The Li family had prepared a banquet early, as there were distinguished guests. The feast was even more luxurious and elaborate than the midday meal.
Perhaps seeing that Old Master Li had woken up and his poison had been resolved, Li Mingchu's attitude towards Xiao Yunlong changed from cold arrogance to extreme attentiveness.
"Come, Yunlong, sit here!"
Li Mingchu personally beckoned Xiao Yunlong to the first seat to the left of the main seat. The esteemed Doctor Xia sat beside him.
The atmosphere of the banquet was pleasant and lively. During the meal, Li Mingchu frequently toasted the two esteemed doctors, and Xiao Yunlong naturally did not refuse.
Meanwhile, Mo Qingqing, Tang Wenya, and Tang Zijun were extremely dejected. They had been largely ignored throughout the banquet. Now that the Li family was showing such great importance to Xiao Yunlong, wasn't this a slap in their faces?
Li Minmin also had a stern expression, but since Xiao Yunlong had saved her grandfather, she couldn't openly express her displeasure.
The happiest person among them all was Tang Qingrong. Not only was the Old Master's illness cured, but Xiao Yunlong had also proven his abilities. It was truly a cause for joy for everyone.
After the banquet, Doctors Xia and Zhong bid farewell and returned directly to the southern border. Their original plan to visit and treat prominent figures from several major families was now entirely canceled. After all, even if they went, they couldn't cure them. Moreover, with Xiao Yunlong, the peerless divine doctor, present, what role was there for them?
Taking advantage of the post-meal rest, Tang Qingrong said to her son, Li Benze, "Benze, you two, don't just play on your phones. Yunlong and the others have come a long way. See if you can arrange some entertainment activities."
Li Benze replied, "I'm afraid I can't arrange anything for tonight. Our original plan was to attend an event on Liuli Street in the southern part of the city."
"Go to Liuli Street for an event? Isn't that where antique shops are? What kind of event could there be?" Tang Qingrong asked.
"An antique auction. It's said that several tomb-raiding families from the north have brought many treasures. Liuli Street is very lively tonight."
Li Benze chuckled as he spoke. "Originally, I wasn't too interested in these things. It's just that Grandpa has been acting strangely lately, so I signed up, hoping to find something to ensure his safety."
"You are quite filial. However, Yunlong might not be interested in this sort of thing," Tang Qingrong said, turning to look at him.
Xiao Yunlong's heart stirred. He thought of his elder cousin, Tang Bowen. If he could acquire some old artifacts imbued with spiritual energy, it would greatly benefit his martial arts cultivation.
"I don't have anything else to do tonight, and I'm interested in this. Why don't we go take a look together?" Xiao Yunlong said with a smile.
"What do you say, Benze? Your cousin Yunlong has spoken. Should be convenient for you, right?" Tang Qingrong asked.
"Of course, it's convenient. I have an invitation, and it's no problem to bring a few more friends."
"In that case, let all you cousins go together. Young people can chat and have fun!" Tang Qingrong suggested.
Li Benze nodded. As for Li Minmin, she pouted, looking unwilling, even disgusted.
Tang Wenya and Tang Zijun maintained a cold and rejecting demeanor. If it weren't for the inappropriateness of speaking out in such a setting, they would have objected long ago.
After agreeing, everyone set off.
Xiao Yunlong and Liu Ruyan walked towards the black imported BMW X5M that had arrived.
Li Benze couldn't help but sigh as he glanced at it. "Not bad, cousin Yunlong. You're driving the Thunderbolt performance version. Your taste and vision are good."
Xiao Yunlong smiled. "This isn't mine. I can't afford such a luxury car."
Before Li Benze could speak, Li Minmin, who was opening the door of her Porsche 911 not far away, pouted and said, "This is obvious. How could someone who relies on being a live-in son-in-law for a living afford a car of this caliber? Some people in this world are so thick-skinned, they can eat soft rice and still feel at ease."
Tang Wenya chimed in, "Cousin Minmin, you're absolutely right. Some people in this world are just shameless!"
Liu Ruyan was furious upon hearing this and was about to retort when Xiao Yunlong waved his hand, signaling her not to bother. He then opened the car door, and the two of them got in.
Li Benze was speechless and shook his head. "Sister, no matter what, cousin Yunlong saved Grandpa. Why are you still targeting him everywhere?"
Li Minmin snorted coldly. "I'm not targeting him. I just dislike and detest his kind. He thinks he's superior just because he has some skills, putting on airs. A live-in useless son-in-law, who is he trying to impress?"
"Yes, I also particularly dislike people who are so self-righteous!" Tang Wenya agreed.
