53: Xingche saves the day

Bai Yao turned her head at the sound, and what met her eyes was a tall fox beastman.

Unlike all the other beastmen she had seen, he wore a wide, dark mystic's robe, its hem embroidered with intricate silver patterns.

Most striking was his face, so beautiful it was hard to tell his gender. His slightly upturned peach blossom eyes held a half-smile, and his pupils were a rare crimson, as if they could draw one's soul in.

A thought flashed through Bai Yao's mind: If this were modern times, he would definitely be a captivating demon capable of stirring up a storm with just his face.

He leaned lazily against the door, and despite wearing the most solemn mystic's robe, his entire being exuded a fatal attraction, both mysterious and dangerous.

"Cough cough..."

Bai Yao was momentarily lost in thought, only startled awake when the other party lightly coughed.

She was horrified: Was she just enchanted? A bit embarrassing..."

Seeing the newcomer, Pei Lin, who had been so arrogant just moments ago, now adopted a delicate posture, her voice so sweet it could drip water: "Great Priest, you've come at just the right time. These two are impersonating nobles and trying to force their way to the second floor..."

She eagerly hoped that this Great Priest, renowned for his fairness and power, would punish Bai Yao and the other, and she also wanted to make a good impression on him.

However, Xing Che still maintained his smiling demeanor, "Did you not hear what I just said?"

His crimson eyes casually swept over her, "I said, I know them. Is your hearing poor, or is it here..."

He lightly tapped his temple, "...not quite clear?"

Pei Lin's face instantly turned pale, looking at Xing Che in disbelief. Wasn't it said that the Great Priest was most fair and gentle with people?

Why was he so harsh to her? And they were both of the fox Tribe; she always thought he would favor her.

Unwilling to give up, she tried to argue: "Great Priest, how could you know such..."

"When do I need to explain to you what friends I make or what decisions I make?"

Xing Che still wore a smile, but his words made Pei Lin disbelieving, "You're just trying to make an issue out of nothing to satisfy your own selfish desires."

In the fox Tribe, the Great Priest was a supreme being.

Feeling the gazes and whispers around her, Pei Lin felt utterly humiliated.

"You... you all..."

After looking around and finding no one to help her, Pei Lin's eyes instantly reddened with grievance. She could only bite her lip and slink away.

After dealing with the troublesome person, Xing Che turned his gaze back to Bai Yao.

He carefully observed her, a slight curve on his lips, and offered his first comment: "You've recovered well. You're indeed beautiful like this."

Bai Yao was startled: "Do we... know each other?"

Xing Che remembered her poisoned and unconscious state at the time, so it was natural she wouldn't remember him expelling the poison and healing her.

Nor would she remember that he had once used his mental power to probe her unique "consciousness space." From those bizarre fragments, he had already glimpsed her extraordinary nature.

"It's nothing,"

He then continued, "We didn't know each other before, but now, don't we?"

Bai Yao was speechless. Was this the unique way of flirting in the Beast World?

But regardless, the other party had helped her. She suppressed the strange feeling in her heart and sincerely thanked him: "Thank you for helping us just now."

"It was nothing."

Xing Che still smiled, his gaze sweeping towards the second floor, "Are you two planning to go up?"

Bai Yao nodded.

After receiving their affirmative reply, he directly instructed the guards: "They are my friends; they'll go upstairs with me."

The guards immediately bowed and let them pass.

Seeing this, Bai Yao secretly thought: "Tsk, there really are class distinctions everywhere."

Xing Che walked ahead. Looking at Xing Che's back, Tana excitedly tugged at Bai Yao's sleeve, her lowered voice full of excitement:

"Yao Yao, you actually know the Great Priest? He's someone who can communicate with the beast god and foresee the future. His status in the fox Tribe, and even the Beast World, is extraordinary."

"Does he like you? I heard he doesn't have a mate yet!"

Bai Yao's attention, however, was firmly caught by the words "foresee the future" and "communicate with the beast god."

Her previously excited heart instantly sank—could he see a person's past and future?

Then had he already seen through her origins and the secret of her space? Was his help because he had glimpsed something?

A huge sense of crisis gripped her, making her instantly wary of the lazy figure in front of her.

This fox is too dangerous!

She even began to consider whether she should leave immediately.

Before she could come up with an answer, Xing Che led them to a private room on the second floor with the best view.

He sat down casually, his slender fingers playing with an exquisite bone china cup. He seemed to want to say something else, but the opening announcement from the auction stage below happened to sound.

He then swallowed his words, "Let's look at the auction items first."

The auction items were dazzling: enormous pearls nurtured in the deep sea, strange shells emitting a soft glow, ancient-looking ceramics, intricately crafted beast bone weapons... Tana gasped repeatedly, but Bai Yao was uninterested—to her, these things were not rare at all; some even looked like goods one could buy from Pinduoduo... Xing Che seemed to be focusing on the downstairs, but the corner of his eye always lingered on Bai Yao.

He keenly caught the fleeting indifference in her eyes, and his heart was even more surprised.

A Female from a remote Tribe, seeing these treasures, was so calm, as if it were commonplace?

This further confirmed his previous guess—she definitely didn't belong here.

"What's wrong?"

Noticing Bai Yao's gaze, Xing Che naturally turned his head to meet her scrutinizing eyes.

Bai Yao decided to get straight to the point, probing while also seizing the opportunity: "You are the Great Priest here, so, essentially, you have the final say in this Auction House, right?"

Xing Che raised an eyebrow, a little surprised by her question, but still nodded: "You could say that."

"Then if I want to conduct a transaction here, can I talk to you directly?"

So she wants to do business?

A hint of understanding flashed in Xing Che's crimson eyes, followed by a shrewdness befitting a merchant: "Of course. However, according to the fox Tribe's rules, only the best items can be displayed on this auction stage."

He wanted to see what she could produce, and also wanted her to know that this was no ordinary marketplace.

"Just having your word is enough."

Bai Yao achieved her initial goal, then abruptly changed the subject, "Do you know me? Or rather... what do you know about me?"

She asked so suddenly that Xing Che's motion of playing with the cup paused slightly. The air in the private room seemed to freeze at that moment.

Tana was also attracted by their voices and turned to look at them.

Xing Che met her scrutinizing gaze, and deep within his crimson eyes, an emotion flashed by so quickly it was impossible to catch.