Chapter 223: Someone Raising the Bid? I Refuse

Holding the fortune of 10 black stones, Fang Yue's heart suddenly lost its footing.

As for the favor Lin Ling had asked him—to help buy some heavenly materials and earthly treasures that would boost cultivation—Fang Yue simply ignored it.

Don't be ridiculous—my own Internal Energy Heart Method isn't even settled yet, where would I find spare money to buy things for Lin Ling first?

What if later I'm short just this little bit and can't afford the Heart Method—wouldn't that be a disaster!

"1.45 black stones!"

"1.55 black stones!"

"1.71 black stones!"

The price was still climbing, but the rate of increase had already slowed.

From the hefty jumps at the start, it had become increments of 1g of Black Ember.

The final transaction price froze at the high figure of 1.85 black stones.

"Congratulations to this gentleman for purchasing this precious 【Jiyang Pill】 at the high price of 1.85 black stones—let us give him our warmest applause!"

Nearly two black stones, just to buy a single pill like this.

Fang Yue suspected that if he brought the Wumu Fruit to this auction, the price could reach several dozen black stones.

"Honestly… I owe Hua Wuye a huge favor!"

Fang Yue had previously thought nothing of the Wumu Fruit's ten-year cultivation boost, but now he realized what an enormous gift Hua Wuye had given him.

Even though there was the grace of having helped her find the murderer who killed her entire family, this gift was still no small matter.

Come to think of it… where did Hua Wuye even get something as good as a Wumu Fruit? Her strength seemed to be not even a match for Lin Ling.

Fang Yue thought about it for a moment, then stopped dwelling on it—everyone has their own fortunes. Perhaps Hua Wuye had encountered some lucky chance and obtained the Wumu Fruit, intending to save it for her beloved Lin Ling, and so never ate it. In the end, it benefited me.

"What are you thinking about? The next auction item is up."

Hearing Captain Huo's words, Fang Yue snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at the auction item on stage.

"Water Control Shoes, Mortal Grade superior quality. Wear these shoes and you can control all unowned water around you—command water to attack the enemy, an immortal-grade technique…"

Fang Yue had noticed.

Every time the Black Crow Merchant Group auctioned something, whenever a Mortal Grade item appeared, it was a scam—a counterfeit.

On the contrary, those Mortal Grade items were sought after, and most of them were genuine.

Even someone who knew nothing about goods could guess whether the item on stage was real just by watching the bidding attitudes of the buyers around them.

"5g Black Ember."

"6g Black Ember."

The surrounding buyers once again began bidding lazily.

The host hurriedly called out the guests' prices with enthusiasm, but it still didn't do much—the people below had extremely low desire to buy.

This left the host a bit disappointed, but still within expectations.

Because this pair of shoes was the auction item originally scheduled in third place.

Something that could be ranked third at the Black Crow Auction naturally wasn't anything good.

To put it simply—the host had actually worn these Water Control Shoes before.

It was a trial wear conducted after the appraisal team had finished their assessment.

The result was not ideal… a bucket of water was splashed on the ground, and stepping on it in the Water Control Shoes only made the water ripple, spreading rings of marks—it had no effect at all, just a toy.

Later they switched in a martial artist, who could control a portion of the water flow, gathering it under the soles, but unfortunately that was all.

There was simply no effect—not even crossing water, not even stepping on water.

A martial artist—that's an Acquired Realm powerhouse!

Most people don't even have this realm. If even a martial artist can't bring out its power, then for ordinary cultivators who haven't even entered the Martial Dao, the effect is self-evident.

Later they tested it in a few rivers and lakes—no water-controlling effect at all, couldn't even wade across a river. Instead, they sank straight down, plunging from the lake's surface to the bottom.

Only then did the Black Crow Merchant Group confirm this was a counterfeit Water Control Shoes made by someone imitating the real thing, thrown into this auction to swindle money.

"13g Black Ember."

"14g Black Ember."

The price was getting harder and harder to push up.

The host's heart secretly grew anxious.

And just then, the young man beside Captain Huo whom he'd noticed earlier suddenly raised his hand.

"20g Black Ember."

20g Black Ember?!

The surrounding audience all froze for a moment.

They were still slowly raising the price over here—how could someone break the rules like this?

But… 20g is completely not worth it.

They looked toward the bidder, but their gaze swept to Captain Huo beside Fang Yue.

Their hearts immediately thumped, and they didn't dare make a sound.

This wasn't like that 【Jiyang Pill】 earlier—genuine, and with outstanding effects. Even if Captain Huo bid, they'd still fight for it.

