Final Destination

As the Three Major Pharmaceutical Groups vied with one another, the price of the potion kept climbing.

"510,000!"

When Anshintang pushed the bid to its highest point for the last time.

Zhenyao Workshop and Miaofang Pavilion fell silent.

The host glanced in their direction.

"Anshintang has bid 510,000. Is there anyone else?"

"If not, I'll start counting down!"

Seeing that the others still showed no reaction, the host felt slightly disappointed.

"All right, three... two... one!"

"Sold!"

"Congratulations to Anshintang on winning this potion!"

The hall instantly erupted into noise.

"Damn, 510,000! They're really willing to spend. Isn't it just a simple potion?"

"You don't understand. To us, it's a simple potion used only to boost vitality and blood, but to the Three Major Pharmaceutical Groups, it's the hope of their research!"

"Exactly. If they can discover something from this potion, it might greatly improve their products. How could they not spend big?"

"All right, stop worrying about the Three Major Pharmaceutical Groups. They're businessmen. Do you really think they can't calculate their own accounts?"

"Exactly..."

Lu Bo watched as the final price of the potion was settled, his expression faintly disappointed.

"It's quite a bit lower than I expected!"

According to his estimate, the Three Major Pharmaceutical Groups should have fought until one of them was utterly ruined!

Moreover, that had indeed been the case when the potion first went up for auction. None of the groups had been willing to yield, and the price had risen fiercely.

But once it reached 500,000, the bids from Zhenyao Workshop and Miaofang Pavilion had abruptly stopped!

The gap between his expectations and reality was truly hard to accept!

Jiang Fan chuckled beside him.

"That's normal!"

"Getting it to this price is already quite impressive!"

Lu Bo looked at Jiang Fan in surprise. Seeing that Jiang Fan did not seem nearly as disappointed as he was, he asked,

"How do you figure that?"

Jiang Fan said indifferently,

"They came to bid on this potion for no more than two reasons!"

"First, they wanted to get this legendary potion with its supposedly wondrous effects into their own hands for research, preventing it from falling into the hands of the other two companies!"

"Second, they wanted to establish contact with the owner behind this potion and see whether they could reach a partnership!"

"At the beginning, all of them truly wanted to take the potion for themselves. But in the end, they realized that no matter how fiercely they competed, only one of them could ultimately win the rival product!"

"They're all people from pharmaceutical groups, and they understand potion research best. They know how difficult it would be to reverse-engineer the entire production process from just one potion!"

"Rather than pour so much money into that faint hope, they might as well approach the matter from the second angle and invest those costs in the potion's owner. That could instead allow them to reach a partnership in one step!"

"If I'm not mistaken, they'll come over very soon to ask you about the owner's identity!"

"So, I should be leaving!"

Listening to Jiang Fan's analysis, Lu Bo's expression gradually grew solemn.

"You do see things clearly!"

Jiang Fan looked no more than a teenage high school student, yet he had seen through the matter so thoroughly.

To be honest, Lu Bo found it rather astonishing.

His opinion of Jiang Fan rose several more notches.

However, Jiang Fan's next words left him stunned again.

"You're not going to meet them?"

Jiang Fan waved his hand and stood up.

"No!"

"How could I let them meet me so easily?"

"I'll keep them hanging for a few days first!"

When he reached the door, he turned back and said to Lu Bo,

"Uncle Lu, sorry for the trouble this time!"

"For now, please keep my identity confidential!"

"Reveal it to them three days from now!"

After saying that, he paused.

"Who knows, you might even be able to fish something out of them!"

At those words, a rare smile appeared on Lu Bo's face.

"All right!"

"You brat, hurry up and leave!"

"Leave the rest to me!"

"The proceeds from this potion will be transferred to your account within an hour!"

After the auction ended, the guests in the hall began to disperse.

Jiang Fan came out of Lu Bo's room, walked halfway around the corridor, then reached the exit opposite and climbed the stairs.

He had just reached the top when people from the Three Major Pharmaceutical Groups hurried out into the corridor.

"Old Yu, congratulations on winning this potion!"

"Old Yu, congratulations!"

Xia Chengyang and Sikong Yao offered their congratulations without slowing their steps.

Yu Jun walked straight ahead with Yu Baiwei, replying perfunctorily,

"Same to you, same to you!"

"The auction's over, so why haven't the two of you hurried home yet?"

Xia Chengyang and Sikong Yao exchanged a glance.

"Of course we want to see what this legendary potion looks like!"

"Old Yu, you wouldn't be unwilling to let everyone have a look, would you?"

Yu Jun said coldly,

"That really wouldn't be convenient!"

"..."

The group walked on while trading barbs, and in the blink of an eye they passed the exit.

As Yu Baiwei followed Yu Jun past at a brisk pace, she subconsciously looked up at the stairway. At a glance, she spotted Jiang Fan's figure.

Her brows furrowed, and she stopped pensively.

Why did that figure look so familiar?

When she stopped, Yu Jun was pulled back as well.

There were still two flies at his side that would not leave him alone, and they had even already walked ahead of them.

Yu Jun said irritably,

"Why did you stop?"

Yu Baiwei came to her senses and opened her mouth, wanting to say something.

But afraid that she was not certain, she hurried to catch up.

"Nothing!"

Yu Jun frowned.

"Then hurry up!"

And so, Xia Chengyang and Sikong Yao clung to Yu Jun like dog-skin plasters.

From paying, to receiving the potion, to asking about the consignor's identity, they remained within arm's reach the entire time.

At last, after finding out where the person in charge was, Yu Jun ignored the other two and quickly headed upstairs to Lu Bo's room.

A few minutes later.

"What? You're saying the consignor was just in your room?"

"Where is he now?"

The heads of the Three Major Pharmaceutical Groups cried out in surprise.

Lu Bo was all smiles, looking extremely humble.

"That's right. He was indeed here just now!"

"But he left after the auction ended!"

Lu Bo pretended to think for a moment.

"Judging by the time, it's probably been nearly twenty minutes!"

The group secretly regretted it upon hearing that. Why hadn't they come to Lu Bo immediately? Why had they still been fixated on the potion?

It was all that host's fault for refusing to tell them where the person in charge was.

Yu Jun smiled faintly, trying to appear as calm as possible.

"Brother Lu, could you tell us something about him? I'd be most grateful!"

At this point, Yu Jun knew he could no longer avoid the other two. He simply stopped worrying about the potion he had won and asked outright in front of them.

Since he could not shake them off, they might as well investigate the information together and compete fairly, saving the other two from secretly making another move.

The other two also looked at Lu Bo expectantly.

Lu Bo bowed slightly.

"I'm truly sorry, but without the client's authorization, our underground auction house cannot disclose the consignor's information!"

The three of them frowned slightly upon hearing that.

Just then, Yu Baiwei's voice sounded from the side.

"Um... Grandpa!"

They all turned toward her at once.

"When we were coming downstairs just now, I think I saw him!"

"What?"

Several voices rose an octave in the room.