"I hate it too, especially when Grandpa dotes on him so much, even planning to divide his assets with this guy. It makes me utterly disgusted with such a shameless person!"
Tang Zijun, dressed in designer clothes, also gritted his teeth and echoed in a cold voice.
Li Benze shook his head helplessly, then opened the door of his white Mercedes G-wagon and sat down.
Liuli Street was not far from the Li family's villa on the mountainside, both located in the southern district. However, the traffic was very heavy at night. It took a full hour before they drove into the congested street.
A parking lot called Baozhai Tower was filled with all sorts of luxury cars. Baozhai Tower was crowded and exceptionally lively tonight. Of course, those invited to this auction were basically influential figures from Jiangdong.
However, the attendees were mostly young people, suggesting that this was likely an auction specifically for the youth of Jiangdong.
Li Benze had clearly been here before. After parking the car with practiced ease, he led Xiao Yunlong and the others inside. Even the tall welcoming ladies at the entrance recognized him. While chatting, he didn't forget to place his hand on the lady's hip and take two liberties.
The welcoming lady didn't seem angry. She smiled and politely ushered them inside.
Baozhai Tower had four floors, with the main structure built primarily of wood. The four upturned eaves resembled a soaring eagle, highlighting the grandeur of the building.
The auction tonight was held on the first floor. The lobby was as noisy as a marketplace, but fortunately, the area was large enough that it didn't feel crowded.
Li Benze, with his chest puffed out, was about to head towards his designated seating area when a cold shout came from beside him.
"Oh, I thought it was someone else. So it's the eldest young master of the Li family. How rare! I didn't expect the Li family's eldest young master, who only likes flower-loving girls, to be interested in these old artifacts today."
As he spoke, a young man with slicked-back hair, wearing a coffee-colored casual suit, walked over with a few young companions.
He walked with a swagger, and his gaze towards Li Benze was filled with strong provocation.
However, before Li Benze could speak, a woman in a pink long dress behind the slick-haired youth suddenly exclaimed, "Liu Ruyan, Xiao Yunlong! It really is you two! I didn't expect to run into you here!"
This woman in the pink long dress was none other than Liu Feiyan, the eldest daughter of the Liu family in Sucheng. Liu Guohao was also present.
A few weeks ago, upon learning that Xiao Yunlong and Liu Ruyan had gone to the provincial capital of Jiangdong, Liu Feiyan was unwilling to be outdone. To avoid the marriage proposal from the Shang family, she also came to Jiangdong, seeking refuge with her aunt's family there.
And this slick-haired dandy youth before them was Liu Feiyan and Liu Guohao's cousin, Sun Feicheng!
Xiao Yunlong and Liu Ruyan were also surprised, but they remained silent, not wanting to pay them any mind.
Sun Feicheng glanced at Xiao Yunlong and the two of them and grinned, asking, "Cousin Feiyan, who are these two?"
"Cousin Feicheng, these are the adopted daughter of our Liu family and that live-in son-in-law I told you about before," Liu Feiyan explained. Although she was smiling, her eyes towards Xiao Yunlong and Liu Ruyan were filled with mockery.
In Sucheng, Liu Feiyan and the others had always been suppressed by Xiao Yunlong. The reason they came to Jiangdong provincial capital was to see if they could vent their anger by leveraging the powerful forces in Jiangdong. Now that they had their cousin and his Sun family backing them, Liu Feiyan naturally wouldn't miss such a good opportunity.
"So it's them!"
Sun Feicheng scanned Xiao Yunlong and Liu Ruyan up and down and immediately sneered, sighing, "What a pity, truly a pity. Such a beautiful and delicate flower has been planted in cow dung. As the saying goes, the good cabbage has been gobbled up by the pig! Why haven't I, Young Master Sun, encountered such a good thing!"
Liu Feiyan deliberately asked with a smile, "Cousin, there are no pigs here. Who are you referring to?"
Sun Feicheng laughed heartily. "Does this even need to be said? Isn't it obvious? Whoever eats soft rice is a useless pig!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Feiyan and Liu Guohao also joined in with playful laughter.
Liu Ruyan couldn't stand it any longer and was about to speak, but Li Benze beat her to it. "Sun Feicheng, you'd better watch your mouth. Xiao Yunlong is my cousin!"
"What did you say? He's your cousin? This is truly fate. If you're not from the same family, you don't get into the same pen!" Sun Feicheng roared with laughter.
Liu Feiyan also laughed heartily and praised, "Cousin, you are indeed eloquent. Even your insults are so unique!"
