178: Zhong Yunzhou's Small Classroom

Following the sound, Zhong Dingshan, who had been in closed-door Cultivation, unexpectedly appeared at the auction.

Zhong Dingshan smiled at the steward who brought the items.

"I understand the rules: immediate payment upon winning. If we decide we don't want the Nether Ghost Vine for now, how much is the penalty?"

"Ah, don't want it?"

The steward was clearly experiencing this for the first time. Undecided, he took out a sound transmission talisman to ask for instructions.

Less than three breaths later.

"Click ~"

The door of the adjacent room opened. A handsome Young Master, dressed in a sea-blue and purple-gold robe with a bronze hundred-treasure jade belt around his waist, put down the sound transmission stone in his hand and looked at Zhong Dingshan with displeasure.

"My Treasure Pavilion's rule is three-tenths of the auction price!

If the person in Room Seven is unwilling to buy the Nether Ghost Vine for thirty-seven thousand, the penalty is eight-tenths, to be paid immediately!

Once the arrow is shot, there's no turning back. Are you sure you want to withdraw?"

"Young Master Qin, I apologize for the trouble." Zhong Dingshan had a genial expression, showing no impatience towards the arrogant Young Master before him.

A hint of envy flashed in Zhong Yunzhou's eyes. Qin Qilian, a Qi Induction Realm Genius at twenty, was now the Pavilion Master of the Treasure Pavilion in City Name City, overseeing all matters.

Despite being younger than himself, even his own grandfather would treat him with utmost respect.

Because behind Qin Qilian stood the Qin Family, a power capable of shaking the Azure Flame Nation!

"Hmph!"

Qin Qilian completely ignored Zhong Dingshan, flicked his sleeve, and left.

After paying the three-tenths penalty, two guards walked to the room door, personally watched the Zhong Family members close the door, and stood by the entrance.

Now, whether the remaining five-tenths needed to be paid depended on what Room Seven on the second floor decided.

Inside the room, Zhong Yunzhou quickly offered tea to his grandfather, trying to alleviate the death-like oppressive aura.

The moment he entered the room, Zhong Dingshan's expression instantly turned cold as he scrutinized Zhong Xiaoran.

"Your trickery can fool Yunzhou, but it can't fool me.

Third Brother, this Family is not yet yours to command. Do you think all us old folks are dead?!"

Zhong Yunzhou felt a wave of confusion. Trickery, what trickery?

He looked at his Third Uncle, who, instead of showing fear for his impending punishment, met his grandfather's gaze indifferently and pointed outside the door, saying:

"That's my Nether Ghost Vine, mine!"

"Hmph, of course it's yours. Why don't you say the entire Zhong Family is yours?" Zhong Dingshan scoffed, then looked towards the center of the auction hall without saying anything further.

Zhong Yunzhou stood by, utterly bewildered. It took him a long time to react, his eyes widening.

Connecting the recent conversation, he had a bold idea.

Was Third Uncle's bidding on the Nether Ghost Vine just an act?

So, Third Uncle actually intended to use the pretense of improper operation to cover up the fact that he gave up the Family's bid for the illusory dream flower in favor of the Nether Ghost Vine?

A chill ran through Zhong Yunzhou's heart. He stared at his Third Uncle; if not for his grandfather, he would have always believed it was a mistake, not intentional.

Qin Qilian walked to Room Seven on the second floor and gently knocked on the door.

Although he was the Pavilion Master here and could activate the Formation.

However, the Treasure Pavilion had endured to this day by strictly adhering to its rules.

Currently, there were no special circumstances like murder or rogue cultivators.

This door, even he, had no right to open.

Of course, he could activate the Formation for convenience.

But if word of what happened today got out, the position of Pavilion Master he had so painstakingly acquired would be forever out of his reach.

No one answered inside the room, but the sound transmission from the hall indicated that the silhouette at the window was still there.

Qin Qilian could only wait by the door. This was the first auction he had fully presided over, and he didn't want to rely on others. His father would need a personal explanation later, so he had to be personally involved.

He was certainly willing to earn the penalty from the Zhong Family, but for such a situation to occur in the very first auction was unacceptable.

That small amount of money couldn't compensate for the disgust he felt.

It was like finally marrying a wife, only for her to be happily chatting with her ex-boyfriend at the wedding, reminiscing about their past intimacy.

Furthermore, if the person in Room Seven didn't buy anything, and the Nether Ghost Vine went unsold, it would be a huge joke.

Every auction item tonight had passed through his hands, carefully selected to ensure no item would go unsold.

Room Seven had just bought the "Gravity Technique," indicating a potential Qi Induction Realm cultivator. For a Qi Induction Realm cultivator to spend thirty-seven thousand gold on a Nether Ghost Vine...

