Chapter 9

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By using his identity as the young master of the Jong clan, Chunma was easily able to secure a private booth. An attractive young woman, wearing tastefully-applied makeup, guided him and Xuanyin to their seats. However, the youth barely paid her any attention. As the saying went, 'a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush'.

Before the start of the auction, he asked the attendant to bring them something to drink, preferably alcoholic. It wasn't for the sake of getting his female companion loosen up, but simply because he was in the mood to get buzzed.

'Well, if I even can.'

He'd never consumed alcohol before, so he had no clue how his body would respond to it.

The two of them were seated on a single sofa with a low backrest, almost like a Chesterfield. The pillows were made out of a light-green, silky material and the wood was a colorful brown. He didn't know much about ancient furniture, but it looked expensive.

"So, you're both a drunkard and a lecher."

Xyuanin's voice was biting. She somehow sounded vindicated, like all her suspicions about Chunma were being confirmed.

The boy in question only smiled good-humoredly before reaching out and wrapping one arm around her waist. The feistier she was, the more he enjoyed provoking her.

The girl held a fan in front of her pretty face, but it didn't conceal her cold eyes, glowering from underneath sharp eyebrows.

"Does the young master of the Jong clan really need to coerce women like this?"

Her tone was condescending. When she thought about what had happened during their trip, she felt helpless, embarrassed and humiliated. In her mind, a true gentleman wouldn't take advantage of her situation. If it wasn't for her troubles, she'd long since have slapped Chunma in the face and left.

Without answering her question, the youth rested his chin on the top of her head. Their booth was high up, like VIP seats in an opera house, so he could comfortably overlook the stage. They arrived early, and the merchandise was still being brought up.

There were male and female slaves in cages, which wasn't surprising. However, he wouldn't have bought any, even if he were alone. He didn't need servants, nor someone to warm his bed. He could eat them, but slaves weren't cheap. Even a common slave cost more than the average person earned in a year. These had to tempt members of high-society, so their backgrounds couldn't be simple.

While he was immersed in his own thoughts, Xuanyin's expression grew cloudier. She felt she was being treated as a female escort, meant only to serve as an accessory. For someone like her, who sought to rise beyond station, it was incomparably insulting.

When Chunma returned to the present, he picked up on her mood. Glancing down at her face, he noticed she wasn't blushing anymore, and the look in her eyes was ice cold. It actually made him feel a little bad.

After untangling himself from her, he leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms behind his head. He decided to give her a way out—if she ended up hating him, there was no point in keeping her around. As the saying went, 'An unhappy wife, an unhappy life.'

"It would be hard to break things off without causing trouble for your guys, but there is another solution."

When Chunma suddenly let her go, Xuanyin narrowed her eyes. It went without saying, but she didn't trust him, and when he hinted at being able to solve her troubles, her wariness only increased.

The Jong clan's young master continued.

"I will ask my father to formally propose on my behalf. Your family will accept it, but the marriage itself will be postponed until a future date. I've long since wanted to leave Mount Hua, so my departure would be a good excuse."

After he finished speaking, Xuanyin's expression turned thoughtful. She didn't know where this generosity was coming from, but if he was telling the truth, then...

"Your Mu clan would enjoy our protection for a few years. During that time, you must develop your talents until you're able to shield them from the wind and rain. When you're able to deal with the consequences, we'll cancel the engagement."

Chunma's voice was casual, like someone discussing the weather. During his speech, he didn't look at Xuanyin, but at the stage below instead.

The girl silently pondered his words. It was a sensible suggestion, but there was one problem—what exactly did he, or the Jong clan, gain from this? Sheltering the Mu family for a span of years wouldn't be without cost.

"What do you want?"

Xuanyin's tone was flat. She didn't believe for one second that he would do it out of the goodness of his heart.

Chunma waved his hand in a gesture of mock disappointment.

"Goodness, can't I do you a favor without expecting something in return? For your Mu clan, something like this might be troublesome, but Mount Hua is one of the ten great sects. If someone tries to trouble us, they'd only create trouble for themselves."

He smiled arrogantly to himself, looking every bit the young master.

"Stop worrying so much, just tell me whether you agree or not."

The girl silently stared at his profile, feeling complicated in her heart. On one hand, she detested the idea of being coerced into marriage. On the other, the thought of participating in a sham engagement was also unappealing.

When she'd remained quiet for more than a dozen seconds, Chunma spoke again.

"Well, there's no need to decide right now. We have until the end of the week, don't we?"

His voice was light, like he didn't care whether she accepted or refused.

His attitude stoked an inexplicable feeling unhappiness within Xuanyin's chest. Why was he so casual about this when it was giving her so much trouble?

"You're talking like this after everything you did…?"

The question slipped from between her lips before she realized what she was saying.

