Chương 74: The Auction

The Sea of Clouds Pavilion, Auction Hall. Looking at the item being brought onto the stage, Song Que felt a surge of excitement in his heart. Out of all the items up for auction, this was the most important one to him!

"Please continue, everyone. Next is a medicinal herb. As you all know, a Jade Spirit Ginseng over 500 years old is incredibly beneficial to everyone here. If you can find a grandmaster alchemist to refine it into pills, its effects will be magnified many times over! The starting price is 2000 taels of silver. Let the bidding begin!"

"2500 taels!" Song Que called out without hesitation. He was determined to get this item. Sitting beside him, Yun Shan wasn't surprised. He already knew clearly how desperately this kid thirsted for spirit herbs.

"Excellent, we have a bid of 2500 taels! But I believe that's not the final price. Are there any higher bids?"

"2600 taels!" someone raised their hand and bid.

"My Gang Master bids 3000 taels!" At this moment, the members of the Lingjiang Gang, who had been sitting quietly observing, spoke up. The noisy hall instantly went deathly silent. No one wanted to cross Old Du. They were afraid of giving them an excuse to cause trouble. The sheer deterrent power of the Lingjiang Gang was evident from this alone. Song Que also hesitated slightly, but after just two or three seconds, he tossed those concerns to the back of his mind. Advancing the Tesseract is what's truly important!

F ck the Lingjiang Gang! *"4000 taels!" Having just skimmed several thousand taels from the casinos under their control last night, Grandee Song shouted without the slightest heartache. Following Song Que's bid, the inner hall plunged into a dead silence, broken only by the sound of sharp intakes of breath. Countless eyes shot toward their private box, eager to see the identity of the person inside. Du Ruhui, who had been leaning back in his chair with his eyes half-closed, suddenly opened them.

Two rays of brilliant, almost tangible light shot from his eyes.

"Gang Master, should I go over there and take a look?" In their box, a man standing beside Du Ruhui spoke up, not bothering to lower his voice, allowing the whole hall to hear. Smiling enigmatically, Old Du uncharacteristically didn't blow up. He waved his hand magnanimously:"It's an auction. Whoever bids the highest gets it. Let's not give Pavilion Master Yun an excuse to say we're breaking the rules." Saying that, he closed his eyes again to rest, seemingly harboring no intention of raising the bid....

In the other private box, looking at Song Que sitting as calm as a cucumber, Old Yun secretly wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. Beside him, Zhong Hong's back was already drenched in cold sweat as if he'd just taken a bath. Never mind the suffocating pressure of the Lingjiang Gang itself—even without them doing anything, just having hundreds of eyes glaring at their box was terrifying enough, despite the bamboo screen blocking their view!

Seeing Song Que still calmly holding his teacup and taking a small sip, Old Yun couldn't help but admire him. Just based on this bearing alone, Old Yun admitted he fell far short. What he didn't know was that Song Que was actually gritting his teeth and taking a massive gamble. Right now, he was internally wondering: If I get chopped to pieces by someone, can I still survive with just a sliver of my soul remaining?

This question was far too profound, and he didn't dare test it in reality, so he could only sit there deep in thought. Down on the stage, Lai Wenhuy didn't dare let the silence drag on. He hurriedly called out to draw the crowd's attention back:"VIP Box Number 7 bids 4000 taels! Are there any higher bids? Three... two... one... Sold! Congratulations to that friend!"

"Let us move on to the next item: a set of sword techniques..." Hearing the sound of the gavel dropping, Song Que smiled happily and raised an eyebrow. All his previous worries were tossed out the window. Right now, his only concern was whether this ginseng could make the Tesseract fully advance and turn orange! Once that happened, his strength would experience a meteoric rise, giving him an even firmer grasp on the current situation in Qinghe County.

"Congratulations, Young Master Song." Sitting beside him, Yun Shan timely offered his congratulations. Meanwhile, Brother Hong was still sitting there, anxious and restless. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Haha, thank you, Senior Yun. How do I go about paying for this?"

"A staff member will bring the item to you shortly for inspection. If there are no issues, you can pay and receive the goods on the spot, or you can leave it here and pick it up within two days."

"As for you, Young Master Song, you can take the item directly and just send the silver to me later." Yun Shan was now even more eager to befriend Song Que and replied enthusiastically. He firmly believed that as long as this kid didn't die prematurely, he would at least reach Elder Kong's level in the future! As for becoming a First-Tier expert, that required serendipity and luck. Even with the Yun Family's full support, they only had two, one of whom was the current Patriarch. He didn't dare think that far ahead.

"I can still afford a few thousand taels. But I thank Senior for his kind intentions." Song Que had casually dropped ten thousand taels to buy a house; taking out 4000 taels now didn't surprise Old Yun at all. But hearing this, Brother Hong beside them nearly popped his eyes out. Does this kid draw his own money?! How is it that the money in his pockets never seems to run out?! He had never seen Song Que seriously work to earn money, yet the truth was, the more he spent, the more he seemed to have!

It was truly baffling! Song Que naturally didn't explain. When the staff member brought the item up, he straightforwardly pulled a stack of banknotes from his robes, counted out 4000 taels, handed it to her, and only then opened the box to inspect the goods. Jade Spirit Ginseng was a precious species, far rarer than ordinary wild ginseng. Its medicinal properties were more complete, yet its effects weren't as violent and overbearing as regular ginseng. Therefore, its price was several times higher.

