"Esteemed guests, the next item up for auction is a spiritual herb with the effects of purifying the mind, awakening the senses, and prolonging life!"
The auctioneer was adept at stoking the atmosphere.
With those words, the hall erupted in excitement!
"Ah, finally another spiritual herb!"
"Indeed, these spiritual herbs are like elixirs to ordinary people. It's perfectly normal to live longer after consuming them!"
"What's the point of living? Isn't it to have more time to enjoy?"
"That's right, money is nothing. True wealth is having money that can buy spiritual herbs!"
"The last spiritual herb sold for twelve billion. I wonder how much this one will be worth!"
...
These voices constantly assaulted their ears.
Lin Shuainan couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth. He turned to Ling Feng and said, "Brother, I didn't expect this thing to be so valuable!"
"Yes, it's very valuable, but I won't let you spend money on it!"
Ling Feng replied casually.
Lin Shuainan immediately put on a displeased expression.
"Brother, it's not that I'm saying this, but what's yours is mine between brothers? A mere ten billion, I, Lin Shuainan, can afford it!"
He said, patting his chest with a show of wealth.
Ling Feng, however, gave Lin Shuainan a cold glance. "Alright then, you're paying today!"
"Uh..." Lin Shuainan was choked, then scratched the back of his head. "Don't say that, Brother. I haven't finished speaking. Spending ten billion on a blade of grass isn't worth it..."
"Hmph, stingy!" Yang Fei snorted coldly.
"That's not just any blade of grass, that's Brother Ling Yan's life!"
Afterward, Yang Fei glared at Lin Shuainan and said sternly.
Lin Shuainan felt scorned by Yang Fei, and his pride was wounded.
"Of course, I know it's not just a blade of grass. Ling Yan is my elder brother. I can afford this amount. Brother, if I'm treating, I'm treating!"
Xiuxiu, standing nearby, couldn't help but roll her eyes in exasperation.
Lin Shuainan was truly too naive. With just a bit of provocation from Yang Fei, he had readily taken on such a huge expense.
If it weren't for the deep affection he held for Ling Feng, and the fact that Ling Feng had repeatedly benefited their family, Xiuxiu would have scolded Lin Shuainan for being wasteful and told him to hold onto his purse strings tighter.
However, at this moment, she could only let Lin Shuainan have his way.
Ling Feng had no intention of letting Lin Shuainan pay, especially with Xiuxiu present.
He then spoke up to refuse, "You don't need to pay!"
"No, I must treat. Brother, if you don't let me pay, you're looking down on me!"
Lin Shuainan's temper flared. It wasn't just nine oxen that couldn't pull him back, not even ten Kunpeng behemoths could!
Without waiting for Ling Feng to say anything more, Lin Shuainan directly stood up and raised his hands.
"I bid, ten billion!"
Whoosh!
Immediately, the hall erupted in an uproar, completely exploding!
Everyone looked at Lin Shuainan in disbelief.
Some even looked at Lin Shuainan as if they had seen a ghost.
"Is this person sick?"
"He's not sick, he's just genuinely rich!"
"Damn, it's that little red-haired guy from before!"
"Damn it, does this kid even have money, or is he just bidding randomly?"
"Hmph, even if he has money, he wouldn't bid like this. The auctioneer just announced the reserve price, and he's already at ten billion!"
"Right, he's clearly here to cause trouble. The reserve price for this spiritual herb is only one billion, and the bidding increments are no less than fifty million. Why jump ten times the price? He's clearly insane!"
...
Lin Shuainan paid no attention to the surrounding uproar.
Words like insane, sick, or idiotic.
Lin Shuainan took them all as compliments, simply three words: "Super handsome!"
Yang Fei's eyes widened, looking at Lin Shuainan as if he had seen a ghost, and he couldn't help but praise, "Super handsome."
Ling Feng shook his head with a wry smile. When Lin Shuainan was being righteous, even the Zhenbei Heavenly Venerate would feel a pang of apprehension.
Xiuxiu's pretty face flushed red. With great effort, she reached out and pulled Lin Shuainan back to his seat.
However, the auctioneer on stage, after a moment of bewilderment, pointed to Lin Shuainan's location and shouted excitedly, "This gentleman is throwing his wealth around, bidding a direct ten billion! Are there any bids higher than ten billion? Are there any..."
"Ten point five billion!"
Suddenly, a voice emerged from the front row.
The voice was somewhat low, even carrying a chilling undertone.
The surroundings erupted in another wave of clamor.
Clearly, they hadn't expected that someone would actually be willing to go mad along with Lin Shuainan!
"Oh, challenging him!"
Lin Shuainan's temper flared. He raised his hand again and called out, "I bid twelve billion! Let's see who dares to snatch it from me!"
This time, the uproar in the hall subsided.
Everyone felt that this matter was becoming somewhat terrifying.
Lin Shuainan's bidding momentum was too strong. This person clearly wasn't short of money!
Ling Feng's brows furrowed slightly as his gaze locked onto the person who had bid from the front row.
The person wore a black hat, so his face couldn't be seen. Judging from his exposed ears and hair, this person was not old!
At most thirty years old!
But it was certain that his status in the front row was extraordinary.
Ling Feng naturally perked up his ears, quickly gathering intelligence from the hushed conversations around him.
"One of the four great families of the capital, the head of the pharmaceutical merchants, Young Master Yan Yulong of the Yan family!"
Upon receiving this intelligence, Ling Feng's gaze became even sharper.
Yan Yulong, in front, didn't even move his neck. He raised his hand again to bid, "Thirteen billion!"
"Heh, looking for trouble! I bid fifteen billion!"
Lin Shuainan's temper got the better of him, and Ling Feng couldn't stop him in time!
However, after Lin Shuainan's bid was finalized, Ling Feng raised his hand to stop him. "Shuainan, we can't continue bidding!"
"What? Brother, I can't swallow this insult. We have plenty of money. Damn it, I'll smash him!"
Lin Shuainan was still defiant.
But when he looked at Ling Feng's eyes, he immediately cowered!
"I told you not to bid!"
The chillingly cold voice was filled with immense authority.
Lin Shuainan couldn't help but swallow hard and quickly nodded, "Alright, Brother, I won't argue with him!"
"It's not about arguing. If you continue bidding, you'll fall into a trap. The Yan family, the head of the pharmaceutical merchants in the capital, the item above might belong to his Yan family. He's deliberately provoking you to bid!"
Ling Feng's expression was extremely stern as he spoke each word, his eyes flashing with sharp brilliance.
Yang Fei and the others nearby gasped in shock.
They hadn't expected that the owner of the item would deliberately bid against them.
Indeed, as soon as Ling Feng's voice fell, Yan Yulong in front raised his hand again, "Eighteen billion!"
This was the final blow. As long as this blow landed on Lin Shuainan, Yan Yulong would withdraw.
But Yan Yulong would never have dreamed that the impulsive Lin Shuainan had already been subdued by Ling Feng!