Chapter 74 - 69: Is That Clear Enough?

Shen Lang was a little surprised. Xue Dangdang and Shui Qingwu weren’t as hostile as they had been outside. While the two still bickered and argued over every little thing, he felt things were much more normal now.

The three of them chattered away, discussing the items about to be auctioned, while an ecstatic Lanlos served them tea. The atmosphere was surprisingly harmonious.

It didn’t seem long before, quite abruptly... the clamor from below vanished, as if snipped away by a pair of scissors, falling into an eerie silence.

The curtains of the VIP box were made from a special material and inscribed with an Array. Looking out from the inside was like peering through a very thin layer of glass.

From the outside looking in, however, nothing could be seen at all.

Shen Lang and the others looked through the curtain, their gazes immediately converging on a woman walking onto the central platform below.

The auction hall, once bustling with noise, had fallen silent at the appearance of a single woman. She was clearly no ordinary person.

But Shen Lang only gave her a casual glance before looking away.

Shui Qingwu’s lips curled slightly as she mused, seemingly to no one in particular, "I wonder what kind of person provided that Giant Potion. I’m actually quite curious. I’d love to meet them..."

She watched Shen Lang’s expression as she spoke, but he gave no reaction.

"..." Shui Qingwu rolled her eyes, pursed her lips, and fell silent.

Down below, the woman had yet to speak, but the hall was already buzzing with noise again as people began discussing in hushed voices.

The woman, sensing she had captured everyone’s attention, smiled faintly and took a step forward.

Then, she clapped her hands lightly and announced with a smile, "Our first auction item is a piece of Jade Ganoderma Fire Spirit Ointment, refined from Yulan Fragrance, Seven-leaf Jade Ginseng, Nine Fragrant Insect, and the Demon Crystal of a Third Level Fire-type Demon Beast."

"When applied to the body during Cultivation, it makes the skin more sensitive to the surrounding Fire Attribute Spiritual Energy, creating a unique attractive force. Once this Jade Ganoderma Fire Spirit Ointment is applied, even if a Martial Artist doesn’t circulate their Cultivation Technique, the Fire Attribute Spiritual Energy in the air will be drawn in, actively and endlessly pouring into the user’s body... It is no exaggeration to say that with this Fire Spirit Ointment, you can absorb Spiritual Qi even in your sleep! The starting price is Sixty Thousand Gold Coins."

"Wow!"

Someone exclaimed, apparently shocked that the very first item was so potent.

"Sixty-One Thousand Gold Coins. I’ll take it," a man’s voice called out from the crowd below the platform.

"I bid Sixty-Three Thousand Gold Coins," a languid female voice chimed in.

"Sixty-Eight Thousand Gold Coins!" The voice wasn’t loud, but it made Shen Lang’s expression flicker.

His gaze swept downward, landing on his third uncle, Shen Haoxuan, the current Clan Leader of the Shen Family.

Shen Haoxuan wore a smug expression, clearly determined to win the Jade Ganoderma Fire Spirit Ointment, as he had just raised the bid by five thousand Gold Coins.

But he didn’t get to look smug for long. The languid female voice bid again, even more ruthlessly: "Eighty thousand Gold Coins."

"Xu Jiaqi, you’ve got some nerve!"

Shen Haoxuan gritted his teeth in anger, but he was helpless.

While the Jade Ganoderma Fire Spirit Ointment was a good item, the quantity in one box was simply too small. Unless it was of exceptionally high quality, seventy-five thousand Gold Coins should have been the ceiling. But that woman from the Xu Family had pushed it straight to eighty thousand!

Just then, Shen Lang spoke from his private box. "Eighty-one thousand Gold Coins."

The moment he spoke, the entire hall was stunned into silence.

The occupants of the second-floor boxes were typically important figures, and the opening lots were rarely enough to capture their interest.

But everyone had already witnessed the incident between Shen Lang and the City Lord’s Mansion, so they all recognized his voice. Their expressions immediately turned strange. They assumed he was deliberately helping Shen Haoxuan oppose the Xu Family. After all, it was common knowledge in Celestial Phoenix City that the Xu Family and the Shen Family were rivals.

"Eighty-five thousand Gold Coins!" Xu Jiaqi said coldly.

"Eighty-six thousand Gold Coins," Shen Lang bid again. Both of his bids had only raised the price by the minimum increment of One Thousand Gold Coins.

"Fine! You Shen Family members really have some nerve! Ninety thousand Gold Coins!" Xu Jiaqi was so angry her face turned ashen.

"Ninety-five thousand Gold Coins," Shen Lang said bluntly. "Look, if you really want it, bid one hundred thousand, and I’ll stop."

Xu Jiaqi nearly fainted from anger. ’How could I not know this brat is deliberately causing trouble?’

’This Jade Ganoderma Fire Spirit Ointment isn’t worth this much at all! The only reason I have to get it is because a close relative in the Xu Family needs it to prepare for the upcoming inter-family martial tournament!’

’If I don’t win it now, I won’t be able to find a suitable alternative...’

"One hundred thousand Gold Coins!" She practically spat the words out through clenched teeth.

Sure enough, as soon as she bid one hundred thousand Gold Coins, Shen Lang’s cheerful voice came from the second-floor box, "The Jade Ganoderma Fire Spirit Ointment is all yours."

