My parents have always lived with the main branch of the An Family. They were assigned a job at the Guardian Spirit Artifact Shop in the city—it was a relaxed post with good benefits, and they were always very proud of it.

’It’s only been a few days since we last spoke, and they’ve already been reassigned somewhere else?’

"Was it Song Wanning? Is she getting revenge on me, deliberately having my parents sent away? Was it her?"

He frantically grabbed the collar of the man before him, roaring incessantly.

The man impatiently pried his hands off and curled his lip in disdain.

"You think True Monarch Song has nothing better to do? Than to deliberately have your parents sent away..."

"It was our Family Head. He didn’t want your parents freeloading anymore. They’ve taken plenty of perks under the table over the years. The Family Head is already being merciful by not holding it against them."

"If you dare to cause a scene, just wait for your entire family to be expelled from the clan!"

"But I guess you don’t care anyway. After all, you have... what’s her name... Ye Chuxue to protect you, right?"

"BWAHAHAHA—"

The men roared with laughter, paying no mind to An Ze’s reaction as they slung their arms over each other’s shoulders and walked away.

Now, everyone was laughing at what a fool An Ze was, yet he remained completely oblivious.

Seeing him so down on his luck, they couldn’t have been more delighted.

.

An Ze returned to the Heavenly Inquiry Sect, utterly crestfallen. Everywhere he went, people pointed and whispered, nearly driving him mad.

The fall from being a True Disciple to a helpless Inner Sect Disciple was such a huge drop that he couldn’t adapt.

Even worse, he couldn’t stand the gloating looks from others.

However, thanks to Bai Yang and Ye Chuxue, no one in the Sect dared to bully him. That said, they didn’t treat him well either; after all, An Ze had offended plenty of people in the past.

When he arrived outside Ye Chuxue’s house, he was overcome with guilt for being unable to help, and his entire demeanor was listless.

Ye Chuxue keenly sensed something was wrong and offered him a few words of comfort. Then, after entrusting Gu Qingyuan to his care, she prepared to leave for Tianlai City.

Tianlai City was not far from the Heavenly Inquiry Sect, at most a half-day’s journey away.

Just as she left the Heavenly Inquiry Sect, Bai Yang caught up with her.

Ye Chuxue gave him a silent look, tacitly permitting him to accompany her.

The two traveled in silence, heading for Tianlai City.

At some point, a rift had formed between them. Perhaps it began when Bai Yang failed to stand firmly against Song Wanning...

In Tianlai City, at the Divine Walking Auction House, Song Wanning sat in the seat of honor. Before her was an Elixir Bottle containing the very Heavenly Yuan Nourishing Heart Pill she had yet to consume.

"Master, are you sure you want to auction this Elixir Pill?"

The Shopkeeper looked at the Elixir Pill, his heart aching and his face full of reluctance.

The Heavenly Yuan Nourishing Heart Pill was incredibly difficult to acquire. The Master had gone to great lengths just to refine a few, and now only this single one remained.

But the Master wasn’t short on money; there was no need to auction off something that could save a life.

"Auction it. Why wouldn’t I?"

Song Wanning twirled a strand of hair around her finger and handed the bottle to the Shopkeeper.

"Have Ayue conduct this auction."

"Ayue? I’m afraid he isn’t qualified enough."

Upon hearing this, the Shopkeeper grew even more confused, completely failing to grasp his Master’s intentions.

Ayue had only joined the auction house two years ago and had never presided over a proper auction. The Shopkeeper worried he wouldn’t be able to command the room.

"Just do as I say."

Song Wanning waved her hand, impatiently dismissing him.

Though she knew the Shopkeeper had her best interests at heart, she disliked explaining herself to anyone.

The Shopkeeper had no choice but to take the Elixir Bottle and leave. Soon, only Song Wanning remained in the room.

She walked to the window and leaned against the railing, gazing out. The figures of Ye Chuxue and Bai Yang came into view.

The pair were traveling together and had just settled into a nearby inn.

