Chapter 56

"Three hundred and ten thousand"

Just as Longchen thought he could secure the golden-spotted tiger cub, a woman's voice filled with hatred rang out.

Upon hearing this voice, Longchen immediately thought of Xia Baichi, whose face had almost twisted into a grotesque shape after her loss in the alchemy competition.

Since her loss, Xia Baichi had disappeared after angrily revealing her scandal with Wei Cang.

When this voice reached Longchen's ears, he instantly knew something was wrong. This foolish woman would not let him get the golden-spotted tiger cub so easily.

"Three hundred and fifty thousand"

This was already Longchen's maximum limit. If the price went higher, he would also feel the pain, as his items had not yet been auctioned, and he did not have much confidence.

"Three hundred and fifty-one thousand"

As soon as Longchen spoke, Xia Baichi's voice followed without hesitation, and the entire hall fell silent.

Actually, the price of a golden-spotted tiger cub usually ranges from two hundred thousand to two hundred and fifty thousand, but it is a rare commodity, not something you can easily buy.

A cub that has just been stolen needs to be sold quickly, otherwise, after ten to fifteen days, the cub will grow, making it harder to tame and thus less valuable.

So, the three hundred thousand Longchen offered was still a reasonable price, as such opportunities are rare, and it was worth spending a bit more.

However, if the price exceeded three hundred and fifty thousand, Longchen had already decided to give up. But hearing Xia Baichi's tone, he felt a sudden urge.

The molten star grass he wanted to bid on would soon be up for auction. If this fool was deliberately trying to sabotage him, he might have to pay an exorbitant price for the molten star grass.

"Four hundred thousand" Longchen gritted his teeth, his voice tinged with anger.

"Four hundred and one thousand" Xia Baichi seemed to hear Longchen's anger, and her mood improved significantly. Her voice even carried a hint of satisfaction.

Longchen was even more certain that this fool was just trying to spite him. She probably had little interest in the golden-spotted tiger cub and was mainly targeting him.

"Five hundred thousand" Longchen said angrily.

"Five hundred and one thousand"

Sure enough, as soon as Longchen spoke, Xia Baichi's voice immediately followed, and everyone in the hall stared at the two private rooms, knowing that the two were in a deadlock.

"That woman is the princess of Daxia, but who is in that private room? The voice sounds so young, I've never heard it before."

"Tsk, your information is too outdated. You can't even recognize the voice of Fengming's top young talent?"

After being reminded, the person suddenly realized why the Daxia princess was so hostile. It turned out that the person in the private room was Longchen, and everything made sense.

At the Fengming Lantern Festival, Longchen had thoroughly defeated Xia Baichi, and she had lost all her reputation, all thanks to Longchen. It was no surprise that she was targeting him.

Yao Nianqian looked at Longchen's private room and then at Xia Baichi's, a smile playing on her lips, but no one knew what she was thinking.

"Baichi, don't make a fuss. The auction has just started, and we still need to see if there are other things we need to buy. We can't waste money on him," Xia Changfeng advised Xia Baichi.

After all, the best items were still to come. If they spent all their money now, they would be left with nothing.

"No, I absolutely cannot let this bastard who has humiliated me and taken away my beast fire off the hook. Don't worry, I'll use my own money, not yours," Xia Baichi said, staring intently at Longchen's private room.

"Alright, but there will be many more opportunities in the future. Take it easy. If he bids again, just give up."

Seeing Xia Baichi's stubbornness, Xia Changfeng had no choice. He couldn't do much about his sister, after all, she was a Dantou, and her status was even higher than his as a prince.

A smile appeared on Longchen's lips. Since you want to play, and I have nothing better to do, I'll play along.

"You win."

To everyone's surprise, Longchen, who had been full of anger just moments ago, gave up so easily.

This made everyone pause, and then they realized that Longchen was too cunning. This was a classic case of turning the tables on Xia Baichi.

"Congratulations to Princess Baichi for winning the golden-spotted tiger cub," Yao Nianqian said with a smile, signaling for the cub to be taken away.

The golden-spotted tiger cub had already reached the astronomical price of five hundred thousand, and there was no need to go through the tedious process of "once, twice, three times." Yao Nianqian made the decision immediately.

Xia Baichi was stunned, and then she realized she had been outsmarted by Longchen. She couldn't help but scream in anger:

"Longchen, may you die a thousand deaths!"

When dealing with a woman who is cursing, it's best not to engage. First, you will never win. Second, even if you do win, it will be a disgrace.

So, Longchen hid in his private room, smiling, imagining how Xia Baichi's face might be twisted into a musical staff.

The auction continued, with various treasures and oddities, making everyone's eyes dazzle. Now, Longchen, who had been low-key, bid on almost everything that caught his interest.

