Li XinWen quietly followed Xue Rui to the auction hall. To his surprise, there were already a lot of people sitting down on the provided chairs. But Xue Rui didn't go to the chairs and instead, led Li XinWen to the second floor. "The first floor is for the regular auction attendees. We have our own booth on the second floor," Xue Rui explained.
This, Li XinWen can understand. It was just like the auction house back in Long Xing. The auction houses in Long Xing allot private rooms for cultivators with higher status and strength in order to protect their identity, while regular cultivators sit in an open area with everyone else. However, these kinds of protection do not last very long. After all, every cultivator in Long Xing had another name for an auction - treasure snatching. In most cases, as soon as those who were able to obtain a treasure eyed by many families and sects are attacked as soon as they leave the auction house.
Therefore, those who attend the auction would usually have one or two life-saving treasures on hand which they can use in case someone attacked them.
He was so deep in his thought that he didn't realize that they had already arrived at Xue Rui's personal booth.
"XinWen, are you alright?" Xue Rui asked in a worried tone. He had noticed that Li XinWen had been spacing out for a while now, and it seemed to happen quite a lot ever since he woke up from his coma.
"Huh? Oh!" When Li XinWen finally snapped out of his daze, he noticed that they were in an enclosed compartment with a balcony overlooking the entire auction hall. There were six seats in total. "I'm okay, Rui-ge. Sorry, I was just thinking if it's really worth spending ten million just to get that jian..." once again, Li XinWen lied smoothly.
He had lost count of how many times he had lied since he arrived in this world and he felt that he was living dishonestly.
"You don't have to think much of it, XinWen," Xue Rui said as he held the chair for Li XinWen. The chair was very comfortable and Li XinWen settled in his seat instantly. Xue Rui unbuttoned his coat and settled down beside Li XinWen and said, "I remember seeing that jian a few years ago. Even when the starting bid was 300,000 yuan, no one was willing to buy it. That manager earlier just wanted to take advantage of you XinWen," Xue Rui paused as he glanced over at Li XinWen.
"Judging by his sales pitch earlier, the manager seems desperate to get rid of the jian and perhaps thought he'd rake in some money in the process after seeing your interest in the item…" he added after a some hesitation. Xue Rui felt that he should at least inform Li XinWen what an easy target he is.
When Li XinWen heard Xue Rui's statement, his face turned dark. Upon realizing the truth in Xue Rui's words, he couldn't help but acknowledge his lack of street smarts in the mortal world. It seemed that mortals are more cunning than those in Long Xing.
'That sly bastard, if I had actually pushed through with the backdoor purchase of that jian it would have been foolish! If I had really spent three million for that jian and later found that the actual price was only 300,000 I would have cursed myself and vomited blood! I guess I should be thankful that Xue Rui was there to save me from wasting money…' Li XinWen thought. In his mind he was smacking himself in the forehead for not noticing just how sly that manager was.
"Then I should thank you Rui-ge for stopping me from falling for that manager's scheme."
"Don't worry about it XinWen,." Xue Rui said as he took Li XinWen's hand in his and unconsciously raised it to his lips and kissed the back of Li XinWen's hand. And noticing that Li XinWen was not pulling back his hand, Xue Rui continued to push his luck and take advantage of the situation by holding Li XinWen's hand on his chest a little ways away from where his heart was.
"Money is never a problem Ah'Wen as long as you are happy. So if you find something that you like during the auction, I hope you won't hold back…" he said as he gently lowered Li XinWen's hand and let it go.
Realizing what he had done, Xue Rui leaned forward, clasped his hands over his face as if in prayer and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, hoping that Li XinWen would not take his actions negatively. He tried to remain calm and nonchalant about what he just did. 'Oh god, what was I thinking…'
He waited for what seemed like eternity for Li XinWen's reaction but nothing came. A nervous feeling slowly crept inside him and he prepared himself for the worst before looking over to Li XinWen's direction.
Li XinWen on the other hand was too busy reprimanding himself in his mind for almost falling for such a petty trick from the manager and did not register what Xue Rui had done earlier. By the time he calmed his mind, he noticed that Xue Rui hunched forward with an uncomfortable expression, looking at him. 'Why does he look so uncomfortable?' he wondered.
