Xianle Tower, originally a renowned music house in Jiangzhou City, hosted the secret auction on its top floor.
Along the way, Feng Yinwan’s carriage followed Ye Tingyan’s unhurriedly. As they neared Xianle Tower, she deliberately ordered Qi Xuan to slow down, blending their carriage into the traffic.
By the time they alighted, Ye Tingyan had already entered with his entourage. Feng Yinwan smoothed her attire and was about to step forward when a chill emanated from behind her.
“Young Master?”
Turning, she saw a hurried passerby. Noticing her unusual expression, Qi Xuan cautiously inquired.
“Is something amiss?”
Feng Yinwan frowned, shaking her head, “I just feel as if a pair of eyes are watching me. Perhaps I’m being overly sensitive.”
Qi Xuan dared not be careless and scanned the surroundings. Finding nothing unusual, he withdrew his gaze.
Feng Yinwan tightened the mask on her face and gestured, “Let’s go in.”
Jiang Rumor’s jade token proved effective. The attendant at the top floor, after a glance, granted them passage. A woman then stepped forward.
“Please follow me, Young Master.”
The woman appeared to be a courtesan, yet her fingertips bore fine calluses. Beneath her flowing robes, the shape of a short dagger was discernible.
Feng Yinwan’s eyelashes fluttered briefly as she calmly averted her gaze.
“The secret auction will begin in half an hour. Please wait, Young Master.”
The woman led them to a private room and withdrew. Through the thin gauze curtain, they could clearly see that other private rooms were also filled with people.
Ye Tingyan sat in a private room diagonally in front of them, his hand resting on the armrest, his intent palpable.
Feng Yinwan curved her lips, mentally calculating the price of the Purple Ginseng Profound Pill.
“Qi Xuan, for a pill of the Purple Ginseng Profound Pill’s caliber, how much would one have to spend to bid for it?”
Qi Xuan was taken aback by the question. After a pause, he hesitantly replied, “Young Master, such a pill is unparalleled. It is likely priceless, costing at least ten thousand taels…”
“Silver?”
“Gold…”
Feng Yinwan, the veritable money-pincher, had her bidding plan die in its infancy.
“Never mind, then. We’ll just watch.”
Before coming, Feng Yinwan had not believed in the supposed marvels of this Immortal Medicine Sect.
How powerful could it be compared to her precious bracelet?
Although her bracelet had been unresponsive for a long time, so long that she almost suspected it had secretly gone offline behind her back.
But the moment the first item was presented, she could hardly smile, for the man holding it uttered three words.
Jade Muscle Dew.
Feng Yinwan was stunned.
“Yupiing, what did he just say?”
Yupiing, whose ears were always sharp, replied, “Young Master, he said, Jade Muscle Dew.”
Feng Yinwan’s lips froze slightly.
Wasn’t Jade Muscle Dew the medicine her bracelet had used to heal her face? Could there be a copy of this stuff?
Half the people present were there for the Purple Ginseng Profound Pill, so an item like Jade Muscle Dew held no appeal for them.
To verify, Feng Yinwan reluctantly spent a hundred taels of gold to bid for the imitation. Upon opening it and sniffing, it was identical.
The words “heartache” were written plainly on her face.
Yupiing leaned in, “Young Master, the scent of this Jade Muscle Dew is somewhat familiar. Is there a bottle in your room…?”
Feng Yinwan’s heart ached even more.
Yes, there was one, and it was free, not costing even a single piece of scrap iron…
Qi Xuan, however, looked surprised.
“Young Master, you possess such a divine medicine?”
In comparison, although Jade Muscle Dew was not expensive, it was still a rare item. Furthermore, the Immortal Medicine Sect’s secret auctions were held only once every few years, and the process was extremely clandestine. How had Feng Yinwan obtained this item?
Feng Yinwan forced a smile through her lingering pain, “By chance.”
This explained how the scars on her face had vanished without a trace.
Qi Xuan nodded. Before he could speak, the second item was brought forth, and Feng Yinwan’s expression worsened.
Clear Spirit Pill.
When she had first transmigrated, the bracelet had given her an entire bottle of this heat-clearing and detoxifying medicine.
Nourishing Essence Pill.
Not long after her transmigration, the bracelet had tossed her this large white jade pill for kidney replenishment.
Stabilizing Seed Pill.
That time she got drunk and played a dice game, the bracelet had quietly slipped her this golden quail egg afterward.
It was outrageous…
Feng Yinwan swore that she had only intended to observe. But as she saw the successive “divine medicines” appear, her eyes burned with fury.
These were not just similar to what her bracelet had given her; they were identical!
She needed a reasonable explanation!
Knowing that the bracelet was currently unresponsive, she still couldn’t help but slap it in anger. To her surprise, the seemingly dead bracelet suddenly began to react.
A faint dull ache transmitted from her wrist, and Feng Yinwan was astonished to find the bracelet was actually constricting!
Incredible, it was alive!
After a moment of surprise, the pressure relented, and the bracelet immediately became still again.
“…”
It was only alive for a moment, a phantom resurrection!
Just as she hesitated whether to bid again, the bracelet tightened once more, and its surface even emitted a red light.
Feng Yinwan followed the beam of light, which landed on a jade-green bead on the display stand.
Spirit Awakening Bead.
It awakens the spirit of all things, including the bracelet.
In a moment of surprise, she immediately decided to bid for the bead. However, before she could speak, a voice from the private room to her left cut through the air.
“Ten thousand taels.”
This was enough to make Feng Yinwan’s flesh bleed.
But for the sake of the bracelet!
“I’ll add a zero… a hundred!”
The atmosphere on the entire top floor froze for a rare moment.
Qi Xuan’s temple twitched, and he whispered a reminder, “Young Master, the rules of the secret auction stipulate that price increases must be in increments of a thousand taels…”
Feng Yinwan: “…”
Why don’t you just rob people!
Pressing her temple, she calmly re-bid, “Eleven thousand taels.”
Before her words had even finished, the voice next door rang out again.
“Fifteen thousand taels.”
This was enough to take Feng Yinwan’s life.
But for the sake of the bracelet!
“Sixteen thousand taels.”
“Twenty thousand taels.”
“…”
You are noble, you are rich, you are amazing!
The adjacent room seemed determined to clash with her. For every thousand she added, they directly increased it by half a point.
Watching the price of the Spirit Awakening Bead skyrocket from ten thousand taels to sixty thousand taels, Feng Yinwan decisively changed her strategy, preparing for a direct snatch.
The moment this thought arose, the bracelet on her wrist tightened again. Feng Yinwan felt as if it were scolding her.
[What’s the rush? Isn’t it the same if you snatch it!]
Bracelet: Don’t think I don’t know, you’re just unwilling to part with that bit of money!
Feng Yinwan (clutching her purse): I’m not, I haven’t, don’t speak nonsense!
However, she gave up. Qi Xuan and Yupiing were relieved.
“I knew Young Master wouldn’t actually bid…”
“Heh… me too.”
Feng Yinwan shot them a glance and declared grandly, “You just don’t understand. What this Young Master is doing is called strategy, to deplete the opponent’s resources so that he can’t afford the Purple Ginseng Profound Pill later!”
Qi Xuan and Yupiing exchanged a look, clearly relieved.
“Young Master is brilliant.”
“Young Master is mighty.”
Feng Yinwan waved her hand, maintaining an air of composure, “A trivial matter. Qi Xuan, go to the door and keep an eye on what’s happening next door.”
After the Spirit Awakening Bead comes the grand finale, the Purple Ginseng Profound Pill. Before the auction concludes, the item must not be allowed to slip away!