Chapter 123: Dragon's Breath and Selfies
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The auction hall buzzed with whispers like angry wasps.
Fifty million whatever-currency they used here had silenced the room for exactly three seconds before erupting into barely contained chaos. You'd think I'd declared myself the new Emperor of China rather than just outbid a few rich cultivators for a glowing pill.
The auctioneer's gavel came down with a decisive crack. "Sold to the foreign gentleman!"
As I stood to approach the platform, I felt the weight of hundreds of eyes on me. Some curious, some calculating, most hostile. The three main bidders I'd outbid weren't bothering to hide their displeasure. Specifically, the elderly woman from the Phoenix Gate Sect looked like she was mentally cataloging all my vital organs for future removal.
Nothing new there. At least she's not turning into a cosmic entity or launching Sentinels at me.
"Your method of payment, sir?" One of the staff members brought the item to me to check, and asked.
Usually, I'm assuming that'd be a rude question to ask in front of everyone. But supposedly my foreign features and age promoted it.
I pulled out Emma's black card, handing it over with what I hoped was casual confidence rather than the nervous energy bubbling inside me. "This should cover it."
The man's eyebrows rose slightly as he examined the card, before nodding to an assistant who disappeared with it through a side door. Several minutes passed in uncomfortable silence as the entire auction hall waited.
Luna leaned against a nearby pillar, watching the proceedings with undisguised amusement. "If your card bounces, we're all going to be embarrassed horribly," she stage-whispered, loud enough for several nearby patrons to hear.
"It won't," I replied, though a part of me wondered if Emma had a spending limit in mind when she said 'reasonable.' Was it fifty million yuan or fifty million dollars? If the latter, that much for a pill might stretch the definition.
Probably yuan. It wouldn't make sense for them to be using dollars here.
The assistant returned, bowing deeply to the auctioneer before whispering something in his ear.
The older man's eyes widened fractionally before his professional mask slipped back into place.
"The transaction is complete. Just for your information, that was close to 70 million USD," he announced, presenting me with the jade box. "Congratulations on your acquisition of the Dragon's Breath Cultivation Pill."
Um, so it's neither Yuan nor Dollar? Is it some hidden society currency?
I didn't bother worrying about that any longer. The box felt warm in my hands, pulsing with energy I could sense even through the jade container. Opening it revealed a small golden pill that glowed with inner light, spinning slowly in place without touching the sides of the box.
Neat. Like a miniature sun trapped in jade.
I nodded at the staff, and they gave us space once again. I looked at the others around me. Charmcaster and Kwannon stared at me, their expressions vastly different. Hope looked impressed and slightly calculating, while Kwannon seemed conflicted, her eyes repeatedly drawn to the pill despite her obvious effort to appear indifferent.
"So that's what 70 million dollars gets you these days, huh," Charmcaster remarked, leaning in to examine the pill. "Pretty, but is it worth making enemies of half of China's supernatural underworld on our first day in China?"
"Depends what you do with it," I replied, before turning to Kwannon. I wasn't really interested in this pill, honestly. Not for myself, anyway. Having too much energy might make things more complicated for me instead. Without ceremony, I held the jade box out to her. "Here. It's yours."
The silence that followed was almost comical. Kwannon stared at the box, then at me, her normally composed features giving way to genuine shock. "What?"
"The pill. It's for you."
"...Ben, that makes no sense," she said. "If you're doing this to hit on me, that's very stupid. You're the one trying to learn chi manipulation. Not me."
I shrugged. "Learning to control a cup of tea is easier than controlling a pond. I don't need the extra burden. As for if I need pills like this in the future?" I shrugged. If one of these existed, more definitely did. I'd find them if necessary. "Then I'll figure it out my way. I always do."
Charmcaster watched our exchange with a dry expression.
Psylocke still looked unconvinced, her eyes narrowed slightly. "...You sure? You spent 70 million on this, and now you're just giving it away?"
"It's Emma's money, not mine. And I'm not giving it away… I'm investing it in someone who'll make good use of it." I pushed the box closer to her. "Besides, you were practically drooling when they brought it out."
A faint blush colored her cheeks. "I was not drooling."
"Metaphorically I mean," I amended. "I'll just say you're thinking too much about this. You know chi. You understand what this means. And I saw your face. This matters to you. So take it."
Charmcaster crossed her arms. "Are you sure about this, Ben? That pill could give you decades of training in moments. You don't have to take it now. Take it after you learn some control. It would increase your powers instantly."
"Since when do I solve problems the easy way?" I grinned at her. "Besides, watching Kwannon's technique yesterday told me everything I need to know. I'll get there through practice, trial, and error. Can't have the universe hand everything to me."
Kwannon's fingers trembled slightly as she finally reached for the box. "This is... unexpected. Thank you." Her voice was soft, almost vulnerable. Quite different from her usual composed demeanor.
