Chapter 569: Bidding Out of Spite
“It was nothing but luck. Deputy Commander Fan was simply unused to fighting in the water,” said He Lingchuan. From Nian Zanli’s expression alone, he could tell the man only half believed him. After all, Fan Sheng had been famous for years, and his fists were notoriously hard. The odds of him losing to a seventeen or eighteen-year-old upstart were vanishingly small.
The style in Lingxu City was exaggerated to the point of absurdity. Everyone was a born braggart. A man with two parts skill in hand could easily boast it up to ten. Even some threadbare wretch drinking in a grimy little fly-speck tavern by the market would dare claim he was about to close a business deal worth tens of thousands of taels. So if Nian Zanli did not believe him, what was strange about that?
He Lingchuan offered no further explanation and merely turned to Fushan Yue. “Did you find anything?”
Fushan Yue shook his head.
“Heavenly Rain Tower is about to auction off an aged blood-infused vine.” He Lingchuan immediately said, “Want to go take a look?”
“What’s there to look at?” Fushan Yue replied. “I’m not a rabbit. Herbs don’t interest me.”
“The scale-shedding disease of aquatic races has to be treated with medicine made from the fruit borne by aged blood-infused vine.” Back in Panlong City, He Lingchuan had occasionally helped A’Luo gather materials, so he was not unfamiliar with the plant. The interesting thing was that the vine was not uncommon in the Chipa Highland, yet it could not grow in Beijia, with even artificial transplantation failing. “A certain acquaintance of ours could use it badly, no?”
“Zhongsun?” Fushan Yue showed a flash of white teeth. “Now that sounds like something worth seeing.”
He Lingchuan smiled at Nian Zanli, bade him farewell, and left the side chamber arm in arm with Fushan Yue.
It was not until they had passed out into the corridor that Fushan Yue asked, “How did you end up chatting with a surrendered general?”
He had not recognized the man at first when they met, but he had quickly remembered afterward.
He Lingchuan blinked. “A surrendered general? From where?”
Fushan Yue remembered that He Lingchuan was a foreigner and not familiar with all the twists and turns. “He was originally a general of Yuan. Last year, he rose in rebellion, then defected to Beijia. But the battle he fought within Yuan last summer went badly. Though he still reported merit, he lost a great many subordinates. I hear he’s been trying to borrow troops from Beijia and go back for revenge.”
He Lingchuan found that amusing. “He lost even when fighting with his own troops. Why would borrowing troops suddenly let him win?”
“Exactly.” Fushan Yue sounded openly disdainful. “Beijia has no shortage of surrendered generals. If he can actually borrow troops, I’ll be impressed.”
“What kind of obsession is that? Why insist on going to war against his former homeland?”
Fushan Yue laughed. “A surrendered general needs military merit before we’ll think highly of him. Didn’t I tell you? Beijia has never lacked surrendered generals.”
By then, they had already followed a winding stone path all the way up to Heavenly Rain Tower.
Though it stood at the highest point, the building lay directly beneath a massive stone cliff, from which water dripped almost constantly like rain from the heavens. It pattered against the roof tiles in a delicate, jewel-like music that was bright and soothing to the ear.
Heavenly Rain Tower was also three stories tall. Because the air there was so damp, the exterior of the building was covered in vines large and small. The sight reminded He Lingchuan of the southern gate of Panlong City. Of course, what clung to Heavenly Rain Tower’s outer walls was nothing so offensive as the man-eating vines there. The flowers blooming from these vines were quite beautiful instead—red, violet, pink, yellow—adding a vivid splash of color to late autumn.
Inside, the auction was in full swing.
By the time a servant led the two of them into a small hall on the second floor, the blood-infused vine lot had already begun.
At first glance, the plant looked very much like a close relative of the man-eating vine, with its vicious appearance and thorn-covered surface. In truth, however, it did not feed on humans or beasts, and the red liquid that oozed from wounds in the vine was not blood, but sap. The vine itself was hardy, but grew slowly. It flowered and fruited only once every thirty years, and the next cycle would come thirty years after that.
