The moment the bid was heard, the entire venue erupted in an uproar.
The crowd looked at the woman in disbelief, suspecting she was not there for a legitimate auction but to cause trouble.
Even the staff inside the tent watched the woman warily.
"Miss, according to our regulations, non-bidders are not allowed to bid casually. And if a bid is placed, one must be responsible for it."
"Heh heh," the woman let out a cold laugh.
Then, she snapped her fingers.
The next second, a bodyguard behind her flung open a money chest.
Stacks and stacks of cash rained down, burying the staff member who had spoken.
Seeing this, the staff member was stunned.
So were everyone else.
"Well? Can I be responsible for my bid?" the woman asked the staff member.
The staff member quickly nodded, "Yes, yes, yes. Miss, please take a seat."
Money was indeed omnipotent. Paved with this chest of cash, the woman directly took a seat in the front row.
And immediately, someone served her the best tea and fruits.
Even the staff member intended to pack up the Luosongzi and deliver it to the woman!
But just as the staff member was about to collect the Luosongzi, He Chongxu stood up and said, "What's this? Are you skipping basic procedures and resorting to backroom deals? So, she's the only VIP because she has money, and we who have money are just spectators?"
The staff member quickly looked at He Chongxu, "You jest, sir. You are all our esteemed guests. We simply felt that ten million yuan far exceeded the value of this item, so we saw no need to continue bidding."
"Of course, if you wish to bid, we won't stop you."
He Chongxu snorted coldly and glanced at the woman, "Today, I'm not bidding for this medicinal herb, but solely for my pride!"
"You have money, don't you? Let's see who breaks first!"
With that, He Chongxu held up two fingers, "Twenty million!"
This statement instantly shocked the entire venue.
Amidst the gasps of amazement, everyone's spirits rose, watching He Chongxu with keen interest.
They knew there would be a good show today.
The woman, clearly not expecting someone to step in and double the price, her expression instantly turned as dark as water. She said, "I am from the Xie family of Siam. I urgently need this herb for medical treatment. If this friend is willing to do us a favor, our Xie family will surely remember your kindness and repay it in the future."
The Xie family of Siam was the wealthiest family in Siam!
Although the Xie family was not originally from Siam, with their sharp minds and vision, they had gained an early foothold in various sectors, firmly controlling Siam's pharmaceutical, real estate, and agriculture industries, making their assets grow exponentially until they became the richest family in Siam.
It was said that the Xie family held considerable influence with the Siamese royal family, not even needing to bow to its members.
Upon hearing the woman announce her family background, the crowd instantly understood.
No wonder the woman was so arrogant, treating money like dirt.
She was a descendant of Siam's Xie family!
Then, there was nothing strange about it.
The crowd looked at He Chongxu, subconsciously assuming he would give the Xie family of Siam face.
After all, gaining the friendship of the Xie family of Siam was far more valuable than stubbornly bidding for an herb out of spite.
But to everyone's surprise, He Chongxu seemed to have no idea who the Xie family of Siam was, or perhaps he knew but deliberately pretended not to.
"I don't care if you're from the Xie family of Siam or the Ma family. I don't live in Siam, and it has nothing to do with me. In short, I'm taking this herb today! It's no problem for me to give you face, but only if you give me face first!"
"You insulted me the moment you walked in, and now you want me to give you face. Is there such a good thing in the world? Do you really think the face of He Chongxu of Hong Kong is worthless?"
*Swish!*
Everyone's expression changed drastically.
They hadn't expected this seemingly unremarkable fellow to be He Chongxu!
The young man beside him must be He Chongxu's disciple, right?
No wonder he was so confident and didn't put the Xie family of Siam in his eyes!
The woman was also taken aback. After frowning, she looked at a gaunt old man beside her.
Seeing this, the gaunt old man stood up, cupped his hands towards He Chongxu, and said, "So it's fellow Daoist He. I've heard much about you. I am Somchai, a black-robed great sorcerer of Siam. I implore you to show mercy today, and there will be ample reward in the future."
"Somchai?" Upon hearing the old man's name, people were surprised.
This was a ruthless character!
How ruthless?
To the extent that locally in Siam, he could "stop children's cries at night"!
Whenever a child cried incessantly, the mother would threaten to have Somchai snatch them away, and the child would immediately stop crying!
Not only because Somchai was cruel, but also because he was known to use children to concoct various *gu* curses!
Unexpectedly, Somchai had pledged allegiance to the Xie family of Siam.
With such a ruthless character and the face of the Xie family of Siam, He Chongxu wouldn't persist, would he?
He would surely seize the opportunity to back down and let go of the herb.
But to everyone's surprise, He Chongxu still refused to budge!
A hint of a sneer appeared in He Chongxu's eyes, "What if he's Somchai? I've delivered fruit and bento boxes when I was young! I didn't bring them up, did I!"
