Murim Recurve

Seated at the back of the auction house was a man veiled by the gown. He was the one that had fought against Ki'Nua in a war of money to obtain the mural. After seeing the couple of young Harmonisers move the mural away from the stage, he looked at it with a longing expression, cursing softly.

The auctioneer lady had announced a short break and was just about to return backstage when the person in seat number 200 pulled out their rectangular slab, prompting one of the accountants seated in the platform embedded in the walls to pull a lever, communicating with the auctioneer lady.

She then looked at the person in seat number 200, motioning for a couple of Harmoniser to escort the person out.

He saw how the person had a short stature. And judging by the gait, she seemed feminine. 'So, either she's someone young or from the Vi Clan. But considering the amount of money she has, she should most probably be someone high up in one of the Vi Clans.'

'But, it doesn't matter. We have to obtain that mural no matter what.' He then noticed how Ki'Nua was leaving the auction house, frowning, 'If she leaves this place, tracking her would become almost impossible. After numerous difficulties, we managed to track this mural. All of us would lose our lives upon this failure. Dammit!'

'I didn't wish to resort to this. But I have no other choice now.' He scowled as he grabbed hold of a thin cylinder, the size of his finger, hung on his neck. It was shaped like a flute, only able to produce a single sound.

His hands shivered for a moment as he held it, taking in a deep breath before blowing into it. He didn't produce any sound, as if the flute was broken. But upon blowing into it, he wiped the sweat covering his forehead.

Having been spying on him all along, Re'Kha could immediately perceive something was amiss when the grey sand world around him trembled. And, thanks to her Wind Qi perception, she heard a faint high-pitched sound.

She could immediately sense that it was something that could only be registered in her Wind Qi perception and not in her ears. 'Isn't that similar to what the old lady had done while storing the three Sha?'

Re'Kha frowned, feeling jittery for a moment as she thought something might happen. Though, when she saw how there were many powerful people around her and how the auction house was situated quite near to the Royal Clan, she calmed down a little.

There were also a lot of guards and Harmonisers from the Royal Clan patrolling the area.

'If it comes to the worst, I can at least use my Rupak to fly away from this place.' She thought, calming herself. When it expanded to its maximum size, the Rupak was able to carry her on its back.

That way, she would be able to fly away. Moreover, she had enough Elemental Qi Essences to use and recover her Elemental Qi. So, Re'Kha would always be able to remain at an optimal state and act accordingly.

As she thought of it, Re'Kha extended her Wind Qi perception, training on the figure of Ki'Nua, watching her remain in a room far away and study the mural. It seemed she was waiting for the auction to end and was unable to satiate her curiosity any longer.

That was why she began to study the mural immediately. 'The target is the mural.'

Re'Kha then thought of her experience from when she stayed in the inn after arriving at Burfuna City, focusing on Ki'Nua as she mouthed a word, "Leave!"

Re'Kha immediately perceived a bubble trail from her mouth and quickly fly through the auction house, swerving through the corridors before arriving at the entrance of the room Ki'Nua was inside.

But, this room was almost air-tight. And considering the side of the bubble, it wasn't able to seep inside through the gaps. The moment it tried to pass through, it collapsed when it hit the door, causing her voice to resound in the area, startling the couple of Harmonisers who stood guard at the place.

"Leave!"

Upon hearing an unfamiliar feminine voice, the two Harmonisers were startled. Then, they looked around, seeing that no one else was around them. They looked at the faces of each other, muttering, "This doesn't seem like the voice of the lady from inside. Then…"

"Is there a Sha being birthed here?"

"I'll go and inform my aunt about this."

"Hurry back soon, don't leave me alone here."

"Are you scared?"

"Of course, I'm a hatchling Harmoniser. I can't face a Sha on my own, even if it was birthed just now."

"Fine fine, I'll be back soon."

…

Many streets away from the auction house was a restaurant. It was a fairly big restaurant, four storeys high. It faced a fairly important road and had considerable traffic.

And situated behind it was an inconspicuous house, two storeys high. And, this house was inhabited by a family who was quite well off. Their family had been living in it for generations, and hence, had saved up enough to last a couple of decades.

Moreover, the working members of the household had fairly important positions, so they were well off. Currently, their house's entrance was closed as the family members were outside, making what seemed to be a wooden sculpture.

A couple of familiar passers-by waved their hands and inquired details about it, smiling as they chit-chatted a bit before leaving. It seemed the household was having fun with the activity that they had planned for family bonding.

But, everything was a ruse. It was just to avoid any neighbours from visiting at this time and entering their house. After all, currently in their water tank, situated on their terrace were three people, standing still as they gazed at the crate before them.

And, seated in the living room was an old lady in her eighties. Currently, she was seated in a meditative pose, wearing the gloved bracelet Magic Artifact on her right hand. Her ears were trained on her surroundings, seemingly trying to hear something.

Finally, after a long time had passed, she could hear something, shooting her eyes open as she walked through the living room and climbed the stairs, sighing, "I didn't want it to come to this point. But we have no other choice but to act prematurely. If only our branch wasn't raided, obtaining that mural would have been simple."