novelraw Chapter 1977 - 1959: Being Followed
Chapter 1977 - 1959: Being Followed
"Fifty-five million!"
As the auctioneer announced this price, the rhythm in the auction hall finally slowed down. Such a price forced the people from the four major sects and Liu Pang to deliberate for a moment. Teleportation Spirit Stones are consumables; a small teleportation array requires a few each time, and a large teleportation formation needs ten to several dozen at once. A thousand Teleportation Spirit Stones seem like a lot but aren’t actually enough for many uses. Thus, they began to rationally analyze the price, and the bidding temporarily paused.
"Fifty-five million, first call!"
Seeing the room quiet down, the auctioneer immediately prompted, hoping the crowd would bid again. He then added, "These Teleportation Spirit Stones haven’t been auctioned in decades. Miss this opportunity, and who knows when the next auction will be. So, if you’re interested, please bid!"
But the auctioneer’s words had little impact. The last bidder was Liu Pang, and the other four major sects felt quite frustrated. They had already bought quite a bit earlier, leaving them with less than sixty million in funds. If they acted rashly, they might have no chance at all. Not participating now means letting the Dynasty take them for fifty-five million, a prospect they were unwilling to accept.
While everyone was debating whether to continue bidding, Lin Feng’s voice emerged.
"Sixty million!"
Lin Feng’s voice was calm and composed. His bid of sixty million instantly silenced the members of the four major sects. They were seething inside, thinking if this young man was deliberately causing trouble. Why else would he raise the price to such an extent, practically forcing them to a dead end? Even if they wanted to bid now, they couldn’t afford it.
Not only the people from the four major sects were stunned, but everyone in the auction hall was also shocked by Lin Feng’s move. Lin Feng had already aggravated Liu Pang from the Dynasty, and now he was raising the bid again, blatantly challenging the Dynasty’s authority. Nobody understood what gave this young man the courage to contest Liu Pang.
Liu Pang was enraged when he heard Lin Feng’s sudden five million raise, almost spitting blood. He never expected Lin Feng would appear again to bid against him. He was so furious his teeth itched, wishing he could immediately go over and kill Lin Feng. But this was an auction house; if he acted now, he’d be giving others a handle against him. He had to wait until they were alone to kill Lin Feng.
Thinking of this, Liu Pang’s face turned cold. He said, "Sixty-one million!"
This price was actually his limit. If the bidding continued, he might not be able to justify it. The current price exceeded the value of a thousand Teleportation Spirit Stones by over ten million, and he couldn’t understand why Lin Feng, essentially a lone wolf, needed Teleportation Spirit Stones.
Upon hearing Liu Pang bid, the auctioneer immediately shouted, "Sixty-one million! The bid is now sixty-one million! Anyone else?"
Although the auctioneer was thrilled, the four major sects capable of following the bids had already fallen silent. They could only watch as Lin Feng and Liu Pang competed for the thousand Teleportation Spirit Stones. They didn’t understand how Lin Feng could have so much money. The four major sects and the Dynasty had brought just over a billion for this auction, and Lin Feng had already spent over twenty million. Now he bid sixty million, totaling over eighty million, rivaling the financial power of the four major sects!
However, from Lin Feng’s tone, it seemed he hadn’t reached his limit yet. If no accidents occurred, Lin Feng would likely bid again. If Lin Feng did, Liu Pang’s situation would become interesting since, as they estimated, Liu Pang didn’t have much more money to bid.
The ensuing events went just as they predicted. Lin Feng calmly stated, "Sixty-five million!"
His voice was serene and emotionless; anyone could feel Lin Feng’s confidence from his tone. He did, in fact, have money, though not much left. However, he wanted others to think he was wealthy, so he acted indifferent.
"Sixty-five million! It’s at sixty-five million! Any other bids?"
The auctioneer’s eyes widened with excitement upon hearing Lin Feng call out sixty-five million. This was the highest price he’d ever auctioned. He wished for Liu Pang to continue bidding because if Liu Pang did, his commission might reach a terrifying number!
In the Dynasty’s VIP room, Liu Pang was on the verge of madness. Lin Feng’s bid of sixty-five million left him without room to raise the price any further. The money at his disposal was insufficient to raise the bid further; even including his private assets wouldn’t suffice. Staring at Lin Feng in the VIP booth, Liu Pang’s eyes filled with murderous intent. Today’s events left him determined to eliminate that damned Fang Yan, or he wouldn’t be able to vent his anger!
