Chapter 187: Chapter 187: Dragon Bone Yang Grass
"Okay, this gentleman bids eighty-five thousand. Do we have any higher bids?" the auctioneer called out, his eyes scanning the crowd. He knew this price was nearing the limit; the chance of it going any higher was slim.
Just as he finished speaking, a faint voice drifted from one of the private boxes. "Ninety thousand."
"Eh! It’s box number six again."
The crowd realized that the bid had, surprisingly, come from box number six again. ’They just suffered a major loss. Haven’t they learned their lesson?’ they wondered. Ninety thousand Profound Coins for a single Tier Four Heart-Opening Grass... Unless they had a powerful Alchemist on their side, they wouldn’t make any profit on it.
Ye Xuan’s pupils contracted.
He knew immediately that this was the Sixth Prince’s doing.
’It seems this Sixth Prince really holds a grudge against me,’ Ye Xuan thought. ’After taking such a huge loss, he still dares to join the bidding.’
He looked up and saw the Sixth Prince standing at the window of box number six. The Prince was looking down at him, a chilling smile playing on his lips, his eyes filled with provocation.
"Damn it, ninety-five thousand!" Chen Xing yelled.
"One hundred thousand!" The Sixth Prince retorted without hesitation.
"Fuck, Ye Xuan, this kid seems to be targeting us," Chen Xing said with a frown.
"Keep bidding. Ignore him. Go up to our price limit," Ye Xuan said calmly, though his heart was cold as ice.
’Since you really want to play, I’ll be happy to play along. We’ll see who outplays whom!’
’If I can’t even outplay a mere Prince, I might as well jump in a river and die all over again.’
"One hundred and ten thousand."
"One hundred fifteen thousand!"
"One hundred and twenty thousand!"
"One hundred and twenty-five thousand."
"Damn it! Two hundred thousand! Take it if you have the balls!" Chen Xing roared, bidding Ye Xuan’s mental limit outright.
However, to the other party, his actions just seemed like a flustered, desperate outburst.
"Two hundred and five thousand!"
The Sixth Prince smiled faintly.
"Fuck it, you can have it," Chen Xing grumbled, plopping back into his seat.
And so, the Heart-Opening Grass was won by the Sixth Prince for a price of two hundred and five thousand.
The entire hall erupted in an uproar.
’Has the Sixth Prince lost his mind? Spending two hundred and five thousand on a single Heart-Opening Grass... even if he hired an Alchemist to refine it into a Pill, there’s no way he’d turn a profit.’
"Sixth Prince, was that... wise?" Even the others in the private box were perplexed. The way the Sixth Prince was acting, he was just being a sucker.
"Hmph. That brat bid on it twice. It’s obviously something they need. All I have to do is ensure they leave this auction empty-handed."
The Sixth Prince said sinisterly. To him, it didn’t matter if it was a good deal or if he was being a sucker. He just wanted Ye Xuan’s group to walk away with nothing.
Chen Ming and the others stared in stunned silence. The Sixth Prince’s grudge was far too deep. ’What did Ye Xuan do to the Sixth Prince?’ they wondered. ’The hatred from having one’s wife stolen and son killed could scarcely be greater than this.’
Ye Xuan knew exactly what the Sixth Prince was thinking. From now on, the moment Ye Xuan showed the slightest interest in an item, the prince would make a bid.
He remained completely unperturbed. ’If I get something, it’s a win. If not, it doesn’t matter. After all, none of these are priceless, one-of-a-kind treasures.’
Thanks to his connections with the Alchemist Association and the Soul Master Tower, even if he failed to acquire something like the Heart-Opening Grass here, he could get it from those two organizations later for an even lower price, just by asking.
Meanwhile, the Sixth Prince was repeatedly paying prices that far exceeded the items’ actual worth. With each purchase, he was losing at least fifty percent. In a short span of time, he had already lost at least one to two million Profound Coins.
Even for a Prince, his wealth was not limitless.
Furthermore, if word of his behavior at the auction got out, it would undoubtedly have a massive impact on his reputation as a Prince.
But right now, the Sixth Prince was completely consumed by his mad desire for revenge against Ye Xuan. He wasn’t thinking about the consequences. And even if he was, he was too fixated on getting back at Ye Xuan to care.
The auction continued.
Suddenly, Ye Xuan’s Soul Sense, which he had kept focused on box number six, detected a sharp fluctuation.
Ye Xuan’s eyes snapped open. ’They’re about to make their move. It seems the next item is what the Sixth Prince and his group are after—and they care about it a great deal.’
A flicker of excitement appeared in his eyes.
Ever since their confrontation started, he had kept his Soul Sense trained on box number six. The moment he detected any emotional ripples from within, he knew they were interested in the current item and would have Chen Xing start bidding.
This had happened several times already. Chen Xing’s disruptions had forced the prince to pay a much higher price, making him grind his teeth in frustration.
But this time, the emotional spike from the Sixth Prince in box number six was incredibly intense, almost as if he couldn’t contain himself.
This made Ye Xuan realize at once: the next item had to be the Sixth Prince’s primary target for this entire auction.
"I believe our next item is something every man here will be very interested in. It is a Tier Four Spirit Medicine capable of restoring any man’s virility—the Dragon Bone Yang Grass!"