"Are you okay Rui-ge? Do you have a headache?" Li XinWen asked as he gently placed a hand on Xue Rui's back.
Xue Rui was dumbfounded, unsure whether he was dreaming or not.
"I'm alright XinWen… thank you…" he responded, managing a smile amidst his uncertainty. He leaned back in his seat and relaxed his shoulders thinking, 'I guess the gods are on my side today... I'll take this any day of the week,' and let out an amused chuckle.
Li XinWen was observing Xue Rui closely from his seat. Xue Rui was hunched forward in his seat wearing an uncomfortable yet happy expression. By this time, Li XinWen had somewhat figured out most of Xue Rui's behavior, and at that particular moment he could easily read Xue Rui. Especially when it came to his penchant for demonstrating his affection physically towards Li XinWen.
'He's acting all happy by himself… the fool!' he thought as he shook his head. 'I will let that kiss slide today… I'll consider that as payment, since he made sure that I was not taken advantage of by that sly manager. Perhaps this fool actually thinks that I have acknowledged his advances?' seeing the smile plastered on Xue Rui's face, he couldn't help but shake his head.
'He is indeed a fool. The only reason I did not pull my hand away was because I was busy reprimanding myself for almost falling for such a petty trick from the manager,' his thoughts continued as he closed his eyes exercising a lot of control over his desire to collar Xue Rui.
'Just you wait until I can use my full strength in the open Xue Rui… you won't be able to touch even a hair on my head… ha!' and he let out a sigh and managed a restrained smile.
They didn't have to wait long for the auction to begin. A smartly dressed man in his late fifties walked on stage and stood behind the lectern. He wore round-rimmed glasses and his hair was predominantly white including his mustache. He was a little bit on the pudgy side but was relatively tall. He fumbled with the microphone and smiled at the seated would-be bidders, as if the fumble was all part of an act to set up a relaxed and friendly mood in the hall.
The auctioneer's smile was replaced with a furrowed brow and he suddenly touched his left ear and looked down as if listening intently to something. This particular behavior by the auctioneer intrigued Li XinWen. From where he sat, he noticed something fixed on the auctioneer's left ear which roused his curiosity even further. He looked through the original's memories and came across a piece of information which clarified everything.
'Oh, so that's what they call an earpiece… a device you can use to listen to things privately…' Li XinWen thought to himself. He compared the earpiece with the transmission jade slip from Long Xing and noticed that though the earpiece was small and looked aesthetic, its functionality was inferior to the transmission jade slip, since the earpiece's capability depended on its distance from the source. However, what Li XinWen forgot was that there was something closer in comparison to the transmission jade slip - a technology called a mobile phone.
Suddenly, the sound of the gavel striking the wood block pulled Li XinWen out of his thoughts. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the 46th Auction of the Moqi Association," came the rich baritone voice of the auctioneer. "I'm sure all of you are excited to make your bid on the vast collection of items we have included for today's event. Without further ado, we will now officially begin! The first item on the list is the statue of Lucrais Forsàidh!" The auctioneer introduced the item with much flair and drama, which instantaneously grabbed the participants' attention.
A group of employees wheeled in a cart covered with cloth onto the stage. From its size, one can discern that the item under the cloth was quite big, but Li XinWen did not show even the slightest interest.
When the statue was uncovered, several gasps and murmurs started to fill the auction hall. Upon hearing the crowd's gasps and murmurs, Li XinWen was suddenly filled with curiosity. The reaction from the participants was similar to the reaction elicited from cultivators in Long Xing whenever they encounter a rare treasure during an auction. He narrowed his eyes and leaned a little forward to examine the statue from his seat.
"It is the last work of the well-known sculptor from the 1400s, Daniel O'Brolchain. As history would have it, Master Daniel died without ever getting married. A group of people found the statue after forcibly entering Master Daniel's lodgings because of the foul stench of rotting flesh coming from inside. Within the house, they found Master Daniel's corpse, the tools of his trade, and this unfinished statue," the auctioneer explained.
