Chapter 174: Bartering

"You really want this Turquoise Taffeta Robe, don't you?"

Looking at Lin Qing Yi's sparkling eyes, Ling Xian figured that she must be head over heels for this marvelous robe.

It was no news that girls have no immunity towards pretty clothes and fancy jewelry, and this rule applied to even the female cultivators who rose high above others. After all, cultivation was not an easy journey and required great perseverance and determination. If cultivators were not allowed to pursue some superficial things in life, then what was there to enjoy?

No doubt about it, elegant clothing was one of the few things female cultivators lust after.

"Um..."

Lin Qing Yi hesitated. Though she very much wanted the robe, she still shook her head sternly. "No. Though this robe is very pretty, I do not want it."

"Ah, lying is not a good quality." Ling Xian chuckled. He knew that Lin Qing Yi wanted this treasure very much, but denied it because she didn't want to spend his spiritual stones.

"Who lied? I really don't want it," Lin Qing Yi blushed. Looking at the blindingly magnificent and dizzying gown, her eyes flashed with desire.

"Okay. You said it. Then I won't bid on it," Ling Xian looked at her with a grin that meant more than a grin.

"Then don't bid on it. I never wanted you to buy it for me anyway, plus I really don't like it," Lin Qing Yi said slowly, though her beautiful eyes dimmed.

She obviously wanted the robe, and more than that, she wanted her loved one to buy it for her. However, she didn't want Ling Xian to pay a big price for it and so she told him she didn't want it.

Lin Qing Yi was a good woman, a good woman who truly liked Ling Xian. Unlike some other women, whom, regardless of partner's financial capabilities, pressured their partners to buy them stuff they wanted.

"If that's the case then I will just sit and watch how this goes down," Ling Xian said with a huge grin.

While the two were chit chatting in their private space, the atmosphere outside had already been hyped up by the Turquoise Taffeta Robe. Many female cultivators' eyes were shooting out beams as they bid on the robe deliriously. Within the brief period of time, the price of the object went as high as 30,000 spiritual stones and the bides were still rising.

"40,000!"

A red-cheeked buff man shouted out and stared at the slender woman in his arms. Instantly, the woman giggled and gave him a kiss.

Very quickly however, this price was outmatched.

"50,000!" a youth in blue yelled.

"70,000!"

A voice that came from the second floor beat all others' prices. The slender woman in that buff man's arms got upset and forced him to continue bidding, to which he responded with a bitter smile. 40,000 was the best he could do, as he didn't have any more spiritual stones and he didn't think it was worth it to spend it all for a woman.

Therefore, he chose to give it up. The youth in blue made the same decision.

Seeing that nobody was going to bid anymore, Manager Wang slammed down the small hammer in his hand, "Going once. Anyone else want to outbid this? It is a rare defensive robe. Not only is it delicately made, its defense abilities are also excellent. It's a very exquisite object."

The auction ground was silent, nobody else was bidding anymore.

"Manager Wang, since nobody else is willing to bid anymore, then just slam the hammer," the final bidder from the second floor suggested. The voice was like a bird's - crisp and moving. It belonged to a woman.

Manager Wang smiled kindly, satisfied with the final price. Though the Turquoise Taffeta Robe was rare, it was not worth this many spiritual stones. As the Manager, however, he wanted the bidding price to be as high as possible. He slammed the little hammer and announced, "Going twice. Is anyone else bidding? If not, then it will belong to this lady over here."

Nobody raised the price.

Even those female cultivators who went insane over the robe were helpless. 70,000 spiritual stones were outside of their comfort zone. Or in other words, this number has long surpassed the actual value of the robe. They had no choice but to give up.

Just when they thought the object will for sure become that woman's, two words suddenly came from the third floor.

"One million."

The words spoken were calm, but it could not hide the bidder's determination of winning this treasure. These simple words were spoken so casually, it felt like the number he said was a hundred rather than a million.

The auction ground quieted down immediately. Everyone's gaze went to the third floor, desperately trying to figure out what kind of person would dare to bid such a high price.

Sadly, every single box was protected by an array that prohibited others from seeing who's inside. Despite that, it wasn't difficult to guess. There were only two boxes occupied on the third floor, one being the widely known and admired Master Tang. The bidder was obviously not him.

Based on elimination, it wasn't hard to guess who the actual bidder was.

"Who is this person? It's a million spiritual stones but the way he said it makes me feel like it's only worth 100. He really doesn't care does he?"

"Yeah, I work my @ss off for 500,000 spiritual stones a year. This person sure made it sound like spiritual stones are easy to earn. Such a casual bid that's worth two years of my earnings."

"His voice sounds young. I am guessing his richness is all from his family. There are no others reasons as to why someone would pay a million for a piece of clothing. He must be a noble's son who is trying to please a girl."

The gossip went on. Everyone's face was painted with shock. Though nobody here were ordinary citizens and each one of them were considered wealthy, to pay a million for a piece of clothing was not something they could do.

This was something only Ling Xian could do. Not that he was stupid and wanted to be ripped off. It was just that he simply did not care. To him, spiritual stones were merely numbers. How much he spent depended on his mood.

