Chapter 82

Chapter 82: Courtesy Demands Reciprocity
“1,100!”

“I bid 1,200!”

“Stop fighting me for it, I bid 1,300!”

“…”

The competition for the fourth-grade pill recipe was even fiercer than everyone had imagined.

The people in the Honored Guest seats were almost red in the face from fighting over it. Each shout was louder than the last.

Only a few people from the big family clans could still stay calm and hold back from bidding.

The Zhang clan’s young heir heard the price for the fourth-grade pill recipe rise each time by no less than one hundred high-grade spirit stones, and he started to grow anxious.

He leaned toward the man beside him and asked in a low voice: “Father, should we…”

“Wait a little longer,” the patriarch of the Zhang clan said, his voice deep.

He quietly glanced at Wang Qian, who was sitting nearby.

That man was his biggest competitor.

He thought of the spirit stones in his own storage pouch, and his heart felt heavy.

To win the fourth-grade pill recipe today, the Zhang clan had even sold off part of its businesses.

If they could not get the pill recipe in the end, those businesses could not be bought back. Even if it would not ruin the Zhang clan, it would still hurt them badly.

After a while, the bidding price for the fourth-grade pill recipe had already climbed to 1,650 high-grade spirit stones. Not only the onlookers, but even the people still bidding could not help feeling a chill inside.

For them, this price was already a bit beyond what they could bear.

The Zhang clan, along with the Wang clan and the Wei clan, could not sit still any longer and joined the bidding one after another.

Just as these family clans were bidding red-eyed, Wang Qian raised his number plate with a proud look and called: “1,888.”

The family clans that had been at each other’s throats instantly went quiet.

Once the price reached this level, every increase had to be weighed very carefully.

Wang Qian had just raised the price by 188 high-grade spirit stones in one breath. The few family clans, used to grinding the price up bit by bit, suddenly felt powerless.

[So this is the backing of a disciple from a top-tier sect?]

It was really too rich and overbearing.

Still, they were not willing to give up just like that.

After a short silence, someone from the Zhang clan shouted a new price: “1,900!”

Maybe he was too worked up, because the patriarch of the Zhang clan sounded a little hoarse.

The Zhang clan’s young heir nervously clenched his fists.

1,900 high-grade spirit stones almost emptied the Zhang clan’s savings from many years. It was every last spirit stone they could scrape together.

In other words, even if the Zhang clan did win the fourth-grade pill recipe, the clan would still be badly weakened.

They would not have any extra money left to keep the clan running smoothly. Hard days would be waiting for them for a long time.

So the Zhang clan’s young heir both hoped his father would succeed and also hoped someone would offer a higher price than the Zhang clan.

The two feelings pulled back and forth inside his chest, leaving him twisted up with worry.

Luckily, someone soon rescued him from that painful struggle.

Wang Qian raised his plate again and said: “2,000 high-grade spirit stones.”

The patriarch of the Zhang clan sagged back in his chair as if all his strength had left him, his face full of bitterness.

[We cannot beat him. We really cannot beat him.]

“Oh heavens, what is that guy’s background? He did not even blink when he called 2,000 high-grade spirit stones!”

“Dammit, with this cheap life of mine, working myself half to death, I still could not earn ten high-grade spirit stones! These people open their mouths and it is 2,000. This is so unfair!”

“2,000 high-grade spirit stones would be enough for me to cultivate all the way to Nascent Soul. Why not use it for anything else, and instead buy a lousy pill recipe? Tch!”

“…”

Blackwater City was one of the most prosperous cultivation cities in the Southern Region. You could tell a bit of that just from the Zhang clan, the Wang clan, and a few other family clans here.

The cultivators who lived here year-round were not narrow-minded frogs in a well who never thought about improving themselves.

Yet at this moment, that bid of 2,000 high-grade spirit stones still shook their hearts and even stirred up resentment.