"If I must yield to you just because you're Somchai, then shouldn't you yield to me even more if I delivered bento boxes?"
"..." Somchai and the Xie family woman's faces instantly turned grim!
Especially Somchai, a deep killing intent flashed in his eyes!
The Xie family woman gently waved her hand, signaling Somchai not to act rashly for the moment.
Then, she stared at He Chongxu with cold eyes and slowly held up three fingers, "Thirty million."
"Forty million," He Chongxu followed suit immediately.
"Fifty million!"
"Still ten million more than you," He Chongxu said leisurely.
He was neither rushed nor slow, always bidding ten million more than the Xie family woman!
As the bidding war heated up, even the on-site staff were somewhat at a loss.
The crowd, who initially wanted to watch the show, now couldn't help but show concern.
The Xie family woman and Somchai were clearly not people who would take losses lightly. Although they were still restraining themselves and bidding according to the procedure now, they might resort to murder later!
Why not seize the opportunity while it was still peaceful and slip away?
Otherwise, if they got caught in a crossfire, it would be disastrous.
However, when the bids reached one hundred million, the crowd was reluctant to leave.
Because it was too exciting!
An item originally worth over a million had been driven up to a hundred million.
Regardless of who ultimately won the bid today, they would have suffered a huge loss and would be considered a fool in everyone's eyes!
"Enough, stop playing with them. Bring out the dragon's eye!"
At this moment, Ying Chen said lazily.
He Chongxu paused his bid and took out the dragon's eye he had dug out from Qing Qiu.
"Call your manager over! You support bartering, don't you? Just ask your manager if he wants to trade this item for it!"
Hearing this, the staff member quickly ran to the backstage and called out a white-bearded old man.
After the white-bearded old man appeared, he first put on a show, saying, "Although my establishment supports bartering, we have never conducted bartering during an auction. Unless your item is truly extremely rare and worth us interrupting the auction and violating our credibility..."
He Chongxu directly interrupted the white-bearded old man, "Less nonsense. Look at the item!"
With that, he tossed the dragon's eye to the white-bearded old man.
Initially, the white-bearded old man wore an arrogant and disdainful expression, not believing that He Chongxu could produce anything valuable.
But the moment he opened the small bag containing the dragon's eye, he was struck as if by lightning.
After a full half-minute, he took a deep breath, like a drowning person brought back to life, and said, "This... this... where did you obtain this item?"
He Chongxu snorted coldly, "Does it matter where I got it? What, do you also need me to provide an invoice?"
"No, no, no, I didn't mean that. It's simply because this item is too rare, and I asked subconsciously. Since you are unwilling to say, I won't pry further."
"This item, I can guarantee: it is worth interrupting this auction and declaring a successful transaction!"
*Boom!*
The entire venue exploded.
Everyone curiously stretched their necks, trying to get a glimpse of what the white-bearded old man held in his hand.
The Xie family woman's face turned red with anger. She slammed the table and exclaimed, "What do you mean? I'm still bidding, and you're interrupting? Are you looking down on my Xie family as easy to bully?"
The white-bearded old man carefully put away the dragon's eye while saying apologetically, "Miss Xie, you misunderstand. How would we dare offend your Xie family? It's just that rules are rules. Since the other party has presented a sufficiently valuable item for exchange, we can only act according to the rules. Unless..."
"Miss Xie can also offer something that moves us, then we can transfer this herb to Miss Xie instead."
"Very well! Our Xie family will remember this grudge!" The Xie family woman clearly could not produce any equivalent item. After giving the white-bearded old man a fierce glare, she stood up and walked out.
As she exited the tent, she turned back and gave He Chongxu and Ying Chen a deep look.
It seemed she wanted to engrave them in her memory.
"Master He, this is your purchased item. Please take it." A moment later, the white-bearded old man carefully packed the Luosongzi and personally presented it to He Chongxu.
"Also, a word of advice, that woman is the youngest daughter of the Xie family. She's been doted on since childhood and is notoriously arrogant. She will definitely not let this go. Not to mention, she has the black-robed Somchai with her. I suggest you two rest here for a while and leave after dawn to avoid any accidents."
Hearing the white-bearded old man's advice, He Chongxu grinned, "Honestly, I'm afraid she *will* let it go!"
"If she can't swallow this insult, it would be even better for me!"
Seeing He Chongxu's attitude, the white-bearded old man said no more.
He shook his head and left.
He Chongxu then handed the Luosongzi to Ying Chen, "Master Ying, please examine it. Is everything alright?"
Ying Chen glanced over it and nodded, "It's fine."
After wandering for most of the night, he had only acquired a Tianxian vine and a Luosongzi. The materials needed for refining equipment were still more than half short.
This inevitably made Ying Chen somewhat displeased.
After a moment's thought, Ying Chen made a move that astonished everyone!