Chapter 70

Soon, the auction officially began.

Although this was just a small auction for the upper class, its formality was no less than that of a regular auction house.

Each guest at the auction had a membership card number corresponding to an auction paddle. Ye Bufan had come with Qin Chuchu, so the two of them shared one paddle.

A slender female auctioneer in a business suit walked to the front of the stage. After a few polite words, she announced the official start of the auction.

The order of the auction was the opposite of the promotional poster. The Hongyun Celestial Pearl, which was on the first page of the poster, was the last item to be auctioned, while the unknown small black bottle became the first item.

As the auctioneer announced the start of the auction, a waitress in a red qipao walked to the front of the stage with a tray.

When Ye Bufan saw the small black bottle on the tray, his whole body trembled.

Others couldn't tell, but as a cultivator, he immediately sensed the dense spiritual energy emanating from the small black bottle. This wasn't a fake; it was a genuine great divine artifact, the Demon Subduing Bottle.

Qin Chuchu noticed his change and asked in surprise, "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing, I might have caught a cold these past few days, and my legs are a bit cramped," Ye Bufan said, taking a deep breath to suppress his excitement. This wasn't the time to show too much interest, as it would draw others' attention to the Demon Subduing Bottle and raise the bidding cost.

At this moment, the auctioneer took the Demon Subduing Bottle and introduced it to the audience, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is the item provided by the Qin family. I apologize, but there is very little information about this item, and we don't even know its name. However, the more mysterious something is, the more surprises it might bring. The starting bid is 100,000, and each subsequent bid must be at least 10,000 higher. The auction begins now!"

As an experienced auctioneer, she naturally knew that the first item auctioned was usually not very valuable, especially one whose properties and name were unclear. Therefore, she didn't waste too many words and directly announced the start of the auction.

Before anyone else could react, Luo Wentao stood up and bowed to the audience, "Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize, but this item has been chosen by Master Xuanye, who has entrusted me to bid on his behalf. I am now bidding 1,000,000."

In his view, no one would dare to bid on something chosen by Master Xuanye. He offered such a high price mainly to give face to Qin Chuchu, as the item was provided by the Qin family.

"What is this bottle? I don't see anything special about it. Why would Master Xuanye choose it?"

"I was planning to bid on it to see what it was, but since Master Xuanye has chosen it, I can only give up."

Everyone knew Master Xuanye's reputation, so after Luo Wentao announced that he was bidding on behalf of Master Xuanye, although there was much discussion in the audience, no one raised their paddle.

Qin Chuchu was stunned. This small bottle had been stored in their Qin family for many years and had never been valued by anyone. Now, at the auction, it had caught the attention of Master Xuanye.

She originally intended to bid on it and give it to Ye Bufan, but now it was complicated. She whispered, "Xiao Fan, let's not bid on this bottle, okay?"

Ye Bufan shook his head, "No, I must get it."

Faced with such a great divine artifact, he wouldn't back down even if the other party was a king, let alone a suspicious Master Xuanye.

Qin Chuchu was about to say something when Luo Wentao said to the auctioneer, "Alright, you can hammer it down now!"

"1,000,000 once, 1,000,000 twice..."

The auctioneer called out in a routine manner, then raised the small hammer to strike. Suddenly, someone shouted, "I bid 2,000,000."

Everyone was surprised, especially Luo Wentao. He had already stated that the item was chosen by Master Xuanye, yet someone still dared to bid.

Turning his head, he saw that the person raising the paddle was Ye Bufan, who was sitting next to him.

He angrily said, "Mr. Ye, what are you doing? Didn't you hear that this item is chosen by Master Xuanye?"

Ye Bufan shook his head, "I don't know who Master Xuanye is. I only know that this is an auction, and the highest bidder gets it."

Qin Chuchu, surprised by his determination, quickly persuaded him, "Xiao Fan, let's not bid on this bottle. Whatever else you want, I'll bid on it for you."

Ye Bufan said, "I want this bottle."

He was telling the truth, but to Luo Wentao, it sounded like a challenge.

"Fine, if you like it, go ahead and bid."

At this moment, Ye Bufan seemed like a dead man to Luo Wentao. After years of interaction, he knew Master Xuanye's temper well. Whoever got this bottle would surely die.

After saying that, he didn't raise his paddle again and sat back down.

Seeing this scene, everyone was stunned, then the room became noisy.

"Who is this guy? He actually dares to compete with Master Xuanye. Is he tired of living?"

"Truly a young bull that fears no tiger. This guy is too ignorant, not even respecting Master Xuanye..."

"It's over. Master Xuanye is a great master. He can make this guy disappear with just a snap of his fingers..."

Qin Chuchu was extremely anxious but had no idea what to do.

Master Xuanye was someone who couldn't be offended. She could only try to persuade Ye Bufan later to return the bottle to Master Xuanye.

The auctioneer stood on the stage, at a loss as to what to do next.

Ye Bufan smiled at her, "Miss, since no one is bidding against me, can you hammer it down now?"

The auctioneer bit her lip and finally called out, "This gentleman bids 2,000,000. 2,000,000 once, 2,000,000 twice..."

Everyone knew the bottle was trouble, so no one else bid. After calling out three times, she struck the auction hammer.

From that moment on, the Demon Subduing Bottle belonged to Ye Bufan.

Soon, the waitress brought the tray over, and Ye Bufan, excited, took the bottle. He then took out his bank card and swiped 2,000,000 on the POS machine provided by the waitress.

Although the bottle was provided by Qin Chuchu, the auction proceeds had to be paid to the auction house first, which would then take a 10% commission and return the rest to the Qin family.

Luo Wentao snorted coldly, thinking to himself, "You've taken Master Xuanye's item. Let's see how long you can be smug."

Ye Bufan didn't care about him at all. Holding the Demon Subduing Bottle, he felt as if he was holding a priceless treasure, which was even more precious to him than any treasure.

Qin Chuchu sighed. It seemed she couldn't return the bottle for now and would have to deal with it later.

The auction continued, and soon the second item was up for bid, a Qing Dynasty Qianlong period vase, which was eventually sold to a wealthy businessman for 1,500,000.

Ye Bufan had no interest in these antiques. The auction proceeded smoothly, and soon it was time for the transfer contract of the Shiwai Taoyuan residential area.

The auctioneer raised the contract and said, "This is the well-known Shiwai Taoyuan residential area, nestled among mountains and water, with beautiful scenery. The initial investment alone has already exceeded 1.5 billion.

"This contract auction will grant the successful bidder 100% ownership of the Shiwai Taoyuan residential area. The starting bid is 100 million Huaxia dollars, and each subsequent bid must be at least 10 million higher.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Please don't miss it. The auction begins now!"