This was a square jade seal, the size of a baby’s fist, with a uniform golden hue and a rich, dense texture. It was clearly no ordinary item.
Of course, this was merely what an ordinary person would see. To Xiao Yunlong, the extraordinary nature of this golden jade seal went far beyond that.
Perhaps it was due to cultivating the Three Thousand Divine Kingdoms technique, which had significantly enhanced and even transformed his physique, allowing him to perceive things that ordinary people could not.
For instance, this jade seal placed on a tray on the high platform before him, as Xiao Yunlong subtly sensed it, contained wisps of qi within.
This was naturally not ordinary gas. Combining this with his previous reading of ancient texts, Xiao Yunlong knew that this contained qi was the legendary spiritual energy!
As the saying goes, precious jade has spirit, and this was one aspect of that meaning.
Furthermore, Xiao Yunlong could also feel that this qi was very gentle, harmonious, and extremely pure. Although the quantity was not large, if an ordinary person wore it for a long time, it could extend their lifespan and greatly benefit their health.
Of course, the benefits of this spiritual jade were far more than that. For those who practiced martial arts, by circulating their internal energy through cultivation methods, they could continuously and actively absorb the spiritual energy from the jade pendant. This would greatly benefit the growth of their inner strength, often making cultivation twice as effective with half the effort!
Therefore, this golden square seal could be considered priceless!
At this moment, the portly host on stage was introducing the origin of the jade seal. Xiao Yunlong, lost in thought, did not hear clearly what he was saying, but it didn’t matter. Knowing that the jade seal was extraordinary was enough.
Noticing Xiao Yunlong’s unusual behavior, Liu Ruyan beside him couldn’t help but ask in a low voice, "Yunlong, why are you interested in this square jade seal?"
Xiao Yunlong nodded and smiled, "It’s not that I’m interested, but my cousin needs this thing right now."
Since she began practicing martial arts, Liu Ruyan’s mind had become more perceptive. She immediately understood and smiled, "Is it that this square jade seal is greatly beneficial for martial arts practice?"
Xiao Yunlong did not hide anything, nodding slightly, "Yes, especially for the cultivation of inner strength."
Speaking of which, he gave a wry smile and added, "Ruyan, my cousin’s family helped me a lot back then. If it weren’t for their help, I wouldn’t have been able to escape from Chuan City. Even my maternal uncle died because of my Xiao family, so..."
"So you want to bid for this jade seal and give it to your cousin, right?" Liu Ruyan asked.
"Yes, it’s shameful to say, but since we’ve been together, I’ve never given you a decent gift. It’s really..."
Before Xiao Yunlong could finish, Liu Ruyan waved her hand to interrupt him and said softly, "Yunlong, why do you need to say this to me? I’m not that kind of materialistic and vulgar woman. Besides, you’ve already helped me enough, and you’ve even guided me in martial arts. I’m already very grateful for all of this."
Saying this, Liu Ruyan smiled charmingly and continued, "Since you want to bid for this square jade seal, don’t worry, I will help you with all my might. I’ve managed to secretly save some personal savings over the years!"
Xiao Yunlong shook his head and smiled, saying nothing more.
"Starting bid is one million, with a minimum increment of one hundred thousand. The auction begins now!" At this point, the auction began with the host's announcement.
Everyone probably saw that this square jade seal, with its pure color and extraordinary texture, was unusual, so the bidding was quite fierce from the start.
Soon, the bidding price had already reached two million. The two individuals who were bidding most fiercely, with the strongest momentum and the most generous spending, were Li Benzhe and Sun Feicheng.
"I bid two point five million!" Sun Feicheng, sitting next door, raised his paddle through Liu Feiyan, looking determined to win.
"I bid two point six million!" Li Benzhe gritted his teeth and shouted. He seemed very interested in this square jade seal and wanted to acquire it.
"Two point seven million!" shouted a young master from a wealthy family in a corner.
"Two point eight million!" Li Benzhe immediately followed with a shout.
"I bid three million! Li Benzhe, you little brat, you think you can compete with me? Do you have the ability and financial resources!" Sun Feicheng grinned and shouted coldly.
Li Benzhe glared fiercely at the other person and gritted his teeth, "Sun Feicheng, don’t underestimate people. Three point five million!"
"Four million!" Before Li Benzhe could even finish speaking, Sun Feicheng immediately shouted, displaying an arrogant attitude of relentless pressure.
At this price point, the one or two other bidders who had been following along fell silent. It seemed they could no longer keep up, and they probably didn’t want to offend these two young masters from wealthy families.
"Four point two million!" Li Benzhe said with a grim face.
"Four point five million!" Sun Feicheng shouted, his gaze extremely provocative towards Li Benzhe’s side. During this, he even took the opportunity to wink flirtatiously at Liu Ruyan.
However, Liu Ruyan gave him a look of utter disgust.
Liu Feiyan praised beside him, "Brother Feicheng is mighty, truly rich and powerful. His generosity is like the endless flow of a great river, truly admirable!"
