivalent dollar amount, though at their level such things were only ancillary bonuses.

“Any that interest you?” Yang Mu murmured, noting how the auctioneer kept an eye on them. The auction house master had spoken with them, given Wu Ying a small fan and small movements to indicate his own preference or disinclination towards items. Of course, he was only to make use of the motions when something was truly objectionable.

“That movement technique. And perhaps the flute,” Wu Ying murmured in reply. In truth, neither were of direct use to him, but perhaps he might derive some further alterations to the Wind Steps if he studied the Hidden Flame.

“So, nothing then.”

Wu Ying shrugged. No sooner had he said that than one of the family elders, eavesdropping on the pair spoke up.

“I have a Clear Mind, Immortal Soul pill. Meant for a Core Formation cultivator on the cusp of breaking through,” the older man said, leaning forward to stare at the auctioneer. He angled his body a little such that the box he conjured on his lap could be seen by Wu Ying, though the small formations on the wooden inlaid box ensured that no indication of its contents could be perceived.

Silence greeted the man’s words, as the auctioneer stared at the speaker and then looked at the other three families. When none made a move to overbid the speaker, the auctioneer finally called the bid to a close. Immediately, the young lady closed the jade box, retreating to the end of the stage with her guards.

At the same time, Wu Ying ambled over to the Elder, bowing a little in greeting. “Elder Eng. I was surprised that you were willing to provide such a valuable pill.”

“Not as valuable as you might think.” Wu Ying’s conversation was interrupted as another family leader walked over, answering. “That pill has been in their family for nearly a hundred years. It is likely losing efficacy.”

“It has not,” Elder Eng said coldly. “The pill is in a state of suspension for a hundred years.” Holding the pill up to Wu Ying, he continued. “I believe that the Verdant Gatherer will be able to make use of the pill before then, if rumours of his meteoric ascent is anything to go by. A true dragon among them.”

Wu Ying smiled a little at the praise, offering a bow and accepting the offered pill. Whilst he was uncertain if he would be at the stage of ascending, he was not wrong that Wu Ying could likely find uses for the pill. If nothing else, he could allow it to degrade a little and use it to build another layer of his core.

“Elder Eng is most generous.” He discreetly drew a breath, filtering the man’s scent as he double-checked his earlier assessment. Water Core cultivator, on the cusp of another ascension it seemed. Likely the spirit stone would be used to aid the next step of his cultivation, allowing him to step smoothly into it. Hard to tell the number of layers, but Wu Ying would guess at least five or six in.

The number of layers in a core varied for each individual, based off both the soul cultivation method they utilized and the size of their dantian. Those with smaller dantians to begin with could not build a thickly layered core, leaving their Nascent Soul undersized for when it was time to birth themselves. On the other hand, too many layers in a core allowed a soul to grow, but took significant time periods to form and made it harder for the Nascent Soul within to break free.

Wu Ying’s attention was drawn from the polite conversation the group was conducting, the auctioneer, the attendant and their guards moving through the slowly dispersing crowd towards the second floor. He was not the only one regarding the movement, for the hidden cultivator acted at last.

He flickered over the intervening distance just before the attendant started up the stairs, catching the bodyguard with an elbow to the chest as he stopped before snatching the box from her hands. The auctioneer turned, his mouth opening in a shout, only to freeze as lightning danced between the group of four as a series of talismans were discarded by the attacker.

Then, even as cultivators from the second floor began to stretch their auras outwards to intervene, chi flooding through bodies, the figure flickered out the doors. Moments after he left, leaving a trail of lightning and the smell of ozone behind him, the guard formations around the auction house triggered, sealing the building and those within off.

“Did he just steal my core?” Elder Eng said, his voice filled with surprise and disbelief.

Wu Ying, having watched the entire action play out in wonder like the others, discreetly made the pill box disappear into his storage ring.

Shock gave way to action, as voices rose and shouts calling for action and for others to catch the thief rose all around. On her own, Yang Mu could not help but laugh discreetly, hiding her amusement behind one of her fans.