Luan Jiping wanted to take Long Xiao and the others to the auction. Sun Sizhu helped them make some arrangements, and soon they obtained three entry tickets.
The renowned physician Sun Sizhu had been developing his practice in the capital for over three years. Due to his exceptional medical skills, his fame grew increasingly, and influential figures from all walks of life showed him considerable respect.
As they were waiting to collect the auction tickets, Sun Sizhu went upstairs to see Mr. Lu. Long Xiao and the others sat in the living room to wait.
It took a full hour before the tickets were delivered. After Long Xiao and the others received their tickets and waited for another ten minutes, Sun Sizhu descended from the villa, his face etched with worry.
Luan Jiping informed Sun Sizhu that they had the tickets and were ready to leave.
Sun Sizhu nodded and said, "Manager Luan, have a safe journey. I won't see you off."
The butler escorted Long Xiao and the others to the door. Long Xiao asked curiously, "Brother Butler, is Mr. Lu very ill?"
The butler nodded and replied, "According to the physician Sun, he is already in a critical condition and may not last a few more days."
Physician Sun was highly skilled. While he might not be the absolute best in the capital, he was close.
The Lu family had managed to become a middle-tier family in the capital primarily due to Mr. Lu's prestige. If Mr. Lu were to pass away, within a few months, the Lu family would likely dwindle into a minor family, perhaps even disintegrating and scattering completely.
Mr. Lu's worsening illness had caused considerable anxiety among the Lu family members.
Just as Long Xiao and the others were about to get into their car, a Porsche pulled up to the villa. Two young men got out, followed by the opening of the car door, and an elderly man carrying a small cloth bag also alighted.
The old man was short, dressed in a Tang suit, his hair white, and his eyes sharp and clear.
It was evident he was a physician. It seemed the Lu family had invited another miracle doctor from somewhere.
As they didn't know each other, Long Xiao glanced at them and then directly got into the car.
The taxi drove away from the Lu family villa. Long Xiao looked back and saw the white-haired elder standing there, watching the taxi they were in depart.
"Brother, the old man with the cloth bag was looking at you strangely," Luan Jiping said, noticing Long Xiao looking back.
Long Xiao nodded. "I also felt he was a bit strange. I wonder who he is?"
"That's not hard to find out. I'll call Physician Sun this afternoon and ask him," she suggested.
Long Xiao quickly shook his head. "Sister, let's not make that call. Physician Sun was also looking at me strangely. It's best not to bother him."
The auction was to be held in the banquet hall of the Longdu Grand Hotel, located on the Third Ring Road. Long Xiao and the others arrived at the venue to find over a hundred people already seated in the hall.
Finding a place to sit, Long Xiao, with nothing else to do, began observing the people around him.
Most of the attendees were middle-aged or elderly, with very few young people, perhaps a dozen or so.
Two groups in the front row caught Long Xiao's attention. To the left, a young man was surrounded by five individuals.
Among these five, two elders, though appearing unremarkable, possessed an aura that was stronger than anyone else in the hall.
The center of the other group was a beautiful woman, fashionably dressed and exuding elegance. Those around her were also quite formidable.
Long Xiao and the others waited for a while in the hall. More and more attendees arrived, filling the hall to over three hundred people before the auction officially began.
Like any other auction, the auctioneer first introduced the items, and then the bidding commenced.
The first item was a pair of Qing Hua porcelain yuanbao vases. These vases were exquisitely crafted and appeared perfect. However, Long Xiao could tell at a glance that they were modern high-quality replicas.
The yuanbao vases were finally sold for eight hundred thousand yuan, and the second item was quickly brought out.
Five items were auctioned in succession. These items held no value for Long Xiao, and he was too lazy to examine them closely.
The seventh item was a rusty short sword, about a foot long. Its python skin scabbard was tattered, and the gemstones inlaid on the hilt were dull.
"The origin of this short sword is unknown. The starting bid is one hundred thousand yuan, with increments of fifty thousand."
There was no further description, and the starting bid was the lowest of the auction. Most people were not interested, some looking at their phones, too lazy to even glance at it.
The auctioneer called out twice with no bids. Just as it was about to be withdrawn, Long Xiao raised his paddle and said, "One hundred thousand."
Hearing Long Xiao's bid, all eyes turned to him, eager to see which fool would spend a hundred thousand yuan on such a piece of junk.
The young man sitting in the front row looked back at Long Xiao and said, "Who is this idiot? Spending a hundred thousand on a piece of scrap metal."
Luan Jiping, surprised by Long Xiao's bid, quickly asked in a low voice, "Brother, is this useful to you?"
"Just for fun. I've never bid before, and this is the cheapest. I'll try this one out," Long Xiao replied.
Long Xiao's voice was quite loud, and the people around him burst into laughter upon hearing his reason for bidding on the scrap sword.
Everyone regarded Long Xiao as a nouveau riche who had never attended an auction before, seeing him as an unsophisticated out-of-towner.
The auctioneer was also very pleased. He had been worried that no one would bid, but unexpectedly, a young man had appeared from somewhere and snapped it up at the lowest price.
Soon, someone brought the iron sword to Long Xiao. The advantage of a small auction was that transactions could be completed immediately after the bid was accepted.
After paying ten thousand yuan via WeChat, the attendant handed the iron sword to Long Xiao and left.
Long Xiao felt a surge of excitement as he received the iron sword. Drawing the sword, he felt a reddish aura emanating from it, an aura so strong that Long Xiao had never encountered before.
He had intended to absorb this aura when he bid. However, after receiving the sword, he sensed that the aura was filled with a spirit of conquest and dared not absorb it rashly.
The auction continued, but Long Xiao's attention remained focused on the iron sword, which he kept fiddling with.
He soon realized that the red aura of the iron sword originated from within. This meant that there was another sword inside the rusty iron sword, which served only as a sheath.
As Long Xiao was admiring the iron sword he had acquired, Luan Jiping nudged him with her elbow. "The thousand-year-old wild ginseng is about to be auctioned. When should we make our move?"
Long Xiao looked up. On the auction stage was a wild ginseng root, large and plump.
Judging by the life force surrounding the ginseng, it was at least six to seven hundred years old, if not a full thousand.
"No matter the price, buy it," Long Xiao said in a low voice.
Luan Jiping nodded slightly. "Understood."
The starting bid for the wild ginseng was one million yuan. As soon as the auctioneer announced it, someone immediately raised a paddle to bid. In a short time, the price had risen to ten million yuan.
When the number of bidders dwindled, Luan Jiping raised her paddle and declared, "Twenty million."
Ten million was already a considerable sum for a wild ginseng. By increasing the bid by ten million at once, Luan Jiping displayed an air of determination to win, silencing all those who might have considered further bidding.
The beautiful woman in the front row whispered to the person beside her, "There's no need to bid further. Find out who this woman is and make sure to acquire this wild ginseng from her."
"Understood, Madam," replied the elder behind the beautiful woman in a low voice.
The young man in the front row also quietly instructed the two elders behind him, "Go and retrieve that wild ginseng for me."