As soon as Longchen bid, Xia Baichi immediately followed, adding exactly one thousand gold coins each time, turning the auction hall into a battlefield between the two.

"Eighteen million"

"Eighteen million and one thousand"

"Twenty-five million"

"Twenty-five million and one thousand"

"..."

Yao Nianqian watched the two sides with a smile, saying nothing, letting them bid as they pleased.

"Baichi, stop making a fuss. He is clearly playing with you. You don't have enough money to keep up," Xia Changfeng said angrily.

In the time since, with Longchen's enthusiastic "help," Xia Baichi had already bid on over ten items, most of which were useless, and she had already spent over twenty million gold coins.

Xia Changfeng couldn't help but regret bringing Xia Baichi. She had been hiding in her room, ashamed of her scandal with Wei Cang.

This auction was partly to help Xia Baichi overcome her current state of mind and partly to get her financial support, as a Dantou, she was wealthier than he was.

But seeing how quickly Xia Baichi had spent over twenty million gold coins, he couldn't help but feel the pain. That was a lot of money.

At this point, Xia Baichi finally came to her senses. Even if she had more money, she couldn't buy everything, and she would only be falling into Longchen's trap.

"Princess, there's no need to rush. If you want revenge, wait until Longchen makes his move, and then we can strike back," the First Prince Chu Yang said with a smile.

"Yes, Chu Yang is right. According to Huayun Pavilion's rules, since he has a private room, he will definitely buy something," Xia Changfeng also advised.

Hearing their words, Xia Baichi's anger subsided a bit, but her hatred for Longchen only grew.

Since meeting Longchen, she had been at a disadvantage, as if he was her nemesis, always keeping her in check.

After hearing their advice, Xia Baichi finally stopped competing with Longchen, and the auction returned to normal.

As the auction progressed, the sky grew dark, and the auction was paused. The curtains were drawn back, and hundreds of women pushed in carts filled with exquisite food and wine.

This was a very considerate aspect of Huayun Pavilion, as they feared the guests would be hungry. People began to help themselves.

"Brother Long, let's go too. To be honest, I was so nervous earlier that I'm now starving," Yu Pang said.

"No need to go down."

Longchen shook his head. As he spoke, two beautiful attendants pushed in a long table, about eight feet long.

The table was filled with dozens of sumptuous dishes, emitting a tempting aroma that made everyone's mouths water.

But Yu Pang, the glutton, was just staring at the two attendants, completely forgetting his hunger.

"Please enjoy, my lords. We will serve you wine."

The two attendants paid no attention to Yu Pang's gaze, instead focusing on Longchen, their eyes filled with joy.

"Hey, it's you two."

Longchen looked at the two attendants and was somewhat surprised. They were two of the four attendants who had greeted him on his first day at Huayun Pavilion.

"Ah, Lord Longchen, you actually remember us!"

The two attendants were excited, and one of them glanced around, then took out a small book from her pocket.

With a slightly blushing face, she said, "Lord Longchen, could you sign this for me?"

Longchen was taken aback, took the small book, and immediately opened his eyes wide. The book featured a tall, handsome man with a sword-like brow and star-like eyes, his black hair flying, and he was incredibly handsome.

Upon closer inspection, the man bore an eight-tenths resemblance to Longchen, but was even more handsome. Longchen was stunned.

"Is this me?" Longchen asked, uncertain.

"Don't you know?" Not only the two attendants but even Shi Feng and the others were surprised.

"This is the deluxe limited edition 'Fengming War God,' worth thirty-five gold coins. We spent half a year's wages to buy it. Please sign it for us."

Longchen looked at the 'Fengming War God,' flipped through the pages, and was impressed. The content was so captivating that he even wanted to buy it himself.

Seeing the red pen the attendant offered, Longchen smiled wryly. "Are you planning something?"

The two attendants blushed, clearly caught in their thoughts. They had come to serve Longchen to see him.

Longchen signed his name on the cover in a bold, flowing style. During the time he couldn't practice, his mother had taught him to read and write, and his handwriting was very beautiful.

Now that he could practice, his handwriting had become more powerful and full of determination.

The two attendants were thrilled when they received the signed book, thanked Longchen, and hurriedly ran off, probably to show it to their sisters.

"Brother Long, I have a few hundred copies at home. Could you sign them all for me?" Houzi, with a sly smile, said.

"Forget it. You're just trying to sell the signed copies for a high price," one of the other lords said disdainfully.

"Rubbish, am I that kind of person?" Houzi was furious, but seeing the others' disdainful looks, he lost his confidence and said, "I just want to know the exchange rate between Brother Long's signature and gold coins."

"Stop talking nonsense and eat," Longchen said irritably. Everyone laughed and began to eat ravenously. After they finished, the two attendants returned, took away the food cart, and served tea and fruit.

After a short while