Li Minmin coldly reprimanded, "Sun Feicheng, don't be too arrogant. Although your father is a full colonel and my father is a deputy, my Li family is not afraid of your Sun family. You can insult Xiao Yunlong; I can't control it and am too lazy to care. But you can't involve my brother, nor can you involve my Li family!"
Sun Feicheng grinned and said flirtatiously, "Minmin, you're still so feisty. Don't worry, one day I will pin you under me. I hope you'll still be this feisty then!"
"You..." Li Minmin was so angry that her whole body trembled, and for a moment, she didn't know how to retort.
As for Tang Wenya and Tang Zijun, they wisely shut their mouths at this point. After all, this was a dispute among the scions of the local influential families in Jiangdong, and they dared not get involved.
Liu Feiyan saw this and raised her chin high, her eyes full of triumph as she looked at Xiao Yunlong and Liu Ruyan.
Li Benze snorted, "Sun Feicheng, what kind of skill is it to argue with women? If you have the guts, let's have a one-on-one fight!"
"A one-on-one fight? You, who are immersed in wine and women all day, I'm afraid I'll knock you down with one punch!"
Sun Feicheng snorted arrogantly. "Looking at your demeanor, you probably want to get a couple of old artifacts to play with tonight, right? If you have the ability, let's have a cultural competition and see who the final winner is!"
After saying this, Sun Feicheng waved his hand and left with Liu Feiyan, Liu Guohao, and two young followers.
After Sun Feicheng had gone far, Li Minmin turned to look at Xiao Yunlong and sneered, "I say, Xiao Yunlong, aren't you too timid? They've insulted you so much, they're practically calling you a pig by name, and you don't even dare to fart?"
Xiao Yunlong smiled faintly. "If a dog barks at you twice, would you bark back?"
Li Minmin was stunned for a moment and didn't know how to retort.
Liu Ruyan smiled and said, "Yunlong, you are truly eloquent. You even insult them as dogs without using any vulgar words."
This was clearly imitating Liu Feiyan's earlier words. Li Minmin understood immediately and roared angrily, "How dare you! Who are you calling dogs?"
"Look, look, barking and yelping again," Xiao Yunlong shook his head and sighed, then took Liu Ruyan's hand and walked forward.
"You..." Li Minmin gritted her teeth in anger.
"Alright, sister. Why do you always target cousin Yunlong? The auction is about to start. Let's hurry and take our seats!" Li Benze shook his head and walked forward.
As fate would have it, Li Benze's seating area was right next to Sun Feicheng's.
After taking their seats, Sun Feicheng directly gave Li Benze the middle finger, his gesture filled with strong provocation.
"You scoundrel, this guy is too arrogant. The final appointment results haven't been announced yet. If his father is appointed as the deputy commander, we'll be in for a tough time!" Li Benze gritted his teeth.
Li Minmin gritted her teeth unwillingly. "What can we do? Our Li family doesn't have a powerful background. His Sun family is backed by the commander. In this competition for the deputy commander, Father is likely to lose!"
Xiao Yunlong listened and asked, "The commander you're referring to, is it the commander of the Jiangdong City Lord's Mansion?"
Li Minmin immediately rolled her eyes. "Why are you asking this? What does it have to do with you? Are you perhaps still thinking of hobnobbing with these wealthy families?"
"Fine, it was my fault for being talkative!" Xiao Yunlong shook his head and turned away, too lazy to bother with this self-important person.
The noisy auction venue gradually quieted down as two beautiful women in black stockings and high heels gracefully walked out from a side door. At the same time, a middle-aged host with a large head and ears, dressed in a black suit, also emerged.
The host came to the center of the high platform and began his opening remarks with a wave of his hand. However, he probably knew that his speech was not very popular with the scions of the wealthy families in the audience, so he quickly concluded, and the auction officially began.
The two beautiful women with long legs soon came up again, carrying a tray. On the tray was a Bagua the size of a baby's fist.
Xiao Yunlong looked intently. He saw that this small acquired Bagua emitted a golden light under the illumination of the lights. Its overall shape was ancient and simple, clearly an old artifact. However, he was not interested in it.
The host first gave an introduction, and then the bidding began.
Li Benze and Sun Feicheng next to him were probably not interested in such house-warding and evil-dispelling old artifacts. Neither of them bid, and finally, the Bagua was acquired by an unremarkable-looking man for 300,000 yuan.
The subsequent auction items became more valuable one after another. For example, a pair of old lion statues and an ancient painting, which were auctioned for millions. Then, a thumb ring was auctioned for three million yuan.
However, none of these caught Xiao Yunlong's eye. Just as he was shaking his head in disappointment, the last item brought up immediately made his eyes light up!