"Hehehe..." The people on the main floor chuckled, all realizing that Shen Lang had deliberately toyed with her.

Even though he hadn’t driven the price up by an exorbitant amount, it was still incredibly aggravating for her.

"Attendant, please bring up the Jade Ganoderma Fire Spirit Ointment," Lian Ruoshui said softly, casting a seemingly casual glance toward Shen Lang’s box.

Just then, a brocade-robed attendant walked to her side, holding a small Jade Box with both hands. He opened the box, and a peculiar, refreshing fragrance immediately wafted out.

"Our second auction item is a two-hundred-year-old Heaven’s Elixir. This item can be consumed directly or refined into Elixir Pills. The starting price is eighty thousand Gold Coins."

The Heaven’s Elixir has five-petaled leaves, blue flowers, and a unique fragrance. When consumed, it not only extends one’s lifespan but also preserves one’s youthful appearance, making it highly sought after by many female Martial Artists.

Although this particular specimen was only two hundred years old, it was still considered a rarity in a place like Celestial Phoenix City.

Its appearance immediately triggered a bidding frenzy among the women below, causing the men to exchange wry smiles.

In just a few minutes, the price of the Heaven’s Elixir had been driven up to one hundred and fifty thousand Gold Coins. Only then did the number of bidders begin to dwindle.

However, the Shen Family’s Clan Leader, Shen Haoxuan, was still among the bidders.

Just as Shen Haoxuan thought that at one hundred and fifty thousand Gold Coins, the competition had finally died down, Shen Lang made his move.

"Three hundred thousand Gold Coins."

The bid was Earth-Shattering!

It wasn’t that three hundred thousand Gold Coins was an astronomical sum, but that the Heaven’s Elixir was worth one hundred sixty thousand at most. To just double the price like that... ’That’s not how you’re supposed to play this game, is it?’

Everyone was stunned, and Shen Haoxuan was furious. ’Does he have to cause trouble like this?’

’He’s completely ignoring the unspoken rules!’

Shen Haoxuan couldn’t believe Shen Lang had that much money. But he had personally seen the Pavilion Master of the Treasure Pavilion present him with a Profound Iron Token. That token signified he was a Profound Iron Level VIP of the Treasure Pavilion, meaning they would grant him a massive advance in Gold Coins or even Spirit Stones.

He just couldn’t wrap his head around why the brat had suddenly become so formidable.

Next came more items like Spirit Grass, Elixir Pills, and Spiritual Artifacts, but almost none of them caught Shen Lang’s interest.

However, whenever someone from the Xu Family, the Shen Family, or the City Lord’s Mansion showed interest in an item, he would start bidding, thoroughly enjoying himself.

He made them grind their teeth in helpless rage.

There was nothing they could do. Shen Lang had money; what could they possibly do to him?

But no one could really blame Shen Lang. Everyone had clearly seen how the people from the City Lord’s Mansion and Xu Daolin had offended him just a short while ago. His current actions were only natural.

As for the items Shen Haoxuan wanted, Shen Lang didn’t just drive up the price—he snatched them away with high bids, without a single exception!

Then it dawned on the crowd. ’Shen Lang was called a good-for-nothing for years. Weren’t the ones who wronged him the most Shen Haoxuan and the Shen Family?’

Not only had Shen Haoxuan seized the Clan Leader position while Shen Haotian was gravely ill, but it was also rumored he had usurped several of their family’s Spirit Fields.

In any case, under the thumb of Clan Leader Shen Haoxuan and his faction, Shen Lang’s family had lived a truly miserable life these past few years.

...

When Shen Lang bid three hundred thousand Gold Coins for an Elixir Pill called the "Thousand-Year Heart Protection Pill," Shen Haoxuan finally snapped. Thanks to Shen Lang’s interference, the better part of the day had passed, and not only had he failed to acquire a single item, but he had also been utterly humiliated...

He shot to his feet, turned toward Shen Lang’s box, and barked, "Shen Lang, are you done yet? If you have a problem with me, we can settle it back in the family! What is the meaning of causing all this trouble here?"

The curtain to the box was drawn aside, and Shen Lang strolled out unhurriedly.

In full view of everyone, Shen Lang took the Thousand-Year Heart Protection Pill from the attendant, then, with a light pinch of his fingers, crushed the Elixir Pill to dust right before their eyes!

This wildly extravagant act left everyone completely stunned...

’Damn it, you don’t spend money like that even if you’re rich!’

’He actually bought it just to crush it?’

’That Thousand-Year Heart Protection Pill is made from countless precious herbs! It can be used to replenish a massive amount of qi and blood and heal injuries!’

’What a blasphemous waste!’

’If you didn’t want it, you could have given it to one of us... Did you really have to do that?’

’This is insane...’

"You ask if I’m done? I’ll tell you right now. Anything you, Shen Haoxuan, set your sights on, I will take. Anything the Shen Family wants, I will also take! You will not leave this auction with a single item today. Is that clear enough?"

"What, are you unhappy? Good. You’re not supposed to be happy. And I have plenty more to make you even unhappier! You’ll see at the Shen Family’s martial tournament the day after tomorrow. If you’re smart, you’ll sit down, shut your mouth, and there won’t be any trouble. Otherwise, I’ll make you wish you were dead."

Shen Lang’s words echoed through the hall. The auction, with its five or six hundred attendees, fell so silent you could hear a pin drop.