Dual Cultivation: Gathering SSS-Rank Wives in the Cultivation World-Chapter 428- Auction House Owner

Their footsteps echoed softly. The blonde guard walked ahead, her posture stiff, clearly uncomfortable. The black-haired one followed at the rear, probably to make sure they didn’t stray.

Not that there was anywhere to stray ’to’.

"Efficient security," Yu Xiang murmured, her violet eyes tracking the formation scripts they passed. "Anyone tries to fight their way through here, the whole corridor collapses. Clever."

"Would it stop you?" Tianlong asked.

She considered. "No. But I’d have to work for it."

They walked for maybe two minutes before the corridor opened into a wider space.

Not a hall. More like a... holding area.

Cages lined both walls. Dozens of them. Each one occupied.

Tianlong’s pace slowed as he took in the scene.

Men filled most of the cages—warriors, judging by their builds. Some glared defiantly, others stared at the floor in defeat. All of them bore marks of recent beatings. Whip scars. Burn marks. One had clearly had several fingers broken recently, his hand swollen and purple.

But not ’just’ men.

Three cages on the right side held women.

Female warriors, based on their muscular builds and the way they sat—backs straight, eyes alert. One had fresh cuts across her arms and face. Another’s jaw looked recently dislocated, her face swollen.

They watched Tianlong’s group pass with expressions that ranged from suspicious to calculating to... hopeful?

Hard to tell in the dim light.

And at the very end of the room, isolated in a corner, was the largest cage.

Water filled it. Not a cage—a ’tank’. Glass walls reinforced with metal frames, maybe ten feet across and eight feet deep.

Inside, suspended in the water, was a woman.

No—not quite human.

A mermaid.

Tianlong stopped walking entirely, his eyes narrowing as he studied her.

She sat at the bottom of the tank, knees pulled to her chest, arms wrapped around herself. Her tail—long, scaled, shimmering between green and blue depending on how the light hit it—curled beneath her.

Her torso was human. Pale skin, smooth except for patches of scales along her ribs and collarbone. Long hair drifted around her head like seaweed, black with streaks of deep blue. Her face was delicate, almost fragile-looking, with high cheekbones and a small nose.

But her eyes.

They lifted as Tianlong approached the tank, and he saw them clearly.

Deep blue. Almost black in the dim lighting. And filled with the kind of exhausted despair that came from someone who’d given up fighting days ago.

She didn’t react to his presence. Didn’t move. Just... looked at him. Through him, really.

"Rare specimen," the blonde guard said, noticing his interest. "Caught three weeks ago in the Eastern Deep Waters. Still won’t eat. Probably won’t last much longer."

Tianlong didn’t respond. His divine sense swept over the tank, analyzing.

The water was salt-infused. Correct environmental maintenance. But the mermaid’s aura was weak—not from injury, but from starvation and stress. Her cultivation was... odd. Not Qi, not Body. Something else entirely. Spiritual energy tied to water itself.

Interesting.

But not why he was here.

He turned away, continuing down the corridor.

Behind him, Sabrina lingered a moment longer, her golden eyes fixed on the mermaid. Something complicated crossed her face before she shook her head and followed.

The corridor terminated at a single door.

Polished black wood, no visible handle. Formation script covered every inch—security measures layered so thick Tianlong could feel them from ten feet away.

The blonde guard stopped at the threshold and knocked three times.

"Enter," a voice called from inside. Female, mature, carrying an edge of authority that suggested this woman was ’very’ used to being obeyed.

The door swung open on silent hinges.

The room beyond was... intimate.

Not large. Maybe twenty feet across, circular, with walls of dark red stone. A single chandelier hung from the ceiling, crystal formations providing soft, warm light.

Furniture was minimal—a curved sofa of black leather, a low table in front of it, a few cushioned chairs scattered around the perimeter.

And seated on the sofa, legs crossed, one arm draped along the backrest, was a woman.

She looked... perhaps mid-thirties, though with cultivators that meant nothing. Her skin was a warm bronze, smooth and unmarked. Her hair fell in thick waves past her shoulders—deep auburn, almost red in the chandelier light.

