Chapter 493 — An Unexpected Turn at the Auction

Who was Divine Doctor Kang? He was a titan of the medical world. If even he was bidding so high for a pill, could it be any ordinary pill?

These people all regretted not having entered the bidding when the first pill came up, letting Liu Tianyi snatch a bargain. The price had already soared to four hundred million — and perhaps that was not even the final price!

Sure enough, at Divine Doctor Kang's nod, Kang Guifeng raised the bidding paddle once more: "Four hundred and ten million!"

This time he dared not raise it by too much. The Kang family currently had only around five hundred million in liquid capital. If he bid higher, they would have no cash flow left, and the family business would surely suffer.

Yet after Kang Guifeng's bid, Fatty Lai's side fell silent! Those not in the know assumed Fatty Lai was also out of money, hesitating or having already given up.

But Fatty Lai merely watched Wei Zhao with a grin: "Boss, I reckon the Kang family is near their limit. If I raise once more, they'll surely follow — but any more after that, who can say."

"Mm, that's about enough." Wei Zhao smiled. Fatty Lai really was a wicked one. Still, Wei Zhao had never held any fondness for Divine Doctor Kang's family, so naturally he would not stop Fatty Lai from toying with them.

"Four hundred and ten million going once... four hundred and ten million going twice..." The auctioneer paused here and glanced toward Fatty Lai to see whether he would raise again.

Divine Doctor Kang was seething. What game was this auctioneer playing? If you dare not bring down the hammer on the third call, why look at Fatty Lai? Was this not encouragement for him to keep opposing me?

Yet the auctioneer's encouragement did take effect. Fatty Lai gritted his teeth, suddenly rose to his feet, and raised his paddle: "Four hundred and twenty million!"

Divine Doctor Kang's heart sank. Damn it all — this auctioneer was far too devious! But this was the Yu family's auction house; even if he had complaints, he dared not voice them. He could only swallow his anger and signal Kang Guifeng to continue.

For this time Divine Doctor Kang had resolved to stake everything on this "Life-Extending Detox Pill." From the way things stood, there were likely only these three such pills; miss this chance and there would be no more. So Divine Doctor Kang had no choice but to grit his teeth and press on.

"Four hundred and thirty million!" Kang Guifeng raised the paddle in his hand.

"Four hundred and thirty million going once... four hundred and thirty million going twice... four hundred and thirty million going three times... sold!" Though the auctioneer had hoped Fatty Lai would keep bidding, sadly he had backed off this time — clearly out of money and resolved to give up, sitting there stock-still.

At this moment none were happier than Liu Tianyi. His heart was brimming with delight! Earlier he had thought two hundred and eighty million for a Life-Extending Detox Pill was steep; now he felt he had snapped up an enormous bargain! For the final pill, Fatty Lai had failed even at four hundred and twenty million, and Divine Doctor Kang's family had taken it for four hundred and thirty million!

In truth, he was wrong. He thought himself the happiest man alive, but he was not. The happiest of all was Fatty Lai! He had played every single person in the hall for a fool!

These three pills had brought the company nearly a billion in profit! The company was at a critical stage of development right now, and a billion in funds could accomplish a great deal! Fatty Lai had indeed wanted a pill for himself at first, but once Wei Zhao had promised him one, he had bid afterwards purely in the spirit of stirring up trouble.

"Boss, I never imagined our funds would swell so much all at once!" Fatty Lai chuckled.

Wei Zhao had not expected three ordinary Marrow-Cleansing Bone-Refining Pills to fetch so much money either. This stuff — when he was a boy, Old Man Wei had fed it to him by the jarful as though it were candy...

"Ha... you won't be shortchanged!" Wei Zhao was now full of admiration for Fatty Lai's business acumen. Without Fatty Lai stirring the pot today, he reckoned these three Life-Extending Detox Pills would never have fetched such a price.

"Thank you, Boss!" Fatty Lai nodded cheerfully.

But just as the auctioneer was about to introduce the next lot, someone in the guest seats spoke up!

"Fine things ought to be brought out for everyone to share! Yu Haitian, ask the seller — are there any more of those Life-Extending Detox Pills? Before we even had a chance to bid, the things were gone. That hardly seems fair!" The one speaking now was Wu Gonggao, head of the Ironhand Wu family.

His name was most scholarly chosen: Wu Gonggao — naturally meaning "high martial skill." A trifle boastful, perhaps, yet wholly deserved! He was one of the few Mystic-rank masters remaining in the secular world! He alone dared speak to the Yu family in such a tone!

The Ironhand Wu family was an ancient clan. Though on the surface it appeared about as great as Liu Tianyi's Liu family, for such centuries-old houses, who did not hold a few hidden cards? Even just the martial prowess of Wu Gonggao, the Wu family head, was enough to shake the entire hall! Even the Yu family regarded him with a measure of caution.

It was fair to say that so long as Wu Gonggao held the fort for the Iron Hand Wu family, no one dared make light of them.

Wu Gonggao had rushed over after receiving a phone call from his grandson, Wu Chengtian. Though he too was in Yanjing and had come for the Yu family's auction, patriarchs like him seldom attended the auctions on the first and second days; for the first two sessions he had sent younger members of the family, and only for the final session would he appear in person.

But when Wu Gonggao heard that a Life-Extending Detox Pill had been bid up to two hundred and eighty million, and that the Yu family had entered the fray as well, he could no longer sit still. He hurried to the auction house, arriving just in time for the auctioneer's final hammer fall.

Meanwhile, Wu Chengtian had glanced at the catalogue's description of the Life-Extending Detox Pill and instantly felt it shared a subtle kinship with the long-lost Marrow-Washing Bone-Transforming Pill of the martial world. His interest flared at once, and, unwilling to let it go, he interrupted the auction.

Had it been an ordinary scion of some great house or a wealthy merchant who spoke up to inquire, Yu Haitian would naturally have had no shortage of excuses to turn him away. But the man asking was Wu Gonggao, patriarch of the Iron Hand Wu family and a Mystic-rank expert, and he dared not brush him off lightly. His gaze went to his second uncle at his side.

"Ask Mr. Lai Changshan's opinion," the middle-aged man said after a moment's hesitation, his tone mild. "If there are more, bringing out a few extra would do no harm. We won't take a commission."

"Yes!" Wu Haitian nodded, gestured to the auctioneer to pause the introduction of the next lot, and quickly put through a call to Lai Changshan.