"So, you're famous, huh?" Brian looked at Mina with a teasing smile.
"Hmph… it's nothing special," Mina replied, her cheeks flushing red.
Ever since their first meeting, Mina had found Brian both handsome and charismatic. Now, with him looking at her like that, she couldn't help feeling shy.
"Why is your face red? You're not feeling sick, are you?" Brian asked, his tone concerned but with a hint of suspicion.
She doesn't dislike me… does she? Hah, she's actually really cute and sweet. If Mina existed in my previous world, she'd probably be a top-tier celebrity—her face has this unique blend, like a mix of Asian and European features, Brian thought.
"Ah, no… I just feel a little warm," Mina murmured, her voice now so soft it was barely louder than a mosquito's buzz.
"Oh, I see." Brian nodded, then asked, "Do you know what items will be auctioned today?"
"The auction items? Wait a moment, I'll get the list from the auction house manager," Mina said.
"Alright."
Mina left the VIP room and returned less than a minute later, holding a sheet of paper.
"Here, take a look," she said, handing it to Brian.
"Thanks," Brian replied.
Scanning the list, Brian noticed several rare spirit herbs and fine weapons.
"Pick whatever you like. Aunt said you're allowed to take two items from the auction," Mina told him.
"I'll decide after I've seen them in person," Brian said calmly.
I need to inspect the items with my Divine Eye to judge their quality. If I choose blindly, I might regret it, he thought.
Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door. Mina opened it to find the VIP room guard… and a group of young men behind him.
"Mina, who are you here with? Why don't you join me instead? You can pick anything you want from the auction," said one young man dressed in overly extravagant clothes, as if he were a crown prince. His tone carried the arrogance of someone who thought this place belonged to him.
Hmm… that must be Gunt—the guy people were talking about, the one chasing after Mina, Brian thought.
Mina shot the VIP guard a glare—she had specifically told him she didn't want to be disturbed, yet here he was letting these people in. Then, turning back to Gunt, she said curtly, "I'm with someone. I can't join you, so please leave."
"With who? Don't tell me the rumors are true—that you came here with another man," Gunt said angrily, as if Mina had committed some great betrayal.
Whoa… not even her boyfriend yet and already this possessive? This is bad. I guess I'll have to step in, Brian thought.
Mina frowned, about to respond, when a voice came from behind her.
"Yes, Mina is here with a man—and that man is me, her boyfriend," Brian declared as he wrapped an arm around Mina's waist, flashing Gunt a mocking smile.
Both Mina and Gunt froze at the sudden gesture. For a moment, so did everyone else in the room. Then Mina, recovering quickly, nodded. "He's right—he's my boyfriend," she said, leaning into Brian and resting her head against his chest.
Gunt's face turned crimson with rage, veins bulging at his temples, his eyes bloodshot as if ready to explode.
"You… you… YOU!" he roared, lunging forward. "How dare you touch Mina?!"
But Gunt was only an Eighth Stage Master, no match for Brian, who was already a Grandmaster. Spoiled by wealth and lazy in cultivation, Gunt was nothing more than a pampered playboy.
With a single casual sweep of his hand, Brian sent Gunt flying into the wall. The impact knocked the breath from him, and blood trickled from his mouth as his internal organs trembled from the blow.
"What are you all standing around for? Kill that bastard!" Gunt barked at his guards, clutching his chest.
Gunt's guards rushed in together, but with Brian's strength, there was no way he could lose against mere Ninth-Stage Masters.
With a few effortless moves, the guards were sent flying, slamming into the walls with bone-jarring force. The noise drew attention from the crowd.
"What was that loud crash? Is there a fight going on?" someone asked.
"Whoever's fighting must be an idiot. How dare they cause trouble at the Cester family's auction house?"
"Exactly. The Cester family may not be like those ancient clans with thousands of years of heritage, but they're still one of the top families in the Rain Empire—home to five peak Grandmasters, with several more just below Ninth Stage."
In the Rain Empire, five major families stood just beneath the Imperial family: the Scoots, Browns, Linns, Darws, and the Ansels. Above them all was the Imperial House of Lucy.
The Cester family was primarily a merchant clan, but a powerful one—hovering just below the five great ancient families, yet far above the second-tier houses.
Among the great houses, alliances existed: the Scoots with the Ansels, the Browns with the Linns, and the Darws in close alliance with the Imperial family.
While rivalries did exist, no one dared go too far—the Imperial family's ancestors possessed unfathomable cultivation, and the Darws' close relationship with them only strengthened their authority.
"Who here is causing trouble? If you want to fight, take it outside," a voice barked.
An elderly man in his sixties stepped into view. Brian instantly sensed he was a Grandmaster, though he couldn't determine the exact stage.
"That's Old Man Laad—an Eighth-Stage Grandmaster and the auction house's manager. I'm telling you, even if it's Young Lady Scoot or Young Master Gunt of the Linn family, they could still get kicked out," someone whispered.
"True. Laad doesn't play favorites. Just last month, he punished the Brown family's young master for causing trouble here."
In another VIP room…
"Haha, this is interesting. Old Man Laad himself has stepped in—I want to see how he deals with them," a young man in luxurious clothes chuckled.
"Tch, some people really have no manners," scoffed a beautiful woman in yet another VIP room.
—
"Old Man Laad, it was that man who started the trouble," Gunt said, sweating slightly. Even as a member of an ancient family, he still feared being crushed by this elder.
His own clan wouldn't intervene to protect him—not when he was only the Linn family's third son. If war ever broke out between the Linns and the Cesters, both sides would suffer, since their number of Grandmasters was about the same.
"Don't listen to him, Grandpa Laad—he's lying," Mina said sharply.
"Stop spouting nonsense, Mina. Old Man Laad, if you don't believe me, just ask that guard," Gunt said, pointing at the auction hall's door guard who had admitted Brian and Mina.
"Yes, sir. This man is the one who caused trouble for Young Master Gunt earlier," the guard said. He assumed Brian had no real background and was only close to Mina, who was merely the Scoot family's adopted daughter. To him, siding with Gunt was the safer bet.
"You…!" Mina was furious. Even if she was adopted, she was still deeply respected—and even doted on—within the Scoot family, especially by her grandfather.
Laad stroked his beard, his sharp gaze sweeping over the scene. He was not the type to pass judgment based on words alone—he preferred to observe before deciding.
Then his eyes fell on Brian, whose calm demeanor stood out in the tense atmosphere. There was something in his face… a faint resemblance to the Cester family's First Young Lady, Tessa Cester.
"What's your name, young man?" Laad asked gently.