"Sister, Sister," a cheerful, androgynous voice rang out in her Sea of Consciousness. It was the Golden Small Sword.

This was a Sword Spirit.

But this was no ordinary Sword Spirit. It was a Sword Spirit born from Song Wanning herself, completely unrelated to her Lifebound Treasure Sword.

The Sword Spirit was not only fully sentient, but its power was also extraordinary.

During her last seclusion, after she fully comprehended the Sword Intent of Slaughter, the Golden Small Sword gained sentience and its power increased dramatically.

Moreover, at the moment of its awakening, it helped her break through her cultivation in one fell swoop, allowing her to advance smoothly.

The legacy of the Mo Yang Immortal Monarch... even a mere glimpse of it was more than enough.

"Sister, Sister, is that Ayue the one you mentioned? The Young Master of the Demon Clan, Mo Yuan?"

The Golden Small Sword zipped excitedly back and forth within her Sea of Consciousness. Yet, hidden within its innocent, childish words was a faint murderous aura.

Song Wanning withdrew her gaze, walked leisurely to the table, and poured herself a cup of hot tea.

Through the swirling steam, the corners of her lips curved into a mysterious smile. "Yes."

’Who would have thought that the Young Master of the Demon Clan, forced into a desperate corner by his own father and brother years ago, would be hiding out in my humble little auction house?’

’If she hadn’t experienced it all once before in her past life, she never would have guessed it either.’

As the Young Master of the Demon Clan, Mo Yuan’s mother had been the previous Demon Race Female Venerable. However, she had died in an accident some years ago, leaving the Demon Clan without a leader.

Mo Yuan should have inherited the title of the Demon Clan’s Venerable Lord. Who would have thought that his gold-digging father would collude with an illegitimate son to force him into a desperate situation, where he nearly perished in a sea of flames.

He later managed a lucky escape and fled all the way to Tianlai City. Hiding his identity, he started working as a lowly attendant at the Divine Walking Auction House.

In her past life, Mo Yuan and Ye Chuxue had met at this very auction.

When Mo Yuan was being reprimanded, Ye Chuxue had stepped forward to defuse the situation, instantly capturing his heart. From that moment on, he began his unswerving journey down the path of the "male supporting character."

Furthermore, Ye Chuxue hadn’t cared in the slightest about his status as a member of the Demon Clan, even helping him eventually reclaim his title as the Demon Clan’s Venerable Lord.

From then on, the Demon Clan became one of Ye Chuxue’s powerful backers.

Of course, aside from the Demon Clan, she wouldn’t miss out on the Demon Race either...

It was as if everything in the world existed to pave Ye Chuxue’s path to immortality, completely disregarding the lives of cannon fodder like them.

A flicker passed through Song Wanning’s eyes, and the corners of her lips curled into a cold, sharp arc.

’This time, I’ll just let your friendship become a little... deeper.’

*

The auction arrived as scheduled. The auction house was packed with Cultivators; many were familiar faces from nearby cities, but a good number from farther away had also gathered, entering the hall filled with anticipation.

As was customary, everyone wore cloaks that could block Divine Sense, making it impossible to discern anyone’s true appearance or voice.

Furthermore, upon leaving, all guests would depart via the auction house’s Transmission Array to a random, unpredictable destination.

This was all to ensure the guests’ safety as much as possible.

Using their Tokens as True Disciples of the Heavenly Inquiry Sect, Ye Chuxue and Bai Yang easily entered a private room on the third floor, becoming the envy of the many Cultivators in the main hall below.

The two had just sat down when a commotion erupted below.

"It’s people from the Yun Family of Yunxiang City!"

"*Hiss*... Don’t tell me the one in the lead is Yunxiang City’s Young Master, Yun Jin Yue?"

"So beautiful!"

Everyone in the main hall craned their necks, looking towards the entrance in unison.

Out of curiosity, Bai Yang and Ye Chuxue also looked down below.

A figure in a blue celestial dress entered their view.