But a mere counterfeit pair of Water Control Shoes… not worth it.

Immediately, most of the crowd fell silent.

But a small number of people rolled their eyes and suddenly placed bids.

"21g Black Ember!"

"22g Black Ember!"

The price suddenly climbed again.

There were far fewer bidders now, only a few still raising their offers.

Are these people shills?

Fang Yue blinked in confusion, his expression darkening as he glanced at the Fire Captain beside him.

The Fire Captain shook his head slightly and whispered, "They probably think you're new here, and your sudden high bid suggests you've spotted something valuable and want to secure this item."

Oh…

It's just bullying the newbie!

"25g Black Ember."

"26g Black Ember."

Those few continued to slowly raise their bids, but the intervals between each bid grew longer, and they occasionally cast hesitant, conflicted glances toward Fang Yue, as if worrying they'd overthought things.

You wanna play this game, huh?

"50g Black Ember!"

Fang Yue suddenly jacked up the price to a level far beyond what the Water Control Shoes were worth.

At this bid, the host immediately grew excited.

Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!

We've got a sucker!

"50g Black Ember—is there any higher bid?"

"50g Black Ember—is anyone else bidding? This guest has bid 50g Black Ember for the Water Control Shoes! The Water Control Shoes! The Strongest Shoes! Wear them when it's cold, wear them when it's hot, control water as easily as walking through it—do whatever you want! Top-grade Human-tier item: Water Control Shoes! Any other bids?"

Yet no matter how hard the host pushed, the surroundings fell into an eerie silence.

Paying 50g Black Ember for a piece of junk had surpassed most people's estimated price.

Forget it, forget it—50g is already way beyond expectations…

The host comforted himself, beginning to chant loudly: "Fifty grams once! Fifty grams twice!" as he prepared to close the auction.

Just then, a large, fat man in the front row suddenly raised his hand.

"51g Black Ember!"

Someone bid again! Someone else bid!

The big fat man didn't forget to turn his head and glance at Fang Yue.

The big fat man wore a Fox Mask covering the upper half of his face, leaving only his eyes exposed.

Those eyes locked directly onto Fang Yue, as if waiting expectantly.

The host also turned to Fang Yue, his face full of anticipation.

As if responding to both their expectations, Fang Yue raised his voice and bid.

"One Black Stone!"

What?!

Everyone's pupils shrank.

The big fat man in the Fox Mask suddenly stood up.

All eyes snapped to Fang Yue.

"One Black Stone? To buy the Water Control Shoes?"

"Good heavens! What's his background? How rich is he?!"

"He's insane! This thing isn't worth that much!"

"Yeah, who'd pay this much for junk? Is he stupid? Doesn't he know this thing is actually…"

"Hehe! He's done for—wasting money, now he's stuck with this trash!"

"Paying a high price for a lesson—deserved! Hahaha! Sucker!"

The crowd was eagerly whispering among themselves.

Suddenly, someone shouted out a bid.

"Two Black Stones!"

What?!

Silence.

The entire auction hall fell utterly still—not even a pin dropping could be heard.

Everyone stared in disbelief at the bidder.

It was the fat man who had been bidding against Fang Yue earlier.

Two Black Stones? For garbage?!

Is there really such a fool in this world?

"I remember that fat man—he's the head of the Luo Family Trading Guild…"

"Right, that build is unmistakable—even with his face covered."

"He's famous for being shrewd—he never makes a losing deal. Could it be…"

If only Fang Yue had bid high, everyone might've thought he was a sucker.

But now even the notoriously stingy Head of the Luo Family has bid… Could it be…

Everyone instinctively turned their gaze to the Water Control Shoes on stage, swallowing hard.

Could it be…

Impossible…

Though everyone found it unbelievable, someone immediately raised another bid.

"Two point one Black Stones!! I'll take the Water Control Shoes!"

"2.2 Black Stones, nobody jump in, fair bidding, highest price wins, alright!"

On-site, the atmosphere suddenly exploded.

In the scramble, the price kept soaring, leaving even the host dumbfounded.

He was even tempted to stop the auction and immediately bring in the professional team to re-examine whether the Water Control Shoes were genuine!

Damn, so many people fighting over it — way too suspicious!

Could it really be that their own professional team misjudged it!

"6 Black Stones!"

While the others were dawdling and pushing the Water Control Shoes' price up to 4 Black Stones, Pangzi Luo nervously wiped the hot sweat spilling down his face and roared.

The scene instantly fell silent; the host anxiously kept stoking the atmosphere, shouting at the top of his lungs.

But after quite a while, no one placed a bid.