To be honest, there were probably only a few such people in the entire City Name City.

Qin Qilian looked at Room Seven, his heart beginning to ache. He thought to himself, if it really came down to it, he would cut the three-tenths penalty paid by the Zhong Family to ensure the person in Room Seven bought it.

Time passed, the second to last item had already been auctioned, leaving only the final illusory dream flower.

On the auction stage, a dreamlike, illusory blue flower floated within a transparent glass cover, one foot square.

The stem of the illusory dream flower was snow-white, with only the tip pure blue, and petals like a rose.

Specks of white light flowed on the fingernail-sized petals, shimmering like a star river.

"Ninety-two thousand!"

"Ninety-five thousand!"

"One hundred thousand!"

The illusory dream flower, capable of enhancing spirit and refining the Soul, truly deserved to be the final item.

The prices shouted from the top floor were more terrifying than the last, the money seemingly given away for free, rapidly increasing.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, only Room Five and Room Three were still competing, the price having already reached one hundred thirty-eight thousand.

At this point, their psychological bottom lines were roughly met.

Who the flower would go to depended not only on financial resources but also on whether spending so much money was ultimately worthwhile.

"One hundred forty thousand!" The Zhong Family raised the bid by another two thousand.

The final two thousand gold became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Room Three remained silent, and the hall fell into silence.

Tong Tu nodded secretly. This price was about right, six thousand higher than the auction two years prior.

Little Lian's first auction, though it had a minor mishap in the middle, was generally acceptable.

"One hundred forty thousand gold once, one hundred forty thousand gold twice, one —"

Just as the gavel was about to fall, a clear, cold bid rang out from Room Eleven on the second floor.

"One hundred fifty thousand!"

"Whoa!"

"Damn it, don't stand there, you're blocking my view."

Someone in the main hall stood up, craning his neck to look at Room Eleven on the second floor.

Goodness, it's the second floor again!

Which esteemed Young Master is it this time, trying to block Room Five?

"Do you think the one tael of silver for admission today was worth it or not?"

"Damn, totally worth it."

"I really want to see who's in Room Seven, Room Seventeen, and now this Room Eleven. They're so awesome, snatching food from the tiger's mouth, and three times at that!"

Hearing the price jump by ten thousand, Qin Qilian, standing at the door of Room Seven, felt a tremor in his heart.

He wasn't happy about the increased price; instead, he felt a chill, slowly crawling up his neck from his heels, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue at him.

It wasn't unheard of for the second floor to bid over one hundred thousand gold, but such instances were rare, with only one in ten succeeding.

Could it be that this was intentionally to inflate the price for the Zhong Family?

But this price was already the ceiling for the illusory dream flower.

If it continued, the Zhong Family couldn't afford it, and the second floor couldn't buy it either, resulting in it going unsold?

Could the troublemaker be one of his own brothers?

Qin Qilian glanced at Room Seven and picked up a sound transmission talisman.

"Uncle Jun, I need to trouble you to come down."

Everything today was too strange, and Room Seven was next to Room Eleven; he couldn't afford to be careless.

Inside Room Five, Zhong Xiaoran's lips curved slightly upward, as if saying to his old man, "See, the strong one is here. Ten thousand gold at a time, if you can do it, go for it!"

Zhong Dingshan's mustache fluttered, and anger flashed in his eyes. Which bastard dared to steal his Opportunity!

They had already spent one hundred twenty thousand before, and the money they had now was simply not enough for one hundred fifty thousand.

Zhong Dingshan's face was grim as he bid again.

"One hundred fifty-eight thousand!"

Hearing the Zhong Family bid again, Qin Qilian breathed a sigh of relief.

He didn't know about Room Eleven, but he was clear about the Zhong Family; they definitely had the money, and furthermore, the Zhong Family wouldn't dare to let the illusory dream flower go unsold on his watch.

Thinking about the illusory dream flower being auctioned for one hundred fifty-eight thousand, more than twenty thousand gold above the expected price, Qin Qilian couldn't be happier.

Of the twenty thousand plus gold, he could keep ten thousand for his own Cultivation; excellent!

The slight displeasure he felt towards the Zhong Family instantly became acceptable.

In Room Five, Zhong Yunzhou sat on the sofa, his mind a bit muddled.

He knew exactly how much money they had brought.

The price of one hundred fifty-eight thousand meant that one of the items auctioned earlier would have to be sold to gather money for the next-door room, and that was if the other party was willing.

Now, why did grandfather suddenly come, and why did Third Uncle "make a mistake"?

A three-tenths penalty, that was also ten thousand gold, gone just like that.

Preaching principles, but only doing business.

The Family's banner was held high, but everything depended on oneself.

This was a lesson he would never forget today.