Listening to the auctioneer’s words, Liu Pang grew even angrier, flinging his sleeves and sitting down, no longer paying attention to the Teleportation Spirit Stones auction.
"Sixty-five million, first call!"
"Sixty-five million, second call!"
"Sixty-five million, sold!"
The auctioneer shouted three times in the pin-drop silence of the hall. With no further bids from Liu Pang, he had no choice but to declare the auction complete.
When Lin Feng joyfully pocketed the thousand Teleportation Spirit Stones, Liu Pang turned to an elder beside him, saying, "Elder Qin, that kid must die!"
The elder beside Liu Pang, named Elder Qin, did not utter a word but faintly nodded. Lin Feng had twice made the Dynasty’s Liu Pang lose face. Such a person indeed couldn’t be allowed to live. If the two guards couldn’t handle it, he would!
"Damn, he’s really wealthy!"
"Sixty-five million!"
"Sixty-five million is nothing; he spent over twenty million before!"
...
The people in the hall were all abuzz, filled with astonishment. They couldn’t believe it. All told, over eighty million had been spent, an enormous sum. Not even one person alone, but even a sect could only afford such an outlay if it were a major sect; even then, it would be draining. Yet Lin Feng spent money like water, his financial power astonishing and without compare!
The auctioneer, of course, didn’t stop the auction due to the crowd’s opinions. He continued excitedly with the remaining items. There were only three exquisite items left to auction.
"This is a piece of Seven Stars Cold Iron, sufficient to craft an ultimate Dharma Treasure. If you can find a Refining Master, you could refine a Spiritual Treasure. I don’t need to elaborate on the value of Seven Stars Cold Iron; I believe everyone is aware. So let’s begin the bidding. Starting at three million taels, with each raise at one hundred thousand taels!" The auctioneer briefly introduced the item, then promptly initiated the bidding.
"Three million two hundred thousand taels."
"Three million five hundred thousand taels!"
"Three million six hundred thousand taels!"
...
The price of the Seven Stars Cold Iron began to climb, although at a much slower pace than before. On one hand, Seven Stars Cold Iron is just a material; creating an actual Spiritual Treasure requires much more, not a trivial amount. Most importantly, Refining Masters are even rarer than Alchemy Grandmasters. Even if you find one willing to act, it requires significant payment. Under these circumstances, if the price of Seven Stars Cold Iron is too high, it might be better to buy an existing ultimate Dharma Treasure!
With that in mind, the price of Seven Stars Cold Iron rose slowly, barely reaching five million before stalling. At this point, Lin Feng spoke again.
"Five million three hundred thousand!"
This price was already higher than the value of Seven Stars Cold Iron, and Lin Feng realized he only had this much money left. Therefore, he offered this price. If anyone else bid, he couldn’t afford to compete.
Yet, others in the auction didn’t see it that way. When Lin Feng nonchalantly called out his bid, many assumed he was adamant about acquiring the Seven Stars Cold Iron. So, even those who wanted it lost interest, realizing they couldn’t outspend such a wealthy opponent!
Suddenly, nobody raised bids, and Lin Feng unexpectedly won the Seven Stars Cold Iron at his offered price, bringing him great joy. As for the remaining two items, he wasn’t interested, as they were both ultimate offensive Dharma Treasures.
While others bid on the final two Dharma Treasures, Lin Feng left the VIP room to find Xu Tongqian and reconcile the auction costs. If everything checked out, he planned to leave.
Finding Xu Tongqian was straightforward. They quickly went over the numbers, leaving Lin Feng with over a hundred thousand taels of gold. Since exchanging gold was cumbersome, Lin Feng generously gifted the remainder to Xu Tongqian, earning Xu’s deep gratitude. As Lin Feng was about to leave, Xu Tongqian cautiously informed him about the Liu Pang situation.
Upon receiving this information, Lin Feng smiled faintly. He had remained low-key to avoid wasting time. If these people were so reckless, he wouldn’t mind teaching them a lesson.
Turning to leave Xu Tongqian’s side, Lin Feng walked out of the auction house. However, two figures followed him from a distance. Lin Feng found this amusing; if they wanted to follow, so be it. But the sneaky manner was quite laughable! With that thought, Lin Feng changed direction, heading toward the outskirts of the imperial city. If he had to handle a problem, it would be in a more suitable location.
Soon, Lin Feng reached a spot twenty miles outside the city, near the Myriad Spirits Forbidden Land. However, before he could proceed much further, the two guards following him lost patience and rushed up to him.