34: End of Chapter 34

When the price doubled to four thousand Spirit Stones, Zhiyao's gaze involuntarily drifted toward the third floor.

That young man was leaning against the railing with a calm expression, toying with a spiritual teacup in his hand, as if four thousand Spirit Stones were no different from four hundred in his eyes.

She bit her lower lip, secretly sweating for him in her heart. Four thousand Spirit Stones was already not a small amount; could the Wang Family pull out this many Spirit Stones all at once?

"Four thousand one hundred Spirit Stones!"

Ning Xishan's voice no longer held its previous composure, carrying a hint of imperceptible trembling within its sharpness.

The knuckles of the hand gripping the armrest turned white, his fair face flushed red, and a layer of fine sweat oozed from his temples.

The old man beside him was so anxious that the veins on his forehead throbbed, nearly low-roaring right against his ear.

"Young Lord! Four thousand one hundred Spirit Stones—our Spirit Stones are simply not enough! If we bid any higher, the items we brought won't even be enough to cover it! The Patriarch gave his instructions!"

Ning Xishan abruptly turned his head, his gaze so gloomy it looked like it could drip water. "Are you listening to me or that deadbeat old man of mine? Don't forget who covered up the matter of you Cultivating demonic arts."

"If it's not enough, use the Magical Artifacts in the shop as collateral! Doesn't Wanbao Pavilion accept collateral? Have them appraise the value; no matter what, I must bring this Puppet back with me today!"

The old man's expression changed drastically. "Young Lord! That batch of Magical Artifacts is the best lot in the shop, worth at least three thousand Spirit Stones. If we pawn them at a discounted value, we'll lose at least thirty percent—"

"I told you to go!" Ning Xishan grabbed the old man by the collar, his voice suppressed extremely low yet piercingly fierce.

"Haven't you figured it out yet? That scoundrel Wang Shouren is dead set on competing with me to the end! If I lose here today, how am I supposed to answer to my father when I go back?

Where will the Ning Family's face go? Is the refinement technique inside that Puppet worth these thousands of Spirit Stones or not?! Go!"

Staggering two steps from being pushed, the old man clenched his teeth, turned around, and pushed open the door to leave.

"Four thousand two hundred." The voice from the third floor remained unhurried, as if teasing a rat trapped in a cage.

"Four thousand three hundred!" Ning Xishan practically roared out the number.

He stared fixedly at that leisurely figure on the third floor, his eyes covered in bloodshot veins.

No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't understand how Wang Shouren, a mere fish seller, had so many Spirit Stones?

He had also heard about the Dadao Sect's background; at most, it was only a few thousand Spirit Stones. Could the Wang Family really have given all their Family assets to this brat?

"Four thousand five hundred." Wang Shouren's tone remained calm.

Ning Xishan's lips began to tremble.

Four thousand five hundred—this figure already exceeded the budget upon arrival by a full one thousand five hundred Spirit Stones.

He turned his head to look toward the doorway. The old man was hurrying back clutching a Storage Pouch, his expression as unsightly as if his own father had just died.

"Young Lord," the old man handed over the Storage Pouch, his voice hoarse, "Wanbao Pavilion discounted that batch of high-tier Magical Artifacts from the shop to two thousand one hundred Spirit Stones. They said it was calculated at seventy percent of market price, and no matter how much this old slave argued..."

"Enough." Ning Xishan snatched the Storage Pouch away, took a deep breath, and lifted the beaded curtain once more.

"Four thousand six hundred!"

Wang Shouren picked up his spiritual tea and took a sip, his gaze sweeping past the newly closed beaded curtain at the entrance of the private room on the second floor, the corners of his mouth curving slightly upward.

He had seen the old man hurrying back and forth; the Ning Family's Spirit Stones were probably scraping the bottom.

It was about enough.

His goal was to exhaust the Ning Family, not to actually spend thousands of Spirit Stones buying back a Puppet of little real use.

This time, making Ning Xishan shell out nearly twice as much would be enough to make the Ning Family's heart ache for a good while.

He gently set down the teacup, turned, and walked toward the VIP room, dropping a sentence before leaving.

"Eunuch Ning, I'll let you have it."

Zhiyao timely raised the auction mallet, her voice crisp: "Four thousand six hundred Spirit Stones once—four thousand six hundred Spirit Stones twice—three times, sold! The qijia wolf puppet belongs to Fellow Daoist Ning!"

The moment the auction mallet fell, her heart, which had been hanging for half an hour, finally settled.

