Chapter 65: The Highest Bidder Wins

Everyone focused their gaze and saw that the cage contained not a person, but a massive dog with red fur standing on end all over its body.

This giant dog was two or three times the size of a normal house dog, looking ferocious, with red drool dripping from its mouth corners, as if it had just finished drinking fresh blood.

"This is the Red Mastiff that my Wu You Cave raises and trains once every half year. Any distinguished guest who frequents this place should know that this dog is often fed human blood and human flesh; it is as fierce as a tiger or leopard, capable of fighting seven or eight strong men without falling, and is my Wu You Cave's signature product."

Zhao Ti narrowed his eyes, and beside him, Shang Qi whispered, "Young Master, I have seen this creature before. A few months ago, the Iron Leg Gang, which was wiped out inside the building, kept one. Our brothers stormed in and hacked it to death with chaotic knives."

The man in colorful robes continued, "Raising this dog is no easy task; it starts at ten strings of cash. Distinguished guests may begin bidding."

Hearing this, the people in the hall immediately started bidding. This mastiff was in high demand; within moments, the price had climbed to one hundred and eighty strings of cash.

The auction at Ghost Ghost Fanlou used copper coins for bidding, but settlement was made in gold, silver, or flying notes. Silver of the Great Song did not circulate in ordinary markets, but it was frequently used for large transactions, military pay, and trade at official marketplaces.

One hundred and fifty strings, according to current market rates, could already buy two low-grade warhorses, which was no small sum, yet the price kept rising. Just a few breaths later, it had been bid up to three hundred strings.

Zhao Ti tapped his fingers lightly on the table, and Shang Qi immediately shouted, "Five hundred strings!"

The hall instantly fell silent at these words, all gazes turning toward them. Although the mastiff was rare and fierce, and taking it out would bring great face, spending five hundred strings was truly too much; there were still many good items later, and they needed to save money to buy those.

"This Young Master has won the Red Mastiff for five hundred strings! Someone record it!" the man in colorful robes shouted excitedly. The Red Mastiff had never before sold for such a high price; once the auction ended and they returned to Wu You Cave, he would surely be rewarded by the Cave Master.

Next, someone brought out a black lacquered tray covered with a scarlet cloth. The man in colorful robes carefully lifted the cover, revealing a bead the size of a chicken egg, glowing with an eerie green light and emitting a foul odor.

"This is the Yin Cold Pearl. Placed underground, the buildings above become bone-chillingly cold, making it suitable for summer use. It counts as a treasure."

Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what this thing was.

Someone asked, "How was this bead obtained? Is it like a pearl, taken from clams in the water?"

The man in colorful robes said gloomily, "It is indeed from the water, but it was not born inside a clam; it was born within a thousand years of accumulated corpse water in an ancient tomb."

That person was startled, dared not speak, and shrank back.

"This is also a rare item. If you distinguished guests show it to Taoist priests or hermits living in famous mountains and great rivers outside, they might like it. Selling it could fetch more than the price my Wu You Cave offers. My Wu You Cave cannot easily leave Jingcheng; otherwise, why would we sell this item so cheaply?" the man in colorful robes said with a forced smile.

Everyone looked at each other, and one said, "Your cave actually contains an ancient tomb?"

The man in colorful robes said, "One look tells me you are an outsider, a distinguished guest not from the old families of Jingcheng. Who among the old families of Jingcheng does not know that Kaifeng City is built upon cities, with four or five cities stacked beneath? Not to mention tombs, there are countless palace halls and structures down there."

"So that is how it is..." This person nodded.

The man in colorful robes now showed off somewhat: "There are countless treasures underground, but they are pressed too deep, with accumulated water forming rivers, making exploration difficult. In another few years, as the seas change into mulberry fields, the Eastern Capital City itself might sink down."

Hearing this, everyone grinned. Such words could only be spoken by people of Ghost Ghost Fanlou; they would never dare to say them.

