Chapter 82: The Auction (Part Two)
“Keep your voice down,” the old physician waved his hand, signaling for silence.
Lu Zhe glanced around, then shielded his mouth with his hand and whispered, “Is he really a three-star Spirit King?”
The old physician thought for a moment, then nodded. “It should be so. Although he covered himself with a black robe made of special fabric to block the aura emanating from his body, from the faint fluctuations of spirit power, we can deduce that he must be a Spirit King-level powerhouse.”
“So what do we do?” Lu Zhe frowned, his face clouded with worry.
“What are you worried about? I have my own ways,” the old physician looked at him and smiled faintly.
With that, he raised the bidding paddle in his hand and shouted, “Two hundred thousand!”
The crowd below all turned to look at him, but the old physician sat there with a nonchalant expression.
Lu Zhe glanced back at the man in the black robe. The man seemed surprised by the old physician’s raise and looked over, but after a moment, he averted his gaze and slowly lifted his paddle. “Two hundred and twenty thousand.”
Lu Zhe looked at the old physician, who wore a mysterious smile. Lu Zhe was momentarily startled as the old physician raised his paddle again. “Two hundred and fifty thousand.”
“Two hundred and eighty thousand!” As expected, right after the old physician’s bid, the black-robed man called out.
“Three hundred thousand!” The old physician showed no intention of backing down and shouted, raising his paddle high.
A stir rippled through the crowd below; many people sighed in disbelief.
“Three hundred and thirty thousand!” The black-robed man raised his bid again, clearly intent on outbidding the old physician.
“Three hundred and fifty thousand,” the old physician said with an air of ease.
“Three hundred and seventy thousand,” the black-robed man called out, his voice lacking confidence—it seemed he was running out of money.
The old physician looked at him, smiled, his lips moving slightly as if saying something, then chuckled again and slowly lowered the paddle he had just raised.
Lu Zhe looked at the black-robed man. After seeing the old physician’s lips move, the man suddenly shuddered, then stood there as if struck dumb, staring blankly at the old physician.
On stage, the female auctioneer’s smile nearly bloomed. She had thought the old physician would continue bidding, but since he didn’t, she paid it no mind and announced loudly, “Three hundred and seventy thousand, three hundred and seventy thousand, any higher offers? Anyone else?” She scanned the hall, and seeing no further bids, she called, “Three hundred and seventy thousand once, three hundred and seventy thousand twice, three hundred and seventy thousand three times—sold!”
The crowd was stunned. Three hundred and seventy thousand! Though their black market was sizable, such a price was rare, especially for something that wasn’t extraordinarily rare or a refined elixir. An ‘Ice Spirit Flower’ was, at best, a grade-five medicinal herb—not even a spirit herb—hardly worth such a sum.
Lu Zhe looked at the old physician in confusion. “Master, isn’t the ‘Ice Spirit Flower’ very important to us? Why didn’t you buy it?”
The old physician gave him a profound look and whispered, “Who says we have to buy it?”
Lu Zhe frowned, uncertain. “You mean...?”
The old physician nodded, saying no more.
Seeing this, Lu Zhe’s frown deepened, but then, as if realizing something, he broke into a mysterious smile. For some reason, both their smiles carried a faint sense of cold resolve.
After the ‘Ice Spirit Flower’ was auctioned off, several other rare herbs came up, but neither Lu Zhe nor the old physician bid on them.
After a while, the female auctioneer, having checked with her assistant, tapped her gavel and said, “Thank you all for coming. The Olek Family expresses its sincere gratitude. Some guests may not have purchased what they wanted at this auction, and for that, we apologize. But don’t be discouraged—there will be another auction tomorrow. Please join us again if you’re still seeking your desired items. This concludes today’s auction. Those who made purchases, please proceed to the hall to pay; your items will be delivered to you shortly.”
The old physician tugged on Lu Zhe’s sleeve. “Let’s go.”
Lu Zhe nodded and followed him out.
---
They entered the hall, where the old physician headed straight to the circular counter at its center, handing his paddle to the attendant. She took it, checked something in a ledger, then straightened up. “Sir, your total expenditure at this auction is three hundred thousand gold coins.”
The old physician nodded, placed his right forearm on the counter, leaning in with a roguish air. “Any chance I could get a discount?”
The attendant smiled politely. “I’m sorry, we don’t offer discounts here.”
The old physician clicked his tongue, reached into his pocket, and withdrew a card, handing it over.
She received it respectfully, then disappeared behind the counter. Lu Zhe couldn’t see what she was doing.
Soon, she returned, offering the card back to the old physician with both hands. “Please wait a moment, sir. Your items will be delivered shortly.”