The specimen on the display platform had already borne pale-red berries. Only once the fruit deepened to a rich purple would it be considered fully mature and fit for medicinal use.
He Lingchuan had already read the item description. This plant had once been most abundant in the Chipa Highland of the Panlong Wasteland, but after the wasteland turned into a desert more than a century ago, the plant vanished with it and became extremely rare.
This particular lot had been transported from the eastern part of the continent, timed carefully around its fruiting cycle. It had not been easy to bring here.
And He Lingchuan’s understanding of that was simple enough, and that was that it meant ruinously expensive.
Curiously, blood-infused vine clearly grew on land and barely needed watering all year round, yet its fruit could treat the scale-shedding disease of aquatic races.
When a sickly member of the aquatic races began shedding scales, those lost scales often never grew back. With the skin left exposed to air or water for long periods, infection came easily. Even though merfolk could go ashore, the skin beneath missing scales would often split and bleed, and even moisture-preserving arrays were not especially effective. It was a deeply painful condition.
That was why this hall contained more aquatic races—or their agents—than any other. After all, not every member of the aquatic races could walk on land.
The moment Fushan Yue entered the hall, his eyes swept the room and lit up. Pointing toward the front row, he said, “There’s our main player.”
He Lingchuan looked and saw a blue-skinned merfolk whose profile greatly resembled Zhongsun Mou’s.
“Another member of the Zhongsun Family?” What luck.
Fushan Yue gave a mocking snort. “That’s Zhongsun Mou’s elder brother, Zhongsun Ce. Of their generation in the Zhongsun Family, he’s the only one left.”
Zhongsun Ce’s third brother had died at Fushan Yue’s hands. His second brother had died by He Lingchuan’s design. What a karmic entanglement this was.
There were currently seven or eight parties raising their bidding plaques on the floor below, fighting for the blood-infused vine with evident intensity.
Zhongsun Ce was among them.
He was still young and had no use for the vine himself. He Lingchuan guessed he was bidding on behalf of his great-grandfather Zhongsun Chi. That old merman had already grown so aged that he had resorted to the elixir of youth to prolong his life. The scales on his body were probably like the teeth of a hundred-year-old man by now, whether they stayed or fell was a matter of their own whim.
This was important business for the Zhongsun Family. However much grief he might feel over his brothers’ deaths, Zhongsun Ce still had to come and handle it.
After a few rounds, only three bidders remained.
The unsuccessful parties began leaving one after another, and the seat beside Zhongsun Ce emptied out as well.
He Lingchuan tipped his chin toward it. Fushan Yue understood at once, strolled over without hurry, and planted himself squarely in the vacant spot.
The moment Zhongsun Ce saw him, his face changed color. “What are you doing here?”
“I got tired of walking around, so I came to watch the fun.” Fushan Yue beckoned casually, and an attendant hurried over with tea. “How’s Old Master Zhongsun?”
Zhongsun Ce said nothing.
Zhongsun Mou’s death had caused a tremendous uproar within the family, and on top of that, the deputy cloud envoy had even come to investigate the elixir of youth case.
Neither of those matters could be hidden. By now, the upper circles of Lingxu City were all whispering that the Zhongsun Family was in for a terrible run of misfortune.
Old Master Zhongsun had spent the last several days unable to eat or sleep properly. His scale-shedding disease had flared up badly. His whole body itched and ached, almost without pause.
The family physicians had warned that numbing and anti-itch medicines could not be taken indefinitely, which was why the Zhongsun Family had set its sights on the blood-infused vine being auctioned at Dun Garden.
More than half the family’s present misery could be laid at the feet of the Crown Prince of Chiyan sitting beside him, yet now this very man had come to sit down next to him and disgust him further. Zhongsun Ce felt that the fact he had not leaped up and attacked Fushan Yue on the spot already showed a great improvement in his self-restraint over recent years.
Fushan Yue merely glanced at him and did not bother taking offense at the rudeness.
Had he not now been elevated to Crown Prince of Chiyan, Zhongsun Ce would very likely have started cursing him out already.
