Lan Yueli, standing at the auction table, felt a flicker of irritation, but there was nothing she could say, Chen Xiao hadn't broken any rules outright. He had simply relied on his influence to force the competition out before it began.
"Then, this first set of excellent-grade Marrow Cleansing Potions goes to Young Master Chen," Lan Yueli declared after confirming that no one else intended to bid.
Chen Xiao received the announcement with a faint sneer, turning his eyes toward Li Yun. In his mind, Li Yun's silence during the bidding was a retreat. He had half-expected Li Yun to challenge him, and the fact that he didn't only made Chen Xiao believe his earlier show of dominance had worked.
Yet retreat or not, Chen Xiao had no intention of letting the matter go. Li Yun had refused to give up the second set of purple fruits earlier, defying him in front of so many witnesses. That public embarrassment was not something Chen Xiao would forgive.
"The next item is another set of excellent-grade Marrow Cleansing Potions, with the same base price of twenty thousand gold coins," Lan Yueli continued, moving the auction forward.
"Thirty thousand gold coins," Chen Xiao said immediately, his voice unwavering. "I want this set of potions too."
By now, the tension in the hall was beginning to boil beneath the surface. Though few dared to speak their thoughts aloud, many attendees felt the same growing dissatisfaction, Chen Xiao's dominance was becoming excessive. 'Chen Xiao, your Chen family needs this potion, but what about the rest of us? Are we to walk away empty-handed?'
As if sensing the shift in sentiment, Chen Xiao spoke again, his tone calm yet calculated. "No matter how many other excellent-grade Marrow Cleansing Potions appear in today's auction, I will not bid. I only want these two sets."
It was a statement with intent. By drawing a line, he was reassuring the others, this wasn't an attempt to monopolize everything, just what he claimed as his share. And it worked. Several people who had been on the verge of raising the price thought better of it and quietly backed down.
Chen Xiao had once again secured his prize without real competition.
***
Li Yun quietly let out a breath of relief in his heart.
These excellent-grade Marrow Cleansing Potions were his own consignments to the Treasure Pavilion; naturally, he had no intention of buying them back himself. The relief came from the fact that he still owed the Pavilion sixty thousand gold coins from earlier purchases. Now, with two full sets already sold at high prices, he had a secure means of earning back what he owed.
Even so, he couldn't help but feel displeased with Chen Xiao's behavior. If it weren't for that man's blatant interference, the bidding for each set might have gone higher. Li Yun wanted the price pushed to the limit, after all, the higher the winning bid, the more profit he would see.
But even with Chen Xiao monopolizing the first two sets, a price of thirty thousand gold coins each was not bad, and he could live with it.
On the auction stage, Lan Yueli continued, "The third set of Marrow Cleansing Potions will start at a base price of twenty thousand gold coins. You may begin bidding now."
The crowd stirred again, this time with renewed energy. Those who had feared the potions might run out before they had a chance felt reassured, there were still sets available. All eyes brightened as they prepared to compete.
"Thirty thousand gold coins!" Zhao Xiaotian was the first to call out, clearly eager to make his claim.
Chen Xiao remained silent. He had promised earlier that he would not bid beyond the two sets he had already taken, and as arrogant as he was, he understood that breaking his word would damage his image. For someone like him, reputation was also a form of power.
"I, Zhao Xiaotian, will take this third set of Marrow Cleansing Potions. I only want one set and won't bid for the rest," Zhao declared, clearly attempting to imitate Chen Xiao's earlier display of dominance.
But Zhao Xiaotian was not Chen Xiao. His words held far less weight, and almost immediately, someone broke through his bid.
"Thirty-one thousand gold coins!" The voice came from a young man in white, seated a short distance away.
Zhao Xiaotian's expression darkened in an instant. He turned his gaze toward the speaker, but the glare he gave was restrained. The man in white was no ordinary opponent, he was from the City Lord's Mansion and, more importantly, the nephew of Azure Wind City's City Lord. Picking a fight with him would be courting disaster.
"Thirty-two thousand gold coins," Zhao Xiaotian countered, forcing his voice to remain steady.
"Thirty-five thousand gold coins," the young man in white replied with a calm smile, effortlessly raising the price again.
"Thirty-six thousand gold coins," Zhao said in a low but firm tone. His father's orders still rang in his ears, he was to secure the Marrow Cleansing Potion at any cost. To give up now would be to fail in the one task he had been given, and that was something he could not allow to happen.
"Forty thousand!"
The young man in white calmly raised his hand, four fingers extended. His name was Han Yun.
Han Yun was not someone who frequently sought the spotlight. Even as the nephew of Azure Wind City's lord, his name was not as widely recognized as Zhao Xiaotian's. But his lack of public presence didn't mean he lacked strength, far from it.
His cultivation was at the 3rd level of Body Tempering Realm which was already the peak level geniuses of the Azure Wind City.
The excellent-grade Marrow Cleansing Potion was the key he needed to shatter the barrier.
"Young Master Zhao," Han Yun said with a cordial smile, glancing at Zhao Xiaotian, "I intend to pay the highest price for this set of Marrow Cleansing Potions. If you would be willing to let me have them, I would be deeply grateful. In return, I will ensure that the next set of Marrow Cleansing Potions goes directly to you."
