Things started to unravel quickly after Zhang Wang left. Though the auction proceeded as normal, with a blue-skinned rhino being bought and sold, not to Su Zui, much to his frustration.
"And now moving forward to the third art of the auction, to the part I'm sure our wonderful patrons have all been awaiting."
It was then that Yu Yanlin knew that something was wrong. He snapped his head up as an arrowhead shot from behind a veil of wooden panels, right up into the balcony at the back where Ma Jian was seated with her other guests.
People cried out of surprise, but the arrow did not find its target. Ma Jian rose from her seat, and in her hand smoke rose, sizzling from the arrow she caught with he palm.
"W-What, what's going on?" The pitiful hostess looked around a panic, the guards roused from their stationary places and surged forth to check from whence the arrow came.