After morning practice, Long Xiao took Aunt Ling to the market to buy groceries. While shopping, he informed her of each person's dietary preferences in the Lin family.
Just as they finished buying, and before they returned to the Lin residence, Long Xiao received a call from Li Yizhen, reminding him that the small auction would begin in an hour and to be on time.
Long Xiao asked Aunt Ling to return home alone and then, in a hurry, hailed a taxi to head to the Donghai Grand Hotel.
In the Golden Diamond private room on the fifteenth floor of the Donghai Grand Hotel, dozens of people from the prominent families of Donghai were already seated, awaiting the start of the auction. More were continuously arriving.
The Donghai Grand Hotel was a property of the Ji family, who also owned an auction house. Therefore, Li Yizhen entrusted this small auction to the Ji family.
Upon learning that the auction was for Long Xiao's nine pills, Ji Dahai decided to have his granddaughter, Ji Yuelan, personally serve as the auctioneer.
News that Li Yizhen possessed a divine medicine capable of healing comatose patients had already spread throughout Donghai, reaching families in other cities of Huaxia.
Although Li Yizhen had only invited the major families of Donghai, many families from other cities had been leveraging their connections to gain entry.
Ten minutes before the auction was to begin, the private room, capable of seating forty people, already hosted over seventy. Those who arrived later had no place to sit and had to stand.
After entering, Long Xiao found a corner in the last row and stood there, waiting for the auction to commence.
Soon, it was time. Ji Yuelan and Li Yizhen appeared and directly took their seats on the two prepared chairs at the front.
Dressed in a professional suit and with a solemn expression, Ji Yuelan cleared her throat and announced, "Everyone, please be quiet. As you all know, today's auction is for nine pills provided by Divine Doctor Li. Their efficacy is widely known, so I won't elaborate further."
Ji Yuelan paused, then continued, "The rules for this auction are simple. First, the starting bid is eighty million yuan, highest bidder wins, with on-site transaction. Second, each person can only obtain one pill. Third, regardless of who obtains it, they must promise to notify Divine Doctor Li when administering the medicine to the patient."
After explaining the auction rules, Ji Yuelan allowed Li Yizhen to elaborate on the reasons behind these three stipulations.
He explained to everyone that the pills were for unblocking meridians and treating hemiplegia, paralysis, and even coma.
He added that since each patient's condition was different, some might require more than one pill or other auxiliary medications, hence his presence was necessary during administration.
He emphasized that acquiring a pill was equivalent to securing an opportunity, not just obtaining a single medicinal item.
All those present praised Li Yizhen's medical ethics after hearing his explanation.
As the auction began, some actively bid, while others observed, creating a lively atmosphere. In less than a minute, the first pill reached a bid of one hundred and thirty million yuan, after which no further bids were made.
The pill was acquired by a middle-aged man, who, after payment, received the medicine with trembling hands, overcome with emotion.
"There's hope, after all these years, there's finally hope."
Divine Doctor Li handed his business card to the middle-aged man and said, "Contact me when you're ready to use the medicine, and I'll bring my people over."
The middle-aged man carefully took the card and said, "Thank you, Divine Doctor Li. I will definitely contact you in advance."
The next few pills were auctioned smoothly, with the lowest price being one hundred and thirty million yuan, and one even selling for one hundred and seventy million yuan.
When the fifth pill was being sold, someone suddenly shouted, "No need to auction the rest. Eighty million each, I'll take them all."
The voice was loud, with a metallic resonance, like the striking of bronze.
All eyes turned towards the entrance, drawn by the sound.
The speaker was a young man in a pale blue custom suit, with a square face and an imposing demeanor. Behind him stood a middle-aged man and an elder in a Tang suit with a slightly flushed complexion.
Those present were the sons and daughters of the major families of Donghai, all having come with tasks assigned by their family heads.
"Who the hell are you, daring to disrupt Divine Doctor Li's auction?" shouted a young man closer to the entrance.
"My name is Long Nian, from the Long family of the capital."
Upon hearing "Long family," the young man dared not speak further and retreated several steps, disappearing into the crowd.
Long Nian did not bother with the young man, instead walking forward and directly to Ji Yuelan and Li Yizhen.
Long Xiao had never interacted with anyone from the Long family of the capital. He only knew that the Long family was extremely powerful, and no family in Donghai could compare to them.
This small auction was convened by Li Yizhen for himself. Now that someone was attempting to forcibly buy the pills, Long Xiao felt compelled to intervene.
Long Xiao pushed aside the person blocking his path and started to move forward. A middle-aged man said, "Young man, now is not the time to be a hero. The Long family from the capital is not to be trifled with."
The middle-aged man's reminder was well-intentioned. Long Xiao smiled and replied, "Thank you for the reminder, but I must handle this matter."
Pushing through the crowd, Long Xiao reached the front. Long Nian looked at Li Yizhen, awaiting his decision.
"Long Nian, is it? These pills are mine. If you want them, we can discuss it."
Hearing someone speak from behind, Long Nian turned and saw a simply dressed young man. He scoffed, "Who are you to butt in? Get lost."
"Master, why are you here? I can handle this," Li Yizhen said urgently upon seeing Long Xiao.
Long Xiao waved his hand. "No need, Old Li. This is my business, and I can resolve it myself."
Li Yizhen calling Long Xiao "Master" stunned everyone present. Most people here didn't know Long Xiao, and even those who did couldn't imagine that Long Xiao was Li Yizhen's master.
Li Yizhen was considered the foremost traditional Chinese medicine practitioner in Donghai. Even if he had a master, it was unlikely to be such a young man.
Hearing Li Yizhen call Long Xiao his master, Long Nian looked at Long Xiao in surprise and asked, "Is he telling the truth? You are his master?"
Long Xiao nodded. "Yes, you are correct. I refined these pills. If you have any issues, you can discuss them with me."
Long Nian nodded. "As I said earlier, I'll take the remaining four pills for eighty million each."
Long Xiao shook his head. "I'm not selling. Not a single one."
"I can raise the price."
"Not selling."
"Why not sell?" Long Nian asked.
"Because you are from the Long family, I'm not selling."
"You dare to target our Long family? You're looking for death!"
Long Nian was utterly enraged. Everywhere he went, invoking the name of the Long family was usually effective. He never expected to be rebuffed this time.
"Lan Yue, teach him a lesson," Long Nian commanded with a wave of his hand.
The middle-aged man standing behind Long Nian stepped forward and reached for Long Xiao's throat.
Lan Yue's move was swift and brutal, his right hand like an iron hook, veins bulging.
Just as his hand was about to grasp Long Xiao's throat, it suddenly stopped.
Lan Yue struggled but couldn't move, realizing that Long Xiao had grabbed his wrist.
Among the three, although Lan Yue was the weakest, he was still at the peak of the Yellow realm. The fact that Long Xiao easily grabbed his wrist and rendered it immobile demonstrated that Long Xiao's strength far surpassed Lan Yue's.