These words made Sun Feicheng laugh heartily, feeling extremely proud.
Li Benzhe hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and shouted, "Four point six million!"
"Five million! Damn it, Li Benzhe, you little scoundrel, tonight I’ll see what you’ve got to compete with me!"
Sun Feicheng straightened his body and sat up straight. After all, almost everyone in the room was looking at him now, the center of attention.
Li Benzhe’s face was flushed red. He gritted his teeth repeatedly, his face filled with unwillingness.
Li Minmin whispered a reminder, "You can’t bid anymore. Five million is the limit. Otherwise, when we get back, Dad will definitely scold you again!"
"But... I really can’t stand this anger. That bastard Sun Feicheng is too detestable!" Li Benzhe growled resentfully.
The host on stage had already struck the gavel twice. Once the third strike fell, it would be final.
Sun Feicheng was extremely smug and said mockingly, "What’s the matter, young master Li? Can’t bid anymore? With such little ability, it seems you’re not up to it!"
Li Benzhe clenched his fists but still did not speak. At this moment, the host on stage raised his gavel.
However, at this very moment, a cold shout suddenly rang out, "Five point two million!"
The voice was not loud, but it was firm and resonant, directly reaching the ears of everyone present.
Everyone turned to look and found a young man with short hair, dressed ordinarily.
This sudden bidder was none other than Xiao Yunlong!
Li Minmin was stunned when she saw this and shouted in a low voice, "Xiao Yunlong, are you crazy? Five million is not a small sum. I’m telling you, don’t mess around!"
Tang Wenya also said coldly, "Yes, Xiao Yunlong, you are now just a live-in son-in-law of the Liu family in Sucheng. Where do you have so much money?"
Xiao Yunlong smiled faintly and said, "I don’t have money, but my wife does!"
"..." Liu Ruyan was speechless when she heard this.
Sun Feicheng was stunned for a few seconds, clearly surprised. He hadn’t expected this country bumpkin, this useless son-in-law, whom he considered worthless, to dare to challenge him with a bid.
"Five point five million!" Sun Feicheng shouted angrily, almost without thinking.
"Five point six million!" Xiao Yunlong said loudly.
"Damn it, your name is Xiao Yunlong, right? Are you really going to compete with me?" Sun Feicheng gritted his teeth and shouted.
Xiao Yunlong said seriously, "Treasures go to those who are capable. Everyone competes based on their own merits. Why is this not allowed? Don’t tell me that your Sun family’s young master has a monopoly in Jiangdong and doesn’t even allow fair bidding?"
"It’s not a monopoly, but with you, a live-in son-in-law, a piece of trash, daring to compete with me, do you have the ability!"
Sun Feicheng grinned and shouted coldly, his face filled with utter disdain. He directly made a gesture of six and shouted, "Six million!"
Liu Feiyan pouted, "A live-in son-in-law actually dares to dream of competing with cousin Feicheng. He should look at himself in the mirror. Cousin Feicheng, no matter what, please suppress him and never lose to a useless son-in-law!"
"Six point two million!" Xiao Yunlong shouted loudly.
"Six point five million!" Sun Feicheng shouted through gritted teeth.
"Six point six million!" Xiao Yunlong showed no signs of backing down.
"Seven million! Damn it, I don’t believe it!" Sun Feicheng seemed tired of shouting and picked up a bottle to take a big gulp of water.
"Seven point five million!" Xiao Yunlong seemed to have worked up some anger as well.
At this moment, Liu Ruyan beside him suddenly tugged at Xiao Yunlong’s sleeve and whispered, "Yunlong, you have to be careful. My private savings aren’t much. Even if I borrow, I can only get you up to this amount."
"Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing!" Xiao Yunlong said with a faint smile.
"Eight million!" Sun Feicheng shouted without thinking.
At this point, the entire audience was already in a slight commotion. Clearly, many people around realized that this price had long far exceeded the value of the square jade seal.
"Eight point five million!" Xiao Yunlong gritted his teeth and shouted.
"Ten million!" Sun Feicheng, perhaps out of anger and excitement, stood up directly, looking as if he was determined to fight to the end.
However, at this moment, Xiao Yunlong shrugged and smiled, "Alright, Young Master Sun, you win!"
Sun Feicheng blinked his eyes, then blinked again, clearly still unable to recover and understand.
It was only when he saw people around him shaking their heads, and even heard some people muttering about him being a sucker, that Sun Feicheng realized he had been tricked.
"You bastard, Xiao, you did this on purpose, didn’t you? You actually didn’t want to bid for the jade seal at all. You were bidding just to drive up the price!"
Upon saying this, Sun Feicheng slapped his forehead and roared, "That’s right, you kid, a live-in son-in-law, where would you get so much money? How could I be so stupid to fall for your trick? That square jade seal is worth at most five million, and I actually spent an extra five million. I really am..."
Xiao Yunlong chuckled and said, "No, Young Master Sun, you’re not stupid. You’re just a little dumber than a pig!"
As he finished speaking, Liu Ruyan and the people around them burst into laughter.