"Very well, now let us begin the auction for this Yin Cold Pearl. Starting price: three hundred strings!"

"Three hundred and eighty strings!"

"Four hundred strings!"

"Four hundred and thirty strings!"

"..."

Although this pearl was somewhat ominous, people still bid for it. After all, it currently emitted a trace of cold air; those in front could feel it and believed it must be a treasure. Even if one did not use it oneself, giving it as a gift would be excellent, since if one did not reveal its origin, who could possibly know?

Zhao Ti stared at the Yin Cold Pearl in the tray, pondering that it might have been placed in the underground of a tomb for a long time, soaked in earth water, thus absorbing the cold air. Perhaps once the cold air was released, it would return to the appearance of an ordinary bead.

He signaled to Shang Qi. "One thousand strings!" Shang Qi shouted loudly.

Everyone was stunned. How could one increase the price like that? Did this person have money with nowhere to spend it?

An old man with a veiled face in front turned back and said, "Young man, is your wealth very abundant?"

Zhao Ti looked at him and gave a slight sneer. Shang Qi sneered coldly, "If you are not convinced, you can increase the bid!"

The old man snorted and turned his face away.

At this moment, no one increased the bid further. The man in colorful robes in front beamed with joy and said to those beside him, "Quickly record it; this distinguished guest has won another good item."

Next, several more items were brought out. They were common treasures, but with low starting prices, competition was fierce for a time, yet in the end, Shang Qi won them all with high bids.

The expression of the man in colorful robes began to look unpleasant, and his tone became somewhat stiff: "Does this distinguished guest confirm he wants to buy everything? Items sold by my Wu You Cave are not refundable; otherwise... I fear lives will have to be paid to fill the debt."

Zhao Ti closed his eyes and ignored him. Beside him, Zhou Dong said, "Stop talking nonsense. My Young Master is as rich as a mountain of gold and a pile of silver. What is this amount of money? If he likes it, perhaps he will rent out the entire venue for tonight!"

"Good, good, good." The man in colorful robes licked his lips, rolled some of the powder paint on his face into his mouth to taste, chuckled, and said, "It was my fault, Little Butterfly Cui Chong, for having poor eyesight and failing to recognize a distinguished guest. Please forgive me, distinguished guest."

He turned the words around beautifully, but the crowd below could not accept it and began to grow angry.

A middle-aged man with a stout figure stood up with a "huff": "Young man, do not be too arrogant!"

Another, who appeared young, spoke in a soft, sinister, and drawn-out voice: "When the sky is arrogant, there is rain; when a person is arrogant, there is disaster. If you are triumphant now, it will be hard to say later."

Another somewhat stout man said, "If you are too arrogant, you may fear you cannot walk out of here. Wu You Cave does business by following rules; we will not follow them."

Shang Qi sneered coldly, "Incompetent barkers! If you truly have the ability, bring out the money. If you have no money to bid, get out early and stop embarrassing yourselves here!"

"You!" The hall seemed on the verge of chaos. The man in colorful robes hurriedly stopped them: "Everyone came here to support my Wu You Cave. If you cause trouble now, do you not intend to give my Wu You Cave face?"

"But..."

"Distinguished guests, the highest bidder wins. This is the rule set by Wu You Cave. Do you distinguished guests refuse to obey?" The man in colorful robes's expression turned gloomy.

As soon as his words left his mouth, no one in the hall dared to speak again. He raised his hand and clapped twice, "Clap, clap." Footsteps sounded from behind. This time, it was not some precious treasure, but a group of ferocious thugs escorting seven or eight people forward.

These seven or eight people were mostly young women, plus a small child with hanging hair, and another young man.

Everyone seemed to have been drugged, looking dazed and stupid, ready to be manipulated by anyone.

The man in colorful robes said, "These are fresh meat goods for this month. By old rules, women and children start at ten strings of cash. That young man... thirty strings!"