Four thousand six hundred Spirit Stones was nearly four times the base price and over two times higher than the market price!

With this transaction completed, the annual quota of the Wanshan County branch pavilion directly exceeded its target by twenty percent this year. Not only would her position within the pavilion be as steady as Mount Tai, but she might even be able to move a bit higher up.

Originally, she thought Wang Shouren was her retribution.

But looking back now, how was this Young Lord Wang retribution? He was clearly her lucky star.

She cleared her throat and announced in a clear voice: "This Wanbao Pavilion auction has now concluded. Thank you all Fellow Daoists for your support. For the next auction, Wanbao Pavilion respectfully awaits your presence once more."

The Loose Cultivators rose and dispersed with lingering reluctance, the buzzing sound of discussions endless, mostly discussing that heart-stopping bidding war just now.

Some said the Wang Family Young Lord was young and vigorous, some said the Ning Family was wealthy and overbearing, and others bent their fingers to calculate how many good things four thousand six hundred Spirit Stones could buy.

That fat Cultivator and the tall, thin individual had squeezed their way to the entrance early on, exchanging a glance with a bit of apprehension on both of their faces.

Wang Shouren walked slowly down the stairs. Several Wanbao Pavilion maids had long been waiting at the third-floor stairway entrance, holding trays neatly stacked with over a dozen Medicinal Pill bottles and a Storage Pouch.

Aside from the hanshui earth fiend that was already in his pocket, he had also won over a dozen bottles of Medicinal Pills and several spiritual materials, all of which the Family could make use of.

After inspecting the auction items one by one, he stored them all into his Storage Ring and nodded slightly. The maids bowed and withdrew.

Just as he was about to step downstairs, a flurry of hurried footsteps came from behind.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, please stay your step."

Zhiyao walked around from behind the auction platform, lifting the hem of her skirt as she hurried up the stairs, her purple sleeves fluttering like a butterfly under the spiritual lamps.

Standing still in front of Wang Shouren, she panted slightly, her chest rising and falling a few times before she raised her head to look at him.

"Today's matter, many thanks, Fellow Daoist.

If not for Fellow Daoist stepping in to help, this humble one truly wouldn't have known how to wrap up the Ning Family's harassment."

Wang Shouren smiled slightly. "Fairy Zhiyao is too polite. Wanbao Pavilion being established in Wanshan County naturally has many years of friendship with my Wang Family. Since I made this trip on behalf of the Family, I certainly couldn't just watch Wanbao Pavilion have its venue wrecked."

Zhiyao smiled with pursed lips, her eyebrows curving gracefully, before straightening her expression again. She unclasped a palm-sized jade token from her waist and offered it with both hands.

"Fellow Daoist, this is a VIP jade token of Wanbao Pavilion. Holding this token to purchase Cultivation resources across the thirty-six branches of Wanbao Pavilion in Yue Country will grant a ten percent discount.

Though not a particularly precious item, it is the greatest sincerity this humble one can produce within my authority. Please accept it, Fellow Daoist."

Wang Shouren took the jade token. It felt warm and delicate to the touch. Carved on the jade surface was an archaic character 'Bao' (Treasure), and the corners were engraved with a circle of auspicious cloud patterns.

He turned it over and looked at it twice, nodding inwardly. A ten percent discount sounded like little, but calculated based on the Wang Family's annual procurement volume of thousands of Spirit Stones at Wanbao Pavilion, saving several hundred Spirit Stones a year made it truly a practical and good item.

Able to become a deacon of Wanbao Pavilion, Zhiyao indeed didn't rely solely on a smiling face.

"Many thanks, Fairy Zhiyao, I accept this item." He stowed the jade token into his sleeve, cupped his hands toward Zhiyao, and said, "The hour is late, and this one must hurry back to Lotus Pier. I take my leave here; Fairy should know how to collect the Spirit Stones used for the auction."

Zhiyao stepped aside and gave a slight bow. "This humble one knows; it is customary. Later, I will go to the Wang Family shop to collect it.

Fellow Daoist Wang, if you have free time, feel free to come sit at Wanbao Pavilion anytime. This humble one will personally brew tea to wait for you."

Wang Shouren nodded and turned to walk downstairs.

Zhiyao stood at the corner of the stairs, watching that figure in white disappear at the end of the stairs, her hand unconsciously tightening around her cuff.

After a long while, she gently shook her head, laughed self-deprecatingly, and turned back toward the auction platform.

Inside the Ning Family's private room.