Until...

"6.1 Black Stones."

What — someone actually bid again!

Everyone's gazes snapped over in unison, and it was unmistakably... Fang Yue!

At this point, everyone truly memorized Fang Yue's face.

At this moment, a member of a merchant group whispered a couple of words into the host's ear.

The next instant, the host abruptly raised his voice and said.

"Niu Niu! Young Master Niu Niu in Row 52, Seat 17, bid 6.1 Black Stones! Anyone going higher?"

Fang Yue was stunned for a moment — no wonder someone from a merchant group had come over earlier to ask for his information. Fang Yue had wondered what they wanted, so he casually gave them the name Niu Niu. Turns out they were reporting it to the host.

"6.1 Black Stones, any higher bids?"

Seeing Fang Yue and Pangzi Luo bid so fiercely, some people had to admit they were wavering again.

"6.2 Black Stones!"

"6.3 Black Stones!"

Hearing the price start climbing again, Pangzi Luo's cold, sinister gaze swept sharply toward Fang Yue. His left hand kept wiping sweat, his right fist clenched tight.

Slamming the chair, he roared: "10 Black Stones! Nobody's allowed to fight me for it anymore, or you're going against our Luo Luo Merchant Association! We all see each other in Mo Cun day in and day out — don't make it so we can't even be brothers anymore!"

The tone of those words was already brimming with anger.

And this price seemed to be the absolute limit of what he could bid.

At this point, Fang Yue exchanged a few words with Captain Huo beside him, then sat calmly.

The host was so excited he was practically jumping out of his skin.

10 Black Stones! 10 Black Stones!

Apart from a few bottom-of-the-chest items, the Black Crow Merchant Group hadn't expected anything else in this auction to sell at such a high price!

Yet now someone had offered exactly that — his face was almost blooming with smiles, his performance numbers shooting straight up.

"10 Black Stones, anyone going higher? Young Master Niu Niu, not going to give it one more push?"

The host began targeted emotional provocation, but Fang Yue was unmoved.

And faced with such a steep price, everyone else backed off.

In the end, the Water Control Shoes were bought by Pangzi Luo at the high price of 10 Black Stones.

For this God of Wealth, the host personally carried the Water Control Shoes over and completed the settlement on the spot.

After Pangzi Luo got the shoes, a flash of greed and excitement crossed his eyes. He glanced at the gazes watching him from all around, then suddenly stood up and walked outside.

This move left everyone collectively stunned.

The host spoke up directly.

"Customer Luo, not joining the rest of the auction?"

"No money!"

Ah, this...

The host laughed awkwardly, cursing inwardly: That's it? Broke bastard!

Pangzi Luo walked outward, and as he passed Fang Yue's seat, he suddenly stopped.

He glanced at Captain Huo beside him, lowered his voice, and dropped a harsh line: "Niu Niu, right? I've got you memorized!"

Fang Yue shrugged, unbothered. But Captain Huo glanced at him, scaring Pangzi Luo into a shudder, and he hurried out.

Seeing this, everyone couldn't help but sigh.

As if lamenting that they themselves had missed out on a fine Human-Grade Superior item.

Only Fang Yue's expression remained calm.

Captain Huo couldn't hold back any longer.

She lowered her voice and asked curiously: "Why didn't you keep bidding just now? Out of money? I could lend you some."

Such a good thing exists?

Fang Yue was stunned: "You're willing to lend me money? How much can you lend?"

"Hmm... depends on the situation, won't lend too much — afraid you can't pay it back!"

Fang Yue rolled his eyes.

Am I that kind of person!

Seeing Fang Yue say nothing, she nudged him with her elbow.

"So you really were out of money just now, that's why you stopped bidding? Are the Water Control Shoes genuine? Could you tell? What exactly is going on?"

Fang Yue gave a wry smile: "Where would I have that kind of ability? I just wanted to gamble a bit, didn't expect someone to cut in and outbid me. I was originally planning to bid 20g of Black Ember, you saw it earlier too — they saw I was a stranger and teamed up to bully me by driving up my price. Of course I couldn't take that lying down, so I hit back with a super double."

"Ah... that's it?"

"What else did you expect?"

"... So that thing was still a fake, and you let someone else buy a fake for 10 black stones... you really are black-hearted."

Fang Yue gave a cold laugh.

"If I don't show a bit of fang, they'll think I'm someone easy to bully."

Captain Huo was a little caught between tears and laughter, and at the same time found it quite amusing.

Buying a fake home for 10 black stones—when Pangzi Luo learns the truth, how wonderful his expression will be.

(End of this chapter)