Then he rambled on that the statue brought with it a curse to whoever had ownership, which, once again drew gasps and murmurs from the participants. The auctioneer could not have been happier with this reaction from the crowd. As if baiting the participants, the auctioneer went on to share that although the previous owners died grotesquely, they did enjoy ten years of success in their lifetime.
He went on to tell tales of how one of the owners became a successful employee in his chosen career, another became a well-known entertainer, and the last owner even entered the list of the world's richest men within a week of obtaining the statue.
'Oh, I've got your attention now! Hook, line and sinker!' the auctioneer thought.
And he couldn't have been more right. With all the good things he just mentioned he could feel that the participants were now leaning more towards bidding for the statue. Except of course for Li XinWen who felt that the auctioneer was just exaggerating.
"Rui-ge, why did he lie and say the item is cursed?" Li XinWen asked.
"Hmm? Is that really an exaggeration?" Xue Rui asked. "It's a fact that the previous owners of that statue died in disturbing circumstances..." Xue Rui said with a smile, hoping to scare Li XinWen. Unfortunately, it did not have the desired effect since Li XinWen just snickered at his statement.
"Aiya… Rui-ge, you don't really think it's cursed do you?" Li XinWen asked Xue Rui, his expression teasing but full of gentle affection. "My, my, I never thought that Rui-ge also had this cute side to him. Don't worry, there is no curse on that statue. If it comes down to it, I'll be here to defend you from whatever curse there is," Li XinWen said, chuckling as he shook his head.
Faced with Li XinWen's teasing, Xue Rui turned red from embarrassment. Not only because of his failed attempt to scare Li XinWen with the curse but also because of the fact that Li XinWen said that it was cute.
'Oh my god, my heart!' thought Xue Rui. 'Did I hear Li XinWen correctly? He thinks my behavior was cute? No, calm down Rui… do not get your hopes up just yet… Oh, but isn't it alright for me to think for a while that it may be possible after all?'
Seeing Xue Rui's reaction to his teasing, Li XinWen couldn't help but be amused. 'Ah… you are too simple Xue Rui,' Li XinWen thought. 'Just a little teasing and you're already this happy? Perhaps I should refrain from teasing him lest he gets the wrong idea again?'
Regaining his composure, Xue Rui cleared his throat and said in response, "Of course not!" pretending to straighten his tie and adjusting his expression which made Li XinWen laugh just a little.
This little banter between the two could have gone on longer if it wasn't for the auctioneer's jovial announcement. "400,000 yuan, going once! 400,000 yuan, going twice! Sold for 400,000 yuan to the lovely lady at the back!" gesturing his gavel towards an elegantly dressed elderly woman, before striking the gavel against a sound block, signaling the item as officially sold.
'Oh, it sold for 400,000 yuan? That's quite high,' thought Li XinWen. 'That could have sold for much less in Long Xing, judging from the overall condition of the statue. I'm guessing it sold for a relatively high price because of the auctioneer's exaggeration. Mortals in the lower realms are so simple…'
His train of thought was interrupted when the auctioneer announced the second item. Although he was unable to catch the actual name of the item, he felt as if his spiritual senses suddenly heightened, as if he was alerted that something magical was within the premises, and Lan Yu's reaction from within his hand confirmed this. Li XinWen suddenly felt the vigorous pulses coming from Lan Yu, as streams of warm energy spread through his hand, it was as if Lan Yu was trying to communicate with him.
'I know Lan Yu… I can sense the same magical energy in the auction hall. We'd better get ready to duke it out in the bidding…' he said in his mind as his response to Lan Yu.
Li XinWen's eyes narrowed and examined the item brought in by the auction employees. Even without Lan Yu telling him, he already knew the nature of the item.
"Rui-ge, do you think ten million would be enough to outbid every other bidder for this next item?" Li XinWen asked, his eyes fixed on the still covered item. The spiritual energy radiating from the item was undeniable and Li XinWen knew that it was something that a cultivator such as himself will find very useful. Considering the state of this mortal world and the scarcity of spiritual energy, even a low-grade magical item would be precious and he need to obtain it no matter the cost.
What do you guys think the item is? Leave your comment!
Also, after this chapter, the release frequency of this story will become 3x a week! Released on Monday, Wednesday and Friday!
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