Inside the box, Lin Qing Yi's lips parted slightly in shock. Looking at the grinning youth, her face was half joyful and half shocked.

She was happy that Ling Xian recognized her desires and bid on the robe with such a high price. She was shocked at just how much money he had. It was a million spiritual stones, not 100!

"Don't look at me like that, I am richer than you think," Ling Xian said with a beam.

"How annoying. Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Lin Qing Yi tenderly said.

Looking at her joyous face, Ling Xian felt happy as well, he smiled, "If I told you earlier, you wouldn't be so pleasantly surprised."

"But... a million spiritual stones. If you use it to buy me the Turquoise Taffeta Robe, do you still have spiritual stones for Water of Resting Soul? The entire objective of our trip is for you to purchase that water. Don't miss out on it because of me," Lin Qing Yi was worried just as much as she was excited.

"Don't worry about it. A million to me is nothing. You take it and don't overthink it. Water of the Resting Soul will definitely be mine as well," Ling Xian said. This was true, after owning the purple dwarf, he can get his hands on as many spiritual stones as he wants. A million was nothing to him. To say it bluntly, the total wealth of everyone here was less than Ling Xian's!

"A million, anyone who wants to top it?"

Manager Wang was smiling so big he turned into a flower. He specifically looked at the second floor for a reaction from the previous highest bidder. After confirming that there were no more bids, he slammed the little hammer, "Okay, I officially announce that the Turquoise Taffeta Robe now belongs to the guest on the third floor. Your excellency, please do not feel impatient. After the auction, we will seal the deal."

The hammer slammed again.

The woman from the second floor sneered due to discontentment towards Ling Xian. Though annoyed, she was helpless. It was a battle between spiritual stones and Ling Xian did not lack of them.

Then, Manager Wang lifted the red cloth off of the second tray and started the second auction.

After taking a peek, Ling Xian lost interest. He lounged onto the sofa and enjoyed the spiritual fruits and tea.

Lin Qing Yi was not interested either. All she could think about was the Turquoise Taffeta Robe. She pictured herself wearing that graceful robe, how she would bring the entire nation to their knees with her beauty and how she could make Ling Xian lose his mind.

Very quickly, the second treasure was gone to a middle-aged man. In the next little while, all the rare treasures found their new owners and before long, it was time for the ninth treasure.

Manager Wang stood on stage and enjoyed himself in the competitive atmosphere of the auction ground. He said loudly, "The next item is one that everyone has been waiting for for a long time. Many people came specifically for this item. That's right, it is the legendary Water of the Resting Soul. With a minimum bid of one million, the auction start now!"

Immediately, the ground became heated. Just as the old man had said, many people came to this auction just for Water of the Resting Soul. Ling Xian was no exception. When the words "Water of the Resting Soul" slipped out of Manager Wang's mouth, he stood right up, clenched his hands together, but did not place a bid right away. He wanted to observe.

Majority of the people here didn't have his patience, bids were being shouted out one after another.

"Two million!"

"Three million!"

"Five million!"

Very quickly, Water of the Resting Soul was knocked up to the astronomical amount of five million. The atmosphere got even more aggressive, some people's eyes even turned red. This was an invaluable treasure. Anyone wealthy would not give it up even if it meant their family goes bankrupt.

Just then, an aged and tired voice shouted out from the box on the third floor.

"I bid six million spiritual stones. This item is of great use to me. I ask all of you, my friends, to do me this favor."

The auction ground died down instantaneously.

Some wealthy but not high leveled cultivators sighed as disappointment filled their faces. Even the important figures from the second floor frowned and felt a headache, unsure if they should continue bidding.

It wasn't that they weren't wealthy enough, it was because of the identity of the person asking.

Master Tang!

A Seventh-Realm alchemist with deep knowledge of alchemy. On top of that, he had a high ranked position in the government, was highly respected, and many people here owed him favors.

Therefore, when he spoke those words, everyone fell into silence. Other than the ones who owed him favors, nobody here had the status nor ranking that equaled Master Tang.

Not only was he a Seventh-Realm alchemist, he had the support of the Emperor's brother, Prince Wu. Who dared to compete with him?

At least nobody here dared!

Seeing the dead silence of the auction ground, Master Tang's face bloomed into a huge grin. Without waiting to see if anyone else will shout out a price, he ordered, "Thank you everyone for doing this for me. Manager Wang, drop the hammer."

"Ay... dammit, this shameless @sshole is using his status to suppress everyone here. Asking everyone to do him a favor..." Manager Wang cursed under his breath while he kept his smile, "Master Tang, what's the rush? Why don't we wait a little?"

"What are you waiting for? Everyone here is willing to do this favor for me. Who else is going to outbid me? Hurry up and drop the hammer," Master Tang too, kept his smile and acted as if he had won.

[Dammit!]

Manager Wang cursed silently again. He was fully aware that since Master Tang had spoken, nobody will stand out to contest him. He sighed, "If nobody else is willing to offer a price, then-"

However, before he could finish, he was interrupted by a calm voice. The source of the voice was also from a box of the third floor.

"Hold on. I have an inquiry. I wonder if today's auction allows bartering?"