A 500-year-old Jade Spirit Ginseng was comparable to an ordinary 600-year-old wild ginseng! This should definitely be enough for the Tesseract to advance! Although he desperately wanted to find a quiet place to test it immediately, he was currently in a crowded place. Song Que regretfully closed the box, stored it carefully, and continued watching the auction below. Only Brother Hong was left staring blankly. He had zero interest in anything else; his eyes were glued to the stack of banknotes, drooling internally.

As for the Lingjiang Gang? They had long been tossed into some forgotten corner of his mind....

"Next is a weapon! This type of weapon is rarely used here. But for those who love archery, it is a priceless treasure! The Flowing Cloud Bow! Although it is only a One-Star bow, its power cannot be underestimated! Is there any friend who desires it? Starting price: 2000 taels!"

"2200 taels!" Song Que called out. Bows were quite rare, and compared to ordinary weapons, they were much more expensive. Because of this, very few people chose them. Following him, a few people placed scattered bids. Ultimately, he secured the item for 2500 taels. With this, his goals for today were fulfilled. As for the remaining treasures, he either had no interest or lacked the financial power to compete for them. He decided to just sit back and be a spectator.... In the observation room.

Hearing her subordinate report that Song Que had actually paid for the two items in cash, Yun Xi's curiosity deepened. She was becoming increasingly intrigued by this person who dared to pluck the tiger's whiskers by challenging Du Ruhui.

"Qing Zhu, remind Uncle Shan to investigate this person thoroughly. I want to know every single piece of information about him, no matter how small! Furthermore, I want a detailed investigation into where his money comes from!"

"Understood, Miss."... As the auction progressed, the prices of the items began to skyrocket. Now, the starting prices were all 5000 taels or more. Grandee Song didn't dare play in that league.

"Everyone, the critical moment has arrived! We are now about to auction today's finale items!" Down below, everyone's nerves grew tense as they stared intently at Lai Wenhuy. He slowly and deliberately dragged out his words:"I present... the Qi-Gathering Pill!" As the wooden box was opened, a round pill the size of a longan lay nestled in the jade box within, emitting a faint, incredibly pleasant fragrance.

Quickly closing the box tightly, Elder Lai's mouth began to fly as he advertised it:"This pill was painstakingly obtained by our Patriarch from the Hundred Herbs Valley! You all know its effects: it can increase the probability of a peak Sixth-Grade martial artist successfully gathering their true Qi to break through by twenty percent!"

"Buying this could very well add a First-Tier martial artist to your family! Even if it fails, the insights gained will still be there. Buying it is not a loss! Please do not miss this, everyone! The starting price is 20, 000 taels! Let the bidding begin!"

"21, 000 taels! I want this item!" Du Ruhui, who had been watching the entire time, now dominantly declared. Below the stage, the families looked at each other. Finally, they gritted their teeth and went all in. Who among those capable of competing for this item wasn't from a major clan or a faction with deep foundations? They couldn't just give up this opportunity because of one sentence from Old Du.

Moreover, if their family produced a Seventh-Grade martial artist, who would fear whom then was still up in the air! Therefore, they all began to shout out bids, and the price climbed in a straight line! 25, 000 taels! 30, 000 taels! 35, 000 taels!

"39, 000 taels! The Chen Family Patriarch bids 39, 000 taels! Are there any higher bids? Everyone, don't just look at it as a pill; consider it a First-Tier expert! Buying it for 40, 000 taels is absolutely not a loss! Any higher bids?!" Below the stage, many secretly curled their lips in disdain. If this pill guaranteed advancement to the First Tier, we would smash our pots and sell our iron to buy it! But this is just an illusory 20% chance!

Unless it was being bought for oneself or a close relative, and they already had a high level of certainty, the gangs here wouldn't easily risk such a massive investment. Watching the sparse response from the crowd, Lai Wenhuy sighed inwardly. It seemed he couldn't break the 30, 000 tael barrier after all. After asking a few more times with no one raising the price, he reluctantly struck the gavel:"Congratulations to Patriarch Chen!

I wish you a speedy breakthrough to the Seventh Grade, so our Commandery may welcome another First-Tier expert!" Hearing the gavel drop, a group of people in another private box erupted in cheers, jumping for joy. Leading them was a middle-aged man with dignified features and an elegant, romantic demeanor. Surrounding him was a group of young men and women, their faces flushed red with excitement.

Hearing Lai Wenhuy's congratulations, Patriarch Chen laughed loudly and cupped his hands to the crowd:"Haha, thank you for your auspicious words, Brother Lai! And thank you, everyone, for yielding!"

"That is the Patriarch of the Chen Family; his cultivation is at the peak of the Sixth Grade. He rarely meets his match among those of the same level. If he successfully advances, the Chen Family will definitely become a force that cannot be ignored!" Yun Shan, ever dutiful, continued to introduce people to Song Que and Zhong Hong.

"The young man beside him is Chen Zihao, a famous young talent in the Commandery Capital. At barely twenty years old, he's already a quasi-Second-Tier martial artist! His strength is extraordinary." Hearing this, Song Que secretly took note. To have that kind of strength at around Brother Hong's age is truly incredibly rare! Furthermore, he inherited his father's jade-tree-like, handsome appearance! Tsk tsk. He's only slightly inferior to this handsome guy right here!