The price Ya Fei quoted momentarily stunned the hall into silence, but it wasn't long before a young man — his mind thoroughly bewitched by every smile and gesture the auctioneer had made — blurted out: "Sixteen thousand!"
After shouting the bid, the pale-faced youth attempted an elegant bow toward Ya Fei on the stage, completely failing to notice that his eyes were glued to her ample chest the entire time.
Ya Fei privately dismissed the young man with cold contempt — his brain had clearly been replaced by something far less admirable — but outwardly she maintained a flawless smile. "Any further bids?" she called sweetly.
"Seventeen thousand."
"Nineteen thousand!"
After a brief lull, the hall erupted once more. Rising bids rang out in rapid succession, and the young man's face flushed crimson with embarrassment. When the price reached twenty-three thousand, he slunk back into his seat in silence.
Listening to the steadily climbing numbers, Xiao Yan could only whistle in astonishment. The crowd's appetite for the Foundation Liquid had far exceeded his expectations. The decision to let the Mitel Auction House handle the publicity was proving to be a wise one.
For this first bottle, the three great families had adopted the role of spectators, declining to open the bidding. The weaker factions seized the opportunity and drove the price up desperately, each determined to claim the prize. After all, an elixir capable of accelerating Dou Power cultivation was exceedingly rare across the entire Jia Ma Empire.
After nearly half an hour of escalating bids, the first bottle finally settled at a staggering forty-seven thousand gold coins.
Xiao Yan watched the plump man who had won the bid practically glowing with delight and could only shake his head in speechlessness. He hadn't expected the frenzy to exceed even his father's purchase price last time. A bottle of Foundation Liquid that cost barely a thousand gold coins to produce had been bid up by dozens of times — the terrifying profit margin made him click his tongue involuntarily.
Resting his chin in his palm, Xiao Yan blinked and a thought drifted through his mind: if he hadn't met Yao Lao, he probably wouldn't have had the privilege of soaking in Foundation Liquid every day either.
Relieved by the high price, Ya Fei allowed herself a private moment of satisfaction. *This price should satisfy that mysterious benefactor. If it earns us even a fraction more goodwill, that's enough.*
She gently shook off the thought and addressed the disappointed faces throughout the hall with a warm smile. Before everyone's eyes, she produced another jade plate — this one bearing two white jade bottles. "The remaining six bottles of Foundation Liquid will be auctioned in three lots of two each. Starting price: thirty thousand gold coins!"
The hall fell into an eerie calm. Pairs of eyes began drifting toward the three great families seated in the front row. Everyone knew the real players were about to enter.
"Thirty-one thousand." Jie Lie Bi, patriarch of the Jie Lie family, finally broke his silence with a sluggish bid.
"Heh heh, Jie Lie Bi — did you spend the family fortune last time buying that cultivation technique? How so miserly now? You can only raise it by a thousand?" Ao Ba Pa, who shared no love for the Jie Lie patriarch, immediately mocked.
Jie Lie Bi's face twitched. He shot Ao Ba Pa a venomous glare but held his tongue, his cold eyes fixed on the white jade bottles on the podium.
"Thirty-five thousand." Ao Ba Pa raised his hand with a casual air.
"Thirty-eight thousand." Jie Lie Bi countered, his voice like ice.
"Forty-five thousand." Ao Ba Pa's expression dripped with provocation.
"Fifty thousand." As Jie Lie Bi called out the number, his hand trembled slightly. Ao Ba Pa's earlier words, though harsh, were not untrue — last time, in his desperate bid for that high-grade Heaven-tier technique, he had nearly depleted the Jie Lie family's savings of several years. The family's assets had contracted by twenty to thirty percent since.
"Fifty-five thousand."
"Fifty-six thousand..."
Watching the two men locked in what amounted to a battle of pride, everyone in the hall let out a sigh of regret. Even with sufficient funds, they lacked the strength to compete with the three great families. Each of the three clans in Wutan City boasted at least three Great Dou Master-level fighters!
Economic power was the foundation of a family's strength, but without the military might to protect that wealth, no amount of gold could keep one's spine straight.
Sensing the reality of the situation, the onlookers wisely stayed out of the fray, occasionally casting glances toward the Xiao Clan — the one family that had yet to make a move.
When the bidding climbed to seventy-three thousand, Jie Lie Bi finally withdrew, his face ashen. The family could no longer sustain such extravagance.
Ao Ba Pa shrank back in his seat with a triumphant grin, his face alight with glee.
Throughout the contest, Ya Fei had maintained her captivating smile on stage, observing the two rivals as though they were fattened sheep being led to market. When the final price was settled, she tapped her gavel with a hint of reluctance.
When she brought out the next two bottles, Xiao Zhan — who had remained silent until now — finally raised his hand. His voice, calm and measured, cut through the hall before Jie Lie Bi could even open his mouth.
"Seventy-five thousand." The flat tone carried an air of absolute resolve, reverberating through the chamber.
Ya Fei was momentarily stunned by Xiao Zhan's boldness. After a brief pause, she smiled and asked: "Any further bids?"
Jie Lie Bi sat rigid in his chair, his gaze fixed on the faintly smiling Xiao Zhan with undisguised malice. *Damn it!* he cursed inwardly. *If that bastard hadn't tricked me last time, the Jie Lie family wouldn't be in this pathetic position!*
His eyes flickered with calculation. Then, gritting his teeth, he suddenly barked: "Eighty-five thousand!"
"Ninety-five thousand!" Xiao Zhan waved his hand dismissively, as though Jie Lie Bi's bid was beneath his concern, his posture radiating the magnanimous confidence of a man willing to match any price.
The corners of Jie Lie Bi's mouth twitched at Xiao Zhan's iron resolve. Deep in his pupils, a flash of secret satisfaction gleamed. With a show of reluctance, he clenched his teeth and declared: "One hundred thousand!"
The hall erupted. Gasps and exclamations poured from the crowd like a waterfall. One hundred thousand gold coins for two bottles of Foundation Liquid was an obvious loss.
Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes at Jie Lie Bi, who appeared prepared to fight to the death. He let out a soft laugh and shook his head, turning to whisper to Xun'er: "I'll bet you — if Father raises the bid one more time, that fellow will immediately dump this losing deal."
Xun'er blinked her long lashes. She hadn't been following the battle closely and looked momentarily puzzled. "He looks like he really wants them."
Xiao Yan chuckled but said nothing more.
Up in the front row, Xiao Zhan listened to Jie Lie Bi's counter-bid and fell silent for a moment. Then he rose abruptly to his feet, fixing Jie Lie Bi with an oddly amused stare. After a pause, he broke into a gentle smile and spoke words that left the other man stunned:
"You win..."
---