Lin Mu was unaware of the conversation that had happened between the silent Elder Ho and the Maid Min Ju. Instead, he was wondering just what it was that Lady Kang wanted to talk to him in private about.
~shua~
As soon as he entered the room, he felt the isolation array activate and secure the room. No sound from the room would go out and vice versa. Similarly, one could not sense what was happening inside with their Immortal sense either.
'They changed the room?' Looking inside, Lin Mu found the room to be different than the ones he had seen before.
All the rooms on the floor had the same design and the same set of furniture. But this room seemed to have been entirely changed. There were tassel curtains hanging in the room, with a large cultivation bed in the middle. The bed was crucial and had hundreds of runes carved on it, which were meant to enhance the cultivation experience. The smaller desk in the room had been replaced by a large study desk which had writing instruments like a set of brushes, an inkstone and several ink sticks present on it.
A stack of parchment papers could be seen on the side, along with a small shelf full of scrolls. Lin Mu noticed the faint scent of ink coming from the scrolls on the shelf, showing that they had been freshly written.
'Was she working?' Lin Mu thought upon seeing a half written scroll on the table.
"My work rarely stops." Lady Kang interrupted him, upon seeing his gaze.
"Ah, I guess you have a lot of work." Lin Mu replied. "You've barely been here fifteen minutes." He said, recalling how long it had taken him to get here.
"I do yes… Running a business on the scale of the Great Kang Auction house comes with a heavy workload." Lady Kang replied before gesturing to him to sit. "Come, take a seat." "Sure," Lin Mu said, sitting at the table which had been changed to a large one. Content © 2024.
The chairs had also been replaced by them and now had a soft cushion along with a mild Qi channeling array that helped keep one comfortable, even if they sat for long periods of time.
The equipment was all of luxurious quality and showed the wealth of the woman.
"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Lin Mu inquired.
"Your skills." Lady Kang jumped to it directly. "Your Spatial Skills, to be exact." She revealed.
"Huh?" Lin Mu's expression changed, not having expected this at all. "How do you… know that?" he narrowed his eyes.
"The auction for the Spiral Flake crystal." Lady Kang replied. "You might have used the mask, but it's hard to hide skills like those." She added.
"You were there…" Lin Mu started to figure it out. "What were you doing there?" he couldn't help but ask.
"I was, yes." Lady Kang replied. "That was the time when Qiao De had called me to discuss about the expedition." She answered.
"Hmm… and you just happened to follow me?" Lin Mu questioned.
"I don't need to follow when I can sense it all from afar," Lady Kang smirked. "You were still within the scope of my Immortal sense and your way of fighting was flashy enough too." She added.
"So that's how you confirmed it was me." Lin Mu hadn't expected her to be someone from back then.
"Your use of that bow and other weapons basically confirmed it all for me." Lady Kang stated. "If you wanted to really hide your skills, you should've avoided using them as well." She advised.
~Sigh~
"It's fine. That wasn't my goal anyway." Lin Mu said after a moment. "I simply wished to increase my proficiency with the other skills I have. Rather than relying on my spatial skills." He explained.
"So it was a self imposed restriction… a challenge of sorts?" She questioned.
"Yes." Lin Mu nodded.
"Hmm… Cultivators who use the Spatial Element do tend to become reliant on them. A common trend I've seen often." Lady Kang replied, catching Lin Mu's intrigue. "I guess it is good that you did this. You're already doing better than several other Spatial masters, I suppose." She praised in a genuine tone.
"They do?" Lin Mu questioned. "You've seen more spatial masters?" he inquired.
"Quite a lot… Our Auction house sells enough spatial tools that we have our own set of spatial masters that make them." She answered, shocking Lin Mu. "Though they aren't exactly spatial masters that have a proper affinity with the Spatial element." She added.
"As in, they are Formation masters that can use some aspects of the Spatial element?" Lin Mu guessed what she was getting at.
"Indeed." Lady Kang nodded her head. "So while they can make the spatial tools, and even some spatial formations, they aren't actually true Spatial masters who have an affinity with the Spatial element." She clarified.
Listening to her words so far, Lin Mu started to figure out why she had asked to meet him here.
'Does she want to…' a few thoughts wandered into Lin Mu's mind.
"But you… You have a natural affinity to the Spatial element, don't you?" Lady Kang asked with an amused expression. "I've seen the way you fought against the members of the Saber Battle union… it was not speed, it was teleportation." She said, but Lin Mu stayed silent.
"And teleportation at that level is not done by an Immortal tool intended for teleportation. At least it could not be used several times in a row like that. Plus, using it several times in a row like that would also leave behind spatial disturbance that could be detected by others.
But I… didn't sense any. Stealthily using spatial skills like that is only possible for a cultivator who has an affinity with the space and also the proficiency to hide all that." Lady Kang gave her an analysis. "I'm right, aren't I?" she questioned.