"I’m sure you’re all familiar with various virility-boosting Spirit Medicines and Pills, but this Dragon Bone Yang Grass is one of a kind. It can remedy even a congenital lack of Yang Qi. Any man suffering from... performance issues... will find himself completely revitalized, brimming with vigor like never before! And for a man who is already perfectly functional? It will make you hard as a rock, able to go all day and all night without tiring! And, most importantly, unlike other such medicines, the effects of the Dragon Bone Yang Grass are permanent! It solves the problem at its root, once and for all."
"However, the Dragon Bone Yang Grass is exceedingly rare. In all our years of business, this is the first time our firm has ever acquired one. For any interested gentlemen, I urge you not to miss this opportunity."
The auctioneer’s introduction sent the entire hall into an uproar.
Every man in the audience was beside himself with excitement. For them, this Dragon Bone Yang Grass was an absolutely priceless, earth-shaking treasure.
In box number six, the Sixth Prince shot to his feet, his gaze burning with desire.
He had waited all this time for this very treasure.
Sensing the Sixth Prince’s movement, the cold smirk on Ye Xuan’s lips widened. "Chen Xing, as soon as the bidding for this Dragon Bone Yang Grass starts, I want you to drive the price up hard. This is what the guy in box number six is here for."
"Ye Xuan, you don’t even have to ask! I was going to bid on this anyway! If I can get my hands on that Dragon Bone Yang Grass, I’ll have beautiful women falling all over me! HAHA..."
Indeed, without any prompting from Ye Xuan, Chen Xing had already jumped to his feet, his eyes gleaming.
On the stage, the auctioneer’s voice boomed as he whipped the silk cloth away. A red, bone-shaped Spirit Medicine lay on the wooden platter, emitting a warm, hazy aura of Yang Qi.
"Alright, enough talk! I’m sure most of the men here can’t wait any longer. The Tier Four Dragon Bone Yang Grass starts at a price of one hundred thousand Profound Coins! Each bid must be an increment of at least one thousand!"
The auctioneer’s words had barely faded when a voice like a clanging gong shattered the air. "I’ll bid five hundred thousand Profound Coins!" It was, of course, Chen Xing.
The hall fell deathly silent in an instant. Countless pairs of eyes shot toward the source of the voice. Chen Xing, however, was completely unabashed, grinning as he stared at the Dragon Bone Yang Grass on the stage, practically drooling.
The entire crowd was stunned for a moment, then erupted in a chorus of angry curses.
’Are you kidding me? Is this guy insane?! The starting price was only a hundred thousand Profound Coins, and he jumps straight to five hundred thousand on the first bid? How is anyone else supposed to compete?’
’Just how desperate is that damned fatty? Even if you’re determined to win it, you’re supposed to raise the price gradually!’
’The guy’s a complete lunatic!’
If it were any other item, many would have simply given up. There was no point in getting into a bidding war with a madman.
But the Dragon Bone Yang Grass was too valuable. To many men, it was more precious than any other treasure, and besides, the Royal City was teeming with wealthy individuals.
After a moment of silence, someone finally continued the bidding.
"Five hundred and ten thousand Profound Coins!"
"Five hundred and twenty thousand!"
One after another, voices called out. They all belonged to decrepit, wealthy old men in their seventies and eighties—men who were already ancient, yet still dreamed of regaining their youthful vigor.
"I’ll bid one million!"
The familiar, clanging voice echoed throughout the auction hall.
’What? One million?’
The other bidders were so furious they were about to lose their minds.
’This guy is completely unhinged. Who would dare to play this game with him?’
’No matter how valuable the Dragon Bone Yang Grass is, it’s still just a Tier Four Spirit Medicine. It’s worth one hundred or two hundred thousand at most. Even with its special properties, four or five hundred thousand should be the absolute limit.’
’For one million, you could buy a Tier Five Spirit Medicine! Spending that much on a Tier Four item... the man’s brain is fried.’
’Besides, who knows if one million is his final offer? Given how crazy that fatty is, he probably won’t stop at one million.’
With this in mind, the auction hall fell silent once more. No one else made a bid.
But the angriest person of all was the Sixth Prince, Zhao Gang, in box number six. His face had turned a livid shade of green.
Ever since he’d become impotent, he had spent the last few months furtively visiting countless Pharmacists and consuming all sorts of miraculous pills and medicines, but his problem was never cured.
So when he learned that the Dragon Bone Yang Grass would be at this auction, he immediately resolved to obtain it, no matter the cost.
Of course, to prevent others from learning of his... affliction... the Sixth Prince had hoped to win the Dragon Bone Yang Grass discreetly.
In truth, with his status, he could have just made a high bid early on, and few would have dared to compete with him. After all, he was the Sixth Prince. The merchants would have to carefully consider if offending a Prince was worth it, all for a virility herb.
He just hadn’t expected such an obnoxious fatty to show up at this critical moment—and one of Ye Xuan’s people, no less, the very man he was trying to punish. His plan to stay low-key was completely ruined.
But now, no matter how much he cared about his pride, he had to swallow it and place a bid for the sake of his future happiness... and the future of his lower half.
"I bid one million two hundred thousand!"
A chilling voice rang out from box number six.
"What impotent loser dares to snatch this treasure from me?!" Chen Xing’s clanging voice was earth-shattering, ringing in every person’s ears.
"Hey, wasn’t that bid from His Highness the Sixth Prince?"
The crowd’s gazes followed the sound of the bid. When they saw it came from his box, they immediately began to murmur amongst themselves. The weight of their bright, knowing stares made the Sixth Prince wish the ground would open up and swallow him whole.
’Damn that fatty,’ the Prince seethed. ’Fuck your ancestors!’
If he could, the Sixth Prince would have screamed the curse aloud.