She wore a dress that somehow managed to be both modest and provocative. Black fabric wrapped around her body, covering everything from collarbone to mid-thigh, but it ’clung’. Every curve was visible—full breasts that pressed against the fabric with each breath, narrow waist, wide hips that suggested childbearing potential.

Her face was striking rather than beautiful. Sharp cheekbones, a strong jaw, full lips currently curved in a small smile. And her eyes—amber, bright and intelligent, tracking Tianlong and his wives as they entered.

She exuded ’presence’. The kind that came from power, yes, but also from experience. From someone who’d navigated danger and politics for decades and survived both.

"Welcome, foreigners," she said, her voice smooth as aged wine. She gestured to the chairs with one hand. "Please, sit."

Tianlong didn’t sit. He walked forward slowly, his hands still clasped behind his back, and stopped a few feet from the sofa.

His golden eyes met her amber ones directly.

The woman’s smile widened slightly. "Confident. I like that." She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees, which made her breasts press together in a way that was definitely intentional. "I must say, I’ve never seen so many strong beings traveling together like this. Quite the unusual sight."

Her gaze swept across Akane, Yu Xiang, Yuna, Sylvea, Sabrina—lingering on each for a moment before returning to Tianlong.

"And even more unusual," she continued, "to see them all following a ’man’." Her smile took on a sharper edge. "That doesn’t happen here. Ever. Which makes me very, ’very’ curious about who you are."

She tilted her head, auburn hair sliding across her shoulder.

"So tell me—what brings you to my auction house? Is there something specific you’re looking for?"

Tianlong’s expression didn’t change. He studied her face, reading the calculations behind those amber eyes, the way her fingers drummed once against her knee—nervous tell, carefully controlled but still present.

She was measuring him. Trying to figure out if he was threat, opportunity, or both.

Finally, he spoke.

"Something that doesn’t bore me."

The woman blinked. Then laughed—a genuine sound, rich and full.

"Doesn’t bore you," she repeated, her smile widening into something more genuine. "Well, ’that’ narrows it down." She stood in one fluid motion, her dress shifting to hug her hips as she moved. "I’m Mirala, by the way. I own this establishment and several others in the district."

She circled the table, approaching Tianlong with slow, measured steps. Her hips swayed with each movement—not exaggerated, just natural feminine motion.

When she stood directly in front of him, close enough that he could smell her perfume—something floral with an underlying musk—she tilted her head back to maintain eye contact.

"Most people who come here," she said softly, "want slaves. Breeding stock. Warriors. Rare specimens to show off. The usual." Her amber eyes searched his face. "But you... you don’t look like someone who wants the ’usual’."

Behind Tianlong, he felt rather than saw his wives’ reactions.

Akane’s nine tails swished once. Yu Xiang’s aura sharpened, her predatory instincts activating. Sabrina’s jaw tightened, her arms crossing. Yuna pressed closer, her cat ears flat. Sylvea simply watched, her emerald eyes wide.

Mirala noticed. Of course she did.

"Jealous wives," she murmured, amusement coloring her tone. "How... refreshing."

She took one step back, then another, returning to her sofa but not sitting. Instead, she leaned against the armrest, her posture relaxed but her eyes still sharp.

"So," she said, spreading her hands. "What would entertain someone like you? I have access to things most can’t even imagine. Creatures from the deepest circles. Bloodlines thought extinct. Techniques banned in six territories." Her smile turned sly. "Or perhaps something more... ’personal’?"

Tianlong remained silent for a long moment.

Then his lips curved—not quite a smile, more like a promise of something dangerous.

"Tell me about Merchant Queen," he said.

Mirala’s amber eyes flashed—interest, calculation, and something darker.

"Oh," she breathed, her smile matching his. "I think you are forgetting some limit—."

But before she could complete her words, he simply folded his hands and intentionally filled the whole room with massive pressure, causing the woman’s eyes to widen as he said,

"Strip."