Seeing the two of them frozen in shock, Li Xingluo felt pleased with himself. The more stunned they were, the more it proved his gamble had paid off.
"Sir, how many do you intend to put up for auction?"
"The auction price is your business. I won't interfere. What's wrong? You both look rather troubled."
"Sir, I've truly never heard of the effects you described."
"Ah, so you're questioning this old man?"
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare." The auction house's Alchemist waved his hands repeatedly, cold sweat beading on his brow once more. "It's just that Maple Forest City is small, sir. Could we remove the part about its effects on Dou Ling and Dou Wang? I think that would make it easier for people to accept."
Li Xingluo considered this briefly, not rushing to answer.
The woman beside them poured him a cup of tea herself, her smile never fading.
"Sir, An Li is right. Maple Forest City doesn't have a single Dou Ling expert, after all. Even if you said it had such effects, people might not believe it. What do you think?"
"Fine. We'll do as you suggest, but let me make one thing clear: if the price is too low, I won't sell."
"Of course, sir!"
Seeing Li Xingluo give in, An Li felt as though a huge stone had finally rolled off his heart. At last, he could relax.
"Would you be interested in attending tonight's auction, sir? If so, I'll have Liu Ya prepare a private box for you."
Li Xingluo turned to Xiao Yi Xian, who gave a slight nod.
"Very well. I've got nothing better to do, so I may as well take a look."
"Liu Ya, arrange it for me."
"Yes, Lord An Li."
Liu Ya gestured for them to follow. Only then did Li Xingluo and Xiao Yi Xian rise and leave the room behind her.
Once Li Xingluo and Xiao Yi Xian were out the door, An Li finally breathed a sigh of relief and slumped into his chair. The pressure Li Xingluo had put on him had been truly staggering. Now that Li Xingluo had left, he felt thoroughly liberated.
Looking at the pills on the table, An Li shuddered with lingering fear. If he had truly offended this important figure just now, he might not have had long to live. An Alchemist's pride was innate, especially for a figure like this.
Liu Ya led Li Xingluo and Xiao Yi Xian to a private box on the second floor of the auction hall.
"Please, sir. I've instructed the maids outside to attend to you. Just call for them if you need anything."
Every smile and frown of Liu Ya's carried a captivating charm, but Li Xingluo could tell that this woman was no simple character.
Li Xingluo merely nodded. As the auction's host, Liu Ya naturally had no time to attend to them herself.
After giving some more instructions at the door, she couldn't help glancing at Li Xingluo, seated inside. Then, swinging her long legs, she left. A maid set out tea and refreshments, then withdrew discreetly and closed the door.
"What? Taken a fancy to that woman named Liu Ya?"
Xiao Yi Xian saw Li Xingluo looking back, and she had no idea what had led her to that conclusion.
The moment she said it, the tea Li Xingluo had just sipped sprayed out of his mouth.
A little embarrassed, he set down his teacup and explained, "What nonsense are you talking about? I just think there's something up with that woman. Every time she speaks, and every time she deliberately edges closer, she's after something."
Xiao Yi Xian rolled her eyes and left Li Xingluo to figure it out for himself.
The auction in the hall was now officially underway. Liu Ya walked slowly onto the stage and delivered a few formal remarks.
Then came the first item of the day. A maid carried out a box, and Liu Ya opened it gently, taking out a sheet of yellowed, tattered cowhide paper.
Seeing the sheet in Liu Ya's hand, the people in the auction hall began whispering among themselves.
The instant Li Xingluo saw the cowhide paper in Liu Ya's hand, he sprang to his feet. Some kind of pull seemed to draw his gaze to it.
Xiao Yi Xian had never seen Li Xingluo so distracted. She rose and went to his side, asking softly, "Xing Luo, what's wrong?"
Li Xingluo's gaze remained fixed on the cowhide paper in Liu Ya's hand. Hearing Xiao Yi Xian's question, he answered in a murmur, "I don't know what's happening either. I just feel an urge inside me to have that scroll of cowhide paper."
His explanation struck Xiao Yi Xian as strange too, so she turned her eyes to the paper in Liu Ya's hand.
But after looking for a long while, she couldn't glean anything useful. Still, Xiao Yi Xian was certain Li Xingluo wouldn't do anything without reason.
Liu Ya glanced at Li Xingluo without thinking. When she saw his eyes fixed on where she stood, a strange flutter stirred in her heart, and her cheeks instantly flushed.
Liu Ya composed herself and began speaking slowly. "This is a map the auction house acquired recently in a mountain range. Even we haven't been able to decipher what's drawn on it."
"Then what use is it?"
"Yeah, it's just a map. What's the point?"
The murmurs rose and fell. Liu Ya looked a little awkward, but as the auction house's star auctioneer, she knew how to control the room.
Her gentle voice rang out from her throat.
"Though we can't identify what it is, it must be no ordinary thing. Perhaps someone with the right affinity will unravel its mysteries."
Hearing Liu Ya's words, those who had been arguing just moments before seemed to accept her explanation. But who would spend money on something when they didn't even know whether it was useful?
"Starting bid: one thousand gold coins!"
The starting bid had been announced, but after waiting a while, not a single person made an offer. Liu Ya looked a little embarrassed. Surely the very first item wouldn't go unsold? She had never had that happen before.
"One thousand five hundred gold coins!"
Li Xingluo hadn't called out a price right away because he'd been afraid someone might compete with him. After a long wait with no bids, he finally breathed a little easier.
Hearing Li Xingluo's bid, Liu Ya sent him a grateful look.
But just as Li Xingluo was about to claim the item, a discordant voice rang out.
"Two thousand!"
Li Xingluo followed the voice and saw a young man in his early twenties standing across from him on the second floor. He waved a folding fan, wearing an air of supreme arrogance.
Naturally, Liu Ya also turned her gaze toward the young master.
"Two thousand five hundred!"
As soon as Li Xingluo's voice fell, the other side raised the price again.
"Three thousand!"
Li Xingluo's brows drew together. Why was this person picking a fight with him? He hadn't bid once before, yet now he was going all out against him.
Had the other man also recognized the meaning of the pattern drawn on the cowhide paper?
Li Xingluo had decided to bid for the scroll because he'd keenly noticed something unusually familiar at the center of the pattern, something he felt he'd seen somewhere before.
Liu Ya glanced back at Li Xingluo, and the gesture made the young man's expression darken even further.
Every time Li Xingluo raised his bid, the young man across from him did the same. They kept raising the price until it reached twenty thousand gold coins—a huge sum for ordinary people.
Seeing the young man's smug expression, Li Xingluo only smiled. He didn't bid again, but slowly walked back to his seat and sat down.
Xiao Yi Xian was puzzled and returned to her seat as well.
She lowered her voice. "You don't want that thing anymore?"
She had seen how determined Li Xingluo had been to get the cowhide paper. Xiao Yi Xian hadn't seen that kind of unwavering look in a long time.
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