18. Full of Sincerity
Gong Yiling had no intention of bidding on such things.
However, the experience of casually throwing down fifteen thousand taels earlier had been exhilarating for Miss Gong, who in her previous life had hesitated even when buying KFC.
Honestly, as a member of the demonic sect, surrounded by righteous cultivators, many of whom she knew had skeletons in their closets…
As the Young Palace Master of the Blood Orchid Palace, she didn’t need a reason to mess with them.
“Fifty thousand taels of silver.”
“Fifty thousand two hundred.”
“Fifty thousand five hundred.”
“Fifty thousand eight hundred.”
“Sixty thousand!”
The price quickly soared past ninety thousand.
But it was at this point that the third-floor VIPs began to show their true colors.
“One hundred thousand.”
An elderly male voice raised the price by a significant margin.
It was Elder Chen Zizhi of Chongyun Daoist Mountain, whom she had seen earlier.
“One hundred and ten thousand,” another woman on the third floor bid.
“One hundred and thirty thousand.”
“One hundred and fifty thousand.”
“One hundred and eighty thousand.”
This was what having money looked like.
The two bidders seemed to be locked in a battle, pushing the price to one hundred and eighty thousand.
In reality, a single supreme quality Soul Returning Pill could fetch up to twenty thousand taels, putting the price of the entire bottle at around three hundred thousand taels.
And that didn’t include the added cost of building connections.
If one could gain the favor of the master alchemist, four or five hundred thousand would be acceptable.
“Two hundred thousand,” the woman continued to bid.
“Princess,” Elder Chen Zizhi seemed agitated. “The Heartflame Empire has its own court alchemist. Are you… making things difficult for this old man?”
But the woman, addressed as Princess, wasn’t backing down.
“The auction house has its rules. The highest bidder wins. Elder Chen, are you trying to make me look bad?”
“You…!”
Elder Chen’s face flushed with anger.
“In that case, I won’t hold back.” A dark look crossed his face. “Two hundred and fifty thousand taels.”
So far, the bidding was proceeding as described in the novel. And as expected, a third party was about to join the fray.
“Two hundred and fifty thousand and one tael.”
This bid stunned everyone.
Everyone else was bidding in increments of thousands, why was this person being so stingy?
But then the bidder continued, “Any further bidders will be killed without mercy.”
This arrogant tone and the implied threat shocked everyone, even the host, who looked troubled.
The speaker was Young Master Xuli.
Despite his arrogance, he had the backing to support it. His father was the Sect Master of Xuxuan Daoist Mountain, ranked eighth among the Hundred Paths Mountain sects.
Because he was born late in his father’s life, Young Master Xuli was doted on, and his father would protect him no matter what he did.
Although there were complaints within the Hundred Paths Mountain, Sect Master Xuxuan was a key figure in the fight against the demonic sects. As long as his son didn’t do anything outrageous like slaughtering an entire city, he could do as he pleased.
No one was happy to encounter this young master here.
However, not everyone would give him face.
“Twenty thousand taels per supreme quality Soul Returning Pill is not unreasonable. Young Master, are you looking down on the master behind these pills by only bidding two hundred and fifty thousand and one tael?”
A sudden deep male voice echoed through the hall.
“So what? Why should this young master respect a mere alchemist?”
“Young Master, you may be arrogant, but I am not. Therefore, I bid…”
Gong Yiling casually waved her fan and spoke into the speaking tube, “Three hundred thousand taels.”
“You…!”
Young Master Xuli’s voice was filled with anger. “Three hundred thousand and one tael.”
“Three hundred and fifty thousand taels.”
“Three hundred and fifty thousand and one tael.”
“Four hundred thousand taels.”
“Four hundred thousand and one tael.”
“Five hundred thousand taels.”
When Gong Yiling made this bid, Qiu Shui’s face paled.
She knew how much money the Young Palace Master had brought. This was clearly a reckless bid.
Unless she was planning to pawn her treasures.
“Young Palace Master, are you…?”
Miss Gong just smiled mysteriously at Qiu Shui’s question. “Don’t worry, this Palace Master has no interest in these pills. It’s just a little trick to annoy someone.”
“Huh…?”
“With such provocation, he won’t give up easily.”
“Does the Young Palace Master have a grudge against him?”
“A grudge?” Gong Yiling chuckled and shook her head. “No grudge. I just find him unpleasant. It amuses me.”
“Pfft…”
Qiu Shui couldn’t help but chuckle, unsure of what to say.
But Gong Yiling wasn’t causing trouble without reason. Sect Master Xuxuan was one of those who had ambushed her in the past. Naturally, she wouldn’t be polite to his son.
At this moment, Young Master Xuli finally made his bid, “Five hundred thousand and one tael.”
“Now that’s more like it, Young Master Xuli. I’ll accept your sincerity on behalf of the master alchemist.”
Gong Yiling broadcast these words through the speaking tube, and scattered laughter could be heard from outside.
Someone daring to challenge this arrogant young master was quite satisfying.
“However,” Miss Gong wasn’t done yet, “Six hundred thousand. Young Master Xuli, please part with these pills. Someone of your status probably doesn’t carry much money, right?”
“Eight hundred thousand!”
Young Master Xuli’s bid was impulsive.
Simply put…
He was enraged.
Gong Yiling’s last remark had infuriated him, causing him to lose control.
When he finally came to his senses, he realized he had spent eight hundred thousand taels of silver on fifteen mid-grade pills!?
With that money, he could have bought high-grade potential-enhancing pills of excellent quality.
“It seems Young Master Xuli is truly sincere!” Gong Yiling said admiringly. “Although I do have a request for the master alchemist, and I wonder if their medical skills are equally impressive, but…”
“Alas, my purse is light. Even after searching my entire person, I could only find around six hundred thousand. It seems I’ll have to find another way.”
She acted sincere, showing no sign of deliberately provoking him.
Meanwhile, Young Master Xuli was furiously ordering his subordinates,
“Have you found out yet? Who is that bastard?”
“We’ve obtained the registration list from the Yaoshan Auction House. Only one person in the third-floor VIP area didn’t enter through the special access passage. We’re still investigating the purchaser of that ticket.”
“Find out quickly! I want information by today!” Young Master Xuli’s eyes flashed with murderous intent. “If I find out who that person is, I’ll tear them to pieces!”
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