In the past, Fushan Yue had been nothing more than an underregarded prince in Lingxu City. Everyone knew the throne of Chiyan could never fall to him, and the young men of the Zhongsun Family had spared him no amount of mockery and sarcasm. Now, however, he had returned to Lingxu City bearing the title of crown prince, and he was thoroughly enjoying the pleasure of coming in glory.
Over the past few days, every noble in Lingxu City had been forced to greet him with smiles. At Dun Garden today, everyone who saw him came up to pay respects and address him deferentially as “Your Highness.”
That feeling of finally holding one’s head high, ah!
The more stifled he had once been, the more exhilarating it felt now.
During all this, another two rounds of bidding passed. Only two contenders remained on the floor.
Zhongsun Ce, of course, was one of them.
Three more rounds later, the other party also dropped out. After all, ten stalks of blood-infused vine had already reached 8,000 taels of silver, which was absurd. Scale-shedding disease was agonizing, yes, but its fatality rate was not especially high. Compared to 8,000,000 copper coins, most of those from the aquatic races felt they could probably endure a little longer.
Even the auctioneer’s voice had taken on a resonance from the soaring price. “Ten sixty-year-old blood-infused vines at 8,000 taels. Is there anyone willing to bid higher?”
“Going once.”
“Going twice—ah, a new bid! 8,500 taels!”
Someone else had entered the bidding?
Zhongsun Ce turned his head and was shocked to discover that the new bidder was Fushan Yue. He barked out, “Fushan Yue, what are you doing?!”
“Buying something.” Fushan Yue dug at one ear. “Lower your voice.”
The auctioneer was still calling out the price and counting down, so Zhongsun Ce had no choice but to raise his plaque again. The price jumped to 9,000 taels.
Once bidding passed 5,000 taels, increments rose by 500 at a time. Otherwise, things would drag on endlessly and waste everyone’s time.
Without the slightest hesitation, Fushan Yue raised his plaque. “10,000 taels.”
A small wave of commotion passed through the room.
Everyone had already thought that 5,000 taels for ten blood-infused vines was an inflated price. No one had expected it to double.
“What do you need blood-infused vine for?” Zhongsun Ce ground the words out through suppressed fury. “You don’t even have scales!”
“I recently took in a few fish monsters as pets and keep them in the great lake within the royal palace.” Fushan Yue smiled sweetly. “The biggest among them has been shedding scales badly of late. It scratches itself against the rocks all day like a dog rubbing against tree roots. I need to nourish it a bit.”
“You!” Mocked so openly through that transparent comparison, Zhongsun Ce’s fury surged. He threw a punch straight at Fushan Yue’s nose.
With a crack, Fushan Yue caught his wrist and smiled with a dark, chilling edge, his four fangs gleaming coldly. “You want to fight me on land?”
The claws of his five fingers lengthened and sank into Zhongsun Ce’s wrist, causing blood to well up at once.
Zhongsun Ce formed a hand seal with his left hand, ready to blast a sheet of ice straight into Fushan Yue’s face. Fortunately, several guards nearby rushed over immediately and shouted, “Fighting is strictly forbidden in Dun Garden! Both of you, let go!”
This was the capital of monsters. Fights broke out often enough, and the guards had become highly experienced in dealing with them.
Fushan Yue flung Zhongsun Ce’s arm aside, then licked the blood from his claws, only to spit it out in disgust. “Eugh, reeks of fish.”
Zhongsun Ce clutched his wrist, both cheeks drawn tight. He was clearly grinding his teeth.
As the guards treated his wound, he kept his eyes locked on Fushan Yue and said in an icy voice, “Are you determined to oppose me today?”
“I need this thing too. How can that be called opposing you?” Fushan Yue replied with perfect ease. “If you outbid me, then naturally the blood-infused vine will be yours.”
With his face gone iron-blue, Zhongsun Ce raised his plaque once more.
Only then could the auction, which had been interrupted by that sudden clash, resume.
After several more rounds of the two of them chasing each other upward in price, the bid had already climbed to 15,000 taels. Guests from several neighboring halls began arriving one after another as word spread, all of them eager to watch the excitement.
Spiteful bidding wars were always the best spectacle at an auction.
