Chapter 74: Nightingale

"Young Master Lin, if you see something you like and want to bid for it, I can raise the paddle for you." Nightingale took out the Tianyi Number One paddle from a drawer beneath the desk and waved it like a fan.

Her petite and delicate appearance, coupled with her bashful expression, made her seem just like the girl next door.

"Alright, then I'll have to trouble you, Miss Nightingale," Lin Zhan said with a cheerful smile.

However, Lin Zhan also sensed that on the second floor, several unfriendly gazes flickered toward him from time to time.

There were three Tian-class private boxes on the second floor; the rest were the VIP suites. The box Lin Zhan occupied was the very central Tian-class suite, which was rarely used in previous auctions.

Naturally, this attracted some envy and jealousy, but that was only to be expected. Lin Zhan simply ignored it.

Down below, the auction officially began with a brief opening speech from Uncle Lian.

The first lot was displayed in a neat row on the platform, and now the first item had already been moved to the center.

Uncle Lian presented it with both hands, then with a flourish, revealed to all that what he held was a black vest.

"The Xuantian Armor. This armor is refined from meteorite iron and, through exquisite craftsmanship, its weight has been reduced to only three and a half catties. It is intended solely for cultivators at the Human rank for training, and can withstand a force of one thousand catties without deformation," Uncle Lian's confident voice rang out across the auction center.

Protective armor such as this was a rare treasure in the cultivation world. Only a handful of artisans with inherited skills could craft such pieces. Thus, this opening lot was already setting the stage for the event.

"The Xuantian Armor is consigned for auction by the Xuantian Sect and the starting price is five thousand lower-grade spirit stones."

"Six thousand spirit stones!" Someone called out before Uncle Lian had even finished speaking.

"Eight thousand spirit stones!"

"Heh, I’ll take this armor—ten thousand spirit stones!"

The price kept climbing, quickly surpassing the ten-thousand mark.

Lin Zhan watched the auction below with rapt attention. This was the first time he had attended such an event, and he found the competitive bidding thoroughly entertaining.

"Nightingale, tell me, if someone reaches the Yellow rank, would this Xuantian Armor still be useful?" Lin Zhan turned to her.

"Young Master Lin, are you considering bidding for this armor? Actually, the Xuantian Armor isn’t particularly outstanding. It probably couldn’t withstand a full-force blow from a late-stage Human-rank cultivator. It’s more like a piece of armor that might be discarded as one advances in cultivation," Nightingale explained professionally. In truth, she had another motive: she knew that later in the auction, there would be items several grades superior to the Xuantian Armor.

Besides, for a guest in a Tian-class box, it would be a loss of face to compete over the very first lot.

"Don’t worry, Young Master Lin. The real treasures come later," Nightingale said, covering her mouth with a secretive laugh.

Lin Zhan scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "Then when something good comes up, remind me."

"Of course!"

Eventually, the Xuantian Armor was won by a female cultivator for sixteen thousand spirit stones.

The second item was a bottle of Turtle Breath Pills.

As the name suggested, after ingesting the pill, one could go several hours without breathing. This was particularly useful for cultivators venturing into lands inhabited by wild beasts or spirit creatures.

The auction continued. Lin Zhan hadn’t received any cues from Nightingale, so he refrained from bidding.

It seemed there was an unspoken agreement: during the first phase of the auction, none of the VIPs on the second floor made a move.

Lin Zhan breathed a quiet sigh of relief. If he had joined in the bidding just now, it really would have been embarrassing.

But on second thought, he wasn’t a true VIP anyway—no family background, no reputation. Even if he lost face, who would care?

"Young Master Lin, are you thinking of something unpleasant? My lady once said that when people are unhappy, they like to buy things—anything, just to feel better. Is that why you’re buying so much today?" Nightingale spoke softly, as if comforting him.

"Oh, no. I’m not unhappy at all. In fact, meeting you today, Miss Nightingale, has been a great honor," Lin Zhan replied with a knowing smile.

"Really?" Nightingale’s eyes lit up, and she seemed genuinely moved. Only then did she dare look directly at Lin Zhan, her earlier shyness easing just a little. Still, she remained concerned about his melancholy. "But I can’t help but feel that there’s a shadow of sadness in your eyes. My lady says the eyes never lie."

"Then, Miss Nightingale, do you have a remedy for melancholy?" Lin Zhan suddenly asked, feigning seriousness.

Nightingale was momentarily stunned, then covered her mouth and laughed. "So Young Master Lin is quite the jester! My lady always warns me—be wary of men with honeyed words who know how to make a girl laugh."

Lin Zhan was mortified, protesting inwardly, "Little Nightingale, I assure you, I have no intention of flirting! Please, don’t misunderstand."

Still, he was tempted to tease her further. "And what is your lady’s esteemed surname?"

As their conversation grew more relaxed, Lin Zhan gradually noticed a change in the nine-star pattern on his right palm—faint traces of spiritual energy began to escape.

"That’s probably normal, right?" he mused.

Ever since his body had been transformed into a kind of star-forged physique, the nine-star pattern had absorbed the power of the stars and heavens autonomously. Such fluctuations in spiritual energy were common; for balance, there must be both intake and release.

But as the auction went on, Lin Zhan began to pay closer attention, because he realized that the unusual energy emanating from the nine-star pattern was slowly flowing toward Nightingale beside him—and she was absorbing it completely.

Strange—this reminded him of the time in the northern forest, when the little seven-colored python would curl up on his arm, secretly drawing energy from the nine-star pattern and never wanting to leave.

But Nightingale was clearly human. Could she possess some kind of non-human bloodline?

At that moment, Lin Zhan activated his spiritual sense, penetrating deep into Nightingale’s being—and what he discovered left him astounded.

Beside her heart was a sealed cluster of essence blood, radiating terrifying power, which even his spiritual sense could not enter.

"This must be the bloodline of a divine beast—only such power could be so formidable!"

Lin Zhan’s attention was completely diverted from the auction now; the discovery within Nightingale was far more exciting.

"Miss Nightingale, why don’t you sit down? It’ll be more pleasant to chat this way," Lin Zhan said warmly.

Nightingale hesitated, twirling the auction paddle in her hand. "I can’t sit. My lady—"

Lin Zhan suddenly reached out and gently pulled her into the seat beside him. "And did your lady not say that you must always follow the guest’s wishes?"