The abandoned salt mines lay thirty li west of Mudskipper Rest—deep beneath a low ridge of crumbling white stone. The entrance had been concealed behind a false rockslide, but Whisper's directions led straight to a narrow crack guarded by two rank-four thugs wearing mismatched armor and bored expressions.
Lin Xuan approached without slowing.
One guard raised a hand.
"Invitation only. Show your token or fuck off."
Lin Xuan produced a small black jade token—purchased from Whisper earlier that afternoon for five mid-grade stones. The token glowed faintly when exposed to qi, displaying the carved symbol of a coiled serpent swallowing its tail.
The guards stepped aside without another word.
Inside, the tunnel sloped downward—lit by floating rank-two Night Pearl Gu that cast cold blue light across walls still streaked with salt veins. The air grew cooler, damper, heavier with the scent of minerals and unwashed bodies.
After ten minutes of descent, the tunnel opened into a vast cavern.
The auction hall had been carved directly from the salt: tiered seating rising in rough semicircles around a central platform. Perhaps eighty cultivators sat scattered among the benches—rogues, black-market dealers, minor clan representatives, a few masked figures whose auras suggested rank-six or higher. No sect banners. No righteous oversight. Just greed and caution.
Lin Xuan chose a seat near the back—high enough for a clear view, low enough to avoid attention. He pulled his bamboo hat lower and circulated Moonlight Gu lightly, bending light around his features just enough to blur recognition without drawing suspicion.
A gong sounded—low, resonant.
The auctioneer stepped onto the platform: a tall, thin man in black silk robes, face painted white with red accents around the eyes. Rank-five peak stage. Voice smooth as oil.
"Welcome, honored guests, to the Thirty-Seventh Salt Serpent Auction. All transactions final. No refunds. No mercy for cheats."
The first items were minor—rank-three gu eggs, low-grade spirit herbs, a few stolen clan manuals. Bidding was brisk but restrained.
Lin Xuan waited.
Half an hour in, the auctioneer's tone shifted—more reverent.
"Next lot: a preserved rank-five aperture fragment, extracted from a time-path rogue cultivator who met his end in the northern ice fields. Stasis-sealed. Intact meridians. Suitable for direct absorption or gu nurturing."
A jade coffin was carried onto the platform—transparent, filled with pale blue liquid. Inside floated a translucent human-shaped silhouette: meridians glowing faintly gold, time-path essence still circulating sluggishly.
Bidding started at fifty high-grade spirit stones.
It climbed quickly—sixty, seventy, eighty.
Lin Xuan remained silent.
He did not need to win openly.
When the price reached one hundred and twenty high-grades, bidding slowed.
The auctioneer raised his gavel.
"Going once—"
A new voice cut through the hall—cold, feminine, from a shadowed alcove near the front.
"One hundred and fifty."
Murmurs.
The bidder stepped into the light: a woman in deep crimson robes, face half-covered by a veil, aura rank-six initial. Behind her stood two masked guards—rank-five peak.
No one countered.
The gavel fell.
"Sold."
Lin Xuan watched the woman accept the coffin without expression.
He made no move.
The next item was announced.
"Void Cicada Essence—rank-five liquid, harvested from a wild Void Cicada King in the central void rift. One vial. Enhances time-path gu by thirty percent upon fusion. Starting bid: eighty high-grades."
This time Lin Xuan acted.
He raised a small bidding plaque—anonymous, provided by the house.
"Ninety."
Heads turned—few recognized the gray-robed figure in the back.
The crimson-robed woman glanced over her shoulder.
Then she bid.
"One hundred."
Lin Xuan raised again.
"One hundred and ten."
The woman's veil shifted slightly—as though she were smiling.
"One hundred and thirty."
The hall grew quiet.
Most bidders had already dropped out.
Lin Xuan considered.
He could afford more—Whisper had supplied him with two hundred high-grades from earlier spoils—but escalation would draw eyes.
Instead, he activated the Fate Cicada Fragment—smallest possible nudge.
A faint golden thread brushed the woman's mind.
Not control. Just a whisper of doubt.
*Is this worth the attention? The righteous sects are already hunting time-path users. Another purchase might mark you.*
The woman hesitated.
Her hand paused mid-air.
The auctioneer waited.
"Going once… going twice…"
She lowered her plaque.
"Sold to the gentleman in gray."
Lin Xuan accepted the vial without rising—delivered by a silent attendant.
He stored it immediately.
The auction continued—more minor items, a few slaves paraded on chains—but Lin Xuan's attention had already shifted.
He had what he needed.
Now he needed the aperture fragment.
And the woman who bought it.
He waited until the final lot closed.
Then he rose—quietly, unnoticed—and slipped toward the exit tunnel.
Halfway up, he sensed her.
The crimson-robed woman and her two guards were moving in the same direction—toward a private exit reserved for high bidders.
Lin Xuan followed at a distance.
When they reached a narrow side passage, he acted.
Moonlight Gu flared—three illusory copies of himself appeared ahead of them, blocking the path.
The guards spun.
The woman stopped.
She turned slowly.
"You followed me for the fragment," she said—voice calm, almost amused. "Bold. Stupid."
Lin Xuan stepped out of shadow—real body behind the illusions.
"I followed for opportunity."
She tilted her head.
"And what opportunity do you see?"
Lin Xuan met her gaze.
"You are being hunted. The righteous sects have increased bounties on time-path users. You just purchased two high-profile items. They will come for you."
A pause.
She laughed—soft, cold.
"And you think you can protect me?"
"No," Lin Xuan said simply. "I think we can use each other."
He extended his hand—not in threat, but in offer.
"I need the aperture fragment. You need to disappear before the sects trace the auction purchases back to you."
She studied him.
Then she lifted her veil slightly—revealing sharp features, red lips, eyes the color of fresh blood.
"My name is Hong Lian. Rank-six initial. Crimson Lotus Pavilion—formerly. Now rogue."
Lin Xuan inclined his head.
"I require no name yet. Only cooperation."
She considered.
Then she smiled—sharp, dangerous.
"Very well. Let us talk terms."
Behind her, the two guards tensed.
Lin Xuan's expression remained unchanged.
"Terms are simple," he said.
"You give me the fragment. I give you a path out of this continent before the righteous net closes."
He paused.
"And in return… you become useful."
Hong Lian's smile widened.
"I do like useful arrangements."
She gestured.
One guard opened the jade coffin.
The preserved aperture fragment floated free—glowing faintly.
Lin Xuan stepped forward.
The deal was struck.
Not with trust.
With mutual benefit.
And in the Gu Dao, mutual benefit was the strongest chain of all.
To be continued...