Covering her entire face with the black fan, she turned her head away. To her, her voice sounded sulking, but unknowingly, it came out as coquettish.

She didn't see it, but a hint of a smile appeared on Chunma's lips. One of his hands landed next to hers, where it rested on the sofa. It was close enough that their fingers were lightly touching.

Through the gap between her face and the fan, Xuanyin involuntarily glanced at his palm. It was open, and placed upside down.

The girl unconsciously chewed on her lower lip. Her thoughts were in a state of chaos. Despite holding a grudge because of his earlier actions, she wasn't able to cleanly reject him.

She reflexively clenched her hand, not moving it away, but not taking his either.

For a few moments, both of them remained still. The atmosphere was tense and ambiguous. Then, Chunma reached out, taking the initiative.

When he did, Mu Xuanyin froze. Before she could react, he took the opportunity to slip his fingers in between hers. Her hand was a bit clammy, but he didn't mind.

"Womanizer…"

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Some time later, the female attendant finally arrived with their drinks. When she entered, they were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder, and Chunma was holding one of Xuanyin's hands in his lap. They hadn't spoken since, having only watched the goings-on below. Despite the silence, the atmosphere was calm.

The woman set a tray with a porcelain jar, as well as two cups, on the low, wooden table.

"Guests, if there's anything else, please ring this bell."

Chunma thanked her before taking the offered instrument and keeping it in his sleeve. It was small and bronze, with a single word inscribed on its surface.

Seeing that she wasn't needed, the woman tactfully withdrew.

When she'd left, Chunma glanced at Xuanyin.

"Should I pour for you?"

According to cultural norms, she was supposed to pour for him, but he couldn't be bothered with such things.

The girl shook her head.

"No thank you."

He didn't continue to press her and directly took the porcelain jar. After filling his cup, he comfortably leaned back against the sofa and brought it to his lips. He was pleasantly surprised by the fruity taste and the burning sensation at the back of his throat. He'd expected to be immune, but apparently that wasn't the case.

'Well, even animals experience side affects from alcohol consumption."

Having a different physiology didn't necessarily mean he'd be indifferent. He took another sip before setting the cup on the table.

"It's about to begin."

Chunma was referring to the situation below.

A representative from the auction house had taken the stage and was seemingly waiting for the guests to take notice of her, and for the din to subside.

The representative started speaking, once the room had quieted.

"Greetings, dear guests, and welcome to our Fluttering Petals pavilion! Since the previous month, our curators diligently prepared for today's auction. With confidence, we assure you, esteemed guests, of the unmatched quality and rarity of today's goods…"

She continued with her introduction of today's event. The atmosphere was full of anticipation and the crowd was hanging off her every word. However, Chunma barely paid attention to the goings-on. In the first place, he'd only come here today for Xuanyin's sake.

He glanced at the girl's face only to find that she appeared equally disinterested.

"Aren't you looking forward to seeing the merchandise?"

He casually threw the question in her direction. Even if she didn't, he'd make her sit until the end. Securing a booth without giving notice in advance wasn't cheap. If it wasn't for his extraordinary status, they wouldn't have been able to step foot into the building today.

Xuanyin fanned her face while sending him a droll look.

Chunma had to swallow a sigh. If he knew she didn't like it, he'd have gone to listen to music instead. He was a big fan of the Zither.

"We're already here, so we may as well make the best of it. If there's anything you want, just go ahead and bid on your own."

He tapped his nails against a flat, bronze placard, laying on the table. It was very shiny and reflective, with a number drawn on the surface. Given the generous lighting inside the pavilion, it wouldn't be hard to spot, even from the stage.

If the other attendees heard their exchange, they would've spluttered in outrage. For a normal person, it was necessary to make a reservation, months in advance. Even then, a seat wasn't guaranteed.

'Some unlucky soul probably lost their booth because the pavilion wanted to curry favor with the Jong clan.'

Naturally, Chunma couldn't care less about something like that.

"Next time, we should attend the opera instead."

He was more trying to gauge Xuanyin's reaction than offering a genuine suggestion. He had no clue what she liked and, given her proud disposition, she probably wouldn't tell him.

'She may not know what she likes either. From what I know about her, she trains her martial arts all day, doing little else. Maybe I should've just arranged a spar between us…?'

It wasn't that he hadn't considered the option, but that it was a bit risky. She'd was bound to become suspicious of him if he never used his Ki. Yet, if they were going to get married, it would be impossible to keep his demonic nature hidden forever.

That, as well as his desire to spread his wings and roam the world, were the two big reasons why he wouldn't be all that disappointed if she decided to break things off between them.

'Things are bound to get troublesome for her and her family if the truth ever comes out.'

Chunma's mood turned grey as he contemplated the issue. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do.

He reached for his cup and took another sip.

'As a wise man once said, "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself."'

He resolved to deal with his problems as they came.

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