Chapter Sixty-Two: The Truth of Argumentation

Qian Xin shouted with spittle flying, utterly incredulous that even at this point, someone would raise the bid—and by seventy thousand at once.

“Damn, who is this guy? He actually bid six hundred thousand?”

“Yeah, that’s five hundred and thirty thousand taels of silver! That’s way over the normal price for Soul Gathering Grass!”

“Must be some scion of a great family, or maybe someone who truly needs this herb.”

“I bet it’s just a wastrel from one of the big clans…”

In an instant, everyone at the auction turned their eyes toward the source of the voice—the Celestial Pavilion, Room Thirteen—and speculation buzzed through the crowd.

“Six hundred and ten thousand!”

The bidder from Celestial Pavilion Room Three, who had previously offered five hundred and thirty thousand, fell silent for a moment, then increased the bid by another ten thousand. A middle-aged voice rang out from within the room: “May I ask which friend is bidding? Could you perhaps give my Liu family some face? We genuinely need this Soul Gathering Grass!”

“My god, it’s the Liu family? The fourth most powerful family in Qingxue County!”

“Yes, with that said, unless this young man has a great clan backing him, the price for the Soul Gathering Grass won’t go any higher!”

“There are real advantages to being allied with a powerful family—no one dares cross you!”

“Exactly! That’s how it is!”

With the Liu family’s declaration, a wave of murmurs swept through the auction house, faces shifting as people whispered among themselves.

Qian Xin’s expression darkened. “Liu Chuan-zhi, this is the Four Seas Auction House. Are you trying to use your status to pressure others and disrupt the rules?”

Though the Liu family ranked fourth among all the families in Qingxue County—and even had a Stream Realm master, a level above the ordinary Vascular Meridian Realm—against the might of the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce, they were nothing.

The Four Seas Chamber of Commerce operated across more than twenty counties, boasting countless experts. If provoked, they could obliterate the Liu family as easily as snapping their fingers.

“I wouldn’t dare,” Liu Chuan-zhi replied hastily from Room Three, sensing the chill in Qian Xin’s words. “I only wish to discuss with the young man and hope he might yield to us—there’s no intent to wield the Liu family’s influence.”

He had already revealed his family’s identity, and didn’t believe the youth would still dare contend—unless the boy too hailed from a great clan. Yet, as far as he knew, none of the great families had a need for the Soul Gathering Grass.

He continued, now with an amiable tone: “Young man, rest assured, I only wish to discuss, not threaten.”

Yet despite his words, a subtle note of menace lingered, making it clear to everyone present that the Liu family was determined to acquire the Soul Gathering Grass.

“Let’s hope this is the only time,” Qian Xin said with a warning look at Room Three, his face grim.

If it was just this once, though the Four Seas Chamber’s reputation would suffer somewhat, most people would understand. The Liu family was, after all, one of Qingxue County’s top four clans; for one occasion, it wasn’t worth the Chamber’s wrath. But if Liu Chuan-zhi pressed his luck again, Qian Xin would not hesitate to personally deal with him—leaving Liu Chuan-zhi right where he sat.

Liu Chuan-zhi was merely at the initial stage of the Vascular Meridian Realm, whereas Qian Xin was at the late stage—Liu was no match for him.

And if the Liu family dared make trouble, Qian Xin wouldn’t hesitate to escalate the matter to the higher-ups, mobilize the power of the entire Four Seas Chamber, and eradicate the Liu family as a warning to others.

Liu Chuan-zhi remained silent. Qian Xin turned away, but in his heart, he was certain the price for the Soul Gathering Grass would go no higher. In Qingxue County, no one dared offend the ten great families.

Without the backing of such a family, no one would challenge them. Even if the youth was a member of one of those ten, it was unlikely he would risk the Liu family’s enmity for a single herb.

