"Exactly, exactly! Since it's an auction, it should be about financial strength. Why stop the auction?"
"That's right! If you want to buy, bid against us. If we lose, we'll accept it. But you're asking to stop the auction, how can that be allowed?"
"Yes, yes, yes. You're so beautiful, like a celestial being, yet you say such foolish things. Could it be you have an illness?"
"..."
The crowd lectured Zi Linling from all sides, criticizing her harshly.
"Clap, clap, clap!"
A round of applause echoed, and Zi Jinling emerged from private room number ten.
"Well said! Zi Linling, if you're sick, go get treatment. Don't hold up the auction here! This isn't the Tianyuan Continent, and Prince Ming won't be here to protect you. Don't act like everyone must give you face."
Zi Linling snorted coldly and retorted, "A stray dog, and you dare bark here? Instead of worrying if I'm sick, you should worry about yourself. What if you end up not even knowing who the father of your child is!"
Zi Jinling angrily said, "Are you sick?"
Zi Linling sneered, "Second sister, you don't even know there's an extra flesh in your belly, yet you have the mood to care if I'm sick or not?"
Zi Jinling's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously asked, "What do you mean?"
"What do I mean? You're pregnant and you don't know? Do I have to spell it out for you?" Zi Linling said with a cold smile.
Zi Jinling stumbled back a step and said angrily, "You're talking nonsense!"
"Whether I'm talking nonsense or not, you know in your heart! For the sake of our sisterhood, I advise you to focus on finding out who the father of this child is!" Zi Linling's eyes held a hint of contempt.
Such a trivial matter as pregnancy, she could tell when she was still a pharmacist, let alone now that she was an Emperor-level alchemist!
A flicker of panic appeared in Zi Jinling's eyes.
"Impossible! You're lying! Zi Linling, you venomous woman, how dare you ruin my reputation in public! Your heart deserves to be condemned!"
Her attempt to cover up, when seen by the crowd, caused many eyes to show disdain.
Zi Linling sneered and ignored her. She turned to Ming Lan and said, "If this spirit is to be auctioned, I will discuss it with your manager first. Afterwards, I will compete with everyone in terms of wealth, as you all wish!"
Ming Lan hesitated.
Just then, Shen Liuxing's cold voice sounded again.
"What does Miss Zi wish to discuss with me?"
Although his voice was heard, Shen Liuxing did not reveal himself. As he said, now was not the best time for him to meet Zi Linling.
Zi Linling frowned and asked, "Does senior not plan to show himself?"
At this moment, she still didn't know that the senior she was so respectfully addressing was the neighbor boy she had worked so hard to save.
"Apologies! It's inconvenient!" Shen Liuxing, from the ninth floor, suppressed the urge to rush out and said calmly.
Zi Linling was stunned for a moment and said, "Since that's the case, I'd like to conduct an appraisal on the spot!"
"Appraise what?" Shen Liuxing clearly hadn't expected her to make such a request. Well, his sister Zi was known for being clever and unpredictable, so anything unusual happening to her wasn't surprising.
Zi Linling produced two porcelain bottles, her confidence evident, and said, "I want to appraise these two pills!"
"Oh? Interesting!" Shen Liuxing's lips curved upwards, his cold voice tinged with a hint of interest. He instructed, "Ming Lan, pause the auction for a moment and please invite Master Fang!"
Master Fang, whose name was Fang Qiushui, was the highest-level appraiser at Linxian Restaurant. Rumor had it that he could appraise Emperor-level pills. At Linxian Restaurant, Master Fang was only called upon when other appraisers could not identify a pill. The fact that Shen Liuxing directly summoned Master Fang surprised Ming Lan.
"Yes!" Ming Lan respectfully replied. Although she was shocked by Shen Liuxing's decision, she still sent someone to fetch Master Fang. Su Dan Novel Network.
Meanwhile, in the auction hall, since Shen Liuxing, the person in charge, had given the order, everyone, despite their reluctance, could only wait.
Two quarters of an hour later, a meticulous and stern old man appeared on the auction stage.
"Who wants an appraisal?" His voice carried a hint of displeasure. He had been appraising a pill with a pill coat with his friend Feng Mo before being summoned here, losing the opportunity for close contact with the pill. How could he be in a good mood?
"Master Fang, this young lady wishes to appraise two pills!" Ming Lan replied respectfully. Master Fang was not someone she could afford to offend.
"Oh?" Fang Qiushui looked at Zi Linling, and a surge of anger welled up within him.
"Nonsense! This is utter nonsense! What good pills could a little girl in her teens possibly have?"
Zi Linling frowned and said, "Master Fang, is it right to belittle my pills without even looking at them?"
Fang Qiushui glared and said, "You're not convinced?"
Zi Linling replied neither servilely nor obsequiously, "If someone belittled your belongings, would you be convinced?"
"Good! Good! Good!" Fang Qiushui said angrily, "Since you insist, I will make you utterly convinced! Hand over the pills and let me see what level of pills you can produce!"
Zi Linling suppressed her anger and said, "Forget it! If it weren't for this spirit, I wouldn't even give you the chance to broaden your horizons!" She then presented a porcelain bottle and said, "Appraise this one first!"
Fang Qiushui casually accepted the bottle and poured out the pill. The other people in the auction hall also widened their eyes. While they couldn't identify it, they knew that good pills not only had luster but also emitted an aromatic fragrance. However, the pill that Fang Qiushui poured out looked like an ordinary white bead. This white bead had no luster and no medicinal fragrance.
"Is this really a pill? Hahaha, Zi Linling, are you trying to kill us with laughter?" Zi Jinling finally seized the opportunity and mocked.
Zi Linling cast her a pitying glance and remained silent. Others also began to murmur.
"Is this really a pill?"
"Doesn't this girl have a problem with her brain? Is she trying to pass off a bead as something valuable?"
"What is this? A waste of time!"
"To pause the auction for such a bead, it's truly a laughable absurdity!"
"..."
"Silence!"
"Silence!"
Two angry shouts rang out simultaneously. One came from Shen Liuxing, and the other from Fang Qiushui. The crowd fell silent and looked at Fang Qiushui, who had a joyous expression on his face, with confusion.
"This is... a pill coat?!" Fang Qiushui exclaimed in shock, "A pill coat, it's truly a pill coat! This pill is actually covered in a pill coat!"