"Just promise me one thing," I said as she took the pill.
"What's that?"
"Agree to spar with me when I finally figure out chi manipulation properly," I said. "I want to see what twenty years of instant experience looks like in action."
A small smile tugged at her lips. "I accept your terms."
About then Lin Lie approached our table, his expression a mixture of disbelief and resignation. "Well, that was certainly... memorable. I don't believe anyone has ever shown such disregard for established protocols at a Celestial Auction before."
"First time for everything, friend," I replied cheerfully.
"Indeed." He muttered. After a short silence, he gestured to where Luna and Amadeus waited near the exit. "My companions and I were planning to convene with the rest of our team. They should be arriving shortly."
Luna bounded over, her enthusiastic energy a stark contrast to Lin Lie's restraint. "You should join us! Safety in numbers, after all. Those bidders you outmaneuvered aren't the forgiving type."
"I appreciate the offer, but–" I began.
"You would be wise to accept," Lin Lie interrupted, surprising me. "The Phoenix Gate Sect is particularly vindictive when denied something they desire. Their agents are likely already planning retribution."
Luna grinned triumphantly. "See? Even Mr. Serious agrees! You're foreign guests in our country, we should offer protection."
Lin Lie frowned. "I didn't say that exactly. And Luna you're a foreigner too…"
"Didn't you, though?" Luna challenged, ignoring the last line. "Shouldn't we try our best to protect visitors to our side of the world? Ben has just drawn the ire of three powerful sects, and it'd be too intense to tell Illyana that I saw her friend get butchered."
Lin Lie hesitated, clearly weighing his options. I could almost see the internal struggle playing out across his face.
"It's fine," I said, waving off their concern. "We can handle ourselves."
"Are you certain?" Luna pressed. "I'm not from around here, but even I can think of at least three assassination techniques the Phoenix Gate specializes in that would bypass your watch entirely."
She has no idea what this watch even is, I just smiled at her.
"Let them try," Charmcaster said with surprising heat. "I've dealt with worse than some geriatric martial artist with a grudge."
I nodded. "Besides, I have a feeling our paths will cross again soon enough. Don't worry about us."
"What a pity," Luna sighed dramatically. Then her expression brightened. "Oh, wait, before you go!"
Before I could react, Luna darted forward, pressing her cheek against mine and pulling out her phone in one smooth motion.
"Smile!" she said, snapping a picture of our squashed-together faces before I had time to process what was happening.
"What was that for?" I asked, blinking away the flash spots.
"Sending it to Illyana," she replied with a mischievous grin, already tapping away at her phone. "She'll be so jealous I met her favorite Limbo-invader before she had a chance to introduce us properly."
I couldn't help but laugh. "You're going to get me in trouble."
"That's what friends are for," she replied with a wink. "Besides, you already bought a 70-million-dollar pill and gave it away. How much more trouble could you possibly get into?"
If only she knew.
As we left the auction house, stepping back into the bustling streets of Shanghai, I couldn't shake the feeling that fifty million might end up being the cheapest part of this adventure.
****
"You really don't do subtle, do you?" Charmcaster asked as we navigated through the crowded evening streets.
"No idea what you mean."
The neon lights of Shanghai bathed everything in a kaleidoscope of colors, turning ordinary faces into masks of blue, red, and purple. "First day in China and you've already spent a fortune, insulted three powerful sects, and made friends with K-pop superheroes."
"When you put it that way, it sounds like I'm being restrained," I replied with a grin. "Usually I'd have blown something up by now."
Kwannon walked slightly ahead, the jade box secured inside her jacket. Her gaze constantly swept our surroundings, alert for any sign of danger.
"You're worrying too much, Psy," I said.
"You don't understand," she replied. "We should reach the hotel quickly. I'd prefer to be somewhere secure when I absorb the pill's energy. It's not a good idea to keep this pill unconsumed."
Hope frowned, pulling her silver hair into a loose ponytail as we walked. "Is that safe? I've studied eastern mysticism, and cultivation pills that powerful usually require special preparation. Sacred grounds, protection circles, that sort of thing."
"Our hotel suite should suffice," Kwannon replied. "Emma reserved us the penthouse. I can establish the necessary wards."
"Always in luxury, that old aunty. Gwen was right," Charmcaster muttered. "We could have just teleported somewhere. Would've been safer than any hotel."
"And miss the room service?" I asked. "Crazy talk."
Hope's retort died on her lips as her eyes fixed on something behind us. "Don't look now, but we've picked up a tail."
I resisted the urge to turn around. "How many?"
"Two cars, black sedans. They've been matching our turns for the last three blocks."
Kwannon nodded slightly. "I noticed them when we left the auction house. Phoenix Gate operatives, most likely."