Though the Seventh Young Master of the Four Seas Chamber was not favored by his family, he had been sent to serve as manager of the Four Seas Inn in Xiaobei City, Qingxue County—clearly as a step in his future career. It was plain that Qingxue County would one day fall under his direct control, making him the top supervisor.

For now, Qian Xin was only acting as the county’s manager; the real authority lay with the Qian family elders. Thus, he kept a close eye on the Seventh Young Master—Qian Jin.

He knew the Seventh Young Master was in Room Thirteen. He’d met the other young masters and recognized their voices; this unfamiliar one must be Brother Fan, the youth bidding on the Soul Gathering Grass.

Qian Xin had gathered enough intelligence on the Seventh Young Master to fill a stack as tall as a man. Naturally, he knew who Lin Fan was. Though Lin Fan was exceptionally talented for his age, his family background was comparatively weak.

With Liu Chuan-zhi’s declaration, the owner of the herb was all but decided.

“Seven hundred thousand!”

Just as Qian Xin’s thoughts raced, a calm voice suddenly rang out—like a bolt of lightning—bringing him sharply back to the present.

“Foolish—why provoke the Liu family?” Qian Xin shook his head. He had not expected Lin Fan to persist, let alone raise the bid.

He felt no joy—only concern for Lin Fan’s imprudence. Even if the Four Seas Chamber could keep Lin Fan’s identity secret, walls have ears; sooner or later, the Liu family would find him.

And when that happened, what could the humble Lin family do against the Lius?

“Wow, he’s not scared at all—he just raised the bid again despite the Liu family!”

“Told you, he must be a wastrel from a great clan!”

“Get real—not even a wastrel would spend money this way and offend the Lius. He must be a fool.”

“Being rich must be nice!”

“If I had that kind of money, I’d buy some shops, collect rent every day, and marry a few concubines…”

As the crowd buzzed, marveling at Lin Fan’s boldness in defying the Liu family, Lin Fan himself lounged in Room Thirteen, popping a grape into his mouth, a faint smile in his eyes.

“Negative emotion value from Liu Chuan-zhi: +1356!”

“Negative emotion value from Liu Yi: +666!”

“Negative emotion value from Huang An: +36, +48, +66, +24…”

“Negative emotion value from Qi Baihao: +57, +18, +81, +49…”

And so on—the negative emotion values surged every second. From the moment he made his first bid, Lin Fan noticed a huge spike in negativity.

He’d spent all thirty-three thousand of his previous negative points on the lottery, leaving only a little over three thousand accumulated from those he’d offended in the past week.

He had intended to buy the Soul Gathering Grass because he found it useful. He’d held off earlier simply because he hadn’t enough money; after learning from Sun Jin that the silver could be deducted from his auction proceeds, he joined the bidding.

What he hadn’t expected was that the mere act of bidding would net him more than thirteen thousand negative emotion points.

The auction hall could seat three hundred, with thirteen celestial and twenty terrestrial private rooms—a total of about five hundred people. From the start, he’d been flooded with negative points from Liu Chuan-zhi—starting at 999—followed by other Lius, all showering him with five- and seven-hundred-point bursts.

Meanwhile, dozens of others gave him smaller points, but the sheer numbers added up, all stirred by his lavish display—envy, jealousy, resentment, and more.

He needed the Soul Gathering Grass, and the negative points were rolling in—why would he yield?

The Liu family?

Heh, according to Lin Fan’s plan, he didn’t take the Lius seriously at all.

Besides, how could the Liu family possibly uncover his true identity? The people in these rooms had their identities kept strictly confidential by the Four Seas Chamber. If the Lius hadn’t revealed themselves, no one would know Room Three was theirs.

Each suite had a hidden entrance; guests entered and exited through these, always guided by guards. Tracking his identity for revenge would be no easy feat.

Most importantly, with Qian Jin as the Seventh Young Master of the Four Seas Chamber, the Chamber would never betray his identity to outsiders.

Even if they eventually traced it to him, that would be a month or two down the line—and by then, his arrangements would already be in place.

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