"You're quite clever, and you did a great job this time."
Li Yang silently gave her a thumbs-up of praise and then continued to look at the hall, as the auction was about to begin.
Qing Luan, the female owner of the Treasure Seeking Pavilion, walked onto the stage. Seeing the many bidders in the hall, she smiled with joy and announced into the microphone, "We warmly welcome everyone to today's auction at Treasure Seeking Pavilion."
"Your presence here today truly makes Treasure Seeking Pavilion shine. Seeing such enthusiasm, I won't waste your time with pleasantries. The auction officially begins now!"
"The first item for auction today is a peerless treasure from Treasure Seeking Pavilion. It is a bracelet produced by the imperial family during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. It was worn by a princess and carries a fragrance. The starting bid is thirty thousand yuan."
As the words fell, a murmur swept through the crowd!
Everyone had come today for the Jade Divine Stone worn by the Chi You divine beast. These items were completely beneath their notice.
Shui Xiang stood in the crowd and couldn't help but sneer, "This Qing Luan is quite the schemer, putting her own items up for auction at a time like this. Things that usually don't sell, who would fall for them now?"
"That's not necessarily true. I think this bracelet is indeed good, made of what looks like hundred-year-old ice jade. Wearing it can strengthen the body and expel internal heat. If someone has been feeling overheated lately, this item is a natural sacred object for cooling down."
Li Yang deliberately raised his voice slightly, drawing the attention of many present.
Everyone turned around curiously. Someone in the crowd recognized Li Yang and said excitedly, "It's Boss Li! Boss Li is a renowned appraisal master in Jiangcheng. If he says this item is worth buying, then it must be a good thing."
"I bid thirty-five thousand."
"I bid forty thousand!"
"I bid fifty thousand!"
Before everyone could finish discussing, some quick-handed individuals had already started bidding.
This scene stunned Qing Luan on stage!
She looked down at the audience and saw Shui Xiang and the man beside her. She felt delighted, thinking how fortunate Shui Xiang was to have found such an excellent boyfriend.
"If only this handsome young man could stay with me forever. His few words managed to stir up so much competition!"
A few minutes later, the bracelet was finally sold for eighty thousand yuan to a boss.
Qing Luan was overjoyed. In fact, this item usually sold for only thirty thousand yuan, and it had been on display for almost a month without selling. To think it sold at the auction today, and for fifty thousand yuan more!
"Hmph, a bunch of ignorant followers."
At this moment, a middle-aged man with deep-set eyes in the crowd couldn't help but scoff.
He was followed by several burly men who looked fierce and clearly not ordinary people.
Li Yang was some distance away, but the moment they shot him a chilling glance, he noticed them immediately.
It turned out that the leading middle-aged man was Situ Jue, the one Li Yang intended to swindle.
When Li Yang saw Situ Jue, the corner of his mouth curled into a cold smile. He thought, "Finally, I've lured this old fox here. I'll tolerate you for now, and then I'll have some fun with you later."
Following that, Qing Luan continuously brought out several more antiques from her shop for auction.
Every time Li Yang made a comment, the scene immediately erupted!
Several antiques were sold at twice their market price. Qing Luan's favor towards Li Yang grew even stronger.
Qing Luan was so caught up in it that she almost forgot the main event of the day. She kept bringing out items from her shop to auction, and the more she auctioned, the more excited she became!
Shui Xiang watched this scene from afar, her face showing a hint of anxiety. She stomped her foot and whispered, "What is Qing Luan doing? Hurry up and bring out the Ancient Jade! Is she so engrossed in auctioning her own things that she's forgotten the main business?"
"Next, we will be auctioning Treasure Seeking Pavilion's prized possession, a Dragon Pearl Lock. This treasure is..."
"We want the Ancient Jade, not these things!"
"That's right, bring out the Ancient Jade quickly."
"Ancient Jade!"
This time, before Qing Luan could finish, the scene erupted.
Although Li Yang's endorsement could boost the bidding for Qing Luan's antiques, the main reason everyone was here today wasn't these items.
Moreover, those who could afford them had already acquired one. Now, they just wanted to see the Ancient Jade as soon as possible.
Qing Luan's words were interrupted, and the scene became chaotic, making her very embarrassed.
Seeing Shui Xiang also urging her from the audience, she decided not to be greedy. Her eyes darted, and she said, "Alright, I will now present the grand finale of today, the long-awaited Ancient Jade, for auction."
"This item is an ancient divine stone, a treasure once worn by Chi You. It is the ultimate choice for warding off evil, protecting the house, and subduing demons. Its starting bid today is... one hundred million yuan!"
"Subsequent bids must not be less than ten million yuan!"
Wow!
Hearing the price, many people present gasped in astonishment!
Even many influential figures frowned, finding the starting bid surprisingly high.
Even at Jiangcheng's top auctions, such high-priced items were rarely seen.
Li Yang turned to Shui Xiang and asked, "Sister Shui, did you set this price too?"
"Yes. Since we're playing, we have to play big. We set the starting bid at one hundred million. That way, Old Man Situ will feel tempted!" Shui Xiang said calmly.
"I bid one hundred and ten million."
As expected, after a moment of silence, Situ Jue, as the first major bidder, raised his paddle.
"I bid one hundred and twenty million."
Immediately after, another influential figure in the crowd raised his hand.
Everyone turned to see that the bidder was a burly man with a beard, who looked tall and strong, but was an unfamiliar face.
Situ Jue frowned. He looked back at the man, indicating that he didn't recognize him either and didn't know his identity.
"I bid one hundred and thirty million!" Situ Jue quickly added to the price.
"I bid one hundred and forty million!"
The burly man followed closely!
Many people present noticed the bidding competition between the two and began to whisper, suspecting that this burly man was also an antique magnate.
Otherwise, why would he dare to compete directly with the Situ family head?
"I bid one hundred and fifty million!"
Situ Jue was losing patience and raised his paddle coldly.
"I bid one hundred and sixty million!" The burly man followed without hesitation.
At this moment, a murderous glint flashed in Situ Jue's eyes. His subordinate stepped forward and said, "Patriarch, this brat doesn't know the rules. Shall I go over and remind him?"
"Hmph, he's a nobody. I don't take him seriously."
Situ Jue said dismissively and continued to raise his paddle, stating, "I bid two hundred million!"
"What? Patriarch Situ has directly bid two hundred million!"
"My heavens, I think this young man won't be able to keep up. In Jiangcheng, only Patriarch Situ has such strength."
The entire audience praised Situ Jue!
"I bid two hundred and ten million!"
Just then, another voice rang out from the crowd.