"Want me to lose them?" I asked, hand hovering near the Omnitrix. "One quick transformation and we're gone."
"Unnecessary," Kwannon replied. "Look ahead."
Three sleek vehicles had pulled up at the intersection before us, blocking the road. Men in expensive suits emerged, their movements telegraphing combat training despite their business attire.
"They're Emma's security detail," Kwannon explained, not breaking stride. "She always has contingencies in place."
Sure enough, as we approached, one of the men stepped forward and bowed slightly. "Ms. Psylocke. We've been instructed to escort you safely to your accommodations."
"That was fast," I murmured.
"Emma probably had them following us from the moment we landed," Kwannon replied softly. "She doesn't leave things to chance."
The suited men formed a perimeter around us as we continued toward the hotel. In my peripheral vision, I caught glimpses of the black sedans that had been following us, now stalled several blocks back, their occupants apparently reconsidering their approach.
Charmcaster leaned closer to me, her voice low enough that only I could hear. "Ugh, I don't like this Ben. There are too many players, too many agendas. Emma's, the martial artists', whoever Luna and her friends really are... We came to find an Iron Fist spirit, not get caught in local power struggles."
"Sadly that's just life. Don't worry, we're fine," I assured her, though I understood her concern. "Remember, if things get truly dicey, we've got me, your magic, and now Kwannon with extra twenty years of chi in her pocket."
Hope's eyes lingered on Kwannon's back. "That's what worries me. Power like that pill... I don't know, such a sudden power boost might change her. Sudden power changes people. I've seen it before."
"Nah, Kwannon can handle it, she's been born a mutant, not some random human," I said with more confidence than I actually felt. "She's not the power-hungry type."
"Everyone's the power-hungry type given the right circumstances," Charmcaster replied, her voice carrying the weight of experience. "Even you, Ben."
"...."
We arrived at our hotel soon. It was a towering glass-and-steel monument to modern luxury. The lobby gleamed with marble and gold accents, staff bowing respectfully as we entered.
We rode the elevator in silence, still alert. The penthouse suite occupied the entire top floor, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a panoramic view of Shanghai's skyline. Lights twinkled like earthbound stars, stretching to the horizon where they met the real ones in the night sky.
Kwannon wasted no time, moving to the center of the main room and kneeling on the plush carpet. "Only now do I feel a little safe… Guys, I'll need about an hour for this. The pill's energy requires careful integration."
"What can we do to help?" I asked.
"Nothing really… But if you want, you can stand guard. There's still a chance the Phoenix Gate might try something more direct." She removed the jade box from her jacket, opening it carefully. The golden pill glowed even brighter now, as if responding to her proximity. "And... thank you again, Ben. This is a gift I didn't expect."
"Just don't go power-mad on us," the ever pessimist Hope joked.
Kwannon let out a surprisingly gentle laugh. She found it funny. "I won't."
As she began preparing herself, arranging her body in a precise meditative posture, Charmcaster moved to the windows, peering down at the city below.
"What are you thinking, Hope?" I asked, joining her.
"That we're kinda very exposed up here," she replied, her fingers tracing patterns on the glass that left faint magical residue. "And that you're an impossible person."
"What did I do now…"
She turned to face me, her eyes searching mine. "You gave away a priceless artifact without hesitation. Just to impress a girl? Wow. The kind of thing people kill for, the kind of power that changes destinies.'
I shrugged. "You're thinking too much."
Hope kept staring at me. As Kwannon began to absorb the pill's energy, golden light streaming into her body like liquid sunlight, I wondered what exactly Hope feared.
It made sense why Hope thought like this. Considering her life so far. If I tapped into the cynical mindset I held in my previous life, I could understand it.
Human nature was at once fragile and ferocious, and by "human" I meant the so-called Mutantkind too. And more. Everything that was "people."
Everyone liked to hide behind masks of compassion, civility, obligation, but beneath that hid the same hunger for survival, the same urge to conquer, to dominate, to inflict or endure pain.
Charmcaster's life taught her that there was no one pure and kind, and those who seemed so often used kindness as a dangerous weapon. A great illusion. A lesson she learned when her own uncle used her for rituals and experiments.
This pill wasn't a big deal, at least to my eyes. Maybe in Hope's eyes, as she knew more about magic and energy than me, it was a huge deal. I didn't blame her for that. No, how could I blame her for wanting to be cautious?
I am cautious. Unlike Hope, I was not disillusioned. Psylocke was a ninja, an assassin, and those people could not be kind. Why would I assume anything in return from her in exchange for this gift?
It was just better for her to have it now, as China could get dangerous and having a stronger ally was better than me facing trouble because of a larger and harder to control Qi Core.
In this world, those who refuse to judge others often end up judged by the smoke and ruin they leave behind. So I try to make my decisions only after I've gone through judgments in my mind.
Such was life.
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