Chapter 52: Bidding Frenzy! A Mysterious Man...

And now, the object of their wildest dreams was right before their eyes. How could they possibly remain unmoved?

With the appearance of this sample, not only were those openly in the crowd stirring with excitement, but even several figures hidden in the shadows were eager to make their move.

Reflected in the shimmering light of the tasseled dress, everyone's eyes burned even brighter.

"It's actually a design from the Underworld Medical Valley!"

"Good heavens! If I manage to win the bid for this, I'll probably have to worship it at home every single day!"

"I'm going to buy it as a gift for my wife!"

"Hahahahaha...!"

Roars of laughter erupted from the crowd!

In a guest room, Lu Xuanxuan was scratching her head in frustration, sticking her head out to peer outside. "Could Luo Qianfan really not have come?"

Lu Xuanxuan had stationed herself at the auction venue since early morning, closely monitoring the developments here from the very start. She had even spotted Leng Qing'er and Luo Yuhuan hiding in the shadows, but she simply could not catch sight of the person she desperately wanted to see, putting her in a terrible mood.

"Miss, you've been staring out like this for ages and only ended up with a pearlescent hairpin. Aren't we coming out of this trip at a huge loss?"

Queer knew that her young mistress was this irritated precisely because she hadn't found Luo Qianfan, but such a prime opportunity shouldn't go to waste either!

There were so many wonderful things at the auction; they really ought to bid on a few more to take back.

Especially upon hearing about the white-robed tasseled treasure dress from the Underworld Medical Valley, Xique's eyes lit up like polished mirrors. Leaning in close to Lu Xuanxuan's ear, she said excitedly, "I never expected there would actually be a dress designed by the Underworld Medical Valley this time. Miss, haven't you always loved their designs? Should we bid on this one?"

Yet Lu Xuanxuan remained utterly absent-minded.

"Good Xique, please go out and check for me once more. Who knows, maybe she's already arrived." Lu Xuanxuan couldn't take in a single word of what Xique was saying; her mind was completely set on finding Luo Qianfan.

She had previously held some reservations about Luo Qianfan's background, but now, those were entirely gone.

She wished she could invite Luo Qianfan to come live right at her estate. The earlier talk of finding her a job had merely been out of fear of hurting Luo Qianfan's self-esteem, which was why she had thought of finding something to pass off as employment.

Seeing Lu Xuanxuan's fanatical and erratic enthusiasm, Xique truly hadn't the heart to pour cold water on her again, so she could only obediently head out to complete her task.

She just wondered if that person from the Luo family was really worth her mistress going to such lengths.

Somewhere on the upper floor.

"Goodness, did I hear that right? There really is a new design from the Underworld Medical Valley!" Murong Xin let out a gasp, her clear, crisp voice ringing out loudly and drifting into a private room not far away.

"I never thought we would actually run into the tasseled dress from the Underworld Medical Valley this time!" Inside the private room, the beautiful woman speaking wore a look of added greed in her lovely eyes, making the floral pattern at the corner of her eye appear all the more sinister and vicious.

Leng Zimo observed Leng Qing's absolute determination. This younger sister of his took things far too seriously, and he truly worried that some unpredictable accident might occur!

"But this item looks fiercely contested!" Leng Zimo had heard Murong Xin's crisp voice just moments ago quite clearly, which meant she had also set her sights on this item. If that were truly the case, the financial resources of a princess of a realm were not to be underestimated!

Hearing Leng Zimo's words, Leng Qing'er sneered, a flash of contempt crossing her eyes: That airheaded princess was hardly worthy of fighting her for anything!

"In that case, I want it even more!"

"But Miss, the money we brought out this time is probably only enough to bid on the Youth-Preserving Pill," Qinghan said timidly, truly afraid that Leng Qing'er might slap her away with a single palm strike.

Reality was not much better.

"Talking too much. I want the Youth-Preserving Pill, and this tasseled dress must also belong to me, Leng Qing'er!"

Aside from her, no one was worthy of this dress, and only she was qualified to wear it.

"Brother will help me, won't he?" Leng Qing'er said slowly, her attitude completely transforming into that of a younger sister ingratiating herself with her older brother—a sight that would have felt utterly nauseating if it had happened in the past.

Who would have thought that the famously self-righteous top talented woman would actually resort to acting coquettish toward someone?

A flash of hesitation crossed Qinghan's eyes, only to vanish into thin air the next moment.

However, from Leng Zimo's matter-of-fact gaze, it was clear that this time, the eldest young master of the Leng family was going to transform into a sister-protecting maniac.

Yet, hadn't they always been at odds with each other? Could something have happened that she didn't know about? Qinghan narrowed her eyes, stealing a glance at the Leng siblings, but she detected nothing amiss.

Suddenly, a piercing cry rang out loudly.

"Let's see who dares to snatch this from me!"

Murong Xin's voice dealt a heavy blow to the hearts of most people present.

Never had they expected that Princess Xin would also be in attendance, and that she would happen to have her eyes on this tasseled dress as well.

What on earth should they do now?

Everyone was in a state of chaotic panic, weighing how they might acquire the tasseled dress without offending Murong Xin. In the end, many let out long sighs and abandoned their thoughts of the dress.

For no other reason than simply lacking the funds.

Thus, under the intimidating presence of Murong Xin and the fierce contest for the tasseled dress, the competitive pressure dropped significantly, narrowing the field down to a handful of hardened contenders.

"The auction begins!" With a loud shout, everyone's attention was drawn forward.

The tasseled dress was one of the major highlights of the auction, and as a result, the bidding was more thrilling from the very start than anything that had preceded it.

Sure enough.