The old physician turned and walked to a sofa on the north side of the hall, Lu Zhe following close behind.
Settling on the sofa, the old physician stretched his arms along the backrest, crossed his legs, and closed his eyes—a picture of leisure. Lu Zhe looked at him, unable to hold back a smile and shook his head.
Soon after, a figure emerged from the auction hall. Lu Zhe recognized him immediately—the black-robed man who had contended with the old physician for the ‘Ice Spirit Flower.’
Still swathed in that voluminous black robe, the man glanced around. When he spotted Lu Zhe and the old physician, he paused briefly, then looked elsewhere before making his way to the circular counter.
The old physician half-opened his left eye, glanced at the man, then smiled and closed his eyes again.
After receiving his card from the attendant, the black-robed man went to sit on a sofa in the southwest corner.
Lu Zhe watched him for a moment, then returned to his book.
Not long after, he suddenly sensed someone blocking his light. Looking up, he saw a woman standing before him. On closer inspection, it was the same woman he and the old physician had bought at auction!
Lu Zhe leapt to his feet, looking down at her. Her complexion was no longer so pale, though her clothes were ragged—not the ones she’d worn on stage, apparently reclaimed by the auction house, stingy as ever.
She kept her head bowed, not daring to meet their eyes.
Sensing her presence, the old physician opened his eyes, glanced at her, then said to Lu Zhe, “She’s yours to handle.”
“What?!” Lu Zhe exclaimed in surprise.
He turned to look at the woman. Now that her face was flushed, she appeared even more beautiful. From afar, he’d only glimpsed her features, but up close, he saw her delicate almond-shaped eyes and peach-shaped cheeks—refined and elegant, if not breathtakingly beautiful, certainly charming and graceful.
Lu Zhe scratched his head. “What’s your name?”
She hesitated, then mumbled, “I… I’m Xing’er.”
“How did you end up here?” he asked.
At this, Xing’er shuddered, as if recalling something terrible. Her body trembled, and after a pause, she replied, “My mother and I were visiting relatives. On a mountain road, we were attacked by bandits. My mother was killed trying to protect me, and I was sold here.” Her body continued to tremble as she spoke.
Lu Zhe reached out and gently held her, comforting her. “It’s all right now. You’re safe.”
She looked up at him, her trembling gradually subsiding.
Lu Zhe, a little embarrassed by her tearful face, scratched his head and turned to the old physician. “Master, what do you think…?”
A loud snore answered him.
The old physician had thrown his head back and fallen into a deep sleep, snoring thunderously, utterly at ease.
---
Lu Zhe looked at him speechlessly, then turned to Xing’er. After a moment’s thought, he took a card from his pocket. “There are a thousand gold coins on this card. That should be enough for you to get home. Remember, don’t ever let yourself fall into the hands of bad people again.”
Xing’er stared at the card in his hand, stunned.
Lu Zhe smiled, took her hand, and pressed the card into her delicate palm.
Giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulder, he turned to the old physician, frowning slightly. Striding over, he aimed a straight kick at the old physician’s chest.
Thunk.
The old physician caught his foot in a tight grip and, a little startled, said, “My, my, good thing I reacted in time, or I’d have a hole in my chest.”
Lu Zhe feigned surprise. “You weren’t asleep?” He sighed lightly. “What a pity.”
The old physician tossed his foot aside. “Pity for what? Planning to kill your master?”
Lu Zhe withdrew his leg. “A man like you, if dead, would save the world a bit of grain.”
The old physician stood, looked him over, and said, “Enough banter, time to get to work.”
Lu Zhe nodded, and together they headed for the exit, chatting as they walked.
“Hey, you were generous back there. Where’d you get a thousand gold coins?”
“Stole them from you.”
“What?”
“You’re so handsome, you wouldn’t mind a mere thousand gold coins, right?”
“Of course not… Wait, what’s being handsome got to do with money? Don’t change the subject.”
“I’m not changing the subject, you just fell into my trap.”
“Damn, next time I’ll hide my money in my pants—let’s see what you do then.”
“You…” Lu Zhe was left speechless by the old physician’s words.
“Hey, she’s so pretty—why didn’t you do ‘that’ before letting her go?”
Lu Zhe stopped, looked at the old physician, then slapped the back of his own hand in regret. “Why on earth did I take you as my master?”
The old physician gave a lecherous chuckle and strode quickly ahead.
Lu Zhe sighed and followed.
Behind them, Xing’er stood in the hall, gazing at their retreating figures, her eyes sparkling. Her hands clenched the card ever tighter…