Chapter 269: Impressive, Pretty Boy! The Grand Finale Arrives!
Seeing the room fall silent, Mei Lingling raised her jade gavel for the countdown.
“Twenty-seven million, five hundred thousand. Going once. Are there any higher bids?”
Lin Jiaomei’s eyes were locked onto Han Lie’s profile like a hawk spotting prey. She searched for a bead of sweat, a twitch of nervousness—anything that would reveal he was bluffing just to spite her.
But Han Lie sat with his arms crossed, a gentle, spring-like smile playing on his lips as he watched the stage. He looked as serene as a monk in meditation.
This pretty boy… his schemes run deep. Interesting. Truly interesting… Lin Jiaomei thought, a flicker of genuine respect warring with her annoyance.
“Twenty-seven million, five hundred thousand. Going twice… Last chance! If you truly desire bliss, do not hesitate!”
Lin Jiaomei’s lips parted, a higher number resting on her tongue, but she swallowed it back. Nine times the starting price was already exorbitant for a non-combat manual. Pushing it further would cross the line from luxury to stupidity.
“Sold! Congratulations to the Heavenly Void Sect of the Southern Domain for acquiring the Immortal Fate Women-Taming Canon!”
Thwack!
The gavel struck, sealing the deal.
Han Lie let out a long, audible breath, his posture relaxing instantly. He turned to the neighboring booth, offering Lin Jiaomei a dazzling, gentlemanly smile. “Thank you, Fairy Lin, for your mercy.”
“You…!” Lin Jiaomei’s eyes widened, then narrowed into crescents of amusement. “Impressive, pretty boy. You even managed to fool your Big Sister. Truly remarkable.”
She realized now that his earlier calmness wasn’t a bluff—he genuinely wanted the manual, and the final price was well within his acceptable range.
Han Lie suppressed a grin. He and Ye Qingxuan had been prepared to pay up to ten times the starting bid. Saving two and a half million was a victory. More importantly, for practitioners of the Yin Yang Demonic Art, the value of this canon was incalculable. It wasn’t just a book; it was an investment in their future power… and pleasure.
Across the aisle, Zhao Batian watched the exchange with a sinking heart. He had to admit it—in the arena of psychological warfare, he had been utterly dismantled.
“Watch carefully. Learn well,” Old Ghost Yin Mei murmured, breaking his long silence. “That Han Lie is barely older than you, yet his mind is sharp as a razor. If you possessed even half his cunning, this Master wouldn’t have to age so quickly from worry.”
“Yes, Master,” Zhao Batian replied, bowing his head. His humiliation crystallized into a cold, hard vow: One day, Han Lie, you will be nothing more than a stepping stone on my path to the Great Emperor realm.
The auction pressed on. Treasures came and went—rare ores, ancient pills, and powerful artifacts. Qin Yusheng even stepped in to secure a Middle Grade Divine Ability, reasoning that returning empty-handed would be a waste of the trip.
By late afternoon, the atmosphere in the hall shifted. The air grew heavy, charged with a static tension that made the hairs on Han Lie’s arms stand up. The bored powerhouses in the front rows sat up straighter.
The finale was here.
Mei Lingling stood center stage, her smile radiant yet serious. “We have reached the end of our gathering. I know why you are all here. I will not insult your patience with flowery speeches.”
She gestured to the floor. “Let us witness the pinnacle of this event.”
A pedestal rose silently from the stage floor, bearing a simple, exquisite wooden box. Mei Lingling snapped her fingers, and the lid slowly creaked open.
Click.
A blast of bone-chilling cold exploded from the box, sweeping through the massive hall in a heartbeat. The temperature plummeted so fast that frost visibly bloomed across the ceiling, walls, and floor, turning the opulent auction house into an ice cavern.
Inside the box lay a fist-sized fruit, pure white as driven snow, wreathed in swirling currents of icy mist.
The Taiyin Profound Maiden Fruit.
The moment it appeared, the eyes of every female cultivator in the room widened with raw, unadulterated desire. Even Ye Qingxuan, usually an iceberg of composure, leaned forward slightly, a hunger burning deep in her gaze.
“This is the legendary Taiyin Profound Maiden Fruit,” Mei Lingling announced, her breath misting in the freezing air. “I need not explain its effects. Everyone here knows its value.”
She scanned the room, her smile turning predatory. “For this final item, there will be no starting bid. The Chen Family believes such a treasure transcends a fixed price.”
She spread her hands. “Bid what you believe it is worth.”
Silence.
The hall was dead quiet. No one wanted to be the first to break the surface of this deep, dangerous water. Mei Lingling waited, unbothered. She knew this silence wasn’t hesitation—it was the calm before a massacre.
“Since everyone is so shy,” a sultry voice cut through the frost, “this concubine will test the waters.”
Lin Jiaomei raised her hand, her eyes gleaming. “Fifty million Spirit Stones.”
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