"Three thousand six hundred taels!"

"Three thousand six hundred and fifty taels!"

"Three thousand seven hundred taels!"

"..."

"Four thousand two hundred taels!"

Just when they thought it was about to end like this, a gentle and refined male voice sounded.

"Six thousand taels!" He bid six thousand taels straight away, leaving everyone else in the dust by a full one thousand eight hundred taels.

Six thousand taels!

Six thousand taels!

Someone actually bid six thousand taels! This could easily be considered the highest price of the day! No matter how precious the tasseled dress was, it was still just a piece of clothing; even if it were entirely embedded with gold, it wouldn't be worth six thousand taels.

Yet someone had indeed called out a price of six thousand taels!

Truly, money made people go mad!

While envying this person, they were also secretly marveling at the other party's immense wealth and power.

How wonderful it would be if they could be that rich!

Upon hearing someone place a bid, the temperature within Leng Qing's palms grew increasingly cold, and the bony floral pattern at the corner of her eye sent a chill straight through people's hearts.

Who was it that had placed a bid just a second before her, and at six thousand taels at that!

Her lowered fists clenched tightly as she pondered to herself: Should she continue to compete?

Until an arrogant figure flashed through her mind, causing her to bite down hard on her lower lip and fiercely raise the plaque before her door.

"Six thousand five hundred taels!" The shout echoed across the entire venue.

Could there really be someone bidding even higher?

Were they all just getting too old? They had no idea money was so easy to earn nowadays, tossing out several thousand taels as casually as speaking!

Next.

"Seven thousand taels!" Murong Xin's very familiar voice rang out directly.

She hadn't even said it was starting yet, so how could it be ending!

The scene presented a tripartite standoff.

Leng Qing'er, Murong Xin, and that mysterious male voice!

Some people even started laying bets on the spot, opening a gambling pool right inside the auction venue. Ridiculously enough, quite a few people joined in.

Not for the sake of the final win or loss, but purely for the thrill of it.

They wanted to see whose hands it would ultimately fall into!

With a price this high and so many people vying for it, it would make for a fine tale to spread afterward.

"Stupid woman!" Having her plans suddenly interrupted by Murong Xin, Leng Qing'er could not control her twitching muscles, and her face twisted into a somewhat ferocious expression.

"Miss, do we... still want to raise the bid?" Qinghan asked weakly, figuring she... surely wouldn't continue bidding, right?

Leng Qing'er remained silent for a long moment, then turned around to resume her seat, her silence answering everything.

Qinghan understood.

She was giving up!

In truth, the funds Leng Qing'er had brought out this time were not particularly vast. Although she still had Leng Zimo's backing, the combined sum was still insufficient to support buying two major heavy-hitting items.

If she stubbornly insisted on winning the tasseled dress today, the losses would be far too great, and such an outcome was something she simply could not bear!

Therefore, she had no choice but to give up.

Leng Zimo, who had been sitting quietly all along, had not participated in the auction, but he would fulfill whatever promises he had made to Leng Qing'er. He simply hadn't expected the twist of the tasseled dress to intervene, though as it turned out, his younger sister proved to have more sense of proportion than he had anticipated.

Outside the box.

Just when they thought that with Murong Xin speaking up, the mysterious man would surely back down, unexpected things happened!

"Eight thousand taels!" The mysterious man placed another bid! Another thousand taels!

The crowd was on the verge of doubting their own hearing. There really was someone daring enough to openly confront Princess Xin!

Was this person from another planet or something?

They had no sense of proportion at all!

Murong Xin was furious. She had originally thought the matter should have concluded right there, but to her surprise, someone had still emerged to compete with her!

And on her own turf, no less! Just who on earth was this person?

As she raised her hand, preparing to raise the bid, a maid hurriedly advised, "Princess, you still need to bid on the Youth-Preserving Pill later. This tasseled dress has already exceeded our expectations; you cannot keep going!"

Who would have thought that Murong Xin wouldn't listen at all?

"Eight thousand five hundred taels!" Murong Xin raised the bid by fifty taels. Today, no one could stop her.

They should know when to back down now, right? Murong Xin thought rather wishfully, but reality dealt her another slap in the face.

"Ten thousand taels!" The firm voice rang out once more.

It had broken ten thousand!

This was likely the highest record broken in recent years!

Who could have imagined that an external trinket from the Underworld Medical Valley could be bid up to such a degree!

Everyone present felt a deep sense of awe toward the Underworld Medical Valley.

Just how immense must the temptation be!

Gold! A full ten thousand taels of gold! Just like that, it was poured away into the wind?

Alas! How could they ever dare to question the world of the wealthy!

Murong Xin still wanted to continue raising the bid, but she was forcibly pulled back by someone who pleaded, "Princess, please reconsider! Have you forgotten what His Majesty said?"

Although the Tianlin Realm was the head of the six realms, it couldn't simply allow Murong Xin to squander funds at will; otherwise, those officials would certainly lodge complaints, and if that ended up affecting the Crown Prince brother, it would be bad.

Before coming, her imperial father had specifically emphasized to her that she must act in moderation. Gazing at the ethereal and beautiful tasseled dress, Murong Xin forcefully turned her head away and ultimately gave up on it.

After a fierce competition, the tasseled dress was finally sold at the astronomical price of ten thousand taels, leaving the black market rolling in profits.

On the top floor, Luo Qianfan leisurely exchanged glances with a certain someone, entirely unaffected by the fierce crossfire raging below.

Things had progressed to the point of nearing the finale, and the items only grew more breathtaking the further along they got.

"The final auction item—the Youth-Preserving Pill!"

"Hiss!"

An uproar swept through the venue!