The fox didn't look at him immediately.
—
Her gaze remained fixed on the auction hall.
On the silence suspended between bids.
On the pressure quietly building beneath it.
—
Then she spoke.
Calm.
Even.
—
"Don't get carried away."
—
A pause.
—
"And don't start asking questions you don't need answers to."
—
Shen Tu stiffened instantly.
—
"Yes, My Lady."
—
He lowered his head slightly.
—
But the fox wasn't finished.
—
Her turquoise eyes shifted just a fraction toward him.
Measured.
Cold in a quiet, deliberate way.
—
"Knowing too much…"
—
"…can be a tribulation of its own."
—
Shen Tu swallowed.
—
"I understand."
—
His reply came quickly.
Perhaps too quickly.
—
The fox finally leaned back into her seat again.
—
Her tail resting loosely behind her.
Completely relaxed—
as if she hadn't just tightened the air around him with a few words.
—
Below them—
the auctioneer's voice continued smoothly.
—
"Sixteen hundred."
—
"Going once…"
—
"Going twice…"
—
A pause stretched longer than before.
—
The White Bone Tiger alcove remained silent.
—
Then—
—
"Eighteen hundred."
—
The voice came again.
Meihu.
Soft.
Controlled.
Still carrying that faint, dangerous elegance.
—
But now—
there was a sharper edge beneath it.
—
Not anger.
—
Interest.
—
Possessiveness.
—
The fox's ears twitched slightly.
—
There it was.
—
The hook had caught.
—
Shen Tu, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to shrink into his seat.
—
"My Lady…"
—
he whispered.
—
"…you're really going to push her?"
—
The fox didn't answer immediately.
—
Instead, her paw rested lightly on the jade slate again.
—
Not activating it.
Just resting there.
A quiet reminder.
A presence.
—
Her voice finally came.
Low.
Almost thoughtful.
—
"I'm not pushing her."
—
A faint smile curved her lips.
—
"I'm simply making sure she notices me."
—
She tilted her head slightly.
—
"After all…"
—
"…a good fish only bites if it believes the bait is worth stealing."
—
Below—
the auctioneer exhaled softly.
—
Her polished smile widened just a fraction.
—
The atmosphere in the hall had shifted.
—
Properly now.
—
Eighteen hundred had changed the rhythm entirely.
—
The bidders were no longer just buying.
—
They were reacting.
—
Competing.
—
And that meant—
—
the fox's bait was working exactly as intended.
—
She leaned back slightly, eyes half-lidded.
—
Calm.
Waiting.
—
Because now—
she no longer needed to force anything.
—
All she had to do…
—
was let them fight over what she had already placed in their minds.
—
The hall didn't relax after Meihu's bid.
—
It tightened.
—
Like a string drawn just past comfort.
—
Everyone present understood one simple truth:
—
when Suite Nine spoke twice in succession…
—
it meant they were no longer testing the room.
—
They were participating.
—
The auctioneer's smile remained perfect.
—
But her voice softened another degree.
—
"Eighteen hundred from Suite Nine."
—
"Do I hear nineteen hundred?"
—
Silence.
—
Not empty silence.
—
Measured silence.
—
The kind where beasts calculated risk instead of desire.
—
Shen Tu shifted slightly in his seat.
—
Uncomfortable.
—
"My Lady…"
—
he muttered.
—
"…this is getting out of hand."
—
The fox didn't look at him.
—
"Quiet."
—
A beat.
—
"That means it's working."
—
Below—
the auctioneer raised a hand.
—
"Lot Six…"
—
The body reinforcement art rose once more into view—
still glowing faintly gold.
—
"Eighteen hundred once…"
—
A pause.
—
"Eighteen hundred twice—"
—
A sudden ripple of pressure cut through the hall.
—
Not spoken.
Not declared.
Just intent.
—
From the eastern tier.
—
"Two thousand."
—
The hall reacted immediately.
—
Subtle shifts rippled through the crowd.
—
Someone had finally stepped in.
—
Not Suite Nine.
Not blindly following.
—
A challenger.
—
Shen Tu's ears flicked up sharply.
—
"That's—"
—
The fox raised one paw slightly.
—
Stopping him without even looking.
—
"I know."
—
Her voice was quiet.
Almost bored.
—
But her eyes were not bored at all.
—
They tracked the flow now.
—
Not the numbers.
—
The people behind them.
—
Two thousand.
—
That was no longer casual bidding.
—
That was commitment.
—
Which meant—
fear of loss had finally overtaken caution.
—
Exactly what she wanted.
—
The auctioneer smiled faintly.
—
"Two thousand from Eastern Tier Three."
—
"Do I hear twenty-one hundred?"
—
A pause.
—
The White Bone Tiger suite remained silent.
—
But the fox could feel it now.
—
Meihu wasn't rushing.
—
She was waiting.
—
Measuring whether escalation was worth it.
—
Smart.
Controlled.
Dangerous.
—
The fox's tail swayed once.
—
Slow.
Thoughtful.
—
Then she leaned slightly forward again.
—
Not bidding.
Not yet.
—
Just speaking through the link.
—
*Little White.*
—
The lizard's golden eyes drifted lazily toward her.
—
*Hm?*
—
The fox's gaze stayed on the hall.
—
*How much wine do you have left?*
—
A faint clink of a jar.
—
*Enough.*
—
She almost smiled.
—
*Good.*
—
Below—
the auctioneer raised her hand again.
—
"Two thousand once…"
—
"Two thousand twice—"
—
The eastern tier flickered.
—
A hesitation.
—
Then—
silence.
—
The pressure eased slightly.
—
The fox noticed immediately.
—
He backed off.
—
Not enough conviction.
—
She exhaled softly through her nose.
—
Predictable.
—
But useful.
—
Because now she understood something important:
—
there were limits to who would directly challenge Meihu.
—
Which meant Meihu still held psychological dominance over most of the room.
—
Still a queen.
—
Just not unchallenged.
—
Perfect.
—
The auctioneer's voice returned.
—
"Sold at two thousand mid-grade spirit stones."
—
A pulse of light confirmed the exchange.
—
Shen Tu let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
—
"That was… intense."
—
The fox finally glanced at him.
—
"Intense?"
—
A faint smile touched her lips.
—
"This is only the warm-up."
—
Shen Tu froze slightly.
—
And for the first time—
he realized she wasn't exaggerating.
—
Below—
Lot Six vanished.
—
The auctioneer's smile widened just a fraction more.
—
"Lot Seven…"
—
Her voice dropped—
smoother.
—
Sharper.
—
"…is where things begin to get interesting."
—
The fox's eyes narrowed slightly.
—
Finally.
—
Now the real fishing could begin.