The Wang family started by gambling on jade and stones, amassing significant capital in a short period. They used this wealth to continue opening markets, snowballing their operations. Due to their good reputation, they quickly gained immense advantage and resources in the industry, developing into a behemoth within a few decades.
However, their foundation was too shallow for such rapid growth. The Wang family had to spend a fortune annually to hire powerful patrons, leading to internal weaknesses. Consequently, they were already on a downward trend. This is the nature of prosperity leading to decline. Yet, for the time being, no one could do anything to the Wang family.
On the highest floor of the auction house, a middle-aged man sat in a private box, looking down. He idly played with a glass of red wine. A man stood behind him and asked, "Sir, what is so special about that landscape painting that warrants your personal visit?"
The middle-aged man shook his head. "I'm not sure. I only know that Mr. Luo specifically requested it. As for its purpose, perhaps only Mr. Luo knows."
The man hesitated and continued, "It is said that the last time this landscape painting appeared, it was accompanied by a sea of blood and thousands of deaths. This... might be problematic?"
The middle-aged man still shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Since Mr. Luo wants it, we'll bring it back. Other matters are irrelevant to us."
Meanwhile, in a prime location, Wang Xu enjoyed massages from three beautiful women dressed in Hanfu.
"Young Master, is this going a bit too far? The landscape painting was specifically requested by Mr. Luo, and yet we are auctioning it. If it doesn't end up with Mr. Luo, will we offend him?" A cold, tall woman in a tight-fitting outfit stood beside him.
Wang Xu looked puzzled. "What does it have to do with me? This item is useless to us, so we're just auctioning it. How can that be offending him?"
The woman sighed. "Young Master, this is precisely offending him. Mr. Luo had already spoken to us before the auction."
Wang Xu waved his hand dismissively. Regardless of the outcome, it would eventually fall into Mr. Luo's hands. Of course, there was a variable, and that variable was Ye Longlin. After all, this was his father's item.
"This is going to be good." Wang Xu stretched lazily, a playful smile appearing on his lips. He looked at everyone present and scoffed. "They all think my Wang family is in decline. Heh."
As the auction began, various items appeared on the stage. Each item fetched its corresponding price, with many even exceeding expectations.
"Now being auctioned is a landscape painting. Its age is unknown, but what can be said is that this painting contains a certain artistic conception, making it a treasure for martial artists. The auction begins now, starting at one dollar." Without much introduction, staff slowly unfurled the landscape painting.
Instantly, an antique painting appeared before everyone's eyes. High mountains, flowing water, a small bridge, and humble dwellings with cooking smoke adorned the scene. Even more stunning was a dragon vein winding in the distance, suppressing the nation's fortune. A magnificent imperial palace sat at the center, serving as the focal point and the finishing touch of the painting. This was the very landscape painting that once hung in Ye Guohui's office!
As the auctioneer's hammer fell, the crowd erupted in bidding.
Above, a man in a black robe narrowed his eyes. "It's said this item is a rare visualization method. I wonder how much it will improve me. I'm only one step away from entering the Martial Marquis realm."
"Then let's bid for it. As long as we both break through to Martial Marquis, we can fight even against a Martial General," a woman's voice came from beside him, also dressed in a black robe, her face obscured. Bull-headed and Horse-faced, S-class war criminals. These two, a man and a woman, had even had a meeting at the Mobei Prison. If these two could be utilized by the country, they would undoubtedly enhance the power of the Hall of Honor. Unfortunately, they eventually went astray.
Over with the other middle-aged man, upon seeing the landscape painting, he also narrowed his eyes, a smile appearing at the corner of his lips. "A visualization diagram. It seems Mr. Luo already knew."
"Visualization diagrams circulating in the world are very few, almost all treasures of various martial arts families. I didn't expect a visualization diagram to leak out. Tsk tsk, fortunately, this news is directed towards this province. If it were to reach the capital, who knows what a shock it would cause." It is well known that visualization diagrams and visualization methods are most prevalent in Taoism. Various Taoist visualization diagrams such as the Eight Diagrams of Taoist Visualization, the Twelve-Story Building Visualization Method, the Seven-Story Pagoda Visualization Method, the Suspended Embryo Ding, and the Seven-Star Sword Visualization Method are endless. Those with destiny can even comprehend powerful martial skills from the diagrams.
In the largest private box on the left, several people wore black Zhongshan suits with gold thread patterns on their chests, the exclusive emblem of the Ye family.
"Hmph, even though Ye Guohui became the guardian of Mobei Prison, he is still a useless fellow. He was defeated by the Dark Hall, and even our Ye family's treasure, the landscape painting, has been leaked out. It's utterly disgraceful!"
"Bring it back at all costs!"
...
Below, the bidding had already begun.
"Five million!"
"Eight million!"
"Ten million!"
"Fifteen million!"
The middle-aged man called out, "Thirty million!"
The Ye family members retorted, "Fifty million!"
Bull-headed and Horse-faced added, "Eighty million!"
With their bids, the price quickly soared to eighty million. Those who genuinely liked the painting had no choice but to give up. Eighty million... many companies didn't have that much liquid capital.
The middle-aged man walked to the microphone and said gravely, "I am acting on behalf of Mr. Luo. I hope everyone will give Mr. Luo some face. One hundred million."
The Ye family members scoffed. "What is Luo Qi? He's merely a physician. Even as the Vice President of the Chinese Medicine Research Institute, he's not worthy of our Ye family's respect. One hundred and ten million!"
Bull-headed and Horse-faced declared, "Why so much talk? When you enter an auction, you speak with money. We don't need your face. Get out if you want to. Two hundred million!"
Now, only these three parties were contending. No one knew the origin of Bull-headed and Horse-faced, but the other two had already revealed themselves. One represented the Ye family, and the other represented Luo Qi.
The middle-aged man gritted his teeth. "Five hundred million!" A single bid increased the price by over half, an increment of three hundred million! This shocked many in the audience, their gazes filled with awe.
The Ye family members stated, "My Ye family offers ten billion. If you are willing to match, the Ye family will offer twenty billion. This is our Ye family's item, and it is only right for us to take it back."
However, at this moment, a voice suddenly echoed through the venue. "Since when did my Ye Longlin's belongings become something for you to decide?"