Zhao Xiaotian's eyes flickered with conflict. He was reluctant to give up, he still wanted this set for himself. But Han Yun's words made him pause. Lan Yueli hadn't announced that this was the final set, which meant there could still be another round.
If this were the last set, the Treasure Pavilion would have made that clear to drive the price even higher. Since there was still a chance for him to bid later, perhaps it was wiser to back down for now and save his resources.
"Since Brother Han has spoken, how could I refuse to give him face? I'll let you have this set," Zhao Xiaotian finally said.
"Thank you." Han Yun gave him a respectful bow.
As for the other attendees, the price had already climbed to forty thousand gold coins, putting the set far beyond their reach. Had the bidding stopped below forty thousand, some might have tried to compete, but at this price, most of their families or factions could not justify the expense.
The third set of excellent-grade Marrow Cleansing Potions was thus secured by Han Yun.
"Next, we will auction the fourth set of Marrow Cleansing Potions," Lan Yueli announced, holding up another tray. "This will be the final set of excellent-grade Marrow Cleansing Potions for today's auction. If you miss it, you may not have another chance for quite some time."
Upon hearing it was the last set, Zhao Xiaotian's hand clenched into a fist. This was it, no matter the cost, he had to win this one.
"Thirty thousand gold coins!" he shouted before Lan Yueli had even officially opened the bidding. His eagerness drew a few raised eyebrows from the crowd.
But almost immediately, his offer was buried under a wave of rapid bids.
"Thirty-one thousand!"
"Thirty-two thousand gold coins!"
…
"Thirty-five thousand!"
"Forty thousand!"
In just a short exchange, the final set's price had skyrocketed to forty thousand gold coins.
"Forty-two thousand gold coins," Zhao Xiaotian growled, his eyes bloodshot as he locked his gaze on the five bottles before him, determined not to let them slip away.
At this point, Li Yun leaned back slightly, his eyes half-closed as though he were dozing, but in truth, he was savoring the moment. Inside, he was deeply satisfied, the prices fetched by the last two sets of Marrow Cleansing Potions had exceeded even his own optimistic predictions.
'The third set went for forty thousand gold coins,' he thought, a faint smile tugging at his lips. 'The earnings from the first two sets alone are almost enough to cover the sixty thousand I owe the Treasure Pavilion. That means, after the auction fees are taken from this third set's forty thousand, everything else goes straight into my pocket. I still have twelve thousand gold coins on hand, and with Sister Hua's ten thousand, that makes sixty thousand in total.' His eyes remained half-shut, but his mind was sharp and calculating.
Then, slowly, he opened his eyes.
On the stage, the bidding for the final set had slowed. After Zhao Xiaotian called out forty-two thousand gold coins, the room fell quiet. No one else was willing to push the price higher, it had already reached a point beyond most people's limits.
Seeing the silence, Zhao Xiaotian allowed himself a breath of relief. This set would be his. The price was steep, yes, but fulfilling his father's order was worth it. Victory felt within reach.
"Sixty thousand!"
The voice sliced through the quiet like a blade, silencing the auction hall entirely. Every head turned toward the source, and all eyes landed on Li Yun.
For a heartbeat, the entire room seemed frozen. Then, a wave of disbelief rippled through the crowd.
'Is he insane?'
Excellent-grade Marrow Cleansing Potions were valuable, yes, but no matter how precious, five bottles together still didn't justify sixty thousand gold coins. Was Li Yun simply throwing this number out to stop Zhao Xiaotian from claiming the final set? Was this nothing more than a deliberate act of provocation?
And another question, where could Li Yun possibly have gotten such an amount? The Li family had wealth, but would they really give him that much to spend freely? Many second- and even first-tier families in Azure Wind City would struggle to produce sixty thousand gold coins in liquid cash without difficulty.
"Li Yun, are you crazy?!" Zhao Xiaotian finally exploded, his eyes bloodshot as he glared across the room. He understood instantly that this was aimed squarely at him. Yet he had no clear counter. If he backed down now, he would fail the task his father had given him, and that was not an option.
'What should I do?' The thought pounded in his head, but no answer came.
Li Yun, in contrast, looked perfectly at ease. His lips curved into a calm, almost mocking smile as he said in a leisurely tone, "It seems Young Master Zhao won't be taking home the excellent-grade Marrow Cleansing Potions today."
"Seventy thousand gold coins!" Zhao Xiaotian's roar shook the auction hall as he called out his new bid.
Under normal circumstances, he would never dream of spending such a staggering amount on just five bottles of Marrow Cleansing Potion. The price was utterly unreasonable. But today was different, his composure had been shattered, his rational thinking clouded by fury. Li Yun's deliberate provocation had driven him to the edge.
Still, Zhao Xiaotian wasn't entirely reckless. This was a calculated act born out of anger.
'If you want to play, Li Yun, then let's play properly.'
Seventy thousand gold coins was his counterattack. Inside, however, he had already decided, if Li Yun dared to raise the price again, he would back down instantly. Even if that meant returning home empty-handed and enduring his father's wrath, he would accept it. But he would never allow Li Yun to walk away from this unscathed.
His eyes burned like twin blades as he fixed his gaze on Li Yun. If Li Yun chose to push the price higher, he would have to pay an astronomical sum, and that would be enough to cause him real pain. Seventy thousand gold coins could buy an entirely new set of excellent-grade potions.
'Let's see how he explains that to his family when the time comes.'