Zilan Pavilion is divided into three floors. The first floor has a hundred individual seats.
The second and third floors are all private boxes.
The boxes on the second floor are named with the character 'Earth' and there are nine in total. Ian Song's box happens to be Earth-Nine.
The box isn't too large, but it's more than spacious enough for seven or eight people. Inside, tea, snacks, and spiritual fruits have already been prepared.
The boxes on the third floor are named with the character 'Heaven,' and there are only three.
"Please have a seat, young master."
Qin Xiaoyu said warmly.
"Mm."
Ian nodded and sat down on a soft armchair. Old Man Tanner and the other two late Nascent Divinity cultivators sat on either side of him, while Qin Xiaoyu took on the role of maid, pouring a cup of tea and handing it to Ian first. "Please have some tea, young master."
"No need to fuss. You sit down too!" Ian said as he took the teacup.
"Hehe, thank you, young master!"
Qin Xiaoyu giggled. Don’t let her status as a direct disciple of the Robbery Sword Sect fool you—she’s perfectly happy serving as a maid at Ian Song’s side. First, the pay is great; second, he casually rewarded her with a Godbreaking Pill, letting her break through to late Nascent Divinity.
With treatment like this, she wouldn’t trade places even to be an elder back at Robbery Sword Sect.
Just then, the box door was pushed open.
The one pushing the door was a middle-aged man with late Nascent Divinity cultivation. Standing at the entrance was a bright-eyed, yellow-robed young girl, with another late Nascent Divinity middle-aged man following behind her.
"Miss, please."
The middle-aged man who opened the door made a gesture of invitation, not noticing there were already people inside the box.
"Who are you people?"
The yellow-robed girl frowned slightly and addressed Ian Song and his group.
The middle-aged man who opened the door was startled. He instinctively looked inside and saw several people already present. Instantly furious, he snapped, "You bastards, how dare you occupy my lady's box? Get out, now!"
This middle-aged man was Zhong Yi, a consecrated protector of the royal family. The other middle-aged man was also a royal protector, named Iron Mo. Because the Tang King doted on his youngest daughter, he had assigned two protectors to guard her.
"Miss, step aside for now. Leave this to Old Zhong!"
Iron Mo tensed up and quickly shielded the yellow-robed girl, Lily Li, moving her to the side. Even though assassins shouldn’t appear in Zilan Pavilion, caution was still best.
Qin Xiaoyu, though unable to sense Zhong Yi’s cultivation, wasn’t afraid at all. She pointed at him and said, "What’s your problem? This box belongs to my young master. Stop shouting! If you disturb him, I won’t let you off!"
Being scolded by a little maid annoyed Zhong Yi. He snapped, "What proof do you have that this box belongs to your young master?"
Qin Xiaoyu retorted disdainfully, "Why should I show you proof? If you’re so concerned, why don’t you show yours to me instead!"
"Uncle Zhong, show them the invitation." Lily Li’s voice rang out again.
"Yes, miss!"
Zhong Yi took out an invitation from his storage ring and tossed it to Qin Xiaoyu. "Little girl, open your eyes and see clearly. This is the invitation Zilan Pavilion sent to my lady."
Qin Xiaoyu suspiciously opened the invitation and immediately looked confused. She handed it to Ian Song, saying, "Young master, this invitation also says Earth-Nine!"
"You see it clearly now, right? Hurry up and give up the box. Our young lady is generous and won’t hold it against you!" Zhong Yi urged with a cold sneer.
Ian Song compared the invitation with his own. They were exactly the same, no forgery involved. He frowned and thought to himself, How could Zilan Pavilion make such a basic mistake?
Or was this done on purpose by someone?
Thinking this, Ian looked up and said, "Sir, our invitation is also for Earth-Nine. If your young lady doesn’t mind, how about we split the box half and half?"
"No way. You must leave!" Zhong Yi said sternly.
Qin Xiaoyu wouldn’t have it. She pointed at Zhong Yi’s nose and scolded, "What’s wrong with you? Pushing your luck, huh? My young master was kind enough to offer your lady half the box, and you still want to kick us out? I’ve never seen anyone as shameless as you!"
"I’m shameless?"
Zhong Yi was furious and about to retort when Lily Li’s voice sounded again. "Uncle Zhong, forget it. Let’s just split the box half and half!"
"But miss...!" Zhong Yi looked worried.
The yellow-robed girl waved her hand. "It’s fine. This is Zilan Pavilion—no one can cause trouble here!"
"Yes, miss."
Seeing the princess insist, Zhong Yi could only agree.
Still, both Zhong Yi and Iron Mo remained wary of Ian Song’s group.
In the Heaven-grade box on the third floor, Sixth Prince Lucas Li was chatting with a green-robed woman. She sat expressionless, holding a sheathed longsword, her eyes half-closed as if nothing concerned her.
Seated below them was Shen Xuanji.
Suddenly, a guard came in to report, "Your Highness, the Eighth Princess has entered Earth-Nine."
"Mm, got it. Keep a close eye on what’s happening over there!" Lucas Li waved his hand.
"Yes, sir!"
Inside the Earth-Nine box.
Qin Xiaoyu was attentively serving Ian Song.
Glancing at the properly seated yellow-robed girl, Ian Song said, "Split half the things on the table for them."
"Okay, young master!"
Qin Xiaoyu took half the snacks and fruits from the table and delivered them to the yellow-robed girl’s side.
"Thank you, young master!"
Lily Li smiled at Ian Song to express her thanks.
"No need to be so polite."
Ian nodded lightly, but inwardly he was already deducing Lucas Li’s intention. After a bit of thought, he had guessed the yellow-robed girl’s identity and the mastermind behind this setup.
Only princes, princesses, or late Nascent Divinity experts qualify for invitations to an Earth-grade box.
But the yellow-robed girl was only at Nascent Soul stage, which meant her identity was special. Plus, she had two late Nascent Divinity protectors, so her status was obvious—a princess of the Tang Dynasty.
As for why Ian could be sure she was the Eighth Princess, it was because he had studied the dossiers of all five princesses. Of them, only the Eighth Princess fit the profile, so he was certain this girl was Princess Lily Li.
So how did he guess that Lucas Li was behind this setup?
It was simple—the Eighth Princess was close to Lucas Li, and only he had the means to tamper with the invitations.
Ian had already deduced the yellow-robed girl’s identity, while she was also trying to figure out who he was.
She mentally went through all the sons of nobles and princes in her mind, but couldn’t find anyone matching Ian Song’s situation.
A quarter of an hour later.
The auction officially began.
The auctioneer was a ruddy-faced old man with impressive cultivation—late Nascent Divinity.
"Welcome, fellow Daoists. Let me introduce myself: I am Cheng Bufan, the auctioneer for Zilan Pavilion..."
After a brief introduction, Cheng Bufan got straight to business and presented the first item—a seventh-grade spiritual artifact, the Hundun Shield. The Hundun Shield is a defensive treasure, with a starting price of one hundred top-grade spirit crystals and minimum increments of ten.