Meng Yue wrinkled her nose slightly. She leaned close to speak softly to Yu Zhao: “Sister Yu, can a single fourth-grade pill recipe really be worth that many spirit stones?”

“The price of this pill recipe depends on whose hands it falls into,” Yu Zhao said calmly. “If it falls into the hands of a family clan, then it is not worth this price. But if it is in the hands of an alchemist, then a price of more than 2,000 spirit stones is not too much.”

In truth, Yu Zhao also did not understand why the Zhang clan and the other family clans were fighting so hard and spending so much money to grab this fourth-grade pill recipe.

Even if they emptied the clan’s wealth to get the recipe, how would they handle the spirit herbs and the master alchemist they would need for alchemy afterward?

Was 2,000 high-grade spirit stones a lot?

Of course it was.

However, as long as you refined one furnace of Evil-Warding Pills and sent the pills to a chamber of commerce or another auction gathering, you could earn back at least a few hundred high-grade spirit stones in one go.

After a few batches, the spirit stones used to buy the pill recipe would be recovered.

So only when an alchemist obtained this pill recipe could it show its greatest value.

Meng Yue nodded, half understanding and half not.

She still wanted to ask more, but then she saw Yu Zhao suddenly raise her number plate.

“2,200 high-grade spirit stones!”

Meng Yue’s eyes went wide.

Chen Tian Dong, who was sitting somewhere else, was even more shocked.

Everyone in the hall was stunned.

Even Furong, who had hosted more than a hundred auction gatherings, was startled by Yu Zhao suddenly jumping into the bidding halfway through.

“Uh, honored guest number one hundred and nineteen bids 2,200 high-grade spirit stones!”

Her voice shook a little.

This price already far surpassed the highest record in her auction career. It was not even weaker than the total sales of a small auction gathering.

Furong could already imagine how, after this auction gathering ended, her name would spread far and wide and her auctioneer rank would rise another step.

Wang Qian turned his head and glared at Yu Zhao, his eyes full of anger.

Yu Zhao looked calm, the corners of her lips slightly curved.

[She is doing this on purpose.]

Wang Qian instantly realized this was Yu Zhao’s revenge.

She was getting him back for his earlier malicious price-raising.

“Junior Brother Wang Qian, see, we did not say anything wrong, did we?” someone beside him said quietly. “The people of the Five Elements Dao Sect have always been arrogant and overbearing. They do not put us from Greenwood Sect in their eyes at all.”

“She is clearly going against us on purpose. She just looks down on us,” another added.

Tian Han and Guo Ming En had not expected Yu Zhao to suddenly appear at this time either, but they quickly realized this was a great chance to stir up trouble.

Only if Yu Zhao and Wang Qian completely stood on opposite sides would Wang Qian be willing to stand on the same side as them.

The more Wang Qian thought about it, the more he felt that what they said made sense. He was breathing hard through his nose.

“2,200 high-grade spirit stones, first call.”

“2,200 high-grade spirit stones, second call.”

“2,200 high-grade spirit stones, thi…”

“2,500! I bid 2,500!”

Furong and the people from the Blackwater City auction house were so happy the corners of their mouths almost split.

They had never imagined the price would go this high. This time, they had really struck gold.

But very soon, they realized that they had been happy too early.

“2,600.” Yu Zhao raised her plate again and called out another price.

“2,800. This is my last bid!”

Wang Qian stared at Yu Zhao with a fierce look. He spoke each word slowly and clearly.

Yu Zhao let out a small laugh.

[The people of Greenwood Sect actually want to use my own duplication technique to try to scare me off? Do they think I am a fool?]

She smiled slightly and said without any hesitation: “3,000.”

Wang Qian’s pupils shrank. His face was full of disbelief.

Why was she not scared off? Why did she instead raise the price by another 200 in one breath?

Could it be that she was not just raising the price on purpose to anger him, but really wanted the Evil-Warding Pill recipe?

Wang Qian fell into confusion.