"Thatâs because everything I say makes sense, and of course, my uncle agrees. Itâs two different things." Gu Qiaoqiao gave Xiao Bai a look, flicked its forehead, and smiled, "Youâve been getting wilder lately. Although you havenât grown much, your temper sure has."
"Thatâs because Iâm in the shape of a cat, okay."
"Even so, there are big cats and small cats." Gu Qiaoqiao held Xiao Baiâs head down, smirking, "Stop arguing back. I heard from my uncle that youâve been too lazy lately, forgetting what youâre supposed to do. You better watch out for your owner and worry about yourself before thinking about the Sika Deer..."
"Gu Qiaoqiao, I realized I shouldnât chat with you." Xiao Bai was angry.
"Then just donât talk to me." Gu Qiaoqiao laughed with delight.
"If I talk to you again, Iâm a dog!" Xiao Bai retorted, turning its head away.
But it soon met its ownerâs knowing gaze, and Xiao Bai sheepishly buried its head in its paws.
"You said it yourself, if you talk to me again, you should bark like a dog." Gu Qiaoqiao seemed to take it seriously.
Xiao Bai buried its head in its paws, refusing to speak.
Gu Qiaoqiao watched with a smile, and started chatting with Zhou Xia.
Soon, they arrived at the auction venue.
Gu Junbai somehow managed to get invitations for everyone, even Xiao Bai, which was surprising considering it was a cat. Gu Qiaoqiao glanced at Gu Junbai in surpriseâcould it be fake?
Gu Junbai noticed the doubt in Gu Qiaoqiaoâs eyes. If not for the crowd, he might have knocked on her head, wondering what nonsense she was thinking. No matter how bad things get, he wouldnât use a fake to get in here.
He eyed Gu Qiaoqiao and lowered his voice, "You little rascal, what are you thinking? Itâs real, a friend gave it to me."
"Oh." Gu Qiaoqiao laughed awkwardly.
Xiao Bai interjected, "What are you thinking? I knew it was real too!"
Alright, now itâs time to bark.
Gu Qiaoqiao glared, "Bark like a dog!"
Realizing it, Xiao Bai dashed to Zhou Xiaâs side, trying to get Zhou Xia to hold it. Zhou Xia, unaware of what happened, was delighted by Xiao Baiâs affection and quickly squatted down to pick it up.
Gu Qiaoqiao didnât want to let it off the hook, quickly walking to Zhou Xiaâs side, saying as she walked, "Bark like a dog, or I definitely wonât let you in."
Zhou Xia was taken aback, "Qiaoqiao, what are you doing?"
Getting a cat to bark?
She knew Xiao Bai was a magical creature, but this was a bit too much.
Xiao Bai looked at Gu Qiaoqiao, this troublemaker, who sometimes insisted on her demands. It had been foolish enough to forget this, but fine, a wise person doesnât fight when faced with immediate losses. Bark it will, after all, it wasnât really a cat.
So Xiao Bai, who could adapt to circumstances, went "Woof woof woof... woof woof woof..."
People nearby stared in horror at the White Cat in Zhou Xiaâs arms. The sound was recognizable to people from all nations, with no need for translation.
They simultaneously wondered, itâs clearly a cat, why does it sound like a puppy?
Could they have mistaken the species, and itâs actually a puppy?
Gu Qiaoqiao succeeded halfway, laughing gleefully.
Zhou Xia felt sorry for Xiao Bai, looking at Gu Qiaoqiao with a reproachful tone, "Qiaoqiao, why do you always bully Xiao Bai?"
Xiao Bai didnât mind barking, but that didnât stop it from putting on a pitiful act.
So on the journey ahead, Gu Qiaoqiao didnât have time to admire the scenery and decor of the hallways and rooms.
At that moment, Gu Junbai stopped walking, as they approached the front door where invitations and guest identities were checked.
Their group attracted attention.
Sometimes, itâs hard to stay low-profile.
Luckily, they were VIPs among VIPs and were led to a private room with excellent views.
The room was luxuriously decorated, with rows of seats in the middle, surrounded by five tiers of steps, with three luxurious boxes on the steps.
Gu Junbaiâs box was in the center, with great visibility and privacy.
Obviously designed for those wanting privacy and to showcase status. Gu Qiaoqiao knew her ancestor didnât need such ostentation, but it was clear the friend respected him highly, hence arranging them here.
Regardless, it was a great location.
Gu Junbai sat in the center, flanked by Gu Qiaoqiao and Zhou Xia, who held Xiao Bai, while Ling Nan sat on the other side with a suitcase he brought earlier. Gu Qiaoqiao knew it was filled with gold.
Clearly, her ancestor intended to use the gold to buy the Blue and White Three-legged Cauldron.
The box was well-designed, allowing everyone to see the entire auction scene at once.
And there was a feeling they could see others, but others couldnât see them.
It felt pretty good.
The auction began soon.
It proceeded like all other auctions.
Items were displayed, then buyers began bidding.
The last item was indeed the Blue and White Three-legged Cauldron.
These peopleâs boldness was remarkable, daring to auction it openly. However, being far away, there was really no way to complain. Once, Gu Qiaoqiao could have scolded them for selling such treasures, but this time she couldnât, because it was her second uncleâs ignorance that let the treasure slip out.
Despite having countless reasons, it didnât change the facts. Gu Qiaoqiao held back, whispering, "Uncle, is the Blue and White Three-legged Cauldron your Alchemy Furnace?"
Gu Junbai nodded, "Yes."
Gu Qiaoqiao clenched her fists, encouraging the others, "We must win this bid, letâs go!"
By then, they had already acquired three valuable national treasures. The rest werenât worth bringing back.
The auction had various items from different countriesâjewelry, paintings, antiques as one of the categories.
When bidding, Gu Qiaoqiao, Zhou Xia, and Ling Nan took turns, causing the mysterious guests in the number one box to attract othersâ attention.
Strangely, though they could see people in the other two boxes, though not very clearly, they could see them.
For some reason, they could see clearly but also unclearly in the middle box, creating a complex feeling. But everyone here had their agendas, and after some observation without results, they gave up.
Besides, the auction was presenting the final item.
No one expected it to be a nondescript little cauldron.